Matthew Lang

I want to be a good developer and develop applications that are thoroughly tested but when was the last time you just hacked on a bit of code to try something out?

There's definitely a time and place for testing your code, whether you're part of a team or building a revenue generating product or service on your own, testing frameworks can give us the confidence we need to ship code on a frequent basis.

If I know enough of the framework and language to get by then I don't bother writing tests. I would rather roll my sleeves up and get into the parts of the code I know or even try new things with a part of the language or framework I haven't used. Just fiddling away with a simple script until I can get it working to validate an idea or a thought can be so rewarding. It might take me an hour to come up with something or half a day, but if that's all it takes then why bother getting all the correct bits in place to test it?

Exploring problems with just the code, trying things out, making it work as I go along. Yes it might take a few attempts to get there, but I always get there in the end. And that's the fun part of programming, getting it to work. I'm all for tested code but every now and again I like to just throw away the tests and just code and have some fun.

I've seen some whacky swings at the driving range, but most of the time the swing has the desired affect. The ball hits the intended target. Steven Pressfield is definitely onto something here.

The concept of the Authentic Swing is that each of us is endowed from birth with our own gift, our own style, our own unique talent and point of view. Our job is to find it and bring it forth.

— Furky swings Authentic Swing, shoots 59 by Steven Pressfield %}

Steven's new book looks to be another addition to the list.

Another one for the playlist.

Curtis' post gave me the kick I needed yesterday.

You are choosing to do other things instead of the goals set out.

— No time for whiners by Curtis McHale

I admit, I haven't made a lot of progress on a couple of projects since the summer, and I am choosing to do other things first. In some cases not the right thing. It's definitely something I need to rectify.

via PedalConsumption

I first discovered James Shelley through Patrick Rhone's Twitter account just a couple of years ago. Having checked out James' blog, I was intrigued. I subscribed and I have remained a faithful subscriber since.

James doesn't blog very often, but when he does it's worth waiting for. The quality of his writing is one of the best amongst my RSS subscriptions. In a world of fast paced, quick hit updates, it's refreshing to see James put so much thought and effort into his writing.

James is also the author of the fantastic Caesura Letters, a daily email subscription that will feed your brain with fresh thoughts and ideas.

Thinker and writer. Two words but two words that describe James Shelley and his blog perfectly. If you cherish quality over quantity, then this is definitely the blog for you.

... for the masses. No sense in starting a business unless it's viable. This is definitely a good place to start.

... is predicted by Nicholas Bate. I look forward to it.

A couple of weeks ago me, Jen and the kids headed to our nearest big electrical store, Currys at Braehead Shopping Centre. We were going to look at televisions for the new room we have called 'the den'. It's only a small room, it was previously a garage, so we only required a small television for it. Nothing like those enormous 50" panels you see, just a 32" would cut it.

We arrived at the store and found the televisions department. Mega expensive massive televisions at the front and at the back in the dark are the small and relatively cheap televisions. As we were only looking for a 32", we made a beeline for the back of the department.

We had a price bracket and within that bracket we had narrowed it down to a handful of television sets. Having found the television that we wanted, I tried to grab the attention of one of the store staff. Short of knocking one of them over the head with a set of speakers, I couldn't get assistance from any of the staff in this department.

While doing this I did see the television we were looking for in stock. However I did want to just check a couple of things with the staff before we purchased it. Having no success at all in trying to pin down a member of staff, we decided to cut our losses and left the store, without purchasing the television we liked.

Having stood there for close to 20 minutes, it was clear where the staff's attention was. The big purchases, the big televisions. As we left we passed two groups of staff that had suddenly congregated either side of the front row of big televisions in the department. If someone stopped to inspect one, they would be in an excellent position to help the customer and in turn, attempt to get a big sale. Beyond that row, you were doomed for assistance. It was like tiered customer service. Those that spend more get more service.

Once we got home, I purchased the same television online from another retailer for the same price. I could have bought the television online from Currys, but given the lack of assistance I got from staff, why should they get a sale from me?

Most big retailers have online stores that give you online purchasing of their goods, but when you make a big purchase like this, sometimes a trip to the physical store does help you to see what it is you're actually buying. It's at this point, that the staff should be helpful no matter what price bracket you're buying in.

Even in a world where buying online is an option, some customers will still venture to the stores to check out goods in person before committing to a sale in the store or at the online store of that retailer. During this time, retailers should ensure that customers are served well if they want an in-store sale. However with service like this, it can put off customers not just for that one purchase but for many purchases after that.

There are a couple of appliances in the house that are nearing their time for replacement. Will I be venturing back to Currys to replace these appliances? Highly unlikely.

If customers don't like a store's service, they'll go elsewhere, and not just for that one purchase but many more after that. It's the oldest lesson in the book for retailers but has an added twist for the age of online retailers, customers vote with their feet, both physical and digital.

When I first started working independently at the start of the year, I had grand visions of being able to dictate my own time and allow myself more time to write, work on my own ideas and follow them through to products. It was also a chance for me to explore other skills like iOS programming and web design. Just as we're passing into the last quarter of the year though, I'm shocked to see how little actual time I have spent doing this.

Aside from a three week vacation between July and August, I have taken very little time off away from client work. It wasn't that I couldn't, it just never occurred to me actually schedule some time in for myself and tell my clients that I won't be available for a few days.

I guess I initially panicked at the start of the year and thought that money in the bank was the goal, so I simply worked as much as I could in terms of client work to get some money put by. I am now in a much better financial position now, but I still need to top it up slightly to get to my goal of having four months basic salary there to live on should I find myself in a position where I am not working.

I may have mentioned this before on the blog, but I want this post to be the call to action I need to schedule some time for myself. Once I've scheduled some time, I'll write about my plans for this time and see what can I fit in during this time.