Archive for January, 2010

True cost of driving to work

January 31st, 2010

One of the exercises in my Personal Marketing class is to calculate the cost of driving to work.  I have decided to share this information with all my readers.

First let’s define some automotive expenses related to driving to work (Gas, Oil, Tires, Insurance, Vehicle Replacement, Vehicle Registration, Monthly Parking, Tolls, and Driving Time) » Read more: True cost of driving to work

Upcoming Techie Events

January 30th, 2010

Here are some techie type events I plan to attend during 2010.

Let me know if you are planning to attend too.

MacWorld Expo 2010 February 9-13, 2010 www.macworldexpo.com
Moscone Center
747 Howard Street, 5th Flr.
San Francisco, CA 94103
CELF Embedded Linux Conference April 12-14, 2010 www.embeddedlinuxconference.com
Hotel Kabuki
1625 Post Street
San Francisco, CA
Embedded Systems Conference April 26-29, 2010 ESC Silicon Valley
McEnery Convention Center
San Jose, CA
Maker Faire 2010 May 22-23, 2010 www.makerfaire.com
San Mateo County Event Center
San Mateo, Calif.

iProgram

January 29th, 2010

With the recent introduction of the iPad, the question has been posed by many people.  Will you get an iPad?  I didn’t have to think very hard on this question.  » Read more: iProgram

Acknowledge your FEAR, then Do It Anyway

January 27th, 2010

How many times have you missed out on opportunities because you were too afraid to act?  You spent too much time thinking about what might go wrong instead of focusing on the potential for success.  Too many times we end up talking ourselves out of taking action because it would require us to step out of our comfort zone.  Resolve to be aware of the risk but have the courage to be successful.
» Read more: Acknowledge your FEAR, then Do It Anyway

iPhone App BOOK BAZAAR

January 26th, 2010

If you’re like, me you hear about a book recommendation from a blog, blog comment, vlog, newscast, friend or even another book.  I used to record book titles in my notepad on my cell phone and then look them up later.  That was until I discovered this iPhone App.  The application I’m talking about is called BOOK BAZAAR.  The publisher’s website is BayViewLabs.com. » Read more: iPhone App BOOK BAZAAR

Challenging Status Quo

January 25th, 2010

Status Quo is usually associated with average or mediocre.  In reality it’s not good or bad.  It just states someone’s existing condition.

What is your Status Quo?  Is your life average or mediocre? Are you stuck in survival mode or riding on the coat-tails of past successes.  Are you constantly improving or just existing?  If you’re not careful, Status Quo could mean you’re losing momentum while your competition is gaining speed.

Status Quo – n.  The existing condition or state of affairs.

“status quo.” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 25 Jan. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/status quo>.

» Read more: Challenging Status Quo

iPhone insurance aka OtterBox Defender

January 23rd, 2010

When you think about protection for a cell phone you might think about insurance. That’s usually available for most cell phones, but apparenly AT&T doesn’t carry insurance for the iPhone.  Probably because it has some vulnerable areas like the entire front surface made of breakable glass.  So, how are you going to protect your invesment? » Read more: iPhone insurance aka OtterBox Defender

Simulated Mixer in Ice Breaker Activity

January 20th, 2010

On Wednesday, my colleague Jeff and I went to an IAAP (International Association of Administrative Professionals) meeting in Pleasanton, California. We made a presentation on Personal Marketing and Social Networking. During the first part of the meeting probably 10 minutes was an Ice Breaker exercise. Its purpose of course was to break the ice and encourage networking. » Read more: Simulated Mixer in Ice Breaker Activity

iPhone 3GS review

January 19th, 2010

I recently purchased an iPhone 3GS with 16GB of memory.  This is my first iPhone and my first experience using Apple’s multi-touch interface.  I have never used an iPod touch either.  I purchased the iPhone  for the purpose of learning Objective-C, Cocoa and doing iPhone Application development.  Up until this point my experience with Smart phones has been limited to using and programming Palm OS & Windows Mobile Smart phones.  This post covers my personal experience with the iPhone. » Read more: iPhone 3GS review

Steps I’m taking to Re-invent my career

January 18th, 2010

Yesterday, I wrote “Re-invent your career“  In that post, I listed several questions to ask yourself.  I’ve been asking myself and others which skills are the most important to know.  Of course I get mixed answers.  I have narrowed the marketable skills down to Objective-C.  The business establishments that I would like to work for require Objective-C programming experience with iPhone and Mac OS X development experience.

How I’m Re-Inventing my Career:

  • Becoming proficient at Objective-C
    • Objective-C is used for both iPhone and Mac OS X development.
    • Obtain iPhone and learn all aspects of iPhone App development
    • Obtain Mac OS X system and learn all aspects of Mac OS X App development
    • Learn by Watching Videos on iPhone & Mac OS X development
    • Learn by developing iPhone App for iPhone store
  • Reinforce / Build colleague networks
    • Meet on regular basis
  • Looking for Mac & iPhone software developer Community to network with
  • Utilize Forums/ Groups /NING / Meetup for learning & networking
  • Meet with other like-minded people to discuss the topic of iPhone & Mac OS X development
  • Participate in Forums and Blogs, either writing blogs or commenting on them.

Side note, since I will be using these new tools, I believe there will be lots of experiences to write about in my blog.

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