You Think and Where I'm At

Oh dear.  Man.  Everyday I learn more about myself.  And I'm happy to do so.  So what am I doing and where am I at.

First, what am I doing?  That actually has alot to do with where I'm at.  I was just thinking in the park over a cup of coffee.  It's my usual thinking spot and I'm thinking that I've graduated from Noob to Beginner in terms of programming.  A Noob is "How do I include files that are two levels up in a PHP script?'.  A beginner is "In a $.ajax call if I assign a value to a variable that value has to be included in my return call to my anonymous function."  I used to be a noob but now I'm a beginner which is pretty exciting.  What's next?  Intermediate.  I can do some damage at the intermediate level.  I should reach that by the time I'm finished programming my iPhone app.  And have it on a server and have my first cronjob working.  Lots of work.

I'm starting to learn myself more and more.  A question I can finally answer about myself is why computer programming?  Why not statistics or music even?  Well statistics I believe is a passive science.  It's a science that drives decisions but does not make decisions.  Multi-stack systems change the world.  I am working on becoming an awesome multi-stack system builder.  System builders leverage data and probably create new data in the process.  I want to be the instrument of change, not an adviser to it.  

Why not music?  I love music.  Huge fan.  But to be honest, I have never been much for simple influence.  Influence wanes.  Power lasts.  Though I feel naked in saying this and I have never exposed this part of myself, I have always favored power over influence.  As a child I was very interested in power.  As I got older, in my teenage years, I received some power through influence.  But then my influence waned.  Answer:  an artists power rests on influence which is controlled by the whims of people.  Puffy is influential today but not as much as he was ten years ago.  Bill Gates is influential today but not as much as he was ten years ago.  However, Bill Gates still has power.  His power isn't based on popularity, i.e. a politician's, but rather is resource based.  I've always wanted resource based strength.
This is a funny analysis because it has to do with my fundamental nature and not anything else.

Next, You Think.  The more that I think about me the more I think I care less about what "You Think."  No one can ever be great bowing to You Think, paying attention to what other people think.  I believe greatness can only be achieved, and self-fulfillment can only be achieved, through being in tune with your own mind and your own soul, listening to that voice deep within.  A definite way to confusion and unhappiness to is to listen to "You Think."  Most people have no idea of where they're going and no conception of greatness or no desire for it.  It makes absolutely no sense to listen to them. Even Bill Gates' own mother laughed at him when he founded Microsoft.  Rather, it makes perfect sense to listen to iThink.  Greatness was never achieved by committee.  Most people put themselves on your personal committee even though they have no vested interest in you or may not care about you at all.  But they put forward their opinions, spoken and unspoken, about the direction of your life and how you ought to conduct it.  That's You Think.  But iThink is much greater.  One should never run one's life by YT.  Rather only through iThink.  

I've always been a rebel.  I've been told a number times that I should start my own thing. Now I understand.  That's exactly what I am doing and must do.  It's imperative.  I'm sure when Beethoven was writing his first concerto people doubted him, and gave him plenty of YT.  But now he's Beethoven.  And who are they?  Exactly.

To Do List: GFM

Big To Do List so this won't be a long post.  Just tons of work to do, tying up loose ends on the site itself:

1.  Evaluate Buttons 3 + 4.  Done.

2.  Fix error on "Sign In" on Button 1.  Done.

3.  Lock down email/phone number sign up.  Done.

4.  Increase sign out functionality.  Done.

     a.  Sign out of this computer.  This does not sign you out of work but stops someone else from accessing your account.  Done.

     b.  Sign out of work.   This logs you out of the GFM system completely and stops all messages from being relayed to your mobile phone.  Done.

     c.  THOUGHT:  Add field in DB that confirms if the phone has downloaded and registered using the mobile app.

6.  (I know I skipped a number but this is how I wrote in on my post-it notes).  Evaluate Button #3 Sign in Error proble.  Done.

7.  Add address verification (PAO (1/4))  Done.

8.  Address Verification (PAO (2/4))  Done.

9.  Remove "Living" and "Billing" Address Alerts.  Done.

10.  Check Address Drop off point in UES.  Pick up address can be anywhere.  Drop Off Address must be in the UES.  Think about this.  Maybe bounce this idea off of someone.
Done.

