Will Bridges

I’ve always been extremely worried about our country straying away from the foundation of freedom it was built on. I suspected something was going on that just wasn’t right. This something seemed to be eroding our freedoms and slowly eating away at what it means to be a Citizen of the United States. I suspected, but was not aware of actually how deep this goes. It’s a story that starts around 1913 and ends in the devaluation of our money, the removal of personal property, the abolishment of our constitution, and the beginning to a world government. Sounds like a conspiracy theory? Yes, but the facts add up. I’ve read about this around 2001 before 9-11 and read more about it afterwards but I wasn’t sure about what exactly to do. It still wasn’t enough information. I was outraged that I had been lied to about everything from taxes to our constitution. I was embarrassed at the complacency and apathy of my fellow Americans.

Now, it takes quite a bit to make me afraid. I refuse to live in fear. When I do get fearful I tend to look for a solution than to bow down to what I fear. Some how I came across this video America: Freedom to Fascism which is a movie created by Aaron Russo that he released to the public through google video and is also available on DVD. What I learned from this video about the history of our country, the IRS, the Federal Reserve, and the big plans of those in power disgusts me so much I have no words to explain how angry I am. I realize there is nowhere in the world I can go to escape what those in power want to do but there are things I can do to help. I want to help secure freedom from tyranny for my children and the future generations of children. This is a hard fight though and I’m not sure how we will win but I believe we can win. I hope you all watch this video and do what you can to help reverse the process which is happening right now. I’m going to be researching what I can do and how I can apply my skills. But, trust I will be doing something.

Comments(0)

I finally got my business website re-designed. Here’s a link to it BluePaw Software. It actually turned out real great. My friend over at Olio Creative traded me some design work for some programming and redesigned the site for me. He did an incredible job on both my website and my business cards.

You’re probably asking why ‘BluePaw’ software. The story really isn’t that interesting. It comes from very early in my career when I created some relational database software from scratch called ‘Blue Tiger Database’. I came up with the name from that because it’s a way for me to remember to never waste time re-inventing the wheel and pound those agile concepts that drive my company now. A paw makes a great logo as well. I was thinking about a lot of things when I decided on BluePaw Software. Anyways, check out the website.

Comments(0)

Apocalypto was a really good movie, if you can stand the blood and dig through it to get the message. He talks about the Mayan culture and pretty much describes how it was already conquered from within before the Spanish came and destroyed them. The movie plays out ritual Mayan sacrifice and shows a general lack of value for human life on the Mayan’s part. It seems to me he was almost saying the Mayan culture deserved the destruction that the Spanish conquistadors brought with them. I’m not sure I agree with that but the Mayan culture, as depicted in the film, was a picture of how evil human beings can be to one another. Of course the Dark Ages in Europe weren’t much better. So, while this is a story that definately needs to be told, I don’t think the Mayan culture should be seen as savage beasts. This was a point in their society that was a very dark and savage time. However it needs to be remembered that European cultures, Asian cultures, and many other cultures had one as well.

Thought I would modify this entry a bit. I did see the parallels to our own society in this film in regard to the environment and fear mongering and that’s the message they were trying to potray. The main message was ‘When a culture becomes wasteful, dangerous to it’s people, and laden with fear, they are sewing their own destruction’.

Comments(0)

I’ve noticed I’m really good at focusing on a couple things at once but when I got about 14 clients and potential clients you I am negotiating with or doing work for I started to realize that I could not keep all of the daily details of these complicated relationships in my head. So, I started a daily digital journal of my current status and going ons with each client. I copy the same client list at the end of every day and write a small blurb of where I am at with each client or potential client and what I need to do. I review them like accounts and analyze my relationship for at least a few moments every day to think how I can better help their business, if I need to contact them, and/or what work needs to be done for them. This maximizes my business’s main potential by maintaining my base as I grow.

Also any time I lose a bid I make sure to keep their information so I can study them at a later date and posibly contact them later to see if they need any further work. Sometimes when businesses win a bid it doesn’t mean they will finish the work to the customer’s satisfaction. I think a lot of problems in this business is people turn over so many projects they don’t really think about the business of their client and how they can maximize it’s potential over time. The Internet is a powerful tool and each client who uses the Internet can always use it better and further maximize their profit and customer service.

Comments(0)

Yesterday I was working off of 3 hours of sleep after spending about 23 hours awake the day before helping a client in London get a website up and functioning. My friend Chris helped and then went to work at his full time job. Wow, how can you stay awake 48 hours! I definitely couldn’t work and be worth anything during most of that time. But, I guess everybody is different. I’m not very efficient if I only get 5 hours of sleep. Some people live off of 5 hours of sleep. I’ve read people who get a proper amount of sleep don’t age as quickly and tend to live longer. Personally, most times, I would rather get 7-8 hours of sleep and be late on a project but I’m pretty customer service oriented when it comes to work so I argue with myself to make sure things get done all the time. What’s really bad is I had a face-to-face business meeting on 3 hours of sleep yesterday. But, I preformed real well and I’m pretty sure I got the contract from that meeting. A good business meeting will give you a boost of adreniline when you have a family to feed, Christmas is coming up, and you are trying to save to move to Uruguay.

Anyways, I think the lesson is we all need more sleep. Nobody is as good as they would be if they got the proper amount of sleep. You are doing yourself a disservice and those who count on you a disservice by not getting the proper amount. However, in rare situations, sometimes you have to suck it up and do it. Just make sure you schedule the proper rest afterwards to make up for the tax you just imposed on your body and mind.

