6th
Aardvark'd: 12 Weeks With Geeks
I finished Joel’s Aardvark’d documentary last night. It captured the experiences of his 4 interns for 12 weeks. Pointing a camera at 4 guys typing for 3 months and editing that into something entertaining is non-trivial. I struggled to find the thesis, but there was plenty to like.
Some observations:
What it is:
A little bit of advertising. Without being cynical, let’s be realistic. I paid $20 for this thing. Now I’m blogging about it. Mission accomplished.
A look through the key-hole at this medium’s potential. Cameras and computers are cheap. There’s more of this type of thing to come and they will build it’s strengths.
A tease for folks interested in the Y Combinator. Paul Graham’s work in Boston is briefly contrasted. Someone send a guy and a camera up there!
What it might be:
A HOWTO for companies starting internships. There more than a few lessons to be learned: find them housing, buy them a TV, let them get some skin in the game the first day by putting together their workspace, give them the same hardware as the rest of the team, give them a spec, etc…
A depiction of the banality that comes along with software development. Long nights where the only thing interesting that happens is a cockroach crawling across the floor. Endless debates in the forums. The office manager / secretary provides us the view of some one looking in from the outside.
What it wasn’t:
A deep look into the journey of the intern; intern as Ubermensch; emerges from long dark 12 week tunnel having re-evaluated prior ideals.
An insightful portrayal of the starts and stops of software development; the highs and lows; peaks and valleys. While some demos crashed and some bugs were found, the contrast between the intoxicating sensation of shipping and sober realities along the way went largely unaddressed.