Okay, I had to tell ya’ll about this.

As my brother put it, this seems very ghetto. Nonetheless it was a decision I made. I hate it when people drag out a story so I wont do that. Here’s the skinny, I bought a server instead of replacing my 35 year old air conditioning. Yes, I live in SC. And yes, today the high got up to 93 degrees. And the temp inside my house got up to 90 degrees.

I can’t do anything when it’s that hot besides go swimming. It is very humid in SC. I spent over an hour sitting and nibbling my food at my favorite middle-eastern restaraunt because it was nice and cool in there. I love that place. They only accept cash. So I’m sure they’re using the profits to buy rocket-launchers or something. But the customers are cool and chatty (even though 50% of them speak a language other than english). The staff is a mix of Israeli, Iranian, and USA-nian) .

Okay, so my AC. Yea, It’s almost 6am and it’s only 80 degrees in my office. Well it’s actually probably 83 degrees. I keep spraying myself with a water spray bottle (for ironing) and it cools me down. So I thought I’d spray my alarm clock (that has a temperature readout on it) to see if it would wick away the heat from the plastic. Sure enough, it did!

 Cool see, I bet ya’ll people with AC would have never figured that out! But then who cares, right?

 So anyways, I got nothing done today. I read a lot of articles on the Internet. I think that’s my entertainment. I don’t watch TV. But I still waste time reading about technical things that don’t really have much impact on the bottom line.

I actually watched an entire 70 minute talk by Linus Torvalds about the source control solution he wrote called ‘git’. I found it very informative. It was on YouTube and most people were complaining about what a poor public speaker he is and how condecending he is. But once you get past that his talk was very intrigueing.

 Anyways, I am definately going to get my AC fixed. Fortunately after this weekend the temp drops about 10 degrees. So it will be crisp 80 in here. ;-( ARG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I get to see Adrianne tomorrow. That rocks. I can’t wait to _iss those pretty lips. She’s so awesome. She definately rocks my world. Hey, I’m 29.

Big Milestone Completed (Drama Included)

Well, a few days ago I finished the migration of all of my hosted services to my own server. Yes folks, my very own server. Not a virtual server in somebody’s datacenter somewhere. My own machine, connected to my own T1 on my own router with my very own DNS server. The only services I pay for now are my T1 and my domain registrar.

It’s interesting because as I was about 2/3rds through my migration my web host informed me that they had lost the database for my oldest database-driven website. 6 years of data – gone! I could never accept that it was really gone. It just wouldn’t sink in. So since the database was destroyed what was keeping me from just migrating that site over to my new server? Nothing really. That website (and a handfull of satelite sites that ran off of the same db) was the last on the list to migrate. But all of a sudden, it became the most important one.

I got it all migrated over. It ran lightling fast compared to the performance at the old web host (as did every site I migrated). I called my web host to get the last backup they had (which they said was over a year old). When they were preparing to FTP the backup to me they realized what happened to the other one. The data and log files were named backwards (their fault). My data was not lost after all. They were just careless. So they FTP’d my database to me. I promptly attached it to my own DB server. Now that site was fully migrated over to my new server and no data was lost after all.  Whew! I felt safe and sound that my site was now running 100% out of my very own datacenter.

Over the next week or two I finished migrating all other websites, databases and email accounts over. The final step was to install a webmail solution for some of my clients that only use webmail for the email they have hosted with me (not Outlook, etc.).  Ahhhh . . . . What a nice feeling.

I received delivery of the custom-built server in February. I spent the next few months on the good ol’ learning curve. The hardest part for me was the one that I thought would be the simplest. Pop3 and SMTP. My problems all had to do with the fact that there is no way that SMTP can authenticate against POP3’s encrypted password file. I read every Google article that contained every combination of the words “Microsoft Server 2003 POP3 SMTP encrypted password file 550.5.7.1″ and others. The main problem is that most people are simply running Exchange. So most advise was specific to Exchange. The only idea that was feasible was to use an idea that did not seem ideal to me. In the end I needed a webmail solution so I bought and installed SmarterMail.  I am now running all SMTP & POP3 off of that. Everything now runs exactly as I envisioned it running.

Here’s a photo of my migration checklist from my infamous whiteboard complete with a list of skills that I had to learn to get it all done.

 Yes folks, it feels very good. Pro Net Labs Ltd. can now offer not only our software development services but also a number of hosting services. I’m more motivated to get on the ball and develop the content for the new company website now.

 Sorry I haven’t blogged in a while. I intend to put my thoughts on here more often. Thanks for checking in!

