My Last Week

Yahoo This is a sad week. It’s my last week as an employee of Yahoo! (YHOO).

The last week of a job is always sad. They’re always full of goodbye lunches and farewell drinks. Especially if you’ve been at the company a long time.

There was a time when I used to look forward to my last week at a job. Before Yahoo!, I would generally leave my job after about a year. That was my limit. One year. After that, I’d grow bored and crave a bigger challenge.

Yahoo!, however, was able to keep me challenged for nearly six years. That’s quite a feat, let me tell you. That’s not for a lack of competing job offers either. I was able to take on vastly different roles and responsibilities each year, partly because the company offered lots of opportunities, and partly because the company supported my initiative to take advantage of those opportunities.

But now it’s time for me to move on. I’m off to do my own thing, to be an entrepreneur.

No, it’s not Yahoo!; even if I worked somewhere else, this would still be my last week. No company could keep me right now.

You know what it is? It’s the desire to start something from the ground up. To build something great, yet viable—or starve. To not have that cushion of a steady paycheck and take very real risks. To follow your dreams, your passions, and your own path.

So I’m going into this last week with mixed feelings. There’s the excitement, of course (“Oh man, I’m finally doing it!”). There’s also nervousness (“What if I fail? What if I lose it all?”). And there’s loads of sadness (“I’m really, really going to miss my friends here”). Sniff.

Goodbye, Yahoo!.

Books for Great Programmers

Code Complete Want to be a great programmer?

Here are a list of books that are must-reads for any great programmer, whether you work on the web, on mobile devices, for desktop software, or for NASA. They are language-independent and focus on the craft of programming, as drawn from real-world experience.

When I was a software engineering manager, I’d either have my team read these books, or cover chapters of them collaboratively during team meetings. The engineers who really read and applied these books were always noticeably better programmers.

Yea, it’s a short list. I don’t want my programmers to spend all of their time reading, right? Heh.

What other books do you think are must-reads for great programmers?

Spies Like… Your Coworkers

“Oh. Uh, will you hold my wallet for me while I take the test, please? There’s a thousand dollars in there… or maybe there isn’t. Know what I mean?”
– E. Fitz-Hume

Spies Like Us I don’t know about you, but if I had the skills, the talent, and the looks to be a suave international spy like James Bond, I’d totally do it. But as it turns out, I’m more suited for the business world.

Perhaps Jami Miscik is too. She’s the former Deputy Director of Intelligence for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), most known for failing to provide adequate warning about 9/11 and delivering the news of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in Iraq to the Bush Administration.

She’s now working at Lehman Brothers (LEH) as the Global Head of Sovereign Risk. Or, an “uber-analyst and seer”, according to CNNMoney.com. Is that smart?

Last fall, when North Korea’s nuclear test rattled global markets, the folks at Lehman were calmer than most; Miscik had forewarned them and explained how it could play out peacefully. Last December, when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s brash reelection rhetoric was publicly dismissed as idle boasting, Miscik told the Monday-morning gathering, “He really means this.” She predicted an acceleration of his program to nationalize industries: “He’ll be doing things bigger, bolder, and faster than even his closest allies in government expect.” She was right.

In the eyes of her Lehman colleagues, she’s largely redeemed herself. “Her information is infinitely better than the information you can get anywhere else that I know of,” says Lehman president Joe Gregory. Adds Kathy Cassidy, treasurer of General Electric (GE): “She doesn’t bring notes and she doesn’t have charts! Everyone else who comes to see us has charts. But she doesn’t seem to need them.”

(BTW, I love that charts quote. “Everyone else who comes to see us has charts.” Ha! That’s such a corporate-world line.)

The contrast of the political and business worlds here is interesting. I don’t know exactly how responsible Miscik is, personally, for the 9/11 and WMD blunders. Maybe there were political influences involved. Maybe the wrong conclusions were drawn by the Bush Administration. Maybe… I dunno, pick your favorite conspiracy theory.

What is interesting is how the business world has embraced her expertise. Corporations are generally more efficient than political organizations. They are also able to take greater risks. Perhaps this means they are able to absorb, asses, and act on geopolitical intelligence better than governments as well.

“In government, geopolitical risk is a bad thing,” [Miscik] explains. “Here at Lehman, people are risk takers. They want to understand the situation and the smart risk to take, because smart risk is opportunity.”

