proud n00b

Why do tickets to tech company conferences cost so much? (f8 - $400, WWDC- $1,599)

F8 was just announced, and the tickets are priced at $400 a pop. I don’t know about you guys, but for an individual developer (who would love to go), $400 is crazy money. Why do tech company conferences cost so much?!?

Facebook is charging the people who expand their ecosystem to attend an event which will result in Facebook growing further. This doesn’t make sense to me. I understand they want to cover their costs, but I have personally spent more than $400 of my time digging through their documentation & hacking on their APIs.

Tech events like this should be free. Facebook should want every developer to come to f8 for networking, learning more about the platform, and getting developers’ creative juices flowing. By charging so much, you limit who attends, and therefore directly hinder Facebook’s potential growth as a platform.

Yes this is a bit of ranting and raving, but I think the high costs of these events is a real problem. These events should be free for the people who create more value for these companies. Why don’t they understand that and reciprocate the favor? (Apple I’m also looking at you.)

Hey Apple, this is what I want

• 13in MacBookPro
• i5 processor
• 4GB RAM
• No optical drive
• “Retina display” (what’s up with keeping the old display?!)
• 10hr battery (for reals) - yeah you can dump “Thunderbolt” if you need to
• Audio line in & Audio line out (whats up with 1 outlet for both?)
• 4 USB ports (4..its like 3 but 1 more…)
• Comes with updated OSX (or free update within 1 year)

That’s it. You were so close to making this happen - and then we get another year with an optical drive, the same ol display, Thunderbolt which would be cool if I needed to pass that much data via a cord, and less battery life. 

And while I’m at it- why don’t you update the OSX at the same time as the laptops? Oh right - we spend a little bit more later in the year for something that should have come with our new computer. Sync those cycles up!

Come on Steve, stop teasing us bro

Handmade computer stand

After last week’s spillage on the Macbook keyboard, I put my laptop behind my monitor- resting vertically against the wall. It was out of the way, and made my desk mighty spacious. However it occurred to me - if I have another spill, the comp is still in the floodplain. 

How could I keep it vertically and get it off my desk? 

There is the TwelveSouth BookArc Stand- but that is $50 for a piece of metal. I’m not sure that is exactly a ‘value’ - even if it does have a nice design.

As I walked around Union Square yesterday afternoon, my inner Bob Vila got to thinking. I sketched out various ideas, like:

• A holder that hangs from the top of a monitor- like a towel hanger for a door
• An easel design

After quickly tossing out the first idea, I did a few Google searches on the second, and found a few “How to” videos. An A-frame easel seemed like a relatively simple solution, until I found this crazy video- and yes it is crazy.

A picture frame design- 2 pieces of wood- no bolts or glue necessary!

With my inner, urban carpenter rearing to go, here are the results.

At this point I had to go to the hardware store and buy a bigger saw & clamps. The little hand saw we had at home was just too small and flimsy.

Apologies to the Ikea shelf sacrificed in the process..

$9.99 for Saw

$8.99 for Clamps (so the wood didn’t slip, and I inadvertently cut off a thumb)

Total Cost: $20.78

Not too shabby. I think I’ll knock a few out tomorrow, and may throw them on Etsy. Who knows I may even make a Kickstarter video for them!

Update: And no I didn’t “cut it with my teeth” - just a rough, first model :)

Manifesto For Success

Sometimes, people perform better than you. Finish ahead of you. Make more money than you.

You are tired of that. That time has ended.Not because you’re looking to beat them, but because - You are focused on making you better.

Don’t think about the competition. It’s not something you can change. - Unknown

You wake up earlier, work longer, and study more to-

Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected. - Steve Jobs

Today

People are scared. The economy is contracting, and things are hairy. Those are the reasons why you aren’t. 

Now is the time to be investing in the future. Bettering yourself. Gaining the skills everyone else isn’t. While they are focused on today and tomorrow, you are focused on then next five years.

We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful. - Warren Buffett

Practice Your Best

You go all out and reach your threshold-  to push through it. You are comfortable working harder than everyone else - over and over again. Repeatedly busting through your best to raise your game higher and higher. 

Ready For The Opportunity 

Because when that opportunity comes, you’ll be ready. When that idea hits you, you’ll be prepared to act. When that deal comes along, you’ll be able to close it. You work hard to be prepared for that big opportunity.

Get The Big Fish

You go after that big fish, because everyone else isn’t.

There is less competition at the top. - Seth Godin, Ramit Sethi, or Tim Ferriss (I forget which)

You shoot for the stars to Think Different.

People who think they are crazy enough to change the world, are the ones who actually do. - Jack Kerouac?

The Excuse

The excuse you hear is- “Well, some people are born that way.”

Yes some people are born to work hard, to focus, to limit distractions and go for the unattainable.

That is why you are different. That is why you’ll succeed.

I find the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. - Thomas Jefferson