HN user
> likes Ruby > likes PHP > likes System Engineering > likes to take cool pictures with off camera flashes > loves his wife > proudly italian
What surprised me most is not the movie but the realization of how much communication overload has changed over time.
I am old enough to have lived the same situation depicted here on two different communication media: IRC chats and BBS + CB radio before that.
The difference is that i experienced communication overload in a time 1990->2000 when such experience marked you irrevocably as a geek.
Today this is open to the masses.
This, honestly.
As european (and italian), I can confirm most of what Antirez said.
Moreover, founding a startup (or running a business, or working as an account, or working as a diplomat) is undoubtly much more difficult when you have to work with people speaking a foreing language.
The truth is that not just "accents", but also slang, technical lingo and even local humour come into play when you have to decode whether the person you are speaking with is really angry, sarcastic or she is just joking.
Things get even worse when you can't see those you are speaking with.
I don't think PG claims that strong accents are a barrier to creating successful startups in Silicon Valley, they just add up yet another hurdle that founders (and employees alike) must overcome to make that startup successful.
Therefore, such hurdles, must be accounted for.
Why worry about borders when even ex-STASI members have declared they would have loved to had (at their times) the suirvellance tools USA has right now.
Are you serious about your privacy? Never use social networks, crypt everything and never fly to or through USA.
Oh, and by the way now I can welcome myself in the one percenters. :)
Unfortunately they still might ask you to fire up your laptop, give the password, find the truecrypt volume and then ask you the password for that.
I am Italian and have been an entrepreneur myself, for this reason, I understand your difficulty.
However, before even trying to describe your lifestyle in a less defensive way, I would suggest to change attitude about your job.
Far from being a stigma, running a small business makes you a successful person if you enjoy what you do, if your business is stable, if it grows organically, if it allows you to employ people, if it leaves you time to live your life fully.
Saying "I am an entrepreneur in the <your business goes here> field" should be convincing enough if you feel strong about what you are doing.
After all, if you feel strong about your choices, anyone who kills the conversation at this point might not be someone you want continue dating anyway.
I agree with csense points, also, it would be nice to specify how long links will be kept in your site: since you planned this as archive it would make sense to put a limit (let's say, one month) and then give access to links posted "one day ago", "n days ago", "n weeks ago" etc.