What’s this mean for businesses? Maybe we should hire more spies. Or adopt some of the CIA’s practices (like in the book CIA, Inc.). That’ll probably be the closest I’ll ever get to being James Bond.

Tricks of the Trade

Tricks of the Trade I don’t remember how I first came across the site Tricks of the Trade. But I’ve kept it bookmarked and occasionally return to it because I think it’s pretty cool. (Unfortunately it’s not updated too often.)

The site is basically a list of tips & tricks for all kinds of random things, like how to make mayonnaise or get a ride home from a pizza delivery guy after a night of heavy drinking and no means of transportation. Or, as the site’s tagline says, “Professional secrets from those in the know.”

The author is Matthew Baldwin, of defective yeti fame. I don’t know him or anything, but I’ve heard of his site (again, I don’t remember how) (I probably should get my memory checked, eh?).

If you’re familiar with Haley’s Hints or Haley’s Cleaning Hints, this site is just like that. If you’re not familiar with Haley’s Hints, they’re a collection of household hints, like how to remove stains or construct a satellite radio/microwave using toothpicks and vinegar. Or something like that.

Tricks of the Trade goes beyond household hints though. Here are a few business-related ones:

For Managers: If you manage a large number of people who are always offering suggestions, insist that feedback be submitted in writing. Blame your faulty memory, if you want to be diplomatic. The bad ideas will be discarded before you hear them, as the employee won’t want to go through the effort of writing them out; the good ones will be more complete and better articulated, as the submitted will have to think his idea all the way through before sending it in.

For Bartenders: When serving alcohol, card every woman who looks like she’s in her 30’s or 40’s. They will to tip better. (Mike’s note: BTW, I was a bartender once, and this is certainly true!)

For Meeting People: If you are unable to remember someone’s first name, simply ask them: “What’s your name?” When they reply with their first name, laugh and say “Oh no, I knew that, of course. I meant your last name”. This is a much more acceptable thing to forget–and you still get their full name.

For Partiers: If you need a ride home after a wild night out, walk into a pizza parlor that delivers and order a pie to be sent to your house. Then ask if you can get a lift to your house — hey, they’re going there anyway! (Mike’s note: This isn’t really a business-related tip, but it’s a good idea!)

For Office Workers: If you are sending an email with an attachment, add the attachment first, then compose the message, and then add email addresses tothe send line. Now there’s no chance you’ll have to send the ever-popular “whoops, forgot to attach the file” follow-up. In fact, it’s a good practice to always put the email addresses of the recipients in last, to ensure that an errant carriage return or mouseclick won’t fire off the message half-baked.

For Salespeople: If you’re calling a business to speak to someone specific and you get a receptionist, it’s often helpful to say “I’m returning a call for such-and-such,” instead of just “I’m calling for…”. It will typically get you transferred in with less fuss.

For Business Travelers: Always ask for a business discount. You may not have a business, but you work for one–and even if you don’t, how would I know? The worst that will happen is someone will say no. Most motel and hotels have corporate discounts. Nobody tries very hard to find out how legitimate people’s business claims are, and most of us secretly don’t care. In fact, when buying any product or service, try asking for a discount. You’ve got nothing to lose, and you’ll be surprised by how often it works.

Matthew was solicited to write a book with these tips a couple of times. Unfortunately, none of them panned out. But he hasn’t given up on the idea. So if you have a tip or trick, submit it and maybe you’ll get into his book! Or just check out his site for some amusing tips & tricks.

iPhones Sold Out – Not

Apple iPhone I know a few people who waited on line for the new iPhone. I’m sure you do too. The buzz & excitement has been huge. For the last few weeks, you couldn’t read a tech blog anywhere without reading about the new iPhone.

I even remember hearing that a scuffle broke out at the Palo Alto Apple (AAPL) Store. It’s like the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii all over again.

Except that this time, the iPhones… haven’t sold out?

Ars Technica just reported that there are still plenty of iPhones left.

24 hours ago, few thought it would be like this. Mad people were lining up in New York City days in advance of the sales. People camping out, people trying to sell their place in line for hundreds of dollars. And then there’s “Mike,” who I met at the North Shore Mall (just north of Boston), who walked in and bought his iPhone and accessories this morning, without so much as waiting in line 5 minutes. …

We’ve heard from readers who were standing in lines all over the country; those same readers are reporting that there are loads of iPhones left in NYC, San Francisco, LA, Chicago, Indianapolis, and everywhere else.

Want one? No need to rush. Just mosey on over to your local Apple Store and I’m sure you’ll find one.