It’s Official!

Well, this is really just a post about the state of my biz. So if that bores you don’t say I didn’t warn you. ;o)

So now I have my corporate entities established. “DTF Corp. Inc.” is my parent company. “Pro Net Labs, LLC.” is my child company. I may add a child company just for my ConvenientClassifieds biz. But I don’t need to now. It’s too small and not really a candidate for needing it’s own entity.

 I’ve now got my own official data center now. I’ve got a T1 with my own state-of-the-art server. I’ve got my townhouse wired with Cat-5 on a gigabit switch. I’ve got 4 land lines and a Motorola Q cell phone. My laptop has an air-card. I’ve got several clients keeping in touch with me every week.

Someday I’m going to miss this. I really need to soak it in and enjoy it. I work about 15-20 hours a week. I make 2-3 times as much as I did in my last corporate job. I wake up whenever I want to. I stay up as long as I want to. I go on vacations whenever I want and stay as long as I want. I go on 2+ hour lunch with friends on a moment’s notice. I really do. This is no exaggeration.

I wash my Xterra in the middle of the day because I feel like it. All of the parking spaces in my townhouse complex are empty. They’re all at work. Not me. It’s 2:10pm and I just woke up and got my shower. I got done with my shower and thought to myself, “What do I feel like doing?” “Yea, I’ve got some code I could write, but I don’t feel like writing right now.” “My X needs a bath. Yea, I’ll do that.” I strap on my iPod and dial up my favorite tunes and wash the X. It’s as shiny as a penny now. Wheels all glossy, curves glistening. Best of all, the licence plate reads, “Pro Net”! Yea baby!

I’m jumping on a plane Saturday, going snowboarding with my bud R in Snowshoe, WV. They’ve got fresh natural snow and we’re spending 3 days skiing and lodging in one of the chalet’s at the top of the slopes. I’m actually going to be on vacation for 5 days spending the first and last days chillin’ in D.C.

When it comes to Daryl’s universe, this is the life! The only thing missing is a chic to chill out with and explore the world. Hey, I’m working on it. Chicks aren’t easy to figure out. Plus they like the corporate job types. Most of them don’t realize how much more secure the successfully self-employed type are. But at least I’ve got the free-time to date whenever I find one that strikes my fancy.

I’m 29. Honestly I thought I’d be married by now. But I’m glad I’m getting “set” in my biz. When I date now I’m confident that the girl will clearly see what I intend to be. I couldn’t have said that a year ago. I’ll admit that I’ve been slacking on my aspirations to become a multi-millionaire via the stock market. That realization has been sinking in lately. I haven’t lost sight of that goal. Make no mistake, software-dev is fun. But my primary biz goal is financial independence.

 So it’s 2:48am and I’m feeling sleepy. So I think I’ll catch some Zs now. K?

Me

At heart I am an entrepreneur. I find calculated risks exciting. I prefer taking on life in my own unique way. I like to feel secure and well taken care of. I enjoy traveling, vacation and sleeping in. When I do something new I love to soak up all the emotion and experience and I try not to forget what it was like the first time. I always want to know why. Being a genuine person comes naturally. My lack of a facade is very attractive to some. Others would prefer that I “act the part” more often. I refuse to let somebody ruin a good time. I prefer being in a small group of close friends. I like people to know who I really am. Sometimes I innocently reveal things about myself that are deeper than the level of friendship. Often that makes things awkward. Other times a new friendship grows deeper. I never worry about things. That worries some people. I love riding my motorcycle on a beautiful summer day.

Church-ianity is bad for Christianity

Well, this is in the “Thoughts on Life” category. You’ve got to give me credit for sticking my neck out like this. I’m a software developer. Not a preacher. Nonetheless, I’m jumping in a ring with guys who have 12 years or more worth of religion degrees. I’m used to heavy opposition on controversial and highly-polarizing opinions. It will be fun to watch people who don’t have any real arguments try to chip away at my credibility instead of proving their position. Here we go . . .

I guess I just don’t see where the church has to be the first priority when considering how to use your gift. If I want to give money to a missionary why can’t I just mail it to him? If I want to witness to somebody, why can’t I just walk up to them and do it? It seems like 95% of churches always want you to commit your entire spiritual (and secular) life to them. And the other 5% at least want your entire spiritual life.

Most church’s purpose seems to be to create a program for every possible thing one could need to do. Then preach that the Lord wants you to go through the church’s programs to get everything done. Yes, teach your family about the Bible. But no, not if that means missing Sunday School. Yes, witness to people. But no, not if that means missing visitation. Sure, have fun times with the family. But not if you have to miss “Family Night” at church. Seems like the more time a family spends together the more their “church faithfulness” rating drops.

