tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64845664961413320972024-03-16T03:08:32.526-04:00QuinSpotMatthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-23667592329247874432015-06-03T11:06:00.001-04:002015-06-03T11:06:09.106-04:00Progress and Progression<div dir="ltr">
When I got home from the hospital last September, I created a bucket list of things that I wanted to do before the end. The list includes enjoying a Purdue football game from the skybox, riding the Boilermaker Special into the stadium, taking my family to Disney World for the first time, visiting my brother and Martha in Detroit, taking our boys skiing for the first time (thank you Jamie Engesser), going to Vegas with my wife for a long weekend (Bellagio), meeting Clark Howard (thanks Christa DiBiase), taking the family to San Francisco for a week, a spending a entire month in Maui (thanks Little Ben). It's been an amazing 8 months since my release from the hospital as we have completed all except the last two on this list (and we will be checking those off shortly). That's PROGRESS! Now I need to update the list with additional experiences that I can use to create memories with my family. I'm thinking maybe a Disney cruise (never been on a cruise before). Anyhow, if you have suggestions or ideas for me drop me a note.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Now, on to the more sobering topic of my health. I will presume that everyone reading this is aware of my diagnosis and prognosis (if not, look at my earlier blog entries for details). My oncologist conducted a CT scan last week and the results weren't encouraging. It suggests that my cancer may be progressing and spreading further into my body. The doctors want to take a deeper look at the scans but they appear to indicate spreading of the cancer cells to some abdominal lymph nodes and very tiny spots in my lung (an inevitability with colon cancer), along a with substantial growth of some of the existing tumors in my liver. In addition, there are two spots on the scan which may suggest that the cancer has moved into the bones of my back. We can't be sure yet, but the spots are in line with where I feel the most pain. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Given this, my oncologist has decided to end my chemo treatments for now and instead pursue what's called a "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Targeted_therapy" target="_blank">targeted therapy</a>" called <a href="http://www.stivarga-us.com/about_stivarga.html" target="_blank">Stivarga</a> instead. We are hopeful that this new therapy will be more effective at slowing down and even reversing some of the progression. Also, I must admit that I will not miss spending 7-8 hours every other Monday at the chemo infusion center sweating profusely followed by 2 days wearing an infusion pump (that I cannot shower with) and 3 days of sweating through 4-5 towels per night. Chemo sucks! My new regimen will be 3 pills daily...that's it! Not sure whether it will work or not, but it will definitely improve my quality of life for the time I have left. Whatever that may be.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
My symptoms and side effects have accumulated over the past 9 months to include severe neuropathy of my feet and fingers, fatigue, severe back pain, mouth sores, severe acne, and abdominal soreness. But as my wife likes to say "it sure beats dying!" And she's absolutely right. I'm on some very powerful painkillers right now and yesterday I said to my eldest son "it's a good thing that it's not 100 years ago or I would be in horrible pain". To which my son replied "Dad, if it was 100 years ago you would be dead". Hahaha, Evan has a knack for pointing out the obvious :) I must admit that I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend so much time with the kids since going on long-term-disability. And now that it's summer I get to spend even more time with them. Even better, we get to spend it in places like San Francisco and Maui this summer!</div>
Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-63563246166609273592015-03-27T17:00:00.000-04:002015-05-06T19:53:40.639-04:00Financial FreedomNot surprisingly, most of my recent blog posts have been about my recent diagnosis of terminal cancer and all of the challenges and all of the support I have received since that announcement. Today, I'd like to share something that is not directly related to my medical status, but something that has not only made it possible for me to spend my remaining time enjoying life and making memories with my family, but also feeling completely comfortable about how my family will manage financially when I am gone. <br />
<br />
If you have spent much time with me, you know that I really have three passions. In no particular order they are software, personal finance, and Purdue. If I hadn't graduated from college with a Computer Science degree just as the world wide web was born, I very likely would have pursued a career related to personal finance. While my early influence on the subject came from my father (he bought me 10 shares of Novell as a graduation gift along with a subscription to the Wall Street Journal), my real education came from a nationally syndicated radio host named <a href="http://www.clarkhoward.com/" target="_blank">Clark Howard</a>. For those of you unfamiliar with Clark, he is a consumer advocate and personal finance guru that hosts a daily radio show for over 20 years helping people save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. <a href="http://www.clarkhoward.com/videos/clark-howard/uncategorized/does-clark-howard-do-endorsements/vCq/" target="_blank">The thing I respected most about Clark is that he has <u>never</u> taken money to endorse a product or company</a> (if you know anything about how radio works, you realize that he is leaving millions of dollars on the table in advertising, but that's the price of credibility and independence). But, that also means that his opinions are not bought and paid for. Only in the past several years have I realized that the <b>vast</b> majority of financial advice is not intended to benefit the investor quite as much as it is the advisor/broker/salesperson/company providing the advice.<br />
<br />
