John Tindale's Blog

A comfortable place

2012-02-01T06:30:00.002-05:00

last year when I was having a tough time in m career, I posted this blog post about some co-workers at the time who were being decidedly competitive with me on the job.
Its funny how much things can change in a year's time. I'm working in a completely different environment now. I have finally found a place where I don't feel like I have to know everything. I don;t feel like I have someone chomping at the bit to prove me wrong. As a matter of fact, I've been experiencing a bit of the opposite effect. I feel like I can actually admit that there are people better than me.
The thing about this trade is that even within the HVAC business, there are specialties. At one time, you were just an HVAC guy, and you could reasonably be expected to work on anything and everything in the field. These days, like many other industries, HVAC techs are getting to the point where they can't know everything in the field. There are rooftop guys, and chiller guys, and data center guys... and now VRV (variable refrigerant volume) specialists, and start-up techs- there are so many technologies out there that it would be impossible to know everything.
So, I'm finding that at this company, these guys have become comfortable with sharing knowledge with each other, and admitting they don't know everything- and i have to admit that it's kinda nice. We have a design engineer in the office so I don't feel like I'm up against the wall for system layout and design. We have a guy who is really good on refrigeration and knows "vapor-compression" really well. We have a guy who knows controls well, and a couple of rooftop guys, who I'll admit know more about Trane rooftops than I do.
I have always been a "whole industry" kind of guy, so I never really focused on any one particular brand or type of system- and I'm finding that as I get older, my patience for learning new stuff is waning, so I'm probably never going to be a "specialist" on any one particular aspect of this business. I have a state master license, I know my stuff, and for once I'm starting to feel like I'm good with what I know, and I have some guys I can call if I run into something which I'm not familiar.

xbox update

2011-12-31T14:48:00.001-05:00

So, the short version of the story is that I've given up on a fix, and I'm putting the broken boxes on ebay. We bought a refurb at Best Buy for $199 with a two year warranty.

here's the listings

I'm also selling a few other things, take a look!

Maybe we can get one of these later this year...

2011 in review- 4 jobs in 12 months

2011-12-26T19:17:00.003-05:00

2011 has been a weird year for me in terms of my career. I started out the year working for some friends of mine, and one day in early February they decided to close up shop. Luckily a friend of mine had been talking about coming to work with their company, so I had a place to go.

This next company was an 8A contractor, and although I am honestly grateful for the job, I spent several months doing some VERY manual labor, and I came to realize that I'm not the young man I once was. I don't mind a little hard work, but hard work every day is a different story. I enjoyed the work I was doing, and I liked most of the people with whom I was working, I just found that the type of work I was doing was very grueling, and that I really wasn't doing what they originally hired me to do. The thing that really killed it for me was that they didn't offer company benefits, and I really needed to get some kind of health insurance.
Another opportunity came along with a mechanical contractor out of Glen Burnie, MD, and I took a management position with their company. I soon found that I was going to be spending quite a bit of time fixing a bunch of jobs and projects that had been completely mis-managed.

I talked my dad into coming on board with me, and we found ourselves up to our eyeballs in screw-ups. I finally got fed up, and sent a candid, honest email to the owner in which I outlined several things that I saw as problems in management, and he decided the next day to shut down the department and send us all packing. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut and let the mismanagement continue until a time of my choosing. I'm not sure, but whatever the reason, it was a strange run that ended abruptly.

I finally landed with the company where I work now, and it has been like a breath of fresh-air. They are a big enough company where they can offer benefits, and they are in a well-defined market where I have been able to thrive and work on my skills in troubleshooting and service.

The other good news is that they have decided to promote me to account rep after the first of the year, so I'll soon be back to a desk jockey job after rockin' a field position for the last two years.

Lessons learned: 1. I need enough humility in my life to realize that I shouldn't think of trying to run my own company for quite a few years, but 2. despite my miserable failures, there are people out there who have managed to be dumber than I am.

I'm really hoping that this will be my job for the long haul, and that now I can get back to focusing on family, life, and some of the other things I have been wanting to do for some time. I spent so much time this year pre-occupied with career and work, and I'm really hoping that in the coming year I can get back to a more balanced life.

xbox360 woes

2011-10-29T17:15:00.002-04:00

about a month ago, the xbox360 at my house started acting up. It will only read one disk (Halo Reach.) Right around the same time, my son's xbox360 also took a crap, and it is having some kind of trouble with the video card. It doesn't RROD, but during game play, the screen just goes all screwy.

Without really doing any research online, I figured that since the video card in one xbox was going bad, and the disk drive in the other was going bad, I could just swap out the components from one to the other and we could have at least one working box.

Sounds simple enough, right?

WRONG! apparently the video is built into the board on the xbox, and worse, the disk drive have a serial number that is written into the bios of the device preventing people from changing their own drives!!!! So, in short, I was stuck with two broken xboxes.

My next move was to grab a couple other broken boxes off of ebay and do a little research online in the interim. This has been quite the learning experience to say the least. First, there is a wiki dedicated solely to problems with the xbox360 Second, these things are a PAIN to take apart and third, replacing the drive is fairly common, but it involves flashing the BIOS in the xbox, and I really don't feel like doing that.

I feel like I'm being slightly ungrateful, since I won my xbox through an online contest from Microsoft in 2008, but the thing that really bothers me is that we have two ORIGINAL xboxes- and my son plays games on one regularly at his house, and I just gave the other one two a friend of mine.

Anyway, I'm going to probably buy at least one new one, and maybe send the other one off to microsoft for repair. As for the other two- I know that soneone will buy them on ebay- it seems like the market for broken xboxes on ebay is still pretty hot. I'll let you know how it goes.

Enercient...um, yeah- about that

2011-10-29T16:20:00.000-04:00

I guess its probably past time to kill enercient. I think the biggest problem was that people just didn't get it. I just wanted to take wireless sensors, put them in a few buildings, monitor equipment data, and eventually manage energy use.
I didn't really think it was that complicated. The problem was that at the end of the day people just wanted us to just do heating and air conditioning work.
The economy didn't help much either. We couldn't get investors and we couldn't get anyone who would let us beta test at their site.
I think the thing that really killed it for me, is the realization that 3 years ago this was all new and exciting, whereas now there are companied rolling out a new product like this everyday.

I'm not giving up on building technologies, and I still know that wireless tech is still going to be a big growth segment of commercial and industrial controls- i'm just giving up on enercient as a company. We tried, we learned a lot about how this industry works, got to do some amazing things and meet some amazing people, but at the end of the day, we just don't have the funding to run with the pack- let alone try to stay on the bleeding edge. Let's just hope that I can take what i've learned and carve out a niche as an expert over the next 20 years until I retire...

Raise Cash, America!

2011-08-06T11:43:00.001-04:00

I was thinking that it isn't entirely fair that we as Americans are laying the blame for our economic woes at the feet of our President and our Congress, so I thought I would mention that we could fix all of this if we would do our job and start making more money, increase our GDP and start paying more taxes like good little Americans. Here's a few ideas:

1. Create an open market on human organs. Yes, that's right, we need to create a market that trades in human organs. Think about it, primary markets, secondary markets, futures, over/ unders speculation funds, bonds, equities... I could hear the brokers now- raking in the cashola as they sell their latest product. "Sir, we feel your portfilio is weak on HO (human organ) funds... everyone's doing it rght now, c'mon, have some guts here. This is a great opportunity, I'd bet my eyes on it, and with our low introductory rates, it won't cost you an arm and a leg"

2. Create a market on stuff we already use, but aren't charging for it. Stuff like atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen- I mean, people are using it every day, and we're just giving the stuff away!

3. Start selling stuff that we produce and aren't using. I mean, what are we doing with all the dead skin cells we slough off every day? When's the last time you sold your unused toe nail clippings or belly button lint? I mean, come on! People pay money for hair clippings- why not eyelashes or toe fuzz?

4. Legalize and tax something that is currently illegal. Wikipedia has international drug trade at 1% of the total global GDP... We wouldn't have to legalize all of them at once, just a couple at a time over a 10-20 year span would open up millions in taxable revenue. I mean with tobacco sales declining every year, we gotta replace that addictive substance with something else...

I guess the last option would be that a few of us could turn off our computers for a little while and start reviving good old- fashioned American hard work and ingenuity- but that would mean opening a few steel mills, fabrication shops, factories and production plants... but then again, someone might get carpal tunnel or some other repetitive stress injury, we might create more pollution, or someone might have to make less than $35/ hour, we might have to re-think the way we do collective bargaining... naah- anyone wanna buy HO kidney futures for next season's harvest?

Zigbee update

2011-05-15T12:36:00.000-04:00

As you may (or may not) know, we've been working on a wireless monitoring system using zigbee radios from Digi. Sean and Charlie have been working diligently on the commercial setup; Sean on programming and Charlie on the routers and networking- and I have been feeling a bit like a fifth wheel for a while.
So, rather than keep meddling with the stuff they have (about $20K worth of stuff) I decided to get a tweet-a-watt kit from adafruit industries I blogged a few weeks ago when I built it.
After I built the stuff, I hit a brick wall trying to run the python software that you can download from the site. Somewhere along the line, I just couldn't get it to work. I made an appointment with Sean and Charlie hoping they could help me out, but yesterday I finally just hunkered down, set everything up, and pushed myself to get it working.
The problem was that I missed the step of unpackaging and storing simplejson in the same folder as the python scripts downloaded from the site. so after I got over that hurdle, we plugged the halogen lamp into the modded kill-a-watt- and for the first time (for me) I got data logging across a zigbee radio.

This whole exercize has taught me quite a bit about the hardware and the software behind all this zigbee stuff. I know how the radios pin out, and I understand quite a bit more about what it takes to get the software to interface with an actual computer.
Also, since I got a rig for carrying my stuff around, I should be able to make better progress moving forward.

I took a picture of my stuff

2011-04-16T13:39:00.001-04:00

I just kinda liked the way my stuff looked when I was putting it away so I snapped a quick pic

More zigbee

2011-04-09T18:11:00.001-04:00

I got a zigbee kit from adafruit and soldered everything up this morning. Im definitely a little rusty on the soldering. The interface board comes as a tiny board and you have to solder all the components on.
Once everything on the adapter is soldered up, its on to the radio that goes in the kill-a-watt. I drilled a hole in the case and mounted all the stuff, and plugged it in the wall (nothing popped or exploded)
I plugged the adapter into the usb cable and x-ctu can't see the radio.
We've been playing with these Digi radios for 2 years now, and I can tell that the radio in the kill-a-watt is blinking like it is waiting for a connection, and the adapter radio is constantly blinking (trouble?)
We're headed out for drinks tonight so im gonna take my meter with me and test continuity between all the traces and connections on the board.

SHUT DOWN COUNTDOWN

2011-04-08T19:08:00.002-04:00

I don't really know how most of you feel about partisan issues on the Hill, and in our government. I mean, it stands to reason that if you believe in something, and you live in this country, you can likely find someone who believes the exact opposite.

If I were a Tea Partier, I'm thinking I would be Mrs Nesbit.

I just happen to think that this whole thing is getting to be a little too ridiculous.

In days past, I'd be down at the Dubliner with $100 bill laying on the bar challenging my fellow patrons to pitch in and buy a round for the whole bunch if they get a budget passed by midnight. Apparently the Dubliner doesn't participate but you might be able to do it online. Just go here and find your Congressperson, and send them a beer.

As a matter of fact, maybe we should start a "Beer Party" and tell these idiots on the hill that all we want is some good old fashioned common sense. I mean, are we as Americans really THAT shallow? Are all republicans cold-hearted rich people who want poor women to go without health care? Are all Democrats the recipients of some government program and only vote with their pockets? I think that most of us understand the government can't afford to keep spending at the current rate, and that some programs need to be cut. Come on, douchebags- pass a budget.
Congressional Budget Office

Bravado, testosterone, and all that

2011-03-16T12:58:00.001-04:00

Men have a way of being very competitive with each other. Sometimes I wonder if i'm on some survivor/ apprentice show, the way these guys act. Granted, i'm the FNG on this job, but I am starting to get the feeling that these guys do this to each other all the time- like its not going to stop after they get to know me.
No matter the task, everyone claims to know more about it than you. They've done it more times. They've been to the class. They used to work with a guy...
I'm tired of it. I don't want to compete any more with my co-workers. I don't care if you have more experience with the model jk- idgaf- whateveritis thingamajig. Can we just do our job and get out of here with our lives, sanity, and paychecks?
I'm reminded of "real" leaders that I've met. People with doctorates, degrees, positions, rank, etc. You've met them- you stick out a hand and use their title, and they reply "call me Jim, Bob, Sally, etc."
They have a "quiet confidence" that shows they are confident enough in their abilities and title that they don't need to flaunt it. They don't need to end their emails with an alphabet of letters after their name. They know their job and aren't afraid to tell you that they don't know something, or that they are trying to figure something out.
That's what I want. Quiet Confidence- and I really don't care to play your games.

learning, teaching, and learning about teaching.

2010-08-29T19:15:00.000-04:00

Overso i took a job as an adjunct teacher at a local tech school. i put in a full day of work that starts at 630m and ends promptly at 3pm so that i can hustle home, get cleaned up and head up to school for a class that goes from 530pm to 1030. So far I've been able to do this 4 nights a week, monday-thursday for two weeks now.
The funny thing is, that despite the rush, and the long hours, my time in the class from 5:30-10:30 is sublime. I really feel like I'm in the right place when I'm with my class.
I really like these guys. They're pretty rough around the edges, but in two weeks we've brazed pipe, soldered, learned about how to operate a vacuum pump & a refrigerant recovery machine. Thursday night, we finished early so we fixed the school's demo walk-in box.
I've also learned a few things about myself. I always thought of myself as a good teacher- but you never know until you see the results of what your students are learning.
finally, this has been a real eye opener for me in understanding just how much I know or don't know about my trade. I have my master's licence in maryland, so by legal definition, I am a master of this- but field work and having to answer classroom questions is making me have to atep up to a whole new lewvel of knowledge and understanding.
Overall, it has been a very stressful but rewarding process, I just hope that I can keep up the pace for another couple weeks, and I'll reserve a final decision about whether to continue for a later date.

I'm think about a new tat

2010-08-15T11:06:00.001-04:00

most of us in genx would like to be both the ceo of a major corporation during the week, and have a part-time job serving as the tatooed circus geek in the summer, when we're not digging wells in tanzania. the reality is that most of us just settle for the occasional inking.
at any rate i'm thinking about getting a new tat.

I think a set of gauges on my right shoulder would be a pretty good piece, i just gotta get the $ together for it. Now that I have the teaching gig, maybe I can justify the cost. I talked to a local artist and what i want is probably a 4-5 hour session.
I've thought about other things- jedi symbols, mandalorian war insignias- but i think the gauges (reading a perfect setup for an ac system would be the best)
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Zigbee and stuff

2010-08-07T06:38:00.000-04:00

Many of you know that I got excited about a wireless protocol for controls and monitoring and have been trying to bring some of the products that use Zigbee to market for some time now.
So far, from what we've experienced, its been an uphill battle. We bought some development kits from a couple of the zigbee radio manufacturers, and it has been tough to get a working prototype together. One of the obstacles has been that we can't get a consistent setup.
I have a prototype that uses standard 802.11 networking to connect an embedded device to a customer's network- but so far no zigbee.
I also have several zigbee vendors who have allowed us to rep their products- but so far it's been difficult to find any takers. The barriers I have seen are:
1. Python programming with eclipse is still very sluggish and difficult to follow. I'm no slouch when it comes to programming controllers, and setting up networks- but having to use telnet to upload text-based routing tables? sheesh!
2. "out of the box" zigbee products are still very expensive. One of the reasons zigbee is supposed to be an alternative to wired solutions is supposed to be the price. Some of the thermostats we rep cost ME $7-800 dollars. Why buy an $800 wireless thermostat when I can sell a wired one for less than $100?
3. The customer doesn't get the concept of "data acquisition." I am finding that it is just too much of a learning curve to teach people that getting data is important before making changes or adjustments to their mechanical systems. They want a cheap, easy solution now- and are not interested in real-time monitoring.
I've got to admit I'm a little stalled right now with what to do as a next step. So here's what I'm thinking.
1. get back to making money in HVAC. I'm an HVAC guy, I'm good at it and I need money right now. So this is a no-brainer. I'm going to work for a local HVAC contractor, and I'm going to start teaching as an adjunct at a local tech school.
2. keep plugging along with the python programming. Sean and I have got to get a zigbee network of devices working and gathering data. Whatever the hurdle, whatever the frustration, one of these times running through the tutorial is going to work.
3. cobble together a demo that I can carry around made up of the "out of the box" products. I've got my hands on some cool stuff- I just need to get some capital together to pay for it. We can actually make money setting this thing up as a sophisticated data logging kit. nothing fancy- just 10 monitoring points hooked up to a gateway device.
I'm meeting with a couple of my vendors next week to talk about pricing and configuration, so I'll let you know how it goes. I still believe that the future of HVAC and facilties maintenance is in wireless- I just haven't figured out how to sell it yet.

