March 8th, 2010
I woke this morning and I was perusing my emails, I found one from Seth Godin telling me that “I rock!” And so I’m like finally, someone recognizes the awesomeness that is me. ….I’m sorry, what?…He sent that out to everyone subscribed to his email update list?….Oh….Bu, bu, but, he said “I rock,” and then I was thinking “Oh yeah” and then feeling like totally awesome. Well anyway, don’t matter casue I know that I, in fact, do rock. You’ll see….
Nah, all kidding aside, as a long time fan of Seth’s writing, today’s post ends a little bit on the snarky side: “And five minutes of rocking would be enough, because it would be five minutes more than just about anyone else.” Back in my previous incarnation as an artist, I became convinced that I was slowly building momentum, safe in my belief that I was outperforming everyone else I knew in the amount of time I was being creative. My thinking was that if I kept outproducing any of my potential peers, I would eventually obtain the attention and recognition I sought.
For me, Seth’s post reminds me of this mindset. I think too often we think that obtaining our goals is a sprint, but with everything I’ve read (and witnessed) I’m certain that reaching our dreams is a marathon. Reaching your dreams is left to those who keep their goals in front of them and consistently put one foot (or five minutes) in front of another, whether it’s second after second or day after day. With writing, most accomplished writers clearly identify a direct correlation between a writer’s “success” and the amount of time they are sitting in front of an empty pad of writing paper, a typewriter, or word processor.
At times knowing that you’re in a marathon is de-motivating. Especially when we see the rare and extraordinary shooting stars break this rule and blast their way to their dreams, it becomes even more difficult to accept. However, what we miss is that even though some bright stars seem to give us a glimpse that achieving our dreams can be obtained through a sprint, I bet if we did the research, we would discover that even those shooting stars didn’t achieve their dreams without putting more time into their passion than anyone else. Of that I’m certain, there are no shortcuts. Whether you finish the marathon in world class time of 1 hour and 56 minutes or 6 or 8 or 10 hours, achieving our dreams IS a marathon.
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February 9th, 2010
In a long list of things I have to do to complete X-cito’s resurrection, perhaps one of the most critical is done. It looks like I’ve successfully upgraded WordPress. While I couldn’t go with the latest release 2.9.1 (I was blocked because my 1&1 hosting service of MySql did not meet the requirements for the latest WP version, using this chart I was able to find out which was the latest Wp version I could use with 1&1’s MySQL4.0 installation), I was at least able to get version 2.8.6 installed, which meets the minimum requirements for adding the Comic Press Plug-in
So, new WP version installed, check. Now onto re-familiarizing myself with the latest plugins available for WP, especially how to link to my Flickr gallery, and how to combat comment spam. Then I’ll be moving on to installing Comic Press, including actually getting started at drawing some comics. I need to update my resume to reflect my retiree status
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January 4th, 2010
Since a search for my name ranks this blog right behind O’Reilly then, I’m wasting valuable SEO, by not using it. While it may have to go through a couple of metamorphosis, I really think it’s worth the effort. I’m not sure if I’ll redo the objective, but two things are clear. I’m grossly behind in my version of WordPress, so I’ve got to upgrade. Plus there’s way cooler templates out there. Who knows, maybe that cartoon based theme, might be the ticket.
Plus there’s a lot of link cloud marketing to do to get this linked up to my different social network sites. I also have to reinvent my resume to reflect my medically retired status. Oh man, here we go again, but unlike before. I think I know where this is going. “Straight to the moon Alice.” This time it’s real. More soon.
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December 29th, 2006
“In the long run it is far more dangerous to adhere to illusion than to face what the actual fact is”
In the category of most profound quote read this year, David Bohm, physicist, Univeristy of London from the book “The Holographic Universe”, by Michael Talbot.
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August 1st, 2006
From the we are so totally screwed department:
In a Caribbean Big Business Profile, from July 27, 2006, Jose J. Villamil, president of the island’s principal economic and planning and consulting firm, Estudios Technicos, the top ten jobs list through 2010 are in order of highest percentage growth – administrative support, sales personnel, manufacturing, transportation, food preparation and service, security, construction, education, healthcare, and finally (drum role, please) cleaning and maintenance.
So summarizing, we are going to build a shit load of fast food restaurants, that will require security, because hardly no one will be earning more than minimum wage. there’ll always be room for people to take of our fat and pyshopathic lives, and clean up after us as we completely buy a bunch of crap we don’t need. No one will be able to afford gasoline so, “guaguitas” will be our only way to get around. As it happens today, those that can’t actually get a real job will end up teaching, and the rest will be administrative assistants in the Department of Education. Now isn’t that a pretty picture of our future. Deal with it. It does’t get any realer than this.
From the need anymore proof department:
In the same issue of the Caribbean Business, Archer Lebron, chairman of the board of the Internet Society of Puerto Rico (I-suck-PR) and executive vice president and managing partner of Softek Inc. (gee doesn’t sound like someone’s compensating for something?) said “We talk a lot about a new economy and the Internet is the infrastructure that this new global economy runs on. Right now, only 35% of Puerto Rico’s population is online. [...] In order to be a real player in today’s global markets, Puerto Rico’s Internet penetration must be at least 70% to 80%”
Yes, because the world is holding back the Internet because more Puerto Ricans can’t access the Internet to buy more crap. If this guy is the chairman of I-suck-PR, and doesn’t get that a)Nearly almost all of our major businesses are online already; and 2)Consumers are not needed in Puerto Rico for any company here to join the global economy on the Internet; then what can you expect the brain dead followers that are members of this organization or the clients his company are supposed to think?
