I was surprised how long it took me to get a basic web app running with the Google Drive API, so I thought I’d share the code here. Most of the examples I found were within CLI applications. I wanted something that would run on the web, and AppEngine remains a very easy way to […]

4 months ago, I quit drinking alcohol. I had one ‘relapse’ over New Years when I was on vacation, but other than that, I’ve been dry. I’ve never been a big drinker. I usually consume 4-6 drinks per week over 3-5 days, but this is the first prolonged stretch I’ve had where I’ve quit completely. […]

I just finished Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup about the Theranos saga. This is a perfect example of the cult-like behavior we sometimes see in Silicon Valley. One of the peculiarities about starting an unsuccessful company is that you become immune to other people’s “reality distortion fields”. These days, when […]

TL;DR Rank and file programmers at the top tier tech companies now make $300 to $400 thousand per year. Much of this is driven by large stock valuations. Other career paths seem ‘harder’, and yet they’re not compensated as well. Can this last forever? I left Google to do a startup back in 2012. I […]

Never Split the Difference is probably the best negotiating book I’ve ever read. I’d highly recommend it. The author Chris Voss is an ex-FBI hostage negotiator. He worked out of the office in Washington D.C. and flew all over the world negotiating with everyone from terrorists to bank robbers. I think you’ll find it incredibly […]