Promise Street

2010-08-04T05:32:00.000-04:00

If you've been following this blog, I'm sure you're aware of my efforts over the last two years to go from a nice desk job making a comfortable little salary to not really knowing from where the money is coming.
We've tried pitching venture capitalists, we've gone to the banks, we've tried self-financing and we've hit some pretty rough patches there wondering how we were going to make it.
In addition to the fact that we're in a tough place with the economy- and this has a real impact on how much money commercial property owners and managers can spend on the type of products we're trying to bring to market. I just found out yesterday that some of the biggest contractors in our area have gone from 30-40 service trucks down to less than half their size. We're not just talking about small mom-and-pop operations either.
We've also had some hiccups with broken promises and hand-shake alliances with people who promised to either hire us on, send work our way, or help finance our projects. I've been in more merger/acquisition/planning/sales meetings than I care to mention. It's not that I haven't been trying.
I have been "hired" by three different companies in the last two years that never materialized. I've had people stand in front of me and tell me that they were going to give me more work than I can handle. I've had more requests for proposals than you would imagine. I've done more free consulting than you'd imagine. Someone's going to buy a building and they want me to make it "green." Someone else bought a heating and air conditioning company and they want me to run it. Someone else has a pile of shopping centers and they want me to start doing "all of the maintenance." Just this one last piece, just this one last task, just one more free service- and I was going to hit the big time. The jackpot. The Big Enchilada.
Years ago, a very good friend of mine told me about a concept he called "Promise Street." Promise Street is an imaginary place where someone takes you when they are trying to lead you in a financial arrangement where if you help them out now (give them price breaks, provide a short-term loan, help them out financially) they will in turn reciprocate at some point in the future and return the favor.
It happens to contractors all the time. A General Contractor will ask a subcontractor for a special price on a job "just on this one" and says they will pay full price "on the next one." Or Harry Homeowner will tell you that they'll sign the service contract next time if you'll just stop the leak right now. A banker will tell you to use their credit card with the promise of letting you take out a line of credit later...
Promise Street. It is an imaginary location where you will finally get to the Tuesday when J. Wellington Wimpy will pay you for all those hamburgers. It's "the next job" where your customer will gladly pay full price. It's that promotion you get after helping the boss with "just one more project deadline." It's that vacation you're going to get "right after we finish this one last product pitch." Promise Street is the magical place where you get that loan you've been promised, or that final payment for the work you did as a consultant. That place where the GSA administrator isn't asking you to cut your rate just this one last time (yes, contrary to popular opinion government purchasing agents do haggle.)
Years ago, I did some contracting work for a small property management company in Northern Virginia. I had a partner named Gary who would always point out when we were being led down promise street by a vendor, customer, or financial institution. Years later, my buddy Richard would help me add a bank "They don't cash checks on promise street" our next job "it must be down there on promise street" and a storage place "they must have left it down there on promise street."
So, the next time you have someone promising to "hook you up" after you do just one little thing- remember that the check is in the mail, the loan is in processing, and that dream house you always wanted is right around the corner, just over the next hill, around the bend- right there on Promise Street.

What a world, what a world

2010-06-22T03:34:00.001-04:00

For some time now, I have been courting a local HVAC company to take me on staff to some capacity. Two years ago, I never set out to be 100% self-employed- I was looking to simply branch out and create that multiple-revenue stream that everyone was talking about, plus I had a pretty good idea about wireless sensors and energy efficiency.
Anyway- I was supposed to be helping this company develop their commercial division and eventually come on staff as a department manager/ account manager-whatever.
So, I've been pitching them several ideas- making recommendations, etc. and I've even bailed them out of a couple sticky problems. I thought things were going pretty smoothly.
I got an email tonight that they've decided to try to do it without me. I don't know what the problem is- I think it is because they are so far leveraged at this point that they can't afford me, but I also wonder if the GM they hired is a little intimidated?
Oh well. I still have a few more options that I'll explore- It's just that in the past, I've always managed to see "the path." Usually things open up for me; I get an introduction, someone asks for my help...It's like you just get a feeling that you know something is "right" when it comes along. I don't know how to explain it.
The problem is- lately I just haven't been getting that feeling.
For the first time in a long time- the path isn't clear. I don't see the right way to go- it's not cut and dry, and I don't know the next step to take:
1. I have a couple really great contracts/ work in the pipeline for Enercient. Last month I didn't know how I was going to survive June, and we've almost made it. July is already booked and sold- and by the time August comes along, we'll be getting paid on the AR that we booked in June and July. It's very hard to give up on all of this.
2. Companies that I know and respect are sucking wind, still making cuts and layoffs and I'm actually feeding them work. I have a really hard time thinking about taking a job with someone who is asking me for work, and is telling their guys to go home early every day.
Every time I talk to one of my friends in the business who have "jobs" It's always the same thing. "I don't know man, so-and-so just got laid off, and I hear they're making more cutbacks..." or "Yeah, man- I don't know how we're going to be able to keep making those union payments." I know what's killing these guys- they're carrying too much overhead, and now they've priced themselves out of the market. There's no reason I should be as busy as I am, and yet I keep hearing the same two things from a bunch of my friends; "we're slow" and "nobody wants to spend the money"
3. I feel better physically than I have in years. With the exception of my recent fractured finger, I'm healthier, more limber, and more physically able to work than I have been in a long time. I spent 10 hours Friday night crouched in the squatted position in a steam tunnel under a school, and I wasn't terribly sore Saturday morning when I got up. No IcyHot, no Ben Gay, no tears- I felt reasonably fine. I'm not exactly fit and trim- but I'm not complaining about my knees, back, ankles, etc. Overall I feel pretty good. (I am about 20lbs lighter than I was this time last year)
So it all comes down to the money, and the "right path." As I said- I never wanted to be a "self-funded" HVAC contractor. I don't like worrying about the money. I don't like seeing my personal credit take a nose-dive, while I wait for revenue to start rolling in. I don't like having to decide between the light bill, the cable bill, and the cell bill.
So, there's got to be a "third way." There's got to be a way I can still have some measure of autonomy, and still be able to continue booking work. There's got to be a way to better manage cashflow and not have to worry about how the bills are getting paid. There's got to be a way to work this where I get a steady paycheck, a 401K, health benefits and a happy wife.
There's got to be a way where I can take my accounts into an existing shop and draw a salary to manage those accounts, or simply shut down my operation totally, and just go to work for someone else, telling my customers to take a hike.
I'm open to suggestions that don't start with "get a job" and "where's the money?" I've already heard those. If you know someone with a little extra cash laying around and they're interested in becoming a silent partner- Or if you have any ideas about creative financing, or if you know a decent Maryland-based HVAC company looking to take on a service manager with some existing accounts I'm all ears.

