Disclaimer, I did some contract work for Kanary, but their approach is much more transparent than most other alternatives. They recently launched an app that automates the process on your device locally, so you can see exactly what actions they’re taking on your behalf. Plus doing the opt outs locally helps with the captchas and other rate limiting measures these people search sites put up to block auto-removals.
Your comment made me curious, were there any other features or ideas that you (& team) loved but didn’t have the user base or buy-in to include by default?
Thank you for taking me down memory lane with this great question. It's been almost twenty years, so I may misremember the internal popularity of many things, but one that stands out was browsing history - almost everyone that joined the team for the first ten years wanted to redesign history and felt it could've been a huge differentiator. We had mockups that looked like subway maps, implemented floating overlays showing your recent tasks, and we designed the history database to store everything forever.
In reality, Google search was good enough to find what you wanted 95% of the time, and most people would not bother discovering and learning a separate pathway to find the remaining 5% - especially when combined with our poor human memories and local search capabilities at the time.
> We had mockups that looked like subway maps, implemented floating overlays showing your recent tasks, and we designed the history database to store everything forever.
That would still be a real innovation over the current 90 day retention maximum.
Unfortunately, today's version of that is "Web & App Activity", sent to Google servers with the Terms of Service allowing it to be used for ad targeting and what not.
(And I think the real innovation would be showing the branching, not mangling everything into a linear history. But it's harder to show and use well, so it doesn't happen. Very much the same story as editor undo/redo.)
One aspect of vintage film photography that I haven't seen discussed much here is the connections that can be with family members, local community members, and strangers over film cameras and photos.
Since taking up film photography, I've had countless conversations with shopkeepers, fellow concert-goers, line-mates, and all manner of other folks whom I'd likely have simply ignored if not for the shared connection of the vintage camera around my neck. At a recent concert, I had a ten minute conversation with one of the security bag-checkers about my Canon; he had been a concert photographer in the 70s/80s and shared some of his experiences & tips for shooting shows. While eating a recent breakfast out, my server asked about the camera sitting to the side of our table and we struck up a conversation about photography and family heirlooms (this camera had been passed down from a family member). For some reason, vintage cameras seem to foster a connection that can span age and generational gaps.
Film photography has also been a source of connection to older family members and a gateway to unlocking and sharing memories that may not have otherwise seen the light of day. Conversation naturally starts with the modern film hobby and progresses quickly until photo albums are strewn about the kitchen table and old photo equipment litters the floor. Like many other commenters here have said, film photos have a knack for capturing "real" moments that embrace the ephemeral nature of photography - goofy poses, blurry photos, and candid moments. These moments tell us so much more about our friends and family members and shake memories loose from the depths of time. Digital photos can replicate some of this, but I find that their ubiquity leads to fatigue more often than contemplation.
Folks are right to complain about the cost and inconvenience of buying and developing film, but we as film photographers have the privilege of supporting small, local businesses that are dedicated to their craft and to the film community. In addition to the livelihood these businesses provide to their owners, film shops can also cultivate an in-person community around the hobby that makes the experience much richer for those involved. We recently had a new film store open in my neighborhood, and it's been fun browsing their film stock while chatting with other photographers who've stumbled into the store. If I'm going to be paying $15 for a roll and $20 to get it developed, I'd like to see that money support a local small business.
Would you mind going into a bit more detail about your late 1800s-early 1900s cameras? I’ve recently gotten into film photography, first with a cheap, slightly broken AE-1 and more recently with a family member’s passed-down Canon F-1. Even though this equipment is more than sufficient, I find myself lusting after 1930s-1940s Barnack Leicas and the wide array of Barnack clones from that era. I’m curious what it’s like to actually shoot with those cameras.