Recently I was able to checkoff one of my <a href="http://bucketlist.org/" target="_blank">bucket list</a> items by meeting Clark in person. I had been in contact with his Exective Producer, <a href="http://www.clarkhoward.com/inside/christa/" target="_blank">Christa DiBiase</a>, via email and she extended an invitation for me to come in for a tour and spend the day with the Clark Howard Show team attending an actual broadcast. <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7AAnsJqL-tSQTRaZ1RPRVp1QzQ/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">It was an incredible experience that I will never forget</a>. The highlight for me was Christa's suggestion that Clark actually interview me about how following his advice over the years has made such a difference in my life and that of my family. <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7AAnsJqL-tSdFFpcGZES3ZURHl1a3VObUJSVkt5MGotVmpZ&authuser=0" target="_blank">You can listen to my entire interview (which aired 3/13/2015) just by clicking this link</a>.<br />
<br />
Clark asked me during the interview the 3-4 financial moves I made that have had the most dramatic impact on my life. But since I've been listening to Clark for 10 years, I realized that it would be interesting for me to collect the dozens of pieces of wisdom I have collected from the show and implemented over that period and share them in a blog post (along with a few I picked up from <a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/">Dave Ramsey</a> and a few I figured out for myself). I'm sure that some of these will be controversial to some people, but I suspect that with a list this long no two people on the planet would agree on everything. I categorized the advice into sections, but I colored the most important elements in red (for those of you who prefer to browse rather than read). I hope they are as useful to others as they have to me.<br />
<h2>
The Basics (If you read nothing else, read this section.)</h2>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Act Your Wage</span></b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Live on less than you earn. I know this sounds trite, but it is truly that simple. While this may be unrealistic for those near the lowest rung of the income ladder, it shouldn't be a problem for anyone making a median wage. I know far too many people who make over 6 figures and still live paycheck to paycheck. Keep reading to learn how!</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Eliminate Debt</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>If you have any debts that accrue interest above 5% use the extra money at the end of each month (from Acting your Wage) to eliminate these debts first (usually credit cards). Don't worry about mortgage debt or auto loans that are small and manageable with low interest rates for less than four years. Pay those off as agreed.</li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Emergency Fund</span></b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Once the debts are paid off, with the extra money that you have at the end of each month by "Acting your Wage" start by saving up 6 months of basic living expenses which you keep in a separate bank savings account. This money is not to be borrowed for vacations or purchasing a boat or any other purpose. It is for emergencies only (e.g. extended unemployment, medical issue, critical car repair, or any other unexepected emergency!</li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">The Next Dollar</span></b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Once you have built your emergency fund up to the 6 months of living expenses you can now redirect your monthly surplus to other saving and investing opportunities. The key is to build a plan for each "next dollar". That is "if I had one more dollar saved, how would I use it?" Typically, you will want to save/invest for retirement first and if you have children, a 529 college savings plan next (your kids can always borrow for school, but you cannot borrow for retirement so max your retirement options first). Both have great tax advantages. Here is my personal "next dollar" investment list : Roth401k, Roth IRA, Georgia 529 College Savings Plan, taxable investment account with Vanguard (all index funds).</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Saving vs Investing</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>If you have extra income and are trying to decide what to do with it, you need to understand whether than money is intended to be used within the next 5 years. If the answer is yes, then you should be saving that money in a bank account or CDs. If the answer is no, then you can look at investing that money to make it grow (see Investing section below).</li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Mint.com</span></b> </li>
<ul>
<li>An amazing tool available via web as well as apps for phone/tablet. It provides a single view of your entire financial life. Current balances for all banking, investing, credit cards, retirement, and every other account you may have along with detailed transaction logs for all of those accounts. Best of all, it uses crowd-sourced intelligence to automatically categorize your purchases based on the merchant. For example, if 90% of people categorized purchases at Starbucks as "Coffee" then it will default your purchase in the "Coffee" category. You can easily see what you spend and how/where you spend it. It also has budgeting and has recently added online billpay. Best of all, it requires almost no manual effort because it does almost everything automatically (stop using cash and use debt card to increase automation). Oh, and it's FREE! You can't manage what you can't measure; so sign up for Mint.com today. Tip: Combine Groceries & Household into one Mint category to simplify categorization so that you don't need to split out how much you spent on detergent vs milk for example.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Transaction Review</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>ALWAYS review your transactions in Mint.com to look for anything suspicious. This used to be a pain but with Mint.com providing a single list with all of my transactions across all credit cards, checks, ATMs, debit cards, etc. it's quite easy (takes 5 mins/week). You have only 60 days to contest invalid credit card charges with your card provider. My wife and I once gave someone a $26,000 Christmas present on our American Express without our knowledge. That was easy to spot, but what if someone is just milking you for $30/month and you never notice. </li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Budget Spreadsheet</span></b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Have a budget spreadsheet based on your mint.com data for planning (<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArAAnsJqL-tSdElkZTJLODZuQW5ZWVNsNG5fcHNUTEE&usp=sharing" target="_blank">here's what I use</a>). And review the budget from last year comparing it with the actual spending from Mint.com at the beginning of the following year. Adjust budget as necessary.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Spending Limit</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Agree with your spouse to NEVER spend over $X without discussing it first and NEVER spend it before 24 hours have passed (typical buyers remorse timeframe)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<h2>
