Never Underestimate Radical Vision

So I have been listening all over the blogosphere, TWIT and even sports talk radio about the wonderful world of Twitter. I admit that I have followed Twitter since it was released but I have never really found the utility behind it. I just didn’t “get it.” I am not totally sure I “get it” now. With that said I am going to attempt to use Twitter and try to figure out the social utility of doing so. You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/supercodepoet.

As an aside, I found out really quickly that I needed to keep updated via Twitter and would like to know also when my friends are updating their status on Facebook. They have different programs but I really wanted to find some type of social aggregator. The problem I had was that I wanted Mac integrated tools that would sit in the status bar and use Growl for notification. After trying a few different programs I have found my perfect set of social utilities. The first tool is EventBox. This tool allows you to aggregate updates from Twitter, RSS, Facebook, Flickr, etc. This is a great tool with two different UI modes. You have a regular application window but you can also setup a heads-up-display, HUD, that will sit in your status bar. EventBox will also notify you when items arrive via Growl. This is a great tool for only $15. Right now if you go visit MacHeist you can get a free copy. EventBox allows you also to update your status in Facebook and Twitter but you do it separately. I wanted the ability to update both social networks with the same message. Enter MoodBlast, a little utility that allows you to update several social networks with the same message.

If you are on a Mac and need to follow and update your many social networks I think these tools form a great team to accomplish just that. You can try them out but first following me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/supercodepoet. Note: There are a ton of tools for windows users as well: click here.

I just got out of a session about taking the Red Pill – Groovy and Meta-programming. This session was flat out awesome! The speaker was excellent and his demonstrations were impressive. In my group at work we have been building applications with Groovy for about two months and I have already swallowed the Red Pill, but after this session I want a second dose. There is so much more about Groovy that I need to learn to truly unlock its power. The meta-programming aspect of the language is my untapped market. The speaker did a great job of showing how Groovy enables more productivity by having Java examples and then showing the Groovy equivalents. There were many oohs, ahhhs and laughter about how easy certain things are. What was really cool is how he javap’ed the Groovy class to basically show the bytecode and prove that it is really Java under the covers. He did a great job pf pointing out that he has heard that Groovy may replace Java and laughed that off. He basically said it would be live "icing replacing cake", it is not going to happen. Groovy is Java and they live happily together. This is a really excellent point. You can use Groovy without fear that you are cheating on your precious Java. I will blog hopefully later about some really cool code examples of things he showed with the MetaClass programming. This stuff is really super cool programming magic.

The takeaways really are threefold:

1. Try it! Use in unit tests because the meta-programming can really make unit testing rock for even the hardest of problems. Not only does it rock but it is like a drug, the more you use it the more you need it.
2. If you need to build rapid applications for proof-of-concept, prototypes, etc. on a JVM you really can not afford to not use Groovy. It is just Java but with the icing to let you get were you need to go quickly. Groovy is not better than Java it is just the icing on the cake. You can build real applications for very low cost in development time. Not only that it is easy for Java programmers to pick up because it is a world they are already familiar with.
3. Groovy can be used and is used it production. Oracle, IBM, LinkedIn, Sun, Mutual of Omaha, etc. are all examples of companies that use Groovy in production applications. Is is slower than Java, sure, but only in milliseconds. Not everything about a business application is performance. They use it, you can too!

I strongly encourage you to watch this presentation when it is posted for FREE on the JavaOne web site. I will post a link when it becomes available. Be fore you make your mind up on Groovy give this presentation a watch. Give Groovy a try before you relegate it to the insignificant. I have taken the Red Pill and am about to swallow my second.

Hugh is just a funny, funny man. Check out other drawings at http://www.gapingvoid.com.

I saw this survey on my cousin’s blog and found it a great read. I always like to find out more about a person. So now you get to find out more about me (not that you care). Although this might give you a chance to see what in the world makes me tick and what I am all about.

