Stuffleufagus

Real questions. Real answers.

Q1. Why do you blog.

A1. Because it’s easier than committing a year to write a book.

Q2. What do you “know a little bit about”

A2. WiFi, Teams, Customers, People, Privacy, DRM, Windows, PCs, Software Development, Software Quality, Defect Tracking, Creating Multi-language applications and documentation, working with PC manufacturer’s and OEMs. Kids, dogs, scripting languages, football, Video Distribution, Home Automation, medicine, the Military, being a small town Mayor, stand up comedy, the printing industry, commercial leasing, recruiting… And then there are things I am interested in and know a little about that I haven’t done personally like Manned Space Flight.

Q3. Your blog is green and ugly as hell. Why?

A3. I rarely look at it, so it doesn’t bother me. I manage it through a different interface than the one you see. Build me a better WordPress 2.x Widget Compatible 2 sidebar design if you hate it that much. Oh - and it’s green because I care about saving energy.

Q4. What’s your blog about, anyway?

A4. About anything I feel like writing about. It’s not a tech blog, or a privacy blog, or an anything blog. It’s my blog. It’s about things I find funny, or interesting, or disturbing, or enraging.

Q5. What’s with the quote at the bottom top of your page (”A true friend stabs you in the front”) ?

A5. It’s been my email tagline for at least ten years. It’s the way I want to be treated, and the way I try to treat others. Oscar Wilde had some wonderful quotes.

Q6. Why are you so focused on customers and privacy and stuff like that?

A6. Because I’ve been a customer all my life who has had their privacy abused, and I’ve been treated like crap. I don’t like it.

Q7. What “pedigree” do you have to be a social networking “expert”?

A7. None. Except I’ve spent more than 20 years involved in Social Networking - from BBS’s and FidoNet to running a global customer support organization. People is what I know best. I have investigated Social Networking for almost three years almost full-time. And I love it - so I spend a lot of time on it. I’ve also worked with several customers as a consultant on Social Networking. None of them are mad at me.

Q8. If you are so concerned about personal privacy and stuff, why do you share so much about yourself in your blog?

A8. I understand what I am getting into. I think a lot of people don’t. Oh - and I have a gun, a loyal dog, elderly neighbors with nothing to do but watch out their windows and see what’s happening at my house, I live 5 blocks from my police department, and I am not afraid of death. I also can’t often tell a story without you understanding who I am, so you have a frame of reference. Besides, I could get killed randomly while standing in line at a theater (that’s why I buy a lot of DVD and stay home). I don’t think the Internet is as scary as, say a 7-11 at 3 in the morning.

Q9. What’s your favorite software ever?

A9. DesqView X

Q10. What languages can you program in?

A10. None. I dabble in a lot of them - but it’s like the difference in being able to understand some Spanish and being able to speak and write it. I was once proficient in many languages, including Visual Basic, Pascal, Lisp, and many scripting languages. Once.

Q11. What do you wish you could do that you can’t do?

A11. Fly. No, really I wish I had the time, dedication, and skills to write my own web services. I have a lot of ideas I would like to be able to try out before I involve other people.

Q12. Where did the name of your blog come from.

A12. Truthfully, I was watching TV (I had it on anyway). I was also installing WordPress on my home server. I was at the point where WordPress asked me, “what do you want to call your blog”, or some such thing. I had no clue, but the TV had the Sesame Street character on a commercial. I knew I wanted to write about “stuff” (nothing specific). So I changed Snuffleufagus to Stuffleufagus. It’s stupid, but it’ll hardly be confused with another blog.

Q13. What exactly do you do? Consulting is kind of vague.

A13. Fair enough. A recent customer called me the “Launch Director” - and that is probably as accurate as anything. I help customers launch. Everything from managing development, selecting suitable hosting (I like Rackspace - but work with others as well) determining the appropriate back-end platforms, etc. As a Jack of All Trades I use my diverse set of experiences to benefit my customers. Generally this allows them to focus on the product.