Btw, a family at church scattered all over the choir loft, sanctuary, and various Sunday school rooms is NOT “together.” The moment a family steps inside the church building they scatter. To rejoin only once church is over and they leave the building. In fact, the more involved the family is the more we see the phenomenon of family members all driving to church in separate vehicles.

For the highly praised and highly involved Christian family, Sunday is anything BUT a day of rest.

This paragraph is going to sound bitter toward preachers. But it isn’t. It’s just an observation I’ve had that I’ve never understood why more people don’t’ take it into consideration. I guess being here in Greenville gives me a huge sample of preachers and “preacher boys” to discern a pattern from. I believe that when any pastor stands in the pulpit and makes any mention of his opinions on tithing, church membership or faithfulness in church program attendance he must always provide the verbal disclaimer that there is the very real possibility for a conflict of interest. Everybody knows that the preacher personally benefits (job security, paycheck, etc.) from an increase in any of those 3 things.

Pastors are not immune from bias. There are many self-serving pastors. It is in many pastor’s personalities to be seekers of the limelight in one form or another. It can be very intoxicating to be the pastor of a large active church (or other Christian organizations). These are all very real things that any pastor has to deal with. A lot of them are seduced by these temptations in various ways. A smaller number actively guard against the temptations. The problem is that a pastor would prefer as little disagreement as possible on his decisions. Therefore he just points to a verse in the Bible as the reason why he wants this or that. Then nobody can argue or voice opposition. True solid Biblical support is almost non-existent for so many universally accepted practices in churches today (ie: membership, Sunday School, prayer meeting). Like Sunday School; where in the Bible is that?!! But you’re not a faithful church-goer if you only attend the main worship service! I could continue. But nonetheless, there seems to be a substantial “conflict of interest” argument for why churches are run the way they are these days.

And it’s so easy to persuade somebody that the church should be huge and well funded. After all the more money and the more locked-in the members, the more resources to spread the Word and train. On the flip side, The more super-glued to the church and dependent the congregation becomes there is less need need and less free-time to persue digging your own spiritual wells.

 So what scripture do I have to back myself up? Well let’s see, Sunday School? I’ve got no scripture verses. Church membership? None for that either. Prayer meeting? Nope. Youth groups? Nope, there’s no verse or passage for that either. Why? Because there are no scripture verses or passages that indicate that any of the above are required, necessary or ideal. All of this stuff is totally extra, non-required and, not based on any Biblical precedent.  

Sure, there are recorded instances in the New Testament where Christian people got together and met for different purposes and on various occasions. But there’s no indication that any of it it was required on any sort of regular interval. Sure, “the first day of the week”. But does it say “Every single week on the first day of the week?” And does it say that people who only came once a month were considered sub-par Christians and in need of spiritual counseling? No. If you think, so where’s the verse? Nobody’s been able to produce one yet. Because there isn’t one.

So where did all of these church-based “requirements” come from? That’s a whole separate entry. But it sure wasn’t from the Bible. I present that it probably comes from the thousands of “Pastor’s” over the last 60 years or so and their wrong opinions based on their personal “conflict of interest” that leads to this endless list of required church-based programs that every Christian must participate in. Or risk being labled a “Nominal Christian” for whom prayer is requested every Wednesday/Thursday night.

Let’s stand up and be strong for the true Bible-based church. Let them gossip about us behind our backs when we spend time with friends and family instead of going to “the [fill-in-the-blank-non-Biblically-required] church service.” Church-ianity is a disease. And the cure is to stop going to church when non-Biblical services are being held. And to not be a “regular” attender for non-Biblical services.  We want nothing to do with non-required church activities that sap the soul out of our family and consume endless productive hours of our lives! A man’s responsibility to his family is more important than caving and letting the church programs do what God has told you to do for yourself. It’s pure and simple. Husbands and fathers, it’s up to you to be the spiritual leader of your family. Don’t let the “pastor” or church be your family’s spiritual leader.

I’m wholly in favor of de-centralizing Christianity and scaling church all the way back to the ultra-simple way it was in the New Testament.

Smash Hit

Well I’m glad my last post was such a hit with everybody! It’s good to see that all of my friends and family are also crazy about Avril. I would never believe that my dad listens to her while he’s at work! And my sis folds clothes and irons to her CDs.

