Toluu

The Brian Shaler Blog

Design, Development, and Business

The Six Stages of DebuggingNovember 11

This is from a paper posted on my cubicle neighbor’s wall:

The Six Stages of Debugging

1. That can’t happen.
2. That doesn’t happen on my machine.
3. That shouldn’t happen.
4. Why is that happening?
5. Oh, I see.
6. How did that ever work?

AZ Entrepreneurship Conference - November 19November 8

The 3rd Annual AZ Entrepreneurship Conference is less than two weeks away! Are you going?

This year’s event will include the usual broad range of entrepreneurial topics, but will have a touch of social media. The speaker line-up is among the best Phoenix, AZ has seen in one place, especially in the tech entrepreneurship realm.

It’s going to be absolutely amazing.

In this economy, you might want to learn what is happening in our local banking market. It’s something you need to know if you are in business.

And there will also be an announcement from Microsoft that will benefit anyone with a software startup (under 3 years old) or a new project.

Businesses and entrepreneurs looking for funding, talent, real estate plays for the future, green initiatives or innovative ideas will find them all at the Third Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship conference November 19 at the Buttes Resort in Tempe, Arizona The day-long event will connect participants with some of the most interesting and active entrepreneurs and investors across the U.S. Last year’s event was standing room only, with this year’s event expected to draw even larger audiences.

Keynote speakers include a collection of heavyweights sharing their in-the-trenches experiences in building, funding and selling their companies.

Keynote Speakers:

• AllanKaplan, Co-Founder of Limelight Networks and Director of Clearview Capital Partners
• Matt

Fame, Fortune, Thanks, or a Pat on the BackOctober 28

Think about your goals. What do you envision happening when you achieve them? Will you be rich? Will you be famous? Or will you be a do-gooder?

For many people, wealth and fame are tangential to their goals. They generally don’t cite them as the desired end result, but they are kept as lingering expectations. That is reward-driven success.

Even expecting a thank you or a pat on the back can make you reward-driven. A self-proclaimed altruist who is upset when he is not thanked is not an altruist at all.

If you are doing what you do for money, fame, or even a thank you, get out of the game now.

I occasionally catch myself disappointed when my efforts to help go un-thanked, or worse, unnoticed. I remind myself it was the impact I was striving for and not the thank you.

Community: Quality > QuantityOctober 27

I hate being asked how to increase a number of followers, readers, etc. Whether it’s a marketer asking me how they can get more followers on Twitter or Tim Ferriss asking me how to get 50,000 new RSS subscribers overnight, it’s a request I simply don’t want to accommodate.

You need to engage and embrace the community you have and let it grow organically. Getting thousands of people to give you a sliver of their attention and none of their support does you little to no good.

You need to focus on blowing people away, turning casual observers into rabid supporters.

That is how you build a valuable community.

PodCampAZ 2008September 23

Last year was the first PodCampAZ. It was a lot of fun, but this year is looking like it will be even better.

Before, it was organized by Brent Spore (@iboughtamac) and his wife Michelle (@mspore). This year, they have been working with over a dozen volunteers to make sure the event scales — they’re expecting more speakers, more attendees, and the event will span two days.

PodCamp AZ 2008
November 1 & 2
Phoenix, AZ
(register now!)

I volunteered to give two presentations (one on each day).

First, I will talk about the future of Internet video and interactive interfaces. Many content producers use a traditional broadcast model for their content, which is very unidirectional. The Internet allows for two-way communication, which opens the door for many different ways of producing a show.

The other presentation will be about turning online connections into “in real life” (IRL) connections. Some people have concerns that “social” media is making people less social in real life. It can if that’s how you use social media. However, social media can be used as a tool to help you be more social.