Stuffleufagus

I’m doing some research (no, I am not moving anywhere) and I used the CNN money tool to run the various costs of living for some “tech towns”.

It is amazing how expensive some areas are.  Considering that San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the country (larger than Dallas, or San Diego, for example), our cost of living has really remained manageable.

I’m also looking specifically into housing costs – comparing my current home to equivalent homes in each of the cities below.  That is taking a bit longer, but I hope to turn it into a future post.

If you are a tech geek, and want to make your money buy a bit more (or even a hell of a lot more!) you should consider San Antonio – we’ve got room for you (room you can afford!)

written by rob

I sold a blog post today – literally.  Some time ago (I won’t get specific) I wrote a 32 word blog post that had a random (seemingly) phrase in it that recently caught someone’s interest.  The phrase was also the blog post title. 

It was a “catch phrase” that I just made up – but now, (some time later), a company is launching a product that uses the same catch-phrase I coined (some time ago).

Since the way my post used the phrase was contrary to the goals of the company, and since it was unique, and it had good “Google Juice”, the company very politely, and without any threat or fear of threat (they acknowledged that I had “coined the phrase” long before they had) offered to pay me to kill my blog post.  They just wanted “clear title” to the phrase – and they wanted to be found if someone searched for it.

I cannot go into specifics about the post (now deleted) or the terms.  But it was substantial enough that I elected to delete something that I alone created and controlled.  It would not buy a car, or allow me to retire.

Sure – that info is still “out there” somewhere – in Google Cache, for example.  But in a very short time the Google Juice I have for the phrase will be dead, and the new owners of the phrase will get top billing on the search results. 

Which is what they wanted.

I didn’t delete anything significant – there were not even any comments on the post.  It was, like many of my posts, just “something weird I thought of and posted”.

Did I sell out?  I sure did.  But I didn’t sell anyone else out, so I am comfortable with my decision.

Did I get rich – no.  Would I sell another post for money – I doubt it – this was a very unique situation.  You could not, for example, pay me to delete any of the negative posts that I have written about any company or service here.

Some of my most popular posts are ones that I either praise or punish some company that I think is worthy of my opinion about them.  I would never consider selling those posts.

If you are shocked by my actions go look through your blog history and tell me there isn’t a single insignificant post you wouldn’t sell to help put your child through college.  I am sure you have a meaningless post or two that nobody would ever miss.

I traded a useless, silly, and ignored post for a chance to get my kid through college.  Judge me if you wish.  I have no regrets.  

written by rob

Mr. Gates,

  We have met on two occasions, although I do not expect you to remember me.  You spent both opportunities to ask me what I thought about Microsoft, and what I thought you could improve on.

You have provided me with a method to make a living for over 20 years – you built the foundation that I built off of.  You did so willingly, and you encouraged me to contribute, and to profit.

You forced me to help build Windows drivers that worked without interrupting the user experience – you forced excellence even though it took great effort and expense on our part (and yours).  You were right to be strict.  You were right to be demanding.

I have been a beta tester of every version of Windows since “Windows for Pen Computing”.  We have not always agreed, but we have gotten along.  You have always built products that included tools I could use to profit from.  I appreciate that.

And now your tools are finally almost free – and I think Microsoft will benefit from that move greatly.  I know many young programmers, especially in emerging nations that are already benefiting from that.

More importantly, you have demonstrated the value of giving back – and I have tried to follow that example.  I help people when and where I can – and even though I know I cannot ever have the level of charitable contribution that you have – I strive to do my part.

I have never been a “fanboy” – not of Apple, or Microsoft, or anything else – I have always been a realist – I use the right tool for the right job.  For 20+ years the right tool has often been a Microsoft tool.  Not always, but often.

Although I use a lot of Microsoft products, I also use Linux and Mac OS.  Again – the right tool for the job.

I also met Ray Ozzie at “When 2.0” at Stanford in 2005 – I am confident that the intellectual path for Microsoft is in good hands.  Ray is an amazingly low-key guy.  He hides his brain-power behind a stand-offish grin that is both friendly and challenging at the same time.

