What’s in a name?
Never one for too much self-expression or status updates, finally a plunge into blogging. After several years at I-Cube, Razorfish in its many forms, AKQA Part 1, running my own company Core • Continuum, and now back to AKQA, perhaps some expression of ideas and perspectives is good. Sometimes, I look back and struggle to find out what is the core competence that threads all these experiences. Even if I had something to say, what would it be about? Software engineering, Ruby on Rails, ATG, e-Commerce, small business, technology practices in a marketing agency, COBOL to C transformation, technical leadership, coaching baseball, cooking, geography? What is this blog about, besides random ramblings, of which there are many?
One's hobbies and dabblings do not qualify them as an expert. Experience does not equate to expertise. A struggle to find relevance and core competence amidst a rather tumultuous first half of this year, I think has prompted a realization. What I've ended up doing best in most cases is to add clarity to any situation, but in a manner that is geared towards answering the following question: "Ask what must be done, not what I can do? Ask what is required, as opposed to what's in it for me?" A little preachy perhaps, but truthfully representing a core value. (Thank you Ashish Mamania, for your kind words when we met recently after many many years.)
I chose the name Backslashzero to represent a common problem that anyone who's programmed in C is very familiar with. I got my start writing C programs, relatively large and messy ones for telecommunications, naval logistics and inventory control, utility billing. Arguably anyone who's worked in C for a while has dealt with memory leaks, whether they're due to the missing free() for a corresponding malloc(), or some other more obscure problem. Enter '\0' - representing a deterministic end to a string. Given the preference to use memcmp() or memcpy() for performance as opposed to their string-specific brethren, the backslashzero was often an indicator of finality and boundary like none other. Things end at '\0'.
Most recently, I had the opportunity to work on a very large business development approach for an automotive brand, whose brand philosophy is all about being progressive. This I can relate to. Not politically progressive, though there might be something in that too, but about never settling for the status quo. Never settling for what seems like the end of things, and always try to learn and innovate. This I can relate to. A career in software engineering, technology and engineering, system development, team leadership and mentoring and most recently a life of volunteering time in baseball, community development, school technology improvements, geography bee classes - feels good, and also makes me realize that in life and growth, there is no backslashzero. Progress is constant, learning should be never-ending, taking the time to teach, experience, and renew one's ability to stay grounded and humble doesn't end when you have a house in Los Altos, CA.
Here's to continuous learning, constant improvement and never settling for the mediocre.