Robert·ology

It was just over five years ago now that I stumbled into something that would set me up for the next stage of my life. Today, that something is gone. Not gone completely but gone from my life.

Back in 2003 I was the stay-at-home dad to two very young children. Things weren’t great financially here so I went looking into ways I could earn some income from home. Eventually, I came to know traffic exchanges.

A traffic exchange is essentially an “I’ll look at your site; you look at mine” way to get your website shown to people. Some time later an opportunity arose to get one-on-one training for operating one of these. I decided to start up my own. This one would be different in that a portion of revenue and activity at the site would be given to a different charity each month.

Well, that wasn’t much of a success (aside from what was donated) but the piece of software it ran on - the LJ Script - helped me launch a career.

This LJ Script, written in PHP, had its issues. The code was ugly. It had a lot of bugs, and it wasn’t easy to fit a proper design on it. So I went into the code and started looking around. Yeah, it was ugly. I didn’t know the language PHP at the time, but I was familiar with a number of other languages as I had started programming sometime back in the 1980s.

PHP was rather easy to pick up based on my knowledge of other languages so as I was in that code trying to figure out what it was supposed to be doing, I fixed bugs, improved some things, and got to know that particular script very well. And to be fair, the code I was putting in there was ugly too in the beginning.

My knowledge of the script came in handy when other people using it started to complain about the issues they were finding. I simply stepped in with “I already have the fixes for that,” and all of a sudden I had myself a business.

“LJ Fix” I called it (a little play with the script’s name) and everyone wanted it. Hey, what rational, true business person wouldn’t want their business to be running properly? The people who sold and developed the script were very slow with getting any releases out so the people came to me instead.

In fact, the script’s so-called developers don’t seem to be moving at all still. Yes, there have been a few releases since I started working on it, but there are quite a number of those bugs I worked on way back then still found in the latest version.

So now people are coming to me wanting the bug fixes, and they’re wanting new features added, and they’re wanting other improvements. It actually took me a little while to figure out what I had. I was just going about my way and helping some people get their code in order (for a reasonable fee).

The fact was I knew the script better than anyone else (still do). I had built the largest collection of modifications for it. Everyone recommended me to new owners. Life was good (well, my personal life wasn’t good but that’s another story). I was King of the LJ.

After my divorce (see above re: personal life) I felt fortunate to have this built up enough for me to have it as a full time business. I was working with some pretty cool guys (and gals) and had my first truly successful business.

But the code was still ugly. The more of PHP I learned, the harder it got to work on this monster. I started saying no to custom work just because I didn’t have the desire to do it any more. Do you have a job you just don’t want to wake up for? That’s about where I was. I wanted out.

Eventually, I was back to part time with my LJ Fix as I went to explore other avenues. In January of this year I began working for a local business doing PHP. I’ve learned a ton being there and I’m enjoying it. I have plans for the future and I feel stable for the first time in quite a while. Life is good (no, really this time).

So, thank you LJ Script, and thank you LJ owners. I wouldn’t be where I am now without you.

But LJFix.com is not dead. No, it lives on through Josh Abbott, a man who has already built up a similar service of his own. I’m sure a number of you LJ owners have worked with him already.

It’s a little sad to see you go, LJ Fix, but our time together is over. Have fun in your new home. Don’t bother to write.

Today was a “sort of” birthday, an “almost” milestone, a “kind of” chronological marker for me. I am now 33.3 years old. That’s one third of a century.

Does that make me old now? Or does it mean I’m warmed up?

These days, we see articles about the “future leaders” in certain industries and they’re typically 25 years or younger. Sure, it makes sense to look at those people. A twenty year old who’s actually doing something and showing leadership skills would be someone to watch. That doesn’t mean the rest of us should be written off, or course.

The news people have to create something of interest. Young people with a future, or the elderly starting a new business - that’s something people might stop and read. I hope all of that doesn’t discourage the rest of the world. If you’re not exciting enough for a news article, so what. Go do your thing anyway.

As for me, I feel that my life has only just begun. This has been the best year ever for me and it’s only a few months old.