I think you leave Microsoft in good hands, and honestly, I think people have (and will continue to) under-estimate what Microsoft is doing.  XBOX, Microsoft Points, Media Center – all wonderful products that make my life just a bit more “fun”.  Fun is important.

  Go and do great things for charity, Bill.  Let that be your legacy.  Microsoft was your “Bill 1.0”.  I firmly believe “Bill 2.0” will have an even greater impact on the world.

Don’t look back – you’ve left things in good hands.  Help the children.  Inspire the world.  Change things, yet again.

I have been glad to have met you – but I imagine I would rather meet you ten years from now – when you have helped change the world again – not just the computer world, but the real world, for real people.  The ones that most need your help.

Rob

written by rob

He was referring to the fact that I blog a LOT of personal opinions – even some stuff that is embarrassing. I mean, for crying out loud – I show humanity here!

He asked the question in the context of my current quest for meaningful and fulfilling employment – he was concerned that I am making it difficult to market myself. Especially he was concerned about my CoA and CoB post of two days ago.  And in a sense, he was right – I now know that both CoA and CoB read the post.  I got reactions back from both of them.  Guess which one gave me positive feedback, and which expressed concern?

But what he doesn’t realize, at least not fully – I am not just interviewing for a position.  I am interviewing companies as well.  And the company that understands and accepts the fact that I am human – and that I have opinions that I cannot keep contained within the aspects of my job – that to me, I am both defined by my job, and help define my employer through my work – that is the company I want to work for.  And if I am somehow “vetting” them through my blog, then so be it.  If they find this uncomfortable then they probably would not be happy with me anyway.  And I probably would not be happy with them.

On this blog people can learn who I am – what makes me tick, what I think is important, what enrages me, energizes me, and what I am willing to do to make a customer happy.

My friend disagrees.

He works for a fortune 500 company, and in his world, I probably would agree with him.  In his world my honesty in my blog is probably a negative. My free sharing of feelings about everything from overbearing corporate entities, power-infused doltish police officers, employees that fail to measure up  – all of these things would be negatives when it came to working in his world.

But I do not have any interest in working in his world.  I have tasted that world – and while it treated me well for some time it eventually changed me.  Into something I was less than pleased with.  I started fitting the mold – instead of questioning the questionable rules I started to enforce them – almost blindly. I was assimilated.

It is no wonder I lost the luster for what I was doing.

And honestly – my loss of focus on what was really important probably cost more people their jobs than just me. I lost the drive to “build beyond all else”.  I fell into the trap that most mid-level managers fall into – I thought I was important.  AND – I needed my paycheck.  I had grown accustomed to the power, and the salary.  I forgot that the most important thing was building products, and teams, and bridges within the organization – instead I played a defensive role for almost a year – one that cost a lot in the totality of its failure.

But unlike a lot of mid-level managers  - I learned from it.  It took me a while.  I stepped back for several years and reconsidered what I liked doing, and how that fit into what I am good at doing, and how I can get paid for doing things that I enjoy.

After an initial ambitious play at building something huge I settled down to build a few small successes.  I needed to “get my groove on”.  I needed to find my happy place and decide what I really wanted to do/be when I grew up.

I am lucky – I had the opportunity - both with my family, financially, and most importantly emotionally and intellectually to just step back.  To re-connect with the guy that made me successful in the first place.  To remember what it felt like to build something significant.

I am not a perfect human being.  Chances are I never will be.

What I am today is something better than what I was when I was winning awards – I am complete – intellectually and emotionally.  Today I know what makes me happy.  5 years ago I always thought there was something more than what I was doing.  But what I was doing was pretty cool – and I didn’t take the time to appreciate it because I was always more concerned about “what is next”.

Today I know what is next.  Build one great team.  Then build the next.  Nothing in my professional life has given me more sense of fulfillment, and nothing else ever will.  I build teams, and I can live with that - rejoice in it, even.

And I don’t regret [most] of my blog posts. I am who I am – and part of me is someone that needs to share life experiences.  For me.

written by rob

What an amazingly well-spoken young man.  His father would be very proud of this interview.

I never go a day without telling my kids I love them.

written by rob