Programmer's Paradox

TEDx Retrospective

TEDxTriangleNC was held March 6th. As mentioned previously, I was one of the organizers. I want to look back at what worked and what didn’t. At the event I checked attendees and speakers in. Due to this I missed most of the first talks, so I can’t speak to how the day kicked off. From what [...]

TEDx Retrospective

TEDxTriangleNC

You’ve likely heard of the TED conferences. They are renouned for their speakers and the ideas they present. There is a TED conference every year in California and they’ve also started in other places in the world, such as India. A TED Conference is expensive: expensive to put on and expensive to attend. But why should TED [...]

TEDxTriangleNC

Linchpin: My Review

In December of 2009, Seth Godin put out a call on his blog: donate 30 dollars or more to the Acumen fund and receive an advanced copy of his new book, Linchpin. That was the deal that I signed up for and here’s the review. Upon opening the book, the first thing I noticed was the loose [...]

Linchpin: My Review

Thinking in Opposites

There are times I go to write a blog post and a thought holds me up – I think I’ve read this before, but I know I didn’t write it. I had planned to write a blog post on considering the opposite of whatever you’re doing – but Derek Sivers has already written it for me. [...]

Thinking in Opposites

Book as Script, Code as Script

Heard any good books lately? So asks Neil Gaiman on NPR in a story on audiobooks. It makes for riveting listening, thanks to Gaiman’s ability to make the mundane fantastic and because he has a mesmerizing British accent that holds me rapt. Gaiman makes the point that audiobooks continue on, strong as ever. The rise of the [...]

Book as Script, Code as Script

New Employment

Life has picked up this week. I’m joining the daily grind with most of the population again. It’s strange to find myself beating the sun up in the mornings. It’s also certain that I’ll start to flirt with sleep deprivation again. That wasn’t a problem when I was unemployed. I’m now a contractor with Lenovo, as [...]

New Employment

Leprechaun Funding

When an investor puts their own money into a startup in return for a stake in the company it’s know as angel funding. It’s the lowest level of formal funding there is, excluding bank loans and borrowed family and friends money. Why not go lower? Leprechaun funding is giving an entrepreneur enough money to get [...]

Leprechaun Funding

Where Are The Copy Designers?

The web is full of designers: visual designers, graphic designers, interaction designers, muppet designers. I threw in muppet designers to see if you’re paying attention. Designers on the web are experiencing a bit of a revolution that is summed up in a few words: measure everything. Led by the likes of Google, every click, every eyeball [...]

Where Are The Copy Designers?

Self Marketing: An Adventure in Jazz

Last night, as is no surprise to regular readers of this blog, I gave the presentation at the Raleigh.rb meetup. My presentation was titled Self Marketing: An Adventure in Jazz I thought it went well: the crowd was receptive, especially given it was a non-technical talk for a technical audience. Never sure how people will react to [...]

Self Marketing: An Adventure in Jazz

Raleigh.rb September 15th Meetup

I want to remind you that I’m giving the Raleigh.rb September presentation tomorrow. Full details: 7:00 pm September 15th Red Hat Headquarters, Centennial Campus, NC State Parking and Event are Free; Parking can be found in the Red Hat parking deck I’m speaking on the non-technical topic of self marketing. My talk is called: Self Marketing, An Adventure in Jazz. You’ll have to [...]

Raleigh.rb September 15th Meetup