SponderPoints

Simon Ponder: Personal Development, Productivity and ADHD

Thoughts

Freecode Camp has upgraded its platform

by

For the past few months, I have been using the Freecode Camp platform to sharpen my skills with HTML and CSS, and improve a bit of javascript.

While I am frustrated that I did not get to earn the front end certificate, and it looks like you can, but they have added additional certificates to the course with a ton of new projects. It is really interesting to see the breakdown of all the new features.

Interestingly, there are some projects that carried over from the old Freecode Camp, but I will have to redo/rework them because it looks like they do not pass the testing tool. They added this new testing tool which places a javascript overlay over your project on codepen.io.

Free Code Camp Overlay

This is incredibly nice as it allows you to run a test and make certain you are hitting all of the required user stories for a particular project and if you aren’t then what you need to correct that.

This is something that was desperately needed for completing some of the old projects was a little frustrating on whether or not you had completed the project.

To add this new overlay, all you have to do is attach the javascript file as an external resource in codepen.io. It loads up and puts it right on top of your project.

I am excited to really deep dive into the new Free Code Camp, as it would appear they have added a ton of new tutorials and content to the site covering a larger swath of topics, and some topics slightly more in-depth.

My Everyday Carry Essentials

by

Everyday Carry is something that has become increasingly more important in my life. I tend to work out of coffee shops and in common areas of co-working spaces, so for me finding the essential tools to have peak productivity are important.

I started following sites like Everydaycarry.com to hone in on what was critical and what wasn’t. There is a lot of amazing stuff on there, and it can make you a little crazy. What is essential to life and getting shit done. I have distilled it down to the barebones for me, and I think others.

My Recommended Everyday Carry

Notebook Army:

For years this was the cornerstone of my Every day carry. On Twitter, some photographer friends would call it the notebook army, and we would compare what notebook we were using. For years I have cycled through various notebooks, but by chance, I was visiting with a photographer friend of mine back in September and he turned me on to a notebook system he uses.

After some searching, I found the perfect companion on Amazon. This wallet and
Personalized Leather Refillable Composition Notebook Cover comes custom made from China. It fits most of my items. My major complaint about it is that it does not really hold money/insurance card really all that well. It is the perfect size to hold Moleskine or Field Notes brand notebooks. I will specify that Moleskine notebooks have a tendency to have the covers torn off them from the friction on the leather.

It is the perfect size for quick notes, shopping lists, aperture settings on cameras, etc.

I also have a P01 Pioneer Wallet. It is neat, but you have to use their notebooks with their system because the wallet is much smaller than a standard field notes size.

I am not ready to give up my field notes, but I may switch to the P01 Wallet if only to experience something different and see if it is a better fit for me.

Journal:

I have used a variety of Journals over the years to keep track of appointments and tasks. Currently I am using the Mont Notebook, which is absolutely gorgeous.

Everyday Carry Mont Notebook

I found this notebook on Kickstarter, and I have started to use it for Bullet Journaling. Which has been a huge asset for someone like me with ADHD.

Headphones:

I have for years used the generic earbuds that come with my iPhone, or cheap ones I get as promotional items from various businesses.

They work great.

They are super convenient and fold up into your bad nicely and can block out the sound of the coffee shop or coworking space you may be working in.

I recently picked up some Lucid Sound LS-20‘s. Which are the absolute best thing I have ever placed over my ears! The noise canceling is great, putting my music at a much lower volume.

No more long-term damaging to my ears.

Blink

2018 – Some goals for the New Year

by

I have been thinking about writing a goals post for a few weeks now, but I have yet to put pen to paper until now. It is time to start thinking about 2018. Everything 2018:

Big Goal: Serious Side Hustle and Save Some Change

I have worked on various contract gigs in the past but never actively pursued them, just worked on opportunities as they came across my lap. This year I am going to pursue opportunities and grow a small side hustle. I have thought about what I would like to do, and I think my best course of action is to do some small website content writing and submit at least 5 proposals a week on different freelancing site. My goal for the year is to make $3,000 from web content writing during my side hustle. When you break it down, it is $60 a week. Not an impossible amount of money. Some of the sites I have on my initial prospect list are at least $50 for a published blog post list.

I will also keep doing my random tasks to help me acquire this money. For example, this weekend I am dog sitting for some friends. The goal is to grow the content writing revenue so that I can drop the random side hustles and focuses on one as a mini business for myself.

I also want to save money. I have significantly reduced my spending in 2017, but I think there are other wasteful things. One of the things I am bad at is spending money on food. I eat out sometimes twice a day. But I do not really enjoy the food, it’s just something I do. For a while there in 2016, I was in a pretty good practice of bringing my lunch just to eat a little healthier, and I think I want to go back to that. Healthy and cheap. It can be done.

I quit smoking, so that is easily saving me $200 a month, If I quit eating out that can be an easy savings of $500-$600 a month.

Big Goal: Get Outside

In 2017, I feel like I did not spend enough time outside. I had one awesome kayaking trip, one awesome beach trip, and several awesome float-the-river trips. But all these trips made me think: I should be outside more often.

I am starting 2018 off right with a camping trip. But I am going to add some more hiking trips in 2018. Even if they are only simple nature trails within the city limits. I am going to go hiking, and kayaking and to the beach more in 2018.

