I was thinking this evening about how strange my writing habits are these days. Some days I write several thousand words just for the fun of it. Other day’s I don’t write anything at all.
As I was thinking about it some I wondered what makes the difference in whether I write or not. I couldn’t come to a definitive conclusion on the matter, but I think the truth probably lies somewhere between whether I feel like I have something to write about and whether I’m just super lazy.
But here we go… some random things that I’ve been thinking about lately.
DeskPM
So why indeed am I writing tonight? There are several reasons, but one of them is that I’ve been playing around with the recently released update to my friend John’s DeskPM.
Although I’ve written a few things using this app over the past few days, since the new version came out, there is nothing quite like actually writing a blog post in an app that is built as a writing tool, to see how it really works and feels.
Most of the things that are new in this version of the app have to do with how it looks and feels and “just works…” and I must say it really is a beautiful space to write in!
If you are interested in this really awesome app (Mac only) you can get all the details right here.
Working on Stuff Again
I’ve been working at Liberty for a month and a half or so. It’s amazing how much time a regular job takes out of a persons schedule. One of the things that this does is make it a bit more difficult to work on personal projects and “stuff” that I was working on when I didn’t have a “real job.”
So I’m trying to learn how to prioritize the things that I do in the free time that I have. I’ve quit a couple of things… and started working on a few “other things” again.
I’ve heard for years, from people who I respect, how good it is to have personal things to work on. However it is super easy to come home from work and just zone out for the evening, recharging “the batteries…” instead of working on my personal projects.
I doubt I’ll ever find the perfect balance or amount of time/effort I should spend on personal projects vs downtime, but the tension is very real. The tension between my desire to do more/better things with photography and video and building cool apps that help people do stuff… and life.
Coding Languages & Frameworks
Something that I’ve found interesting over the past couple of months is the similarities of coding languages as well as the incredible differences between them. Not only do coding languages have similarities and differences but if you throw application frameworks in the equation as well… the things that are similar and yet so divergent are incredible.
Get a Java guy together with a Ruby guy and a Python guy and have them talk about the pluses and minuses of their particular language preference and the frameworks they use – it would be dangerous to sit in the middle of them.
I’m amazed at how incredibly passionate people are about the tools they use. In some way’s it’s good to have an incredible passion for the tools you use to do things. You should believe you are doing things with the right tools.
However if you stop and think about it, the end-user of an application doesn’t really care whether you wrote the app in Java, Ruby or Python. All they care about is how it works. (or if it works)
I think many of the arguments that people have about programming languages and frameworks are somehow meant to make the person arguing for a specific language/framework believe they are using the right tool themselves. No one wants to be using “the wrong tool.” Especially someone who works with code professionally.
Of course this isn’t something that is specific to programming languages and frameworks… I see it in photography all the time too. Photographers can argue all day and night about whether their camera system is better than someone else’s camera system. It’s really pretty pathetic.
Regardless of the tools you use… remember that they are tools. Build stuff… do work… trust me, people/users/viewers don’t care about the tools you use to do great things. Focus on the building/doing/making the best things you possibly can.
Want More Faith? Do More Stuff.
I want to end this post by talking a bit about something that really impressed me this week. I’ve shared a lot of stuff on this blog over the years but recently I’ve been challenged that too often I’m quiet about my faith… I want to be more open about what I believe and what God is doing in my life.
In convocation this week, Luke Robertson (yeah, he’s one of these Robertsons) spoke for a few minutes about something he has been working on over the past couple of weeks.
The whole story would take a little while to tell, and I don’t remember all the details, but in a nutshell he was reading a book by Bob Goff a couple of weeks ago and ran across a quote, “if you want more faith, do more stuff.”
For Luke the opportunity to do more stuff showed up pretty quickly. He bought a house that needs a lot of work done on it… with no idea what to do with it.
A number of “coincidental” meetings and a couple weeks later he is working towards having the house finished and providing a safe place for women who have been rescued from sex slavery.
If you’d like to check out Luke’s site here is a link.
I was quite encouraged by Luke’s vision and willingness to step out in faith and was left thinking about the things that I’m doing, (especially in my “down time”) where I am in my faith and where I want to go.
I can’t help but believe that God has special grace available for those who are willing to trust Him and step out into the unknown. I want to do more of that…
On that note… I’m finished for tonight.
Have a great week!
(By the way DeskPM has performed quite well in the writing of this post. You should definitely check it out!)
The only thing missing is your voice!