La firma

* Loaded log from Tue Jan 20

Joe Hello Mircea, I wrote you in twitter and you give me this way to contcat with you. I am Joeⁱ, I am 28 years, programmer, I have wife and newborn son. I am from city of Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region (400 kM north of Moscow).ⁱⁱ
Me Hello.

Joe I am programming and my goal to create own projects to earn for my young family. First goal it is car, because at russian winters frosts is veru hard without car with children.
Me Interesting way to go about it.

Joe I have some ideas for developing Android apps and one service for my city. Population of Rybinsk city is about 250 000 peoples and currently I got idea to start 3D printing at our city, I decide to buy 3D printer and start printing details for peoples needs at separate office. Currently I employeer at IT company and develops Android iMonitoring application. But I want start own business to avoid salary trap. (Current my salary is $900 and I cant't accumulate for car). With this salary I should work about 4 years to buy car.
Me Yes but listen, it's rarely the case that people succeed because they need to or want to. Generally people succeed when they have a good idea and are good at implementing it. So perhaps you're starting from the other end.

Joe And I decide ask you Mircea to help me to buy 3D printer, because I have no any start capital and single my hope to ask paoples like you.
Me Well yes, but I doubt this will ever work.

Joe I found you name at one note where wos described that you helping to OpenBSD
Me But you're not openbsd.

Joe Yes, it is true :) I am programmer that want start own business.
Me That's openbsd about 20 years ago. So you see... this conversation is 20 years early :)ⁱⁱⁱ

* Loaded log from Tue Jan 21

Joe Mircea hello, so you decide as I understood that 3D printering is doubtfull business for city? Our city have one university, and some big factories.
Me No, I decided that your model where you imagine perfect strangers will finance your ideas is doubtful for reality.

Joe Yes, I understood you, in my situation I should take credit or works long time and then invest myself money. I thinking about this. I think I wrote this message from some my despair. And it is desperate step.
Me See, Bitcoin works in a very special way. For instance : I said on irc that "openbsd has been financed". This is all it is, a line from irc. This was enough for someone to write a blog reporting it, and it was enough for the slashdot editors to put it on the front page, and on and on. The question, of course, is why is it enough ? Why is it enough for openbsd to need some money in order to get it, why is it enough for me to say they got it for people to believe they got it ? This is the importance of names. In business the name, la firma, is all that matters. And if you wish to be in business, which is what taking credit means, and not working for a salary means, you must have a name. So far, Joe says nothing to me. Maybe one day it will, and that day we can talk business. But until that day, all you can do is work to make your name worth something in the eyes of people who matter.
Joe Ok, thanks, I will work.

Me Gl!

Incidentally, have you seen La Strada ?

1. Obviously, his name isn't Joe, but we'll just call him that anyway. [↩]
2. You are probably cringing at the stylistics of what you strictly associate with a certain sort of expectant brides (extremely well depicted for the silver screen by Nicole Kidman). Nevertheless, that unfortunate historical accident aside, I would daresay I much prefer this Eastern style to the very vapid, very useless and very boring Western equivalent. No, you are not creative. It's just not what you are. No, you're not an evanghelist, or a whatever other trendy bullshit. At least "father" or "poor" is a thing to be, much unlike "social media guru", which pointedly isn't a thing to be in the first place. But let's not digress. [↩]
3. Holy shit, it's been twenty years. Do you even hear what I am writing at you here ? Twenty years! Do you even comprehend how old, how utterly ancient, how old we've become ? When did it happen ? [↩]