sidwyn's musings

What I Learned From Launching on HN

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:22:00 +0800

So I launched Dive Into iOS on Hacker News over the weekend.

Here are some lessons I learned that I’d like to share:

1) Comments that are targeted at you can be hurtful at first, but don’t take them personally

I was initially bothered by comments like ‘accent not native’, ‘trainer sounds too young’, ‘why teach when he can make money from building apps’.

However, it is important to not take them personally. View it from a larger perspective. Why are they criticizing you? There must be a reason why. Try to understand them and see what you are able to do.

For the record, English is my first language and I’ve been speaking it since I was born. I’m from Singapore, so the accent is slightly different (how many of you even know where Singapore is? ;). We don’t practice the American accent much here, but I try to make my voice as clear as possible. I’m also 19, and I’m trying to save up for college.

2) Filter out the unhelpful replies

The community on Hacker News does a good job of helping you with this by downvoting, but if you’re constantly glued to your thread, and the community does not have enough time to react fast enough, you will probably see the vicious comments most of the time. It is important to overlook these comments, such as the ‘Titanic creaking’ or ‘What a surprise. Only a commercial company would advertise…’. That’s really not helpful.

3) Post on a weekend

I initially posted my ‘Show HN’ topic on a weekday, I think Friday afternoon, and nobody picked it up. I made some modifications to the prices and added samples, and re-posted again on a Saturday afternoon. Traffic exploded after it was initially picked up. I think I hit about 10,000 unique visitors in a day.

4) Try to reply instantly

If you’re showing a demo, or selling a product, people will have questions and will want an immediate, if not quick response. The nature of Hacker News is such that they expect a reply rather immediately, especially when it pertains to your product. Providing support and ‘being there for your customers’ certainly counts here.

Remember not to launch your product and go to bed the next minute. I almost did this.

5) Use the suggestions to improve your product

The top request was to break down and subdivide my videos such that users would be able to buy individual items. Thanks for your feedback, and we’re glad to announce it’s now possible to do so!

Other requests were: reducing overall price ($149 to $129) and simplifying the product (it’s now separated by courses instead of packages).

Interested in kickstarting your iOS development? Dive Into iOS can help you with that!

(Remember to use hackernews for a 10% discount!)

I don't know why

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:51:59 +0800

I don’t know why I used to complain so much.

I should be thankful, thankful for what God has blessed me in this life.

I shall never look back.

Dive Into iOS

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:53:07 +0800

Want to learn how to make iPhone and iPad apps in an hour?

Launching Dive Into iOS http://diveintoios.com/, short and succinct video tutorials to kickstart your iOS development.

Support Definition

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:39:00 +0800

We’ve been nominated as one of Asia’s Top 50 apps!

If you like our app and have a second to spare, why not head down here:

http://asiatop50apps.com/definition/

Have you gotten your free Definition card yet?

We lack innovation

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:07:00 +0800

There is not a trace of innovation in many workplaces in Singapore, from the civil service to the private sector.

I’ve talked to many people about why they are working in their current job.

Some people work because of the high salary the job offers.

Some people work because they want to be on par with their peers who are earning money.

Some people work because their parents told them to find a job.

Many of the above people have no idea that their concept of work is totally wrong. Which leads to articles like these: 80% of People Quietly Despise Their Lives.

Work is meant to be enjoyed. You should be waking up and heading to work with a grin on your face, knowing what you do for the rest of the day actually excites you.

You should not be heading to work unhappy, knowing that it is just going to be another boring day. If you cannot find satisfaction in your job, why on earth are you still stuck in the same job?

At this point, I strongly recommend you to read one of these books if you find yourself in one of the above scenarios: The 4-Hour Work Week, Rework, or Hacking Work. Each of these books have helped me to truly understand the meaning of work, and I have been successful in achieving what I truly want.

If you’re in Singapore and up for a cuppa, email me and we’ll catch up.

Solve the world

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:56:26 +0800

A lot of times, people bum around till they realize they haven’t done anything productive.

Then they ask me what they should be doing.

Well, it’s really darn simple.

Let me put it in three steps:

1) Look around you.