While I haven’t been writing here much lately, I’ve been busy. Just raising three young children - even half the time - is enough to keep a man busy. But after nearly eight years of continuous diapering, I’m glad to say they’re all done with that. Yea! Less hassle, less waste.

Getting out of freelancing, I started working for a local company. I’m now part of the team developing NOCWorx, a data center management suite. It’s been challenging and interesting.

At the start of the year, I launched a new site php|nightly which is a page-a-day style site for those programming with or learning PHP.

There have been other major changes in my life recently. They won’t be mentioned here, though, as they are too important to me to be mere bullet points. Perhaps I’ll share about that in the future.

So, that’s me a third of the way to 100. I’m all warmed up now. Let’s go!

‘Tis that time of year when people like to burden themselves with unrealistic expectations and unobtainable goals. If this is you, let me reassure you. It’s not too late!

Hey, the year has only just begun. It’s not too late to pull out of your journey to disappointment. There is a better way.

It’s rather simple, really. Go ahead and set yourself a goal for the year. Think about what it is you’d like to accomplish in the next six to twelve months. Make it something you feel you can actually achieve. Becoming an astronaut would not be it for most of us; saving the money for Space Camp might be.

That’s your long term goal. Now set another obtainable goal for yourself. This one you’ll set for somewhere in the next couple months. This medium term goal should ideally help you achieve your long term goal, but that’s not always the case.

Now we’re at your short term goal. Figure out what needs to happen in the next one to seven days. Again, make sure it’s realistic and something which you feel you can do and achieve.

Once you reach this short term goal, make yourself another one, and then another one after you get that. And when you complete your medium term goal, write up another. Do the same with your long term goal when that’s reached.

What I like to do is have a set of goals for different areas of my life. Career, family, house (property), financial, etc. If you’re just getting used to setting goals, don’t try to do all of that in one go, just set goals for one area.

Perhaps you’d like to clean up the basement by Halloween (it’s a horrible mess and needs ten months to do it). That’s your long term goal. Your medium term goal might be to organize one corner of it. Then your short term goal could be to get boxes and bags for storing your items. Your next short term goal might be to arrange for someone to watch the kids for a few hours so you can concentrate on the task. And so on.

This will be much more effective than having a resolution to “clean up that basement!” That’s too much to do. It’s not a step you can take. It’s a year long journey.

So take your “New Year Resolution” and transform it into your Long Term Goal. Then figure out the steps needed to get there and create your other goals. Now you have a plan. Now you have a vision. Now you have a chance to actually get there.

If you liked this…

You might like the free course at Simpleology.com (no relation ). It’s a great series of not just goal setting, but much more. Go ahead and check it out. You’re bound to see your productivity improve.

I’ve been programming for a number of years now and this past Saturday finally got around to taking the Zend certification exam for PHP 5 (PHP is the main language I work in).

And I passed! Woo hoo! So now I can get letters after my name to show that I’m more important that you. By the way, ZCE stands for Zend Certified Engineer.

It was easier than I anticipated but that’s probably due to me knowing about the language. Much of it seemed to apply to practical knowledge. That is, if you have the experience working in it, you’re likely to know and understand the questions on the test.

I was glad to see that - and I knew that’s how they planned the test to be - because when it comes to being called certified in a field you really want that to apply to the real world and not just theory.

Part of me wants to know my final score but it’s just pass or fail. That’s how it should be I suppose. You’re either past a certain level or not.

What does being a Certified Engineer mean to me?

• I can show that I meet a certain level of expertise according to Zend (a big player in PHP since the beginning - they should know)
• Have a feeling of improving the PHP community and the way we’re viewed
• I can raise my prices
• No, really, I think it’s justified

Now I’m looking forward to growing from here. I enjoy learning more about the language and how it’s being used. Sources such as the php|architect magazine and all the blogs out there keep me up to date with what’s going on with other programmers and the PHP world.

And I’m also hoping to get back to the php|tek conference next year. Check out the band at the Rock Band competition 2008. That’s right, we won.

Yes, Vegetarian Awareness Month is over, but that doesn’t stop me from posting this which starts off with a veg related story and ends with something that took me by surprise the next day.

