NerdyC

Reblogged from natalie Original: one day at a time

¶ Video Nov 11, 2011

abangupjob:

How you can help Amit. Time is running out! Please share.

Reblogged from one day at a time Original: one day at a time

¶ Photo Oct 12, 2011

(Source: abangupjob)

Reblogged from Fuck Yeah Amit Gupta Original: Fuck Yeah Amit Gupta

¶ Quote Oct 06, 2011

I will buy anyone a first-class, round-trip ticket to NYC if they donate bone marrow to @superamit —Twitter / @nerdyc: I will buy anyone a first- … (via fuckyeahamitgupta)

Reblogged from Amit Gupta likes you! Original: Jay Parkinson + MD + MPH = a doctor in NYC

¶ Photo Oct 06, 2011

superamit:

Two weeks ago I got a call from my doctor, who I’d gone to see the day before because I’d been feeling worn out and was losing weight, and wasn’t sure why.

He was brief: “Amit, you’ve got Acute Leukemia. You need to enter treatment right away.”

I was terrified. I packed a backpack full of clothes, went to the hospital as he’d instructed, and had transfusions through the night to allow me to take a flight home at 7am the next day. I Googled acute leukemia as I lay in my hospital bed, learning that If it hadn’t been caught, it would have died within weeks.

—

I have a couple more months of chemo to go, then the next step is a bone marrow transplant. As Jay and Tony describe below, minorities are severely underrepresented in the bone marrow pool, and I need help.

A few ways to help:

If you’re South Asian, get a free test by mail. You rub your cheeks with a cotton swab and mail it back. It’s easy.

If you’re in NYC, you can go to this event my friends are putting on.

If you know any South Asians, please point ‘em to the links above. Thank you.

jayparkinsonmd:

My friend Amit Gupta founded my favorite photography site Photojojo. A few weeks ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Amit is one of the nicest, most genuine, most creative people you could ever meet. Prior to founding the awesome Photojojo, he also co-founded Jelly in 2006 in NYC, a coworking community, that’s now spread to 60 cities across the world and helped spark the coworking revolution. It looks like Amit will need a bone marrow transplant quite soon. We can help him with that.

tony b:

Unlike blood transfusions, finding a genetic match for bone marrow that his body will accept is no easy task. The national bone marrow registry has 9.5 million records on file, yet the chances of someone from South Asian descent of finding a match are only 1 in 20,000.

This is where we come in. We’re going to destroy those odds.

How? By finding and registering as many people of South Asian descent as we possibly can.

Tests are easy– a simple swab of the cheek. If you’re a match, the donation involves an outpatient procedure. It’s not fun, but it’s not dangerous either. And doing it could save a life.

We are encouraging anyone of South Asian descent to take a test to see if you’re a match.

You can get a free test by mail, or, if you’re in New York, you can join us Friday, October 14th for a special party to rally support.

We’ll have test kits on hand at the party, as well as music, booze, and maybe even a photo booth. It will, for the first time, combine a House 2.0-style party with a New Work City-style party, and if you’ve ever been to either, you know they are always something special.

Please spread the word and please do everything you can to help Amit beat leukemia. He’s a superstar.

Much thanks to Tony and pals for organizing this event, and EVERYONE who’s been tweeting and reblogging.

Please help us get the word out any way you can. My life quite literally depends on it.

My “Lunch” With Steve Jobs

Aug 25, 2011

I freelanced much of my way through college, to pay bills, but also to get way more real-world exposure to technology. But I kept freelancing for a few years too many, and a couple years after college I really just wanted a real job again.

My job search basically consisted of two options: Apple, or startups. My interviews at Apple went well. So well that I found myself driving down to Apple for an all-day interview, with a working lunch break at the cafeteria with a pair of VPs.

As I sat down in the middle of the cafeteria with the VPs, I immediately got distracted. Steve Jobs, in full mock turtleneck regalia, had just walked past the window next to us. Perhaps a good omen? Well, at least something to add color to a day spent sitting in a room all day.

The interview was just getting started when Steve decided to park himself and his friends at the table directly next to us. As in, close enough to bump into when I got up if I wasn’t careful. Gulp.

So I found myself spending the next 30 minutes being interviewed while sitting next to Steve Jobs, who was clearly in earshot. I could have tried to listen in on his conversation too, but I wouldn’t have dared. Remember that scene in Pirates of Silicon Valley where Noah Wyle goes off on that job applicant from IBM? That didn’t happen, but perhaps Steve was just feeling generous that day.

