detechifying update January 18, 2009

Success:
No more tech “work” outside of the job. No more side projects. (Which part of me regrets, since side projects are a key to staying sharp and up-to-date.)
Fail:
Must reduce Twitter, Facebook, and social networks so far – optimize, but not remove completely.
Reading non-tech books… still slow.  Reading news/articles/blogs online is much more tempting, but isn’t [...]

Obsession January 18, 2009

Now I think I’ve been hard on myself in getting myself to write in this blog. Hard on myself, like I am on many other things. So I’lll relax a bit, and be happy even if some of the stuff I’m writing remains in drafts. I should be satisfied that I get to empty my [...]

detechifying January 2, 2009

I’m not going to have a “summary of 2008″ post, as others do. While I’d love to, I don’t feel I could spare all the details here. Instead, I’ll just share the insights I’ve had through the past few weeks, as well as what I’ve been doing.
I’ve been a computer techie for a long time. [...]

Coding No More? June 26, 2008

Two surprising things have happened.
First, I have admitted to myself that I have grown tired of coding.
Second, I have been reading business books, and will be reading some more. I choose these from the Personal MBA reading list.
How did this happen?
After being a programmer for 23 years – since age 11 – I have grown [...]

Open Source Angst May 18, 2008

Open source is supposed to make users happy (except when it doesn’t work). It’s supposed to make their developers happy (as long as it scratches their itch.) But it has been causing me angst.
I don’t get to write any.
Of all the years I’ve been working with free software/open source, I have only been hacking bits [...]

bittersweetness May 10, 2008

I will forever associate the word “Bittersweet” with Marc Almond. That 1988 song is stuck in my head thanks to the NU 107/99.5 RT of that era, mixed with the a killer melody and lyrics that tempt you – “Let’s Go To Paradise Jack.” Ultimately nonsensical but filling for the moment.
Just like that, memories of [...]

two thousand and eight common era December 31, 2007

Plenty of New Years’ posts, so I should also break the silence.

How I’m starting 2008: Work. January 1 is a regular working day where I’m at. And very busy, too.

Things I did the most in 2007: Spent about half the year working on my onshore outsourced project. Gain a good bit of experience.

What I failed [...]

Aging December 15, 2007

There are plenty of side projects that I can work on while here on my foreign assignment. I can do them after working at our client. I can do them on weekends, which are quite idle.

But I barely do them, Research & Development that used to be my lifeblood. Am I losing it as a [...]

Silicon Valley Envy December 8, 2007

Some time ago I was writing on the “Silicon Valley in the Philippines” theme. I was going through a “Silicon Valley Envy” phase. I wished I were part of the culture – not just the tech, but hanging out with people I read in tech blogs.

Time passed and I did not magically get transplanted to [...]

Interview by Karla May 25, 2007

Nina interviewed Karla Redor. Now, Karla interviews me!

What is your dream tech start up?

The dream tech startup is Telecoms and Internet related. Areas related to what I do for work now – except instead of just working on it, I will own it. Now you wonder why I post about “Web 2.0 startups” and related [...]