If you follow me on twitter, this might be old news and if you don’t, you should. On May 13th, I resigned from Notre Dame as Senior Web Developer. Don’t worry, it wasn’t without a safety net. I’ve joined cahoots with Steve Smith of Ordered List, a former co-worker at ND. We’ve got a lot of big things up our sleeves and are really looking forward to see what we are capable of with only ourselves to blame.

The reaction from folks when I tell them the news has been mixed thus far. About half say you’ll never go back and you’ll go on to great things, and the other half think I’m crazy to leave a good job in a “recession.”

I explain it like this to the haters. You know the look a lion has in the zoo? Now, contrast that with a lion in the wild. The zoo is me at Notre Dame and the wild is what I’m doing now. There is nothing wrong with the zoo. It’s safe, fun and gives you room to grow. Everything is taken care of for you and all you have to do is show up. Over time, I was afraid this would lead to complacency and I didn’t want to go down that road.

I figured right now is probably the only time I would do this as I’m not getting any younger and the longer you do something the harder it is to leave. I figure if this doesn’t work out, I can always go back to corporate/higher-ed but if I can work for myself, why not?

I spent my first few days at Ordered List in Portland, Oregon for RailsConf 2008. This week is my first actual work week from home and it has been great. I’m amazed at the distractions I had in my office at ND. Take lunch for example. At every job I’ve had, lunch is the centerpiece of the day. It doesn’t matter how productive your morning was or whether or not you are hungry, you always take lunch around noon. I’ve been engrossed in what I was doing the past few days and forgot to eat until like 1 or even 2pm. I wake up around 8 or 9, work hard for 5 or 6 hours and then hit cruise control for the rest of the night, tweaking things I did during the day and prepping for the next.

I know I’ll miss the day to day interactions with my ND co-workers as they were a lot of fun but I guess that is what the weekends are for now. :)

Side note: A few people have wondered if joining OL will affect my blogging here and at RailsTips. The answer is yes, but in a good way. I’m hoping to have more time and energy for blogging. The only change around here is the “Hire Me” ad bug in my sidebar and the only change on RailsTips will be a sexy new design (by Steve) and a more stable web host to serve it from.

If you are interested, you can read the welcome post on the new Ordered List site that features our new services and the fact that it is now a “we” instead of a “me.”

I have a love/hate relationship with the iPhone version of Google Reader. A little over a week ago, Google launched a beta version of the iPhone interface for Google Reader and tears of joy ran down my face as I leapt through fields of clovers with puppies and bunnies.

Ok, maybe there wasn’t that much fanfare in the Nunemaker household, but it is a killer, I repeat, killer update. I love seeing perfect touches of JavaScript that make web applications more usable, for usability’s sake and not to prove that the developer knows how to read the Script.aculo.us wiki.

The new version (pictured above right) shows a list of items with nice bold headers and faded intro lines of text, which is cool, but that is not where the Reader engineers earn free beer. The perfect touch is literally a touch a way. Tap on an item and it expands, right in line, with the full post. There is a nice big star that is easy to hit if you want to favorite the post and you can do the typical share, keep unread and see original goodness. A few glides of your my mouse-click, strengthened, programmer finger later and I’m down to the next article. From there, I can continue to scan until I see something interesting, or I can touch the item and read another interesting post.

Granted, it’s not my job to create an iPhone interface for Google Reader, but I was so unhappy with the previous one, that I started too. I say that to give props where they are due. I don’t know if I could have come up with such a perfect interface interaction but I’m glad the Reader team did. Once again I love reading my feeds on my iPhone. Thanks Google. Also, I’m wondering how long until there are a crap load of iPhone web apps that use the interaction in a similar fashion.

My favorite thing about software is when it teaches me something about myself that I didn’t know. That something doesn’t need to be important, it just needs to be something. I’m a huge fan of twitter so I was pretty excited when I came across this twitter mashup. It uses Yahoo Pipes (to parse data client side) and Google Charts (to present data) to show you a scatter chart of when you typically tweet and bar charts of your tweets by month, day of week and hour.

It’s a really interesting representation of my twitter activity and technologically it is a sweet use of both Yahoo and Google tools. So what did those charts teach me? Simple: I tweet most between 8 and 10PM on Wednesday and Thursday. I find that interesting. Also, Saturday around 2PM seems to be popular for whatever reason.