I didn’t get the job, which I found out later was really for the best. It wasn’t a good fit and I went on to work in startups where I felt right in my element. But that interview at Apple will definitely go down as the most memorable and stressful I’ve ever had.

Reblogged from Amit Gupta likes you! Original: tumblr of Sebastian Waters

¶ Video Jul 15, 2011

superamit:

sebastianwaters:

Persona is a minimal E-Mail Client Prototype designed by Marco Triverio, Harsha Vardhan Ramesh Babu, Ali Seçkin Karayol at Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design.

I very rarely watch videos on Tumblr, or even online in general. But this was beautiful, and I’m glad I watched it. Thanks for posting it, Sebastian!

I’ve been debating building a client like this for about a year, but keep focusing on smaller projects. Persona is nearly exactly what I was thinking of, but way more cleanly designed than anything I’ve been able to sketch out on napkins.

Sparrow, another minimalist email client, often comes up whenever I discuss email. I’ve always felt Sparrow was simple, but only because it threw out features, not because it rethought what email should be like.

Email sucks. We all hate it. Focusing on people, and the sender’s relation/value to the receiver is really the only way out of the mess that email has become.

Reblogged from Photojojo! Original: Photojojo!

¶ Photo Jun 17, 2011

photojojo:

Weekend photo challenge: Take candid photos of your pet!

(Photo by usuqa on flickr)

OMG. I want this mug so badly it hurts. Anyone know where I can get it?

Reblogged from Lazycrafter Original: I Love Charts

¶ Photo May 10, 2011

lazycrafter:

ilovecharts:

The Egg Chart

By Dave Arnold.

For you, @nerdyc

¶ Link Apr 26, 2011

→ Why programmers are not paid in proportion to their productivity

The romantic image of an über-programmer is someone who fires up Emacs, types like a machine gun, and delivers a flawless final product from scratch. A more accurate image would be someone who stares quietly into space for a few minutes and then says “Hmm. I think I’ve seen something like this before.”

I wouldn’t correct a single word of this paragraph. It perfectly describes the difference between good and great developers.

I would elaborate a bit and say that great programmers also know when to STOP thinking, and begin trying things out. I’ve seen and been in the case where more thinking simply won’t solve a problem, and you’ve got to roll up your sleeves, get dirty, and learn something.

Another difference between good and great developers is the latter’s willingness/insistence on refactoring their code. First drafts are rarely the best, it takes a dedication to rewriting the code a second or third time to get it great.

By the numbers: why NYT digital subscriptions are horribly priced

Mar 21, 2011

The New York Times recently announced pricing for its digital subscriptions. A subscription will be required to get full access to their site, or to access it via a phone or tablet (their distinction, not mine).

You’d assume that if you wanted a printed version of the paper as well, you’d have to pay extra, right? In fact, no! Subscribing for print delivery will actually save you up to 57.7% on a digital subscription. In fact, in only 4 of 12 subscription combinations will a printed version cost you extra. In all other cases, you’ll actually save money, or pay the same price.

Here’s the math:

WEB + SMARTPHONE:	$15.00
Full Subscription:	$29.60 (97.3% extra)
Weekender:	$20.80 (38.6% extra)
Sunday Only:	$15.00 (0.0% less)
Weekdays:	$14.80 (1.3% less)

WEB + TABLET:	$20.00
Full Subscription:	$29.60 (48.0% extra)
Weekender:	$20.80 (4.0% extra)
Sunday Only:	$15.00 (25.0% less)
Weekdays:	$14.80 (26.0% less)

ALL DIGITAL ACCESS:	$35.00
Full Subscription:	$29.60 (15.4% less)
Weekender:	$20.80 (40.6% less)
Sunday Only:	$15.00 (57.1% less)
Weekdays:	$14.80 (57.7% less)

I’d be happy to pay the New York Times for content. I gladly pay Apple $0.99 to watch an episode of my favorite TV shows because they make it so easy. That $0.99 is worth it to see it in HD, on my TV, without ads.

Here’s a pricing scheme I’d be happy with: $10-15/month for a base subscription without ads, plus $5 for each additional device.

Welcome to the OCD nerd power hour.

My “Lunch” With Steve Jobs

By the numbers: why NYT digital subscriptions are horribly priced

About the Author

Twitter (@nerdyc)

Stuff I Like

Following: