

Hacker/Designer Roommates - zakkap
http://roomie.heroku.com/

======
stretchwithme
For a while now, I’ve been thinking about collective living arrangements
specifically geared toward communities like hackers. I'm a member of the
Hacker Dojo in Mountain View and its just awesome to hang out with creative
people with whom I have a lot in common.

Technology and creative thinking can both increase shared housing's quality
and affordability, even in expensive cities.

One thing that could be done with a large space is repurpose most of it for
business tenants during the day. And for tenants themselves who might like to
have space to work during the day very close to where they live.

This might be accomplished using moving walls that enable you to compress
bedrooms like Gary Chang does in his apartment:

[http://unclutterer.com/2010/04/26/video-incredibly-
efficient...](http://unclutterer.com/2010/04/26/video-incredibly-efficient-
efficiency/)

There would also locked storage in kitchen and bathroom and systems and
personnel to encourage and maintain cleanliness.

The idea is to reduce the costs of things when you aren’t using them, but
still maintain privacy and security. Tenants could also share many things they
don’t use often, like tools, thus reducing the amount of storage space each
person needs.

There would be a system that rents the space out during the day and you would
pay a fixed price that covers your compressed room 24/7 and uncompressed for,
say, 8pm – 8am weekdays or whatever suits you. Then the remaining space would
be leased, with some auctioned off real time so that you can always stay home
when you’re sick. And you'd pay less when you're on vacation.

Overall, the purpose is to give young, single people the opportunity to live
in a clean, secure, supportive situation at a great price even in a high cost
area.

------
Maro
Don't limit your perspective. It'd be a better idea to move in with a physics
major and a poet than with 2 copies of yourself.

~~~
zakkap
I am not looking for "2 copies" of myself...

There are a lot of people on this thread who think what I'm doing is a good
idea.

Please explain why that moving in with a physics major and a poet is a better
idea than what I have proposed?

~~~
Maro
You're looking for someone who is a fan of the same progr. lang. as you are,
who uses the same text editor, the same VCS, and even the same
libraries/frameworks. You're looking for a designer who uses the same
_version_ of Photoshop that you're using, or at least uses the version you
think he/she _should be_ using.

~~~
lawn
Yes, agree with both posts. You shouldn't care what language or library he's
using.

There aren't "Ruby programmers", there are just programmers. I honestly try to
stay away from people who claim they are _language x programmers_ and those
who think one language is superior, because quite frankly they're often not
that good.

Honestly are Ruby programmers really better than those who code in C or
haskell and honestly what does it matter which text editor I choose to use?!

What would you learn if he knows and use the same things as you? Wouldn't it
be a lot better, and a lot cooler, if your roommate could teach you about
compilers, creating games or advanced algorithms or _something_ that you don't
know already?

It's a great idea to get a roommate with similar interests, but really I think
you're focusing on the wrong things.

~~~
zakkap
What makes you think I don't already know about compilers, algorithms and game
creation.

I happen to know alot. Including Maya/3D Studio and even Final Cut/Vegas
Studios.

I am not just a Ruby programmer, I also speak PHP and Objective-C...

I'm not saying a person should ONLY know Ruby, jeez! This person can have
other interests and knowledge as well...

~~~
lawn
Way to go and miss the point. I said that he might know _something_ that you
don't know which could be nice to learn, or are you seriously saying that you
know everything?

I'm sorry that I offended you, I didn't doubt your knowledge.

And my point wasn't that he must only know ruby, but that you should focus
more on programming skills and not focus on a specific language. A competent
programmer should be able to jump between languages with relative ease as long
as they have some related skill.

I guess I started thinking about a friend of my when I read your post. He's
someone who says C is the best language in the world, poet is the only
worthwhile site on the web and everyone who didn't use linux was bad and
wrong. Different opinions was never allowed and he was right all the time.

Maybe it's me but maybe the post does give out a little smugness, like saying
you want (prefer) him to love textmate.

~~~
zakkap
No you haven't offended me... and I haven't missed your point either.

But I do feel like you are putting words in my mouth: "are you seriously
saying that you know everything"

Where the hell did you see myself saying that?

If you read my other replies - I said I have an intense passion for learning.
This means I do learn from other people than myself.

You're right... A competent programmer should be able to jump between
languages.

I don't think Ruby is the best programming language in the world - but it has
suited me well for what I'm doing and allows me to iterate through development
cycles quickly with ease, plus there is a large community built around it in
San Francisco.

When something better for the job comes along I'll pick it up just as quickly.

~~~
lawn
No.

Initially I asked you if there isn't something your roommate could teach you
which would be good and I gave the examples compilers, creating games or
advanced algorithms.

Where you responded _What makes you think I don't already know about
compilers, algorithms and game creation?_

This I read as a you're being offended and/or missing my question _or_ as if
you're telling me that you already know everything about compilers and the
something (which alas is everything).

It's great that you like to learn, just like me, and I think it's a great
opportunity to learn and to get a roommate who knows a lot of good funky
stuff. This is also why I don't think purely focusing on programmers who knows
Ruby is a good idea, instead you should focus on good programmers who know
stuff you'd like to learn.

I don't want to pick on Ruby, in fact I think it's great.

~~~
Retric
_isn't something your roommate could teach you which would be good and I gave
the examples_

In many ways two specialists in the same area can teach each other far more
things than two specialists in different areas. The problem is until you know
a lot learning from a wiki is often the best approach, however the more you
know about say java script the more things you can learn with that foundation.

Think of it this way, how long would you need to spend with tiger woods before
he becomes significantly more useful than the average golf instructor. And how
does that change as you go from a beginner to the pro level.

------
pclark
I think this is a clever idea. I know of a few people that have pondered
getting housemates that have a specific skill set in addition to a good vibe.

I think you've missed the single most important requirement for a "kickass
roomate" - has got non-work stuff _finished and launched_.

I would also advise you to scrap all the development/design criteria of tools,
and focus on attitudes and passions. Like look for a hacker developer, and a
designer that is obsessed with user experience. Any man and his dog can use a
collection of tools but that makes them neither a developer nor kickass.

You might also want to put a link to a web product you've finished (you state
"i develop web applications not only for work, but for fun. it takes up most
of my time.") -- you have launched stuff right? :)

Good luck man.

------
jey
It looks like while this says "roommate" it really means "RoR project-mate"?
Sounds like the implicit expectation is that you'll end up working on RoR
projects with the poster of the ad?

I might as well mention that I want to move in with some free spirited artsy
sciencey hackery types. (Currently living in a 1BR in Berkeley.)

~~~
zakkap
Don't get me wrong:

First and foremost, it's about making like-minded friends and reliable
roommates.

Ideally, the goal is the create a valuable development team in the process -
and then take on fun and creative projects through opportunities like
ycombinator and kickstarter.

That being said, I am a Ruby developer. I do think that anyone I pair-program
with should be familiar with Ruby.

However, I am not tied to the constraint that I have a roommate that is a Ruby
developer.

~~~
teaspoon
The Ruby requirement makes plenty of sense to me. But the
Textmate/Heroku/rspec criteria make for a pretty tight Venn diagram,
especially since you should be looking for someone who doesn't think exactly
like you do. And do you really care if your roommate uses a different text
editor than you do?

~~~
zakkap
You're right.

It's a little tight.

I've updated the website to say Textmate is preferred rather than required.

The "heroku ftw!" remark is just a deployment option that I added in there to
express my feelings towards the company. Technically it doesn't matter what
platform we work on. I just happen to find them to be a rather unique and
creative service that suits my needs.

As far as RSpec - it's a matter of personal preference, but again...
technically it doesn't matter.

Anyone who doesn't meet the requirements EXACTLY should not feel unwelcome in
sending me an email :)

------
mwsherman
Working with designers is an important and underrated thing for developers. I
worked at a design firm for years and learned an awful lot.

It's a great selling point too. Many web projects suffer from, shall we say, a
bit of friction between design and implementation. I sell myself to potential
clients on my respect for, and ability to communicate with, designers.

Knowing a designer's vocabulary will make you better at what you do.

