Feel inoculated..

 Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley 1849–1903 

Invictus : unconquered (Latin)

月下美人 Gift of Goh TS

Epiphyllum oxypelatum  曇花一現

ゲッカビジン 月下美人

Gekka Bijin : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphyllum_oxypetalum

Everything I need to know about startups.. from a crime boss

Perceptive. Cutting. Vivid.

http://gigaom.com/2012/01/07/desantis-startups-crime-boss/

Passages I found insightful:

"...“Large vs. small” is a different debate than “bootstrapped vs venture-backed”, though the two are often conflated. It’s also worth noting that serving a small segment and progressively expanding outwards to serve the larger market is a totally legitimate large-market strategy..."

"...when we cut out the middleman. In addition to reducing cost, we often end up creating an internal byproduct that can be productized and sold to a completely new customer..."

"...Don’t screw with your users. They are your golden-egg-laying goose. Protect them from rapacious cofounders and investors..."

"...It’s our responsibility to create the circumstances for it and then capture that good fortune. The meek may inherit the earth, but they’ll be getting it from [the boss' nom de guerre] Kobayashi..."

"...pirate ships as organizational models. Pirate ships combine an “us against the world” mentality with a hunt for treasure. This crucible of chaos and ambition somehow...had a gravitational pull for talent and resources...the source of their power: influence rather than authority..."