Likes & Launch: Archive

“What if you dropped out of school and walked across the country? What if you decided grades were sort of silly, and instead read all the interesting things you could find? What if you volunteered some time in a developing country and met someone who’d never spent a moment thinking about Chandler and Monica? What if you tasted every taste, saw every sight, faced the things that frightened you, and got a couple of scuffs along the way? You have one life. Live it as you will, but perhaps take a moment to consider an alternative path. There is a wide chasm between the ways you could pass through existence and the lame-ass lives most choose. Besides, should you fail, you’ll at least have a couple of good stories to tell.”—Fuck ‘em | Deliberatism

Mar 31, 20122 notes

“Email, for example, is addictive because it provides all three reward types at random intervals. First, we have a social obligation to answer our emails (the tribe). We are also conditioned to know that an email may tell us information about a potential business opportunity (the hunt). And finally, our email seems to call for us to complete the task of removing the unopened item notification in a sort of challenge to gain control over it (the self). Interestingly, these motivations go away as soon as we’ve actually opened all our emails and the mystery disappears. We’re addicted to checking email while there is still variability of reward and once that’s gone, emails languish in our inboxes.”—Want To Hook Users? Drive Them Crazy. | Nir and Far

Mar 29, 20123 notes

Next and new

Almost exactly two years ago, I left the corporate world to build a company that helps people explore the world in new ways. It’s been an incredibly fun, challenging and exciting journey building a product from a college-focused travel site to an award-winning leader in local personalization.

Today, gtrot is comprised of an amazing team, a clear vision and one of the most enthusiastic customer communities out there. gtrot is making it easier for people to have fun anytime they leave their doorstep. The new product updates, on their way, are complete game changers for this space.

It’s with full confidence in my team and the company vision that I’m stepping down from day-to-day operations at gtrot. I’ll remain an advisor, board member and an incredibly opinionated customer. I’ve worked with our board and leadership team for a few months to make sure the company is in an excellent position before stepping aside.

So what next? I’ve been haunted by a problem for half a year that I want to solve. I’m testing the company now and will make sure to share more news when it’s ready. (As with starting any business, it’s an incredibly busy time so I’ll likely be less responsive to coffee/calls than usual. @br_ttany will be the quickest way to reach me.)

As for location, I have my lease in Chicago until April 30th. After that-I’ll keep you posted.

Mar 21, 201214 notes

#personal #what's next #gtrot

“Even so, in the 1990s he hesitated to leave a good job in the world of finance to set up Amazon after a colleague he respected advised him against it. But Mr Bezos applied what he calls a “regret minimisation framework”, imagining whether, as an 80-year-old looking back, he would regret the decision not to strike out on his own.”—Brain scan: Taking the long view | The Economist

Mar 17, 20123 notes

Play

Mar 17, 2012

“Two things inspire me to awe – the starry heavens above and the moral universe within.”—

Albert Einstein

Definitely follow the @EinsteinBOT on Twitter.

Mar 15, 20121 note

Mar 15, 20127,984 notes

#travel

Mar 8, 2012332 notes

#inspiration