Thlinks.

I don't consider myself an out and out perfectionist (perfectionists never do anything), but it takes me probably twice as long to edit my writing as it takes to write it in the first place. I love that some people can just write stuff in one go and bam it's done, but that rarely happens for me. (Maybe 1 or 2 days per year.)

It's like when you see an interview with a songwriter and the interviewer asks, "how long did it take to write X?" And the response, "15 minutes." That doesn't happen often, for a songwriter or a wordwriter, although some people are better than others at making that happen.

Also, I think people are usually lying when they say that. ;)

So, in my last post, regarding a $50 reward and getting a night at the Brewstel ... I was throwing in an extra $20 just to support the project. The way kickstarter works best is when the user and the creator benefit, right? When rewards are lopsided like the brewstel it throws off that dynamic and makes it less fun to participate.

Also, now I'm nitpicking, but don't call yourself a CEO when you're just a dude starting a business. It's OK to be just a dude starting a business. CEO is a meaningless title that misrepresents what you truly are in an attempt to play the "fake it til you make it" game.

Brewstel Kickstarter:

It's a micro brewery hostel in west virginia. Pretty awesome, right? Even if you don't drink it's awesome.

But they're missing the most obvious backer reward: a night at the fucking hostel! Oh, nevermind, they didn't forget it ... it's ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Since when are people who stay at hostels ballers? ;) 

I'll keep the name calling out of this, but suffice it to say this could have been done much more ... smartly.

Also, how about a drink reward? Jeez. The two most obvious rewards and they're missing. $10, get a micro brew when you visit. Easy. Valuable. Nice. Smart.

I would have supported with $40 or $50 if I'd get a night at the hostel at some point in the future. But for $50 here I get a t shirt (oh cool, thanks), a sticker (again, coooool), and a thank you (OK, I can kick it with that).

This is the problem with small businesses and small business owners. Too many don't have even very basic sense of business. Now, I'm not saying that this particular kickstarter won't get funded. It probably will. Whatever. Contrary to how this might all sound I actually hope it does. The US does not have enough hostels. 

It's just crazy how often people miss the obvious.

He's a great writer, and his stories were on the verge of unbelievability. That's probably why I connected with them along with millions of other people. It wasn't us, but it was fun to fantasize for a moment.

Anyway, good article. If you're a Tucker Max fan, read it. If you're not, it might not make any sense.

Tested out an Android app called Time Lapse with some ants (free version has rubbish resolution, but fun anyway):

View of the city from the rainforest:

Anyway, he said that he never realized how much he uses wikipedia, but had never donated to them previously. Something along those lines.

Well, during the blackout today I realized just how much I use them. At least once per day. Although I did say I'm not going to donate to charity this year or at least not talk about it I'm giving the wikipedia foundation or whatever it's called money tomorrow. Been using them for so many years and have received so much enjoyment out of reading the entries that I feel that's the least I should do.

edit from last post: paid $20.43 for an $11.43 total. otherwise none that would've made sense.

On my way home just now (it's dark; I was about half way home) some dude started screaming at me from across the street. Well, I wasn't sure he was screaming at me. I pretty much ignore people when they're acting like idiots. But he kept screaming "vato! vato!" and it made me think of the movie "Blood In Blood Out" and "vatos locos for life, holmes." (kinda crappy movie I saw when I was 13 or 14) After ~10 seconds I turned to look and he was, indeed, screaming at me. I kept walking. Not going to engage a crazy person while my hands are full of groceries. Especially in a city I don't know well, at night, on streets that don't have many people. And what was I going to say anyway? Maybe I could ask his name or tell him some numbers or say hello. :)

Turns out I dropped my store receipt and $9. I paid $20.43 for a $11.54 bill, wrapped the $9 change in the receipt and put it in my pocket. So he wasn't acting like an idiot, he was just trying to get my attention about the money I dropped. He caught up to me (in a car) and gave me my receipt and a dollar. I let him keep the dollar. I don't know if he kept the other $8 or if I dropped it somewhere else before he noticed. Doesn't matter. If it happened again I'd do the same.

See? He's not that bad.