Location: Seattle, WA
Remote: Yes, open to remote
Willing to relocate: No
Technologies: Python, Java, Typescript, Node, AWS (serverless), Kafka, SQL/Postgres, C (academic/beginner)
Résumé/CV: https://mattparmett.com/resume_aug_2023.pdf
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewparmett
Email: matt.parmett / gmail.com
Hi all - I’m a former healthcare VC that’s working through a CS master’s degree at Penn with the ultimate goal of jumping into an engineering role. I'm scheduled to graduate in December 2023 and am looking for a full-time software engineering role starting January 2024.
I’ve interned as a SWE at Liberty Mutual, working on critical customer communication infrastructure (SMS, email, push) built in Typescript on AWS serverless architecture. This summer, I've redesigned one of our core services (archiving emails for legal compliance) to run 67% faster and have added highly-requested features to our SMS platform. Last year, I interned as a SWE with a data privacy startup called Kanary (an opportunity that was found here on HN!).
As a VC at Echo Health Ventures prior to grad school, I invested in healthcare delivery businesses like Dispatch Health, Genome Medical, Heartbeat Health, and TytoCare. I helped these businesses find product/market fit, scale operations into new markets and channels, and optimize their financial planning / fundraising. Before joining Echo I was a healthcare investment banker at J.P. Morgan.
Most of my experience thus far has been on the backend, and that's where my preference lies, but open to any/all opportunities to work on interesting problems.
Location: Seattle, WA
Remote: Yes, open to remote
Willing to relocate: No
Technologies: Python, Java, Typescript, Node, AWS (serverless), Kafka, SQL/Postgres, C (academic/beginner)
Résumé/CV: https://mattparmett.com/resume_aug_2023.pdf
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewparmett
Email: matt.parmett / gmail.com
Hi all - I’m a former healthcare VC that’s working through a CS master’s degree at Penn with the ultimate goal of jumping into an engineering role. I'm scheduled to graduate in December 2023 and am looking for a full-time software engineering role starting January 2024.
I'm currently interning as a SWE at Liberty Mutual, working on critical customer communication infrastructure (SMS, email, push) built in Typescript on AWS serverless architecture. This summer, I've redesigned one of our core services (archiving emails for legal compliance) to run 67% faster and have added highly-requested features to our SMS platform. Last year, I interned as a SWE with a data privacy startup called Kanary (an opportunity that was found here on HN!).
As a VC at Echo Health Ventures prior to grad school, I invested in healthcare delivery businesses like Dispatch Health, Genome Medical, Heartbeat Health, and TytoCare. I helped these businesses find product/market fit, scale operations into new markets and channels, and optimize their financial planning / fundraising. Before joining Echo I was a healthcare investment banker at J.P. Morgan.
Most of my experience thus far has been on the backend, and that's where my preference lies, but open to any/all opportunities to work on interesting problems.
Thanks for dropping in and providing a lot of good context here!
I’m a former healthcare venture capitalist who left my role back in May to learn CS and tackle some of these problems from the trenches…where in particular would you recommend I focus my efforts given your years of experience?
There is the classic triangle of patients, providers and insurance. I think in any path you choose you have to think about which leg of the tripod you want to put forward.
There is this wealth of new pricing data but I haven't yet seen it employed in really practical ways that help patients day to day so I think there are some oppourtunities there. I think GoodRX has done a very good job in improving patients decision making around drugs as an example.
The other point I frequently make is maybe not to overshoot too far. There are a LOT of simple problems that need solving. I think I see a pitch about this or that "reimaging healthcare" every day. In practice there are huge and obvious problems in the basics of provider and patient communication. For people with serious illness making sure the patient knows and can get to the right place at the right time is very underserved.
Location: Seattle, WA
Remote: Yes
Willing to relocate: No
Technologies: Python, Java
Résumé/CV: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewparmett (can also email me for full resume)
Email: matt [.] parmett / gmail.com
Hey all - I’m a former healthcare VC that’s working through a CS master’s degree at Penn with the ultimate goal of jumping into an engineering role. As a VC at Echo Health Ventures (http://www.echohealthventures.com) I invested in healthcare delivery businesses like Dispatch Health, Genome Medical, Heartbeat Health, and TytoCare. I helped these businesses find product/market fit, scale operations into new markets and channels, and optimize their financial planning / fundraising. Prior to Echo I was a healthcare investment banker at J.P. Morgan.
