Blog on software, music, and life

Bi-Coastal Freelancer

2009-03-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

This month makes one year that I've been living as a "Bi-Coastal" freelancer. For a year now I've been spending about 1/2 of each month in NYC. The routine goes like this:

Leave my house from in downtown Visalia to the Amtrak station in Hanford
Amtrak from Hanford, CA to San Francisco.
Crash out at Tyler's (a good friend from Visalia) place near the Civic Center in SF
Catch the 7AM Virgin America flight out the next day from SFO
Arrive at JFK around 3:30 and subway in to Delancy (LES and Chinatown)
Stay for two weeks
Repeat the process back to Visalia

There's actually a history of progression here. I grew up on a dairy farm in Central California surrounded by lots of cows and corn. From there I moved into suburbia with a new 3 bed room house, two cars, and a lawn working corporate jobs. Then I moved out of suburbia into a downtown cottage that's within walking distance of my freelance office. Now half my month is in an apartment in a huge city with lots of people, food, and music near by.

Living like this opens up a broad range of experiences. Manhattan is great for freelancers. I think that has to do with how social this city is. I find a lot of lateral opportunities because most of the folks I meet here genuinely want to help you out. I made some friends here in the city whom I hold closely.

The opportunity to do this was an important step for me professionally. I think there would have been some limits living where I was at in California. I owe a lot of thanks to the close friends who've help me get here. It's one thing to be passionate about your work, it's another to apply that passion.

The quick way to sum this up: My roots are strongly based out of the farm in california but my growth is in the city.

Hip to Lunchbox

2009-03-16T11:32:00.001-07:00

Lunchbox is the name of the band I play with. We write original tunes that combine elements of jazz, funk, and rock. We are also know to take standard jazz tunes like Monk's "Well you Needn't" and infuse our own style into them.

Lately Lunchbox has been progressing. Kevin, who plays sax, recently joined us. He has a great sense for melody. There are times in the middle of a song where I wonder what he's going to do and end up amazed at what he digs up. It keeps live performances exciting.

We also purchased the domain lunchboxband.com. I quickly posted a one page site with some scratch clips and a short video for now. We have plans to develop the site more over time.

Finally we're working on a recording to release this year. This is exciting for us. Most of our music is improvised but we feel that it's time to lay it down. We look forward to getting this out.

A world of usable software

2009-03-04T19:24:00.000-08:00

When I was a young kid I learn how electronics worked from my Father. He taught me about transistors, vacuum tubes, radios, and what makes them tick. Soon after I learned how digital circuits work from electronic kits purchased from Radio Shack. About the same time I got a TRS-80 Color Computer. From it I learned how to program in BASIC. I still remember when I first "got" a block of code. It looked like this:

FOR X = 1 TO 10

PRINT X

NEXT X

A modem was the next leap. From the bulletin board services I learned how to write in other languages like Pascal, C++, and Assembly. I learned from other programmers how to work with memory and algorithms. I began to understand how the layers from BASIC programming down to transistors worked together.

During my high school years I was able to reproduce the graphics engines that were popular with the games of the day. Being able to work with memory and video and math got me there. As the code got more intense I started to learn the difference between good code and bad code. I love writing "Trick" code.

I started working on enterprise software in my early 20's. During this time I learned why writing trick code is not always a good idea. Writing code that's dumb, simple and easy to maintain was the better approach. The more boring the code the better.

As databases got large during these years I learned how to scale them. I learned how to write bad SQL and shortly after how to write good SQL. I learned how to fix and optimize SQL code. The database became my friend and together we started a great career in consulting.

A twist was soon to come.

Nearly all my life was spent trying to figure out computers. My focus was on how computer science was an art, and the art was how to beautifully place logic. However, all that effort neglected the person sitting in front of the box.

During my late 20's I began to see the connection between humans and computers. That coincided with the internet going Web 2.0. There was a huge shift where value was drawn from building better software, not for the computer, for the user.

More than ever before I've strongly focused on how software is used above how it's built. This shift has resulted in some interesting perspectives. I find myself indifferent with most coders. Developers commonly put code above everything else rather than focusing on the end result. I have also realized that above all the challenges I've had coding and learning how to code, building a "usable" system is above all the most difficult.

I've been paying attention to the top designers of user interaction and am fascinated by their work. I wake up looking forward to applying what I know to build usable software with deep social interaction and beautiful design. This is my world and this is what keeps me dedicated to it.

Amgen Tour of California

2009-02-19T12:35:00.000-08:00

This morning, my friends and I were at the start of the Amgen Tour of California. Today's stage starts in our hometown of Visalia and ends in Paso Robles. It's a beautiful route.

