Since getting back into a larger company again I’ve been noticing a trend with co-workers and the folks we deal with outside of the office on a daily basis.  It seems we’ve all got Attention Deficit Disorder.  And I’m not being tongue and cheek…..  Attention spans are out the window and it’s something I worried over back in 1996.

In 1996 I started my career in Wireless Telecommunications with Sprint PCS.  You might have heard of them.  I was a network engineer.  I worked on Lucent Switches, Voicemail platforms, digital cross connects, dial plans, and a host of other network gear.  A good bit of my time was spent reading through technical documents day and night.  And I can tell you, no A.D.D. then.

As we were building our network I pondered the larger meaning behind what we were doing.  One morning I went into my manager’s office and asked, “Tony, what do you think the social implications will be when we finish building out this network.”  Tony’s reply was pretty cut and dry.  “It’s just a job Rich, I really haven’t given it any thought.”

Well, here we are a decade and a half later and I think I have the answer to the question I posed to Tony back then.  The communications revolution has left many of us with A.D.D.  I don’t say this lightly, and I don’t think Ritalin is the answer.

Since getting back into corporate America I’ve watched co-workers and clients who just can’t focus on one thing.  Staying on track for more than 5 minutes is a miracle.  With all the communications mediums at our disposal, something is always taking our attention away from what we’re working on.  Focus is something that seems to have been lost.

I’m sure this isn’t new, and that it has been going on for the time I was away from corporate America, but at my studio and gallery the demands for attention weren’t as great.  I could focus on a single client.  I could focus on editing a series of photos for hours on end……  But that was small business.  Big business is a different beast.

E-mail is popping into my computer constantly.  The cell phone rings many times an hour.  Trying to have a meeting with other folks I work with is an exercise in tolerating phone call interruptions and distracted people.  “Hold that thought for a minute, I’ve got to take this call.”

People can’t stay focused because every communication method is important, and they’re bombarded with it minute by minute.  Facebook dings, email dings, ring tones……  I’m honestly wondering how folks get things done now.  I have yet to be in a meeting with clients or co-workers where we weren’t interrupted by some communication technology.  And when the interruption is over you have to address whatever the call or e-mail was about, but you also have to get your mind back on the task of what’s right in front of you.

In my case, as I’ve been observing this I’ve made it a point to remain focused on what’s in front of me.  That means if I’m in someone’s office discussing the latest work and my cell phone goes off I ignore it.  Voicemail is a great thing, and I can return the call after I’m done with the meeting.  If the IPhone beeps to tell me I have mail or a message I ignore it as well.  Focus on the task at hand, move on to the next task when you’re done.

I’ll avoid the Ritalin for now and just try to focus.

Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve posted.  Gotta say I do miss regularly updating this site.

So I’ve been in WV / OH for a few months now.  Mostly it has been gray skies, rain, snow, cold days, and generally not too appealing.  Bummer for anyone who likes to be outdoors.  But now things are changing.  I guess Spring has really arrived.

Across the street from the new office (out the office window) is the scene above.  A house atop a hill with green everywhere.  There’s something I just haven’t seen in years.  Things are blossoming everywhere, and the gray has given way to green.

Living in Arizona for nearly 6 years left me missing the green now and again.  I’d forgotten what it was like until recently.  And I am enjoying watching the season change.  My allergies are not enjoying it though, but hey that’s the price you pay.

At this point I’m not sure how long I’ll be out here.  Looks like it could be years.  And that’s good, it means income.  But I do keep thinking of Arizona, and even though it’s not as green the desert really made an impact on me.  I think when this project is over I’ll be heading West again……  But in the meantime I’m enjoying a different kind of scenery.

When I first arrived in Arizona back in 07′ I couldn’t believe how dry it was.  I’d never experienced anything like it in my life.  I’d always lived near ponds, lakes, and the ocean.  And humidity was part of life.  You never really thought about it.  But after being in AZ for so long I’ve been spoiled.  And now that the warm humid air is around I really notice it.

Yesterday driving into the office I felt like all of my clothes were wet right out of the washer.  But that wasn’t the case.  They’d been washed and dried days before, and were hanging in the closet.  Dry is now a relative term in my mind, at least while I’m living here. 

I’ve settled in for the long haul now.  All the newness of the job has worn off.  I know what we’re doing, and I know my part in it.  So that’s a positive.

As for getting to know the area around me……  Well, I don’t think that’s going to happen.  6 and 7 day workweeks means there’s little time for exploration.  Or for photographing what I see.  Still, I am getting the itch to shoot a few frames.  And that’s positive.  Of course, I’ll have to wade through the layer of humidity.

Awwwww, Arizona you spoiled me. 

