Why I'm A Better Software Developer Than Most

Their code -- Amateur:

My code -- Professional:

Which would you rather maintain?

This is why I'm a professional. This is only one small reason why I make more than the amateurs.

Goals for 2012

1. Read at least 12 books
2. Increase my net worth by $50,000
3. Earn at least $150,000
4. Launch Jazzr.com; 100 percent functionality
5. Launch LunchRunr.com; 100 percent functionality
6. Launch health care web site; 100 percent functionality
7. Build LiftClickit prototype with Go/No-Go results
8. Replace backyard deck by the end of September
9. Make and bottle 500 bottles of wine
10. Exercise on at least 150 days
11. Reduce red meat consumption to 300 ounces (six ounces a week) with a stretch goal of 200 ounces (four ounces a week)
12. Take four weeks (28 days) of vacation
13. Reduce bodyfat to ten percent or less
14. Have 100 percent of my CDs available as computer music files, i.e. they will be on my home server

How To Find Good Cereal

Simply go here.

Thanks for watching out for me, boring Do-Gooder.

Puerto Rico

Spent three days in San Juan last week.

Sunny, hot, gorgeous.

I was in the pools (plural!), the ocean, the hot tub. Enjoyed a cigar in the evening breeze. Sipped local rum while watching models prepare for a lingerie fashion show.

Yeah, it was enjoyable.

I did some work, too. Met some fantastic people. Rub elbows with the TV stars of Univision.

I can hardly wait to go back.

Blah blah blah

Overdue post goes here.

On A Serious Note

Seriously, if you have a contagious illness, stay the fuck away from the office!

In Sickness and ...

Last week, a person at work showed no respect nor regard for anyone else and came in all week sick.

I complained, asked the person to leave and not come back until she was well, but my pleading was ignored.

In hindsight, I should have refused to come to the client's site all week and insisted on working from home. Okay, my bad. From now on...

So, of course, Friday I became ill at work. I spent the entire weekend sleeping, lazying, lounging, resting, drinking gallons of water. Not fun.

This morning, I woke up and immediately sent a text to my client that read

My turn to be sick.

His totally inappropriate response?

Ok. See if you can make it in later.

WTF?? No "Take care of yourself and get better" or "Please don't bring it to work".

Nope.

Nothing. Nothing, trumps the Almighty Dollar as God.

Project Management

So I'm working on this huge project. Not huge in terms of lines of code, or in terms of number of people involved. Huge in terms of: It will be used by tens or hundreds of millions of people every year. Yeah ... pretty cool.

The project isn't being managed as well as it could be, in my opinion. Let me emphasize that: In my opinion.

So, I suggested -- to the owner of the company that is creating the software product -- that we use Basecamp. It's a web-based "Software As A Service" application.

Disclaimer: Basecamp is a product of 37 Signals. The founder of 37 Signals, Jason Fried, is a personal friend.

Basecamp is, arguably, the single most important piece of project management software ever created.

"Wow, Don ... that's quite a statement!"

Yeah, well, you use Basecamp and you'll become an evangelist as I am.

Basecamp allows all the important parts of a project -- artifacts, messages, schedules, etc. -- to be stored in one place. Any "stakeholder" (BUZZWORD ALERT!) can access the project's information from anywhere: Computer, iPad, phone. Even a Windows-based machine.

(*zing!*)

As you might imagine, the old-school owner of the creating company (NOT me) was opposed to the idea. "We have Microsoft Project" ... "It's in the cloud" ... "We don't have a process in place" ... all the excuses -- and that's all they are -- you would expect.

Nixed. Shot down. Kicked to the curb.

So, like any good self-starter, I purchased my own subscription to Basecamp and started using it.

I invited the client to join my project. They did, immediately, and are already liking it.

Today, while working with an ancillary party (the usability experts), they asked me to make the latest copy of the prototype software available to them.

"No problem. I have an online project management software that I use ..."

"Basecamp?"

"Yeah! How'd you know? Did Kristy tell you?"

"No, I've used it before with _____. It's great."

So, despite the best efforts of the owner, we're using Basecamp, collaborating on this project, communicating and sharing "stuff" via one, central location.

Kudos to Jason, 37 Signals and Basecamp. I cannot recommend it enough.

All The Best,

-- Don

My Life Purpose Statement

My Life Purpose is to help others realize their full potential as a result of my own personal growth. Everything that I do to help myself now carries with it the responsibility to use it to help others.

