Posted by Allan Branch

Normally I am a happy type of dude. I was in a pissed mood yesterday. Here are my fixes for being in a bad mood.

• Get more sleep: I need 7-8 hours per night.
• Drink more water: As I work later at night I drink more coffee which leads to me being dehydrated. As I get dehydrated my creativity drops and I get into a fog.
• Lack of exercise: There's something about sweating that gets rid of bad mood mojo.
• Change tasks: If you've run into a road block, skip it and knock out several small issues and come back to the bigger problem.
• Change perspective: Stresses, its never as bad as it seems. Step back, IE6 will eventually be obsolete.

If you find yourself in the fog of a bad mood and you're just not being productive do this. Go chug a couple large glasses of water, take a multivitamin and grab a quick nap.

Posted by Steven Bristol

Two weeks ago Allan wrote a post about Pitfalls of Guaranteed Success. Today “James” added a comment that made me think that maybe other people could benefit from elaborating on a few points.

James said about #1: ignoring server scaling leads to disaster, just as ignoring UI leads to disaster. (this should not be taken to mean that I think all resources should go into server scaling.)

My opinion: Most people worry about server scaling long, long before they really need to. Who cares if your site can’t survive getting Digged? Planning to get Digged before you’ve done anything good is a waste of energy. This is an example of people trying to solve problems before they are problems. You do not need to worry about scaling servers until you have a server scaling problem. It is exactly this mentality we see all the time: A client wants to make sure their brand new website can survive being Digged. We appreciate the excitement, but it happens so rarely that it is not an issue. People think the problem is real because when someone goes through it a lot of people find out about it, usually through Digg. I promise you that 99.999999% of people will not have this problem. Until you have a server load problem, exactly ZERO percent of your resources should go into server scalability. And once you have that load problem you should start by looking to your code, not your server. Planning a server infrastructure to survive being Digged is like driving an 18-wheeler ever day because one day you might move. The real difference is that you will almost certainly move one day.

James said about #2: depending on the type of business, people may be much more likely to hire too many people out of fear of not getting the work done successfully during an up-blip in business than they are because they are thinking success is guaranteed. the result is similar but the motive isn’t the same.

hiring the right people is always key, of course.

My opinion: 2. Those two motives are actually the same. Most people don’t see an “up-blip,” they see the beginnings of success. It is a rare person who sees the pragmatic reality that this might just be a blip. People tend to think that they can finally start to hire people, buy better computers, buy a boat or a new house. It’s much better to just wait and see what happens. But hiring people can be disaster. Hiring someone just to fill a seat hurts more than just the additional payroll costs. It hurts because the person hired is probably not the “right” person. Their lack of productivity, passion, dedication, excellence will spread like a virus. One of the best things I heard at the Y-Combinator Startup School was that “Eventually the quality of your managers/employees falls to the level of the worst manager/employee.” This happens because it is human nature to say, during the hiring or promoting process, “well this guy is bad, but he’s no worse than __.” The hiring process must be about fighting entropy. I think only Google has managed to overcome this. They pass up a lot of really good talent because of it though.

James said about #5: gut is not reliable. if yours has been you have been lucky. you said it in number 4. trust your gut to start but plan to iterate.

My opinion: I’m sorry your gut is not reliable. If it wasn’t so arrogant, I would recommend trying to improve the reliability of your gut feelings. Allan’s point here is about trusting yourself. If the majority of people think your idea is great, it probably isn’t. Do you think most people would have told Microsoft that they had the killerest idea and that they would be huge? What about Google? Most people would have said “why compete with Yahoo, they have the search market locked up.” Worrying about what other people will say will make your product mediocre. Be bold. Trust yourself. Follow your gut.

I don’t know James, and I certainly don’t mean to pick on him (I hope no one takes this post that way). He brought up some great points that are worth clarifying. Thanks James!