the privileged class

2010-05-01T14:58:00.000-04:00

I have decided that there is a new class of American citizen among us. This class of people transcends race, religion, social class and status. This group is somehow better than us. They are somehow busier than us. They are in a bigger hurry than us, and apparently they are more important than us. I like to call them the privileged class.
The privileged class used to refer to the ivy league, the people born into old money, the establishment. Not any more. Regardless of your social class, financial status or family history, you can now become a member of the privileged class.
This group is difficult to identify, so here's a few key identifiers.
1. You and three other people are sitting at a four-way stop, it's you're turn but a member of the PC (privileged class) has to go first...
2. You're standing in line at a bank, the line is clearly identified by the roped stanchions and they bypass the line, announcing "I just need to ask a quick question..."
3. You've been patiently waiting at the local big box hardware store for the customer service clerk, and just as you're about to step forward, a member of the PC springs out of nowhere and says "I've just got a quick problem..."
4. You're halfway through a grocery store, and a person grabs the bag of Doritos off of your cart...
5. You're on the highway merging onto the road from the left lane, out of nowhere a car zips around from behind you into the lane to your right, passes you on the right and then gets in front of you in the left lane. Apparently you weren't going fast enough.
6. Your kid has been standing in line for the slide, and another kid zooms in front of them and runs up the steps. You flash a glance at the kid's parent, and they don't say a thing to you, your kid OR their kid...
7. You walk into a store to purchase something, and the person behind the counter (clearly yakking it up in a personal conversation) won't help you because they're on the phone... (Yes- the PC can actually work in customer service.)
8. You're standing in the lobby of a restaurant with 20 other people who have clearly put their names on a list and watch someone walk up and ask the host "Is there any way we can get a table faster, we're in kind of a hurry..."
9. You're on a team at work, and the team has been assigned a project. However, one of the members of your team is a member of the PC, and isn't able to pull their weight because they've got more important things to do...
10. You're on your way to the checkout making sure you've only got 12 items, and a person jumps in front of you with a cart full of crap...

Check out Illusory Superiority

I don't resent these people, I don't hate them. I just say to myself (or the person riding with me) "yup, privileged class"

Enercient Update

2010-04-26T08:18:00.000-04:00

We planned a nice event for all of our potential and current customers, and we just weren't getting the registration numbers. I can only guess that the economy is keeping contractors and facilities teams from being able to spend money on new projects, so why learn about a new product they can't afford to buy? I'm not really sure. Here's some good news:
1. we're making some really nice inroads to customers and subcontractors through our traditional HVAC service model. We are closing sales and making contracts work when we sell directly to the customer with a need. Novel concept, huh? I'm starting to think that this is the business model that will work, we just use the traditional work to find ways to put our product out there.
2. we're actually building a nice grouping of subcontractors. The same companies that aren't as warm about hearing sales pitches are perfectly fine with us feeding them work. Again, this could work in our favor, if we're farming out work, they might be more receptive to seeing our products for their other customers.
3. We've got some nice work contracted for the next couple months and it really hasn't been very hot outside yet. I have a feeling we're going to be slammed with work in June.

So I ask our friends, families, and associates to continue to pray for and support us- we've still got some pretty big hurdles to jump. One very serious issue is that we've got to figure out what to do about operating capital. If we're awarded a large contract, we may not be able to execute the work simply because we can't afford to buy the material and then wait to get paid. I'm going to start chasing investors more aggressively, and we're going to start focusing our advertising and promotional materials more on the end user, on the decision makers who are more likely to buy our products and services.

Doctors part ii

2010-04-17T17:13:00.004-04:00

I was sitting in the hallway waiting to see the doc with Mel at the hospital, and I started thinking of a python-esque sketch.

man- I have an appointment to see my doctor here.
nurse- wristband or toe tag?
man- excuse me?
nurse- do you need a wristband or toe tag?
man- I would guess I need a wristband since I'm still breathing.
nurse- well, how serious is your condition? If you have any doubts, it will save time to give your toe tag now.
man- a wristband will be fine.
nurse- maybe we should have the doctor check you in first, and then we'll decide.
man- I'm here about a sore toe.
nurse- we'll be the judge of that.
man- if I sign a waiver promising not to die while I'm here, can I get a wristband?
nurse- Do you have it notarized? I'm also assuming you have health insurance.
man- Are you a notary? and yes, I do.
nurse- I'm not a notary, so nothing you sign is binding anyway. We just have people sign it to scare you into paying whatever your insurance doesn't cover. So, fill out these forms and join the others in the waiting area. We'll call your name when the doctor is available.
man- is it unreasonable to assume that the doctor would be available since we've had this appointment for three weeks?
nurse- YOU have the appointment, I don't even know if the doctor is here. The doctor works in mysterious ways.
man- I'll just fill out the forms, and sit over there.