Body

• What is your name?: Travis Chase
• Are you named after anyone?: Well my middle name is a family name but I don’t care for it
• What’s your scree name?: supercodepoet
• Would you name a child of yours after you?: no, I prefer the name we picked
• If you were born a member of the opposite sex what would your name be?: probably Karisa or Lesley
• If you could switch names with a friend who would it be?: Ryan, only if we could also switch bank accounts
• Are there any mispronunciations/typos that ppl do w/ your name constantly?: nope, it is pretty standard
• Would you drop your last name if you became famous?: never, it is part of my identity and that is what would have made me famous

Basics

• Your gender: Male
• Straight/Gay/Bi: Straight, baby – me likes the ladies!
• Single: Nope, been married for 8 years this May.
• If not, do you want to be?: only when we fight
• Birthdate: 4/10/77
• Your age: 28
• Age you act: 12
• Age you wish you were: I like were I am at
• Your height: 6′4″
• Eye color: Blue
• Happy with it?: Never had a complaint
• Hair color: In summer, dirty blond – In winter, brown (although I am losing most of it)
• Happy with it?: If it would stay, sure
• Lefty/righty/ambidextrous: Bats right, throws right
• Your living arrangement: Own a house in a Carl Junction suburb, Briarbrook
• Your family: My immediate family would be my wife Jennifer, my son Isaac and the unknown Chase currently cultivated in Jennifer’s womb. I have a brother Trevor and a sister Lesley who were born to parent Terry and Jan (although I was the only planned child – go me)
• Have any pets?: Had a dog andthe little fir ball from helldecided to scratch a hole in my wall so he went to live with the other animals at the Joplin Humane Society
• Whats your job?: Software Architect/Developer/Project Manager
• Piercings?: nope
• Tattoos?: nope
• Obsessions?: computers, reading books, podcasts, Fireflyand coffee
• Addictions?: I am a soda pop aholic and darn proud of it. Long live Surge! Bring on Vault!
• Do you speak another language?: does pig latin count?
• Have a favorite quote?: I have way to many to count. I am a movie quote buff and have many in my tool belt. Here is a recent one that I just love, “So this is how liberty dies – with thunderous applause”
• Do you have a webpage?: This blog <selfish-plug> http://www.supercodepoet.com </selfish-plug>

Deep Thoughts About Life and You in it

• Do you live in the moment?: well since humanity hasn’t figured out how to live in the future or the past I guess you have to by default
• Do you consider yourself tolerant of others?: unless they are stupid, sure
• Do you have any secrets?: a lot of secrets, don’t you wish you knew them
• Do you hate yourself?: nope
• Do you like your handwriting?: it is pretty good for a male. I love my Dad’s handwriting
• Do you have any bad habits?: is over-eating bad habit?
• What is the compliment you get from most people?: laughter
• If a movie was made about your life, what would it be called?: finding peace as a fat man in a skinny man’s world
• What’s your biggest fear?: watching my child die before me
• Do you ever pretend to be someone else just to look cool?: if acting out a movie scene counts, then sure, otherwise I just have to be me
• Are you a loner?: no, but I am who I am with no apologies
• What is your ..1 priority in life?: to please my Creator, yet I am not very good at it
• If you were another person, would you be friends with you?: probably not, I can be really annoying
• Are you a daredevil?: no, I fear punishment
• Is there anything you fear or hate about yourself?: I tend to hate my laziness but then again I am too lazy to change it, such a vicious circle
• Are you passive or aggressive?: pretty aggressive/passionate about things I am interested in otherwise the laziness factor kicks in
• Do you have a journal?: that kinda is the purpose of a blog
• What is your greatest strength and weakness?: My greatest strength would two fold: I don’t really get stressed and I love myself. My greatest weakness would be the aforementioned laziness
• If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?: Being lazy
• Do you think you are emotionally strong?: yep
• Is there anything you regret doing/not doing in life?: I regret not playing sports in high school
• Do you think life has been good so far?: I have been blessed beyond what I deserve
• What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from life?: People are different and I am a judge of no man
• What do you like the most about your body?: I like my height
• And least?: I can’t grow a beard no matter how hard I try, that pretty much ticks me off
• Do you think you are good looking?: not really
• Are you confident?:very, most people would classify me as over-confident. I just think it is because I am ok with me and most people are not ok with themselves and perceive me as arrogant
• What is the fictional character you are most like?: Drizzt Do’Urden – The constant struggle with your heritage vs. what you could become and being ok with the now
• Are you perceived wrongly?: I think so. I think most people take me way too seriously

