My PC has been updated. I left it unattended for a month, and now I’m powering it up again. It’s got a new motherboard, a new display, and a new OS revision. It’s quiet, because it’s all-SSD now, and it’s actually a bit slower than the previous one.
The above paragraph is a mix of reality and fiction, BTW. Because I’m talking about two things at once – the Mac I work on, and… my brain. Both have changed :)
The past month has been extremely chaotic for me. I’ve been trying to figure out what I really want to do, and how to make it happen. The outcome surprised me: I absolutely want to keep doing what I’ve been doing these past few years, with JeeLabs. So the good news, if you been following along, is that I will. But there will be changes, because the intensity of it all is not sustainable for me, not at the previous energy level anyway. I will spread out stories over more weblog posts – thus also making it easier for you to keep up and follow along.
In this day and age of instant gratification, mass consumption, and immediate mail-order fulfillment, I’m going to go against the grain and buck the trend – by reducing short term the frequency of JeeLabs shop fulfillments, dealing with shop-related tasks less often. The shop will become even more of a secondary activity here, but fulfillment improvements are in the pipeline. The product range will grow further, but the pace and scale of commerce most likely not. It gives me pleasure to send out packages and to stay in contact with the people who are going to use these products. The shop isn’t about volume and turnover, but about allowing others to reproduce and extend some projects I’m coming up with and working on. Because making stuff is fun.
My passion, my energy, and my time will remain focused on the weblog, or rather on the projects that drive it all. Whether the frequency can stay as is, time will tell. I hope it can – with occasional breaks in the year – because the daily cycle is great fun, keeps me focused, and is clearly being appreciated.
As Seth Godin describes in his manifesto, the schooling system has taken our dreams away. I’ve been lucky to keep (or rather, rediscover) mine, and want to help as much as I can to make sure others will be able to latch onto their dreams as well, with curiosity and creativity as the driving forces – in the context of Physical Computing, that is.
The internet, at least the part I care about, is evolving into an extra-ordinary global learning powerhouse. It started with Wikipedia and led to the inspiring TED presentations, MIT’s Open Courseware, and the Khan Academy (an absolutely astounding initiative which is turning the way education works on its head). There is no excuse anymore for not knowing what you’d like to know, it’s all there.
And as I’m finding out, there is no excuse anymore for not sharing what you know, either.
Onwards!
Welcome back!
The mornings in my timezone can return to Java, Pancakes w/syrup & JeeLabs Weblog …
I sure do hope you will keep the shop open, I would not like it to be not there. If what you are saying is that delivery times are going to be longer, I can live with that. Please keep up the good work that you are doing.
Thanks for bringing this up.
Yes, my plan is absolutely to keep the shop going – i.e. making sure that products get produced and are really available in Europe, in the US via Modern Device, and elsewhere. Locations and fulfillment mechanisms might change one day, but it’s absolutely clear to me that having to chase individual parts and boards, hoping that everything works together, is not going to help anyone or solve anything. I don’t want to even think of letting anyone down, nor cut off my own path to coming up with more fun stuff, for that matter.
JeeLabs is not (and will not become) just a weblog – I see it as an incubator, where all sorts of kits and products get hatched, not just ideas!
Welcome back! you were missed :) please go on like before. For the last month, even though you did not post a single word, I found myself visiting the blog everysingle day to learn and remember some techniques related to RFM12, different kinds of memories, ethercard etc… Very best regards from Berlin
Sometimes you need to take a long break to discover that you have to adjust your destination to a few millimeters from where you’re heading right now ;-)
Welcome back!
Good to hear from you, glad to hear that your “sleep” time has been useful. Regarding your shop I was very surprised at how quickly you despatch stuff considering its mainly for a hobbyist market I expected to wait longer.
Keep up the good work. I look forward to reading your daily musings !
Welcome back. I enjoy every blog post with your in depths investigations and findings. If you decide to slow down a bit, fine with me! I’ve ever wondered, how you did all that and almost a daily post. Cheers!
Welcome back. We missed you a lot. Hope you had a most enjoyable break though.
Glad to see that you survived your Naikan month!
Welcome back. I wish I had the energy and enthusiasm you had for being able to come up with such interesting blog posts and I’m glad to have you back producing information again.
Also remember, your first ADC reading after returning from sleep will be a long conversion!
Glad you got back and have gotten new energy!