zberg02: hey man
zberg02: this is my sn just in case you didn't catch it before
ThinkComp: hey, got it
zberg02: i realized i didn't ask you for yours so of course i had to figure it out as soon as i got back
ThinkComp: just didn't get to add it yet.
ThinkComp: :-)
zberg02: i found the path: zberg02 --> kxjin --> americanquixote --> thinkcomp
ThinkComp: ah
ThinkComp: or you could have looked on the universal facebook :-)
zberg02: well that would have been easier
ThinkComp: how did you associate thinkcomp with my name though
zberg02: i kind of guessed
zberg02: you said you made the company in high school
ThinkComp: aha
zberg02: and that's about the time when people make their sns
ThinkComp: a good guess
zberg02: well i didn't guess thinkcomp
zberg02: but once i saw that i knew it was yours
ThinkComp: fair enough
ThinkComp: ever seen a virus that makes it say you're out of disk space, when you aren't
ThinkComp: ?
zberg02: no, but i don't use windows so i don't have as much experience with viruses as i should have
ThinkComp: i see
zberg02: i assume it's on windows?
ThinkComp: yep
ThinkComp: and a royal pain it is
zberg02: there's no documentation for it anywhere?
ThinkComp: nothing too concrete so far
ThinkComp: this server has been through a lot
ThinkComp: welchia
ThinkComp: trojans
ThinkComp: etc.
zberg02: why windows?
ThinkComp: brb phone
zberg02: did you start off in asp or something?
zberg02: sure
ThinkComp: it's a client's server not mine
ThinkComp: they have a dos app that runs their company
ThinkComp: it's at least 15 years old
zberg02: wow
zberg02: that's pretty backwards
ThinkComp: yep.
zberg02: so you're graduating this year?
ThinkComp: yeah
ThinkComp: i've had my share of harvard
ThinkComp: heh
zberg02: are you getting a job next year or just running thinkcomputer?
ThinkComp: i'd like to run thin computer, but if i can't make enough, i'll probably get a job.
ThinkComp: er, think
zberg02: who are the other people you're running thinkcomp with?
ThinkComp: a friend of mine at mit has done some coding, and a friend here who is now a gov concentrator did too
ThinkComp: two other people back home worked for me in 2001 as programmers, and two others did repair jobs but not very much
zberg02: would it be more profitable to consult through thinkcomp or like work towards marketing products?
ThinkComp: i think in the long term software is definitely more profitable
ThinkComp: but in the short term i have more consulting clients than software
zberg02: i wish good ideas would just market themselves
ThinkComp: hehe
ThinkComp: you're not the only one.
zberg02: that way you could just devote energy into making cool things
zberg02: why did you choose to do ec and not cs?
ThinkComp: part of the challenge is marketing though
ThinkComp: i dont' mind
ThinkComp: because i'm not so good at math
ThinkComp: and i would have died in cs51 and 121
ThinkComp: and i didn't want to die
zberg02: 121 was tricky
zberg02: 51 wasn't much math
ThinkComp: no, but it's still a horrible class
ThinkComp: the material is good
ThinkComp: but there is no reason why cs should have to be that bad.
zberg02: yea it's bad
zberg02: okay well i've got to run but it's been good talking to you
ThinkComp: ok
ThinkComp: later
zberg02: remind me to send you a copy of the course listing table i have sometime
ThinkComp: ok, i'll email you
zberg02: bye bye
zberg02: hey man
ThinkComp: hi
zberg02: i have a question
ThinkComp: ok
zberg02: are you interested in doing other things besides the housesystem venture?
ThinkComp: in what context
zberg02: like would you be interested in possibly partnering up to make a site if it would not be incorporated into housesystem
ThinkComp: for the sec? think? or separate
zberg02: separate i guess
ThinkComp: depends on the site i guess
zberg02: well it would be on the new thing i'm working on
zberg02: i could let you know exactly what i was thinking about it, but i'm a little worried that you might just be inclined to want to incorporate it into housesystem
zberg02: which isn't something i want right off the bat, and maybe not at all
ThinkComp: i guess i'd need to see the advantage of starting on something new
ThinkComp: since i've already sort of got a lot going on...
ThinkComp: it's much easier to just incorporate things where they fit from my perspective
zberg02: well i agree
zberg02: but we disagree on whether or not it would fit into housesystem
zberg02: well really i just want to make sure that we're not doing the same thing
zberg02: because then neither of us would succeed i think
ThinkComp: that's fair enough, but i don't understand why it wouldn't fit and why you wouldn't want to take advantage of the existing user base
ThinkComp: especially since i don't know how much people will trust sites you make on your own at this point
ThinkComp: just because of the previous negative publicity
zberg02: yea i hear that
zberg02: i think that house system is a much more professional app
zberg02: and people know it as that
ThinkComp: i really don't think you will get in trouble for being too professional
zberg02: well yea
zberg02: but that sort of makes it less interesting i guess
ThinkComp: i don't think so
zberg02: but it's made up for by its utility
zberg02: like i don't think i'd go to housesystem to procrastinate
ThinkComp: because it looks too nice?
ThinkComp: that seems sort of silly
zberg02: well just because of the functionality that's there presently
zberg02: and people's opinion of it based on that and how it's been marketed
ThinkComp: in that case more time-wasting stuff would balance it out nicely
zberg02: perhaps
zberg02: but i really just want to make sure there's not a lot of overhead
zberg02: i am worried that registration for housesystem requires a lot of info
ThinkComp: yeah, it does
ThinkComp: but if 1200 people have filled it out so far, i'm not too worried...