Banking</h2>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Item-Specific Savings Accounts </b></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://home.capitalone360.com/" target="_blank">CapitalOne360</a><b> </b>(formerly INGdirect) allows you to create unlimited checking/savings accounts with no extra fees. This makes it extremely useful for creating savings for something specific (vacation, car, etc.) and track your progress independently of your other savings. This is also very useful for accruing money to pay for recurring expenses that only happen every X years (e.g. house painting).</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID Checks</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>They are the most dangerous way to pay for anything! You have just shared your routing number and account number with anyone who sees that check. I could present your bank with an electronic draft and empty your checking/savings account tomorrow with just that information. Use your credit card or debit card instead.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID Monster Megabanks</b> (Bank of America, Citi, Chase, Wells Fargo) </li>
<ul>
<li>It's not a matter of IF they screw you, only WHEN. Instead see <a href="https://home.capitalone360.com/" target="_blank">CapitalOne360</a>, <a href="https://www.simple.com/">Simple.com</a>, <a href="http://www.ally.com/">Ally</a>, and your local credit unions.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Un-banked</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Millions of people in the U.S. do not have checking accounts. Today, many banks require you to have a certain credit score to get a checking account (even if you aren't asking for any credit)! Without a checking account you cannot do many things in our digital money culture (e.g. direct deposit, depositing checks with smartphone, etc.). The best alternative is provided by American Express and sold exclusively through Wal-Mart. It is called <a href="http://www.bluebird.com/" target="_blank">BlueBird</a> and it provides almost all of the features of a checking account and has VERY low fees.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
<h2>
Insurance</h2>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Portable Level Term Life Insurance</span></b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Each spouse needs to consider what their income needs would be if their current partner were to die unexpectedly. Generally, I recommend 10x the annual earnings of the person who is being insured. You want separate policies for each spouse. Also, don't rely purely on an employer-sponsored plan for your health insurance. What happens if you were to develop a terminal illness and then need to quit your job? Some employer-provided term life insurance policies are portable (meaning that you can continue the policy after you leave if you are willing to pay the full cost of the premiums). If you have an employer-sponsored policy, find out if it's portable. Make sure your policies are LEVEL (your premiums do not go up) and TERM (death benefit only, no investment vehicle).</li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Disability Insurance</span></b> </li>
<ul>
<li>You are 4x more likely to become disabled during your working lifetime than to die during your working lifetime. However, few people spend the money for disability insurance. Disability insurance typically comes in two flavors : Short term and Long term. As you might expect, the short term provides benefits for you for a short period of absence from work (e.g. 6 weeks) and is not as important if you have a fully-funded 6-month emergency fund. The Long Term Disability policy generally provides you a paycheck (often between 50% and 66% of your pre-disability income) if you are disabled for a longer period of time (up to the point you can return to work, you retire, or you die). BUY THIS!</li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">AVOID Variable Universal Life</span></b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Extremely high fees and commissions for the salesperson. Awful track record for consumers. note: Unless you are making over $350K/year in taxable income you should not be looking at ANY insurance product as an investment. The supposed tax benefits for everyone below that threshold do NOT work out in your favor.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID Return of Premium Life Insurance</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Again, this is just another way for the insurer to collect more money from you and hope that you opt-out of the policy and they get to keep the extra premiums. Just get simple LEVEL TERM life insurance. Nothing more.</li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">AVOID Annuities</span></b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Annuity is a curse word on the Clark Howard Show because they have extremely high fees and commissions for the salesperson and are generally awful for the consumer who purchases them. There are only 2 types of annuities that are EVER appropriate and they are called "Immediate Payout Annuities" or "Lifetime Annuities" and you should ONLY consider those options under the careful guidance of an independent hourly-paid financial advisor from the Garrett Planning Network (See Investing -> Financial Advisors).</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Amica Mutual Insurance </b></li>
<ul>
<li>Highest rated insurer for customer satisfaction on Auto and Home insurance. They aren't the absolute cheapest, but the point of insurance is to have them step up when you need them. They are an actual mutual company that works like a co-op and sends me a check at the end of each year that represents my portion of the profit they made.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<h2>
