Disqus - Latest Comments for dean_genlighten

Re: A future without code

dean_genlighten — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 13:11:46 -0000

Did you perhaps mean to quote Morse's message as "What hath God wrought?".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

Re: Handle incoming email with Griddler

dean_genlighten — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:57:57 -0000

This looks great! Any chance it works with Rails 2.3.x? Or is this another reason for me to finally upgrade?

Re: What I’ve been doing: IKEA and Etsy.

dean_genlighten — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:54:47 -0000

Renee:

Thanks for sharing the way you're using Etsy to assemble personalized/customized components for your upcoming wedding. I love reading about people who use Etsy in this way... it's one of my favorite things about the site.

I was particularly struck by your reaction to the Alchemy option being removed from the site (temporarily, right?) What do you miss most about Alchemy? Weren't there hassles associated with the Alchemy process too, that presumably Etsy's trying to fix (again?)

I've been working on a genealogy-focused online marketplace the last few years that essentially applies the Etsy model to family history research services. An Alchemy-like "custom research" capability has been part of it from the start, but we've struggled to get the UI/UX right.

In our next release, I plan to remove the Alchemy-like features and replace them with just a "request a custom research project from this provider" option. As I decided to do this, I took some reassurance from Etsy's decision to give Alchemy a break while they worked on a better approach.

But I know that Etsy's users have been unhappy with the move, and I'd be grateful for your detailed perspective on it.

Hope the wedding planning continues well,

Dean Richardson

Re: OER Glue goes Boom

dean_genlighten — Fri, 06 May 2011 11:30:29 -0000

Cool! Sounds like a great project... congratulations for getting accepted into BoomStartup!

Re: Model Specific Formatted Search Results Using Thinking Sphinx

dean_genlighten — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:03:51 -0000

Hi Ben... thanks for this post... it looks very helpful and I'm eager to try implementing it in my app. Can you offer any details on your search box/form itself, and how you hook it up with your search_controller? In particular:

*how is :model passed back through the params hash? Could I use that approach if I have a dropdown next to my search box that, for example, lets the user choose to search either the "projects" or "updates" models?

*how are the keywords in the search query passed? Do you just have a search form with form_tag placed in a partial? Which view holds that form?

Most of the search implementations I've found seem to have search reside within the index action of a particular controller/model, so I found yours particularly valuable since I'm interested in search across several models at once.

Thanks,

Dean Richardson
Genlighten.com

Re: A Ruby Library For Google Visualization API, GoogleVisualr :: Winston{YW}

dean_genlighten — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 09:42:57 -0000

Hi Winston:

This is looking really great! Looking through your examples, I didn't notice a stacked bar chart. Do you support those? Is is just a matter of passing :stacked => true to your routine?

Thanks,

Dean Richardson

Re: Chicago Bootstrappers Breakfast

dean_genlighten — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:50:03 -0000

Since I'd be commuting from Wilmette to Downers Grove, it'd be nice to do this early enough to that the outbound Eisenhower traffic wouldn't be too ridiculous... :)

Re: Parenthood

dean_genlighten — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:03:24 -0000

It's tough, you're right. And it'll get tougher. But after an awkward period where you establish a new kind of distance and work to create a new kind of closeness, the bond will firm up again. And your relationship will only grow richer.

You've laid a great foundation. You just need to build on it patiently, with the long-term outcome continually in mind.

Re: - This is going to be BIG! - How to Hire a Hacker in NYC

dean_genlighten — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:23:54 -0000

Thanks, Charlie... I'll be putting this advice to work right away, just here in Chicago instead of in NYC. So far, I've met great designers/developers at our local Tech, Lean Startup Circle, and Hacker News meetups. Cold e-mailing individual freelancers on 37Signals's Sortfolio has led to some great prospects too. But closing the sale has still proven difficult. I hope to change that by following your suggestions more closely.

