There’s no doubting that Stanley Kubrick was a f**king genius when it comes to making movies. But the man was ahead of his time in using metrics to best identify his markets for A Clockwork Orange. Read more…
So for those of you that don’t keep up with me on Facebook or Twitter, I’m happy (and nervous) to announce that Edwin Cooper Bailey joined the world 8 weeks early — at 4:19 a.m. on Friday, January 13th. He tipped the scales at 4 pounds, 12 ounces, and was 18″ long. His Apgars score is an 8 (exceptionally good for a baby born this early). He’ll be in the NICU for a few weeks, and his story is being detailed at a Tumblog — http://bringingeddyhome.tumblr.com.
Edwin in the NICU
To know me is to know that I frequently take the opportunity to let the snark fly, as illustrated below. And yeah, while it amuses me (and likely others) to take the opportunity to prod at the companies that oppose things like gay marriage (or other forms of social advancement), there’s actually something to be learned from this.
The lesson is: if you are involved in social media, no matter which side you take in a controversy, some segment of the population will tear you a new asshole. Read more…
Can anyone explain to me what the benefit of using Microsoft’s Tag instead of QR codes? I don’t see that it truly offers anything that QR codes doesn’t, and the fact that it’s in color only serves to increase my printing costs.
Anyone?
The Four-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss
Ferriss left me thinking a lot about hacking in 2011. Not just one’s body, but everything. I didn’t put much of this into practice in 2011, but for 2012, I’ll be trying more of it.
Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk
Left me saying “fuck yeah!” and inspired me greatly. This is one of those, like King’s On Writing… that I will probably read every year or two.
SuperFreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Didn’t have the same impact as the first.
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell
Gladwell continues to be one of my favorite non-fiction writers, and this is a collection of his shorter essays. Good stuff.
You’ll notice that there was no update from October through December. October was a crazy-assed month and I didn’t really accomplish much, and it only got worse. Here’s how it went:
Items accomplished in October-December: 1
Total items accomplished: 27/101
Percentage complete: 26.7%
Items Completed in October-December:
61. Have at least three months’ of salary (Kate’s and mine) in savings.
On the 9th, we met with our financial advisor for our review of our first year, and things are going great. (With the exception of getting fucked over in the health insurance area for 2012, but that’s not relevant here.) In looking at our savings accounts, IRAs, and other liquid funds, we actually hit three months’ worth of take-home pay. This is an exciting one. However, with having to buy a bunch of baby furniture, and with our insurance being switched to an HSA, it’s not going to last. Which is a damn shame.
Items Underway in October-December:
2. Have a kid with Kate.
As of this posting, we are 31 weeks and a few days along. Due date is roughly March 11, 2012. Nine months before my fortieth birthday, and approximately nine months before the end of this 101 Things in 1001 Days cycle. This definitely means this list isn’t going to get completed. Dur.
14. Find and take a community ed class on running a small business.
I received a Community Ed course list from ISD 191, and it’s got a few small biz sessions that are very intriguing. I may be signing up shortly. More on that as it happens.
17. Join Toastmasters and improve my public speaking.
Need to do this. Been looking for a local chapter. Hope to be able to check this off at the end of January.
41. Work on my wheelbuilding skills, get completely comfortable with the process.
I’ve been doing a lot more wheel truing at the shop this year, and that’s built up my confidence in my ability to do this. Over the course of the winter, I plan to build two new wheelsets. And buy myself a truing stand and some wheelbuilding tools for my home workshop.
49. Complete the 100 push-ups program.
I’m working on it!
51. Get my six-pack abs back.
Also underway — this is a combination of things, the reduced soda (and other crap) intake, and getting ready to do the 200 Sit-Ups Program. I’ll probably be adding kettlebells shortly, too.
54. Stop drinking soda.
In the space of three months, I’ve reduced my intake by about 70%. Two things helped with this — first, I started logging my intake, and was horrified. And then I thought about what Kate said when she quit smoking — that she had a choice, that she could be a smoker or a mom, but not both. I have a choice. I choose to quit.
72. Design at least 3 new fonts. (0/3)
This is underway! I plan to have two freebies and a new pay font up and online in early 2012.
73. Take a photography class.
Now that I have a DSLR, I’m poking around looking for a community ed class that I can take. In the meantime, I should read Digital Photography for Dummies or some shit.
74. Find a cool time-lapse subject, make video.
Idea found. When I build Erin’s track bike, I’ll be timelapsing much of the build process. Result = awesome.
A Picture is Worth 1000 Words About 2012.
Kate Bailey. She of the wifey-ness! Her take-charge attitude of 2011 was amazing, especially considering that she spent half the year pregnant. We bought a house, moved across town, and began preparing for the arrival of Edwin Cooper Bailey (ship date in Q1 of 2012), and throughout it all, she was on her A-game. Very inspiring and makes me really want to bring my A-game in 2012.
Alex Cook. My compadre, and the owner of A-Train Cycles, who quit his full-time gig to pursue the dream of being a full-time framebuilder. I admire the hell out of him (and might be a little envious as well) for taking the plunge and doing what so many of us dream of.
Mike Tyson. Yes, the former boxer. I’ve been following him on Twitter since I read an article/interview in (I think) the New York Times this past year, and have been pleasantly surprised at how someone could turn their life around so drastically. He’s inspired me to push on to bigger and better things.
Erika Napoletano. The driving force behind RedheadWriting, and a great source of knowledge as I push forward with my own small business. I’ve learned a lot from her articles and think that I might be 50% less likely to execute Operation Footbullet.
Tim Ferriss. The dude behind the 4-Hour Workweek and the 4-Hour Body books. Not because either of them significantly impacted my life in 2011 (though I’m hoping I can use the latter to good effect in 2012), but because it was eye-opening to realize that anything is eligible to be hacked — computers, sure, but when you realize that things like social expectations and structures, or even your body can be hacked, you start looking at the world through new eyes. Lately, thanks to Tim, I’ve been looking for things to optimize in my life (and you can expect to see more info on that in an upcoming post.)
I admit it: I’m way behind the curve on my recaps of 2011. Thus far, all I’ve managed to post is the video games recap. Things have been a bit busy.
Expect posts on the following topics:
So yeah, the holidays are pretty much done. Over. Kaput. Normally that would imply more free time and fewer obligations, but I have a B&B weekend with Kate, a bunch of birthing classes, and a few OB appointments to go to yet. Oy vey.
So once I’m through with these posts, I’ll get back to my semi-scheduled blather. With 100% Less Blather™!
• I have the weirdest combinations of shit luck/good luck, as evidenced by the disasters on my road trip to Michigan back in February.
• Be more careful around hot steel. Burns leave nasty scars and the lesson was no exception. On the plus side, as a friend pointed out, there’s positives in putting yourself into your work.
• Finding a house to buy is hard work.
• Moving is even more difficult than buying a house.
• Buying a house is made much easier if you’re married to someone who works in home mortgage and can navigate everything.
• Prep for the trade show months in advance, not weeks.
• It is far easier to be an asshole than it is a decent human being.