In Apple’s defense, it’s not that iPhones aren’t selling. They are. Perhaps they just stocked their inventory well. There are reports of sales volumes being in the thousands. Blackfriars’ Marketing predicts that 500,000 iPhones will be sold this weekend alone.

Damn!

If that happens, then I predict services like Cellswapper.com are going to explode. They’re going to get a ton of swappers soon, with new iPhone owners unloading their old phones.

And even better, if you’re in the market for a new cell phone, perhaps you can find a good deal here! I mean, think about it—there will soon be 500,000 iPhone owners desperately trying to give you their old phones & contracts. It’s a cell phone buyer’s market!

Eating Your Own Dog Food… Or Not

dshen.com It’s generally believed that using your own products is a good thing. You’re eating your own dog food, so to speak.

Dave Shen, a former Yahoo! (YHOO) employee, suggests otherwise. He writes:

I would put forth that the blindness that happens with being comfortable and focusing on yourself and your own company is precisely the way you get blindsided by some fast moving kids out of college developing something that is so cool and compelling and you see them gaining traction only after you’ve fallen behind.

What’s the best way to combat this?

USE THE BEST PRODUCT OUT THERE FOR WHATEVER IT IS YOU DO. (Emphasis his)

That’s pretty sound advice. Using the best product for your needs, even if it’s not your own, is a great way to understand why it, and not yours, is the best product out there. And if you feel bad about not eating your own dog food, you can think of it as “competitive research.”

Investment Advice from a Cab Driver

“You know, I’m semi-retired right now,” said the cab driver. “I was able to do that through investing in the stock market.”

“Really?” I asked. “How so?” I decided not to bring up the fact that he was driving a cab.

“I have a degree in Chemistry. I used to work for a dot-com. When the dot-com bombed, I was left with some money. I used that money to begin learning the stock market.”

The car sped down the 101 and darted between slower cars. “I started small,” he continued. “First, I invested only a little. I read a lot of websites and magazines and books. I studied a lot. Everyday. My wife would come home and complain about all the financial reports I had throughout the house. I told her, ‘But this is how I’m making us so much money!'”

I laughed. “So you built up a portfolio through reading all this stuff. Let me guess, you’re a value investor?”

He smiled into the rear-view mirror. “No, not really. I invest in one stock a year.”

“One stock a year? So… you don’t diversify your holdings?”

He shook his head with a grin. “Nope. I spend six months researching and researching. Then, after six months, I select a single stock I want to invest in for that year, then I put all my money into it.”

“Interesting. Sounds risky for the average investor, but since you’re an educated investor…”

“Exactly,” he added. “For six months, I study everything about a particular company. I study the executives, their backgrounds, how many shares they hold. If the CEO holds many shares of that company, that’s a good sign. If he’s selling most of his shares, that’s a bad sign.”

“True true,” I laughed.

“I study the product, the market, it’s competitors, everything. Even if the stock has a sudden spike while I’m researching, I don’t buy it. I only buy it after I’ve completed my research and am very certain that it’s a good buy.”

“You must be a very patient man.”

“Yes, I am very patient. You have to be if you want to be a good investor. I’ve been doing this for thirty years now. I started doing this at a young age. In the twenty years since I started the one-stock-per-year model, I’ve only lost money once.”

“WHAT??”

He nodded with a broad smile. “Just once. I started with penny stocks, since they were very cheap. Even now, I’ll purchase low-priced stocks. Right now, I’m holding about 50,000 shares of a $1 stock. So when it moves up to $2 and $3, well…” he beamed.

“Wow.” I shook my head. “That’s awesome.”

“When I started, I didn’t have this much money, of course. In the beginning, I lost a lot of money. Just like everyone else in the dot-bomb. But every time I lost money, I’d study my decision making analysis to understand why I made this mistake. I’d study the stock more, the company more. I analyzed why the stock lost money. And I used those learnings to improve my investment decisions going forward.”

“And now you’re semi-retired,” I stated.

“Yes. Now I am semi-retired.” We pulled up to my destination. He stopped the car, then turned around. “I tell you, investing is a very important skill. You should learn it. Start small and study your mistakes in the beginning. Do a lot of research and be very patient. Do that, and you’ll be able to retire too.”

I thanked him and got out of the cab. I waved as the cab drove off. Only in Silicon Valley can you met a semi-retired cab driver who makes his money with $1 stocks.