 It’s also good to know that everybody can tell the difference between when I really and truely think a girl is a godly girl and a model of true Christianity and when I’m just voicing my opinion about some hot girl out there.

Anyway, have a great Day of Rest!  

Had To Do It!

Okay people. This is one of those blog entries that everybody will roll there eyes at. But I had to do it. Eventually I had to tell the world that Avril Lavigne is the hottest thing ever!

I think I’ve been crazy about her since 2001. It all started when I illegally downloaded a bunch of her music off the web for free in my room at BJU’s CVA apartment. Haha! Wow, how about that for an honest admission. And btw, if the RIAA is reading this, I have now legally purchased all of her albums and no longer download illegally. Aaaaaaaaaanyway.

Yea, so that was the time in my life when I was writing the first lines of code for my ConvenientClassifieds.com concept. I’d stay up till 2:30am every night writing code with my headphones on listening to Avril. I listened to those songs prolly a hundred times. There are certain songs in my library that are now in the category of “coding songs”. Songs I love like crazy and motivate me to stay up really late and crank out code. My classifieds website has been one of the most fun ongoing endevours in my life and Avril’s been there with me the whole way!

So anyway, why do I like her? There are lots of reasons. So I’ll start with her music. She writes all of her lyrics and really plays the guitar. This sets her apart musically because many artists sing other people’s lyrics and have other musicians play all the instruments. Her lyrics are great because she writes straight from the heart. She’s suprisingly deep for a girl who didn’t fit in well in school and is basically a punk and a tomgirl. I just got done watching this video of her when she was probably 10 years old. She was playing in a hockey game right in with a bunch of boys and she actually got in a fight with the goaly. She threw the first punch – right in the face! The ref broke it up quickly and she got sent off the ice.

That’s awesome. I love a girl who’s ticked at a guy and punches him or pushes him down. And then stands there and holds her ground. (Btw, I absolutely hate it when girls slap.) I think of some girls in my past that were super cool like that. They’re all married now. Bummer.

So there’s something else I like about her that I can’t explain. But it always gets me. When a girl looks depressed or forlorn and mad at the world they seem so cute to me. And Avril has so many pics of her that look like that. I just can’t stop staring at her.

She’s got these huge hazel eyes. Long straight hair (brown, black, blond or pink). She’s short which is another thing that I love. She’s got the perfect figure. And she’s got an abstract sense of fashion. Her outfits are always what no other girl would put together but it just looks so good on her. She always does her own thing. She got kicked out of school a couple times. She a high-school dropout. But she showed the world what highschool’s good for. She’s a self-made millionaire now.

She’s one of those types of girls who gets along with the boys much better than the girls. She’s got that agressive/tempermental streak, but in reality she’s very feminine. She’s had boyfriends. She’s gotten dumped. She’s dumped boys. She’s dated sweet/nice guys and losers. She’s just trying find the right guy. Just like every other girl. She likes it when guys open the door for her. She is not promiscuous. She’s got several songs where she’s talking about a boyfriend who she dumped because he wanted her to go “too far”.

Plus she’s Canadian. She’s got that cute accent. I love girls who have European or Canadian accent. So what’s my favorite thing about Avril? Probably that she’s so punky but a good girl at heart. And she’s smokin’ hot.

So there you have it folks! I’m crazy about Avril. Now everybody knows. Next time I’ll tell you why I’ve got a crush on Amy Lee too. ) Hehe, stay tuned. . .

 In the mean time, here’s a good bio of Avril:  http://www.superiorpics.com/avril_lavigne/

The Dark Side

It’s a little easier now to understand why women don’t like to marry entrepreneurs. It’s not hard to understand. Imagine a man who spends a hundred thousand dollars on a concept that never goes anywhere. Now imagine that he and his family was counting on the profits from the successful venture. Add to that that he went into debt for the project. Now imagine that creditors are calling his house wondering when the payment is coming in. Where’s the money coming from? What does he do now? He’s taken his family deeply into the hole on a dream. He is a failure who isn’t providing for his family. And in many cases the family is destroyed because of his dreaming.

 This is the story of many people who try to truely step out on their own. Not somebody who merely joins a corporation or other business that is already established and proven. But somebody who tries to go it alone. Someone who makes his own success. Builds from scratch. Builds everything from nothing. That’s that’s the essence of an entrepreneur.

Why does that require so much brass? Because it can be very risky and failure is a clear possibility. That’s what most women think of when they hear of guys trying to do it themselves. Without the help of a any pre-existing successful company.

“So how do you know it’s going to work?” she says. “I don’t.” he replies.

