Category Archives: Philosophy

Time to Tighten Our Belts

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Posted by Phil on September 16, 2008 – 6:01 am
Filed under Just for Fun, Philosophy, economics, perspective

The market correction for the over indulgence of our country is finally catching-up with us and it’s going to smack a good bit for a while. We have been living on borrowed time with a false sense of prosperity for too long. Time to pay the piper and it is going to cost us big time.

No doubt things look grim. Our banking system is in virtual free fall and our international environment looks grim with Russia back on the scene as our enemy of old taking aggressive steps; building a base in Syria and parking nuclear bombers in Argentina. We will most likely vote a young man who is ill-prepared with the least experience in the history of the country to be president. The American people will continue to point fingers at our Government to blame them for the excess. All total, it looks like we are in for a big piece of humble pie.

In this time of political upheaval, we want to blame the present administration. In truth, we should blame ourselves. Our problems run deep and long dating back to Roosevelt’s New Deal when the government got in the business of trying to rescue the economy. In the course of less than a hundred years we have lost our way.

What does one do about it? Personally, what steps to take?

The first step I’m taking is to get quiet and listen for the truth among all the rhetoric. Try to listen for the voice of reason through the flurry of reports. This is a good time to also get quiet before God and ask Him for wisdom and discernment as to how we should live through some impending difficult times.

The second step I’m taking is to tighten my belt a bit. I’m beginning to discuss with my family the difference between a want and a need and make some spending choices accordingly. The recent hurricane events in Texas certainly help to give a visual reminder of our necessities. The basics such as food, shelter, healthcare, transportation and communication enable us to function as individuals and society at large. We are not the self-contained units we would like to be.

The third step I’m taking is to evaluate my current situation. Are there ways to simplify my lifestyle? What built-in expenses are there that I can alter to reduce our overall financial liability? In my case, for the most part, the answer is to hold steady. Don’t make any sudden changes. We are not hemorraging in any major area, so don’t do anything stupid. Make decisions very slowly and thoughtfully. Put-off major purchases until we see the backside of these turn of events (if we see them anytime soon).

The fourth step I’m taking is to look for opportunity in an economic down turn. Opportunity to prosper with the right investments and opportunity to serve people in need. Each season presents unique challenges and makes available possibilities that won’t present themselves again. The coming economic freefall opens-up the need we have for each other.

It’s going to get worse before it gets better, that we know for sure. How we approach these circumstances will make all the difference. Do we shake in our boots or do we boldly move forward seizing the opporunities before us to turn away from our selfishness and find a new level of caring and interaction with our neighbors. I just pray that any hardships that come would bring-out the best in us.

Flexible and Relevant

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Posted by Phil on August 27, 2008 – 4:09 am
Filed under Philosophy, Productivity, perspective

I must be a glutten for punishment. I’ve always said that most techies are closet masochists. In truth though, I love the chase, the challenge of the learning curve. It seems that every six months or so I climb yet another hill with every project requiring skills that I don’t presently posses.

Four months into an intranet implementation with Microsoft SharePoint it’s nice to be moving up the hill a bit further. Fairly new to .Net, I’ve been configuring the site and leading the team project. Next month we start the launch in phases over the course of the Fall. The requirements are steep and development will be ongoing. I’m sure, just about the time I get comfortable and accomplished in SharePoint development another major initiative will come along, just to keep me on my toes.

Sometimes I wish for more ruts in my life, but honestly if I got my wish I’d go mad. Being a glutton for punishment and constantly in learning mode has certainly been an asset. As a successful professional techie I see some key traits that have served me well. I also recognize these traits in others that I’ve worked with over the years:

  • Stay flexible and don’t personalize technology. I know Apple has made a mint by personalizing technology. That’s all fine and good when it comes to your iPod or Mac book, but getting personal with technology, expressing a strong bias will limit the possibilities. In truth, the major development platforms, languages, methodologies all have their merits or they wouldn’t have stuck around.
  • Stay on the learning curve to keep relevant. Technology is in a constant state of change, well no duh. Staying technically relevant therefore dictates maintaining a constant state of learning. If "research or die" is the mantra of the college professor, "learn or die" would be for the techie. Speaking of technologies state of change, watch "Kevin Kelly on the next 5,000 days of the web" on Ted.com. It will blow your mind or make you wanna crawl-up into the fetal position.
  • Say yes as much as possible, but follow-through. Being known as a go-for-it guy can be quite dangerous, but it also presents opportunities. Being honest and not over committing is essential. When beginning this intranet implementation project, I was asked what it would take to effectively launch the site. I said six months to get a good start. The higher-ups said, "let’s do it in three." That’s all fine and good, but as I indicated it will take six months to fully launch the project, and so it will.
  • Know your limits and then push past them. The curve always posses challenges that are beyond my existing skill set. Honesty enables one to assess the required learning curve to climb the next hill. There is such a thing as getting-in so far over ones head that the project implodes. Not a good thing.
  • Don’t under-rate yourself. If you have been working aggressively in technology for any length of time you are probably worth more than you are getting paid. Being on a constant learning curve helps to keep ones feet on the ground, but it can also strike at your ego. You are likely more gifted and bring to the table more resources than you realize.
  • Serve people not technology. What’s the point if it doesn’t positively affect people. Keeping your eye on the end-user will also drive your relevancy as their needs constantly change. It’s easy to get caught-up in pet projects and lose sight of pressing needs.
  • Win as many hits as possible. In a large project, sometimes I hit barriers in the curve that are more difficult than I anticipated. So, keep moving and knocking-out items while I keep hammering at the biggies along the way.
  • Be a life-long learner. Taking classes, attending conferences, joining user groups, building your network, reading industry sites and magazines should be a given.
  • Just when you got it figured-out, the rules will change. Comforting I know, but such is life.