Comments(0)

A few days I had a post “Fair Wage for Fair Work”. It was kind of a shallow rant. Someone commented on it and I really thought about it for a minute. I’m very strongly in favor of capitalism and the free market. The Indians & Chinese are able to offer $12/hour to do the work I can do and more of them will be able to do so as time goes on which will create global competition and drive the market prices down. The current generation of Indian & Chinese software developers will be senior developers in a few years. This is a very bad thing for my current profession as I am a web developer but not a bad thing overall as I am a business man first and foremost. As market prices drop I am able to hire some of these cheap and experienced developers and have them work for me. I wouldn’t be doing programming as much but I would adapt and survive. Or I could learn a new technology that is in favor and expensive. Thus, I’m not really a programmer but a Free Market Technologist. It’s the people who don’t adapt and survive that the free market destroys. Much like evolution it sheds the undesirable traits in the economy and keeps it moving. It seems those who are wealthy in the free market ride it like a wave following it’s ins, outs, and saving cash along the way.

For each profession the free market has an outrageous rate and window of opportunity when the profession is created. Good labor in that profession is hard to find. Then, everyone start to learn it and the supply meets the demand. Once the supply meets the demand the rates for that profession start to fall as others find a way to offer the work at a lower price and start undercutting people to find available work. The profession eventually bottoms out with wages. People find other work or adapt their skills. The supply falls and the demand raises the prices. This will be the picture of the global economy.

Everybody needs to stop worrying about the Indians, Chinese, and others driving the rates down. The fact is it will happen. It’s a matter of time. So, make your money, save your money, adapt, diversify, then move up and over these hurdles.

Comments(0)

Many people have said ‘Why are you moving to a developing nation in South America?’ For those of you that didn’t read the post I’m moving to Uruguay in early 2008. I’m in the process of learning Spanish and saving some capital from my flourishing business.

Let’s get back to why I’m leaving the states and why I want citizenship in a developing nation such as Uruguay. It’s not the top reason but I’ve deeply lost most of my faith in America. We are destroying the middle class with debt, drugging up millions of our children on addictive pharmaceuticals, and taking away people’s freedom in favor of security. These are not the ideals I value and not the ideals I want to give to my son. I will not give my son a legacy of debt, drug addition, stubborn blind faith, and fear.

People will say ‘Will, you’re leaving. You’ve given up on America.’ I haven’t given up on America. America gave up on me, it gave up on freedom, and it gave up on the trust and care of it’s people. America is each and every one of us. So, the truth is we may have given up on ourselves. I still feel this country can pull out of it. But, it will do that without me soon. I will be back and I will exert my influence to help change in the country that is my home. But, I will make myself, my children, and my partner citizens of the world. We will diversify, adapt, and give our children the ability to do so. I want to raise a new generation of American. One who can see our country from a world view, think large, and feel close to everyone.

I’m moving to a developing nation because I feel we can grow better there. The same reason people left to come to America. I’m leaving to advance myself, my family, and to be free of the policies of this nation that no longer reflect my personal policies. There is room for change in the US and I think we may be on the verge of positive change. But, there is a lot of change to go and a lot of greedy hands in the way of that change.

Overall, I believe in us and our ability to change and grow. But, I need to grow, change, and diversify. So, I’m sorry home and I love you but we have to part ways for now.

Comments(0)

My son Juhlyun (pronounced Jullian) is 12 Weeks old. So, people have been asking for more pictures so I thought I would throw up a few pictures below that were taken over the past couple months. He puts his hands in his mouth a lot now and he laughs and smiles a lot too.

Comments(0)

I find it very appealing that now I have clients in other markets beside the US market. Diversification is survival. As soon as I learn Spanish I can start taking on Spanish speaking clients. It is however, very difficult to speak on the phone when you have clients in a far off land. This is a potential drawback for some potential clients who want to work with people not in thier own country. Such as right now. I’m actually waiting till 6pm so I can call someone in Austrailia at 11am their time. But, international money is just as good as any money and helps create a global client network. This is something that every programmer should have these days. You’re only as good as your network. The larger and more diverse that network the more able you will be to thrive.

Comments(0)

Happy December! I wanted to discuss an issue that really disturbs me. I was just talking to a client about how the situation of health care is ridiculous. To me it seems the primary concern of the government should be the health of it’s citizens and enabling those citizens to be able to take care of themselves. I think we have never had that in this country. Health care professionals seem to cure symptoms any more, they don’t cure diseases because there is no money in a cure. Doctors want to help you live with an ailment more than they want to cure it so you can live long enough to put more money in the coffers. I’m not so sure it’s the intension of the doctors as it is the intention of Big Medicine (pharmaceutical companies, health care conglomerates, medical equipment manufacturers, etc…). It may not be the intention of the average doctor however I believe they should take responsibility and stand up against the corporations.

I have been told by reputable sources that pharmaceutical companies try and court doctors with trips and gifts to get those doctors to offer their medication to people. It’s lobbying for doctors and it’s not about actually treating the illness of the person but about money. Pharmaceutical companies are legal crack dealers any more and in our country as long as they pay off the local police (The Food & Drug Administration) then they can serve thier wares to an unsuspecting public. If a small company comes up with a cure to a disease they are discredited, bought out, and/or unable to come up with the money for FDA approval. So, people don’t take their solution seriously or don’t know about it at all and tons more people have to live with the medications that treat the symptoms and the medications that treat the side effects of the medications that treat the original illness. Did you follow that? What a great and free country we live in.

Comments(0)