I am a code tinkerer. I like to write code that does interesting and wonderful things and sometimes less practical things (but no less wonderful). And I code to fill time, boost my knowledge and to learn more about what is going on in the web programming world.
Occasionally I'll get an idea or be inspired to create something that has practical use as well as intrinsic interest for me and I'll share it with other people. Sometimes it is a goofy trinket like the Wheatoncalc and other times it is something more substantial. But my initial idea is always to say, "Here" and get the reaction, "This is cool". And I feel as if I've been paid in full for my time and effort.
My latest "fun" project is something that is desperately needed by the twitter community. Basically it is a way to manage your followers and friends more like an address book than the tools Twitter provides. It is still in testing so I'll not link to it here.
I shared this tool with some friends from Twitter and one of them had me call her. She is a network/social marketer with a lot of savvy and she uses Twitter as one of many tools in her arsenal and I approached her looking for some feed back from a more "professional" angle.
She immediately hit on an application I had not considered and pitched it as a product to be sold. She cautioned me about sharing her idea (and implied a threat as if I needed it) and I tentatively agreed.
So, suddenly one of these toys may make some money. I'm not sure how I feel about that since it has never happened before. I wonder what sort of money it might bring in?
I've registered a name and am looking into hosting but I am hesitant to invest a lot of cash into something that may not pay for itself over time (that's how I wound up with an Internet Kiosk aka the White Elephant).
I may have to plan to work small ($100 or less) and have a rapid expansion plan in place if it becomes necessary. It has been a while since I did the "entrepreneur thing". My skills are rusty.
Ever since Barrack Obama was elected president, the conservatives, and particularly the "wackier" conservatives have become like crazed, costumed criminals in Gotham City. I consider myself a libertarian conservative and while I have some pretty wacky ideas I'd never consider murder or arson as tools to promote my agenda.
George Tiller was an doctor in Kansas. He ran a clinic that had been picketed, bombed, and burned. He was shot in his arms and on Sunday he was murdered in his church by a stranger who literally drove there, shot him and drove away. I personally don't see how any level of outrage can justify this. I can't imagine what this person thought he was trying to accomplish other than the senseless murder of a human being. Regardless of what you believe about this man's profession, the law upheld his right to do it. If you don't agree with the law then you should try to change the law, and if it isn't changing fast enough for you then move elsewhere. Oh, did I mention that Dr. Tiller was an abortion doctor who specialized in late-term (third trimester) abortions?
A coffee house in Maine that employed 10 women and three men was burned to the ground this morning. The owner's residence was attached to the back of the business and it, too was destroyed. The residents of the neighborhood had objected to the coffee house numerous times and had been seeking to remove its business license but the owner had been scrupulously adhering to every health, safety and business regulation and so they had little grounds for complaint. His business was thriving in a bad economy (a feat in itself). Police have determined it was definitely arson. What sort of person is so incensed at a businessman who is working the system to make a living that he has to resort to arson thereby risking the lives of the owner and his family (including his children and grandchildren)? By the way, the coffee house was a topless place of business.
I don't get it. I reserve the word "hate" for very few things. I try to never say I "hate" something because that word carries with it a level of abhorrence that implies violence. But I hate bigots and those who are intolerant of others. I hate people who would cheat or swindle someone for personal gain. I hate anyone who would judge once and forever without ever reconsidering that things change. But all of those things I hate might drive me to punch a wall or throw something across a room. I'd never strike someone (I'd leave their presence first) and I'd certainly never never never kill them or deliberately place them in danger.
I don't know what is suddenly wrong with the world that people think that this sort of behavior is appropriate, but I am getting fed up with it. I am adding "people who would champion violence or destruction as means of change" to my list of things I hate.
UPDATE: A 17 year old girl is arrested for removing her ex-roommate's pet kitten from her ex-roommates apartment. She did this in order to "mess up" her ex-roommate's place. That and she hates cats. Oh, did I mention she burned the kitten to death in her oven? I am telling you this town needs an enema.
