I'm Ryan Waggoner. I build things. I blog about how to work harder and smarter to build the life you want. You should subscribe.

I’m still alive

02.18.11 Posted in Blogging, Misc, News, Personal, Posts by

Just a super quick update: I haven’t given up on the blog, quite the opposite. Just decided to take a week off…kinda. Trying something new, which I’ll talk about in a post next week. New posts return on Monday, Feb 21, 2010. In the meantime, here’s a few interesting posts from blogs I read: Pick [...]


How to get a customer for life

01.31.11 Posted in Entrepreneurship, Inspiration, Misc, Posts by

Photo by Jason SchultzAbout six months ago, I found this amazing car service that I use when I have to go to the San Francisco airport, which is about 20-30 mins away from where I live. The normal options for getting to the airport are mass transit, driving your own car, or taking a cab. [...]


Why I’m bullish on a Facebook I don’t trust

01.21.11 Posted in Future, Misc, Posts, Social Media, Technology by

I wrote a post yesterday about the uncanny valley of advertising, and how we’re currently in this weird area where advertisers know just enough about us to make it creepy, but not enough to make it perfectly relevant. I made the mistake in my post of comparing a hyper-relevant advertising service to a friend, in [...]


We’re in the uncanny valley of advertising

01.20.11 Posted in Misc, Posts, Social Media, Technology by

Image by Aaron Webb I had a good discussion with a friend today about advertising relevancy. It started because we were discussing his concerns about Facebook and how much information they have, like your social graph, taste graph, browsing habits, etc. What I found especially interesting is that his main concern is that Facebook will [...]


135 days of getting up at 345am (and how I fell off the wagon)

01.19.11 Posted in Goals, Inspiration, Misc, Personal, Posts by

The snooze alarm is based on the idea that when the alarm goes off, you are not getting up. ~Jerry Seinfeld I’ve always struggled with sleep. Everyone has their vices; mine is staying up late and sleeping into the late morning. This has been a central struggle of my adult life, partly because my wife [...]


Six weeks with a standing desk (and why they’re overhyped)

01.17.11 Posted in Misc, Personal, Posts, Reviews by

I’m always on the lookout for lifehacks that are easily implemented and offer big boosts in productivity. So when I saw a bunch of articles about the alleged health benefits of ditching your chair for a standing desk, I was intrigued. I filed it away as something to try, but I didn’t quite have the [...]


Chinese mom vs. American dad

01.14.11 Posted in Education, Misc, Personal, Posts by

Quick note: this post talks more about my father than mother, but I want to make it clear that I owe them both a great debt for the way they raised me. My mother was full of life lessons and wisdom of her own, it’s just that this post deals with a topic more applicable [...]


Why Groupon could be bigger than Google

01.10.11 Posted in Entrepreneurship, Misc, Posts, Social Media, Technology by

A couple weeks ago I suggested in a comment on Hacker News that Groupon could one day be bigger than Google. This was the response I got: If there was ever a sign of a bubble, it’s this comment. Some local coupon startup thingy bigger than Google? u-huh. ~axod Now, I totally understand this sentiment. [...]


Why Sarah Palin’s reality show is pure political brilliance (and 3 things you can learn from it)

12.14.10 Posted in Misc, Politics, Posts by

I’m not a big fan of Sarah Palin, but this post is about her new reality show, not her politics.. It’s no great secret that Palin and politics are probably not done with each other. She’s relatively young, has a very dedicated following, and is probably the best hope the Republican party currently has for [...]


My 2011 blogging plan

12.10.10 Posted in Blogging, Entrepreneurship, Finances, Future, Goals, Misc, Personal, Posts, Social Media, Technology by

I started blogging every day in early 2007, but I lapsed after a few months and then blogged on and off over the next few years. I don’t think I ever made more than a few dollars per month, until I started blogging again this year. In August 2010, I started a daily habit of [...]


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