Investing</h2>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Financial Advisors</span></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Financial advisors are taught by their employers that they are looking out for your financial interests and they believe it to be true. But they are educated by a company whose primary interest is looking out for their own profits. Therefore, much of the advice you receive is filtered by the advisor's employer and tends to provide the maximum commissions and profits to the advisor and their employer. Much better (independent) advice can be had for much less (the hidden cost of biased advice is incalculable). <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/04/022704.asp" target="_blank">Find a financial advisor who does not profit from your investment choices and does not hold your accounts that you pay an hourly rate for advice</a> (I pay $210/hr for 60-90 minutes twice per year). The best source I have found for finding a financial advisor who works on this system is <a href="http://www.garrettplanningnetwork.com/" target="_blank">The Garret Planning Network</a>.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Tax Advantaged and/or Tax Free Investing</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Employer Matches for 401K/Roth401K (FREE MONEY!)</li>
<li>Regular & Roth retirement accounts (401K/IRA/etc.)</li>
<li>529 College Savings Plans</li>
<li>If the primary provider works full time and the household can operate on that single income. The spouse can work part time and make just enough to cover maxing out a 401K. It makes a HUGE impact on retirement savings. My wife worked part time for 10 years and has allocated 100% of her income to her 401K. </li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Index Funds</span> </b></li>
<ul>
<li>Index funds are were the genius idea from the founder of Vanguard, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Bogle">John Bogle</a>. He realized that the sophisticated mutual fund managers who bought/sold stocks within a mutual fund on behalf of the fund's investors weren't very successful at it. And worse, they charged the investors a heavy management and commission fee to invest in the fund. Index funds eliminate the human element and they just mimick the performance of an index like the S&P 500. This means that they tend to have MUCH lower management fees and much less turnover (amount of stock/bonds bought/sold inside a fund) than traditional mutual funds which benefits investors over time. </li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Targeted Retirement Funds</span> </b></li>
<ul>
<li>For the average investor, trying to determine the appropriate investments in their 401k or IRA is incredibly difficult. Each account may have limitations on what investments they have to choose from. However, a new type of mutual fund has been created that is based purely on the year that the person wishes to retire. The fund slowly migrates the investments from more aggressive to more conservative as that year approaches which eliminates the need for constant rebalancing. Look for targeted retirement fund options in your 401K and IRA especially ones with very low fees (e.g. Vanguard 2040 fees = 0.18%).</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID Precious Metals</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Buying precious metals as a "hedge" is a joke. The only people who think it's a good idea are the people who are selling them to you or has a vested interest in you buying them. There is a reason that this is sold on late-night TV alongside the ShamWow!</li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">AVOID Beating the Market</span></b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Trying to beat the market is a fool's game (the pros can't do it either). If the "financial advisor" in the strip mall on the corner could actually consistently beat the market (for his clients or himself) he wouldn't be in a strip mall on the corner. He would be on his own private island. It's just like Vegas. At any given time a certain number of the investors/advisors are ahead of the casino and they look like they are geniuses, especially those who are up over a 3 day stretch. But in the long term, nobody beats the house unless they are cheating, and that will get you locked up. Highlighting this fund or that stock (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkytKDzCEeU">like Jim Cramer</a>) is simply calling out the names of those who are currently ahead of the house. It's not genius, it's entertainment. Don't fall for it. Read John Bogle's (Vanguard founder) books on the subject and save yourself (e.g. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Count-Reflections-Investment-Entrepreneurship/dp/047064396X">Don't Count on It!</a>). You can make lots of money over time just matching the market with index funds; you don't have to beat it!</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID Complex Financial Instruments</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>If you cannot fully explain the investment in 5 minutes to an 18 year old and have them repeat it back to you accurately, then it has been engineered specifically to screw you in ways that the regulators have not yet been able to stop. Your goal is to make money, not to make your investment strategy as complex as possible. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_default_swap">Think Credit Default Swaps</a> in 2008 ;)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
<h2>
Debt and Credit</h2>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: red;"><b>Financial Peace University </b></span></li>
<ul>
<li>If you are deep in debt and need a path out, do NOT call one of those late night debt consolidation TV ads. Sign up for <a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu">Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University</a> and follow his "baby steps" program. There is no better step by step guide on the planet that is better designed and has had more success than this. If you can't scrape together the fee then start by borrowing from the library his book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0785263268/">The Total Money Makeover</a>" for inspiration until you can attend his class or purchase his DVDs.</li>