Do You…

• Smoke?:only the occasional cigar
• Do drugs?: if you mean addictive substances, then sure, me loves me coffee
• Read the newspaper?: no I hate the media
• Pray?: not as much as I should even though I believe it can change the world (such a hypocrite)
• Go to church?: it is like my second home
• Talk to strangers who IM you?: no
• Sleep with stuffed animals?: no
• Take walks in the rain?: no, hate the way the rain feels on my bald head
• Talk to people even though you hate them?: only by force of law
• Drive?: all the time – I tend to have a touch of road rage
• Like to drive fast?: Not really, but I like to get to were I am going within the speed limits not slower

Would or Have You Ever

• Liked your voice?: when I am singing on pitch
• Hurt yourself?: only playing hockey
• Been out of the country?: yes on my honeymoon
• Eaten something that made other people sick?: peas and corn mix drowned in bbq sauce
• Been in love?: you better believe it
• Done drugs?: illegal, no
• Gone skinny dipping?: yes, but I won’t tell you when
• Had a medical emergency?: yeah but I turned out not to be serious (guess I need to diet)
• Had surgery?: no
• Ran away from home?: no – I had great parents
• Played strip poker?: no – I would like to try strip Texas Hold’em
• Gotten beaten up?: no – I am a pretty big guy and most people don’t try anything
• Beaten someone up?: been in only one fight and I won
• Been picked on?: being fat it comes with the territory
• Been on stage?: yeah, just recently, was really nervous
• Slept outdoors?: I love to go camping so you better believe it
• Thought about suicide?: nope, I love me
• Pulled an all nighter?: nope, Never needed to study.I have a good memory for that sort of thing
• If yes, what is your record?:
• Gone one day without food?: no – that might just kill me
• Talked on the phone all night?: no – I hate talking on the phone, I love to talk in person
• Slept together with the opposite sex w/o actually having sex?: yes
• Slept all day?: no
• Killed someone?:no – just in my mind, road rage ya know
• Made out with a stranger?: no
• Had sex with a stranger?: no
• Thought you’re going crazy?: you mean I’m not
• Kissed the same sex?: only my father and my son.
• Done anything sexual with the same sex?: No way! As I have said before, me loves the ladies (everything about them)!
• Been betrayed?: yeah – have had a hard time still forgiving those people
• Had a dream that came true?: everyday of my life – God blesses
• Broken the law?: only some minor ones
• Met a famous person?: once I met “Green Bar” Bill
• Have you ever killed an animal by accident?: yeah – with a car
• On purpose?: no
• Told a secret you swore you wouldn’t tell?: now if I told you that would anyone tell me any more secrets?
• Stolen anything?: time
• Been on radio/tv?: once in a commercial when I was young
• Been in a mosh-pit?: oh yeah! Don’t forget stage diving! I loved The Wherehouse!
• Had a nervous breakdown?: no
• Bungee jumped?: no – pretty much terrified of heights
• Had a dream that kept coming back?: yep and one day I will beable to fly

Beliefs

• Believe in life on other planets?: no
• Miracles?: they happen everyday, the trick is can you spot them
• Astrology?: no
• Magic?:only in the Forgotten Realms
• God?: absolutely
• Satan?: absolutely
• Santa?: nope
• Ghosts?: nope
• Luck?: if I had any
• Love at first sight?: yes – it worked for me
• Yin and yang (that good cant exist w/o bad)?: I guess we will find out in Revelations
• Witches?: no
• Easter bunny?: bunny no, Easter yes
• Believe its possible to remain faithful forever?: yes and what lesson it has been to me to watch
• Believe theres a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?: no gold but I believe there is a promise
• Do you wish on stars?: no

Deep Theological Questions

• Do you believe in the traditional view of Heaven and Hell?: depends on your definition of traditional but I believe in Heaven and Hell
• Do you think God has a gender?: no
• Do you believe in organized religion?:I believe in a personal relationship that enables you to serve in an organized manner
• Where do you think we go when we die?: To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord

Friends

• Do you have any gay/lesbian friends?: no, but I worry about a few
• Who is your best friend?: have too many to name – I really am blessed with many who I could call a best friend
• Who’s the one person that knows most about you?:I don’t think any one of my friends totally understands me as a whole but the closet would be Jennifer, Ryan, Jake and David. Those people have been my friends the longest.
• What’s the best advice that anyone has ever given to you?: don’ take any one man’ s theology as your own, go look it up and develop it yourself
• Your favourite inside joke?: right now it would have to be Beeker
• Thing you’re picked on most about?: my weight
• Who’s your longest known friend?: my brother, Trevor. Other than family a tie between Ryan, David and Jake
• Newest?: Jay Hendren
• Shyest?: Chris Dunaway
• Funniest?: Kent McConnell, Adam Taylor, Guy Wilkins,Bill Strossand Nathan Ketchum
• Sweetest?: my wife – no one is sweeter than she
• Closest?: my wife
• Weirdest?: David Gandy, yet we are a lot alike so that makes me weird – or maybe Ed Emanuel
• Smartest?: Ryan Pierce, David Gandy and my uncle Curtis
• Ditziest?: my sister
• Last person you talked to online?: Adam
• Who do you talk to most online?: I really don’t talk online
• Who are you on the phone with most?: David
• Who do you trust most?: Any of my friends I would trust with my life
• Who listens to your problems?: Man, I think most of them have at one point or another. Like I said I have great friends. I am talking true, honest-to-God genuine friends. I am unworthy of being blessed so well
• Who do you fight most with?: my wife – when I was younger, Ryan
• Who’s the nicest?: Jason Lundien – hands down. He is the nicest, most caring man I have ever met. There is nothing he would not do for me and I would do the same for him.
• Who’s the most outgoing?: Jake “The Snake” Pollard
• Who’s the best singer?: Jake “The Snake” Pollard
• Who’s on your crap-list?: only a few people and none that I would call friend
• Have you ever thought of having sex with a friend?: sure, my wife and let me tell you, it is good
• Who’s your second family?: my in-laws
• Do you always feel understood?: hardly ever
• Who’s the loudest friend?: By far, David Gandy
• Do you trust others easily?: when I get to know them
• Who’s house were you last at?: Jay Hendren’s
• Name one person who’s arms you feel safe in?: my wife
• Do your friends know you?: each of them knows a piece of me. The only person on this planet that really knows me is me. I keep some things just for me.
• Friend that lives farthest away?: Ryan or David – not sure which one has the most miles

Love and All That

• Do you consider love a mistake?: no, love the very center of our being
• What do you find romantic?: compromise
• Turn-on?: seductive eyes
• Turn-off?: nagging and a total inability toadmit you are wrong when logic dictates otherwise, also, too much emotionalism
• First kiss?: was great for me
• If someoneyou had no interest in had interest in datingyou how wouldyou feel?: I would feel honored
• Do you prefer knowing someone before dating them or going out?: yeah, it helps
• Haveyou ever wished it was more socially acceptablefor a girlto ask a guy out?: sure
• Have you ever been romantically attracted to someone physically unattractive?: not quite sure that is possible. If you are romantically attracted then the physical nature becomes irrelevant
• Do you think the opposite sex finds you good looking?: no
• What is best about the opposite sex?: just about everything. I love the… {this is were the post gets censored} I will say the Bible does talk about letting your wife’s breasts satisfy you forever, man I love the Bible
• What is the worst thing about the opposite sex?: the lack of logic and too much emotion
• What’s the last present someone gave you?: a child
• Are you in love?: yes and growing in it every year
• Do you consider your significant other hot?: ooooohhhh yeah. Have you seen her? She has the best {again censored}

