Reading06

    Believe it or not, I always wanted to start a start-up. There is a lot that goes into it that I am not prepared for including an idea of what to create, but I like the idea of a startup. It seems like a hacker's dream that you can do what you love with people who share the same passion. ”A startup is not merely ten people, but ten people like you”. I have never wanted to work for big companies, although they were all start-ups once before, I enjoy working in small groups especially to help others out. It definitely costs a ton of money and time, but if you are really passionate about it then, it will not feel that bad (at least for the first month of sleepless nights). 

    In general, I love the idea Graham proposed of wealth being something that can be created, there is not a fixed amount of wealth available, and it is more than money. However,  I have always said that I would make a great rich person, maybe it was because I wanted money, but I stand by my statement. But what makes someone a bad rich person? This made me think about which is better old money or new money and how startups fit into it. It seems like startups don't quite fit in either category, more like risk money or developed money because it takes time and you have to lose money before you gain it. Overnight success for a startup is insane, and it is not something that is inherited, at least until after it is established if successful enough. Are these rich people: old, new, or risk-monied people inherently bad for society? I don't think so, but I guess it is annoying that they can afford a bathroom bigger than my room. Graham talked about how rich people make society richer in a sense. This was insightful, to say the least, he gave the example of Henry Ford and how he not only provided jobs but how his new technology was able to impact a lot of people. Creating new technology creates a new normal for people. This new normal usually makes things easier than before. I do not know of any new tech that was created, used among other people, yet harder than the previous option. Without rich people who struggled and went out of their way to follow their passions, we wouldn’t have things that we take for granted like can openers or the internet. 

I do not know what the next big thing is, but I recently discovered VR. I work with VR at the library but my boss creates educational worlds for students to use (I am still in training). He created a world that helped the user understand carbon emissions. I have played VR video games (zombies and all), but it was cool to see technology in such an educational way, it may sound boring to others but to me it was intriguing. I am used to technology making things easier for people and sometimes that means affecting fundamental skills and development, but I feel like it was refreshing to see technical applications in that way. I am probably the most old-fashioned computer science major you will meet, but I am learning. I believe that Graham does want us to continue taking risks, we need it in order to help continue to decrease the gap in income and further develop society. 5% is not 0%. If we don’t take risks then there is no possibility at all, if you never act on that 5% then it is the same as that 0%.

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