This past Sunday I took a trip out to a local animal sanctuary - SASHA Farm - for an early Thanksgiving potluck (vegan). It was an afternoon of great food and a chance to see some old friends. I hope to have made a couple new friends there as well.

One of the best parts for me, though, was meeting the baby turkeys. There were five of them I think. It was somewhat hard to tell as they all were huddling under mother’s wings to keep warm for the night. Their feathers of brown and black melded together underneath her strong white wing.

Those little turkeys were so cute stretching their heads about to see the world around them. It was their gentle calls, though, that were most beautiful to me. I could almost hear the “gobble gobble” of a grown turkey but it was mixed with the song of a bird in the back yard tree. It was the sweet sound of a child wanting to be like the parent - saying those adult age phrases but with an innocence that would make you smile at words said in frustration.

In the opposite corner of their room, however, stood an overweight, short and stocky one. And I say “stood” with reservation. This turkey had trouble standing and hobbled around looking for comfort. You see, this one was bred for meat. Turkeys raised for meat have been bred to be very, very large in the breast - so much so that they often (as was the case here) end up crippled under their own weight. Their legs may end up deformed or broken. Either way, you know it makes every moment painful.

This literal side by side comparison was saddening. At least these cheerful young ones have hope of a life free from that torture, but knowing that 46 million of these birds will be killed this month alone in the U.S. - 46 million pained and tortured every day of their short lives - is a downer to say the least.

So this brings us to the second half of the story. I’m part of a group which meets every week and at the end of the meetings we gather in a circle and share prayer requests or give thanks. We happened to be meeting the day following my trip to this sanctuary.

As we went around the circle, people were sharing about loved ones with illnesses or current events, and asking us to keep these in our hearts and minds. When it came to me, my mind still on the turkeys, I shared some of what I just shared here - about those wonderful little creatures and also the pain being caused in all of the farms across the country and around the world.

Yes, I cried as I spoke; the suffering so dense my strength could not hold it in.

The people in this group do not share my thoughts on subjects such as that. They’re accepting of my vegan ways, certainly, but it isn’t their way and that’s fine. This made it surprising to me that over my tears came an even louder bawling. Apparently this story (put into just five or six sentences) touched on something inside this person.

This person later told me of the sorrow felt while driving past turkey farms. I wouldn’t have thought that non-vegetarians would have such strong emotions about the welfare of farmed animals. Perhaps I believed that everyone going along with the status quo simply didn’t think outside of it at all.

I was mistaken.

Occasions such as this renew my hope in humanity. Maybe it’s true that 80% of the people simply trudge along and play follow the leader, but that still leaves 20% and you know, that’s a lot of people. Maybe we don’t always notice the 20% supportive of our causes, but they’re out there.

It’s the end of Vegetarian Awareness Month and thusly the end of the blog-a-thon.

It also happens to be Halloween here today which means an overdose of candy for most of the youth. If you didn’t realize that even candy could contain animal ingredients, check out this page.

There you will see a list of candy and snacks which do not contain animal ingredients, as well as a short list of commonly found ingredients you may not recognize as originating from animals.

While you may not concern yourself over every little ingredient, you should at least know what they are so you can make that choice. Stearic Acid? Urea? Those are supposed to be foods?

Some people assume for whatever reason that vegetarians need to take a multitude of vitamins. I guess they think we don’t get enough from the vast array of fresh fruits and vegetables compared to their menu of three or four animals.

The first people I knew of who took vitamins daily were not vegetarian. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that the majority who do aren’t. The vitamin and supplement industries were built to take advantage of everyone’s insecurities, not just the veg*ns.

The only supplement I use regularly is B12. I have 2000 mcg weekly and that’s it. I do have a bottle of multi-vitamins but I really don’t recall when it was I had one last. B12 is important for both veg*ns and omnivores. A deficiency there (which takes years to develop) can lead to problems with your nervous system - and that’s serious.

If you want vitamins and minerals, get them from fresh, whole, ripe, raw, organic plant foods. That’ll be your best source. And don’t fall for that “plants today don’t have enough” talk. Where do you think the manufacturers get them? Magic?