Don's Black Bean Dip Recipe

I'll start the year by giving you my recipe for my amazing black bean dip. It's a wonderful dip for when you're watching football or hockey.

Or anything else, for that matter.

Enjoy!

Don's Black Bean Dip

Two cans (15.5 ounces each) of black beans

One small (4 oz.) can of green chili peppers

One garlic clove, minced

One teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder (or dried onion flakes or fresh onion)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons chipotle sauce; I like Pass Out.

Optional: Hot sauce of choice

Real easy; Just dump everything into a food processor and blend until smooth enough to suit your tastes. I use a stick blender and blend it right in the container, so it can be stored in the refrigerator (assuming there are leftovers, which hardly ever happens).

Great with Green Mountain Gringo Tortilla Strips

Quick backstory: I fell in love with Desert Pepper Black Bean Dip, but at five bucks a jar I was spending at least $20 a month on the stuff. I checked out the ingredients and did a pretty good job of reverse engineering it.

All The Best,

-- Don

P.S. My next step is to make my own chipotle sauce. I'll work on that in February; January is pretty much booked up.

Looking back at 2010

Now that 2010 is safely behind me, I can reflect. What happened? What did I learn? How can I improve?

The year was odd. It started with my main client going out of business. That was followed by about six months of basically not working, save for a few checks here and there from doing work with my son. Cash flow slowed to a trickle, resulting in a lot of adjustments.

It's important to note, that the time spent working with and visiting my son in New York City was the best four months in memory. Being with him, watching him work, lead, communicate ... what a wonderful experience. The meals shared, the drinks together, the times walking around the city, talking ... I was given a gift that very few parents receive; The gift of time with my adult son. I wouldn't trade that for anything, and it was then that I realized that I'd rather lose my house and the junk I owned if that was the price to pay for the wonderful moments with my son.

In late July, I landed a poor-paying contract with a large company. It was steady work, at least I had an income. It turned out to be the textbook example for "Corporate Hell". A large, impersonal company that treated people like cattle. No personality, no enjoyment, a culture of vanilla under flickering fluorescent lights. I sincerely hope the leadership there all lose their jobs and are replaced with real, living and breathing human beings. Otherwise, the place deserves to go under. There is no excuse for such a horrible, drab, lifeless, depressing, soul-sucking workplace.

I fled there at first chance, which turned out to be a call from a client from early 2008. I had left there in '08 because the owner of the small business was seeing a dramatic downturn in business and had to jettison his best but most costly asset -- me.

His business, now, was booming, and he needed help immediately. I was thrilled. I reduced my daily commute by 57 miles (from 80 to 13), saved two hours a day in driving time, got a 25 percent increase in income, got my own office with a window, and would be working on really cool stuff.

In a small business where the owner likes and respects me and my opinions. A chance to have an impact.

Hours mostly flexible, next door to a good sub/pizza shop, half a block from a bodega.

That's going very well. In fact, I haven't enjoyed work this much in many, many years.

What did I learn in 2010?

I learned that I could live on a hell of a lot less income than I thought I needed.

I learned that if I lost everything -- something we thought was a very real possibility -- it would not matter. Money and things and status and all that bullshit is just that: Bullshit. Don't get me wrong; I still have my eye on a 3 Series or S Class, I'm still taking a cruise in 2011, I'm still enjoying my High Definition TV with Surround Sound, my pool, my patio, my fireplace, blah blah. But I learned that those things are not only not the key to happiness, they're not even needed to "live". Having friends, enjoying walks with my dear bride, seeing my grandson grow, witnessing the birth of my granddaughter, experiencing the struggle of watching my dad decline as he ages ... those are the important things that make life worth living. The rest is just stuff. I know we all say that, but the difference is that I now know it.

How can I improve in 2011?

I intend to read more.

I intend to take more walks.

I intend to continue to improve my culinary skills and repertoire.

I intend to continue to get more organized.

I intend to continue to get rid of complexity, no matter where I find it. That includes tossing/selling/donating things that I own.

I will say "No" more often, which will allow me to say "Yes" more often (Some of you will get that; As for the rest -- you have to "be there" to get it).

It is my intention to take a cruise in the winter, and a vacation at the beach (and surf!) in the summer.


In retrospect, with all the troubles 2010 brought (and it was a helluva ride!), it was a very good year.

All The Best,

-- Don

Christmas

This December 26 will mark five years since my mother passed away.

