Jon Upchurch

Well, I was just notified that someone read my post and tried to install Linux on their PC with a dual-boot and had trouble. Ouch! Let me make some suggestions in case anyone else tries this:

• Download VMWare Desktop or MS Virtual PC if you’re not going to make Linux your only Operating System.  Yes, Linux will support a dual-boot, but depending on your hardware you may have issues with either LILO or GRUB as your new boot manager, and if you do have troubles it can become an issue.  Most cases just to get your feet wet with Linux a virtual image is plenty.
• Make sure you choose the right Linux Distribution.  For beginners, I highly recommend Ubuntu 8.04.  Really, any of the 8.0x editions are great.  If for some reason you can’t find or don’t want Ubuntu then I’d choose Red Hat.  An alternative if you really want the shell experience then you could try CentOs.  Beyond that, once you have experience, you can branch out to other distributions.  SuSE is a really nice distribution.
• Back up your files before you start!  If you’re just using a Virtual Machine to run Linux, then you’re probably safe, but it really can’t hurt and you should probably back up anyhow!
• If you don’t want to run Linux as a virtual machine, then the next best bet is to find a machine you can just install it as your primary Operating System.  Make sure you don’t need anything from the old system (read: Back Your Files Up!) and start from a clean slate.

Yes, it is definitely possible to do a dual boot, but unless you already know what you’re doing (and don’t need this article) it’s probably not the best solution.  If you get stuck, send me a message. Find me on Twitter (jonupchurch) or Facebook (facebook.com/jonmupchurch), or gmail (jonupchurch at gmail/dot/com) and I’d be glad to shoot you tips.

I think I’m in love… /swoon

My new laptop just arrived today.  It’s nothing special in the hardware department -
Pentium Core 2 Duo 2Ghz
2Gb – 800Mhz RAM
150Gb 5400 RPM HDD
15″ display running at 1080i

In the past I didn’t like Ubuntu, but what I’ve come to discover is that it’s REALLY matured as an OS. It’s definitely not yet a system that can be setup, run, and maintained by less than a technician, but for day-to-day usage anyone could use one.

Afraid of what owuld happen if I messed anything up, I immediately made use of the life-preserver on the desktop – the Dell system restore dik creator. I was already beginning to be impressed at how usable this was to someone with Linux experience but who wasn’t a Linux expert. It both burned a DVD without incident and then created a restore save on my USB Drive with no problems.

So far it was winning points. It only gets better as it goes forward. I started getting the desktop environment exactly how I wanted it, and that was very easy and HIGHLY configurable. Granted, that’s the Gnome environment, not Ubuntu, but even so. What really impressed me was the package manager by Synaptek. [sp?] Adding and removing program components, usually a nightmare on Linux, was very easy, and getting updates, even from 9.02 to 9.04, was as easy as clicking a button! Then, I needed to install the Java/J2SE-JDK, Ruby, Rails, MySQL, and Netbeans. It was for all intentes and purposes just as easy as doing it on Windows!

So despite the fact that of my computers, this machine is the least powerful, it’s fast becoming my favorite workstation! I’m VERY impressed, and looking forward to trying some things I’d never managed with Linux before.

Let me start by saying I love Linux.  I’ve been using it casually since ‘91 or ‘92.  I’m not an expert, but it reminds me of why I like computers and it makes me a bit nostalgic for the days when 98% of people could barely operate a computer if at all.  My problem with Linux however is that aside from the Kernel, there’s almost no standardization between distributions and versions.  On Windows, if I want to install an app, it’s pretty straightforward how to do it.  Even on a server, getting an app running is usually a routine exercise. Configuring an app is different, but just getting it working should be easy.

Not so in Linux. You’ve got to know what libraries are installed, which means you have to know your install version inside and out.  Then, different distros of Linux need different things.  I’m currently juggling Red Hat Enterprise Linux and CentOS 5, but I’ve got experience with BSD Unix, SUSE, Fedora, Ubuntu, gOs, Debian, and Knoppix.  None of these work the same.

