An IT company...upside down

I'm looking for some advice, and maybe some affirmation. In four weeks' time I'll be working fulltime for my own company. This is quite exciting, but also daunting if you consider the amount of choices, responsibilities and potential head-aches.

I'm a software engineer, and my company will also be involved in software development. One of my key objectives, and this is where I'd like some comment, is to really focus on personel development of all my in-house nerds and nerdettes. Allow me to explain:

Most software companies tend to really abuse their geeks, and end up stunting their personal growth big-time. That's why most students tend to be quite sociable, but turn totally anti-social after two or three years of working as a slave. Since these technically minded individuals are usually quite brilliant, I want to get more out of them than just their job descriptions...and help them to fulfill their potential as human beings.

I intend to do this by focussing on leadership development for every employee. The type of leadership I'm talking about is not the managerial type, but rather pro actively taking charge of your own life...identifying a vision, learning how to prioritize, knowing how to make sacrifices and understanding the concept of influence (the list is long).

Am I dishing out pie in the sky? Would it be possible to convince computer addicts to step out of their comfort zones? Would you apply for a job at my company?

I'd love to hear your comments!

Anita Strikes

Anita, my sister, is now officially engaged!

Picasso Strikes

Thailand is absolutely amazing!

After spending two timeless weeks there I've fallen in love with the place. The people are fantastic: always smiling, respectful, self-controlled and great with their kids and pets. They also love their plants...accounting for the countless orchids and potplants lining the streets!

On our arrival in Chiang Mae (in the north of Thailand) we were ambushed by water crazed zealots! We managed to catch the sonkran festival, which marks the Thai newyear. Traditionally water was poured down the backs of loved ones, signifying a kind of cleansing for the new year...but this has radically evolved into a water fight of epic proportions! On our arrival at our hotel we were soaked to the bone. Hectic I tell you, and one piece of advice:

"Avoid tuk-tuk's (3-wheel open air taxis) during Sonkran!!!"

The islands are very laid back and you get teleported to another world. Rice fields, buffalo's, thai boxing and fishing boats all paint the picture of a people non-plussed about status and chasing rats...mind you they do fancy their cockroaches!

The coral reefs are amazing! We did some scuba diving, but I retired hurt after a trigger fish attacked me!

It was absolutely crazy. I heard a loud clank on my tank and looked around. There these two beautiful fish were staring at me?! Ok, so I look back at them. BAMM! It felt like someone assaulted me with a hammer as the stealthy predator careered into the side of my head. Ouch. (look at those K9's)

But that opened the door to a bunch of other experiences. Health spas, kyak trips, offroad scootering and loads of chilling were all on the menu. Talking about menus, the food is excellent...and dirt cheap! You get the feeling that people really take pride in preparing a meal, and that spills over in the presentation. You end up feeling quite special.

Probably 90% of the fruits we ate in Thailand were completely new to us. Durians, Jackfruit, Tamarin seeds and Dragonfruit were amongst the favourites. My wife also loved every moment...but she promptly drew the line when I started munching cockroaches!

Bangkok is an amazing city. It's a smooth mix of old and modern Thailand. You'll see elephants walking on the busy sidewalks and walk into the most modern mall you've ever seen the next moment. People remain friendly and warm, despite the huge amount of bodies.

This 2 weeks has fealt like 2 months and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The perspective I've gained is priceless, and I hope this fuel injection will last me a few months. The travel bug has bitten with the force of a territorial trigger fish!

Growing your network

Keeping track of all your friends and business contacts can become quite an impossible task!

Luckily the web provides us with tools to make this process a bit easier. I've started using LinkedIn to keep track of my network. It's pretty cool, and allows you to see which contacts your contacts have. If you need to get in touch with one of those 2nd tier contacts, you can ask one of your direct contacts to provide you with an introduction.

Google has also spotted the potential of this kind of system, and acquired Orkut. Orkut is more targeted at growing and maintaining a network of friends, as opposed to business contacts. To get an orkut account, you need to be introduced by a current member (boy Google knows how to market!). I did a blog search, and begged Darnell Clayton, author of the Hidden Nook, to give me an invite.