Wherever you are, on a train, in school, at your desk, just take a minute to observe things around you. Observe the environment, observe the people, observe the interactions. Take a minute to do just that.

2) Find the problems.

In every scenario, there are problems waiting to be solved. These may not be as inherent as they are, so you might want to repeat Step 1 if you didn’t find any problem. E.g. People are always squeezing onto trains during peak hours, how can we solve this?

3) Solve them.

It is as simple as it sounds. Use your skills, your talent, or your determination. Find a loophole, a solution, a key to the answer. If the problem is too big, you might want to take baby steps to solve them. Do not be afraid of large problems. Instead redefine them and slowly work your way through them.

Example: A year ago, I had some free time on hand. I picked up my iPhone and realized there was a major lack of usable dictionary applications. So I made my own dictionary, Definition, a really beautiful and fast dictionary, and it was extremely well-received by customers!

There are many problems out there waiting to be solved.

I’m not saying we should live in an idealistic world, but if our realistic world offers us so many problems to solve, why are still complaining of lack of things to do?

Apple Loses Another iPhone Prototype at a Bar - Mac Rumors

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 08:36:10 +0800

Apple Loses Another iPhone Prototype at a Bar - Mac Rumors

What I talked about during Y6 Mentoring

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:45:00 +0800

Thought I should post this here as well, in case someone finds this useful. Just a recap of what I talked about, if you’ve forgotten/weren’t listening:

Gap Year

The ‘year’ which you take time off to pursue what you want to do, after high school till NS/university

Rethinking the Gap Year

Does it really have to be the day you graduate? Or the day your exams end? Can you push it forward?
The truth is, your gap year starts NOW
Let’s call this the Gap Period instead, from the time after your APs till university
Good thing about NUS High -> We do APs = Finish much earlier than JCs a.k.a. more time to pursue own stuff

What can you do during your Gap Period?

Stoning/slacking/relaxing/taking time off
Checking out that cool coffee place across the street (or mall, anything, whatever)
Learning a new skill (driving, rollerblading, fishing)
Applying to colleges (important!)
Getting a job/gaining some experience

Truth is, you can do ALL of the above during your gap period! You just need to prioritize your time (overused, but true).

How can I land the right job/internship?

Never underestimate/undervalue yourself

If they ask for your age, be proud of it! Show why you want the job, how you can contribute with the unique skill that you have
If you don’t have a related skill, what are you waiting for? Put in some effort and begin developing them (sidenote: maintaining an online portfolio or a CV is always good)
Or you could learn on the job. That’s what internships are for anyway.

2. Find your passion

I’ve talked about this many times, because it’s really important. Find what you like to do, something you enjoy.
It takes time to find your passion, but it will eventually come. Experimenting with different interests certainly helps.
Never set any boundaries for yourself (again, refer to point 1).
Why is it important? Because when you land a job in the future, you want to be waking up everyday and knowing that you enjoy what you do. You enjoy work, and thus life becomes more meaningful.

3. Find what you’re good at

Different from finding your passion (that’s interest)
This is more minor, but it helps if you can combine it with your passion
E.g. you’re good at fixing stuff. that’s great! You should be checking out hardware repair shops and helping them out, or build a computer repair business around it.
This helps when you go to college, when you choose your specialization

4. Be Yourself

Do not blindly follow what your parents want you to do (e.g. become a doctor/lawyer because they earn good money)
If you need to disprove your parents, do it! (Remember my example?)
There is no need to imitate others
Deathbed regret: Pursued something that someone convinced you what you should want, instead of what works for you

5. Set some goals

Short-term goals and long-term goals (I like to call them life goals) help you navigate through life
Short-term: Earn some money for college / gain experience in a new job
Long-term: Ask yourself, what do you want in life? Is it money, prestige, fame, leaving a legacy, freedom, or something else? Choose one and start working towards it. Everyone has different goals, so be sure you know what’s yours.

In short: make sure you know what you want in life, not what others want for you. Find your passion, develop it into a career, and enjoy life in general.

If you wanna meet more / learn more, I’m always free for a chat. Drop me an email at sidwyn @ gmail.com.