Well, a lot of what I used to blog about was either travel or work related.  In the case of my own business I could write about what I wanted to.  I never talked about specifics with clients when I had issues, and only wrote about what I felt comfortable with making public.  Now in the case of what I do…..well, loose lips sink ships.

Back in the day with Sprint, TeleCorp (AT&T affiliate), US Cell, & Granite Systems I signed things about all I worked on being Proprietary and Confidential.  Heck, Lucent documents always included Proprietary and Confidential.  And the company I’m now working for had the same clauses in their contract when I started.  And honestly it means something even in this super digital age where we say everything online.

I write about this for 2 reasons.  One, the excuse as to why I’ve been pretty quiet.  Long days of work are exactly that.  And honestly I can’t tell you anything about it.  What I can tell you is I’ve been designing databases, working hard, and feeling super valued once more.  Nice.  Beyond that.  Yeah, not going to talk about it.  So in all honesty I’ve got very little to talk about.

As an aside I do have a few observations being back with a large corporation that I can talk about…..

• People still don’t read instructions.  They also don’t watch instructional videos. 
• People complain about systems that they haven’t read about or watched videos about.  Even if the system is documented well, folks just don’t take the time.
• TV is worse than when I last watched it.
• People are highly averse to change.

The second reason I write this post today has to do with folks not realizing that blogging or Facebooking about their workplaces isn’t a good idea.  If you’ve signed contracts about information being confidential you shouldn’t be posting company information on your Facebook page every day.  Bad idea folks.  It could lose you your job pretty fast, and if you say way too much it could get you sued.

So, yes, I’m quiet.  Lots going on to be sure, but the bulk of it will not be shared here.  Hopefully with the weather changing and a little free time on the horizon I’ll get out with the camera, document this area and share it on the blog.  I’d like that.  So, keep watching and maybe I’ll find some things we can talk about here.

A year ago I wrote an article about fake requests from fake wedding clients.  These scammers were contacting photographers to try and setup a phoney wedding shoot.  How do they make money on that you ask?  Simple.  The “client” says they can’t meet with you but want to book you.  They send a fake check to the photographer and contact the photographer saying they accidentally over paid.  Can you send the difference back to them.  Thinking you’ve gotten a multi-thousand dollar check coming to you all caution goes out the window and you send them a few hundred dollars back.

Your check is real.  Theirs isn’t.

After having my studio and gallery space for years I can tell you every job is important.  Struggling to keep a small business open isn’t the easiest thing in the world.  And having to deal with scammers trying to prey on your need for business isn’t fun either.  So I’m sorry that of all my posts the most commented one ever is this one.  But I’m glad to know it’s helped other photographers steer clear of some fake clients.

“Faux-tographers” undercutting reasonable prices and “Faux-Clients” trying to scam you out of the income you do earn.  Not the easiest business to be in.  Good luck to all of you out there!

Some were missing me and my posts.  Thanks guys, I’m still around, just busy earning a living.  Others got in touch for free information of one type or other.  Now I don’t mind it so much.  A few months ago I did because I had more free clients than paying clients (it seemed).

The blog will get attention again soon I’m sure.  Currently I’ve wrapped up testing on a national platform database that I designed in under a month.  This thing tracks from start to finish the entire workflow process that we do here.  Bet you want to know what the workflow process is.

Sorry, can’t tell you.  Proprietary and confidential stuff.  Signed a contract to that effect.  Suffice it to say what I made can be accessed by the web, IOS devices, and a straight up computer GUI that would make you proud.  Well, it’s made me proud at least.

Photos will come again I’m sure.  My life has always included photography, and it is something I enjoy.  But I decided to give myself a little while.  See, a little pain comes with breaking the camera out.  Failure sucks people, don’t let anyone tell you different.  So yeah, the cameras are shelved for a bit.  I’m busy enjoying some success, and gotta tell you that rocks big time!

Thanks to everyone who has been getting in touch.  Glad the blog still has value to readers.  And glad to see new readers are still popping up to read this post or that post.  Even idle, the blog lives.

Databases.

This seems all to familiar.  Back in 1996 when I started in with Sprint PCS I was charged with laying out a pair of TelLabs DACS installations.  Two different switching centers in MA.  I needed to manage the hundreds of cell site connections, and the tens of thousands of individual channels coming in on our facilities.  Oh, and also all of the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) connections that delivered our final calls.

At the time I had never built a database in my life.  Honestly I’d just left my graduate program in Economics after coming to the conclusion that Ivory Tower Academia wasn’t for me after all.  See, I wanted to earn a living, and the network boom was going on all around me.  The thesis I’d written in grad school was, “How Per Unit Pricing Effects Endogenous Technological Change.”  It was written to counter some of the disastrous ideas that went into the 1996 Telecom Act.  Ah well.  Bottom line, I taught myself TCP/IP network engineering while doing an economics thesis, and it was a hell of a lot more fun than academia.