Posted by Allan Branch

Great Packaging

This is very true

Many hands make light work

Beautiful Antique Hood Ornament

You have to swing the bat to hit a homerun

The End - Now go bust out some killer work!

Posted by Steven Bristol

A week or so ago a friend of mine asked me for a bit of advice. He is a smart guy and like most people has a decently fine/boring/semi-fulfilling job. He has an immediate family member who is in need of regular daily medical care. And he has an idea for a web site/company. He asked me how I managed to work so many hours last year. (I worked a lot of hours last year. More than anyone you know did.) I was very busy when he asked and gave him a short answer of “I am (or was) a machine. I am Superman, blah, blah, blah.” But that is far from the whole story and I want to give him an answer he deserves.

I did indeed work a lot of hours last year. More than anyone should have to. My marriage has suffered for it, although thankfully not too much. My children missed me more than they should have (and I work from home). My business partner, Allan, and I got into a few fights that we wouldn’t have had if I had not been so tired. (Being tired makes stress harder to deal with.) I am fatter, my hair line is worse, I have many more grays hairs and the bags under my eyes are larger. And the truth is I simply can’t work that hard anymore. This year when I work very late I am near useless the next day. I can still work twelve hours every day, but no more. I am no longer a machine. I am no longer Superman.

Last year took a lot out of me. But this year I have a successful business with a very bright future. I (and Allan and my wife and my children and Allan’s wife and children) payed a price for my (and our) hard work last year. I think it was worth it. I don’t recommend it to anyone else.

So the question remains, how does one create a new site/business/product/book/wood carving while still maintaining their current income and responsibilities.

Getting more hours in the day is the key. Obviously that means less sleep, but you don’t have to cut your sleep in half. Try sleeping two hours less. If that doesn’t work try sleeping one hour less. Find the balance that works for you. Then find other places in the day where you can find time. Get rid of your television. TV is the single biggest waste of time. Although my family watches DVD’s, we haven’t had cable TV in about seven years. Cut it out. Next, see if you can arrange to eat and work at your desk during your lunch hour. Working 8:00 – 4:00 will save an hour a day.

Realize you don’t have to work eight hours at your job and then another eight on your project. Set a goal for yourself to work two hours a day on your project. That might not be a lot, but try. Add more hours if you can. If you can’t then you have to make those hours count. Do you really need that feature? Yes. Do you need it before launch? No. Do you need it now? No. Not only does writing fewer features take less time, it usually makes for a better app. Stay focused.

Stay motivated. Remember why you are doing this. You will have a better life, you will have more money, you will be doing something you love, you will be more fulfilled. Keep at it. You are on the right track.

Schedule your time. I have found that the best way to ensure I put those hours in is to do them first. Set the alarm and get up early. Be late to work. Hopefully by the time they fire you your project will be taking off.

Bet on yourself. Use your savings to live and quit your job. If you are not willing to sacrifice because there is no guarantee of success, then why would any investor give you money.

Ask for help. What about partnering with a friend? Ask you parents for money so you can quit your job. Ask a relative. We get a lot of people who approach us asking us to work for equity. I always ask these people what did their parents/in-laws/siblings/cousins say when they asked for money to fund their project. I have yet to have anyone say that they have even asked. Why would I take the risk on you when don’t even believe in yourself enough to ask your family for help?

The point I want to make to my friend is to take the leap. Try. Find a way to make it work. If it fails then so what. Try again. I work hard, but I have the best job in the world. I LOVE my job. If you feel the entrepreneurial spirit, then do it. The world is changing. It is becoming easier and easier to make a living with a very small company. A one or two person company can do things that giant companies can’t do. You can do things that giant companies can’t do. Do it. And feel free to ask me for help along the way.

Posted by Steven Bristol

A few days before RailsConf I’ll be speaking at the Dynamic Languages World Europe 08. The conference will be held on May 27 -28 with “Power Workshops” on May 26th and will be held in Karlsruhe, Germany

I’m going to give two talks, one on Merb and one on Advanced JavaScript and Rails. You can read the desciptions and see me in an eye patch

I will be flying directly from Germany to Portland. If you’re able to, please stop by and say hello.

