Write in 2012
Last year I resolved to write more this year. I ran across the idea of Morning Pages and found a writing site and some tools that helped me no matter where I was. In this post I’ll talk about what...
View ArticleShould I build a mobile version of my existing product?
I’ve been consulting with Soltech, a provider of custom software solutions, and recently wrote a blog post for their client corporate blog about the challenges, opportunities, and a common-sense...
View ArticleWhat is Cloud Computing and how does it affect my IT Budget?
I wrote a high-level overview of cloud hosting for SolTech: What the cloud changes Your local IT staff leaves the best practices to the experts who worry about security and patches fulltime. They still...
View ArticleSecret Developer Acronyms
They might take away my github account for this, but: BTB: Broke the build Hey Ralph you BTB with that last check-in so I have touched one of your keys to my inner elbow to punish you with creepiness...
View ArticleYou *will* lose money working at a startup – why do it?
You are going to lose money working at a startup – full stop. Is it true that some people make a lot of money working at startups? Most certainly – just like how some people worsen their health by...
View ArticleHow to be creative: Non-silly advice from John Cleese
Via @danforthfrance via @hotdogsladies comes a talk John Cleese gave about creativity and how to encourage it. I was amazed at the common sense level advice given that rang true from my own experience...
View ArticleMy 2013 Resolution: Get Way Weirder
My resolution for 2013 is to get way weirder. Not like eat-my-hat-as-per-the-prophecy weird, but maybe make-a-statue-in-my-backyard-out-of-mailboxes weird. My family in the last few years has already...
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Super-productivity is deeply personal – don’t listen to anyone else
This time of year the Interwebs are hit with the same standard 25 productivity posts guiding people to get more done (more quickly and with less cleanup) than ever before in 2013. Today it finally hit...
View ArticleCompanies that support remote workers win against those that don’t
Years ago my boss asked if I could use a remote support developer in Europe for off-hours support of a critical system that processed data throughout the day. He said that they had a sharp technical...
View ArticleOn Mayer: Remote workers have a default culture
I was offline due to the birth of our twins during the huge Mayer controversy so coming back into it weeks later and reading through the many opinions (really outrage) was interesting. I obviously...
View ArticleRunning at RunLevel 1 : How to function on little sleep for an extended period
Over the last year my non-work life has been an adventure in the original sense of the word: an unusual and risky undertaking with an uncertain outcome. For a number of personal reasons I’ve had to...
View ArticleSubtle (cost and cultural) benefits of supporting remote workers
One typically hears about how great remote work is from the individual perspective – it allows me to be happier, more empowered, live-my-life-in-harmony-smelling-flowers-blah-blah. How it helps...
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Tribal SQL
I am honored to announce that a chapter I wrote has been published in a book. Nope – it’s not the additional Appendix that I sent the author of Everyone Poops, but is instead Tribal SQL. Edited and...
View ArticleWide Teams podcast
In case you missed it – I was the guest on the Wide Teams podcast last week discussing remote work and dancing: Wide Teams Episode 99: David Tate
View ArticleNow that’s your problem: A Short Guide to the required Infrastructure for...
Working from where you want is awesome. You get to be more in control of your workspace, put up any poster your want, have a picture of Oprah on your desk, save on gas, and avoid talk radio. Being in...
View ArticleWork Life Harmony & Resistance
We recently did a home refactoring project to make it better fit our family as it exists now with some new requirements (two kids and one work from home Dad more than originally anticipated). The core...
View ArticleDocked and Unplugged
Last year I went on my first cruise with my family. On the last night of the cruise my daughter got massively sick at 4 AM. Unable to go back to sleep after getting her settled I decided to take a walk...
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Staying Productive: Take Real Breaks and Keep away from Ace of Base
My productivity tip of the day is pretty simple and exists in two parts: Take real breaks; and always know when you are on a break. Know when you are on a break If you are building a chair its pretty...
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My daughter designed my perfect home office in Minecraft
Children notice more than you think. It has been a difficult two weeks with the kids out of school due to “snow” and a winter break so the work/life harmony is a bit more chaotic than normal. I have...
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Thought Experiment: How working from home might change the world (a little bit)
In 2010 only 4.3% of the US workforce worked at home the majority of the time; that number is now up between 47% and 180% depending on which survey you read (and whether you include the self-employed,...
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