Through a series of really weird events I ended up with Sprint PCS.  And as I said above, I had to track all these connections to different locations.  A database was necessary.  And over the course of my career in wireless I kept having two recurring dream themes.  Databases and DACS management.

Here I am well over a decade later and I find myself dreaming databases again.  And it’s not a bad thing.  I’m actually enjoying it.  Sure I could be dreaming of The Granite Dells, White Pocket, The Grand Staircase, and all the other amazing places I’ve seen and photographed.  But given my extreme type A personality I’m not surprised that I dream about work.

Funny, back in Prescott I didn’t dream work.  I don’t know what that means, but I do know I’m happier now than I have been in years.  My theory is simple.  I’m doing something that people value, I feel respected again, and I’m a little proud of the work I’ve been doing.  I was proud of my photographic & print work too, but somehow it never translated into earnings or feeling valued by the bulk of my client base.

So yeah, I dream database design.  Once an “enginerd” always an “enginerd.” 

So, lets recap the events. Somewhere after 2 a.m. my truck alarm loudly woke me out of a good sleep. It took a few moments to find my keys and pants and get outside. Getting out I found one joker bailing from the back passenger door. I called the police at 2:13 a.m. That’s what my iPhone recorded.

The police showed about 20 minutes later. We chatted, found out what was stolen, and saw the thieves even took a moment to try my Maple Brown Sugar Life.

While chatting with the police I could have sworn I’d heard a shoe slip on the stairs around the corner of the building. See, not at the airstream. Monthly lease at a very nice apartment complex in WV. Was too cold for the airstream to get water in so figured it was a good idea.

Anyhow…. That shoe slip I heard was right. The police left and I went inside. But it wasn’t over. Shortly after all the excitement I heard a noise outside. A large (read fat sack of crap) colored guy and a shorter woman with black hair at the back of my truck again. They had gotten the lock open on my truck cap once again. Persistent bastards! The fat guy started running (in his fashion) and wore out in under half a block. The woman took a slow leisurely stroll away. Calm cool and collected while her large friend was working on avoiding a stroke from his getaway……

The call went into the Parkersburg PD at 3:08 am to advise them that my new friends had returned for a second go. No call back no patrol. Nice. I stood watch until nearly 6 a.m.

It struck me later in the morning why they returned. See, they had dumped clothes of mine out on the street. I had a bag in the truck because I’ll be at our corporate office for the remainder of the week. Well picking up clothes I tossed my brown jacket into the back of the truck….. I thought it was my jacket.

Then looking in my closet this morning I saw my brown coat. The jacket I tossed into the truck belonged to my new friends. And that jacket was retrieved on their return visit. Hmmm….

In talking with folks today I kept hearing, “well what did you have in your truck?” And to that question I have my own……

What does it matter what I have in MY truck? It’s mine, and my possessions are mine.

When was the moment that it became our fault for being violated by someone else? When did we turn the corner where owning something was bad, and could almost justify someone else feeling they could take it from us?

More concisely, when did we all decide that the entitlement mindset was accepted? Because when someone asks me accusingly what was in my vehicle I think the implication was that I was in the wrong for owning or possessing anything.

Mull that over for a moment.

If someone has more than you they’re bad and somehow you are entitled to what they have. If someone has less than you you’re bad and they’re entitled to what you have.

We hear that on the news all the time but not said as bluntly.

Folks, communism doesn’t work and it never will. The guy above you is a source of frustration and the guy below you is a source of guilt. Let me say this again. It doesn’t work.

So what was in my truck? Clothes, an old iPod that shouldn’t work any more, a $100 GPS, my prescription sunglasses, antacid, notebooks, a few Rubbermaid containers with books / pictures / and a photo of my mom and I. Finally a small portable generator. Oh and my life cereal.

Did I have it coming? Was I showing off? Do I have too much? When I owned a home and lost everything to illness and divorce did I have it coming? Well what did you have then Rich? Maybe it was too much. Did I become good when I lost everything and stayed sick for 5 years? Was I good working hard at a business that failed?

Now, ask yourself this. Does it matter what was in my truck? I think the answer is no. Nobody is entitled to make a meal of another person. The morality of canibals is not one I can endorse.

Morons eating my life. Ah, that’s where this post’s title came from. Roll that one around too. It has several meanings.

Now that I’ve vented I’m going to attempt to get some sleep. In addition to what was stolen I also lost a full day of work and pay. And I won’t make up for it by taking from anyone else.

In a nutshell, some #$@%$@%@! broke into my truck almost two hours ago.  They got in through the back cap (which was locked), took stuff from me, and then the truck alarm went off while they were inside the truck.  Yeah, it’s that kind of an early morning here.  And I’m none too thrilled.

