I was asked what I’ve been doing. So here you go!

I struggled on what should be included in this post.  A part of me thinks having a veil over personal feelings about things that I’m doing are a good thing.  But that’s the opposite of transparency, and I do want to take as many people on the wild ride with me as possible.

A while back my buddy Frank said my next blog post should be about what I’m doing. It wasn’t until then that I realized from the outside (especially outside of Omaha), what I do, what my goals are, and my what daily routine is may seem a little odd, if not completely invisible.

So what do I do? I balance my time between being the developer of DispatchThis, a software as a service company, and doing “anything else”.

And when I say anything, that’s really what it means.

I left my “real job” in November, and it seems almost six months later I’m just starting to get into the flow of the world I threw myself into. Making the contacts, proving myself through local projects, all those kinds of things required to be independent, but not homeless.

I’ve taken on some neat things since November. From custom WordPress stuff, to building Facebook applications. Some neat apps integrating with 3rd party APIs and generally turning people’s ideas into reality. Honestly, there’s very little I can complain about when it comes to the work that I do. I have the city of Omaha and my friends here to thank for all of it.  From pushing me into this direction (albeit I was kicking and screaming the whole way), to the references and endorsements.

I don’t spend time in one place for too long.  You can generally find me working from what I dub “the office”, my favorite coffee shop, Caffeine Dreams.  On Tuesdays I work from @rahulgupta’s house.  Other days you may find me at The Halo Institute or Graffiti Tracker’s office.  Though I do have a “home office” setup, I almost never work from there.  Why would I want to when there’s so many other options to be a part of the community and meet cool people while I do cool things?  I love this part of my life.  I considered “getting out of the cube” symbolic, but I feel so much more alive.  I can’t recommend enough that people find a way to get out of the corporate office and into the world.  People say the “real world” is having a stuffy job in an office building, but to me the real world is just the opposite.  I love that I have the opportunity to live in this world.

Day 1 of Mysterious Dottie. Last July.

Though there’s more to the story. There’s something far more important to me than all of this, and that’s the elusive Mysterious Dottie.

I’ll be blunt and say Mysterious Dottie is the most important thing in the world to me. It’s that thing when I wake up every morning I say “what do I have to do today in order to give this to the world?” And one of the things I have to do is be able to continue doing the work I’m doing now, and not getting a “real job”.

Though simple math says otherwise.  From me miss-estimating the scope of projects (therefore getting underpaid), to clients flat out not being able to pay, I can’t say I’ve been hugely successful. I’m not convinced with the amount I’ve been charging clients I can afford to continue on this path. On the flip side, if I don’t It’s really the death toll for Mysterious Dottie. So things like increasing what I charge and trying to pick up larger projects are all things I’m trying to do not for myself, but because I feel that passionate about getting this out to the world.

I feel I can be honest and filter out all the butterflies and rainbows and tell you that the story of Mysterious Dottie has not been an easy one. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t completely doubt myself, doubt any execution success, and doubt the direction I’ve taken. But I’m so determined to do everything I can to get this fucker launched that I put it all aside and fight through all of that.

Why the doubt? I’m at a different level of emotional investment than anyone else who have required parts to play. I care about every piece of the puzzle, and to others it’s just another project on their plate.  And generally as far as priority it’s quite far down on said plate.  It’s very casual to everyone but me. But to me it’s my all or nothing.

I’ve told myself that if I don’t launch the product by fall then that’s the end for it, and me. If it isn’t going to be what I hoped for it, then I have to give up that dream and be more rational. I’ll get a real job, I’ll be responsible, and I’ll say I did everything I could to make it come true, but failed. But there is no plan B, there is no second chance. This is that thing I’ve worked up to my whole life, and if I don’t see it through, then I’ll pat myself on the back for taking the risk but realize that time in my life is over.

That being said: That’s the last thing I want to happen. But I also realize it’s probably the most likely scenario. Every piece of the puzzle that has to come together for success has in some way come disjointed. It’s taken far too long for far too little progress and at this rate by fall I’ll be nowhere near a completed project. Also the fall deadline was originally due to TechCrunch50, a conference to allow new companies to launch. That’s the reason for the code name and the stealth mode, it’s a TC50 requirement. However it seems as TC50 will not be existing this year, and I have no other launch vehicle.

So that’s that. What my life has consisted of. Don’t get me wrong, I consider myself one of the luckiest people ever to be able to take this path. But at the same time I worry every day that I’ll never be able to realize my potential with it all. So if this post sounds like I’m venting, or I’m down… well, maybe. There are ups and downs to everything and everyone. But more so I think i’ve been quiet, and people have asked, so I think it’s fair to let people know what I’ve been up to.  Cross your fingers and let’s see what happens!

(btw this post was completely composed using my iPad!)

I survived South by Southwest Interactive 2010

Writing a wrap-up post about South by Southwest I would imagine is similar to writing about being teleported to another universe for a short time.  A universe where there are no words that a human can make to explain the things they saw.