Boundaries Redux

2010-04-11T21:49:00.000-04:00

Tonight at St John, we had our second Christianity 101 meeting, and Brian revisited the Boundaries discussion from a sermon series in 07 that we had. A few years ago, we used a book in our small groups and in a sermon series called Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No to Take Control of Your Life
We began talking about boundaries, and someone told a story about something that happened to them in their past, and I couldn't help being reminded about some of the wackos I have encountered in and around "the church" and in Christian circles.
I guess, my point, and the reason I ran home to get online and post this blog- is that it is OK to tell the wackos to hit the bricks. Just because someone calls themselves a Christian doesn't mean that you have to listen to what they say or allow them to overrun your boundaries. As a matter of fact, the Bible is pretty clear about guarding ourselves against some people. Proverbs 4:23 warns us "Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it." GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
If you are visiting a church, or you are attending a special event, or even listening or watching a TV preacher on TV, radio or internet- you don't have to accept everything they say. You need to protect yourself by testing what they are saying.
"1 Dear friends, don't believe all people who say that they have the Spirit. Instead, test them. See whether the spirit they have is from God, because there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how you can recognize God's Spirit: Every person who declares that Jesus Christ has come as a human has the Spirit that is from God. 3 But every person who doesn't declare that Jesus Christ has come as a human has a spirit that isn't from God." 1 John 4:1-3 GOD'S WORD ® Translation
I know that church should be the place where you can trust what people are saying, and that you should be able to let your guard down- but you've got to be careful who you allow to have influence over you- and it is OK to set that boundary.
15 "Beware of false prophets. They come to you disguised as sheep, but in their hearts they are vicious wolves. 16 You will know them by what they produce. "People don't pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles, do they? 17 In the same way every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit. 19 Any tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into a fire. 20 So you will know them by what they produce. Matthew 7:15-20 GOD'S WORD ® Translation

In my short time on the earth, I've heard some pretty weird things, and some of them even sounded good at the time- but deception can be subtle and it is important to "guard your heart." I find that I have three places I look when I hear something new
1. Scripture. I go to the Bible to see if there are references about the topic. This isn't tough, and you really don't need to be a scholar to look up topics in the Bible, especially with some of the modern tools that are available online. As a matter of fact, the references I have made on this blog were done using Biblos.com
2. Tradition. This one is a little tougher, but the saying that "There is nothing new under the sun" is usually true. There are many people who have gone before us who have studied theology far more than I ever will, and there are many resources available. Look to find what the issues were, and decide for yourself where you stand on the issue.
3. The best thing to do is to have a church that you can trust. Get to know the pastor, find out where he or she was educated, and remember that you don't have to check your brain at the door when you attend.
Finally, and i'll get off the soapbox after this, another pet peeve of mine is Christians who haven't read their Bible. I can't say that I've read the entire annotated code of Maryland, but if I get a ticket for speeding or jay-walking its still my fault. This is the same way I view Christianity. I'm not saying that you have to have the thing memorized, but you should have some working knowledge of what each "book" says, or at least what the main theme is.

I try not to "preach" on my blog, but sometimes the sermons slip through.

What if heating guys worked like doctors?

2010-03-22T22:21:00.003-04:00

I originally posted a draft of this on Jessiex's Facebook page in response to one of her posts, and she suggested I repost it as a blog for fun and non-profit. I was thinking of what hiring a heating contractor would be like if they worked the way the medical profession does.
Imagine you call a heating and air conditioning contractor because you wake up in the morning and your furnace isn't working- and they take you through the following process:
1. The technician shows up at your house, and before they even touch your furnace they have you fill out a form:
-do you have furnace insurance?
-how will you be paying for your furnace repair?
-please give the phone number of someone to call in case they blow up your house while working on your furnace...
2. Have you sit alone in a room (naked?) for 20 minutes while they look at someone else's furnce during your turn
3. have the helper turn on your furnace, ask you questions about how you use it, and then turn it back off again
4. finally the master HVAC mechanic comes in, turns your furnace back on, taps on the ductwork, and then schedules you with another HVAC contractor "specialist" to determine through testing that it is in fact the furnace. (your mechanic is a furnace repair guy- but not this particular model.)
5. schedule you for a procedure based on the specialist's recommendation, where they tear out furnace, send to lab for testing, tell you to come back in a month.
6. meet with you for a paid consult to talk about the results of the test for your broken furnace
7. schedule replacement (1-2 months out)
8. charge you for the furnace, the 4-5 people who help me load it, ship it, install it, and turn it on (each segment of the process requires a specialist.)
9. sequester your house for 2-3 days for observation.
10. release your house and place it on "light duty" for 3-6 weeks
11. schedule you for a follow-up consultation
12. be sure to let you know that this isn't going to fix everything, you still can only use your furnace 50% of the time- so you have to decide whether to be cold at night or during the day.
10.On a future visit, realize that it wasn't the furnace in the first place, and place you on a routine schedule for tests, "furnace therapy" and "maintenance" You may never have 100% use of your furnace ever again.
13. schedule more testing of all of your electrical systems, plumbing, and other appliances just in case...
I know this is obviously ridiculous, but it points out how lax doctors have gotten about ordering tests and referring specialists at a thousand dollars a clip. My wife recently tried to turn down a bank of tests during a prenatal visit and they told her she had to do it. I just think medical costs would go down if more people questioned the validity and the actual need for some of the procedures and charges they incur- and I wonder if universal healthcare will just make it easier for doctors to be lazy with diagnosis and specialist referrals.
I mean, we have a popular TV show with a rather formulaic premise- the doctor orders a bank of expensive tests, and then we're expected to believe he's a genius when he has an epiphany while jogging...

I obviously don't think that fixing a furnace is anywhere near what it takes to perform open heart surgery- but I do believe that basic troubleshooting procedures are universal. The only thing that changes is the complexity of the flow chart. It's just that every once in a while, I perform service on a highly complicated piece of equipment, and sometimes I have a difficult time figuring out what is wrong. I get this look on my face when I'm not sure what I'm doing.It amazes me how often doctors get the same look on their face when I see them at work.
I've actually had to give back money, or not charge for services when I find that my original diagnosis was wrong. My conscience always bugs me- I picture myself on Dateline, or on some other hidden camera show. "This contractor told us that x part needed to be replaced, and then tried to charge us additional money when he discovered that it was actually y part that needed to be replaced."

