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Re:My really successful, unfundable, piece of shit startup I... by lubujackson on Friday November 01, 2013 @09:56PM (#6657770)
I agree with this perspective. Every idea can't be curing cancer, and many innovative ideas are stumbled on while playing with something else - like Feynman discovering quantum electrodynamics because he was curious about why spinning plates wobble. You need to follow your instincts.

At a minimum, you're providing a service to thousands of people and sheparding a product through its lifecycle. I don't know if working on Twicsy will have any real influence on your future work, but following its story seems more valuable than dropping it to "pivot" off in some random trajectory.

Re:My really successful, unfundable, piece of shit startup I... by NovemberWest on Friday November 01, 2013 @11:52PM (#6658080)
There is also not much money in "curing cancer", unfortunately.
Re:My really successful, unfundable, piece of shit startup I... by jonny_eh on Saturday November 02, 2013 @02:55AM (#6658421)
That's non-sense, people (and their pets) will continue to get cancer, even if a cure is found. The Nobel prize alone would be worth it.
Re:My really successful, unfundable, piece of shit startup I... by NovemberWest on Saturday November 02, 2013 @11:01AM (#6659377)
Please note that "cure cancer" is in quotes. I am speaking from (bitter) firsthand experience about some other condition.

I don't expect to ever get the Nobel Prize. I mostly get called crazy.

Re:My really successful, unfundable, piece of shit startup I... by danoprey on Saturday November 02, 2013 @04:09PM (#6660544)
Well now you have to elaborate?
Re:My really successful, unfundable, piece of shit startup I... by NovemberWest on Saturday November 02, 2013 @04:32PM (#6660668)
No, not actually. But you can check my other comment, below, for a crumb more info. I have mostly walked away from this topic. I am getting myself and my son well. If the rest of the world wants to be openly assholish to me, hey, their health issues are not my problem. Paying my bills and getting off the street is my problem.
Re:My really successful, unfundable, piece of shit startup I... by chacham15 on Saturday November 02, 2013 @04:15AM (#6658529)
I think what he means is that the ratio of the profits to the cost to discover a cure is much smaller than in other industries.
Re:My really successful, unfundable, piece of shit startup I... by NovemberWest on Saturday November 02, 2013 @11:08AM (#6659393)
What she meane is that wellness is not a welcome topic in most circles, nor easily monetized. Everyone wants a new drug, literally or figuratively -- a quick fix, easy answer. No one wants to eat right, exercise, make dramatic lifestyle changes, etc. Wellness looks more like religious edicts than it does medicine.

This I cannot comprehend. Compared to the drugs I have gotten off and the potential surgeries I have evaded, what I am currently doing is a pleasant picnic. But trying to share that info has gotten me mostly open hostility. So I took the site down.

Re:My really successful, unfundable, piece of shit startup I... by thetylerhayes on Sunday November 03, 2013 @01:39AM (#6662360)
I'm not entirely sure what specifically you're talking about but if my cofounders or I can ever help at all, please email me [email protected]. I totally agree that wellness is not something most people want to do. We're building something that focuses on a core need some people actually do have with their health (getting their medical records automatically from any doctor) and as we go we'll be focusing more on how we can remove the stigma from wellness and health, etc.

You shouldn't ever have to feel guilty or alienated when talking about your health.