Big Goal: Photo Book
I have been working on this photo book for a number of years now. I have hundreds of photos from the Texas Hill Country taken through various pinhole cameras. I have a few rolls of film that I need to develop, but I can go to launch a blurb book of these photos in 2018. I want these last few rolls developed and then organized.

I want the rolls developed by mid-February and then a book rough draft by May.

Small Goal: Zines
Zines! This was another thing I did in 2017 after putting it off for a few years. I was happy with how it turned out, but I have plans for a few more. I am going to make them and then place them for sale on ETSY. I want to get my first Zine done by March, with two more to be done by September and then November.

I may also install a shopping cart on this site and offer it for sale also.

Small Goal: Read books

My goal for 2018 is to read 30 books this year. I have an extensive Kindle library and access to the library because I finally signed up for a Library card. Hundreds of books at my fingertips. So many books to read.

Small Goal: Blog More

I feel like this is an annual goal. I wrote 10 posts in 2017, but I think I have found my groove on what I want to write about. Projects I have finished, projects I am working on. Fun things happening.

And when I blog, I have to share out that I did.

I have also been interviewed by a fair number of sources in 2017. I want to pursue this a bit more in 2018 and see where it goes.

Small Goal: Make Games

I made my first game in 2017. I want to make more. I am going to make at least one game in bitsy. They usually have a game jam at the end of each month and I would like to participate in more of those jams.

I would also like to make a few more Twine games, I have a few ideas for how they will work, but I am struggling with how the story would flow.

Small Goal: Learn

I love Udemy. I love FreeCodeCamp. I love YouTube. I enjoy learning. I want to dedicate more time to learning new skills. At least 15 min a day to learning how to do new things, or learning about new things.

Weird Goal: Build a robot

There is almost no justification for this. I want a robot. I have always wanted a robot. I have the tools and the skills to make a robot.

This is gonna happen.

Not sure if the cat will approve.

Recap of 2017 – Lots of Changes

by

This past year there was a pretty big change in my life. I have always been a dog person. I have loved dogs from when I was a small child. Cats, well they exist but I did not really understand why they existed.

My boss and his wife took in a litter of stray kittens who needed to be bottle fed. Every few hours these little mewling balls of fur and claws would wake up and need to bed fed and pooped.

It made for an interesting work day to be sure. About the time they were ready for adoption, I kept looking at this little weirdo who would always nap the days away on my backpack at work. I declared him to be unadoptable and he has joined me in my life.

I still do not know anything about cats. But I know that I like him, he likes the food I feed him and the warmth I provide while he is napping. This is all good.

Recap of 2017

This past year was a bit strange for me. As a change of pace, I refused to set a goal for 2017 and instead decided I would take up projects as they came along and try and enjoy the moment a bit more. As I recall, I decided to make 2017 the year of Make.

I worked on learning iPhone App development for several weeks and made a few small apps. Nothing incredibly useful. But everything functions the way it was supposed to.

I didn’t work as much with the Arduino kit this past year as I would have liked, but it is there and filled with more projects for me to learn.

Was it a good year?

I think it was.

I traveled to the following places in 2017:

Dallas – New Years
Pensacola, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Random New Jersey road trip to the Poconos
Dallas, Texas – Frightmare
Houston, Texas – Comicpalooza
Padre Island National Sea Shore
Dallas – Dallas Comic Show
Dallas Texas – PolaCon 2017 (A Polaroid Enthusiasts Convention)

And started volunteering more by joining the Board of Directors for Mystery Dog Rescue. This past year I have helped them raise over $5,000 from various events and social media efforts. It has been an amazing experience and I am excited to see what 2018 holds.

That is my 2017 in a nutshell.

I am ready for 2018, I have plans for the year that I think will be amazing.

Break the Internet for Net Neutrality

by


Net Neutrality is worth fighting for.

It is absurd that we have to keep fighting for this. Constantly fighting for this, but today several websites have gone offline in order to “break the internet” to fight for Net Neutrality.

What is Net Neutrality?

Net Neutrality is the belief that all traffic on the internet should be treated equally regardless of source or destination.

This means that if Comcast wants to have more subscribers to their Netflix competitor, they need to build a superior product to Netflix and not throttle the connection to Netflix and force their customers to use their service instead.

One of the big failings in the US is that over 50% of the country only has access to only one service provider when it comes to home internet. I, for example, live in a major city, yet only have access to Time Warner, the other 3 providers in the city currently have no offerings in my neighborhood. Without net neutrality, companies can throttle connections to sites they do not like unless they pay big bucks to be in the fast lane.

This stifles innovation and growth. This prevents some small bookstore owner from creating an Amazon killer. This would lay waste to the SEO industry.

Anyway, instead of rehashing why all this matters like a million other websites have, just read this neat primer, and then call your congressmen and fight for Net Neutrality.

Little Wookiee

by

I don’t really talk about work all that often, but at the tail end of 2016, I was able to be a part of something amazing. Kathlyn, a friend of ours at the office needed a lung transplant desperately.

My boss orchestrated that we build a web site at lifedayforkathlyn.com .

This awareness campaign culminated in getting Kathlyn moved to UCLA from San Antonio, and a successful lung transplant.

This is a project I can be really proud of, and you can watch some videos from the awareness campaign here:

This past Friday, we had storm troopers and Wookiee’s in the office to celebrate and appear on the news with us while Kathlyn Skype’d in.

Watch the news segment with Kens 5.

I really cant begin to describe how proud I am to have worked on this project. A young girl gets to live.