Category Archives: Life

out of exile

Posted on October 20, 2011 by mark

Well, here I am. If something is your sole source of income, it’s your job. If it doesn’t make you any money and/or costs you money, it’s a hobby. Profit-generating hobbies are somewhere in-between. I think most blogs fall on … Continue reading →

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long-term jobs

Posted on December 20, 2010 by mark

My dad retired from his job of 35 years on Friday. Having a truly long-term job is uncommon–even in his age group, only about 28% stay in one place for over 20 years. Continue reading →

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freelancing lessons: part 1

Posted on December 16, 2010 by mark

I’ve been promising to share some of the lessons learned from my year of freelancing. Here’s one: you can’t put each of your fingers in a separate pie and expect to just eat the most delicious one. When I started … Continue reading →

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…that many failures

Posted on December 14, 2010 by mark

I was just reading this article about the Airbus A380 that had an engine blow up (they landed safely), and this quote from the interview caught my eye: “…the fuel dumping system had failed and we were about 50 tonnes … Continue reading →

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the challenge of choice

Posted on December 13, 2010 by mark

I’ve just finished looking through hundreds of channels, our DVR, and an on-demand video service, and I’m right back to the laptop. I can’t help but wonder if “57 channels and nothing on” is actually caused by too much choice … Continue reading →

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I’m back!

Posted on December 7, 2010 by mark

I’ve been away from blogging for a bit, as you can see. It’s not the first time I’ve put the keyboard down for awhile; this time, the main impetus is a career realignment. I’ve decided to close up shop as … Continue reading →

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x of the month

Posted on September 29, 2010 by mark

Today is my Mom’s birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! As you get older, buying gifts gets more and more complicated. If you’re like me, you tend to just go out and buy those essential things you need; given a situation where … Continue reading →

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things i like: guided tours

Posted on September 27, 2010 by mark

When traveling, you don’t always have the time, energy or expertise to make your visit the vacation of a lifetime. That’s why I love guided tours. Continue reading →

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mini-cases: controlling the source

Posted on September 24, 2010 by mark

When you’re working on something by yourself, life is simple. But add just one person to the mix, and everything gets a lot harder. You want to keep track of what changed, when, and who was responsible, and to do that, you need source control. Continue reading →

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mini-cases: better to beg for forgiveness, part 2

Posted on September 22, 2010 by mark

In this mini-case, I did not have official approval for my idea. And it was simple: I was working for a business that, among other things, allowed users of a website to search for airfares across multiple providers—pretty innovative, at … Continue reading →

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