Hope this sharing helped!

P.S. I am currently running iPhone/iPad development courses at The Pragmatic Lab. There’s a huge discount for NUS High students. Check it out here!

iPhone Training Singapore - The Pragmatic Lab

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:22:00 +0800

Today, I launch my first company: The Pragmatic Lab.

The Pragmatic Lab combines both theory and practice into lessons to provide students with a well-rounded learning experience.

You can choose from a one-day course, two-day, or even a three-day if you want to be more comprehensive. Want to learn some basic iPhone/iPad development? The Pragmatic Lab is the best place to start!

I’ve had this idea for quite awhile, but I am glad I have finally realized it. Check it out!

Spotify + Airplay = <3

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:22:08 +0800

It’s like your home turned into a HMV store.

Happy National Day

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:21:57 +0800

It’s different this year. This time round, we celebrate it with over 1 million PRCs in Singapore. I’m not xenophobic. It’s just that if your local neighborhood turns into Chinatown, it isn’t very pleasant. No offense to any PRC out there.

It’s just that I’m finding it very hard to find a place in this community.

And in similar news, a China family who moved to Singapore complains about curry.

definitionapp: Definition has been featured on the App Store as...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:31:05 +0800

definitionapp:

Definition has been featured on the App Store as ‘Staff Favorites’!

I have been waiting for this moment all along.

Thank you everyone for supporting Definition. Really, thank you guys.

Definition started off as a bold idea to disrupt dictionaries that were present on iOS. Some were slow, some were chunky, some were just plain annoying. You would be reading a book and trying to find a meaning, and when you have, you would be lost, since you forgot the context of the word.

Definition aims to solve that problem. You type a word, and it instantly shows you the definition, together with a thesaurus that can help you learn new words. You don’t even need the internet. All you need is the app.

It has been a long journey since the first version, and I still have very fond memories of the conception of this idea.

I would also like to thank Dustin Schau for helping to design this great app, my sister and brother-in-law Andrea & Shawn for the continuous support as well, and of course, all of you who have one way or another supported this app.

To celebrate this occasion, I will be giving out free Definition cards. No matter where you stay, I will post it to you. Just email me. Offer valid till 31 July 2011.

Thank you.

A cancer patient

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 02:01:20 +0800

Went for Jayesslee’s concert today. Was awesome as expected. But what touched me was the story they shared about their mum battling cancer. Their mum said, “Praise the Lord no matter what he has done.”, a couple of days before she passed away.

My close friend Joshua also fought and lost the battle against cancer (lymphoma) more than a year ago.

It was one of the most saddening moments in the chamber seeing his body cremated on my birthday. Everyone was wailing as the coffin was pushed in. Nobody had expected this to happen. He was supposed to recover fully from his illness after several rounds of chemotherapy, but his condition took a turn for the worse.

Joshua was definitely a great friend whom I could trust. He brought me to Faith Methodist Church, which has become my permanent second home. He was my classmate, my friend, my gaming partner (oh the countless hours we would spend at his house playing games together). He taught me countless things, from buying and selling on forums to even how to start a business and make money. Without him, I would never become the person I am today.

He was a happy-go-lucky guy, and his attitude towards life was amazing. He could still laugh as he talked about being diagnosed with cancer, and learning the fact that he would not have to do his national service delighted him. His laugh was incredibly infectious, and I can still remember it till this day.

I have been wanting to post this for a long while. This post is a collection of my thoughts and a dedication to Joshua, who bravely fought the battle against cancer and passed away on March 16, 2010.

A couple of hours before he passed away, according to his parents, he would shout out “Sidwyn, Sidwyn, I need to talk to him.”. He repeated this a few times more but I never made it in time to hear what he had to say, and I truly regret that. But when I see him in heaven one day, it’ll definitely be the first question I’ll ask.

—
You can view the eulogy I wrote here: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=376120242346

Words

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 08:16:00 +0800

Awe (a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder)

Awesome = some awe?

Awful = full of awe?

A quick google search showed that both words ‘awesome’ and ‘awful’ changed their meanings over history. Now how did that happen?

Life is too exciting for school.