Those of you who work with Linux daily and are experts probably laugh, but Linux is always something I’ve been casual with. I’ve been using computers for 28 years or so, and I struggle with Linux sometimes.  People dog Windows, but Windows *WORKS* and most anyone can *USE* it.  Linux is better in efficiency but nowhere near in usability!

Anyhow, I’ll eventually get it all figured out.  The problem is in the time it takes me to get it working I could have had 5 Windows boxes up… =/

As recently as 15 months ago…

I was in decent shape. I was working out regularly and was fast approaching the outside range of my ideal weight. My BMI was below the “Fat” zone by a few percentage points. Considering my age, the genetic mountain I have to overcome to be fit, and the kind of work I do that’s not a mild achievement. I had stopped eating fried foods, and cut out most sugar. I could run a mile or more without stopping or passing out, and the Elliptical and Stairmaster machines submitted to my will.  It felt great.  I even used to park at the far end of parking lots just to get the extra exercise.

Then I started my own business. The two and a half hours I spent at the gym each day became a luxury I couldn’t afford. Food became something that I needed to have just to survive and I didn’t have time to worry about nutrition.  My stress level rose, and since I had quit smoking about 9 months earlier, food became my way of dealing with the stress.  To make matters worse, in the fall I got Pneumonia and was in the hospital for almost a week.  My lung capacity which previously had been very good went to the crapper. I got winded walking up stairs, and I never bounced back from it.

So meanwhile…

I’ve now gained back everything I lost in spades, going from 240lbs (sounds heavy, but I’m stocky and large framed at 6′0″, I wasn’t sporting a six pack but I wasn’t fat either) to somewhere between 285 and 300lbs.  Even at my worst before I was topped out at 270lbs.  So now things have become sane with the business.  Oh, I probably have the same amount of work between school and the business, but I’ve learned to manage things better and to delegate more.

So in other words I have some time if I can get myself motivated to get back to the gym.  I got an offer via email from Bally’s, where I had a membership before, for a year membership for $99.00.  That’s less than $10 a month, and not something that i could pass up knowing that I want and need to get abck into shape.

And now…

I’m done with day 2 of my MWF trips to the gym.  I’ve done this before and I know not to kill myself as I’m getting back into it.  I’m amazed just how much I’ve gone to the crapper in the last year.  I *walked* for a mile and a half, and my legs hurt.  I used to *run* that far!  Today I takled the Elliptical, and to be honest it beat me.  I managed to stay on for 15 minutes, and I didn’t even look at the calories I burned because I didn’t want to get depressed.  I used to burn about 750-850 calories in 30 minutes at the pace I used to work out at.

So I’m determined to stick with it.  I’m not expecting miracles, but I don’t want to be as overweight as I am and I don’t want to be as short winded as I am.  If I can regain some muscle and wind, lose a little weight, and maybe start eating healthier again I know I’ll be the better for it. I’m looking forward to owning the machines instead of the machines owning me, and I’m looking forward to finding the hidden overdrive gears that I used to have while working out. The feeling I get when I’m at what I feel is my limit and then I crank it up to 11 despite my body’s protests, and then crank it to a burst of 13 before finishing up with a cool down is incredible, and that’s what I miss about working out more than anything.  The feeling that I’m breaking boundaries and truly pushing myself used to bring me back to the gym 5-7 days a week.

I’ll keep updating my progress for anyone who cares to follow alone and root me on!

I know that there are almost as many reasons for using Twitter and approaches to the use of Twitter as there are people USING Twitter.  I’m one of the people that sees Twitter as a great way to connect with new people both socially and in business, and I see it as a tool that can be used to help grow my business.  My philosopy on Twitter is that you never know which one of your contacts is going to be the one to bring you the next big opportunity. People go to parties where there are a lot of people they don’t know, and Twitter is almost like a worldwide electronic coctail party.