</ul>
<li><span style="color: red;"><b>Freeze Your Credit</b> </span></li>
<ul>
<li>Identity theft is rampant and you are at risk. The most common form of identity theft is where someone applies for credit in your name (e.g. store credit, credit cards, etc.) You can stop this from happening with 15 minutes of effort and between $0 and $30. Just freeze your credit with each of the 3 credit bureaus. Each credit bureau will give you a PIN number that you can use to temporarily unfreeze your credit when you wish to apply for a loan or need a credit score pulled. Works much like an ATM pin. <a href="http://www.clarkhoward.com/news/clark-howard/personal-finance-credit/credit-freeze-and-thaw-guide/nFbL/">Do it now!</a> </li>
</ul>
<li><b>Credit Cards as First Payment Option </b></li>
<ul>
<li>Credit cards offer the best consumer protections of any payment type including a maximum liability of $50 for consumer cards (business cards are different). If you can't get a credit card use a check card if necessary (but only if you get to swipe it and it never leaves your site because if someone steals from your check card the money is already gone from your account). Avoid using cash so that Mint.com can automatically categorize your spending for you. Also, get a credit card that gives you the best rewards by checking out <a href="http://creditcardtuneup.com/">Credit Card TuneUp</a>. Obviously, ONLY use this advice if you have the self-discipline to pay off your credit cards EVERY month (no exceptions). My old primary credit card was Delta Skymiles Amex (when I was a frequent flier), but I now use a 2% unlimited cashback credit card to get the most out of my purchasing.</li>
</ul>
<li><span style="color: red;"><b>REFINANCE YOUR MORTGAGE! </b></span></li>
<ul>
<li>You will likely never see rates this low again in your lifetime. And try to get a 15 or 10 year mortgage because the rates will be lower and you will pay less interest on your house over time. If you can't afford the house on a 15 year mortgage at 3-4% then you cannot afford that house anyway. AVOID PMI (<a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/privatemortgageinsurance.asp">private mortgage insurance</a>) by paying 20% down or doing an <a href="http://www.moneycrashers.com/piggyback-mortgage/">80-10-10</a>.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Disposable Credit Card Numbers</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Get a credit card that offers disposable temporary credit card numbers that can be authorized for a single purchase. Great for paying a merchant you do not trust or a merchant that might try to continue billing you monthly for something you wanted one time. Amex used to offer this called Private Payments. Call your credit card companies to see if any offer it. If not, get one that does.</li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Avoid Debt</span> </b>(some debt is worse than others)</li>
<ul>
<li>Exceptions for mortgages, education, and possibly your very first car (future cars should be purchased pre-owned with cash whenever possible)</li>
<li>Especially avoid revolving debt like credit cards</li>
<li>Worst possible debt is payday loans and title loans (ridiculous interest rates!)</li>
<li>AVOID taking out <u>private</u> student loans. Their lobbyists have written laws that are truly outrageous that make them incredibly toxic. <a href="https://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized">Stafford loans and PLUS loans</a> are the way to go.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID Credit Monitoring</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Complete waste of money (e.g. LifeLock). Use credit freeze instead (see above). </li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
</ul>
<h2>
Automobiles</h2>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Pre-Owned</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Look at the depreciation rate of automobiles and you will notice that in the first 3 years the value drops like a rock, and then it levels off. Purchasing a 3 year old vehicle that has already incurred the drop in price but still drives like new is the sweet spot of value. I've never owned a new car in my life, but a $300 detailing job on my pre-owned car makes it smell/feel brand new! Be sure to take the car to an independent mechanic for an inspection before the sale is final. You don't want surprises! </li>
</ul>
<li><b>Carmax</b></li>
<ul>
<li>I used to do consulting for Carmax and I must admit that I really respect their business model. They have eliminated the haggling from the automobile purchasing process. They have also separated the trade-in transaction so that you can be sure that you are not getting a great price on the car, only to get screwed on the trade-in value (a common tactic among car dealers). They only sell vehicles which meet strict requirements (age, mileage, repairs, etc) and sell off any trade-ins that do not meet those criteria in a wholesale auto auction (to the other used car dealerships in the area). Carmax is not the way to get the absolute top dollar for your trade-in nor to get the absolute lowest price for your automobile. However, it is a place I trust that I will not get ripped off...and that's really what most people are looking for.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID Car Leases</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Understand what a lease is. The leasing company is calculating how much the car is worth today and then subtracting how much they estimate the car to be worth when your lease is up (e.g. 3 years). That is the amount of depreciation in the vehicle during your lease. They then loan you the money for the depreciation amount at a certain interest rate. You are paying for the most expensive years of depreciation (years 1-3) and you are taking out a loan to pay on that depreciation on top of it! Buy used with cash!</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Rental Cars</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Always take pictures with your smartphone of any damage on a rental car before driving off the lot with your rental car. The pictures are timestamped and provide evidence when a rental car company tries to screw you (Fox Car Rental...I thank you for proving this point for me in San Francisco).</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID Buying insurance and Extras</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>...at the car rental counter. Know your own coverages from your existing insurer and be sure to use a credit card when paying because they often provide insurance coverages. I use American Express for all of my rentals.</li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Financing</span></b></li>