Everyone -- without exception -- that met my mother loved her. Likewise, she loved/enjoyed/appreciated everyone she met. It's because of her influence that I'm NOT a racist, NOT class-conscious, NOT hateful.

Mom loved Christmas. I mean, she LOVED it. It was a "big deal". Christmas Eve at mom's was wonderful. And it was always an "open door" affair. I cannot begin to list the people that she'd invite, or would just show up, at her place on Christmas Eve. If she thought you'd be there, she bought you a gift. Without exception. The woman was the most Christ-like person I've ever met, while NEVER coming across as pious or self-righteous.

Since she has passed, my own Christmas' have been ... terrific! The other day, my dear wife (of 32 years TODAY!) asked why I'm not sad at Christmas.

"Are you kidding? As much as mom loved Christmas, how can I NOT love Christmas?! I get excited in her stead!"

Love you and miss you, Mom ... but I'm carrying on as you would. And that, my friends, is the best tribute I can give to her. She lives on in my heart.

All The Best,

-- Don

Spoiled by a Mac

You don't realize how painful Windows is until you own a Mac. Then, you're ruined for life.

Music

Diggin' some Stone Poneys this morning.

Out Of Hell

Out of Hell, into the Unknown.

 

My last day in Corporate Hell is ... TODAY! Monday, I start at a small, more-laid-back gig in York. I'll save EIGHT HOURS a week in driving time. I can dress more casually. I can listen to Pandora at my desk. My desk in an office with a window, NOT A CUBICLE.

 

I am being paid 25 percent more, and I'll have an opportunity to earn equity in a growing company.

 

I feel good. This is a relief.

Music

Starting my Friday with some Jethro Tull!

Google Reader

I don't like Google Reader. Not at all.

 

Can you recommend a good online RSS feed reader??

Great quote; I'd love to say this in a fundamental church!

"I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a shit. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night."

 

-- Tony Campolo

Bored

Work so boring, I have to struggle to stay awake.

KMFDM

Listening to KMFDM right now because I'm feeling a lot of angst. Grrrrrr...

All I Want Is You

"If you were a wink, I'd be a nod
If you were a seed, I'd be a pod.
If you were the floor, I'd wanna be the rug
And if you were a kiss, I know I'd be a hug"

Will Code at Home

I have a really nice -- REALLY nice -- office in my home. I can work there very efficiently, much more so than in a Corporate Hell-Cubible setting.

 

I want to find work where I can work at my office, with trips to The Site as needed. I can do .NET development -- tons of experience -- or Ruby on Rails.

 

I'm not expecting a lot of money; $50/hour would be fantastic.

 

HOW can I advertise my services? What do you suggest? I thought about placing Craigslist ads in, say, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltmore, DC, etc. ... places within three hours by car or train.

 

Any suggestions?

Ry Cooder

I cannot say often enough how great Ry Cooder is. I'm listening to his album "I, Flathead", and it is incredible.

Green Iced Tea

I'm becoming addicted to Lipton Diet Citrus Green Tea.

Things I Love

In no particular order:

 

Food. Specifically, cooking.

 

Music. I'm way more into music than you are. WAY more. You. Have. No. Idea.

 

H.O. scale slot cars. Yeah.

 

Good scotch, good bourbon, good wine.

 

People. Everyone has a story. Everyone has a dream. Take an interest and you, yourself, will grow tremendously.

 

Surfing. Not the Internet, I mean actual paddle-and-catch-a-wave-in-the-ocean surfing. Once you catch your first wave, you are hooked. For life.

 

Driving a sports car. Don't even have to go fast, but accelerating, braking and corner are a blast.

 

Cars.

 

Watching dirt track sprint cars.

 

Lifting weights. I especially like doing squats, mostly because I've always had strong legs.

 

Creating software. Yeah, I love doing that. It's the "working for other people" stuff I can't stand. I REALLY need to get off my assets and get Jazzr.com up and running. Then, on to DraZING.com.

 

Anything -- movies, mostly -- related to time travel.

 

When my wife hugs me.

 

When my children are around me. They bring out the best in me, they always encourage me. They believe in me, even though they know I'm mostly flawed. That's cool.

 

Pandora.com. Thank G-d for Pandora.com. I often listen to it while driving; a poor man's XM radio.

 

Solar energy stuff. Don't listen to the naysayers, it's real, it works, and I'm doing it. I'll post pictures of my solar water heater when I remember.

