What I'm Up To

Well, I've decided to stay in the land of entrepreneurship and get busy working on my banking financial transactioning network. It's a brutal task but categorically and undeniably fun! I'll continue to pull on short-term web application development contracts in the mean time to pay the bills as needed.

For now I'm just putting together architectures and presentations. I've been able to pull in some of the more brilliant minds for this one which is absolutely humbling (only demonstrates my sheer lack of knowledge) and also a fantastic learning experience.

Naturally my todo list grows:

• Develop prototype (60%)
• Setup up PR website (40%)
• Finish PR powerpoint (30%)
  
• Make some Crock-Pot Stew (20% - bachelor alert!)
• Continue to find/pull-together the team (50%)
• Do laundry (10% - shaaaammmme)
• Roller-blade Alki (80% - for sure)
• Setup server and killer framework stack (70% - hurray Slicehost!)
• Attend Seattle.rb Ruby Enthusiast group (check!)
• Add todo's at will!

The New Cube

So I thought I'd update everyone as to where my new office is located.

The office door:


The view from the window:

Why Start a Startup?

I came across a post from Jason at Signal vs. Noise:

Startups can bring new ideas to market. They can give people a chance to change the world on their own terms. They can create something where nothing existed before. There is no doubt that they are exciting things to be a part of.

Whereas his article was geared more toward a discussion of realistic perspectives in entrepreneurship I couldn't help but raise my hands and shout a hearty, "Amen, Preach It!"

I think that there is possibly no more pragmatic method to improve, enhance, or impact the world than to introduce them to what they have been missing all along. Entrepreneurship to me is all about discovering key economic problems and solving them in a way that makes sense (at least to me...lol). The beauty of it is that it doesn't matter what people define as the status quo, you get to decide what the new status quo will be so long as your solution makes sense and solves the problem.

Switching to Decaf

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer."
- Thoreau's Walden

As of April 21, my stint with Starbucks is no more. I turned in my letter of resignation.

I know, I know....it's only been six months for crying out loud. But I must confess that I am a firm believer in not beating dead horses (who has time for that in this short life). So it was becoming quite clear to me that they were in need of someone with a different type of focus.

All in all it was a wonderful experience. I met and worked with some tremendous minds whose ability to understand complicated systems is simply astounding. My team of fellow developers were (and are) tremendously gifted, bright, and eager - three qualities that any leader would pay top dollar for.