<ul>
<li>If you do finance a car, be sure to line up your financing at a local bank or credit union BEFORE you head to the dealership. If the dealer can beat your deal then great, but usually the dealer will have more expensive interest rates.</li>
<li>Never finance an automobile for more than 48 months. If you cannot make the payments for a 48 month or less finance plan, then you cannot afford that car.</li>
<li>If you can avoid financing and pay cash, then drive that car until it chokes. I haven't had a car payment in over a decade and I really don't miss it at all!</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
<h2>
Shopping</h2>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">ConsumerReports.com</span></b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Available online and on your smartphone. Make smart purchases while you are still in the store by looking up the reliability and value of your purchases before you buy.</li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Return Policies</span></b></li>
<ul>
<li>ALWAYS know the return policy BEFORE purchasing ANYTHING! Simple, but amazing how easily you can get ripped off. I once paid a $870 restocking fee for returning something one day late (caused by the fact that they listed the wrong email address on their website for initiating a return). Lesson learned the hard way.</li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">AVOID Contracts </span></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Cable/satellite, mobile phones, gyms, home security, etc. If you don't have the ability to walk away on a month's notice, they have no incentive to provide the service you expect. All of these can be done on a month-to-month basis.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Costco, Sams Club, BJs Wholesale</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Just do it! All of them will save you money if you are self-disciplined. Costco is my favorite because it has a maximum markup of 16% on all products/services! And even if you are NOT a Costco member you can save LOTS of money buying your prescriptions from them (no membership required). </li>
</ul>
<li><b>Online Travel Deals</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Kayak.com, Priceline.com, and Hotwire.com are your best travel deal sites. Try Kayak's price alerts (you have to sign up for a free Kayak.com account) if you have a desire to go somewhere specific but are flexible on timing. Also checkout <a href="https://www.kayak.com/explore/">Kayak's Explore feature</a> if you want to get away but haven't chosen somewhere to go yet. Hotwire is a great place to find cheap rental cars. And Priceline is obviously the king of the online travel bidding sites (submit several bids over a period of days to maximize your savings).</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Mobile Phones and Service</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>The U.S. mobile phone and mobile service markets are undergoing a complete transformation. The old model was to sign a 2-year contract with one of the big providers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile) and have them subsidize the cost of your new mobile phone by overcharging you for your monthly service. They protected themselves from losses by instituting an early termination fee which basically paid for the phone if you decided to leave your carrier early. Now, the market has changed and most people signing up for mobile phone service are NOT signing contracts and instead paying month-to-month. This means that they are typcially paying the full-freight cost of their cellphones as well.</li>
<li>The big 4 mobile phone carriers in the U.S. resell their service through companies like Cricket, MetroPCS, Boost Mobile, etc. These companies are called <a href="http://www.bestmvno.com/">MVNOs</a> and many can save you lots of money. The most expensive carrier today is Verizon, followed by AT&T, and then Sprint & T-Mobile. All resell through MVNOs but many (like Verizon) do not offer their 4G/LTE data speeds to their resellers.</li>
<li>My favorite service today is called <a href="https://republicwireless.com/info/plans/">Republic Wireless.</a> It runs on Sprint's network and it has a nifty feature that it uses your local wifi connection instead of a cellphone tower whenever possible. This means that when I am at home or at work I get an excellent signal always. Republic saves money by not using as much cellular bandwidth and pushes those savings back to the consumer. The only downside is that it requires me to buy a Republic Wireless phone. Luckily, they have some <a href="https://republicwireless.com/info/phones/">great Motorola models</a>!</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Craigslist and Ebay</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Learn them and use them. They can save you thousands!</li>
<li>AVOID Paying for anything on Ebay or Craigslist with Western Union funds or GreenPack money. Huge red flags that these are scammers.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Generics</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Try the generic/store-brand of every item in your grocery cart once. If you can't tell the difference, start buying the generic. If you don't like the generic/store-brand, then don't buy it again. Over time this saves thousands.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Segmentation</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Most products are created and priced by marketing departments who are trying to segment their market for maximum profits (I've participated in many such meetings myself in my career). You may see the same item in many different "grades". Typically the top grade is price purely for fools who have more money than sense (obviously avoid). The lowest grade is priced purely to get you in the door and as a result the product has been hobbled/cheapened so badly that it isn't worth your money. Look at one step up from the lowest grade. That is typically the sweet spot of price/value.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Margin</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Understand the average margin of the product you are purchasing. The greater that margin, the more room for negotiation. Extremely high margin items are furniture and jewelry. If you want to understand the margin on a piece of jewelry, tell the jeweler that you really want this piece for your spouse and you are willing to pay cash as long as you can have a 24 hour refund policy in case she doesn't want/like it (get it in writing). Then walk over to another jeweler and ask him/her what he/she will give you for that item. Of course, then go get your money back. Or just purchase your jewelry at Costco and you are assured that you are never paying more than 16% markup!</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Patience</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Deals come to those who are patient. And the lazy will always pay top dollar.</li>