Posted by Allan Branch

We love our clients and thank goodness have never fired one but I have spoken to many people who have been in this situation. They are worried about losing that income from their forever unhappy client. Neither the client or contractor is happy with the results or relationship, but they continue to work together. Ending a working relationship with client a NOT a negative thing. If you aren't happy in the relationship, they most likely aren't either. There is no need to hold them back from finding someone that can make them happy. One of our rules in business is "Want your clients/customers/employees to be happy. Even if that means going somewhere else."

No one likes to end a relationship but it’s usually for the best. For the best? How is firing a client and losing that income better? Simple answer, in the time it takes to try to live up to their expectation you can make three new clients happy. Which makes more sense?

3 Steps
1) Be Honest, "I don't think I can make you happy, fulfill your need, I don't have the time."
2) Refer to someone else better suited.
3) If you refer to someone check back with them and make sure your referral is living up to your recommendation.

Posted by Allan Branch

If you think success is guaranteed you will…

1. Worry about Server Scaling instead of good UI.
2. Hire people you don’t need instead of hiring the right people.
3. Add features you don’t need instead of trimming the cruft.
4. Your overall attitude changes and you…
   1. start believing you have all the answers.
   2. stop listening to users.
5. You worry about what people will say instead of going with your gut.
6. You opt for vanilla solutions instead of being bold.
7. You turn into an asshole (might have already happened).

Posted by Steven Bristol

1. Always do what is right (as in righteousness, not correctness).
2. Work hard.
3. Don’t cheat.
4. Don’t ever make decisions based on greed.
5. Do your best work.
6. Want your customers to be happy. Even if that means using a different service or product.
7. Want your employees to be happy. Even if that means working somewhere else.
8. Only hire the best.
9. Your business partner(s) should not always think like you or agree with you.
10. Encourage push-back.
11. You will be misunderstood, get ready.
12. You are not always right.
13. A business that ruins your marriage is not worth having.
14. If your work sucks, get better or change careers.
15. Negative people and relationships will kill your passion and business.
16. Be thankful for everything all the time, even when times suck.
17. Your reputation is your first and last product.

Posted by Allan Branch

• Only give kindness out of love.
• Unselfish love is the only love to give.
• A friend will help change your tire in the middle of the night.
• A friend yearns for their friends to be successful.
• Accept flaws on your friends, its what makes them different.
• Be my friend only if you're ready to accept me.
• You will be misunderstood, get ready.
• You will occasionally be wrong, you will need to admit it.
• Actions really do speak higher than words. Don't tell me you're a good person, show me.
• Your gains from selfish love will only be temporary.
• A great host cares more about their guest's entertainment/experience than their own.
• A great parent cares more about their child well being than their own.
• A coach that cares will ride your ass and you will hate them, but only temporarily.
• Negative people and relationships will kill your passion.
• Be thankful for everything all the time, even when times suck.

Posted by Allan Branch

A gift of kindness or concern will make the recipient light up. I was recently the receipent of kindness. Wendy, (orangewillow on twitter) is the girlfriend of Josh Owens, host of the web 2.0 show (and a killer rails dude). Josh introduced me to Wendy, she's a full-time artist, selling her wares on Etsy.com. I recently moved and was joking how we were going to have some bare walls. Wendy sent me a painting and some illustrations! How awesome! The artwork is super cool and it was a total surprise. I am totally excited about it, Wendy rocks! I was a fan of her work before but now I'm her #1 fan.

Another example is about two weeks ago we were living in Birmingham Alabama in our old house. We needed a small piece of sliding because my dog has damaged a section of the current sliding. My wife noticed a construction company working on another house in the neighborhood. We didn't know where to purchase the sliding from, so she asked them. The owner of the company replied how big of a piece do you need? She said she didn't know. The owner, Richard, walked over to our house measured it and cut a piece to fit for free. His kindness hopefully will be repaid, we passed out 25 of his business cards to friends. We didn't ask for a free piece of sliding and he didn't ask for us to promote him.