Lance Armstrong was one of the competing riders.

Part of the route includes Kansas Ave which happens to be the road where my family's ranch is located. In the shot below, taken from the live web website, you can see the ranch behind the riders.

Playing For the Music Fundraiser Showcase

2009-01-14T12:39:00.000-08:00

This Friday night, the 16th, I'll be playing with LUNCHBOX and AC Myles at the Cellar Door. We're playing to raise money to help them pay for some new fees the music industry is starting to push. From Sound-n-Vision:

As Visalia’s thriving live music scene builds, inevitable growing pains come with the territory. Visalia’s The Cellar Door has been consistently hosting concerts by increasingly popular high-profile artists. Recently American music organizations ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) and BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) have taken notice of the caliber of music that has been frequenting the venue and want a share of the profits.

Therefore, venues that host artists licensed under the umbrellas of these organizations must pay an annual fee to sell their entertainment. That means The Cellar Door will have to pay a total of $3,000 in music fees every year if they want to continue to host nationally-recognized touring acts.

We would love to see all of Visalia come out to help support the cause. There's a great line up for the next couple of weekends:

Friday, Jan.16
LUNCHBOX, TED NUNES, A.C.MYLES

Saturday, Jan.17
KEMAYA (new valley all-star SALSA Band!), THE PATRICK CONTRERAS BAND, IBICE

Friday, Jan.23
BLUE GIANT (members of VIVA VOCE and THE DECEMBERISTS), CROSSING CALDWELL

Saturday, Jan.24
Comedy night with...GARY LEE
The Garage Comedy Comedians:
Aaron Alberstein, Matt Peters, Dan Dominguez, Ed Salazar

Sunday, Jan.25
MEZCAL, PAZ

The Passion Way

2009-01-07T07:55:00.000-08:00

"Sweat the small stuff, sweat the big stuff, question everything, panic, don't panic, throw out everything, change focus, stay the course, tell everyone, tell no one. And above all, try real hard." - Damien Katz

Throughout my career as a software professional I've come across many approaches and "best practices" to software development: Waterfall, Iterative, Agile, XP, Cowboy Coding, Feature Driven Development, The Rails Way, etc.

In every case, I get the feeling that the approach isolates the individual (the developer) from close contact to the reality of the project. Every project has countless questions to answer, endless details to address, and a vision to carry. Methodologies just can't get the coverage.

Where's responsibility, common sense, and the love for craft? If I were to hire a developer, I would want to know that he cares as much as Daimien does. Make the practice serve you; don't serve the practice.

Favorite 2008 Mixes

2009-01-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

Songs that make you feel better

Have a lot on your mind? Old lady got you down? This mix is for you. Turn off your cell, dim the lights, roll a joint, and turn the A/C down to 60. It'll all make sense

Summering in the City '08

Seven new tracks I like. Plus the 8th for nostalgia.
@gordon: Thx for the scoop on With Honey Cream (found at 8tracks.com/gordon/black-magick)

Kiss with a Fist mix

Eight tracks of downtempo, hip hop/rap, indie and r&b/soul, including music by Beanfield, Florence & The Machine, Fujiya & Miyagi and Gil Scott-Heron.

joemiller's 1:30 P.M. Lift

Eight tracks of jazz, including music by Charlie Parker, Grant Green, Sonny Rollins and Summit Meeting At Birdland-Parker, Gillespie, Potter, Haynes, Powell. That '51 Birdland show, wow! How much would those tickets cost today?

True Love of the Dirty Flannel and Stubbled 90s

9 tracks of (12)Other, Alice in Chains, Black Crowes, Bush, Collective Soul, Counting Crows, Pearl Jam, Rock/Pop, Seattle Sound, Stone Temple Pilots, Weezer, candlebox, including music by (12)Other, Alice in Chains, Black Crowes, Bush, Collective Soul, Counting Crows, Pearl Jam, Rock/Pop, Seattle Sound, Stone Temple Pilots, Weezer, candlebox

feel better?

8tracks including music by, Blind Melon, Bon Jovi , U2, RHCP, The Call, and more.
My WMA's were converted to MP3's using MediaMonkey (http://www.mediamonkey.com)

Simply Civic is helping the Solar Permitting Process

2009-01-05T15:32:00.000-08:00

My good friends, and client, at SimplyCivic are looking to help improve the permitting process for the Solar Industry.

Previously time and money was wasted on the process of applying for and managing permits. Installers would have to drive down to the city for applications followed by the arduous process of coordinating the various people involved with the permitting application.