Change happens. In the words of Paul Simon, "What are you going to do about it? that’s what I’d like to know." What do you do to stay current?

Work Like Water

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Posted by Phil on May 29, 2008 – 3:34 am
Filed under Critical Thinking, Philosophy, Productivity

In the quiet moments early in the morning I sometimes wax philosophical in pursuit of understanding my day-to-day existence. What is it that I really am doing? What difference does pushing 0’s and 1’s around? To the degree that I am successful, what makes my work stand apart from another? Is it creative ingenuity to solve problems? Yes, I think I have some of that. Is it a strong work ethic? Well, everyday I get up and do it again. Is it work done with integrity? Yes, I am not one to cut corners. At the end of the day I think a secret to my success is just getting stuff done. It has served me well.

I recently read a rather didactic book on productivity, familiar to many techies called "Getting Things Done." The basic premise of the book by David Allen is to immediately categorize info into buckets thereby either doing it, defering it or delegating it but not ignoring it and letting it pester you until you do something with it. By creating systems for storing tasks and projects you can literally forget about it and focus on solving real problems. I identified with it as something my first boss taught me many years ago.

While the system is tried and true, it didn’t help illuminate in my brain the way I work or more importantly the way my brain works. I have to categorize stuff constantly and come back to it frankly because my memory is just not that good. Half the time I forget my cell number or confuse numbers with my wife’s when asked by someone. So that’s fine and good.

Right now I’m staring at some pretty daunting deadlines this summer to launch an intranet, produce a video and create a website for an international symposium, develop some flash presentations and drive forward the regular agenda’s for development and upkeep of the main site at work. This doesn’t take into account the myriad of other processes and events happening outside of work.

I have come to see work like water. I have never been one to step-down from a challenge, but in the realm of productivity often I find from hour-to-hour the path of least resistance is the most productive. When it’s an opportune time to get a task done, do it. Constant evaluation of the full landscape reveals crevices in projects that I can fill.

As a random nonsequential thinker, I don’t know if I truly understand my thought processes. Left-brained thinkers like to break it apart for other left-brained thinkers. That is all fine and good and I appreciate its instructiveness. For me though, in the rubber-hits-the-road reality of today, this morning with much to get done, it’s just water flowing to the lowest points on the horizon.

Just hoping I don’t drown in the process.

I Don’t Work for a Living

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Posted by Phil on September 26, 2007 – 11:05 pm
Filed under Just for Fun, Philosophy, perspective

Do you work for a living? You know it can kill you don’t you? Maybe quitting is a good idea.  Stress is a major killer in its many forms and a job is a sure fire way to end your life early.

As for me, yeah I have a long-term arrangement with a company to show-up everyday and go about doing cool projects that they need done. In the end, I play with technology, learn new stuff, put it into practice and the company benefits from the process. It’s a win/win deal and as long as it is so, I’ll show-up and keep experimenting. At the moment I prefer no other road.

Now the income thing, it has its merits and I need to pull in some income in one way or another. My wife and kiddos certainly appreciate the fact that I do so on a regular basis. But living is so much more than making a buck. I could certainly make more money shifting my efforts away from blogging. Compared to what I can make as a freelance developer, blogging pays peanuts and that’s if I do a bang-up job of publishing the site. No, I don’t do it for the money.

I often tell my girls, "find something you love to do, become good at it, people will pay you to do it and you’ll never work another day in your life." You’ve probably heard it before, but I think it’s a good reminder and plumb-line to evaluate ones life. How close is that description to your life?

I’ve certainly had some jobs that were a less than perfect fit. It’s been a learning process that brought me to this point. The overall equilibrium I sense during this season is nice, but I don’t count on it remaining indefinitely. Who knows, I may be in major re-evaluation mode at any moment. The touchstone for me is to pursue the passions in my life. I just don’t have much patience for spinning my wheels doing trivial tasks that offer little avenue for growth.