Some people are going to be wallflowers in the Twitter party. Some people are going to show up just to be seen. Some people are going to pass out a business card to everyone they meet. Some are going to get drunk and wear a lampshade home!

My point is that if you only want to talk to people you already know, you’re not going to go to a party! There are other sites that are more of a controlled environment that are more like spending an evening with friends, so going to the party only to be with friends and then complaining about the noise is wasteful!

So at the time of writing this I follow 3,300 people and am followed by 3,100.  Compared to some people that’s (very) small potatoes. Some people look at that and are amazed. I get questions from people periodically asking how I can keep up with that many followers.  My answer is “Honestly, I can’t.”  Even if I never left my computer I could never follow every single thing that people post.  To make it worse, I spend a limited time each day on Twitter. Despite this, I regularly engage with people, and have made new friends and contacts despite following everyone who follows me and having 3,300 people in my timeline.

To answer this, I go back to my party analogy. If you go to a party with 3,300 people there you’re not going to follow every single conversation. It’s just not possible.  What you can do is wander through the crowd and meet people as you go, connecting briefly and moving on.  Then when you wander past them again, you’ve already got a relationship that you can build on.  It’s exactly the same in Twitter.  When I do log on I connect with people I haven’t in a while, and I watch my timeline of what people are posting, and I see if anything draws my attention. If (and oftern when) it does, I engage that person in a dialogue and add them to a more limited circle of people of people I will now head towards as I move through the crowd when I see them.

So keeping this philosophy, really any number of people you’re following or being followed by is manageable.

As for follow-backs, I always follow people who are following me.  First of all it’s just polite.  Someone extends their hand saying “You’re interesting and I choose to listen to what you’re saying” and so in return I extend my hand and say “Then I’m interested in what you might have to say as well!” Short of Twitter accounts that are purely information related and more like announcements than anything else, I don’t understand why anyone would follow someone that refuses to follow them back!  It’s like taking a giant one-way mirror wall to the party and separating people out who are at the same party, that I can see and follow, but who have no idea I’m there. Again, Twitter is about the party, not the get-together with friends.  If someone doesn’t want to follow me, I’m not offended, but I’m also not going to follow them since following them takes up a slot that will prevent me from following someone else who IS willing to communicate in a two-way manner!

So while I don’t begrudge anyone their own approach to Twitter, I thought I’d share mine since I’ve had questions about it. And if you weren’t following me you’d likely never know the answer to this question!

Thanks for following, and connecting!

- Jon

So I’m becoming more acclimated with Twitter, and I make use of some tools that are out there to manage my account.  I use a service that automatically sends a Direct Message greeting new followers.  That same service also automatically follows people who follow me (I’m going to address this in another article to come soon since it’s been a topic of discussion lately!). That same service wants $30 monthly to automate posting (and scheduled posting) of tweets!  I check a service that tells me who I’m following that’s not following me and who’s following me that I’m not following.

Now, I use my Twitter accounts (and I have several @jonupchurch, @1upwebdev, and I manage a few for clients as well) for multiple things.  I’m not spamming about Multi-Level Marketing, 2647 ways to get a bajillion followers in just 3 days on Twitter, or anything like that.  I use it first as a way to connect with people.  If you look at my posts, most of them are interactive, not just broadcasting my agenda.  I do, however also use Twitter as a tool to reach potential clients and to drive traffic to my sites. So my account is used both for business and for social purposes.

After looking around at all of the available tools, I have found a client that does *almost* everything I need it to – TweetDeck.  For a client it’s very fully featured (although I wish I could silence tweets from certain people and a few other features) and I’m very happy with it.  What I do need is a single application (or suite)  that can manage following follwers and sending direct messages. I need something that will track users I’m following that aren’t following me and see how long I’ve been following them that they’re not following me.  Aside from a few people, non-mutual follows are of little meaning to me. Socailly I want a dialogue, so someone not following me is pointless and from a business standpoint non-followers are dead weight!  This is especially true now that I can’t @reply to someone who’s not following me and have them get it!  This was one of the dumber moves I’ve seen Twitter make, but I’m not here to complain.

