technology « Christopher Ross

Posts Tagged ‘technology’

11
Aug
2009

Five things I wish I could have told myself 10 years ago.

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Back when I was a young(ish) pup doing design work in Toronto, I made a lot of bonehead decisions. Most, but not all I came to regret later on and looking back, here are some things that I wish I could tell myself:

Stop chasing technology.

Back in 1998 the big technology was HTML, Flash scripting and Perl but as the Internet began to really take off I was introduced to hundreds of options including several new flavors of HTML, multiple new programming languages (PHP, ASP etc) and new technologies weekly. While it served me well to understand most of these, it was a waste of time to try to follow most of them.

My advice to myself: Stop trying to master multiple technologies. Instead, focus on one and keep your eyes open for signs that it’s time to learn more after you’ve mastered the first.

Listen to your elders.

I appreciate that this is advice every ‘generation’ tries to give to the next but in my case, I really wish somebody had pointed this out to me. Not because those older then me know anything (especially about the web) but because … everybody likes to be listened to.

My advice to myself: Take advise from those who offer it and try to learn as much as you can so that you don’t have to repeat others mistakes.

Invest in plastics.

No, not plastics … the Internet. Well, I did that (as you can tell) but the advice is still sound. More to the point, never be afraid to predict what the future might hold and prepare yourself for it. Luck it appears isn’t random, those who are ready when opportunity knocks are often the ones we later consider “lucky”.

My advice to myself: Invest in the future, live in the present and learn from the past.

Jobs come from people, not companies.

People send you work when you’re competent and charismatic, companies never send you work. I wish I’d known this sooner but apparently, business decisions are made by people based on a number of factors including how well they like you, the quality of your work and how punctual you are.

My advice to myself: Be good like a waiter … get it to them on time, make it look great and keep a smile on your face.

Never be afraid to fail.

In my life I’ve learnt more from failure then I ever did in school. Don’t be afraid to fail, don’t be afraid to fall down and certainly don’t be afraid to look like a fool. Taking chances is how you get ahead in life and the more chances you’re successful at, the further ahead you’ll be.

My advice to myself: Relax, learn, retry.

(where’d I get the awesome photo? Huge thanks to Sara Petagna!)

Tags: 10 Years, advice, Business Decisions, Elders, Invest, jobs, Lot, Multiple Technologies, New Flavors, Perl, Plastics, Programming Languages, Pup, Scripting, signs, technology, toronto, Waste Of Time, When Opportunity Knocks
Posted in Design, HTML Programming, Marketing Advice, Twitter, Web Site Advice

03
Apr
2009

I don’t get Twitter.

28 Comments

This morning there was an article by Erick Schonfeld called Biz Stone Plays It Cool On Colbert and I have to admit, I feel a little foolish professing this on a technology blog but I don’t really ‘get’ Twitter.

I think my problem ‘getting’ Twitter is that to me it’s a bunch of noise distracting me from my daily objectives. I already have an Instant Message client running as well as Skype, Facebook, an iPhone, iChat and my office phones. Not including my email, RSS subscriptions and usernet group updates … I guess in truth I just don’t understand the need for another source of chatter.

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there’s got to be a purpose to it … I just don’t get it. I don’t think I’m alone either.

Biz Stone (Twitter) was on The Colbert Report last night and even he seemed unable to truly explain what the purpose of the popular social networking tool is. Jeremy Lichtman Lichtman has a point where he states there’s a high ‘noise to signal’ ratio, so maybe my issue with Twitter is the same issue I had as a kid when my uncle tried to get me to listen to the old Ham radio … maybe Twitter users are the modern, Internet version of dorky middle aged men talking to each other in closets?

Tags: Biz Stone, blog, Closets, Colbert Report, Facebook, Group Updates, guess, Ham Radio, Ichat, Instant Message, Internet Version, iphone, Lichtman, Message Client, Networking Tool, Plays, running, skype, social networking, Subscriptions, technology, Truth, twitter
Posted in Blog Posts

31
Dec
2008

Technology Burnout, the Downside of the IT Industry

5 Comments

For those of you who read my blog often, you’ll know that most of the time I write about how to fix a CSS problem or what to do to improve your WordPress effectiveness but coming out of the holidays, I’ve spent a lot of time over the past two weeks talking to friends and I’m starting to notice a trend among a lot of IT workers … they’re giving up, moving on and simply done.

I have a friend from college, who I consider to be one of the smartest people I know. Last Christmas, at age 33 he was the Chief Technology Officer for an IT company in Canada’s largest market. Well published, respected and at the top of the industry. This Christmas he’s backpacking in Asia with no intent of ever working in the industry again. In fact, I don’t know that he even has a computer anymore.

Isolated incident right? I wish.

Another close friend left a management meeting where he was the Director of Information Security, cleared his desk and began applying to jobs as a bartender. Later that same year, a third close friend left his position as the IT Manager for a large shipping company and sells computers on commission at a local big box store. Of the dozens of IT workers I know, these may be isolated cases or statistically irrelevant but it’s begun to make me think that as a community need to look at the stress levels involved in working in our industry.

The one thing that all of them seem to have in common is that they started in the early ’90s and survived the bubbles, the busts, the millennium and nearly 20 years of ups and downs in the industry. The three I mention here all did very well, so well in fact that by the time each was 30, they’d paid off their mortgages or come close to it. Each had reached a respectable level in their industry and left on their own terms.

Maybe for a generation of video game players, this is enough?

Tags: backpacking, Bartender, bubbles, burnout, busts, chief technology officer, Desk, Downside, dozens, industry, information security, last christmas, management meeting, millennium, Mortgages, respectable level, shipping company, stress levels, technology, Ups, ups and downs, video game players, workers
Posted in Blog Posts

28
Sep
2008

Ruin My Date

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While I was teaching at the Center for Arts and Technology here in Fredericton, I kept walking into local coffee shops at just the wrong moment for students which caused awkward silences with their dates. Eventually one girl in particular suggested that I put up a website so that I could sell my services. :)

Tags: awkward silences, coffee shops, fredericton, graphic design, Portfolio, technology
Posted in Web Design