So I’m thinking through the things I enjoy doing. Some have a revenue producing stream, some less so. Stuff I like to do includes; writing, playing the guitar, gardening, coding sites, designing sites, reading, researching, biking, playing with my kids, spending time with my wife, hanging-out with friends, chatting online, being a part of a church, traveling. It’s all good and important stuff in my life and it all has its place. It’s part of what makes me uniquely myself.

Many of these mentioned are possible careers. The web developer mode seems to be working well for me at the moment. I’ve been a landscaper, don’t want to repeat that. Used to aspire to be a musician, amateur status is fine by me. I’ve worked as a gourmet chef, no thanks. I was at one time a youth pastor, not the right fit in this stage of the game. Writer, researcher, yeah those kind of fold into my current gig with coding and design. Being a webmaster is an all encompassing position. I do a number of diverse things with the main theme of finding solutions. That is a central core to my passion, I love to solve problems. It keeps me up at night and gets me up in the morning. The greater the hurdle, the more stoked I am when I get over it.

I’d love to hear what you do and how it fits your passions. I believe learning from the stories of other people gives insight back into one’s own life. What do you love to do? How much of your job is wrapped-up in those passions?

Like Fine Wine

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Posted by Phil on June 15, 2007 – 6:55 am
Filed under Just for Fun, Philosophy, Ponderings, perspective

A life well lived, which I hope mine continues to be, is like a bottle of fine wine. It really does get better with age.

Yesterday, I sat down and updated my resume and posted it to Portfolio. It’s something I try to do every year or so as I figure it’s just a good idea. It took me less time to revise even though I had more to pack-in on two pages. It should be that way. As we move through life and pick-up experience we grow our skills and experience.

I’ve picked-up or improved on other skills as of late. My guitar picking has improved, I’m learning how to garden and am finding more enjoyment in written communication.

Age also brings perspective. I move a little slower than I used to, am a little more thoughtful and less impulsive and I think a little more compassionate and patient with people.

I do find that my strengths and weaknesses seem to be more pronounced. I am more engaged in creative work but loath redundancy and routine. I’m fighting against the mid-life muck that some call a crisis. I see life as too short to stand by and ride through like a cog caught in a system. I want to live until I die, to the very end.

Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity says essentially that time is elastic. I believe it. It’s true in the cosmos, but I believe it’s real in our lives as well. I spent a decade of my life one year living in the middle east. I spent a day of my life this past month working at my job. The Bible says that a thousand years is like a day to God.

The most amazing thing for me in living is spending my life getting to know the One who created me. This God who created the universe 14 billion years ago, that set in motion a continual expansion of the galaxies, is beyond comprehension.

When it’s all said and done and my time here on earth is through, I’m going to look back on my life and what is written in my resume will turn to dust. What’s written in the hearts of my children and the people I touch will live on well beyond my years. That’s what living is to me.

Binary Conversion for Children

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Posted by Phil on February 21, 2007 – 3:42 pm
Filed under Creativity, Just for Fun, Philosophy, design

This evening for fun, I taught my nine and 11 year-old girls how to convert binary numbers to decimal and back to binary. They got the concept in about 20 minutes which shows what a little attention from a parent and enthusiasm of a youngster can do. It was fun to watch my oldest going on to do a few more IP addresses just for kicks. I showed them one of my style sheets and how I use hexidecimal conversion every day in web design.

A week ago friday I got an RSS News Feed working for my work. Not a difficult thing really, took me a half-day focused attention, but I had a similar delight in understanding something new and getting it to work.

The same wonder I have with problem solving and technology I want to pass on to my children. Get really good at what you really like to do and you’ll never work a day in your life. People will pay you to do what you are passionate about. I really believe that and it’s exciting to teach my children to do the same. Their creative minds come-up with innovative ways of looking at things. They enjoy creating new crafts or building new things in the backyard.

What fun life is for those who approach it with wonder and excitement.

Occam’s Razor

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Posted by Phil on February 6, 2007 – 3:46 pm
Filed under Philosophy, Productivity, design

Technology can seem so complex, but in truth the greatest challenge is to not over complicate the matter. Programming clean code, designing a sharp website, presenting a succinct marketing message can be accomplished with relatively straight forward creative development. Yes, that’s the challenge. The essentials, the bear necessities…William of Occam in the 14th century said it best, "entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem" Translated this means, "entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity". The deeper I get into the technical and creative world, the more true this becomes. It has become my mantra, my constant companion for all projects. The KISS method, Keep It Simple Sister. The problem arises that new variables are added to projects all the time, i.e. scope creep. How does one account for this inevitable reality? In development, rather than coding to the content, code to the type of data. What are the common threads for all types of content? Simplicity makes way for scalability. In design, consistency makes way for flexibility. In messaging, focus makes way for creative expression. Containing oneself and the urge to let entities run amok will prove effective. The most powerful word in the English language? "No."