SimplyCivic is focusing on providing the installers and cities a tool to manage this process. Through a simple to use permit workspace, key people can apply for, monitor the status of, comment on, and upload files to ease the permitting process.

I've been consulting with them over the last couple of months to leverage their permitting software for the Solar Industry. They already have several cities and installers lined up for a pilot program. I see huge potential for their service.

SimplyCivic is Bootstrapped by the founders Dan Hensley and David Roach. Currently their product is scheduled for pilot this January. Additionally, they are looking to raise some cash to get through this year as they scale up the service.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

I'm excited about 2009! Aside from my generally optimistic self I do expect great things from the new year.

First of all, as we did after the .COM bust in 2000, we will rise above our current financial crisis. I feel we have the right leader as president as well as a more united country. Working together with the world, we will all be in a better situation in due time.

Regarding my consulting venture, I'm excited about my clients. We have worked hard to lay down a great foundation for each of the projects. I hope to continue delivering value for them as we move forward.

I couldn't ask for a better relationship with my family and friends. 2008 has taught me some sharp lessons and it's for the better. I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by such great people.

This year I'm going to make a serious attempt at a few resolutions:

Find a place of my own in NYC
Expose my children to NYC, SF, and possibly a foreign country
Maintain a mostly vegitarian (semi-vegitarian) diet.
Be more accountable for my finances
Play more live jazz and if possible play in NYC

New 8tracks player release

2008-12-20T14:13:00.000-08:00

Last night we (the 8tracks team) released the new 8tracks player:

Initially we built a flash player that was position in the top right of the page. Part of the original feature set included continuous playback between pages as well as a pop up player. However trick it was, trying to implement those features together led to usability loopholes and pit traps.

A few weeks ago I started exploring the option of using SoundManager for playback. It's a very robust javascript + invisible flash library for playing media on web pages. A couple days later I had a working prototype based on Gordon's new visual design for the player.

Once the team bought off on the project we moved quickly to deliver. I finished by implementing the 8tracks player as a Prototype class to give us as well as 3rd party developers the option to expend the player and skin it to their liking.

8tracks Tweets

2008-11-20T00:41:00.000-08:00

I spend a lot of time following blogs and tweets pertaining to 8tracks for problems or ideas to help improve the service. Often I find compliments that are encouraging. Here's a list of a few:

@jehawbaker Agreed. Something is up with the last.fm compatibility algorithm, or scrobbling isn't working. 8tracks.com to the rescue!
by mad (Matt Domurat)

my twitter has been neglected! Cool app: 8tracks.com
by electr0hed (todd mahoney)

Decided it's too late to do anything useful - so playing making a new mix for 8tracks.com
by adrianh (Adrian Howard)

In love with 8tracks <3. http://8tracks.com
by ofg (Omar)

New muxtape substitute until the RIAA hunts it down and kills it. 8tracks.com
by cilliandoc (Cillian O'Cathail)

just got on 8tracks.com and uploaded some tunes to reflect the good news from america
by one2watch (one2watch)

i've become a big fan of 8tracks.com as a tool for me to upload my music mixes. i hope it lasts, though i kind of doubt it.
by smpb (Sérgio)

@davidporter @arsydotorg THANKS GUYS! I genuinely appreciate everything. 8Tracks is working great now! YAY!!
by nhyrvana (nhyrvana)

Oh... It automagically posts to Twitter! I didn't think it would... Oh well, 8tracks rocks, that's for sure. :)
by gambuzino (Nuno Nunes)

Create yr own 30" music mix & post (legally) on yr website, check out http://8tracks.com
by anadrucker (anadrucker)

If you're missing Muxtape, you should definitely try out 8tracks.com. digging it much.
by niccharalambous (Nick Charalambous)

I checked out 8tracks.com -- pretty cool. http://8tracks.com
by abhart08 (Andrew Hartman)

"8Tracks= FavTape + GrooveShark + OpenTape + MuxTape + RIAA" - http://tinyurl.com/6klwff
by tinycomb (tinycomb)

Are you using http://8tracks.com? Send me your username so I can follow your mixes!
by verso (B. Hussein Fishbones)

En een 8tracks mixtapeje met nieuwe muziek gemaakt. Omdat iedereen het doet: http://tinyurl.com/6xlvtm
by died6 (died6)

Wondering whether to listen to Blip.fm, last.fm or latest fave 8tracks.com to get me through the afternoon.
by LittleLaura (Laura Whitehead)

8tracks wins hands down. Listening to this http://is.gd/4Ih5
by LittleLaura (Laura Whitehead)

sorry for all the 8tracks updates. love it though. http://www.8tracks.com/mauspad
by ishuku (xue)

Bummed out that Muxtape.com had it's plug pulled. Oh well, there's always 8tracks.com...
by blindmikey (Michael Niles)

<3 8tracks.com
by alexshepard (alexshepard)

@favtape's being weird for me lately...using 8tracks for now, which is extra awesome.
by orenmazor (Oren Mazor)

Loving me some 8tracks. http://8tracks.com/
by jalynhenton (Jalyn Henton)

and the one I want the RIAA to see:

alexshepard: the last $50 i've spent on music has been the direct result of 8tracks.com discoveries.

