Phillip Bowden

What's The Deal With January?

2012-01-02T00:00:00-08:00

It has been a quite a year working at Black Pixel. I’ve gotten to work on a lot great projects (many of which I can’t talk about) alongside some of the finest people I’ve ever met. Hell, I even got to work on NetNewsWire. That’s pretty rad.

Black Pixel is an amazing team and I’m sad to be leaving them. I am honored to call the people there my friends.

The Next Thing

I’m happy to announce I’ll be joining Tumblr’s mobile team on January 9th.

Creative tools have always appealed to me. I’ve spent an inordinate amount of spare time developing them and an even greater amount of time thinking about them. Joining the team at Tumblr is an opportunity to work on tools for both creating and consuming content at an impressive scale.

It’s also an opportunity to work with another great team. In the time I’ve spent with them, I’ve been very impressed by the caliber of people at Tumblr. (Plus, I get to work with my friend, Buzz)

As crazy as it might sound to the office-bound, I’m excited to be working in an office again. Working at home can at times be lonesome, and honestly I felt like I was missing out on a part of living in New York, not having to commute into Manhattan daily.

I’m very excited about this.

Steve

2011-10-06T00:00:00-07:00

Watching your heroes die is a strange, painful thing. Yet more strange is the death of one who you did not know personally. That’s the situation many of us found ourselves in when we heard that Steven P. Jobs had passed away.

I never met Steve, never worked for him, in fact, the closest I had ever been to him was watching him deliver a WWDC keynote in person.

Despite that, the impact Steve had on my life was enormous.

The first computer I remember using was an Apple IIe. In the fall of 1993 I remember fidgeting in my seat as the rest of my kindergarten class filed into my school’s dark computer lab. Impatiently, I figured out how to turn on the machine in front of me. The course of my life changed when that green monochrome screen came alive.

Almost 10 years later, I started programming on a dual-booting Windows/Linux box in my bedroom. (My family didn’t own any Apple products). It was a whole new world for me, I didn’t know any programmers nor was there any sort of instruction on it in school. It was simply a hobby I immersed myself in as I did with many others. It wasn’t until I managed to save enough money from washing dishes and bussing tables to buy a Mac that my feelings changed. I began to learn Cocoa and immersed myself in examining the rich attention to detail in the OS and all of my favorite software. It was my obsession, this was what I wanted to do with my life, to make beautiful things like these.

5 years later I was a bored, disaffected college student. I was attending class less and less and spent most of my time working on Mac apps and writing. The iPhone had been released and it was an astonishing device. I still remember standing in the hallway waiting for class and reading that the iPhone SDK had been released. I hurried to the office I worked at on campus and began downloading the SDK as I went about my other job as a web developer and writer for the college newspaper. That night I sat with my laptop open next to my work computer as I jumped back and forth between my job and running my code on the device I’d been happily carrying around in my pocket for months. It was thrilling.

A few months later, I left school and started developing software for the Mac, the iPhone and later the iPad full-time and never looked back.

In that time I’ve met some of my dearest friends, worked on many things I’m genuinely proud of and have truly enjoyed the life I only used to dream of living.

One of the highlights of my career was a moment during one of those WWDC keynotes where Steve mentioned by name something I had worked on.

It’s not hyperbole when I say that all of it, in some way or another was made possible thanks to Steve’s vision, inspiration, and life’s work. His work and philosophy will inspire me for the rest of my life.

Thank you, Steve. Rest in peace.

Come Beer With Me

2011-08-08T00:00:00-07:00

So, as I type this I have 11 days and counting until I start the long drive from Austin to New York City. Realizing how little time I have left to pack and get my affairs in order, I figured it was time to set aside a night to have beers and say goodbye to all of my friends in Austin.

So, this Friday (August 12th), I propose we meet at my favorite Downtown watering hole, The Ginger Man, for a night of beer-drinking, merriment, and goodbyes. I’ll probably head over around 8:30 and stick around until close. I’d like to keep it casual, so just stop by when you can for however long you can. (Disclaimer, the later you show up, the more likely I will sloppily hug you, so proceed accordingly.)

If you can’t make it, just shoot me a note and maybe we can arrange to see each other another time. Otherwise, please feel welcome to visit me.

An Update on the Move

2011-08-01T00:00:00-07:00

So, a small update on my move to New York.