Who Was the Last Person…

• That haunted you?: nobody
• You wanted to kill?: not even going there
• That you laughed at?: Kent
• That laughed at you?: Ed
• That turned you on?: Jennifer
• You went shopping with?: Jennifer
• That broke your heart?: Jennifer
• To disappoint you?: Isaac
• To ask you out?: Jennifer
• To make you cry?: Isaac
• To brighten up your day?: Isaac – I love my son
• That you thought about?: Jennifer and Isaac – I love my family
• You saw a movie with?: Isaac
• You talked to on the phone?: Jennifer
• You talked to through IM/ICQ?: Adam – long ago
• You saw?: Chris
• You lost?: Jerry Smith

Right This Moment…

• Are you going out?: we might take a field trip to Best Buy for lunch
• Will it be with your significant other?: nope
• Or some random person?: nope
• What are you wearing right now?: standard business attire, slacks and polo
• Body part you’re touching right now?: not into that, ask Kent
• What are you worried about right now?: if there will be a second Firefly move
• What book are you reading?: Sojourn by R.A. Salvatore
• What’s on your mouse pad?: don’t need one – love the optical mouse
• Use 5 words to describe how you’re feeling?: content, peaceful, blessed, tired, happy
• Are you bored?: not really
• Are you tired?: yeah, I need to exercise more
• Are you talking to anyone online?: no
• Are you talking to anyone on the phone?: no
• Are you lonely or content at the moment?: content
• Are you listening to music?: listening to Off the Hook podcast

Well there is a snapshot of me. What do you think? Now it is your turn!

“Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can say Ni at will to old ladies. There is a pestilence upon this land, nothing is sacred. Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress in this period in history.”

……………………………

This article rates the top twenty Monty Python sketches of all time. I like a lot of the ones they chose but are missing a few of my favorites:

• The Cheese Shop Sketch
• The Argument between the peasant and King Arthur
• The philosopher’s song
• The battle between King Arthur and the Black Knight
• Sounds that offend

These are just a few that I find extremely funny. I disagree with the article in that I believe the Dead Parrot sketch should be number one. What are your top Monty Python sketches? My top five are:

1. Dead Parrot sketch
2. Guy de Loimbard’s Castle
3. Nudge Nudge
4. Argument Clinic
5. The Cheese Shop sketch

Note: Help save the best soda in the world, Surge at www.savesurge.org

“You’re not Santa. You smell like beef and cheese! You don’t smell like Santa.”

……………………………..

I had a great Christmas. Isaac, now three, loved every minute of it. He was so excited about opening presents and singing songs. It was great to be able to experience Christmas as a kid again. It truly believe Christmas is a child’s holiday. My wife had him put out milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve and he was delighted to see them gone in the morning. We spent Christmas day at my in-laws and Santa came to visit in full Santa garb (a special thanks to the next door neighbor for brightening a kid’s day).

The question of the day is: Would you tell your child Santa is real?

My current position is that I will tell him the truth if he asks me, otherwise I will let him believe that Santa is real. I grew up thinking Santa was real as a child and when I found out that he wasn’t it was no big deal. I don’t ever remember my parents telling me he was real, they just let me believe what I wanted about Santa. When I grew old enough to figure it out I understood why they did it that way. I have to admit that Christmas lost a bit of the magic after I found out the truth. I personally find no problem in that, yet I know others do. What do you think? I would love to know.

Am I lying to my son by letting him believe in Santa? I could see it as a lie if I told him that he was real. Is a lie an untruth only, a manner in which you deceive someone or a combination of the two?

One thing is for certain, he knows the true meaning of Christmas, well as much as a 3 year old can understand. If you have children what have you done? If you do not have children how are you going to handle that situation? How were you personally raised and how did that effect you? Have at it.

“We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact.”

…………………….

 So as my infatuation with Elisha Cuthbert dies away, I ask myself the question: “What did I find so attractive about her?”  I don’t think my infatuation was toward Elisha so much as it was toward the character of Danielle.  There is no doubt that Elisha is a beautiful woman, but most actors/actresses are physically beautiful people.  There was just something about that character.  What was it?  I searched myself and found a couple answers.

