Caught In the Web

Simplification is only going to come when complexity ceases to distract us. This is a mid-year course correction for me: I need to get back to work making my project the best little utility ever. This means regulating my non-productive time and giving myself little goals to complete each day.



Photo by me’nthedogs

The Web is Huge

Club-hopping is counter-productive. Find a nice joint and hang out there. CreativeCopyChallenge.com (writing prompts) is my place. Note to self: TweetDeck is not a place, it’s a shortwave radio. Tune out the incessant chatter!



Photo by Muffet

The Web is Pretty

It’s hard to find a shockingly bad looking website these days. It’s not hard to find websites that are devoid of content. In the interest of saving time, get a feed reader and be done with it.



Photo by Peter Kaminski

The Web Can Be a Glass Cage

I have a blog, in which I post. But, I am not a blogger. I am a software developer who also loves to write. Are you a blogger? If that’s not what puts food on the table, examine your priorities.



Photo by 1Happysnapper

Web and Focus

Are you staying true to your resolutions? By neglecting my project, I was back-sliding on my year-end self-evaluation and commitment to focus. Neglect is a strong word, but I simply had days when I spent no more than an hour looking at code. Part of the problem is that I am retooling major bits and it is boring. Boredom is anathema to focus! (I completed a chunk today, so I’m celebrating by writing a post.)



Photo by Zyada

“Come Into My Lair”

As technology advances, we’ll get more offers to engage. Beware that you’re not agreeing to fragment yourself. You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing! I wrote elsewhere on this blog about bringing knives to a gunfight: I choose to avoid the whole confrontation.

30 thoughts on “Caught In the Web”

  1. Hey Mitch. I love these images. They really put me in a good mood. But then again you mentioning BloggerLuv made me smile too! It is hard to focus on “code” I swear I am never going to finish the HTML tutorials I’m in the midst of right now. HA! Thanks for taking some time off to create this eye soothing post!
    Ileane recently posted..Top 5 Reasons to Join BloggerLuvMy Profile

    • Good morning, Ileane!
      I’m glad you liked the pictures. Sometimes, the picture drives the post.
      (makes me think of z3olyte’s fractals.)

      If you need some help automating the HTML tutorial, maybe I can help you out ;)

      Cheers,

      Mitch

  2. Hi Mitch… first time commenting on your blog :)

    The Web Can Be A Glass Cage

    I feel the same away. I’m an artist and not a born writer, but I make posts on some wordpress stuff I learn from frequent tweaking. One thing I enjoy about blogging is leaving comments on stuff I read because I read alot of funny, entertaining and educational stuff since I started this blogging business. Plus the people are great :)

    I might cut back a bit on blogging to work on designing again. But I’ll never forget BloggerLuv. Its THE one and only community that turned me into a blogger :)
    Cindy recently posted..The Circle of Trust- an Ultra Fractal graphic novelMy Profile

    • Hi Cindy! Thanks for dropping in.
      You have perfectly echoed my sentiments about our first blogging communities.
      I’ve met some amazing people on both sites and I am happy to be able to keep
      in touch by reading their blogs.

      Cheers,

      Mitch

    • Hey Emory, I can’t wait to see where your thoughts take us!
      Did you check out Cindy’s blog? Her fractal artwork is inspirational!

      Cheers,

      Mitch

  4. On Stumbleupon and Delicious – it is actually quite a beautiful post. Your point about being a software developer who blogs is well-taken. I think those of us who want to see others reach the biggest audience they possibly can have to redouble our efforts so that way the content we like is appropriately rewarded.

    And yeah. I don’t have fond memories of TweetDeck, even though as software it was quite impressive.
    ashok recently posted..Posts on Weakerthans SongsMy Profile

    • Thanks, Ashok! I’ve been doing some thinking about how we can do more to promote those special posts. I must say that BloggerLuv has been instrumental in that regard.
      Simply dropping a link on behalf of new members, for example, creates a viral storm in Twitter. But the big thing is Comment Luv. If we all use it and, if the bloggers would comment, they will get massive exposure!