There are those who prefer not to use vitamins and supplements. That’s a personal choice, but if you feel you should, or your nutrition advisor suggest that you do, go ahead.

A good vegan diet should provide you with what you need, but a little security for serious issues is a good thing.

Every vegetarian knows the question “Where do you get your protein?”

It’s the “How do you remember all those lines?” to the actor, and the “No, really. What do you do for a living?” to the proctologist. The bane of our existence this protein myth is.

Have you ever wondered that - how do vegetarians get enough protein? Well, what is protein? What does it do? How much do we need? How much is too much?

You see, with protein, more is not necessarily better. In fact, excess protein could lead to kidney trouble and other issues. I don’t trouble myself looking for more protein.

I’ll just leave you with this article Protein in the Vegan Diet by Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.

This concern about protein is misplaced. Although protein is certainly an essential nutrient which plays many key roles in the way our bodies function, we do not need huge quantities of it. In reality, we need small amounts of protein. Only one calorie out of every ten we take in needs to come from protein. Athletes do not need much more protein than the general public.

I came upon this video (8m 44s) of a man claiming weight loss from eating junk food - seven pounds in one week. And you’ve probably heard of the Adkins diet where you could chew on bacon fat all day and consider yourself a success.

Then there’s my controversial, one step weight loss program: Cut Off Your Arm. Did you know that just one of your arms weighs from eight to fourteen pounds? That’s an 8-14 pound instant weight loss with only minor side effects (provided you start the program at or very near an emergency room).

Hmmm… Now that I think of it, that’s probably the one with the least long term negative impact on your health. With that in mind, which would you choose?

OK, how about another option? Eat foods which humans thrive on and your weight will take care of itself.

At least 70% of your food should be raw vegetation - fruits and vegetables. 50% is the absolute minimum. No, we won’t instantly die from burgers and fries, but we struggle along in a state of constant illness. Our bodies need unprocessed foods. Even non-vegetarians will agree that raw meat seems unappealing (and unhealthy, and dangerous) so get your meals to average out to a minimum of fifty percent raw, whole, fresh fruits, greens, and other plant foods.

Here’s another video for you (1m 20s). This one is from Storm Telifero on eating junk food (mild language). An impassionate father speaks out.

[the "cut off your arm" program was a joke. if you thought I was serious - seek help]

Day 27 of Vegetarian Awareness Month and today let’s talk about what’s happening next month at this time.

In the US, Thanksgiving will be coming at the end of November (Canadian Thanksgiving was two weeks ago). It’s usually celebrated with a large meal, family, and friends. Unfortunately, this meal is often centered around an unnaturally large bird - a turkey that’s been genetically manipulated by some apparent relatives of Dr. Frankenstein to be extremely large in the breast. In fact, they end up with such an abnormal physique, they have problems just standing. Even mating becomes impossible because of their distorted figure.

The reason for this manipulation? Profits, of course. That’s what business is about and there’s nothing wrong there. The problem comes when the business’ commodity is a living creature. In that situation, increasing profits usually means altering the living conditions of the animals in order to decrease costs, and altering the “output” (meat, eggs, milk, etc.) to up the income. How can that be done without negatively affecting the lives of these fellow animals? It can not.

Should we gain from the exploitation of others?

I suppose that’s the question at the heart of vegetarianism. Search your feelings, your upbringing, your morals and find your answer. Now, live your life accordingly.

There are a number of organizations whose mission is to help non-human animals. Many of them are able to care for and rehabilitate animals rescued from farms and slaughterhouses. One such organization, Farm Sanctuary, has been running the Adopt a Turkey Project since 1986.

Exploitation will continue to exist in many forms but you don’t have to be a participant. In fact, you can help on the other end of it. A small donation to the Adopt a Turkey Project will help supply food, shelter, and other needed items for these wonderful creatures.

This is a great gift for the vegetarian in your life. Show that you understand even if it’s not your current choice. Show that you care about these animals at some level. You won’t believe the reaction you’ll get.

And look for animal sanctuaries in your area. They need help too - perhaps even more so.

Celebrate life this year at Thanksgiving. Give others something to be thankful for.