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Paul Graham notices what other's miss. He uses his experiences in art, programing and life to shine light into the crevices from which the best ideas grow. Finally though his writing and though Y Combinator, he is willing to teach.
More about Paul Graham
Paul Graham (born 1965An article published June 2009, specifies that he is a 44 year old, therefore he must have been born in 1965 given the span of time between the article being written and getting published is less than 6 months (and there is an extremely high probability that that is the case.)) is a programmer, venture capitalist, and essayist. He is known for his work on Lisp and for co-founding Viaweb, which eventually became the Yahoo! Store web system. He is the author of On Lisp (1993), ANSI Common Lisp (1995), and Hackers & Painters (2004).
The Top Five Reasons Paul Graham is the Best Essay-writer
- He is insightful
- He is funny
- He uses what he knows (programing) without leaving non-programers behind
- He makes me think
- He loves art and science--which makes him well rounded.
Paul Graham for the rest of us
because not everyone can be a programmer
If you aren't interested in any of those things, you probably don't know his work--but you should. Many of his essays are just as relevant to the rest of us.
I've chosen some of his best essays for the non-programmer below. Once you've read these you really must explore the rest on his website.
- What You Can't Say
- This is the essay that made me fall in love with the writing of Paul Graham. When I first read it several years ago, it changed the way I looked at what was and wasn't possible, and more importantly, what true, even though we didn't talk about it. I still go back to re-read this one on a regular basis.
- Taste for Makers
- Is good really just a matter of taste? Paul Graham says no--and here's why.
- Why Nerds are Unpopular
- Why is it that almost every successful adult was (or at least claims to have been) unpopular in high school? Paul Graham argues it's because nerds figure out fast that doing what it takes to be popular in high school just isn't worth one's time.
- What You'll Wish You'd Known
- If you could go back in time and talk to your high-school age self, what advice would you give yourself?
- Writing, Briefly
- Like what you've read so far? Finish off with tips from Paul Graham on improving your own writing.
Paul Graham Essays
In a book--because sometimes you don't have internet access
Hackers and Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age
Amazon Price: $15.61 (as of 11/07/2009) 
What is Y Combinator?
While this lens is about Paul Graham the essayist, Y Combinator has become such a big part of who he is (and what he writes about) a discussion of his essays isn't complete without it.
Y Combinator is an American seed-stage startup funding firm, started in 2005 by Paul Graham, Robert Morris, Trevor Blackwell, and Jessica Livingston. Y Combinator provides seed money, advice, and connections at two 3-month programs per year. From its inception to 2008, one program was held in each of the US cities of Cambridge, Massachusetts and Mountain View, California; in January 2009, Paul Graham announced that henceforth the Cambridge program would be closed and all future programs would take place in Silicon Valley . In exchange, they take an average of about 6% of the company's equity...
The latest news on Paul Grahm's Y combinator
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GypsyPirate wrote...
Your lens is great - I'm convinced he's the Best Ever!
Posted November 01, 2007
by lizthefair
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