Maxklein is so Meta, I'm not sure if the story is true, but there's almost always something to learn from those posts, like: If you are looking for ideas to build something, hack all the creative process/brainsstorming etc... and do port your brainstorming to freelancer boards for ideas, it's ok to do what you enjoy doing, no matter how rich you are or the financial reward. I agree to both.
I think this story is actually about Max Klein. The TechCrunch pickup, the villager are all story avatars. Another HN commenter found out that he writes video encoding software, along with a franchise of profitable information iPhone apps. It is a pretty powerful idea - build what people are looking for - but not as a software soldier-of-fortune but as an owner.
Yeah, I thought that too... It might be a past/present kind of thing. Like, at the time the author was in China, he was making $5000/month and now that the article is published it's $5000/day.
Although, $5000/day seems a bit high, so I'm thinking it's a typo.
I'm not sure exactly what you're taking issue with, but both statements can be equally true at the same time, and I can't read either of them in a way in which one contradicts the other.
While you are correct, Max Klein has come under fire for credibility issues on HN as of recent. I think that's the commenter's underlying question. Is this just another one of Max's "stories." However, it does seem pretty legit, as it's not that far fetched.
They very well can be equally true. $5,000 a day is 'more than' $5k a month, no matter how you read it. While I agree that it's a potentially confusing statement, I just don't see anything factually incorrect about it.
For what it's worth, my interpretation is that 'on average' or perhaps 'since he started', he's made generally over $5,000 in a month, but lately he's doing far better than that.
Perhaps I'm the one reading too much into it here, but I strongly disagree that it is in any way misleading or semantically problematic.
No person says "more than $5,000" to imply that the value may be any amount greater than $5,000, with equal probability. Saying "more than $5,000 a month" if you actually mean "$150,000 a month" may as well be the dictionary definition of misleading, and totally defeats the purpose of giving a number at all.
The obvious explanation is that one or the other statement is a typo, and it would be nice to know which, since it's a big difference. It's possible that one means "since he started", or whatever, but again, it would be nice if the author said so.
I suppose if you disregard the rest of my statement, then you are justified in your comments, but again, based on my reading, it makes sense note the 'lately' in the second part of the statement? To me, that's a qualifier that during the current timeline, he's doing exceptionally, or abnormally well.
Without contacting the author, the subject of the story, or someone in the know, we just have to keep peeing in each other's corn flakes, without knowing the true answer. Regardless, I just don't see justification for taking such issue with the statement.
Edit: I was missing a 'you' in the first sentence.
I suppose. I don't think so, but if the votes matter at all, I suppose the majority agrees with you, though I'm more than a little surprised by them, since I believe I am factually correct.
He did this, and rather than making software for
clients, he created his own software products, which he
put on the internet. He said that 3 days after he copied
a simple idea from the rentacoder list on his website,
he was making 2 sales a day. $20 per day, which "
you don't just release something and then magically start making 2 sales a day...you still have to market. And I doubt many people would buy from someone who wrote in broken english.
isn't it odd, how somehow you ALWAYS manage to find all these interesting people...in all these odd places.
Why don't you go outside and snap a few pictures of China for us. That would at least prove that you are actually in China and not just pulling everyone's chain.
All that aside, using those services to farm for project ideas is pretty cool.