~~~
zakkap
I agree. I don't know if you checked out the link, but I designed and coded
that in about one hour. I may not be a designer - but I definitely speak their
language!

~~~
pclark
did you read your designer spec? it simply says "inspirational, loves
photoshop and already using CS5" as a designer thats 0% content

~~~
zakkap
I know it's a little scanty. Would you like to give me suggestions?

But please stay away from negative comments. I wrote the spec, how can I not
have read it?

------
zakkap
Thanks for the support everyone :)

You're more than welcome to post this on your blogs or show your friends. I'd
be super appreciative.

------
mjw
Hm... might work ok if the hacking on projects together aspect of it was
relatively low-pressure/low-commitment stuff, pitch in if you have time and
find it interesting but don't guarantee anything.

But otherwise mixing two big-ish commitments (living together stuff, work
stuff) could lead to some unpleasant friction if things don't go well.

Sometimes you do want a bit of separation between 'work time' and 'home time',
not to have to feel accountable to work people about the way you spend your
home time and vice versa.

I did live with the freelance designer from my work for a bit though. It
worked ok because work is in the office, so pretty clear separation of work
time and home time. But not really the same situation as you describe.

~~~
zakkap
I think unpleasant friction can occur whether or not your living and working
together.

Anyway - enough speculation. I'll let you know how it goes :)

~~~
mjw
Heh. Yep true, although stuff like this can make it more or less likely!

In the end it'll depend entirely on the people I guess. Let us know how it
turns out :)

------
Whitespace
Great idea! I'm looking for the same situation but in NYC (and because I'm
homeless).

~~~
thomasreggi
I am in NYC too! Except I got a home. It's hard finding people interested in
design, programming and startups.

~~~
zakkap
I promise we'll create a "productive techy-roommate finder" once I find the
right people :)

~~~
Whitespace
That's a great idea: techroommates.com. I would seriously pay for that.

------
harshpotatoes
My brain tells me you shouldn't start your first date by asking the person to
move in with you. I have a feeling you've already heard this, and you will
only accept this knowledge after your experiment.

Ahh, how wonderful it is to be a skeptic.

------
truebosko
Cool idea. Personally, I would make note of somewhere in that ad of how clean
you are.

Hacking away all night with some buds is cool and all, but not when your sink
is full of dishes and your floors haven't been wiped in weeks ;)

------
ugh
“Already using CS5”? Ok, he doesn’t understand designers (yet :)

~~~
zakkap
Enlighten me :)

~~~
ugh
It’s not really necessary to have the newest and greatest CS. Many designers I
know skip a version or two and they generally tread carefully (i.e. take their
time) when transitioning. Don’t judge designers by the version of the CS they
are using :)

~~~
zakkap
Agreed. I've removed it from the requirements. Thanks for the good
suggestions! Please keep more coming.

------
graugrau
Sounds like you might like living in one of the Hacker Houses?
<http://hackerhouse.bluwiki.com>

~~~
zakkap
That's exactly what I need! Thank you so much, am looking into it.

------
AndyKelley
I've got a hacker roommate, and I must say it is awesome

------
iskander
>bdd

binary decision diagrams? Who wants to live with a static analysis researcher?
They're not exactly the life of the CS party...

~~~
zakkap
no not binary decision diagrams... behavior driven development.

i am a huge fan of the agile manifesto.

------
csytan
Looks like you're a pretty decent designer too :)

~~~
zakkap
Thanks! Initially, before I was a programmer I use to be a designer.

Once I started coding - I was hooked. I haven't really done any design work
since I started being a developer, but I sure have had a few people ask :)

------
Kilimanjaro
Two. Thumbs. Up.

Good idea. Great execution.

------
arach
Great idea man. Keep us posted.

------
younata
Good luck man.

------
hexley
Oooh Zak is cute ;)