My trip out to NYC, ostensibly to find a place to live, was a great success. I was pretty nervous going into the apartment hunt given a lot of the horror stories I’d heard from friends about their experiences hunting for apartments in New York. To my pleasant surprise, I found my place on the second day of my trip and didn’t have to involve a broker. Maybe I got lucky.

My new place is in Williamsburg, very close to a subway stop and near many excellent bars, restaruants and parks. It’s in a recently renovated building, it’s affordable and it’s certainly not a shoebox of a place.

An aside, the best moment of the walkthrough:

AGENT: “So, there’s this really nice big closet. You’ll be able to fit all of your winter coats in here” PHILLIP: “My what?”

So, on August 19th, I plan to rent a truck and begin the long drive from Austin, TX to my new place in New York. I’m looking to find a co-pilot for the journey (some friends have kindly offered), but if that falls through I certainly wouldn’t mind a quiet drive by myself.

With less than three weeks until the move I have a lot of packing (and some downsizing of possessions) to do. Somewhere in those 3 weeks I’ll likely try to have some kind of Have Beers With Me Before I Leave sort of thing, so watch the Twitter for that if you’re interested.

Moving

2011-07-01T00:00:00-07:00

I’ve lived in Texas for my entire life so far. 18 years in humid, boring Corpus Christi, a few years in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and finally two years in Austin.

Before I came to Austin, I was preparing to make my great escape from Texas to Portland, Oregon. I got really close that time. Frustratingly close. (Really, had a plane ticket and everything.) I had nothing tying me down to Texas, but then this great opportunity to work on something awesome in Austin, TX came along. I figured, of all the places in Texas I’d really enjoy still living in, it would be Austin.

I was right. The last two years I’ve spent living in Austin have been so much fun. The city is laid-back, full of life, good beer, great food (particularly tacos), and great people. I would encourage anyone considering it to give Austin a try, you won’t regret it. (Unless you move here in August, then you might regret it)

The thing is, I think I could see myself living in Austin for the rest of my life. The other thing though (there are two things), is that I’m not ready to settle down yet and I’m ready for a change of scenery. Once again I find myself with nothing tying me down to Texas. I work remote for Black Pixel, so I figure now would be a nice time to try again.

So, once my lease is up in early August, I’ll be making the move to New York City (Brooklyn, to be precise). I spent a week in the city on vacation not too long ago and I had an incredible time exploring the city and was amazed at how much of it I had not yet seen. By the end of the week, I felt like it was the kind of place that was just my speed, so I figured I’d give it a try.

I’ll be making a trip out there again July 17-23 to look for a place to live, so any friends with advice on apartment hunting (or if you just want to meet up), please feel free to drop me a line via email at pbowden@pbowden.net.

Knowing When It's Time to Leave

2011-04-02T00:00:00-07:00

I learned a lot in 2 years working at a startup. I really cut my teeth there, learning lots about engineering, design, business, and people.

The most valuable thing I learned though, was how to know when it’s time to leave.

The thing is, startups ask a lot of you. You sacrifice enormous amounts of time and energy — two things in limited supply that must be siphoned from somewhere. More often than not those places include your social life, time with friends and loved ones, sleeping, and recreation. Depending on your level of commitment and their level of demand, anything can be up for grabs.

That’s the nature of the beast, but there’s a reason people do it. It’s exhilarating, and, if you’re in the right place and have the stomach for it, so worth it.

The catch is, you have to care. It can’t just be a place you punch in and punch out of. You have to be burned up by the problem you’re aiming to solve, because in the end, that’s the only thing that will keep you moving.

The money, the often-crazy promise of fame and fortune, and the cozy office with the yuppie juices won’t be enough to justify the amount of your life poured into your work. Only being so frustrated by a problem that you have to solve it will see you through the hard times — the troughs in the emotional roller coaster where it seems certain your company/product is doomed to failure and obscurity.

If you care enough to get through the rough times, that sort of life can become addicting (if you are so inclined). That addiction can obscure your original motivations and make it hard to remember why you were working so hard in the first place.

But, eventually, when you get a quiet moment to breathe and realize that the problem you and your colleagues are trying to solve is no longer one that you can’t help but try to solve, that’s when it’s time to go.

Leave for yourself, certainly, but, if you ask me, you owe it to your colleagues who depend on you to kick ass everyday to leave when you can’t bring yourself to care as much as they do.