I write all this for one reason. The next app that you build, think about this. Think about how you can use the data that your users are entering to teach them something about themselves. It can be something silly, like when they tweet the most, or something more profound that they would have never noticed without your help. Every time someone clicks or types in your app, it’s a chance for you to collect data and teach the user something about themselves or teach you something about how they are using your app. Don’t just build something to collect data. Build something that learns what your users are doing and adds value to their lives.

Some Related Links

• Google Web History - what months, days and such you search the most on, what terms you search for the most, suggests searches you might be interested in based on your habits
• Google Reader Trends - shows you which days you read feeds on, which feeds post the most items, which feeds you read the most or the least, etc.
• Flickr Stats - stats on your photos views, but also on which photos you’ve tagged, put in sets, etc.
• Last.fm - shows you what music you listen to and suggests stuff you might like

The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn is a book about how passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. I liked the format of the book. It was broken down into simple steps and points. Points were often supported with quotes (which I love). Each chapter actually started with a quotation as well which I’ve always enjoyed in books. The book was small (119 pages) and I was able to read it in a night. Below are various quotes from the author and quotes that he mentions by other people that I related with in the book.

Make each day your masterpiece. Joshua Wooden, father of John Wooden

Whatever you are, be a good one. Abraham Lincoln

Principle #1: Everyone Makes a Difference

There are no unimportant jobs, just people who feel unimportant in their jobs. Mark Sanborn, the author

There is more credit and satisfaction in being a first-rate truck driver than a tenth-rate executive. B.C. Forbes, founder of Forbes magazine

Faithfully doing your best, independent of the support, acknowledgement, or reward of others, is a key determinant in a fulfilling career. Mark Sanborn, the author

Principle #2: Success is built on relationships

Service becomes personalized when a relationship exists between the provider and the customer. Mark Sanborn, the author

…relationship building is the most important objective because the quality of the relationship determines the quality of the product or service. Mark Sanborn, the author

The 7 B’s of Relationship Building

1. Be Real.
2. Be interested (not just interesting).
3. Be a better listener.
4. Be empathetic.
5. Be honest. Say what you’ll do and do what you say.
6. Be helpful.
7. Be prompt.

Principle #3: You must continually create value for others, and it doesn’t have to cost a penny

The object is to outthink your competition rather than outspend them. Mark Sanborn, the author

Sanborn’s Maxim says that the faster you try to solve a problem with money, the less likely it will be the best solution. Mark Sanborn, the author

There are two types of people who never achieve very much in their lifetimes. One is the person who won’t do what he or she is told to, and the other is the person who does no more than he or she is told to do. Andrew Carnegie

Principle #4: Reinvent yourself regularly

IQ = Implementation Quotient. It’s the difference between having a good idea and implementing it.

Practice one a day. If you had to do everything in an extraordinary manner, you’d barely make it to work in the morning. Focus on doing one extraordinary thing per day. If you do that 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, your life will soon be a record book full of extraordinary.

Compete with yourself. There will always be people who accomplish more or less than you. It’s more productive and fun to compete against and benchmark yourself.

Becoming a Fred

You change the world of another driver when you allow her to change lanes abruptly without blaring your horn, recognizing that she too is human and fallible. Of course you alter her world in a different way if you blast your horn, yell and gesture obscenely.

You also change the world of a coworker, a customer, a vendor, or a cafeteria worker with your smile or your frown.

No these aren’t dramatic changes. They won’t alter the course of world affairs or bring about a cure for AIDS. But whose to say these little changes don’t have a cumulative, profound effect in the lives of others and, ultimately, in your own life. Mark Sanborn, the author

The fact is that everybody is already making a difference every day. The key question is, What kind of difference is each of us making. Mark Sanborn, the author

Developing Other Freds

There is something that is much more scarce, something finer by far, something rarer than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability. Elbert Hubbard

When people feel that their contributions are unappreciated, the will stop trying. And when that happens, innovation dies. Mark Sanborn, the author

You teach what you know but you reproduce who you are. John C. Maxwell

You can preach a better sermon with your life than your lips. Oliver Goldsmith

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle

At the Day of Judgment we shall not be asked what we have read but what we have done. Thomas A Kempis

I was looking for some light reading this weekend and this magazine caught my eye. The cover page article is actually pretty interesting. The “Super Rich” part did it’s job in catching my eye but it would more aptly be named “The Secrets of the Super Successful” but I digress. I really enjoyed the article so I thought I would post the seven secrets here and several of the quotes that I highlighted in my copy.

