Gilroy Was Here

I’m going to try and keep this post short and sweet. This was a big weekend for me. I attended a workshop on a fundamentally different (and I think better) way to make decisions in a professional environment and run an organization. In the weeks and months to come I’ll talk more about that workshop and what brought me to attend it. But for now, I have more important things to do.

I have decided that when I strip out all of the ego and perceptions of personal needs and wants that there is one thing at the core of my being that is dying to get more attention. It is the idea that there has got to be a better way to run a for-profit software company. That there has got to be a better way to work, provide a service, and make money than what exists in much of the world today.

To that end, I’ve decided to start my own software company. There will be many challenges ahead for me in that endeavor, not the least of which are that I currently have no capital, will have to continue to work my full-time job and have no co-founders or partners.

In the days to come I’ll be beginning to try and solve some of these problems.

I’m attending a workshop this weekend in New York hosted by Ternary Software on Holacracy. Holacracy is a term the company coined to embody the “Agile” way they run themselves. I decided it would be a good idea if I came up with some business cards since part of the reason I’m doing this is for networking with other professionals in my field.

I haven’t had business cards in a while and usually end up wasting a bunch of them when I get them through work, so I thought I’d take a different approach. The picture above is a scan of what I created. I’m calling it my “Agile Business Card”.

Here is a list of the advantages of this approach:

1. Mobile - I tend to move around allot. In the past 5 years I’ve worked for 6 different combinations of consulting firms and “permanent” employers. These cards are completely reusable regardless of the position I hold or the company I work for.

2. Reusable - Even if I stay with the same company for an extended period of time these cards are reusable if I change my e-mail addresses, phone numbers, web or physical addresses.

3. Flexible - This is where the real “agility” comes in. I can redesign the contents of these cards every time I meet a new person. Whether the encounter be for professional or personal reasons the card can be adapted. They are completely flexible in that I can write any information I want to give out on the card at the time I give it away.

4. Simple - These cards stand out amongst others in their simplicity. The only thing printed on it is the only thing that has virtually no chance of changing, my name.

5. Efficient - I’m a pretty open person. If you know my name you can find out a great deal about me, including contact info by simply doing a web search. My website happens to rank #1 on Google for the string “Frank Gilroy” should I forget to write anything on the card.

6. Versatile - They can double as a name tag in a pinch when crashing a professional or social event.

7. Economic - These cards use the least amount of ink and energy possible to convey anything relevant.

8. Personal Touch - These cards have a certain personal touch when combined with a hand written message.

9. Secure - If your wallet gets into the wrong hands these cards will prevent any would-be indentity theives from gathering more useful information on you.

10. Conversation Starter - If nothing else these cards will definitely beg the question, “Why do they only have your name on them?”. Outside of a group of agile software developers, you’ll have lots to talk about.

photo credit: Javier Aroche
I have been doing a little bit of Web Site work over the past few months. It occurred to me that I wasn’t really advertising my services in any way. A few days ago I created a new services page here on this site.

Check it out for a list of ala-carte services I offer along with pricing and engagement instructions. For now I’m offering simple installation services for popular Blogging and Content Management Systems. As time progresses I’ll offer additional services relating to the customization of these platforms.

Let me know what you think about the services, pricing and procurement model I’m using. I welcome any and all feedback. If you don’t think the pricing is fair or the level of service I’m offering is reasonable, I want to know. Thanks!

photo credit: stephen_dedalus
I’ve taken a break from my blog writing for awhile. To be quiet honest I’ve been in a bit of a funk. I decided today that I believe I’ve devised a way of reviving my writing once again while also providing a service to my readers.

The basic theme of my blog will remain the same. It’s still my intention to write a great deal about the Internet itself, web based applications, how people use computers and the Internet and Internet Marketing. I have however come to the realization that a new passion has developed in me that I want to share. Finding companies for folks to work for that don’t suck.

At times I get pretty fed up with Corporate America. I get tired of the lack of true focus on individual’s quality of life. I get disenchanted with the bureaucracy and the difficulty companies have with making decisions and allowing the creativity and ingenuity of their employees to flourish.

So in the days and weeks to come you’ll see more articles out of me along these lines. I’ll talk about companies I think suck and why I think the suck. I’ll talk about companies I think don’t suck and why. I’ll even talk about models for running a company that I think suck or don’t suck and what we as employees can do about it.

I also believe I have an entrepreneurial streak in me that is just dying to get out. Some of my writing may lean in this direction. In other words, I may suggest that if you can’t find a company that doesn’t suck to work for your only choice may be to start your own.

Corporations around the globe are the organizations that truly run our lives, not the governments. I read somewhere that a fair number of the corporations in the United States have economies of their own that meet or exceed the economies of many major nations. If we’re to really cause a change in this world, make it a better place, I believe the best place to start is with cleaning up the organizations that truly have the power.

Wish me luck!

I recently stumbled across a video of Clifford Stoll giving a talk at TED about … well pretty much about whatever was on his mind at the time. Most people who watch this video will most assuredly ask, “What’s wrong with this guy?”

My take is a little different than most of the comments I’ve seen floating around the web. I’m wondering if Cliff has signs or symptoms of what a community of psychologists would call a disorder on the “Autism Spectrum”.

If you haven’t done much research on Autism you might want to if you have kids. In my humble opinion, Autism is quickly overtaking ADD/ADHD as the “diagnoses of choice” for many children and adults that don’t quite fit in.

If you know me or have read my “Random Stuff” page, you know that I was diagnosed with ADD as an adult after going to see a psychologist with complaints about not being able to focus on my work. My son Chase has recently been evaluated by our local county “Intervention Unit” and it has been suggested that we get him tested for being on the “Autism Spectrum”.

This “Spectrum” can apparently be anything from full blown Autism (yes like Rain Man, ticks and all) to high-functioning but anti-social behavior, to something called Asperger’s Syndrome. Basically my son has so much energy that he has trouble staying in his own skin when he’s not doing something he wants to do. I’m feeling the same way lately.

Anyway, long story short, I’ve been doing quite a bit of research into this topic along with buying a pretty good book called “Autism Spectrum Disorders, The Complete Guide to Understanding Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, Pervasive Development Disorder, and other ASDs”. The book is pretty good. I especially liked what it had to say about the usefulness of using these labels to begin with for the gain of your child.

Ok so I didn’t really make the long story short, but back to the main point. After reading this book I happened to watch the afore-mentioned video of Cliff giving a pretty darn scatter-brained speech and thought, he acts very much like Chase does at 5 years old.

Will that be how Chase acts when he’s older, or will he learn to adjust? I looked for more information on Cliff and whether or not he had been diagnosed but found none. Anyone know if Clifford Stoll is Autistic?

I’ve been a big fan of Tim Ferris lately. I love his book titled “The 4-Hour Work Week”. The book, in addition to many other neat ideas, touts the notion of using cheap personal assistants to do the things you don’t like or were not meant to do.

Yesterday Tim revealed in this blog post that he hasn’t even been writing his own blog posts for the past year. I’m so envious of this guy it’s driving me freakin’ nuts.