The worst thing you can do if you read the below post and what I consider some inspiring links and feel energised from them is to bookmark this blog post or any of those links. So let’s make an agreement before we begin. If you like this blog post, don’t bookmark it and don’t go off and write a blog post and link to this. If you really really want to do something go off and do it, there and then. Register a domain for a business idea, drop every damned thing and do that. Way better than that, walk out of the office or where you happen to be with a pen and paper and using the energy or elation that you have, plan something out on a pen and paper right then. But do not, do not, DO NOT bookmark, do not consign to the back of the browser drawer these webpages. This allows your excited brain to eject those feelings and move back into doing something comfortable, routine, mundane.
But.
But do not spec out an elaborate plan either. Concentrate on one piece of it. See that piece as a a whole part and work on figuring out that and that alone. Forget the overall system that it ties into right now. You want to challenge all parts of your brain and get them working together. Visio is evil. Wire diagrams are evil. Bookmarks (I’m just reiterating) are evil. It is better to build a nut and bolt for a system than it is to spec it out. Yeah you want to build a new car but concentrate on the alternator for now. (Spot the guy who calls the AA to start his car)
Here’s another thing. If the idea turns out to be shit. Grand. Your brain however has now been exercised. It’ll let you know it liked it. Pretend that silly joke about the guy that made 1up and 2up and 3up and gave up at 6up is true. Think of these as warm-up laps and one warm-up lap you realise you’re not so much running as flying. When it all clicks and it all makes sense you’re going to have a good environment to start. Here’s why:
The economy is going to shit but with it prices are falling down, people need money, companies are charging less, people are charging less, many are happy to take a job that pays the mortgage and will work at home afterhours doing work to pay the other bills, work you can provide, non-unionised labour is going to be cheaper, people will want to work on things that help their portfolio and get their name spread if YOU do well. Inflation is going to go into negative percentages soon. 2009 is the best year ever for those with spare cash or who can rob a piggy bank for some. Fuck the recession, break the routine. Fuck the recession, try something. Fuck the recession, build something. Fuck the recession, fail at something. Fuck the recession, start again. FTR. And yes I have badges that say this.
One in a series. And being another. And Hero.
And with my lecture to you out of the way…
Photo owned by karpov the wrecked train (cc)
Links:
The mobile web is here. Look at how much mobile web traffic the iPod Touch has created. Think app store.
An idea that started on Twitter is expanding out now that they have traction.
Om Malik talks about 2009 being the year of the hacker. Go try things out. Go write stuff, go break stuff, go use your spare time to do.
Less features, less rules, less restrictions and the community will evolve your platform.
“Given fewer rules, people actually behaved in more creative, co-operative, and collaborative (or competitive, as the case may be) ways.”
Tim O’Reilly suggests working on the stuff that matters. Brilliant essay.
I’ve been a professional developer about ten years now and I don’t want to do it any more. I don’t mean developing, I love coding. I mean work.
Read on.