11.  Remove Map  Div from PAO (3/4).  Done.

12.  Remove Verify Button from PAO (3/4)  Done.

13.  Change Order:  Fix "Error 3" designation  Done.


14.  Fix PAO (4/4) -- Larger number of credit card options coming up each time on choose a card option.  Fix this.  Done.


15.  Fix successful return option.  Done.


16.  Big Issue.  After last PAO screen something must happen.  Should the user go to a screen where you can select from Gophers + then their trust metrics + prices after they respond.  Maybe they shouldn't have trust metrics but courier reviews similar to eBay.  I like this more.  It puts it in the hands of the users as opposed to me.  Nice!  Design the table structure and the work flow.  This still needs to be done but do it after iPhone app is finished.


17.  Customer Sign In vs. Courier Sign In on Button 4.   Must be fixed.  You can't automatically be signed in to customer if the cookie designation is courier or visa versa. Done.


18.  Sign Into Work Screen 1.  Fix Layout.  Hideous.  Done.


19.  Sign into work "Validate" Button not working properly.  Fix.  (Button 4 -- Screen 2)  Done.


20.  Sign into Work (Button 4 -- Screen 2) Fix time functionality.  It's an issue.  Done.


20b.  Sign into Work (Button 4 -- Screen 2) -- Fix the field initialization.  Done.


21.  Fix customer vs. courier log in (Button 4).  I think this is the same issue as Fix Number 17. 
Done.

Update on GFM Website

So tonight I made a big error.  Instead of fighting to get the good as opposed to the perfect I fought for the perfect and wasted an hour and lost some momentum.  I should be able to finish up buttons 1 and 2 but I really want to get this website tied up so I can transfer it to my server and start development on my iPhone app.  I don't really have much more time. I've got to get this done soon.  


I really need to have this website up and running on my machine and hardened by the end of this week.  Next week I need to read this book about the Apple Core API and really get into the design and development of the app and get it deployed.  


It's really important that I get Button 1 and 2 completely finished today and get that menu bar at the top done also.  I also need to get buttons three and four tied down.  Today if possible. I need this site migrated ASAP so I can in earnest begin work on my iPhone app.


Designing the model.


Designing the view.  The view first.  But I need to get this done.

GFM Resources

-- Reading a JSON from a file,

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5097783/trying-to-parse-json-file-with-jquery

-- Building a Multipoint Map

https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/overlays#PolylineArrays

These Days

So what's going on these days.  Well, I've been working on reading this iPhone text. And I'm glad I have.  I'm actually on my second text book. One book wasn't enough. I had to know how to write in Objective-C first and then to write in the iPhone framework. It'll be useful I'm sure.  If I'm going to build a firm with a deep technical expertise then I must start with myself. I am eager to finish this book, read the next one (just a few chapters) and read the next one that cropped up. This book says nothing about dealing with data or databases. Imagine that. To me it's useless if I have no client server communication and no information about push notification.  

Anyway, so I bought another book for that. Bummer.  But I do have a plan.  

1.  Read these last two books.  (Should be done by the end of next week) -- DONE

2.  Finish the web based UI completely.  (Should be done by the end of March) -- WORKING         ON IT NOW.

3.  Migrate the files over to my Linux machine in total.  (Should be done in one day, just the migration)

4.  Install a wireless card on my Linux machine.  (Might have to reach out to someone to do that)

-- I've also got a book to read now about the iPhone Core API.

5.  Get the local machine talking to my other machines in my apartment.  (Two days, maybe three ... depending on the wireless card)

6.  Get the configuration files correct.  (Two days maybe three ... we're talking about the first week in April now)

7.  Write the iPhone App and test it.  (Two to three weeks ... let's push for two)

8.  Write the algorithms that tie everything together and run the credit card transactions, etc.  (Two weeks).

9.  Hardening the server (two weeks ... I'll ask someone at a Hackathon).

I've got a lot of work to do but after I get those things done I should be able to move forward into testing after getting this code migrated to a dev server.

Wow.  Lots to do.  The Apache part is the biggest possible problem that I see. I'll have to be careful that I don't waste alot of time doing that.

After all this work I'll have to work on hardening the entire system.  I've got some books on hacking.  I'll have to use them.

