2011 Update: What's Done & What Will Be Done

Hey Guys!

Long time no speak right! I said in my previous post that I had been busy, so I thought I would share with you what I have been up to, and what's on the plan for the rest of 2011.

Here's where I stand on my 2011 goals:

Financial Goals

• Supplement Income by 25% - The plan here was to get more creative about how I earn my cash. Rather than floating from paycheck to paycheck, I wanted to get more money from more sources. I am pleased to say I have formed my own company, have my first contracting gig signed and am starting to flesh out my first product idea, which I want a working prototype well before the year is out. By the end of the year, my turnover would be yielding an increase of about 23-25% extra on last years income. WIN.
• Reduce Fixed Outgoings by 25% - As well as trying to make more, I want to spend less - I want to funnel cash into doing stuff rather than spending it on mindless crap. I am super-pleased to say that I have reduced by fixed outgoings by 60%. AWESOME WIN.

Personal Goals

• Leave the UK at Least 4 Times - Left twice so far, to the US (Las Vegas) and Amsterdam. Both were awesome. Planning another trip after my contract is up, but may try and sneak in a small break somewhere else. WIP.
• Downsize the apartment - Done, now living in a flatshare with 3 awesome peeps. All my crap now easily fits in to what is an "small double bedroom". Next step, a suitcase! WIN.
• Launch at least one product that is *at least* self-sustaining - I have an idea that has been floating around in my head for about the past year, I think it's a great idea - but it doesn't mean anything while it's in my head. I have been doing a lot of research on customer development and lean startup. Looking forward to getting a working prototype out there in the not-to-distant future. WIP.

Minimalist Goals

See here for my minimalist goals.

• Up to phase 3 - which is almost complete, just need to get down to 1 suitcase! Looks like I might just miss my deadline, but I'll take it :D WIN.

So, that's what's been keeping me busy, a lot of change in progress and a lot of mental re-moulding has been taking place. Since moving to London (oh yeah, I didn't mention that above, I re-located too) I found that I fell into classic London habits of just running around like a headless chicken. I have found myself recently stopping and getting back to being busy, but not a busy ant.

Good times!

More soon :)

Exciting Times - Two Great HackCamps Upcoming - Dev4Good and GiveCampUK

Hey Guys! Remember me?

Yes, it has been a while, and yes - I have been busy! I'll get another post up soon explaining what has been chewing up my time, but for now I wanted to get some buzz around two great-looking events coming up soon. What's best is that these hacks are just about hacking, they are about hacking with the intent of helping the third sector.

Why Bother with a Hack Camp?

As you may remember, last year I attended CharityHack, which was great fun and amazing to see what people are capable of producing in such a short space of time (lots of caffeine and pizza help).

For me, I think I would say that I go to these events to:

• Learn from many smart people with a variety of skill sets.
• Network with lots of like-minded people.
• Build software for problems I may have never encountered before (very easy to get stuck in a business and only deal with their problems). I like to shake it up a bit.
• Just hack - get away from it all and focus on building something awesome - lose the manager and business constraints and just focus on the "wow" factor. Very liberating.
• Eat lots of pizza and drink lots of red bull!

And to be honest, even if an event just had two of the above points, I would still go. HackCamps are an all-round assortment of geeky goodness.

What About Companies?

While I am a hacker and obviously focused on hacker concerns, don't forget that these kind of events need support. These are a great opportunity for you to get your corporate brand out there into an audience that is normally "the right kind of people" (people motivated and passionate about their craft to surrender a weekend for it, for free).

Most events will have multiple levels of support that businesses can support them at, be it getting a few items of branded material into swag bags (normally free) or good 'ol sponsorship which will often result in a chance to speak about your business or slap your logo in a few key places.

As well as this, normally sponsors will be around to talk to the developers (and others - such as designers and UX people) which can provide a great opportunity to target an interested market, not to mention provide a great resource for hiring great people.

The opportunity should not be taken lightly - even if you don't find the awesome hire you are looking for at an event, the community will really appreciate your support - and regulars are well noticed.

Upcoming Events

There are a couple of pretty tasty looking events coming up soon that have me super-excited. Dev4Good and GiveCamp. Both are pretty similar in design - turn up, build awesome stuff to do good.

Dev4Good

• Link: Dev4Good (http://www.dev4good.net)
• Date: 2nd-3rd July 2011
  
• Location: 14 Lower Mall, Hammersmith, London
• Swag: XBOX Kinect and more!
• Register: Hackers - Here - little weird, sign up for the "wemoot" thing and that should be it. Sponsors should contact them.
• Sleep on Site?: No - you need to find somewhere to crash - ask on Twitter or find a local hostel/B&B.
• Contact: Twitter @Dev4Good / #dev4good
• More Info: http://www.dev4good.net/events

GiveCampUK

• Link: GiveCampUK (http://www.givecamp.org.uk)
• Date: 21st-23rd October 2011
  
• Location: London (Venue TBC)
• Swag: TBC
• Register: Hackers and Sponsors can register Here.
• Sleep on Site?: TBC
• Contact: Twitter @GiveCampUK / #givecampuk
• More Info: http://www.givecamp.org.uk/faq

So, what are you waiting for?! Come along to either/both and see what it's all about. Don't be nervous (I was at my first event) - we are all there for the same reasons and that is what counts!

If you are coming along, be sure to ping me on Twitter (@robcthegeek) and I will make sure I say "hi"!

Happy hacking!