So, on Aaron’s suggestion, I am now almost done reading Masters of Doom by David Kushner: the gripping and very inspiring tale about the guys that founded id software and their journey. This is an absolute must read for any startup founder. Told through through the eyes of John Carmack, John Romero, et al. (although in 3rd person), this book uncovers the many peaks and valleys that a startup will encounter in its early days and even in its most successful times. Although I don’t have the time to write a full post right now (working on an fb app), here’s the basic summary of what it takes, in the words of John Carmack himself:

The barriers are self-imposed. If you want to set off and go develop some grand new thing, you don’t need millions of dollars of capitalization. You need enough pizza and Diet Coke to stick in your refrigerator, a cheap PC to work on, and the dedication to go through with it. We slept on floors. We waded across rivers.

For more, read the book… you will not regret it!