Disclaimer: I do not follow crowds

I picked up my first Macbook pro recently.

The iPhone is an experience I often suggest my friends to try. I tell them if they don't like it, they don't need to buy it again. At the very least, they can claim that they've tried it... not a big deal for most of them who have owned a multitude of cell phones in their life time.

I got my Macbook following the same advice. I'd be a pretty stubborn person if I were to go around hating on Macs when I haven't even owned one in the past. I really wasn't exactly go-go about it in the first place, but the facts are on the wall: the Mac can do everything I want plus more.

I'm having a pretty sweet time with it so far. I'm slightly skeptical of all the apps I have running in the background, but they're awesome and I have no current complaints.

Recent Hike

Hobnox: Audiotool

The Hobnox: Audiotool is my newest online time-waster. It is a flash-based music production playground: simulated rhythm composers, tone matrix, mixers, and plenty of effects. It is a dream come true for the music geek.

Check it out at http://www.hobnox.com/audiotool

What to do when life throws you a curve ball?

I'm usually tempted to give it my best shot (yes, I'm optimistic)
But there are times when we ought to pass
I mean, curve balls are rightly called so because they're sneaky
The key is to probably decide early and up front whether you are in or out
So what am I going to do?


I think I just answered my dilemma.

Hiring and building a team

is possibly the most important thing a startup will do.


The first 10 employees will determine company DNA and pretty much its success or failure. The problem is that recruiting those first "proper" few employees is so so incredibly steep for an unfounded startup. The occurence of believers whom also have the right skills and personality is simply improbable.

Okay, I should stop complaining. Do something about it.

Startup Metrics for Pirates

Dave Mcclure is my idol. He seemed like any typical Silicon Valley geek when I met him at Startonomics last week, but his presentation is all gravy.



I have nothing but awe and belief in the methodology he describes.

Oh, and he's also a Hopkins alum.

Exams and Work

My summer is starting at the end of this week. This means I need to haul myself together and make progress. I've barely studied for my exams and am already tired from mentally beating myself up over plans for the next few months.

HTC Magic

Oh why the hell not. Chances are mobile apps will play a role in my future career. I probably ought to spend the time to get a perspective for the various platforms out there.

I know what the iPhone experience is like. I've decided to go with the HTC Magic (running the Google Android OS) for my next handset.

Got to be serious

Internet Business Q & A for beginners

In no particular order, these are common answers I've given:

Q: Where do I register a domain?
A: Use Godaddy.com. It might not be the best deal, but it really doesn't matter. You can use instantdomainsearch.com to check for domain availability. If your desired domain is available, and you are semi-serious. Register for it asap.

Q: How much should I pay for developers?
A: It's simple. Assuming you go to credible developers for their service; you pay for what you get. Don't think you can expect good code at $8/hr.

Q: How much does it cost to build an online store?
A: It depends completely on what features you want. An online store is a very vague definition to people who actually build this stuff. Every extra feature will cost more (and it adds up!).

Q: How much does it cost to build Ebay.com? or Amazon.com?
A: Tonnes. They don't hire an army of developers for nothing. Chances are that you don't understand how complicated their systems are.

Q: My designer doesn't know/understand what I want.
A: Always always always use references. Practically everything you want is out there in some shape or form. Don't expect to do something nobody has done, leave that to real developers (if you are one, you would have already skipped this blog entry).

Q: Any other advice?
A: Focus on the business. How do you plan to market your site? This is incredibly difficult thing to do these days. Don't say word of mouth and tell me people will just show up because your product/service is so great.

A2: Find a tech-guy you can trust and persuade him to partner up. Otherwise, you need to realize your core competency isn't technology (thus, you don't want to be competing in that space).

I lost my iPhone last week (got stolen). It's a shame because I actually use it to keep myself organized and to take pictures when I'm inspired.


The picture above is one of the last few pictures I took. It's a fossil of Hello Kitty.

Blocked blogger.com in China has been a barrier for me. bleh.