And on to the Purpose of this post!

So, I know what I want the app to do, and it just so happens I’m a computer programmer.  My goal is to create an application that not only works for me, but can work for others as well. I want to create an application (versus a wen site) first because a web site is expensive to run this way and would require a subscription price which I don’t want to do, and second because I know myself that I’m not happy giving other people my Twitter password. With an application like this you’d have more control and more security!

Now, knowing that I can put something together I want to make something that works for as many people as possible.  I can create programs in a number of different languages, from Microsoft’s .NET languages which will only work on Windows machines or people running some sort of emulation (Parallels, Wine…), I can write something in Java so it will be platform independent… I could even write it in PHP for people to put up on their own web sites.  What I’d like to know (in comments or emails) are the following pieces of advice:

• What platform would people like to run an application like this on? Is my audience Microsoft users, or should I look at Java?
• If I developed somthing like this would you be willing to pay a (small) one time price to purchase it, or should I just make it open-source, and why?
• Bearing in mind that this is not a client but a management application, are there any features that you’ve been unable to find in an application that you’d like to see?
• And if you’re responding, does an application like this even interest you?

Feel free to reply here, or if you prefer you can email jupchurch (at) 1upwebdevelopment.com!

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

- Jon

Well, I caught the bug, and how!  It’s very easy to underestimate Twitter, and pass it off as just some new social networking toy, but it really is much more powerful than that.  It’s almost hard to keep up with everything, especially at first and even more so as you follow a sizeable number of people.  I’ve really been trying to balance the accumulation of followers and follows against what I can truly connect with.  I think like anything else, it’s a matter of probabilities.  I really enjoy talking with some of the people I’ve had a chance to connect with so far on Twitter, but so far the trend seems to be that maybe 5% of the people I follow are going to be people I can connect with.  You really need to follow other people to get followers yourself, and I think that some people devalue larger numbers of follows.  There’s been a lot of discussion about following lately, especially with Twitter changing follow policies.

My take is that bots are going to be there no matter what.  If you want to be followed and you’re not a celeb, you need to follow other people, and if you want to actually make connections with people and truly network for mutual benefit, you really need to follow a LOT of people to beat the 5-10% (generous estimate) odds of people you can connect to.

I’m seeing how Twitter can be sued to help me grow my business, and I’ve interacted more with people lately than i have in a while.  I’ve been stuck in my own little rut of school and work projects that Twitter has really made me a part of the world again instead of an island!

Anyhow, I’ll update again on the topic later.  Here’s a quick shout out to some of the people I’ve been chatting with lately!

@actionchick @understandniche @morethancelebs @kwgcw @matthewmarques @metaglyph

You can find me under @jonupchurch ( http://twitter.com/jonupchurch/ )or my business persona @1upwebdev( http://twitter.com/1upwebdev/ ).

- Jon

Well, since I’m going to be using Wordpress to develop sites for clients (and now hopefully a lot more of them given the capabilities I have now) I thought it prudent to make something out of my personal domain using Wordpress.  So voila, I’ve joined the blogosphere (for better or worse)!  It’s going to take some time to amass any amount of writing here, but I hope to include a bit of technical writing as well as updates on what’s going on in my life and my thoughts.  If it goes well, I may expand its scope.  I may use something like this for the book series I’m working on with Matt W.  I may also create a more personal site.  Either way, this site will remain my primary repository of information.  Instead of maintaining an exhaustive list of bookmarks across 3 computers and 4 servers, I’m thinking of maintaining a list of links here.  Also, there are certain things that I only bookmark for reference to their content.  For those I may include that content here (with credit given since this is still a public facing site).

You’re welcome to browse my archives, read my articles.  As a matter of fact I’d love to see people using it.  I’d love to see comments and get feedback.  I’m going to try to have content here that actually warrants people checking in.  I’d also love feedback on site layout, design, and content.