1. Perseverance beats education.

If this wasn’t true, I feel I’d be in trouble in my profession. I’m a programmer the majority of the time but didn’t really take much computer science in college. I’ve gotten where I am completely through hard work, not through being smart.

“Smartness is an ability to absorb new facts. To ask an insightful question. A capacity to remember. To relate to domains that may not seem connected at first.” - Bill Gates

Love the absorb new facts line and the connect things that normally don’t seem connected. I am fortunate to be around a lot of smart people, so often I just sit back and soak it all in. I also think one of my strengths is common sense and making things simple which relates to the latter part of Bill’s quote. Can we agree that I’m smart? No? Maybe next year…

“I think I overcame every single one of my personal shortcomings by the sheer passion I brought to my work. I don’t know if you are born with this kind of passion or if you can learn it. But I do know you need it.” - Sam Walton

I really think passion and a desire to do good are the best things you can bring to your career. People love passion. In fact, from what I’ve seen, people respond to passion over reason. The reason I team passion and good together is otherwise you might end up like Jim Jones or some other cult.

2. Make your own luck.

My dad used to play the quarter game with my sister and I. He would flip a quarter and whoever guessed correctly would win all the change in his pocket (which was often dollars!). I won the game one time out of maybe 50 in my life and my dad probably lied because he knew I couldn’t take another loss. In fact, he used to pull out the quarter and I would run away crying, yelling that he should just give Em the money. I say all that to point out that making your own luck is important to me because I don’t have any. :)

“I don’t consider myself to be lucky. I think luck is preparation meeting a moment of opportunity.” - Oprah Winfrey (this ones for Erin cause I know she loves herself some Oprah)

Luck can also be defined as having vision or being flexible or forward thinking. - Anna Isgro, article author

“I don’t remember any mistakes, only the opportunity to overcome problems.” - James Sorenson

“Vision is what determines who will be a leader. Great leaders can see how a situation will play out and take action in response.” - Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad

3. Gamble, but wisely.

“People who win are careful with their thoughts, not saying ‘I can’t do that.’ Or ‘It’s too risky.’ Or ‘I can’t afford it.’ Instead they say, ‘How can I do that?’ Or ‘How can I reduce my risk?’ Or ‘How can I afford it?’” - Robert Kiyosaki

4. Know your market…intimately.

“Experts have more highly differentiated cognitive abilities. They can see opportunities others can’t and figure out how to turn them into a business.” - Kelly Shaver, Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies

I know the web but that is not my a market. It is a tactic. So what do I know intimately? I grew up on a farm. I probably know farming better than any other web developer. Farming, at least on the scale that my dad operates, is very technical. Chemical measurements. Irrigation systems. GPS. Knowing when to sell and buy. Hedges and futures, etc. That said, there aren’t a lot of people building web applications for farmers and co-ops. It could be a huge market.

5. Focus obsessively, and work, work, work.

Focus is uber important. You have to hedgehog. I don’t necessarily agree with the work, work, work though. Maybe it’s important to be a billionaire but I think you can be plenty successful working normal hours.

“The rich don’t base their actions on what’s easy and convenient.” - T. Harv Eker

“If you don’t know every aspect of what you are doing, down to the paper clips, you’re setting yourself up for some unwelcome surprises.” - Donald Trump

6. Timing is everything.

“I had zero expectations that the market was efficient or had a clue about what it was doing. So when I had the opportunity to protect myself, I did. - Mark Cuban, who sold broadcast.com to yahoo and then sold his yahoo stock in 1999 before the 2000 dot com bust, he now owns the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks

Enough said. Mark Cuban is the man.

7. It’s not just (or even mostly) about the money.

“No one is saying that they don’t like wealth; but what matters more is the innovation, the intense commitment they have to an idea and the difference it can make. Money is the byproduct.” - Raphael Amit, Wharton School management professor

Once you hit comfortable, money is no longer an issue. It’s about creating value by making something great (whether it’s a company or a piece of software or whatever).

Conclusion

I love lists and quotes, so needless to say, this article hit home with me. I’ve been thinking and reading a lot lately about what makes people successful. I haven’t read the rest of the magazine yet but I’ll post again if I find anything else this good.