“How much could you lose?” she says. “I could lose a lot.” he replies.

“What happens if it doesn’t work?” she says. “I start from the bottom.” he replies.

What woman understands that? I think I probably only know 1 or 2. There’s a lot of girls out there. But they don’t want to have to explain to their family and friends what he does. “Well, he works for himself.” That doesn’t sound so secure.

Growing Seeds

Well, today was another good day. I put in an order for a hefty server. It’s a sweet custom-built machine. My needs have grown to the point where I can’t rent shared servers anymore. I need more bandwidth, more control, more services and more features. I’m dying to tell the world the specs on the machine. Ready? It’s a four-core dual-processor Intel Xenon machine. It’s got 8Gb of ram and 8 hard drives for a total of 1.5Tb of fully redundant disk space. It will run Windows Server 64-bit OS. I’ll be running my own email server, web server, SQL server as well as a few other servers.

This will knock down a couple of roadblocks to development ideas I’ve had. I couldn’t do certain things because my hosting environment restricted that type of usage. But now I’ll truly have full control. The fact is that I run a web software development company. Everything I develop requires a server to run on. So it’s really a central requirement to my biz. Plus, this server will generate monthly/yearly recurring revenue. I’ve already got 2 more clients in the pipeline waiting for me to get it online so they can host with me.

As I was saying, my current solution leaves much to be desired. Email goes down, websites go down occasionally, the processor is slow, the bandwith is inadequate and the server resides in Australia. Which means that every web page request has to be sent to the other side of the planet and back. Most of my customers are in Greenville and the south east. So this will provide a much better response time overall for every web page load. I can’t wait to see how much faster my websites are!

Well anyway, I was looking at one of the websites I use that contains templates and examples of different website layouts. One thing struck me, most of the male businessman models look like they are about 45 years old. There’s just something about a 45 year old man that just looks professional and credible. Just think, when I’m 45 I’ll have 25 years of experience in my field. I can say that my company has been in the business for a quarter century. That’s some pretty solid credibility. That’s only 16 years away. Ouch! That doesn’t seem that far away.

By that time I hope that I’ll have a well-developed network of friends and biz collegues. I’d like to have a hot wife and some kids too. Gotta get a hot girl! Girls are way more complicated than business. I wish you could just save up and buy the one you want.

Haha! Oh no my friend. They can’t be bought. At least with money. Tears, embarrassment, nervousness and many sleepless nights - that’s how you get a girl. Now, how to keep a girl? I haven’t figured that out yet. I’ve got some friends who actually married their girl. They’ve got one up on me.

Oh well. As far as guys go, I am a very free man. I can do whatever I like, whenever I like. So I’ll enjoy it while I can.

Oh yea, this post was supposed to have something to do with “growing seeds”. Yea, well that’s just about me buying servers and stuff that will help me grow my biz. Anyways.

Candy Shop

Well, I was inspired about a half an hour ago. I wanted to write about something. But I can’t remember what it was now. But I’m still typing because maybe it will come to me as I type. Hmmm. . . . What was it? Oh I don’t know. Wait . . .

Okay, so here’s something cool to talk about. Today was an interesting day. Nice and lazy. I went to the gym and practiced r-ball and worked out some.  Then it was about 9:45p when I decided to check my mobular phone for missed calls. Sure enough 3 missed calls. Long story short I spent the next 5 hours talking with one person who wants me to go into biz with him and another current client who also wants me to go into biz with him. I also increased my hourly rate and my rush rate with that client.

What can I say folks? Once you step out of the corporate arena your potential just skyrockets. My situation is even cooler than that. I’m always self-conscious about coming across as a nerd. But I’m coming to realize that people who want to do biz with me are entertaining various ideas that parlay on my technical skills but really capitalize on my business/management skills. These people see me as a business person. Not just a programmer.

Things are moving so fast now. The pace is staggering. In the corporate world you are motivated by that yearly 4% pay increase (and not getting fired or layed off before then). In the entrepreneurial world you laugh at 4%. If something only generates 4% it doesn’t even get on the radar screen.

It is so flattering when people want to not just send me business but want me to be their biz partner. They feel that my biz skills are worth enough to make me second only to them in their own business. Or in some cases, they want me to completely run the biz and only give them a small stake in it.

So now my problem is not how to make a buck. But which businesses I want to be part of and which I should turn down. Some complement what I currently do and love. Some are completely new areas of expertise. I’m like a kid in a candy shop. I’m surrounded by delicious candy. I wish I had bigger pockets!