So in that vein let me tell you that it was so…. yeah.  Thanks everyone, have a great weekend.

Alright, I’ll give this a shot.  It was everything I thought it could be, and more.  Every story and rumor and thought you may have heard about South by is true.  You turn the corner and there’s someone you recognize.  Mostly those of “internet fame”.

People say the best part about the conference is the connections you make, and that’s absolutely the truth.  While the panels were sometimes fun I got less out of them than I thought I would.

The sessions that I went into knowing things about I left saying “that wasn’t anything I didn’t already know”.  Some panels were mis-titled or had bad descriptions.  The couple “core conversations” were kind of lame because it was up to the group to keep things moving… and sometimes it didn’t.

That being said, there were some really great ones.  My favorites: Selling your subculture without selling out, Web framework battle, How Pandora navigated the smartphone seas, Is Canvas the end of Flash, and Getting your company funded.  That last VC-based session being a real eye opener for me.

Keep in mind most of the links in this post are photos, so click away.  I didn’t want to embed everything here.

Highlights:

Tom Conrad of Pandora

Years after launching PandoraFM with support from Pandora I finally met Tom Conrad, CTO of Pandora Media.  This is a guy when given the option between kicking my work off the internet for using the Pandora service in a way they didn’t intend, or working with me to build something cool… he chose the later.  Since then I’ve looked up to him as the type of person I want to end up being in the internet business landscape.  Running something awesome while being awesome.  It was a long time coming for us to meet, and on top of it his talk on the mobile story of Pandora was one of the best.

I met Veronica Belmont at the gdgt party.  Your typical internet celebrity crush.  I think I mumbled a “ahhbauhdagaaa” to her.  I suppose that was better than the alternative of “DO YOU KNOW YOU’RE VERONICA BELMONT?”  She was really nice, and it was cool to just run into her.  At that same gdgt party I saw Peter Rojas and chatted with him a bit.  I’ve listened to him on podcasts over the years and read his material in numerous online tech blogs.  It’s awesome being able to talk one on one with someone when you’ve known them in such a different context for so long.

Kat asked me if I could snap a picture of Bre Pettis from a distance for her.  I thought I’d see what I could do and see if I could actually talk to him and say hi to him for her and grab a picture of us two.  Success.  By coincidence I ran into him on the street later that week and chatted for a bit.

The Gawker Timewarp party.  It was a dream world for me.  I got to meet MC Frontalot and see him perform.  It had Star Wars characters hanging around.  It had geek girls.  It had nerdcore fans.  It had free alcohol. I couldn’t make this party up if I tried.  I love MC Frontalot and his show did not disappoint.  Awesome.  Awesome. MC Frontalot at the Gawker Timewarp party

The Silicon Prairie party was a great time.  It was cool to see so many people hanging with the kids from Nebraska.  I tried to talk to as many people that I didn’t recognize as I could and find out how they found out about the party.  Most were friends of a friend or were told about the party by someone “in the circle”.

The Silicon Prairie Party

I met Gina Trapani!  I made a joke that I actually saw someone using Google Wave while at the conference and she gave me a copy of her Google Wave book. I had her autograph it for me.  I’ve always really enjoyed her technical work she’s given the world, not to mention the writing and podcasting she does.  Very cool.

Went to the Gowalla Tiki Room party and had some delicious drinks, got stuck in the rain, and saw Diplo spin.  I like Diplo, so that was cool to have him the soundtrack of one kickin’ party.

Met some awesome people in person and digitally!  I got to hang out with Gwen, @ReelVixen, and it was a blast.  We’ve only more or less known each other through the internet and it was awesome to share the SxSW experience with her.  Hello to new awesome people @stephaniehobson, @fiercecupcake, @playfulpixel, @kristenbyers, @ElaDarling, and special thanks to @TheJenya  for showing me around and hanging out!  She’s releasing a book of notes and comic drawings based on her time at South by, I can’t wait to see what she’s come up with once it goes online.  Check her out at http://www.mermaidhostel.com/

So yeah, I’m not sure what else to say.  There was so much great stuff, and I have to stop somewhere.  So check out my photos from the trip, I took a bunch.  I probably left out a lot, but hey… I tried.  Austin, I’ll see you next year.

Veronica Belmont and I

Gabe takes on South by Southwest Interactive 2010

One of the things I’ve convinced myself of in this past year is that if there’s something I want to do, then I should do it.

Sounds simple right?  But not so much.  In this particular example, South by Southwest, it’s something I’ve wanted to attend for years.  But instead of just deciding I was going to go I wallowed in my cube and read/watched what was going on in the week long center of the world.  I know you’re saying “well it’s your own fault for not doing something you wanted to do”, and it’s true.  It was one of those things I convinced myself that everyone else does, but not me.  For instance:

2007 I had a depressing post, not even making an attempt to think that I should go. Of course that time in my life was pretty crappy and I wouldn’t had been able to go even if I made the decision to.