To linger, gradually becoming complacent and comfortable, will only lead to harsh feelings, burned bridges, and wasted time.

It can be bittersweet, especially if you love the place, but it’s a fact of life that people change and start to want different things and acquire different motivations. Don’t fight it, enjoy the time you spent for what it was, the lessons you learned, the things you managed to build, and move on taking it all with you.

Scared

2011-03-31T00:00:00-07:00

I get really scared of writing sometimes.

I love to write, and most days I just do it for myself, but there have been so many times recently where I wished I would’ve published something that I let linger in this sort of perfectionist purgatory that is my drafts folder.

I get scared that it’s not good enough, that people will scoff at it, that no one will give a shit.

Recognizing this, I’m doing something that at least to me, seems crazy.

I’m going to start publishing everything I can, even personal-type stuff I just write to figure out how I feel about something. (Don’t worry, there won’t be any Xanga/LiveJournal/MySpace bullshit on here, or at least, I really hope so.)

This is a personal site, after all, so, while still being occasionally focused on tech or whatever reason it is you found yourself on this page, this site will host whatever else tumbles out of my head because I want to figure out exactly what it is that I want this little piece of the internet to become — and more importantly to figure out exactly what it is I want to be writing about.

I love doing this, but I’m tired of being scared of putting it in front of people. I intend to fix that. To hell with being scared.

Wherein I Get Kinda Personal

2011-03-31T00:00:00-07:00

“It’s only temporary, things will get better.”

”I’m just imagining things, it’s probably something I’m doing wrong.”

Thoughts like these will give me pause from now on. The first time one crosses my mind, I’ll allow it as a moment of honest introspection. More than once, I’ll start to get cautious.

I’ll get cautious because I know that once they become a mantra, a coping mechanism, they’ll become deceitful.

Not only deceitful, but deceitful in an insidious way that can poison and deform communication with others, no matter how honest the intent.

Recently, I think I figured out why this can be a real problem for me. Usually, when something is bothering me, my first reaction is to reflect and evaluate if something I’m doing is truly causing a problem. Often, I think I’d prefer myself to be the problem, because that’s something I can control, something I can easily change.

In many cases this sort of contemplation serves me well, it keeps me from acting in haste and it helps me be more reasonable about emotionally-charged situations.

It becomes a problem when introspection becomes my only method of handling problems. Ideally, once introspection gives the All-Clear-You’re-Not-Crazy signal, I’d move on to evaluating external forces that could be causing a problem. In many cases, that process proceeds nicely. But, in other cases, particularly where there is a lot of emotion, investment, or attachment involved, the process can get short-circuited by a desperate desire to maintain the status quo or hold on to an idealized version of reality.

Recognizing this tendency was really uncomfortable, and now it poses sort of a big problem. The thing is, more than anything, I’d really like just like to be an honest dude. I really try to be, and I get upset when I find I haven’t been. (Now, that may sound douchey and folksy or whatever, but I grew up in Texas, so douchey and folksy are kinda in my wheelhouse.)

This sort of introspection-turned-denial really messes the whole honesty thing because as far as I’m concerned it’s lying all the way down. Lying to yourself, certainly, but at some point that lie may form the basis of an otherwise honest statement to someone else.

This realization was really upsetting because lying to yourself only exacerbates and delays your problems. More importantly, it can cause other people a lot of heartache when you communicate something you’ve tricked yourself into believing with all of the sincerity of an honest statement.

Fortunately, I’ve realized it’s a problem and something I’m prone to doing. It’s caused more than a few problems for me in the past and it frustrates me that it took me this long to figure it out. I know what to look for now, and I intend not to let it happen anymore in my professional or personal life.

Changes

2011-01-07T00:00:00-08:00

In my previous post, I alluded to some big changes coming in the new year. So, in the interest of not burying the lede too much:

I’m leaving Gowalla.

Having given my notice, it appears Jan 14th will be my final day as a Gowalla employee and the end of nearly two years working on Gowalla for iPhone — seeing it through from pre-1.0 all the way to the recent (and massive) 3.0 release.

I cannot overstate how much Gowalla as a company, team, and product has meant to me these couple of years. I’ve learned so much, grown as a developer significantly, made some great friends, and helped to build some stuff I’m truly proud of.

It was hard to walk away from that.