--Dean

Re: my one thing is...

dean_genlighten — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:44:48 -0000

Hi Amber:

I'm an enthusiastic follower of your tumblog. Just wanted to give you a heads up about 37Signals vs. 43Folders. Merlin Mann's the 43Folders guy. Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson are the 37Signals guys. Easy to mix up... they're all smart people doing cool stuff (like yourself!)

--Dean

Re: Changing the World Quite Literally Through Social Media

dean_genlighten — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:01:44 -0000

Jesse:

Your new position sounds like a fun and rewarding challenge, allowing you to use the skills you've worked hard to develop in the service of your beliefs. What a tremendous blessing!

I'm particularly eager to learn what you have in mind regarding "better standards in the realm of Genealogy," since that directly effects an area I'm particularly passionate about.

Congratulations!

Dean Richardson
Genlighten.com

Re: Chicago startup extravaganza

dean_genlighten — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:20:53 -0000

Adam:

Thanks for taking the time to be on the panel last night... my wife and I really appreciated your feedback!

--Dean

Re: http://bryc3.com/post/439861055

dean_genlighten — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:46:05 -0000

Hi Bryce:

I was seriously thinking about applying to this... but now you've got me worried. Care to elaborate on your reservations?

Thanks!

Re: Towards a new entrepreneurship

dean_genlighten — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:22:17 -0000

Eric:

I'd be happy to host/organize a Chicagoland-area event or simulcast, and I'd certainly attend one organized by others.

Thanks for your efforts on behalf of the startup industry!

Dean Richardson

Re: Using the OAuth and OAuth-Plugin gems

dean_genlighten — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:35:46 -0000

How could we use this? Suppose clients wanted to tweet about the record image they'd just viewed (or post it to their flickr account.) Can OAuth take care of that for us?

Re: Is Plancast Foursquare in the future or just Dopplr? Perhaps it’s the event tipping point we’ve all been waiting for.

dean_genlighten — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:38:22 -0000

Thanks for highlighting Plancast, Charlie. As usual, you appear to have identified a winner. I've signed up and the app looks both useful and engaging.

Re: Shakeshackville in the Fall

dean_genlighten — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:15:14 -0000

Were you at Shakeshack today, Charlie? If so, sorry I missed you!

Re: The Princess and the Pea

dean_genlighten — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:19:44 -0000

Ah, parenting... keep up the good work!

Re: Why Charles River Ventures passed on Twitter’s latest round

dean_genlighten — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:59:18 -0000

Do CRV's reasons for sitting out the round apply to USV as well?

Re: Snakeversary

dean_genlighten — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 09:50:59 -0000

Nice post... glad to hear you're pretty much healed, and that your memories of the experience are part of strong bonds with friends and family.

--Dean

Re: Come see my first triathlon this Sunday!

dean_genlighten — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:40:29 -0000

So...? How'd it go? We're eager for details!

Re: Come see my first triathlon this Sunday!

dean_genlighten — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:39:01 -0000

Charlie:

Hope the Tri is a great experience for you! Congratulations on sticking with your plan and preparing well.

Re: The upside of rejection

dean_genlighten — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:10:23 -0000

Bijan:

Sounds like NYNEX did you a big favor. I wonder how your intuition for innovative products and businesses would have been delayed in a Fortran shop. [Nothing against Fortran... it got me through grad school... just tends to foster a different mindset than you probably found at MacWorld.]

Re: What is an 83(b) election?

dean_genlighten — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:32:27 -0000

Yokum:

Thanks for your extremely helpful posts. We have an LLC with my wife and I as founders. We've brought on a third co-founder and would like to issue additional shares to offer to him. Would the 83b election details you describe above be relevant to our situation, or are they only relevant to S- and C-Corporations?

--Dean Richardson

Re: She dreams in digital: Dating on and off the grid

dean_genlighten — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:22:26 -0000

I've read most of your posts too (over the last two years, at least) and this is one of your all-time best. Original insights, illustrated with interesting, approachable examples. I haven't dated in 25 years, yet you've managed to bring me up-to-the-minute in a single blog post. Marvelous.