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dustineichler's comments

dustineichler | 14 years ago | on: Billing with Stripe

I love Railscasts, but this seems a little premature even by Rbates standards or popularity. Generally, Railscasts revolve around industry standards. I'm not saying Stripe won't be, it probably will... but man, this is some front running.

dustineichler | 14 years ago | on: Color.com Pivots to Live Personal Broadcasting

Rant: When a company Pivots, a developer gets it's wings. There are no rules to raising money anymore, no path. I don't care what a VC tells me. It invalidates VC funding models, otherwise Color should not exist. They could create a fund with the money they have in the bank. At least that would make sense.

e.g. - No reason not to bootstrap.

dustineichler | 14 years ago | on: Why You Should Bootstrap in Montreal or Join Startup Chile

This sounds pretty cool. I'd go to Chile if not for a little travel and to escape the Bay Area bubble in lieu of a broader life experience. Wonder once you finish the 'program' what the terms are. I suspect they'd want you to stay wherever they're funding you. I also suspect developing countries (PIGS) are going to be a hot bed of innovative startups. Tangible problems beget real solutions, e.g. - successful companies?

dustineichler | 14 years ago | on: Learning the hard way: Moving from NYC to Palo Alto and back in 1.5 months

How do you get funding without a product? I see this all the time with MBA students fresh out of school. It's pretty annoying. Also, If this doesn't have the makings of someone who saw "The Social Network" and moved to Palo Alto I don't know what does. You ran at the first sign of Failure with a capital F. That doesn't bode well.

Josh, shit is going to happen. Learn to roll with the punches. PA is a startup haven because it's boring, there's nothing to do there but focus on building things. That's to bad things went down the way they did, that's unfortunate. Startups are a dedication game, in my mind at least. You should read this as encouragement next time you encounter difficultly.

dustineichler | 14 years ago | on: Poll: Non-Founders, Why Are You Not Starting a Start-Up?

Other -- and this is important. Lack of connections and willingness to use people is something worth considering. I know a lot of people, but not a fan of nepotism. However, I wouldn't mind someone believing in me, but would never ask. So I've heard, your first startup isn't really about the idea. It's about "you" or your character. That does not preclude me from building something. I just rather assume it's a project until certain milestones have been reached.

dustineichler | 14 years ago | on: Ask HN: Current freelancer and consulting rates survey

I think you have the right idea. You're trading a minimum set of requirements for a better service. Your value added proposition is, availability. You'll always be on call if necessary. I typically ask for 20 hours a week minimum between 2 projects. This takes a little pressure off to spend time in the code base and iron things out. My contracts are typically 3-6months. Rates also vary between w-2 and corp-to-corp. Freelancing is a very inexpensive proposition when add up how much hiring and employing someone really costs. Hope that helps. Freelanceswitch.com is a great resource.

dustineichler | 14 years ago | on: Ask HN: Current freelancer and consulting rates survey

I've worked on 2 week retainers initially. It's worth while with small and larger clients alike. It adds a air of security and relationship trust between you the client. Make it know upfront you work on a retainer though, obviously not after the fact. Individual clients not so much. Somewhat unrelated, but relative is a talk by Mike_FTW on payments --freelancing http://vimeo.com/22053820

dustineichler | 14 years ago | on: Ask HN: Current freelancer and consulting rates survey

While that is cool. You have to realize he's not getting this rate all the time or at least that many projects that can be billed out as such. Pivotal labs can though. I'd know about it, having done similar work in SF. It's unusual. Typically rates are pretty normalized and much lower, however I'm surprised rates are actually consistent across the US despite the cost of living. Makes me feel like I'm working a lot harder for less, which is probably true. That's SF!

dustineichler | 14 years ago | on: Ask HN: Should we be considering a HN 9/11 ban?

My comment is a commentary on the ridiculousness of your post. I found it dimwitted and short sighted. When has censorship ever solved anything. Shocker humor is lost on someone from the UK. If you said it was in bad taste, I might agree, but that's not really the point. You suggest censorship in a country founded on democratic ideals... about a topic related to an event... in a country you're not from.

dustineichler | 14 years ago | on: Ask HN: Boss fired me. How to warn former employer about him?

I can understand your frustration. I've been there and from my experience; anger is a wasted emotion thats worth channeling towards developing new skills, building new projects or just getting fit. Don't waste your time, it's not worth it. Learn to roll with the punches, you'll be happier. If nothing else, go out a class act. re: exit interview.
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