15 5 / 2012
Peter Thiel’s CS183: Startup - Class 11 Notes Essay
Here is an essay version of class notes from Class 11 of CS183: Startup. Errors and omissions are mine. Credit for good stuff is Peter’s.
Class 11 Notes Essay—Secrets
I. Secrets
Back in class one, we identified a very key question that you should continually ask yourself: what important truth do very few people agree with you on? To a first approximation, the correct answer is going to be a secret. Secrets are unpopular or unconventional truths. So if you come up with a good answer, that’s your secret.
How many secrets are there in the world? Recall that, reframed in a business context, the key question is: what great company is no one starting? If there are many possible answers, it means that there are many great companies that could be created. If there are no good answers, it’s probably a very bad idea to start a company. From this perspective, the question of how many secrets exist in our world is roughly equivalent to how many startups people should start.
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08 5 / 2012
I’ve always hated my singing voice, but here’s a cover I’ve made of Green Grass, by Tom Waits. A re-recording will follow. I promise you.
06 5 / 2012
I have a piano teacher with a sense of humor. She’s asking me to play this. #FML.
http://erato.uvt.nl/files/imglnks/usimg/d/d3/IMSLP06824-Moszkowski_Caprice_espagnol_op.37.pdf
The good - she knows my taste in music very well. The bad - are you kidding me?!
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02 5 / 2012
Came back from Maui and had to pick up the Ukulele again. 20 minutes later, I managed to squeeze out part of Mraz’s “I’m Yours”.
Watch as I struggle to read the lyrics fast enough to keep up with the chords. It’s really quite funny and painful to watch. Stupid girl.
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02 5 / 2012
Oh shit. I haven’t been updating this at all, but for a good reason - I decided to pick up the piano again.
Beethoven’s Rondo in C Major Op.51 No.1 has got to be one of the most eccentric pieces by Beethoven I’ve heard. The piece is a constant battle between staccatos and legatos which both confuses and delights me at the same time. Respect, Beethoven!
Anyway, I’m 2 minutes in. Hopefully I can post something before I leave for Cannes.
This is for you, mom and pop! :)
01 5 / 2012
Meg Robichaud: Everything I wish someone had told me (about freelancing)
I’m putting together a talk about freelancing at my old school, the Art Institute of Vancouver, for the new grads. Why not share it here, too!
What is freelancing?
Freelancing working for a number of companies on your own terms. You’re managing a business: the accounting,…
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