<li>When shopping online, put things in your cart and wait a few days. Merchants are very aware of their browse/buy ratio. You will often receive an email coupon for one or more of those specific items within a few days. It will seem like great luck, but it's not luck. They are trying to "save" the sale and you benefit.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Amazon Prime </b></li>
<ul>
<li>Worth every penny! 2-day free shipping and unlimited movie/tv streaming included (like Netflix) !</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID Debit Holds</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Never use a debit card at a gas station or hotel (they put a huge hold on your cash for days which can cause you to bounce checks)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID extended warranties </b></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.clarkhoward.com/news/clark-howard/shopping-retail/clark-does-not-purchase-extended-warranties/nCkrm/">on everything</a> with possible <a href="http://www.clarkhoward.com/news/clarkhoward/cars/beware-buying-auto-repair-service-plans-older-vehi/nCKZt/">exception on automobile if you cannot afford repairs</a></li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<h2>
Odds and Ends</h2>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">Wills </span></b></li>
<ul>
<li>If you have kids you need a will. If you or your spouse were previously married (and especially if either of you have kids from that marriage) you need a will. Wills are more expensive as they get more complex. It's painful to spend thousands of dollars on something that you don't want to think about. But bite the bullet. Spend the money. Secure your family's future by ensuring that your final wishes are well-defined.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Free Credit Report </b></li>
<ul>
<li>Get a free copy of your own credit report at <a href="http://annualcreditreport.com/">AnnualCreditReport.com</a> (NOT freecreditreport.com) and check it for errors. You are eligible for one each year from each of the 3 credit bureaus so you can get one every 4 months as you rotate through Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Also, apply for a credit card from a company who provides you your FICO credit score for free each month (my Citibank Mastercard does this, I believe Discover does too).</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Home Telephone</b></li>
<ul>
<li>It's really not necessary for most people these days. However, if you really want a home telephone and you have high-speed internet access consider <a href="http://ooma.com/">Ooma</a>. It's basic service is free for life and it's enhanced service is less than $4/month. One time purchase. I love it and it powers all of the phones in our house. It even integrates with Google Voice.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>WiFi Mobile Phones & International Travel</b></li>
<ul>
<li>When travelling internationally purchase wifi in the hotel and set your smartphone in airplane mode. Then enable wifi on your phone and use GrooveIP and Google Voice to make/recieve calls over wifi. Some phones can do this without GrooveIP and Google Voice (e.g. Republic Wireless). Also, download the google maps for your area into your phone while you are in the room and then turn on GPS. You will be able to navigate and use ZERO roaming data!</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Compensation</b></li>
<ul>
<li>ALWAYS understand exactly how anyone providing you service, products, or advice get compensated. If you fail to know this you are automatically at a disadvantage and will likely end up getting taken advantage of. Wonder how your financial advisor is providing all of this advice for free? If you don't know the difference between A-shares, B-shares, and C-shares, you are the one losing.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Sending Cash</b></li>
<ul>
<li>If you need to send cash to someone quickly and cheaply check out <a href="http://www.walmart.com/cp/1089406">Wal-Mart money center</a>. You can send up to $900 for just $9 from any Wal-Mart to any other Wal-Mart. That's 1%. Moneygram, Western Union, and all of the other services are complete ripoffs by comparison.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID High Pressure Sales Pitches</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Any pitch that includes "today only!" is a good clue. Think about it. If I walked in with cash tomorrow and the salesperson would refuse it then he is an idiot. If I am not willing to wait 24 hrs to hand over that amount of cash, then I'm an idiot. The most common of these are timeshares and buying clubs.</li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="color: red;">AVOID Timeshares </span></b></li>
<ul>
<li>The market for timeshares is completely broken. Most of the cannot be given away for free! The price of the timeshare is almost completely absorbed by the marketing costs and sales commissions. Avoid like the bubonic plague!</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID Monthlies</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Review every monthly bill you pay. Do you really need that Hulu subscription? What about those magazines? XM-Sirius radio? A lot of times we just keep paying for subscriptions to things we no longer really use. Looks at what monthlies can be replaced by one-time purchases (e.g. replace Vonage with Ooma or replace cable with an HD antenna).</li>
</ul>