Bailout tracking

2010-03-20T08:17:00.001-04:00

So, the bailout better known as The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 originally projected to dump 700 billion dollars of virtual cash into the auto industry, banking, and mortgage industry to keep the depression at bay has "only" had to pay out roughly 109 billion so far.
Although many banks and businesses have realized that they don't want the FED on their board, and don't want the scrutiny that comes with owing uncle sam (tom?) money- AIG still wants more. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/geithner-paulson-defend-182-bln-aig-bailout-2010-01-27

Apparently, we're showing signs of economic growth, and many companies are paying back the money loaned to them. I guess I just wanna know why foreclosures are still a problem if everything is ok?

http://www.fdic.gov/about/comein/files/foreclosure_statistics.pdf

I mean, since everything is fine then we should be done with foreclosures for a while, right?

http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/17/news/economy/CBO_TARP/index.htm

Someone has to know the "number." someone's got to know exactly what it would take to keep another forclosure from happening (say-over the next 2 years?) . What I think is that since big biz has been bailed out, and it is becoming unpopular on the hill to incur more debt- we're just going to forget about all those overpriced loans and let more people lose their homes.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of gov handouts, and I don't think our government should go any further into debt than it needs to- but I just want to know where the money went- and why we feel like everything is ok now.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2010/03/fed-bailout-details-banks-bloomberg-court.html

NASA, budget cuts and stuff

2010-03-12T07:27:00.002-05:00

Dear Mr. President.

You suck. Allow me to explain why.

I have been hesitant to openly criticize you and your administration publicly- because I prefer not to fit the stereotype of the typical Obamahater. I have tried to accept the fact that our country is spiraling into a debt upon which my great grandchildren will be paying interest, and I've tried to stay silent about your crummy healthcare package- but this is the last straw. You wanna cut the constellation program out of NASA.

Last year, my son and I attended space camp at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. We visited the museum, where there is a massive mockup and display for a plan to put humans back on the moon. I know that robotic exploration is sexier, cheaper, and more "realistic" but there's something to be said for MANNED (or WOMANNED) spaceflight. I realized wafter spending a weekend with a bunch of 9 year-olds that there is real power in nationalism and pride when 300 nine-year-old kids say the pledge of allegience after a weekend of simulated zero G. I just kind of picture the stars and bars fading into the background if future space flight is to be funded by Google.

I mean, here we are- capable of leaving our planet and we're sending souped-up RC cars into space. It's like we're in Spain in the late 1400s and no one wants to sail the ocean blue. It's like we're living in the 1700s on the east coast of the US, and no one is bothering to actually go west. It's like Marco Polo has decided to send a runner to draw pictures of China.

Out of all the things our federal government should be doing, the space program is one of the important ones. I don't believe that governments should be the only ones going to space, but I do think that our government should be continually investing in researching, funding, and continuing programs to put it's citizens into space. Why?
1. Because it is there, and it is expensive. national governments are the only ones that can afford to invest in the research and exploration of space. Because it is a frontier that we should be exploring as a nation, and until we learn to put humans into space on a regular basis- we haven't arrived yet.
2. Because there is an historical precedent for government-funded exploration. Since humanity invented government, governments have been funding exploration- and exploration leads to expansion, and expansion leads to private capital investment, private capital investment leads to growth... Without the initial investment of government into exploration, privatization is a pipe-dream.
3. Because other governments are catching up to our technology. We can send all the robots JPL can build into space- and so can Japan, India, China and a slew of other countries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_space_agencies

I don't think corporations should own space. I don't think "outsourcing" is the way to do the space program. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for Virgin Galactic and the xprize and all that good stuff- we've got to keep NASA on their toes, but I've been to Goddard, and I've been a "space buff" for a long time- and nobody does mil spec, design and space manufacturing like the good 'ol USA. It is a myth that outsourcing is a new concept anyway- Boeing, Lockheed, APL, JPL and a slew of other universities and corporations have been working with NASA every step of the way.

The Apollo program used computers that weren't as smart as our phones are now. early moon astronauts used pencil and paper navigation at times, and somehow over 40 years later it's too dangerous and costly? Seriously?

C'mon Obama don't be a douchebag and fund the constellation program. http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/CxEMM_SITE/index.html

I just don't fit sometimes

2010-02-19T08:11:00.001-05:00

Even though blogs and Twitter are supposed to be the open forum where you should feel free to express your opinion, most of the time I hold back. Most of the time I don't say what I really think. Most of the time, I think of the funniest, or most controversial thing I can say- but I rarely ever say what I really think. Why? I don't say what I really think, because what I really think doesn't fit in most places. Here's a few examples;

1. I don't fit with liberal, educated white America. I never finished college, and I don't have a whole lot of guilt about being white, and I don't feel like I owe the world anything. My impression of liberal, educated white America is that they think they know better than everyone else. They think they know what is good for black people, Puerto Ricans and for Haitians. They go out of their way to be "inclusive" and accepting. They carry an air of enlightenment. They vote for Democrats, and give money to various causes around the world. They pride themselves on having a gay friend, and they name their kids "chase" and "jayden." They compose the majority of the Priuum. I don't get it, and they don't get me. Although I share much of the "idealistic" views at the core of this group, I also disagree on many points. I used to find fundamentalist Christians annoying- but liberal, educated white America has taken the fundie's place in my book of ire.