 

Sitting around a fire with a really good cigar, an adult beverage, and friends. I don't think there's much better in life.

 

The fact that I know how to throw a knuckle ball. Thank you, Mark Wolfgang, for teaching me that. It's just the coolest pitch ever.

 

Baseball on a summer evening. Baseball in October, too.

 

Finally; I remodeled our master bath a few years ago, and I have two lights. One is a slower-starting florescent light over the sinks. The other is a light over the shower. When I enter the bathroom, I'll turn on the florescent light first, then hit the switch for the incandescent light about a half second later. I hit the one switch first, but the second light comes on first. Kind of like backwards time. I love that.

 

All The Best,

 

-- Don

Quote

"If you don't have enough time, stop watching TV."

ADD Comedy

So, I found a web site with 50 tips for people with ADD (here!).

 

Funny thing is, I read the first three and got distracted. HA HA ...Hyper Multitasking!

Supertramp

Listening to some Supertramp today. Wow ... forgot how much I liked this music. Been a  l-o-n-g  time...

Jimmy Buffet said it best

"Indecision may or may not be my problem."

Short Skirt, Long Jacket

"I want a girl with a mind like a diamond,

I want a girl who knows what's best..."

Question: How to store elapsed time?

How do I store elapsed time?

 

I'm thinking lowest needed increment, i.e. "minutes" in this case.

 

I can transform minutes to hh:mm or 99.9 hours at the GUI level, right?

 

The application, by the way, is a timesheet application, where the largest entry would be 23:59 and the smallest could -- I guess -- be one minute (probably 15 minutes).

 

Sound right to you?

Read This Every Day

http://www.elementsofstyleblog.com/2010/09/read-this-everyday.html

How Low

I just hit a new low. How low can I go? How far can I fall until I hit rock bottom and bounce back up? Will things ever get better??

Blogline

I'm going to miss Bloglines. Their interface is light years ahead of Google Reader.

 

I'd use a desktop reader, but I'm often using a client's PC and can't put software there.

Adult ADHD

Holy SHIT, this has me NAILED!:

 

http://www.addresources.org/article_50_adhd_tips_adult_hallowell_ratey.php

Music

Now playing on my iPod:

 

"One Toke Over the Line" by Brewer & Shipley.

 

Great song.

Drinking

I just figured it out; the guy who invented alcohol for human consumption MUST have worked in a cubicle for a lifeless, careless, humanless corporation. Like, say, where I am right now!

Cubicle Life

I cannot use terms strong enough to describe how deeply I hate working in a cubicle. I'm beginning to think it's just not worth it.

Technology, Creativity

I can create software for the web. I can create software for Windows. For the Mac. For Linux. For the Windows phone. For the iPhone. For the iPad. For any other phone.

 

Technology isn't the challenge. The challenge is in The Idea. You -- *I* -- will never "make it big" because we're able to write an application for, say, the iPad. The degree to which we "hit the big time" is directly related to coming up with A Great Idea.

 

Give me an idea, and I'll make my millions. Until then, I might as well throw mashmallows at a brick wall.

Meat Free Monday

Okay, so I'm a little late to the party ... but I'm going to join Paul McCartney's Meat Free Monday movement.

Commuting

I will never be convinced that a software developer must be on site every day.

 

I waste -- not "spend", but WASTE -- at least ten hours a week commuting to a client site. If I'm awake 112 hours a week, that means I'm wasting nine percent of my life.

 

Wow. Now that I put it that way, I'm REALLY hating my commute.

Ruby on Rails

I sent my resume and a cover email to a company in the Boston area last night for a Ruby on Rails position. Not sure if it's full time or part time or contract work, but I sure hope it works out.

 

Wish me luck.

Old

Wanna feel old?

 

Grace Slick turns 71 next month!

Cynic, Optimist, Do-er

It's too easy to be a cynic.

 

Having hope and optimism is challenging.

 

Creating meaningful change is nearly impossible.

 

Which do you think is the most rewarding? Which describes you?

Thank You, Steve

Dear Steve Jobs --

Thank you for inventing the iPod. It makes cubicle life bearable.

Design Tip

Forms, database columns, etc; It's not "sex", it's "gender".

Cubicle Life Understood

I now know why people like corporate jobs in a cubicle. They don't have to do a damn thing!

 

Well, other than talk about last night's golf league results and work on the fantasy football draft.

