Staying Connected in a Time of Social Distancing

While many of us are social distancing ourselves, it doesn't mean we can't meet, it just means we can't do it near to each other.

Back when I lived in a lower class section of the city, this was the norm. People would stand on their porches and yell to each other, often using words I wouldn't (or couldn't) use. I'm not suggesting we do that.

What we can do is use the old school phone and call one another.

Another way that I have been using with a couple of organizations are online meetings. I attend them using my smartphone and computer. In fact, a local Scout Troop will be doing a Court of Honor from one of our newest Eagle Scouts using this technology!

Here are some of the options that are free for at least 40 minutes with unlimited participants:

• Uber Conference (https://www.uberconference.com/)
• Zoom (https://zoom.us/)
• WebEx

There are also general text, voice, and video apps

• What's App
• Line App
• Google Duo
• Marco Polo
• Skype

Do you have a favorite or two you have used that I haven't listed? Leave a comment!

Enjoy,

-John

A Time of #EmbraceTheSuck

What a wild start to 2020! I have been swamped with too many things happening, some good, and... as you can guess from the title... some not so good.

The Next Book

Work on my second book for Packt continues. It is focusing on Qt. Unfortunately, it encountered real life. We are still looking for publication this year, but not quite when expected. I'm still really excited about the project. As in my previous book, I am learning so much. There's an old phrase about teaching: Learn-Do-Teach. That's exactly what I am doing, and I love it!

Something Old Comes Back

In the midst of all of that, I got a totally unexpected call for help with a project I last worked on over 6 years ago.

I had setup a Jenkins CI Build machine to build and test a C# project. We used NCover, NUnit, and some custom tools I created. Sometime after development on the product finally finished, someone decided they could get rid of the VM the build machine was running on. Not being able to find a image to restore from, they have called me in to rebuild it.

The cool thing is I get to work with some of the best SW developers I know. I also finally got a job with a consulting company, First Consulting Inc. of Rochester, NY, that I have admired and hoped to work for. It's only a small project, but it should be fun!

The Bad

Amidst the good have been some bad things that have adjusted my focus and challenged my resolve: A family member was diagnosed with cancer, a family friend unexpectedly died, COVID-19 came to New York State, and I was laid off from my full time job. COVID-19's even impacted that. (Most of the past week has been dealing with all of the issues around the latter.)

[For those noting the cancer diagnosis and job loss, and assuming benefits loss: You are right. Luckily the cancer patient qualifies for Emergency Medical Coverage.]

What Now?

Honestly, the first thing is looking for a job that provides benefits. I'm a giver and not much of a receiver. The first time I had to apply for any government assistance was about 10 years ago, and I resisted do it until a friend sat me down and said "John, you paid into the system so it will be there when you need it. Swallow your pride and use it." So, this time I've done my due diligence in that regard and also kicked off the job search.

While I am searching, I plan to be continuing work on my short contract and writing both my book and blog. But, these will probably be at a slower pace. In New York State, every day you "work" is a day you can't collect unemployment. It doesn't matter how much work it is or how much you made from doing it. It just matters that you worked. (I am trying to find answers on what qualifies as "work." Is writing a book if I don't see money immediately? How about this blog? Lots of questions to be answered.)

Want to Help? Here's How

I hate asking for help, but I'm swallowing my pride here:

• Buy Hands On Embedded Programing with Qt from Packt or Amazon. I doubt I will sell enough to make up what I lost from my job, but everything helps.
• Read my book and leave reviews.
• Tell others about my book!
• If you know of a company looking for a Qt developer, C++11 programmer, and/or author that will allow remote work or is in the Rochester, NY area:  Please let me know and feel free to pass my name on to them. Visit my professional website at http://john.werner-ny.net for my resume and more!
• 
  

#EmbraceTheSuck

The day before I lost my job I wrote "This is the year of #EmbraceTheSuck." How ironic that it would get suckier.

The phrase "Embrace the suck," comes out of the military. The basic essence of it is "I know the conditions you are in suck, but you are going to have to choose to 'ring the bell' and give up, or push through it. So, embrace the situation, make the best of it you can, and push through it!"

("Ring the bell" is another military expression. It means giving up.)

I have to remind myself everyday to Embrace The Suck and Not Ring The Bell. I even keep a reminder I designed on my desk as a mouse pad.

(The star field was captured by me.)

#EmbraceTheSuck is hard, but it is worth it. Feel free to use the artwork under CC-BY-SA

Stay Safe Everyone!

-John