Books by Dr. King that I want to read

Why is it that the lessons that are most useful to us are often the most apparent and yet the most ignored.  I have been ignoring my own cultural heritage and examples in Dr. King for years.  Now looking at Barack Obama and his demeanor, the way in which he purports himself, and his life, Dr. King's message, more than his words but the way he lived his life has come through loud and clear.  It only took me forever to figure this out.  I've been looking for a role model for a long time.  Little did I realize one was staring me right in the face my entire life.

Stride toward Freedom; the Montgomery story (1958) details the true story of Dr. King's boycott based on the refusal of Rosa Parks to give her seat to a white person.

The Measure of a Man (1959) is made up of two meditations by Dr. King that show his peaceful approach behind his political and social philosophies.

Strength to Love (1963) is a collection of some of the inspirational sermons of Dr. Martin Luther King

Why We Can't Wait (1964) details the history of the civil rights movement and what needs to be done in the future.

Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community? (1968) An overview of what Dr. King has achieved so far regarding peaceful change and musings on the future.

The Shitlist

These are bars I plan to buy just to devestate them:


1.  The Underground Lounge


2.  The Hi-Life


3.  Jack Russell Bar


4.  The Coffee Bar (keep it but buy it)

Break and Motivation

So team, I've been taking a break.  I know.  I feel disappointed too but Mark Twain's words come to mind: 


"When the tank runs dry, you've only got to leave it alone and it will fill up in time."


Well, that's what I did.  I had just read one book of 400 pages in length and I couldn't simply dive into the next without any break.   So that's what I did.  I took a break.  Now I must say that I feel multiple times better.  I am rearing to go, disciplined enough not to go out tonight at all and tomorrow I will dive into reading another 70 pages in this text.  Alas, I would've liked to have been done by tomorrow night but I needed more time, not for any particular technical aspect but rather for my mind to recuperate and my soul to digest the large amount of information that I had all ready taken in.


But I have now done this.  Tomorrow I have but one goal.  Read 70 pages in iPhone Application Building for Dummies.  That is the only goal. 


Tomorrow: (Sat): p. 140


Sunday: p. 210.


Monday: p. 280.


Tuesday:  p. 350


Wednesday: p. 420.


Thursday:  Google Maps API: p. 70


Friday:  GMAPI: p. 140.


Saturday:  Get Twisted.


Sunday:  Chill and plan next programming run.

Sending Faxes via PHP

http://www.interfax.net/en/dev/webservice

Emotional Separation

Regardless of whatever happens when one person separates from an organization or anything there is an emotional reaction.  If that relationship was terrible, then the reaction tends to be happiness.  If the relationship is mixed then there is some feeling of sadness for the good parts that were lost.


I separated from EY officially today signing all paperwork and handing in my identification card, etc.  That EY ID represented something to me.  It was my entry into the upper middle class.  It represented taxis and the Upper East Side, and restaurants, and basically being part of the city that got to say I did what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it.  It was not exciting, but it was nice to be a part of the priviledged class.  Now I still have honorary membership in that class but there's something different to be said about it.  I can no longer say that I am a part of EY, a storied and legendary firm.  My sadness is at this loss of status and connection.


But there is a thick silver lining.  The way I know that I am on the right path is funny.  There's an internal compass.  And using that internal compass one walks the path.  But as one walks this path (alone at first) things come along ... good things.  But all of those good things are distractions.


I have largely finished the website that I was building.  Sure there are parts of it that still must be completed, i.e. some checking conventions, a button or two, etc.  But the funny part is that  as I start learning to build my iPhone app which is the next real phase of development (a big step) I am bombarded by offers.  A girl calls me out of the blue and now wants to be my girlfriend.  I get a job offer today to jump into management at a large corporation.  These are what I call universal consolation prizes.  They're the universes way to see if you really want to be who you are born to be.  It's like the universe saying, "Okay, I know you're on your journey and you've found the right way but if you stop, here, you can have this girl.  Isn't that nice?"  Or, "Well, you know there is this management position that you can have.  I know you know you're not a suit.  But you'll have all this prestige and money.  Is that great?  What do you say?"


If you say no.  And continue to say no, you'll get everything.  The prestige.  The resources.  But most importantly the internal satisfaction of being able to say I stayed true to who I am.  That's a gift, that assuredness, that rock solid mental foundation, that strong spiritual relationship with God, that can't be bought.  


I am somewhat sad.  But I am assured that I am on the right path.  I need to get back to work.