ThinkComp: the most frequent reason i've heard for people not signing up for it is that they don't think anyone else is
ThinkComp: not that registration is hard
zberg02: i'm also a little skeptical about the culture of the site and people's willingness to give information about themselves
ThinkComp: or that it's too functional
zberg02: yea i agree...it is too functional
zberg02: like it's almost overwhelming
ThinkComp: well, but it's supposed to be
zberg02: like in a site where people give personal information for one thing, it then takes a lot of work and precaution to use that information for something else
zberg02: well it's good that it's functional
zberg02: it's just a little overwhelming for some people i think'
ThinkComp: perhaps
ThinkComp: in any case, why do you want me to work on your project then if the stuff i do is at odds with the atmosphere you're trying to create?
zberg02: you have good ideas clearly
zberg02: it's not that what you do is at odds with the atmosphere i'm trying to create
zberg02: it's just the atmosphere of housesystem isn't right i think
ThinkComp: from what i can tell it sounds like your idea might again be controversial from the perspectives of other students and administrators
ThinkComp: i'm not afraid of controversy clearly
ThinkComp: but i might be able to keep in it check as part of housesystem
ThinkComp: i'm not so sure i could if i worked on something with you independently
ThinkComp: and there's the very real risk that it could blow up in both of our faces, which i'd rather avoid
ThinkComp: i guess that's basically how i feel
zberg02: yea i don't think it's that controversial actually
zberg02: but it's tough for you to know that unless i tell you exactly what it is
zberg02: i guess basically it's a souped of version of one thing housesystem does
zberg02: which i think didn't do as well as it could have as a stand-alone site
ThinkComp: ok
zberg02: but it's not like i took the idea from you
ThinkComp: sure, i understand
zberg02: so i guess the basic jist is that i feel as if it may compete with the facebook you're trying to implement
ThinkComp: brb phone
zberg02: okay
ThinkComp: hey i'm on hold
zberg02: okay
ThinkComp: so you're going to compete with the facebook?
zberg02: i think so
zberg02: like it will be slightly different audiences i think
ThinkComp: linking faces to courses?
zberg02: but in general i think most people won't want to submit their facebook picture to more than one site, do you agree?
ThinkComp: i dunno
ThinkComp: most people haven't even had the option of sending it to one
zberg02: really i see it as a problem of critical mass
zberg02: people won't; do it unless other people do it
ThinkComp: right
zberg02: and then it becomes a question of culture
zberg02: because it's not about who's actually doing it
ThinkComp: that's why i'm going to be talking to the uc
zberg02: it's about who people think are doing it
zberg02: i think it requires some hype
ThinkComp: how do you plan to go about that
zberg02: well mine's not a straight facebook
zberg02: it has a bunch of cool features which i don't think i should really mention right now
zberg02: beyond the course stuff
zberg02: and i just think in general people will respond to the next thing i make
ThinkComp: ok
zberg02: a crimson reporter called me today to ask if i was making anything new
ThinkComp: i won't stop you then
zberg02: or planning on making anything new
zberg02: without hearing of anyting i was doing
zberg02: i thought that was interesting
ThinkComp: indeed
zberg02: well i just think that if we compete neither of us will get the mass we need to make anything worthwhile
zberg02: or i don't know
zberg02: mine is basically ready
zberg02: i just have some business stuff to work out
ThinkComp: i'm not too concerned.
ThinkComp: we're doing ok
zberg02: well i know you have lots of users
zberg02: i'm just saying, in terms of either facebook getting used
ThinkComp: you said they were different purposes though...
zberg02: yea but people are lazy
zberg02: and i think will only want to upload stuff to one of them
ThinkComp: i guess i don't know that that's true
ThinkComp: what if you made a separate site that drew on the housesystem database in the background
ThinkComp: under the sec
ThinkComp: one upload, one login
zberg02: what is it going to draw from the database?
zberg02: so both will have facebooks?
ThinkComp: yeah
ThinkComp: put it would be a positive feedback loop rather than a negative one
ThinkComp: assuming the administration doesn't take issue with your idea
zberg02: that's an interesting idea
zberg02: what if people don't want to do both sites?
ThinkComp: they dont have to
ThinkComp: but if they sign up for one, they're automatically in the other.
zberg02: would it be possible to add something like that after the site is launched?
ThinkComp: uh
ThinkComp: why would you do it that way?
zberg02: i mean, are you planning on making changes to the housesystem facebook?
ThinkComp: of course
zberg02: so what data will the two draw from each other
zberg02: besides logins?
ThinkComp: member information and facebook information
ThinkComp: though neither site has to display all of it
ThinkComp: it would be sort of like how delta has song airlines
zberg02: delta owns song airlines
ThinkComp: right
ThinkComp: your site would be an sec project
ThinkComp: both would benefit
zberg02: that sounds like it could work
zberg02: but it might be a lot of work to modify the stuff i've already done
ThinkComp: what did you write it ib
ThinkComp: er, in
zberg02: some perl, some php
zberg02: all the web stuff is in php
ThinkComp: might work then
zberg02: yea...how fast is your server
zberg02: for housesystem
ThinkComp: not too fast
ThinkComp: 300mhz
zberg02: oh man
ThinkComp: but it works
zberg02: how much ram
ThinkComp: 256
zberg02: there are a lot of cool things that i wanted to do with coursematch that deal with graph theory
zberg02: but it's all pretty computationally intensive
ThinkComp: i see
zberg02: would the sites run off the same server?
zberg02: or just share the database?
ThinkComp: yeah
ThinkComp: same server
ThinkComp: unless you have a different one you could put it on
zberg02: we'll see what i can do
zberg02: i need to go get some work done
zberg02: we'll speak soon
ThinkComp: ok
ThinkComp: bye