In 2009 I called it “a big circle jerk, that I want to be a part of”.

At some point after that I realized life was short and from then on I’m just going to do the things that would make me happy, or at least make the attempt to.

So making the trip to Austin this year is quite symbolic for me.  For many it’s that thing people do every year, but for me it’s one of the many things I never let myself do before.

So stupid depressing Gabe history lesson aside.  Fuck yeah – South by Southwest.

I would be going anyway, because I want to, but it just so happens I actually have reasons to go.  With my world surrounded around Mysterious Dottie I can’t not use this opportunity to see what’s going on in the world.  Compare, contrast, maybe even have a few chats.

Aside from the “business stuff”, I’m pumped to see people.  There’s people I’ve known for years that I’ve never met in person that I’ll finally be able to say hi to.

There are some awesome panels I’m really looking forward to.  I put my schedule up if you’re at all interested in what panels I may be attending.  Though it’s just a list of things I may be interested in without taking scheduling into consideration.  I’m sure the process will be dynamic throughout the festival.

And of course: the parties.  Hopefully it’ll be an awesome chance to meet some really neat people from all over the world.  Smart people with ideas, and ambition, and interests similar to mine.

So enough of me blabbing about this.  If you’re at all interested in following my journey to Austin, as always follow me on Twitter, and check out what locations I’m at via Foursquare and Gowalla.  Honestly I’ll probably be using Gowalla more than Foursquare just for this trip because of the Austin home town service advantage.  Plus they’re giving out VIP admission to parties ;)

And lastly: I apologize in advance to all of you following me on services who are going to really get sick of my updates and photos.  Sorry!

I’ve been quiet! I’ve been busy!

I haven’t blogged for quite a while.  And that’s not a bad thing.

It’s been a couple months now since I left my position at West, and I haven’t said a word about it since then.  There’s no real reason why except I’ve been super busy.  Busy with a handful of really awesome things.

I’ve had the chance to work on some really neat projects lately, and I’m really looking forward to continuing it.  Leaving the corporate world is certainly up on my “best things I’ve ever done” list, right up there with moving to Omaha, the city that’s allowing me to do it.

Though the most exciting thing, hands down, is going forward with a project, lovingly dubbed Mysterious Dottie,  that has been my baby since early last year.

The team hard at work

Since the early days of its development I’ve stayed quiet about the idea and the execution.  While developing it alone I put in a lot of time, and still was dark about it to all but a few.

Though now I’ve teamed up with Timothy Kephart who’s offering to supercharge the project.  It’s grown in scope, cost, and people involved.  I’ve dropped the initial development in order to start over with a team of people, in addition to me, who are building this to be an amazing product.

This is nothing short of a kick ass opportunity to see my baby come to life, though at the same time I’m extremely defensive of it.  I’m the first to attempt to stomp out scope creep, “cooks in the kitchen” syndrome, and any kind of bastardization of my product.  Even though it’s no longer mine.

I’ve never worked with a team in development before.  Everything I’ve ever done has been mine from start to finish.  This is mostly because I’ve never really had a corporate development job where you’re building products as a team under project managers.  I feel myself going back and forth from wondering “am I leading this team?” or am I “just a developer” or ” I’m an asshole”.  Asshole, of course, being the title of my role who gets upset when my initial vision is going in a direction that I don’t see it make sense in going.  (As a joke I say they’re going to turn it into a 3D gaming platform).

So I’m learning a lot.  I’m learning to pick my battles and fight for things I’m passionate about.  But I’m also learning I’m possibly a little too touchy when it comes to what I’m passionate about.

I’m lucky that I really respect everyone on this team.  They’re all stupid smart in their own specialties and holy crap I’m excited.  It’s what I’ve dreamed of, but at the same time I’m trying my best to adjust.  I really think this is one of the most important things I’ve ever had a chance to be a part of, and I’m so very proud of it.  I can’t wait to show it off to the world.  I just hope everyone involved are still friends with me by the time we’re done :)

Oh, and if anyone from team dottie asks… I never wrote this post.  You didn’t see anything.  *wink*

The Windows 7 Launch Party

I meant to put this together weeks ago, but I guess things got in the way.  But Windows 7 is released only once in a lifetime, so I couldn’t just forget about it.

Earlier this month @shinyhat threw a Microsoft sanctioned Windows 7 launch party and he invited me along for the ride.  It had all of the stuff that Microsoft sent him.  Posters, streamers, playing cards, poker chips, a puzzle, and even a Microsoft trivia game.

It was just as Windowstastic as I could ever expect.  From the logo colored front windows to the custom “7″ on the wall the guy really went all out.  We even had 7-layer dip.

It was mostly a group of Apple fans there, so we discussed failed Zune installs, Windows blue screens, and other typical Microsoft faire.  Best Windows party ever.

Some day you can tell your kids you knew someone who went to a real Windows 7 launch party.  Note the cameo by @programmerman as well.  Enjoy.

If you want to see a higher definition version, clicky here.