You don't have to give monetary gifts, kindness can be words and or actions. I was in Wal-mart last night purchasing trash bags for the new house. The cashier looked tired and upset, her hand was wrapped and her finger was in a splint. I asked "What happened to your finger?" she instantly brightened up and told me. Her posture and facial expressions changed. As I left I said "I hope your finger gets better, take care of it." I meant it and I think she knew it. Kindness is amazing.

Posted by Allan Branch

There are so many amazing designers out there it always surprises me when a client says they like our designs the best and they want to work with us. I also wonder how many sites they've visited, because surely they haven't seen many if they like ours the best.

I love seeing a site that the design surprises me. A design from a concept that I couldn't dream up in my wildest creative spirit. Color combinations that are beyond me, certain design treatments and great UIs. When I see these sites I am envious of the designer's skills. I think a good designer must keep a running catalog of great works in their mind. I heard somewhere that "copying one person is called stealing, copying many people is called research".

A designer's job is to mimic what the target market wants to see. I've designed sites for women, children and the elderly. Its your job to get into their mind and show them what they need to see/feel and do to accomplish the goal of the site. Actors become their character and a designer must think like their target market. So we're like actors right? I'm like a chubby Brad Pitt I guess, the Troy/Fight Club Brad Pitt.

I keep a running catalog of my design thoughts on flickr, here's the link.

Posted by Steven Bristol

Last week Gregg Pollack and Jason Seifer (the fake Steve Bristol), AKA the Rails Envy guys launched a new site called Ruby Heroes. The idea behind the site is to recognize people in the Ruby/Rails world who contribute but are not well known. Please go and nominate someone you believe in. I want to talk about some of my local heroes: The folks at Hashrocket.

Hashrocket is a Rails company here in Jacksonville, FL that does high-end website consulting/development. They are lead by the famous Obie Fernandez (made famous by The Obie and Steve Show). They are big believers in testing, communication and insist on a high level of excellence. If anyone needs a website done, I can not recommend them enough.

Haskrocket is growing at an amazing pace, so there are a lot of great people there. I would like to introduce you to a few of the Rocketeers:

Desi McAdam

Desi is one of the kindest, sweetest, most considerate people you would ever have the privilege to know. Along with being and ace developer she runs the Dev Chix.

Recommend Desi on Working With Rails

Jim Remsik Jr. – “Big Tiger”

Tiger is kind of the strong silent type, so every one of his words has a bit more weight than if it came from anyone else. He is smart and thoughtful with a deadpan delivery that might leave you wondering why everyone else is laughing. He blogs at Invisible foil hats and shows off his camera talents on his flickr page (I have the distinction of having given Tiger his nickname.)

Recommend Tiger on Working With Rails

Jon Larkowski – “l4rk”

L4rk is a great developer with a really good sense of when to cheat the code and when not to cheat. He has his own sense of programming excellence and the rare ability to see the forest, the trees, the leaves and the mountain at the same time. He is fun to be around and has a bitting humor will make you laugh at yourself again and again when you repeat his comments later.

Recommend l4rk on Working With Rails

Sandro Turriate – “The Dro”

Sandro is a fairly new convert to Rails. He has been programming in Python/Django for a while but we have all converted/brainwashed/forced/pushed/convinced/manipulated/tricked him to leave the dark side and join us in the Light. Before joining Hashrocket, Sandro helped me out of a jam by doing a few weeks of sweeper work (bug fixes and little stuff) on a big project. He is a stand up guy well deserving of all the good things in life.

Recommend the Dro on Working With Rails

Haskrocket is filled with smart, talented people. They can do anything you need and you will not regret using them on your next project.