I believe what so drew me was the way the character subtly seduced the man.  No so much in a sexual way but more in a flirting, playful way.  The kicker is the way her character did it with her eyes.  I figured out that I absolutely love that.  I am so attracted to that type of playful flirting.  I realized this was the same type of behavior that I was so infatuated with Kate Winslet’s character in Titanic.  Again a lot of the flirting came with the eyes.  Both woman are beautiful but I see beautiful people everyday of my life.  We see them on the big screen and on TV all the time.  We recognize the fact that they are beautiful but infatuation doesn’t necessarily follow.

So I ask, besides physical beauty what type of things attract you to the opposite sex?  What type of things attracted you to your current wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend or in the person you are looking to date?

My wife’s eyes so attracted me.  I guess I am an eye man.  She has the most beautiful eyes and the way she looks at me always gives me that funny feeling   She also has the most sweet spirit of anybody I have ever met.  She honestly wants to do good all the time.  She is so good for me.

Ok, now it is your turn.

After reading a eye-opening article in ComputerWorld today I came to the realization that I may need look into a slight career change.  I started asking the questions:

• Can I compete anymore? 
• Can I provide enough value on my own training dollars? 
• Can I keep up fast enough?

The article in question was discussing a new business model an ex-CIO was starting to push.  The term she was propagating was “farmsourcing”.  The theory was that she could starting a contract programming firm in Arkansas where the cost of living is extremely low.  By doing this she could compete against the Indian, Russian and Chinese outsourcing shops.  While the contract rate would be a little higher it would even out with the extra communication costs needed to ship code overseas.  If this endeavor takes off you will soon get a battle between the farmsourcers and the outsourcers.  Each while try to one up one another till they truly make a buyers market.  While this may be great for companies, it sucks for us developers.  Even though I live in a low cost of living area, it will be increasing hard to compete with these farmsourcers for quality.  There companies will spend the training dollars making their people the best they can be to pump out high quality code.  That will be there greatest value prop which I can not match on my current low salary.  There is no way in the world a company will spend dollars training me when they can go to a farmsourcing outfit.  That leaves me spending my own income on training which reduces how much a take in.

This is just SUCKS!  I can either get into management, get more face time with users and customer thus making me harder to farmsource or I can go into a new profession.  In five years gone will be they days you could truly be tech and that is sad.  It may be better for the business industry but sucks for tech.  Some tech people are just not business people.  They do not want to be.  hey love tech for the joy of tech alone.  They could care less about dollars and cents.  They are cut from a different cloth and have a different discipline.  Why should they be force molded into business people, don’t we have enough of those?

I love technology.  I have a passion for doing cool things with code.  I love learning new technologies and applying them to solve problems.  It is just too bad nobody will pay me to do it.  I would rather not work for a coding sweatshop that constantly tries selling by being the lowest bidder.  How will I ever make a decent wage in that scenario?  I might as well work for McDonald’s.

I have seriously be considering getting my MBA, since I already have a business degree and may be forced to move to management to keep a job.  Then try to become a tech professor at a local college while I get my doctorate.  This way I could still live tech with the added bonus of teaching it.  Who else to you think are going to fill those sweatshops?  None other than the students I would be teaching needed to break into the industry.  If I can not beat it, I might as well try to give it the best minds that I can.  That way tech can get better and better.

My name is Travis Chase and I love technology.

You have 4 jars of pills. Each pill is a certain weight, except for contaminated pills contained in one jar, where each pill is weight + 1. How could you tell which jar had the contaminated pills in just one measurement?

Answers?

Chris Sells pointed out this nice little personality test. Tell me how close you think it nailed me. Here is my result:

Your distinct personality, The Prime Minister might be found in most of the thriving kingdoms of the time. You are a strategist who pursues the most efficient and logical path toward the realization of the goal that you perceive or visualize. You will often only associate with those people who can assist you in the implementation of your plan. Inept assistants may be immediately discarded as excess baggage. To do otherwise could be seen as inefficient and illogical. On the positive side, you can be rationally idealistic and analytically ideological. You can be a bold decision maker and risk taker who can move society ahead by years instead of minutes. On the negative side, you may be unmerciful, impatient, impetuous and impulsive. Interestingly, your preference is just as applicable in today’s corporate kingdoms.