8tracks Mix Chain Letter

2008-11-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

Here's an idea for those needing one to create a mix at 8tracks. Make sure to copy and paste the rules in your description:

THE RULES:

The title must be a quote from a movie.

1. A song from the last record you bought.
2. A "blues" song. Does not have to be from a blues record, but a song that is labeled "_________ blues"
3. A song that will get you going in the morning.
4. A song from one of the earliest records that you can remember listening to.
5. A song discovered from a film.
6. A song about transportation (cars, trains, planes, etc).
7. A song from an artist/band that you don't normally like, with the exception of this one.
8. A song with a colour in the title.
9. A song with a number in the title.
10. A song that mentions a religious character/religion.
11. A song about a book (or books in general).
12. A funny song.
13. A cover song.
14. A song that you discovered through a mix tape given to you.
15. A song that reminds you of high school.
16. A song that is perfect for a quiet, rainy day.
17. A song with the word "Look" in the title.
18. Your favourite Beatles song.
19. A song by someone who is now deceased.
20. Any song.

Moments in my life

2008-11-05T22:53:00.001-08:00

There are moments in my life where something special, exciting or tragic has happened. Anchored to these moments are memories of where I was at the time it happened.

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake happened while I was at my cousin's house. I remember seeing all the terror of it all.

The stock market crash in 2000.

When the WTC towers were attacked I remember being in my suburban house in the kitchen when my aunt called me telling me to turn on the TV.

I remember the day the Columbia Shuttle exploded. I was in my office programming but to a break to listen to the news.

Enough of the bad ...

Now I have an exciting moment to remember. It comes from last night. I was at my friend Joel's house in San Francisco. We just arrived after eating Indian Food. As I walked into the house I saw the news broadcasting the polls just in time to catch Obama's count passing 270.

Moments later I get a phone call from my son. He was cheerful as he said, "Dad Obama won!!!"

Election Day Tomorrow

2008-11-03T11:05:00.000-08:00

"A basic fact not discussed in the American press enough is how much non-Americans are pulling for Barack Obama tomorrow. For those of us out here on tour in Europe (and South America recently) it could not be more obvious. The whole planet is biting its nails." - DO THE MATH

I saw this first hand when I was in Brazil. My family there are strong supporters of Obama. The believed his core values would help America's relations with the rest of the world.

I also saw this with the European friends I hang out with in NYC. They strongly support Obama. I was so surprised to hear how closely they followed the race.

I believe America's position in the world has been damaged. It seems to stem from being ignorant to the rest of the world. Historically we just strong arm everything we want. We need to change and open talks with the other countries to look for better ways to work together.

I was raised in a conservative family who believed that helping the people is where you start when the country is down. I've heard many stories from my Grandfather about the depression and how people just kept doing their thing; working through it. Today we need that more than ever. We need a leader who can unify a vision with the people to work through our current situation.

On these terms plus more I myself am biting my nails hoping for Barack Obama tomorrow!

New 8tracks Release: Mix feed, comments, and more

2008-10-24T02:05:00.000-07:00

The 8tracks Team has been working hard to get some new and exciting features release. Today it shipped!

Included in the new release:

The Mix Feed: Keep track of the mixes created by DJs you follow. This becomes your homepage showing you the latest.

My Comments: A report of what people are saying about your mixes.

Search Results: Enhanced search results display more information about the mix.

Non-Flash Upload: Because of the latest Flash10 security enhancements the mix create page supports flash or non-flash browsers.

Numerous fixes: Mix edit issues has been resolved, better searching, minor cosmetic tweaks, and many bugs have been fixed.

It's great to hear what the community is saying. I've been listening and responding to blog posts, user voice feedback, and twitter posts. This is all we have to improve our product.

I think the next release of 8tracks will include better social networking hooks.