Posted by Allan Branch

Here's a screencast of the css trickery from our newest app WeAllHateQuickbooks.com
Link to Screencast

The app scans Twitter.com for the word "Quickbooks" and displays the tweet.

Posted by Allan Branch

Today I watched an awesome youtube video of Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.

Please watch this video, its worth every second. Take the 75 minutes and focus 100% of your attention on his words. This week I'm going to write a few blogs on some points that stuck me from his speech. Stay tuned for those.

Link to the YouTube Video

Posted by Rhea Drysdale

5. Verizon

Google Search: “Verizon Sucks” = 17,100 results
Google Search: “I Hate Verizon” = 7,530 results

TOTAL VERIZON SUCKS POINTS = 24,630

Best of the Worst:

• Verizon Math
• 10 Reasons Why Verizon Sucks
• Verizon is Evil

How Bad Can a Cell Phone Company Get?

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4. Wal-Mart

Google Search: “Wal-Mart Sucks” = 19,100 results
Google Search: “I Hate Walmart” = 17,700 results
TOTAL WALMART SUCKS POINTS = 36,800

Best of the Worst:

• The Wal-Mart You Don’t Know
• Walmart Watch
• Walmart Sucks Blogspot
• Walmart Blows

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3. Comcast

Google Search: “Comcast Sucks” = 26,900 results
Google Search: “I Hate Comcast” = 10,900 results
TOTAL COMCAST SUCKS POINTS = 37,800

Best of the Worst:

• Comcast Sucks
• Comcast Watch
• ComCraptic

Comcast Technician Sleeping on Couch:

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2. AOL

Google Search: “AOL Sucks” = 41,000 results
Google Search: “I Hate AOL” = 10,800 results
TOTAL AOL SUCKS POINTS = 51,800

Best of the Worst:

• Anti-AOL
• Why AOL Sucks
• AOL Watch

Canceling AOL Account:

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The MOST HATED COMPANY ONLINE is…

1. Microsoft

Google Search: “Microsoft Sucks” = 64,800 results
Google Search: “I Hate Microsoft” = 81,800 results
TOTAL MICROSOFT SUCKS POINTS = 146,600!!!

Best of the Worst:

• Windows Crash Gallery
• Microsoft Sucks

Chris Pirillo Calls Microsoft Outlook Tech Support:

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This public service announcement to rude customer service departments and frustrating applications is brought to you by We All Hate Quickbooks, developed by the creators of Less Accounting. We make life less annoying.

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UPDATE – Some additions to the list:

If you can think of other companies that should be on here, please share them in the comments below or on digg.

MySpace

Google Search: “MySpace Sucks” = 110,000 results
Google Search: “I Hate MySpace” = 70,700 results
TOTAL MYSPACE SUCKS POINTS = 180,700
(I think we have a winner, can anyone beat it?!)

Best of the Worst:

• I Fucking Hate MySpace Message Board
• I Hate MySpace
• 16 Reasons MySpace Sucks

The Megan Meier Story:

(thanks to Drew from Digg)

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Google

Google Search: “Google Sucks” = 132,000 results
Google Search: “I Hate Google” = 27,000 results
TOTAL GOOGLE SUCKS POINTS = 159,000

Best of the Worst:

• Google Sucks
• Google Search Sucks
• GoogleSucks.org

Note: The Google Sucks results are tainted by posts like this one from a friend, Barry Schwartz, who purposefully wrote about it in a humorous post and encouraged others to do the same. Also, the sheer number of Google users that are technologically advanced versus say a Wal-Mart customer is probably a huge difference. This means when a Wal-Mart customer gets screwed they probably turn to a lawyer or watch group rather than their blog.

You’ve Been Googled:

(I posted a video about Google, but on further examination it was clear that the beliefs of Less Everything weren’t in alignment with those of the speaker. We personally love Google and use all of their tools, so it didn’t feel right saying negative things about them. Besides I used Google to google everything, which seems to negate many of these comments. Also… Steve made me do it! So, enjoy this cute puppy!!!)