My master’s program has a flexible schedule so I’m primarily looking for an internship or “working student” role where I can contribute to a product codebase in a professional/production context. Feel free to reach out if you have a role that could be a good fit for a highly motivated graduate student with substantial real-world experience (including fairly deep healthcare domain knowledge) and a growing tech skill set.
While I would prefer an engineering role, I’m also available to serve as a formal or informal advisor to venture-backed businesses. As an ex-VC, I have lots of insight into fundraising, business planning, and product development (especially in the healthcare space). I’d love to help de-mystify VC for early startups and/or work with established teams to help optimize capital formation or product development. For this type of engagement, I’d prefer to work with folks who are local to Seattle, but I’m open to a remote arrangement as well. Reach out and we can grab a coffee or set up a zoom meeting to get introduced.
I’ve had a bunch of good conversations with folks from prior threads - I look forward to chatting with you!
Location: Seattle, WA
Remote: Yes
Willing to relocate: No
Technologies: Python, Java
Résumé/CV: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewparmett (can also email me for full resume)
Email: matt [.] parmett / gmail.com
Hey all - I’m a former healthcare VC that’s working through a CS master’s degree at Penn with the ultimate goal of jumping into an engineering or product role. As a VC at Echo Health Ventures (http://www.echohealthventures.com) I invested in healthcare delivery businesses like Dispatch Health, Genome Medical, Heartbeat Health, and TytoCare. I helped these businesses find product/market fit, scale operations into new markets and channels, and optimize their financial planning / fundraising. Prior to Echo I was a healthcare investment banker at J.P. Morgan.
My master’s program has a flexible schedule so I’m primarily looking for an internship or “working student” role where I can start contributing to a product in a professional context. Feel free to reach out if you have a role that could be a good fit for a highly motivated graduate student with substantial real-world experience (including fairly deep healthcare domain knowledge) and a growing tech skill set.
I’m also available to serve as a formal or informal advisor to venture-backed businesses. As an ex-VC, I have lots of insight into fundraising, business planning, and product development (especially in the healthcare space). I’d love to help de-mystify VC for early startups and/or work with established teams to help optimize capital formation or product development. For this type of engagement, I’d prefer to work with folks who are local to Seattle, but I’m open to a remote arrangement as well. Reach out and we can grab a coffee or set up a zoom meeting to get introduced.
I’ve had a few good conversations with folks from last month’s thread - I look forward to chatting with you!
Location: Seattle, WA
Remote: Yes
Willing to relocate: No
Technologies: Python, Java
Résumé/CV: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewparmett (can also email me for full resume)
Email: matt [.] parmett / gmail.com
Hey all - I’m a former healthcare VC that’s working through a CS master’s degree at Penn with the ultimate goal of jumping into an engineering or product role. As a VC at Echo Health Ventures (http://www.echohealthventures.com) I invested in healthcare delivery businesses like Dispatch Health, Genome Medical, Heartbeat Health, and TytoCare. I helped these businesses find product/market fit, scale operations into new markets and channels, and optimize their financial planning / fundraising. Prior to Echo I was a healthcare investment banker at J.P. Morgan.
My master’s program has a flexible schedule so I’m primarily looking for an internship or “working student” role where I can start contributing to a product in a professional context. Feel free to reach out if you have a role that could be a good fit for a highly motivated graduate student with substantial real-world experience and a growing tech skill set.
I’m also available to serve as a formal or informal advisor to venture-backed businesses. As an ex-VC, I have lots of insight into fundraising, business planning, and product development (especially in the healthcare space). I’d love to help de-mystify VC for early startups and/or work with established teams to help optimize capital formation or product development. For this type of engagement, I’d prefer to work with folks who are local to Seattle, but I’m open to a remote arrangement as well. Reach out and we can grab a coffee or set up a zoom meeting to get introduced.
