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!

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.

1. 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 -

2. 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.

During lunch last week, the topic came up of favorite breakfast items.   The one that stuck out in my mind at the time was a slinger.  For those of you outside of St. Louis, or just not in the know, a slinger is a bit of a delicacy here in the area.   It usually consists of a pile of hash browns, two hamburger patties, two eggs (prepared your way of choice), and covered in a slather of chili.   Cheese, onions and jalapeños are completely optional, but for me they are a must.  It had been a while since I’d last visited Courtesy Diner and had one of these fine delicacies, and today I decided it was the meal to have.

Checking to make sure we had cash prior to visiting (they’ve got an ATM on site, but who wants the extra fees, and Courtesy Diner only accepts cash) we ventured forth to the location up on Hampton Ave.  Entering the restaurant, we feel like we’re stepping back in time.  Courtesy Diner excels at having that old style diner feel, including the neon clock in the back of the restaurant.   Being a bit on the rotund side, I find the booths to be a little snug, but still manage to fit comfortably.  We took our seats and didn’t bother to look at the menus, as we knew what we were getting ourselves into before walking into the door.  I decided on a coffee, and ordered up a slinger, eggs over medium, add cheese, onions and jalapeños.    My dining companion decided on the alter-ego of the slinger, a Rodeo Omelet.  I knew what I wanted, but his choice sounded very tempting.  When the food arrived moments later, I was pleasantly surprised at both dishes.  Both looked absolutely amazing, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.  Unfortunately, I knew I wanted to post about this meal, so the camera had to come first.  I grabbed a few photos for posterity, put the camera away, grabbed the fork and dug in.  Instantly, I was in another place, almost like a little bit of heaven on earth.  Now, I’ll make no qualms about it, this was not a healthy eating choice.   The chili alone was probably enough to make my heart skip a beat or two before it continued pumping.  Still, it was amazing, in fact, a little too amazing.  Before I even had a chance to really enjoy it, I’d noticed it was just about gone.  I’d voraciously consumed the entire mass – I’m going to have to work on slowing down and enjoying my meals, but that’s for another post.

I sat back, and let the food slather itself down to my stomach.  I washed it down with the rest of my coffee and sat there in a wondered bliss.  If you ever find yourself in St. Louis in the middle of the night, avoid the crap at Denny’s and make a run up to Courtesy Diner.  You definitely will not regret it!

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.