      Cheers,

      Mitch

  5. Great post Mitchell really got me thinking especially about the club hopping.

    I am fan as you know of BloggerLuv and have had other groups out there tempting me. Don’t know why BloggerLuv has all the great people I need.

    Great images makes me think about doing something similar!

    • Hi Jenny,

      Here’s the secret: it’s okay to go to different clubs, just not all at one time :)
      Naturally, if one place is “dead” and all the action is down the block, definitely hang out with the cool people :)

      I’ve been fortunate in that the unsavory places usually cost money so, even if I go in, I can’t stay long (WealthyAffiliateUniversity, for example).

      What are you planning? :)

      Cheers,

      Mitch

  6. Hey Mitchell,

    Love your tagline and blog name!
    Awesome my friend.
    These images are amazing and I love the intricate metpahors you wove (no pun intended) in between them.
    Great change from the norm.
    Alex recently posted..How do you SquidooMy Profile

    • Hi Alex,

      Thank you so much! I’m happy to see you here.
      This post was cathartic – I’d been a bit overwhelmed recently.
      Luckily, you and Brandon had just the right words at the right time.

      Cheers,

      Mitch

  9. What an excellent post, and I agree.

    It’s so easy to get sidetracked there are many things out there to entice you (although not necessarily bad) they can be trouble if they are hindering you from achieving the goals you’ve set out for yourself.

    I love the pictures too, I love spiders. :)
    Moondancer recently posted..Getting motivated What’s your inspirationMy Profile

    • Thank you, Moondancer! Judging by your blog, you do a fair amount of simplifying. It never ends – either new things creep into the decluttered void, or the things we think are simple can be winnowed further.

      I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about “Shiny Object Syndrome”, which you describe perfectly as “enticing”. But, like the frog swimming around in the warm pot, by the time we realize we’re in hot water, it’s too late :)

      Cheers,

      Mitch

  10. Hi Mitch,

    What beautiful images you used to illustrate your points. I’ve always been fascinated by spider webs. They are so intricate, but in my life I keep striving to simplify.

    It’s not as easy as it sounds! Letting go of the things that clutter up our lives on so many levels is not easy. It’s like trying to escape a very sticking web indeed! :)
    Blog Angel a.k.a. Joella recently posted..Encourage Guest Blog Posts By Providing A Guest Posting FormMy Profile

    • Hi Joella, I’m glad you enjoyed the spiderwebs! Letting things go is indeed a challenge – if we approach the task from a needy perspective. I remember collecting MAD magazines and being upset long after I’d tossed them out. I was clinging to a need to possess.

      As I got older, I recognized that books and magazines are more powerful than the material upon which they are printed. So now, I rarely pine for a stack of abandoned magazines – Chess Life being the major exception, LOL.

      Cheers,

      Mitch

    • Hi Rose!

      Thanks for visiting. Procrastination is a much better word than neglect. :)
      That’s what I was doing. Yep. Surfing, tweeting. All that bad stuff.

      One thing I’ve learned about myself, though, is that I will NOT do anything until I feel like it. Usually, a few days away from a project is all it takes to recharge the old batteries.

      Cheers,

      Mitch

    • Hi Donnie, I know it can be hard – especially if there are more “fun” projects waiting in the wings. I was in the middle of revamping the framework code for ParserMonster, when I was inspired by John and BloggerLuv to create Blogmogrifier. That was the fun project I couldn’t wait to get to, but that framework stuff … ugh!

      The only suggestion I have is to take frequent breaks and stop when you get tired.

      Cheers,

      Mitch

  13. You are spot on when you say boredom is anathema to focus.

    I dread to think how much time I actually spend procrastinating doing thing like…erm.. reading blogs when I should be working on something that’s simply lost my attention.
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