Investment Ideas

2008-10-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

"As of Friday, a $10,000 investment in the S.& P. stock market index* would have grown to $11,733 if invested under Republican presidents only, although that would be $51,211 if we exclude Herbert Hoover’s presidency during the Great Depression. Invested under Democratic presidents only, $10,000 would have grown to $300,671 at a compound rate of 8.9 percent over nearly 40 years."

- Bulls, Bears, Donkeys and Elephants

Business Cards

2008-10-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

I thought I was time for something a little more hip:

No Love for/from Myspace Music

2008-10-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

"Smaller, independant labels with a presence on MySpace are throwing a ginormous hissy fit that they weren't invited to MySpace music, despite the fact that the site has done more to cultivate an original, user-generated music scene online than any other website." - Jossip

MySpace Music was launched just recently to a lukewarm reception. What went wrong?

Well I think Myspace Music is a product of an ignorant industry doing what they have been doing in the past. Controlling others' content so they can control the feed to the audience for their own benefit.

I believe that the audience needs clean and honest access to all types of music. The audience needs to feel the artists, dj's, or mixtape creators. They should trust their source of music using social networks and algorithms.

My message is be careful of the wolves and find your love though great services such as last.fm, pandora, and my beloved 8tracks.

If we had foresight ...

2008-09-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

With a little more foresight, we might be able to avoid most mistakes.

(that's gotta hurt)

Visalia All Music Festival 2008

2008-09-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Fri., Oct. 3

Jon Gindick, The Bruthers from Anutha’ Muther - Blues Brews and Barbecue Concert at Garden Street Plaza (on Main Street) (6:30pm-9:30pm)

Run 4 Cover at The Cellar Door (101 W. Main St.) $10 tickets at the door (ages 21+) (9:30pm-12:30am)

Sat., Oct. 4

Free All-Ages Outdoor Main Street Shows:

(1:00pm-3:00pm) Lunchbox

(3:00pm-5:00pm) Patrick Contreras Band

(5:00pm-7:00pm) Mercury Blues Band

(7:00pm-9:00pm) Ma hop

Lunchbox will be performing a 2nd show at Visalia Brewing Company (9:30 - 12:30)

*more free musical performances @ the following businesses: The Depot, Vintage Press, Visalia Coffee Company, Velouria Records, and more to be announced

As some of you know, I play with Lunchbox and the Mercury Blues Band.

32 Years Old

2008-08-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

I turned 32 years old yesterday. With a pause for reflection I noted that I'm grateful for the choices I've made and the lessons I've learned along the way. I'm grateful for a family that I'm closer with than before and friends who are true.

32 is a significant number for computers. In the computer world 32 bit processors was a leap in computing power and 32 bit memory addressing was a leap in storage.

32 years is what I realistically think will be a third of my life span. 32 years of experience with knowledge makes me feel confident. 32 years of learning about myself will open me up to learn more about others.

Happy birthday

More in the news for 8tracks

2008-08-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

The numbers are still climbing. Since yesterday we've had a couple hundred mixes created by our users. Here's a recent interview from the Wired Blog:

Wired.com: Can you give me some sort of idea how widely/quickly 8tracks is being adopted?

Porter: 8tracks is still very small but growing rapidly. According to Google Analytics, we've attracted some 16,000 uniques over the last 30 days, the vast majority of which has come since Aug 16th, when Silicon Alley Insider ran a story on us.

Interview: David Porter, founder of 8tracks.

Imagine having access to thousands on tiny radio stations. Many more niches of music than you can ever imagine. This is what 8tracks is delivering.

Here are some cool mixes I've been listening to:

albertart's Jazz Revolution mix

Kiss with a Fist mix

Nhyrvana's Late Summer Chillout

More news about 8tracks

2008-08-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

"Our vote: What a great service. 8tracks strikes us as well-thought out company with a strong strategic plan — and, most important to you, a strong end-user benefit. We hope its model will survive what’s sure to be an incoming rush of users, and thus an upcoming increase in royalties. The guys behind it seem to know what they’re doing, though, so we’ll hope their vision is as solid as it sounds. I, for one, will definitely be returning to use this service again." -- INQUISITR

Nice write up about our baby: 8tracks

Tribute to Leroi Moore

2008-08-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Leroi Moore was a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band. He recently passed away due to complications from an ATV accident.

In memory, I created a tribute mix on 8tracks:

http://8tracks.com/arsy/tribute-to-leroi-moore

8tracks example

2008-08-18T17:54:00.001-07:00

Relating to my post yesterday about how sharing music benefits both listeners and artists:

Thanks Fred - great mix, would love to have the tracks linked to a DRM free purchase option. I have been searching around trying to find where I can dl a few of these.

- Nathaniel's comment on Fred Wilson's Mix