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:03:56 +0800

Why bother?

Sometimes I think about deferring NS for 6 months to enroll...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:38:31 +0800

Sometimes I think about deferring NS for 6 months to enroll earlier.

Either that, or not attending college at all, and pursuing my passion.

Migrating

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:05:00 +0800

So many people have asked me on my decision to migrate after NS, and it’s so tiring to tell them repeatedly. I’m just going to list them down here off the top of my head:

1) Weather

Okay, it’s really humid and hot here. I cannot emphasize that further. I know Singapore is near the equator, but this is one really good reason to migrate. If you live in Singapore, you cannot even walk for three minutes outside without sweating like a pig (those hardcore Singaporeans just claim it’s global warming, and it always is according to them). Worse still, the sweat doesn’t evaporate thanks to the high humidity (It’s close to 90% or something) here.

2) Attitude

The typical Singaporean attitude is that Singaporeans must complain about something. If you listen to the typical small conversations that take place over dinner or at work, it’s always about that ‘person’, that ‘job’, or the ‘weather’. There’s usually some senseless humor thrown in, but it still revolves around the same subject, and they usually don’t/can’t do anything about it. How ironic! (P.S. this blog post seems like a complaint itself, but I’ve put so much thought into it that it has transformed into a strong opinion rather than a complaint)

3) Creativity

This has more to do with a personal preference, but people here generally do not think out of the box, and there’s a reason. People call Singapore a nanny state, and they have good reasons for that. In Singapore, EVERYTHING is decided by the government. From your housing to your taxes to CPF, the government controls it. The most interesting thing is, the top politicians are making an incredible sum of money (US$2,856,930). What on earth is going on here?! (The best part is, full-time national servicemen earn around US$4,000 a year. Can you even survive on that?) As such, Singaporeans lead their lives completely relying on the government, and there is no sense of creativity here. (P.S. The national service that I am serving right now is compulsory for males, and we had no chance to make a choice whether to serve or not. Really, which person can make a sensible child when he’s 11? Btw, 11 is the maximum age before you get put into the enlistment list)

4) Jobs/career prospects

This is a personal preference, but I feel that Singapore’s technology sector is growing real slow. Sure you may see startups popping up here and there, funds created to help these startups, and so on. But the majority of the tech scene still happens in the US, in Silicon Valley. That’s where I want to be, to grow my passion and perhaps raise a family in future.

5) Singaporean accent / singlish

Singlish is a really interesting way of communicating amongst Singaporeans, but it really has to die. The accent is just horrible when ~~communicating~~ trying to communicate with tourists/visitors from overseas too. On a related note, I am really thankful towards Singapore for providing me with an English-based education.

So why haven’t I moved?

Well, I’m still serving the nation, but my plan is to leave Singapore within a year of my operationally-ready date (ORD, or last day of service). I can’t wait for that day to come. I check this website all the time.

The above opinions are entirely my own, and are based on experience of my 19 years growing up here, as well as encounters and trips overseas. Feel free to comment..

Life

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 17:39:03 +0800

Life is not about achieving the best grades, making the most money, or becoming the world’s most famous person.

Was listening to Derek Siver’s talk at Echelon that day, and he was really inspiring.

My opinion is, life is about finding your passion and building on top of that, while enjoying life in the process.

Seems to me that many Singaporeans fail to grasp this concept and work their asses off (usually in the government sector). I’ve talked to many civil servants and all they see their jobs as a source of fixed income. That’s true, but how many of them actually find meaning in the work they do? I’d have to say not many.

I am currently serving the country (in National Service for those of you unfamiliar), and as every full-time national serviceman would say, is not a very good way to spend 2 years after high school. However, am very glad the Lord has provided me with an awesome vocation and time after work to spend time with family and friends. Life is still pretty awesome.

Anyway, I’ve been on the search for great coffee, and have found a really awesome place, Highlanders Coffee. Time to ditch those coffee chains!

Just to test.

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:36:35 +0800

Caption for the first photo

Caption for the second photo

Just to test.

F.Y.I.

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:25:07 +0800

Why does the Singapore government love acronyms?