Gowalla 3.0 for iPhone came out several weeks ago. It was an ambitious release with an even more ambitious schedule and I am very proud of the work I and the team did on what I consider to be the best Gowalla yet.

As anyone who has shipped software (or something similar) will surely be familiar with, in the time approaching the ship date for Gowalla 3.0, I agonized over it. Like tortured-guy-listening-to-“Disintegration”-over-and-over agony. That isn’t to say I wasn’t anxious about previous major releases, but the agony over 3.0 was on another level, it felt like a much bigger deal.

When it finally shipped, I was so relieved and it showed. I was overwhelmed by the response from new and old users alike. It was incredible and gratifying.

It was, in my estimation, one of those high notes you hear about.

Through and after the catharsis of shipping, I spent a lot of time taking inventory of my life, so to speak. After a lot of thinking I came to the conclusion that I was ready for something new. New problems, new people to learn from, something to help me keep growing as a person and a developer.

It’s funny when I think back to how this whole thing started. How I walked in to have some tacos with my new friend @keeg and some of his coworkers from this company called Alamofire, and somehow walked out with an offer from @jw and @sco to work on their new iPhone application. Sneaky bastards, the lot of them.

Thanks guys. It’s been one hell of a ride.

What’s Next

When my friend Daniel Pasco (@dlpasco), CEO of Black Pixel asked me to be a part of their team, I was floored, honored, and honestly a bit intimidated.

You see, Dan is one of the smartest dudes I know, and someone I’ve wanted to work with for a long time. He has assembled a team of some of the best iOS developers around. These guys do incredible work on projects that are anything but run-of-the-mill, and they’re just getting started.

They believe that software should be beautiful and well-designed. They obsess over the things I obsess over, good design and good engineering, all with incredibly high standards. I get the distinct impression that these are guys constantly punching above their weight.

I believe that iOS is the future (or if not, certainly the shape of things to come) and I want do whatever I can to be part of shaping that future. I believe these guys are and will continue to be at the forefront of people pushing the boundaries of what this platform can be, and I want to join them in doing so.

Conclusion

So, I’ll be taking the next week to tie up some loose ends at Gowalla secure in the knowledge that Gowalla for iPhone will be in good hands.

Then on January 17th, I’ll be joining the team at Black Pixel, working remotely from my home and favorite haunts in Austin, TX. (Also, pretty sure I’ll be turning 23 that day as well)

I can’t thank everyone at Gowalla enough for all of the hard work, lessons, laughs, friendships, beers and good times. I wish them all the best and expect them to do incredible things this year.

I am very excited to be joining the amazing team at Black Pixel. I can’t wait to build great things with them.

2010 in Review

2010-12-31T00:00:00-08:00

Well, this thing has been pretty quiet for a while hasn’t it? I haven’t published anything since SXSW 2010 and SXSW 2011 is just around the corner.

I’d say the long radio silence is a testament to just how busy this year has been for me, and it would be true, mostly. But, honestly, perfectionism and fear have been nearly as instrumental in not publishing what I’ve been writing as much as exhaustion or preoccupation.

Conquering those obstacles is definitely going on the New Year’s Resolutions list.

2010, professionally and personally, has been an important one for me.

Professionally, I:

Shipped Gowalla 2.0 in March 2010.
Shipped Gowalla 3.0 in December 2010.
Watched Gowalla grow from 11 employees to 26+

Holy hell. We shipped two major releases in one year. Having just realized the timing of those releases, that’s staggering.

Personally, I:

Marked nearly 1 and a half years living in Austin, TX.
Lost some weight.
Grew a serious f’in beard.
Played with one of the best ice hockey teams I’ve had the privilege to be a part of. Hockey has become a big part of my life, it’s my favorite game and my teammates are awesome.
Took my first vacation in a long time to Portland, OR. Attended the first Emerging Languages Camp, ate a ton of amazing food, and fell in love with that city.

It’s dizzying how much can change in a year, even more when I think about being that 20 year old kid dropping out of school around this time a few years back. It really doesn’t feel like that long ago.

With 2011 approaching, and my 23rd birthday a little over 2 weeks away, change once again seems to be on the horizon. 2011 is already shaping up to be an interesting year.

But, more on that later.

Here’s to 2011.

(And, no, the comedy of being able to view a 2009 in Review post on the same page as this one does not escape me in the slightest.

…unless you’re viewing the individual post, in which case this probably doesn’t make any sense.)