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March 28th, 2006
A long time friend of SNAP and Puerto Rico, Peter Quinn rips the open source community a new one. In this article “» Open source community needs a haircut and to dress for success | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com” he is quoted as saying that “If you want to get traction in commercial environments, lose the sandals and ponytails.” A pointed quip indeed! He goes on to say “Open source has an unprofessional appearance, and the community needs to be more business-savvy in order to start to make inroads in areas traditionally dominated by commercial software vendors. (Having) a face on a project or agenda makes it attractive for politicians (to consider open source),”
I can relate to his perspective. However, it brings up something that I address a couple of times in the upcoming issue of TUX. For me, one of the biggest challenges open source software faces today is the dilemma of whether it is for engineers, open for business, or a wide spectrum in between.
What Peter is trying to bring out is that if we want more companies to choose FOSS, then we need to join the corporate world. I’m not suggesting IBM Blue suits and white shirts. I guess it’s the old saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. There are certain expectations corporate America expects. Variance is acceptable, outright contempt and challenge will limit our success. Is that selling out, conforming to authority, or however you want to characterize it, I call it pragmatic.
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March 27th, 2006
I believe in computers, so when I heard about the One Laptop Per Child project, I got really excited. Then after reading the background of the project, I got even more excited. While these laptops are computers, the first intended use for them is not as a computer, but as an e-book reader. In the initially targeted countries they have a problem in acquiring textbooks, keeping up to date, especially in their native tongue.
This article by the highly respected Robin Miller, “Commentary: Gates wants poor to spend $600+, not $100 or $200, for computers” is disappointing. While properly skewering Bill Gates and his recent comments about the OLPC project, he throws in some FUD of his own. The bottom line is this: something close to 1 out of every 6 people in the world have never even seen a computer. The first one they do see, I want to run Linux and be full of other FOSS (Free and Open Source Software). Any deeper analysis than that, frankly, I don’t care to hear about. I believe in this project in my soul. I know it is the right thing to do. This is not a zero sum game. If this project wants to try and put a computer into the hands of millions of people, it doesn’t mean instead of providing people sustainable water and food. Who know? Maybe providing computers to more people will help us find out how to provide water and food; by none other than the people that receive these computers and most need it.
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March 22nd, 2006
For anyone considering a jump into starting their own company, forming or joining a startup, the next few posts will offer a few quick words of advice. As I share them, I’ll also give a brief description of my work efforts.
1. It is said that planning for any project is indispensable, while the plan you create for that project is disposable.
If you’re going to make the jump, make sure you take a parachute along with you. A parachute in this sense is a fall back position that can carry you through the extended “project initiation” phase. It is going to take way more time than you ever believe to get rolling. Whether that means landing the first contract or making the first sale. You’re going to need some insurance. Your insurance could be an existing client. Like quitting your job and being able to contract yourself back to them and continue to provide services.
This is proof that no matter how smart someone might seem, or claim to be, reality is quite often more brutal. I know this rule, but yet I wasn’t actually able accomplish creating a fall back position. While I have a proposal pending with my ex-client, I’m still waiting for feedback. Therefore, I didn’t plan ahead successfully. Many excuses what I didn’t incorporate sooner, build the web site sooner, create a capabilities statement early, for I need them now; and they’re not ready.
Although I did pick up a great sideline gig by becoming the new Editor in Chief of TUX Magazine, it’s not directly on my path to create a startup or software and services company. I’m working on my third issue and it is a lot of fun. It is very helpful in bringing closer to reality my life long dream of authoring a technical book. And in a weird sort of Moebius strip, infinite loop, sort of a way it takes me back some 25 years to when I started Journalism school at Ball State University.
Creating passionate users as I launch my software and services company
Posted in Business, Computer, Opportunity | 2 Comments »
March 20th, 2006
I was having another lively conversation with my friend Marcos Polanco this evening. At one point I reminded him that I was through with accepting and dealing with the seven rings of bullshit that surround most business conversations here in Puerto Rico. It seems that every conversation I witness is an endless stream of exaggerations, mis-representations, and even flat out lies.
There is one special version of this business exchange that I find incredibly vile. I call it building castles in the air. It involves in stating that something will be done. However, the conditions necessary to make that thing possible don’t exist. Let me illustrate my favorite, I want to build a company to make widgets. When asked if I will out-source the making of those widgets to China. I respond by saying, I’d prefer to get Puerto Ricans to make my widget. Yep that’s right if any body makes my widgets they’re going to be Puerto Ricans. A very patriotic and noble ideal. But then you ask me, are there a lot of people in Puerto Rico that know how to make widgets? Looking at the floor, I respond in a low voice. I can’t find any qualified widget makers. You press me farther and ask, are the universities actively producing knowledgeable widget makers? I respond proudly, yes. UPR-Mayaguez produces some of the most talented and sought after widget makers. So you ask, so you’ll be able to hire some of those recently graduated widget makers, right? Once again I look at the floor and say, barely audible, no. They’ve all accepted jobs to go make widgets in China for 3 times what I can pay them. And just in case your going to ask, no I’m not actually doing anything to produce more people capable of making widgets.
As I thought about writing this, I recalled what Larry Bossidy admonishes in his book “Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done” that the first rule in successful execution is eliminating all confusion and grasping the truth about a situation. When are the business leaders of Puerto Rico going to grasp the reality of the complex set of lies that they use to build more castles in the air? However, as I was was googling for a nice link about execution, I found a link about Methods of Execution.
Ha, LOL, the same word that we use to exult companies that operate efficiently is the same word we use to kill people. After reading the source, wouldn’t you know it from all places. The third highest ranked link about execution is from Indiana (my birth place, my home state). And people say God doesn’t have a sense of humor.
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