What really got me was the cereal.  I keep a box of Life in the truck for snacking when driving all over the universe.  And when I closed up for the evening my Life was sitting in the passenger seat closed.  One of the officers who showed up to take my statement made a joke as the thieves didn’t take the box of life.  But it was open and dumped down onto the seat.  These low life pieces of dirt ate my Life cereal while in my truck.  Seriously, Maple and Brown Sugar Life is a treat.

Of course, now I can’t sleep.  The best part?  45 minutes after the officers left me I heard a noise outside.  Sure enough a very heavy set guy and small woman were BACK at the back of my truck.  I came out and the guy was all “Hey dude…..” as he started running away from the truck.  The woman took her time and sauntered off.

Weird.

They didn’t get too much.  The camera gear was inside with me (don’t leave camera equipment in your vehicle).  Wallet, computers, etc.  All inside with me.  They did manage to steal a 2nd gen IPod touch which is older than me and doesn’t work unless it is plugged in.  Hope they like techno and music from the 80′s and 90′s plus some audio books.  My prescription sunglasses located in the center console are gone (not like there’s any sun here).  Didn’t take the HAM radio although it looks like they tried.  And they got my registration and insurance information.  Maybe they’re planning on making a claim on my behalf.  And of course, they ate my Life Cereal.

Just so you have the picture.  2 a.m. truck alarm is going off.  Shoots me straight out of bed cause that sucker is LOUD.  I don’t want to anger neighbors due to a false alarm so I’m scrambling.  Took my night guard (night grinder apparently) out of my mouth and tried to figure out where my pants were.  Can’t go running outside to turn off your car alarm with no pants.  That’s not civilized.  Gotta find the keys.  Where are the keys?  Finally, half naked (I did find the pants) I go shooting out the door to see one of the jackasses coming out of my back passenger door.  The other two (the police informed me) were already long gone. 

Okay, I’m out of it.  I need to sleep but don’t know about that.  Think the day is shot and it’s only 3:57 a.m.  Gonna call out today.  Need to call LifeLock, my insurance company, etc, etc, etc.  And I have to find a better place to be than where I am.

Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco……

It struck me today that the blog has been neglected for far too long.  And honestly I’d rather not be sitting at a computer screen right now typing away, as I seem to do that all the time now, but it’s about time for an update.

A month and a half has gone by since I started work out here in WV and OH.  And during that time a lot has changed.  I came to do one thing, but find myself doing something totally different than what I expected.  But that’s okay with me.  You roll with the situation and adapt.  Fortunately what I’m doing now harkens back to my old days in wireless.

Everything is a process

I’ve always been good at understanding workflows and process.  It’s why my Lightroom classes were so good.  I could see the process from point A to point B, and I could explain it in plain terms to students.  The same could be said for my network engineering days.  I identified processes, documented them, and taught many folks about network engineering.  And once again in this new job I came in, learned the processes and workflows, and I’m now designing a management system for the company.

Databases.  Me and databases.  Since my first job with Sprint I find myself always designing process management software for whoever I’m working with.  And once again, after arriving and learning about the business model I’m working with I’m designing yet another database to manage the workflow for a group of folks across several states.  Go figure.

My own personal process and progress

Personally I’m settling in and finding a groove again.  Interestingly enough, I haven’t forgotten anything about programming, database design, and all the rest of what I used to do.  It’s like riding a bike, once you know it you know it.  It’s nice to see that I’m still the guy I was before the major detour occurred in my life.

After getting sick back in 05 I remember wanting to get back to “work.”  But feeling the way I did, fighting with the long term infection and all the side effects caused by it, I honestly didn’t feel like myself.  And I wasn’t.  My immune system was a mess, I was always tired, etc, etc, etc.  Pondering the idea of going back to a real tech job terrified me back then.  Not because the work was beyond me.  But because I couldn’t put my standard 100% into it.  Yes, I’ve been told that me at 50% is like most people at 100%.  But when you set a bar for yourself and know you can’t make the goal due to external factors……well, you don’t even want to try.

When I got my health back in 2010 it was amazing.  Feeling like myself again was wonderful (and it still is).  But 5 years of being out of the tech industry, struggling to make my business work, I had some self doubt.  I had a lot of self doubt.

Fortunately the past few weeks have washed all that doubt away.  I’m still the guy I was.  As a matter of fact I’ve still got mad design and database skills.  Too cool!

So, things are moving ahead.  I’m enjoying what I’m doing.  Long days, working when at home, pressure, urgent matters…..yeah, I dig it.  Nice to be back.  Nice to know that through the trials of the past few years I’m still the guy I was before.  Puts a smile on my face to say the least.

I’ll try to update more regularly.  Once phase one of the new system is in place I might not mind typing at the computer so much……