2. I grew up in proximity to the 'hood. I like to joke that we weren't poor, just everyone else in the neighborhood was. My dad provided for us, and worked hard all his life. He made a better life for me and my brother, and we eventually moved to better neighborhoods. A family trust fund enabled my brother and I to go to private school. This is why I can't say I grew up in the hood. I grew up adjacent to it. We rubbed up against it. We got it on us. By the time NWA came along in '87, and white america started identifying with the dissilusion and alienation, I had already been listening to rap music for 3-4 years. I was already listening to Run DMC, LL Cool J, BDKane, and KRS One. I didn't need NWA to tell me I was angry, I was already angry.
We got hassled by the police just for being where we were, and where we were was unavoidable. We were chased out of malls, and followed around in retail stores. We dated who we wanted, and our dating policy didn't include any form of discrimination. We were friends, and we rolled with whatever friend from whatever race showed up. Our lines were drawn around our group, our school, or our neighborhood- not around what color we all were, and I kind of resent the new way that race is portrayed these days. Its like we're supposed to ignore it now, and pretend like our hair, noses and fingernails are the same- and I'm sorry but they aren't. Go try to buy hair care products for yourself and get the one with a picture of the guy/ gal who is a different race than you.
I'm not saying I want to constantly point out that we're different. I just don't want to be in denial and PRETENT like we're the same. We can have the same political views, the same taste in music/sex/ cars/ etc. but there's still differences- and those differences are ok.

3. I don't fit in with the "Conservative" crowd either. I tried to roll with this group for 5-6 years in the 90s. I met most of the big leaders at the time. I participated in the vast, right wing conspiracy- but something about it ended up leaving me feeling empty and unfulfilled. I wanted to stand up for what was right. I wanted to believe. Somehow, I just couldn't do it. I believed in the "fundamentals" but I couldn't agree on the definitions. I couldn't play the game. I didn't fit in with this group either. This group was supposed to be my home, but I guess I just asked too many questions, or challeged the status quo too often. I dunno. When I get around too many people from the right i wanna burn something.

What does all this mean? I can define what I'm not- but what am I?

First, I am a Christian. This means that I believe that God became a man in the form of Jesus, and died for our sins. I believe that God, in the form of the Holy Spirit is active in our lives today. If you don't believe that Jesus died for your sins, then you will have a different paradigm- a different view of the world than I do, and ultimately, I don't expect you to do things, or see things the same way I do. This is a pretty vanilla definition- but through all my years and all my struggles this remains my constant.

It means that I already know I'm not a racist, so I don't feel obligated to go gaga over everything Barack Obama says. It means that I'm willing to say a few things that most white boys shouldn't say- like statistically speaking, there's a good chance that a black person is going to answer the door when I go to work in a section 8 neighborhood. I didn't say that this is right. I'm not afraid to say that. I want to see more black entrepeneurs, doctors, plumbers, HVAC mechanics.
I don't like the "N" word, no matter how you pronounce it. I think that when I listen to "black" radio and hear a commercial about how the census will help the government decide to which "neighborhoods to redirect federal resources" is an inherently racist thing for the government to say on black radio, and I think black people should be pissed that the people who wrote that commercial assumed that ALL black people need public assistance.

It means that I think poor people should have health care, but that small business shouldn't have to pay for it.

It means that I believe in a woman's right to chose, but I don't know any woman who's ever been proud or happy to have to make that choice. I think the argument is dead and that Christians need to move on- but I'd really like for Christians to start thinking about how to engage teens before it gets to that point.

I believe that hard work and determination should get you to where you need to go. I also believe that the morons running our county are making it harder and harder for hard work and determination to amount to anything. I think that there's a hard working young man/ woman in India, China, Flint Michican, South America who deserves it more than I do.

I think that America is a great country, but I've visited other countries I've liked too.

I think that most Muslims can suck it, but I think they have a better understanding of the nature of God than most Catholics. If they would stop blowing up shit, I may re-think my position. I can't stand fundamentalism in any religion (including my own). I think that a coin has two sides, and an edge.

I don't hate "the gays." I believe that you can poke, suck, eat, chew, lick, smell whatever you want- but I don't think that it should give you minority status. I believe that I should accept you, but I don't believe that I should have to "bless" you. Marriage is an instituion of the church, so if you want to be in a committed, monogamous, homosexual relationship- call it something else. I like "gay-rraige" but you don't have to go with my idea. I'm sorry but what and who you have sex with doesn't mean I should have to turn my world upside down to accommodate you. By all means have at it- do what you want, just quit trying to rub my nose in it.

I believe that the borders of our country should have walls around them, but that the walls should have gates, and we should do everything we can to allow as many people who are willing to live by our rules in. I also believe that we should do everything we can to keep our enemies out.

I believe that each nation has its own solidarity- but that nation gives up that right to solidarity when even one of it's citizens attack the citizens of another country. When I walk into your embassies here in Washington, I respect your traditions and culture. I remove my shoes, I take off my hat, or cover my head. I try to pronounce the names correctly.

I believe that law-abiding citizens should be allowed to keep and bear arms. I also believe that a town, city, or country has the right to place prohibitions on how those arms are kept and born. Density of population prevents you from getting a clear shot- so you shouldn't be able to take that shot. I also know that a sword, a machete, or a steak knife can be just as effective at close range. I believe that the MOAB can be fired in just warfare and in self-defense, and a fork can be used to commit murder- and that there is a difference.

I believe that a nation has the right to judge and terminate murderers, rapists, and violent criminals within its society- but that the individuals of that nation should practice grace and forgiveness wherever possible. This is the difference between corporate justice, and individual mercy.

Humanity should do everything it can to discover, create, build, explore and expand. This includes the depths of the sea, and the reaches of space.

It is our imperative and our responsibility to care for nature and to steward our resources accordingly, but I don't believe that the "chicken little" approach works. I think that we built our society on fossil fuel, and it will take time to wean ourselves from the teat of big oil. Until then, we'd better get used to the word "hybrid"

That's just some of it- call me what you will, but I think that I'm a conservative on the inside, and a liberal with everyone else. In other words, I hold my self to a relatively high standard, but I feel that there's room in this world for all people. I don't mind that people are different, and I can appreciate the differences that people from all walks bring. I just don't necessarily want to be like them- but I know there are large parts of the world who wish they could live more like I do, so as Americans with mostly Judeo-Christian values we must have been doing SOMETHING right all this time.

Gov Bob McDonnell is Roscoe P Coltrane

2010-01-28T00:00:00.001-05:00

I'm not trying to start anything, I'm just saying.