I’m in the lab…
Alright – some of you have been asking about my whereabouts. Even a few have inquired to see if I was even still alive. By all accounts, the news of my untimely death at the hands of a criminal mastermind have all been pure fiction, though I can’t say I didn’t spread a few of them out there myself just for good measure. No, I’ve just been extremely busy with a massive bout of creative energy – all of which I’m honestly afraid will truly lead to my ultimate undoing. I am just one man, and I can’t get it all done at the same time. Now I just need to fully understand that concept and attack one project at a time.
Nonetheless, I feel a slight update is needed and I wanted to fill all of you in on what’s happening in the lab. Many wondrous creations are either on the drawing board, or actively under development in my laboratory, and I can’t wait to share them with you. The potentially greatest of these creations is also unfortunately the most under-wraps of them – however it could be a game changer for me, my family, and everyone else involved. Once it’s got some progress under it, and I’m ready to show it to the world. you’ll be the first to know about it. When this is completed, this will be by far the largest project I will have completed (mostly) on my own, outside of a day job environment… stay tuned!
I’ve also begun writing! I’ve got most of my great sci-fi novel mapped out and I’ve begun the writing process. Everything I’ve written to this day has either been based on my life, about me, or in some form, tied to me and my world. This, on the other hand, will have nothing to do with me. It’ll be a world of my creation, with completely unique characters, completely developed from my head. This is one of the ones I can’t wait to see completed! I’ll eventually release it as an eBook, and if it sells well (or even if it doesn’t) I’ll probably follow it up with additional books…
Finally, I’ve been putting the finishing touches on several freelance projects that I’ve had under my belt for quite some time. One will be launched by the end of this week, and I’m looking forward to get some additional projects rolling. My freelance work is what funds the rest of my crazy mad experiments!
Anyway, I’m heading back into the lab – there’s too much work to be done to sit around here for much longer. I’ll post updates on all of these projects again soon!
New Rules for Communication
I’m a busy person. I’m the first person to admit that I dedicate myself to my work, and try to maintain a pretty high level of concentration until I get whatever task I’m assigned done. One small little bump derails the entire train, and even a simple email might cost me 10, 20, 30 minutes plus of productivity. I’m not sure about most developers, but when I’m working, it’s like a charging locomotive. I hit one bump, and immediately the entire train comes to a grinding halt. Once I resolve the issue, it’s a matter of righting the train, priming the engine, and building my productivity levels back up to speed. Not a quick or easy feat.
In order to minimize the amount of disruption, there’s a few rules I’d like to put into place. Mind you, this is PURELY for friends and coworkers – clients needs will ALWAYS come first, and if there’s something you need, or have questions about – by all means ASK ME! I like keeping clients happy – it’s just everyone else that needs to have some patience.
- When asking for information, be sure to specify the information you are seeking.
I recently received an email query asking if I had information about a specific project. Note that the query wasn’t asking about specific information for the project, but rather “did I have information”. This kind of query is a waste of both my time, and the person asking the question. The only response I can give is a “yes” or “no” response. Had the person asked, “We’re currently working with X client, and we’re curious to know if you’ve got Z information. If you can, please send that over.” I’d be more than happy to respond with Z information, if I have it. Instead, you get a “yes, I’ve got information. What do you need?” After which I wait for a further response about which information was actually needed in the first place.Please – just be clear and precise in your questions, and my responses will be MUCH more effective. In a slight update, my “yes” response was met with a “Never mind, we found what were were looking for”, which brings me to the next point -
- If you need an answer to something, please do your due diligence to find your answer on your own first!
If it’s possible to have the answer you’re looking for on your own between the time you send me the question, and the time I send back a reply – then just take the extra 2-3 minutes and find the answer on your own. Not only are you disrupting my workflow with your query, but it’ll take you longer to send me an email that it will take to just do the extra search to find the information.This goes the same with coding and design questions as well. Most times, when someone asks me for help, the first resource that I use is Google. I’ll plug in whatever the question was, hit the first 2-3 articles. Find a valid link that looks like a solution, and respond back with that link. That’ll usually get followed with a “Sweet, that’ll work”.
Hello! Did you even BOTHER checking Google for the answer before asking me for assistance!! It’s not that hard to find the answers you’re looking for with just a little research on Google and other search engines. If you’re hitting a stumbling block, there’s a good chance someone else has hit the same issue, and has either written an article, or asked the question in a forum, and had others responding to it.
Well, that’s it for now. Not too bad, and I really don’t think I’m asking for much. More or less, if you can keep from derailing the train, please do so. Figure it out on your own, or just save the question for later in the afternoon, when my productivity levels begin to recede.
I Ate This: Slinger from Courtesy Diner
Since this is my first post for this category, I wanted to make a slight introduction. Years ago, I ran a diet blog where I posted the healthy items I was eating each day. This is the next evolution of that. Here I’ll pick out a meal that I had and just discuss it and potentially where I had it. If it’s something whipped up at home, I’ll discuss the recipe. If it’s out and about, I’ll discuss the restaurant, or maybe some anecdote from the meal. Whatever it may be, it will always be interesting. Unlike my previous blog’s posts, this won’t always be healthy. In fact, it could just be outwardly disgusting and heart attack inducing. So, sit back and enjoy – if you’ve ever tried or, or have anything to add – feel free to comment!
Snow Day in St. Louis
Last night we got a pretty significant amount of snow here in St. Louis, and unfortunately, that means I’m stuck here at home. I’m trying my best to keep up with my work at the office, but for some things, it’s just easier to get done AT the office. Still keeping up productivity for the most part though.
Last night, I began redevelopment of the website (you’re probably seeing the updates there now.) In fact, this is the first post of the new website, though I’ll be porting over some older posts from other websites, just to fill in content and whatnot. Please feel free to comment on the new look and feel. It still needs more work, but it’s a good start. 