Thanks a lot Darnell, your generosity is greatly appreciated! I can also really recommend his blog, and will add it to my bookmarks on the right.

I want to spread the love...and grow my network. So if there's anyone who wants to join my linkedIn or Orkut network, feel free to drop me a line.

Life is beautiful

It's been almost a month! What kept me busy:

1. In one of my previous posts I rave on about how cool "Wild Cams" are. Well this very wildcam at Pete's Pond drained all my bandwidth last month. It took me over my 3Gig cap (that's how it works in SA), which made my international browsing impossible.
2. We celebrated our first wedding annerversary! My wife, Lienke, is truly amazing. Our first year has been fantastic and we are really blessed.
3. Business is booming. I've got so much work that I can barely breathe. South Africa is really starting to attract some foreign investment, resulting in all-round expansion and development.

Bonsai Trees rock. I've planted a whole range of Acacia seeds about a month ago. They're about 15 cm tall now, so I'm starting to repot them. Our garden is quite small, and already well established. This has encouraged me to opt for the Bonsai route. I didn't know the first thing about Bonsais, but after a bit of research I've come to appreciate it's beauty.

What I find particularly fascinating is the way the Japanese hand down their Bonsais through generations. Imagine being given a 500 year old tree by your dad, guarded and cared for by previous generations. It's more than just a tree - it almost becomes a part of each of it's caretakers.

The photo at the top was taken at Blouberg Strand near Cape Town...by me! Summer is in the air, and I can say with confidence: La Vita e Bella!

The cosmic merry-go-round

In the light of the current Evolution vs. Intelligent Design debate I’ve decided to post my thoughts.

Evolution needs to be defined.
(1) Cosmic evolution - origin of time, space and matter
(2) Chemical evolution - origin of higher elements from hydrogen
(3) Stellar and planetary evolution - origin of stars and planets
(4) Organic evolution - origin of life
(5) Macro evolution - changing from one kind to another
(6) Micro evolution - variations within same kind

According to Google, Science is systematically acquired knowledge that is verifiable or systematized knowledge derived from observation or observed results of experimentation, (observable or experimentally repeatable).

To me the (1) to (5) is not science. Not one of them has ever been observed, or experimentally repeated. This boils down to a form of religion. Micro evolution, on the other hand, is true science, and also accepted by proponents of Intelligent Design (ID)!

I therefore find it interesting that the recent debate has been labelled "Science vs. Religion".

Something that's been making headlines is the fact that the ID guys say evolution is simply a "theory". They don't refer to a theory like gravity (which can be observed and experimentally repeated) or micro evolution...what they are referring to is (1) to (5) being taught as "gospel" - because it simply is not good science.

OK - I'm coming accross very biased! Just balancing the blogosphere a bit.

Godel's Incompleteness theorem leeds us to believe that ID cannot be provable, and is therefore also not good science.

I am a Christian and a scientist. I feel strongly about Evolutionists/Creationists/ID respecting each other. Unfortunately the spokesman are allways so defensive and inflexible that they'll allways be fighting away. I'm sure they can co-exist: as long as guys are willing to admit their weaknesses.

My open system needs input from clued up readers in order to fine tune my control system. Feel free to engage me in debate, or make a comment. Just to make things clear:

I'm not choosing a side, but simply trying to understand and formulate an informed opinion. This post is my view, which is obviously biased in some way.

Looking back from the past

I've allways thought it would be great if you could physically send a movie clip, birthday present or simple letter by post - specifying the exact date on which the parcel should be delivered. (say 20 years time)

To a lot of folks this is gonna be old news, but there's a website that facilitates this process for post-dated email. The website is called "Future Me", and the idea is that you write an email to yourself, only to be delivered on a date as chosen by you.

Fascinating!

What would you write to yourself...knowing that you'll probably be a completely different person in 10 years time?

I think I'll start by listing my short and longterm goals, as well as a few of my stone-clad principles. Then I'll give a snapshot of my life at this point in time - think that'll be amusing reading. Then I'm gonna look into my crystal ball and make a couple of wild predictions (like the "Internet" changing to "GoogleNet").

If my email address survives for 5 years - I'm going to be completely gobsmacked by this unexpected email...that's if I'm not filtered out as SPAM!~[ Humour me...