J. Timothy King’s Blog

Changes: Fading Out of the Software Business

I’ve been an idiot.

I’ve moved this blog to a new domain, blog.JTimothyKing.com. (That’s not how I’ve been an idiot.) And I’m changing the focus, because the focus of my life has been changing. The fact that it has been changing for the past 2 years but I haven’t acted on it– That’s how I’ve been an idiot.

Actually, I did act on it… kinda. But I didn’t really have a vision for where I wanted to go. Or more accurately, I didn’t truly believe my vision was possible. And so I let my efforts get confused. On the one hand, I was doing what I believed I should be doing to get ahead. On the other hand, I was doing what I really enjoyed. And while I truly believed the two could be integrated, I never acted to integrate them. Because I didn’t truly believe what I wanted was possible… I’m babbling. Let me clarify. (Read more…)

Sued for Reading an RSS Feed?

The blogosphere is coming of age. And the story of my recent experience with a well-known blog network illustrates a contentious issue in the blogosphere, contentious because blogging technology is just progressing too fast, even for bloggers. And because the law is moving even more slowly than the bloggers themselves. Before the dust settles, no doubt, many people will have spent many, many thousands of dollars (or maybe millions) in legal fees, sorting it all out.

My story began with an email from said major blog network, an email that was obviously written by a lawyer. (Read more…)

I’ve Been So Busy…

• … I have over 30,000 unread posts in my feed reader.
• … I haven’t read Dilbert for over a month.
• … I have to schedule appointments with my wife.
• … Some people have e-mailed me three times, and I still haven’t gotten back to them.
• … I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to read a good book.

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How the Oldest, Safest Innovation Redefined a Web 2.0 Website

There are many myths about innovation. The biggest is that it’s risky. This myth is especially prevalent in the hi-tech community. That’s because when we think “innovation,” we think about technological innovation, one of the riskiest kinds of innovation. What’s more, we naturally feel threatened by the most secure and lucrative opportunities for innovation.

And that’s what happened to me. I faced an opportunity to innovate on one of my websites. My first instinct was “That’s crazy!” Fortunately, I knew enough to put my feelings in perspective. And this opportunity opened up a parallel market.

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Ten Things That Are Different Now That I’m Self-Employed

My first day as an entrepreneur, I got sick. Seriously. It was Thanksgiving. And I got a virus, which grew steadily worse through that day and the next. Immediately, I got to experience two differences about working for yourself: No paid holidays, and no paid sick leave.

By Friday evening, I was completely incapacitated and coughing up big wads of… Well, suffice it to say I was feeling awful, and starting to worry a little. My cash-flow plan depended on me being able to bill enough hours for November in order not to starve the first couple weeks of January. So, I went to the emergency room. (And my first executive decision, to opt for COBRA coverage, turned out to be the right one.) And the doctor gave me some really nice drugs. And I slept straight through Saturday and most of Sunday.

Now that I’ve been doing it for a week, here are 10 more things I’ve noticed that are different since I started working for myself.

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The Mantra That Will Get Me Through My Last 4 Days

Today I discovered a mantra that I hope will get me through my last four days in this place. And I wrote it on my dry-erase board.

If you recall, I quit my job and struck out on my own. But I still have a few more days before my last. Four days, to be more precise. You see, the thing is, I had already prepared a smooth exit even before I gave notice. So everything’s all set for me to go. Except now they’ve got me hacking a new feature into another impossibly low-quality module. I’m somewhere inbetween demoralized and just plain exhausted.

Alistair Cooke said, “A professional is someone who can do his best work when he doesn’t feel like it.” This quote is sometimes used by the more pointy-haired to brow-beat their underlings into a sense of pride. And that’s complete B.S. Each of us, professional or otherwise, does his best work when he’s engaged and happy. A professional is someone who can do a competent job when he’s disengaged or unhappy. But he’s not going to do his best work.

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Yes, I’ve Left Normal

I gave my notice this week, and I’m now officially self-employed (almost).

My first reaction was, “How cool is this? I’m rockin’ now!”

My second reaction was, “Oh s***! What have I just done?!”

(Read more…)

I Just Realized How Miserable I Am

Recently, Alexander Kjerulf, the Chief Happiness Officer, asked, “What makes you happy or unhappy at work?” I pulled part of my answer from an old post from my LiveJournal, “Things to Make My Life Perfect.” This list of things I actually wrote in response to a writing prompt for the (now defunct) Alchera Project. At the time, I was in a deep depression, brought about by a demoralizing job.

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Wage Slave or Crazy Entrepreneur?

Eric Allam of 52 Reviews posted an interesting comment on my post “Top Ten Reasons to Remain a Wage Slave,” which is a spoof off of a couple of Steve Pavlina’s “list of 10″ posts. Eric linked to a post on his blog, “BusinessPundit lays out 10 misconceptions of entrepreneurship, reveals his hypocrisy,” in which he rebutted criticisms Robert May of BusinessPundit.com had leveled at Steve Pavlina’s post. (Whew! I’m outta breath!)

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Why Geeks Should Care About Fashion

As a thirty-something male software engineer, one of the best things about looking for a new job is that I get to go shopping for interview clothes. And that’s what I did this weekend.

If you’ve not appreciated the joy of shopping for interview clothes, you’re missing out. And if you think that this joy is just for women… Well, you unfortunately may be right. Women have so many more clothing options. Not only can they wear anything a man can wear, they get to wear skirts, capris, dresses, and even stirrup pants. (But please, ladies, don’t do that.) And accessories! As a man, I can wear a ring and watch. If I want to be bad, I can wear a crucifix around my neck, or maybe a stud earring. If I want to be formal, I can wear a tie. But the girls get to play with jewelry, scarves, handbags, shoes, and just about everything else. And women can get away with colors and patterns that would just make us guys look gay. Yes, women get to have all the fun and creativity.

(Read more…)