 

(sigh)

Baseball

Went to a York Revolution minor league baseball game last night with three buddies from high school.

 

Had a great time. Minor league baseball is really fun, yet the talent level is still high enough to see some good competition. Even saw a former New York Yankee pitching for York.

 

York won, by the way, 7-5 over the Long Island Ducks.

Work

I work for one, and only one, reason: Money.

 

I don't want people mistakenly thinking that I enjoy work or work for some altruistic reason.

 

For $50 an hour, I'll push a broom.

 

Unless I can get paid for public speaking, it all pretty much sucks.

System Design, Clients, Correctness

What do you do when a client is designing a system incorrectly, you point out the incorrectness, and they ignore your CORRECT analysis?

"Make it work" doesn't apply when, in fact, it WILL NOT work. Primary Key violations aren't something you can just IGNORE.

 

ARGH!!!

Pretzel

I could eat a Sigmund soft pretzel right now.

Music

I really, REALLY enjoy Pink Martini.

My Ship Coming In?

Turns out, my ship is never coming in. I have to row.

Moon River

"Moon River", by Henry Mancini, just came on my Pandora radio. I can't help but think of the lovely Audrey Hepburn and the opening scene of Breakfast At Tiffanys.

Can't Find My Way Home

by Eric Clapton

Great song ... Steve Winwood performed it last week at the concert in Connecticut where I saw him. Winwood is great beyond recognition.

Steve Winwood. Jeff Beck. Ry Cooder.

Why is it that the truly great ones aren't household names??

Come down off your throne
And leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason
I've been waiting so long
Somebody holds the key
Well, I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time
Well, I'm wasted and I can't find my way home


Come down on your own
And leave your money at home
Somebody must change
You are the reason
I've been waiting all these years
Somebody holds the key
I'm near the end, and I just ain't got the time
Oh, and I'm wasted, and I can't find my way home


But I can't find my way home
But I can't find my way home
But I can't find my way home
But I can't find my way home
Still, I can't find my way home
And, I ain't done nothing wrong
But, I can't find my way home

July 4th ... Freedom!

So today is the day I celebrate my freedom. Awesome. I'm so thankful.

Hmmm ... think I'll build a pavilion in my back yard and invite some ... oh ... wait ... that's illegal without a permit.

Okay, well, we'll just get some fireworks and ... what's that? Oh yeah ... they're illegal.

I'll just jump in my car, put the windows down, and blast patriotic music around town ... just make sure it's not too loud ... you know, local ordinance and all that.

I know! I'll just head down the local bar -- make sure you fasten your seatbelt, don't want to get a ticket! -- and watch some sports on TV and enjoy a cigar. Dammit ... that's right, smoking in a bar is illegal.

I'll just grab a beer and walk up the street to talk to my neighbors about our hard-won freedoms. Well, on second thought, carrying an open beer is illegal, so ...

I think I'll sit in front of the TV and watch PBS specials all day about the Revolutionary War and how men purchased our freedoms with their lives.

*sigh*

All The Best,

-- Don

The President

He signed a bill that gave amnesty to undocumented immigrants. He grew the size of the federal government and the budget, added a whole new cabinet level agency and added tens of thousands of government workers to the federal payroll. He tripled the deficit. He bailed out and expanded social security with a big fat tax increase. He raised corporate taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars. He raised taxes on gasoline. He, in fact, signed into law the largest tax increase in history. He supported federal handgun control. He called for a world without nuclear weapons.

Name That President.

Self-Humiliation

I've heard that one of the better ways to motivate yourself is to make a public statement while also being willing to humiliate yourself.

My goal is to get back to "six-pack abs" by the end of summer (that's September 22 for those who are astronomically challenged).

No drugs. No special diets. My plan is to light heavy weights (squat, deadlift, bench, repeat) every other day as well as watch my caloric intake (1,900 calories a day) and macro nutrients.

I can't believe I've let myself go like this. It's disgusting. But it's temporary!

So ... here goes. Here -- go ahead and laugh and say "yuck" and such-like -- is my BEFORE picture, as of June 9, 2010:



All The Best,

-- Don

Older and Grumpier

Why is it that older people, who are retired and pretty much have nothing else to do, are the ones who complain the most about waiting in the doctor's lobby? What, are they missing The Price Is Right or something?? And, they have to complain out loud, making sure everyone hears them so they can make us all miserable. ARGH!!