Uncategorized

Do You Know How You’re Wired?

16
7 months ago
by Brave New Life in

There are a thousands of articles and books about the types of employees they desire: they want people who will listen, who will do what they’re told, who won’t ask questions, and who are willing to work longer hours every year. (and schools were set up to teach kids to learn basic skills, to not think too creatively, and to do as they’re told because this is what corporations want.)

But there’s something else corporations also want. They want experts. Heck, even individual teams want experts. An engineering team that develops a computer wants an expert on memory technology, and an expert in CPU technology. Then they need some experts in writing BIOS, some mechanical experts, and experts for integrating the operating system. Like the More >

A Tribute

5
7 months ago
by Brave New Life in

While I know I’m the only person in the world that doesn’t own an Apple product, I’ve been a big Steve Jobs fan for years.  It started about 4 years ago when I listened to this commencement speech for the first time.  I still listen to it regularly to keep my head on straight.

If you’ve never watched this video, please do. It’s 15 minutes you won’t regret.

A quote that changes me, and probably subconsciously helped me decide that I need to leave engineering:

I’ve looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘no’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change

More >

BNL On Hold

11
8 months ago
by Brave New Life in

Brave New Life will be on hold for a few weeks.

I’ve recently begun writing a few Android apps and found surprising success, already making over $10/day after only a few hours of work.  I’m going to take this recipe and make several more games to see if it scales. This will be my priority over the next few weeks, which is why BNL will be on hold.

I’ll provide an update when time allows, and will plan on using twitter for brief updates on my app building status/success.

Free Entertainment For Familes

7
8 months ago
by Brave New Life in

 

People have recently been asking how I keep my monthly entertainment expenses so low especially with 2 small kids (last month was only $12). The truth is, keeping expenses low is not hard if you have a strategy. In my case, I have a lot of fun and so do my kids – all without spending money.In fact, I think we have more fun that most families. Here are a few things we like to do:

Spend Time At Parks

We go to parks and playgrounds almost everyday. They are free, fun, and we have 2 within a short bike ride. Normally we ride our bikes (which is fun for them), and sometimes we have a picnic while we’re there. We’ll play on the playground, and dig in the sand pits. When the kids are tired of the playgrounds, we head to a rock bed creek where More >

Investing In Stocks When Fear Is High

13
9 months ago
by Brave New Life in

I don’t believe in timing the market. There is plenty of data to prove that people who try to time the market almost never beat the average. It’s a fools game of speculation, and worse, it’s speculation of the mob mentality. I can do all the fundamental valuation of a stock, but I can’t tell you what Mr. Market will do tomorrow.

The chaos happening in the market the past 6 business days is fascinating to watch. The FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) is running rampant, and as a calm investor I’m sitting back ready to pounce. You see, although I don’t try to time the market in general, it’s common knowledge that the best time to buy is when fear is running high and everyone else is selling. That time is now.

VIX - Market Volatility (Fear) More >

Don’t Worry About Investing, Just Start Saving

14
9 months ago
by Brave New Life in

Investing in the stock market can be intimidating, especially for a beginner with very little savings. Even the pro’s can’t agree on where we should put our money. Index funds? Individual stocks? Bonds? ETF’s? The list goes on and on. Basically, it scares people away.

That, in itself, is not a bad thing, because some people have no business actively investing because they lack the knowledge to get a positive return. Some people should put their money in a simple mix of low-cost index funds and AAA bonds. The payout isn’t great, but it’s not negative.

On the other hand, here’s where that intimidation becomes a bad thing: When it keeps people from saving money at all. I spent years trying to convince my friends and family to start saving, More >

I’ve Joined The Yakezie Challenge

8
10 months ago
by Brave New Life in

I’ve just joined the Yakezie Challenge.  Yakezie is a Blog Network for Personal Finance blogs and Lifestyle blogs. Although my site is not a typical personal finance blog (I’m not trying to make money from it), I do like the idea of networking with like-minded people and having conversations rather  than me just spouting off my own thoughts to an empty room.  :)

If you’re hear from Yakezie, welcome to my humble abode.  Please come back soon!

Bikes Are Faster Than Cars

2
10 months ago
by Brave New Life in

When you own a car, you spend time in it driving and sitting in traffic.  You spend time parking it, washing it, cleaning it, and gassing it up.  You spend time at work earning money to pay for the car, the insurance, the gas, the repairs, taxes and registration.

In the end, the average American spends 4.4 hours per day either using the car, maintaining the car, or earning money to pay for the car – not to mention the time looking for the best car insurance comparison.  That same average American drives 7500 miles per year.  That American probably believes that his car goes 75 MPH, but the math says that he averages 7500/(4.4*365) = 4.7 MPH (hour being hour invested for the convenience of easy mobility)

I don’t know about you, but I can More >

The Pareto Strategy To Maximize Leisure Time

4
10 months ago
by Brave New Life in

I generally work only about 20 hours per week.  I spend about 35 in the office, but only about 20 doing the actual work that I’m paid for.  And yet, I’m highly successful at outperforming my peers.  My bandwidth is significantly higher, and every boss I’ve had over the past 11 years of my engineering career has consistently complimented my “bandwidth.”

The reason I’m saying this is not to brag about my abilities, work ethic, or intelligence.  I don’t consider any of those 3 things as superior to my peers.  In fact, I often feel the opposite.  The reason I brought this up is to share my secret.

It’s simply the Pareto Principle.  80% of events come from 20% of the causes.  In the corporate working world, it’s simply a matter of prioritizing More >

It Is Done

0
1 year ago
by Brave New Life in

Last night I officially accepted a new job in Colorado, thus ending my 11 year run in my current job.  I leave amicably, but also exhausted and with no regrets.

I am on paid vacation for the next week and a half.  When I return, I will give my 2-weeks notice.  I’ve thought often about why I’m choosing to switch, and which of these reasons I’ll share with my team as I exit.  I have no intentions of lying, although I also have no intentions of being 100% transparent.

What I’ll share:

  1. It’s time for a change.  I’ve been in the same company, same building, and part of the same culture for 11 years.  This has been my only job since graduating college, and while I’ve learned a lot – I have no idea what I have not learned.
  2. I have no further More >
Go to Top