<story><title>At ‘Hacker Hostels,’ Living on the Cheap and Dreaming of Digital Glory</title><url>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/06/technology/at-hacker-hostels-living-on-the-cheap-and-dreaming-of-digital-glory.html?pagewanted=all</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>qiqing</author><text>I&apos;d like to set the record straight about the nature of Chez JJ, which I feel, was very strongly misrepresented in the NYT article. What sets Chez JJ (and other community houses) apart from hostels and dorms is our family-like atmosphere. By welcoming guests into our home we are welcoming them into our family. They have become our friends and our co-founders. Startup life is an emotional roller coaster.  As a community, we support each other through the trials and tests of life in Silicon Valley.&lt;p&gt;More than half of Chez JJ residents who have applied to YC have been accepted.  Maybe it helps that we grill each other. Or maybe it helps that we help each other relax in order to see the big picture. Or because our residents don&apos;t have to waste as much time on the minutiae of living because of what we provide. Maybe it&apos;s a form of self selection. It is a relevant point that living in group communities is more cost effective than living alone. When we all pitch in towards basic needs we are able to have a higher standard of living.&lt;p&gt;We have weekly professional cleaners and subscribe to Farm Fresh, an organic vegetable delivery service. We provide coffee, tea, pancake mix, cereal, soymilk, and all the fresh fruits and vegetables you can find in our garden. We have regular dinner parties, and breakfast brunches. We have movie nights and hackathons and play board games. And we work closely with the owners of each of our houses know exactly what we are doing and are completely supportive.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://chezjj.com&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http://chezjj.com&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>
<story><title>At ‘Hacker Hostels,’ Living on the Cheap and Dreaming of Digital Glory</title><url>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/06/technology/at-hacker-hostels-living-on-the-cheap-and-dreaming-of-digital-glory.html?pagewanted=all</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>kiwidrew</author><text>When are people going to learn that PayPal is never, ever, &lt;i&gt;ever&lt;/i&gt; to be trusted?&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;&amp;#62;  When the site started in May, $12,000 in orders for a car diagnostics device poured in right away. PayPal, which the founders used to process payments, decided their account was “high risk” and suspended it, freezing their money for six months, Mr. Wu said.  Mr. Wu and Mr. El-Hage maxed out their credit cards to fulfill the orders. Without investors backing them, they nearly went broke. MassDrop has recovered to “above-ramen status, but not that much higher,” Mr. El-Hage said.&lt;/i&gt;</text></comment>