<li><b>AVOID Telephone Solicitation</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Never give any money to anyone who calls you on the phone out of the blue. You have absolutely no idea whether this person is who they claim to be from the organization they claim to be. Caller ID can be easily spoofed so don't think that this provides evidence of the caller's identity. If you want to contribute, have them send you info through the mail.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Online BillPay</b> </li>
<ul>
<li>Use online billpay and automate as much of your bill paying administrivia as possible! I used to use Bank of America for this, but I am closing my BofA account and moving my billpay to Mint.com so that I can easily switch banks anytime with no interruption to this important service.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
<ul><ul>
</ul>
</ul>
If you have made it all the way down here to the bottom I must admit I'm impressed. I've applied every single one of these pieces of advice in my own financial life, but I was able to accrue them over the course of a decade of listening to Clark. I doubt anyone would be crazy enough to follow me down the rather dramatic path I have taken to put my family in our current financial position, but for me it was actually kind of fun. Finding little ways to make each dollar more efficient at providing for our family was a challenge that I enjoyed. As you may have noticed, a lot of the tips are about what <b>not</b> to do or buy. Avoiding financial mis-steps is just as important as making your investment choices. I hope that some of you found some things in this list that will help you to make your money work harder for you and avoid some of the same financial traps. And one more thank you to the Clark Howard team who was responsible for teaching me the vast majority of the wisdom and advice in this article.<br />
<div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com175tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-41137857964266598662015-01-16T14:31:00.004-05:002015-06-01T21:46:14.700-04:00Living With a Short FuseI haven't posted an update since shortly after my diagnosis and, needless to say, a lot has happened in the intervening months. A lot of people are curious about details so my apologies for the long blogpost to follow.<br />
<br />
<b>Surgery</b><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>As I reflect on my surgery I am disappointed that I missed so many opportunities to catch the cancer before it caused my large intestine to rupture. My annual colonoscopy was delayed by a few months because I was switching gastroenterologists (strike ONE). I had an MRI scheduled to happen 5 days prior to the rupture that was cancelled because I tested positive for C-DIFF (strike TWO). I had the opportunity to be admitted to the hospital 2 days prior to the rupture (Friday), but my new gastro said that I must leave immediately in order to get to the hospital before she left for the weekend. Given that my wife was at work and I had two kids that wasn't an option (strike THREE!). If any one of these circumstances had been different, we would have likely found the tumor and had a planned surgery rather than an emergency ruptured bowel that spilled all kinds of filth and bacteria into my abdominal cavity (causing a level of pain that I didn't know existed). As hard as the surgeons tried to flush my abdomen, it's impossible to get all of bacteria cleaned out. As a result I spent two months fighting post-operative infections with IV antibiotics and multiple drains and countless CT scans & MRIs. During that time my doctors were focused entirely on the infections and the cancer continued to grow and spread quickly. By the time I started chemo on November 6th, the number of tumors in my liver had grown substantially and the size the existing tumors had doubled (based on a comparison with the original CTs/MRIs). My liver had 20+ tumors ("lesions") the largest of which was about the size of a baseball. Apparently, my cancer is very aggressive with regards to growth and spreading. The upside is that chemo drugs work best against cell that divide quickly and mine certainly seem to be doing that!<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<b>Cancer</b><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Once we had the post-op infections under control my wife and I went about interviewing oncologists and found an amazing doctor, <a href="https://www.gacancer.com/our-team/physicians/33-stephen-szabo">Steven Szabo</a>. He put me on a chemo regimen called <a href="http://www.cancer.org/cancer/colonandrectumcancer/detailedguide/colorectal-cancer-treating-chemotherapy">FoxFol 5-FU + Avastin</a> that required me to have a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_%28medical%29">port</a> installed in my chest to deliver the chemo drugs. Every other Monday I spend 7 hours in an infusion center getting the chemo drugs pumped into me and I leave with a pump that infuses me for 48 hours. I then go back in the following Wednesday to get the pump removed. The chemo symptoms have gotten worse over time. Some of them are well known like nausea and fatigue, but some are bizarre like the fact that coldness on my fingertips or in my mouth/throat feels like an electric shock (kinda like a 9-volt battery on your tongue). On January 7th, I had a PET scan that was compared against my baseline PET scan (taken prior to chemo) and we learned that my tumors are shrinking and that there has been no further spread of cancer to other parts of my body. They expect me to be on this chemo regimen for another 3 months or so before I transition to mostly oral chemo meds.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<b>Managing</b><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>My current symptoms consist of the chemo side-effects mentioned above plus severe back pain caused by the liver tumors pressing on the nerves in my lower back. I've been on oxycodone for a couple months and it does a pretty good job of managing the pain usually, but takes a while to kick in once I realize I'm in pain and take one. I've also purchased a Tempurpedic adjustable bed (split king) that allows me to adjust my position to alleviate pain without waking my wife. For the first couple months after surgery I really struggled to eat. I didn't eat for 22 days before and after surgery and lost about 32 pounds (which I didn't have to spare) so I'm down to about 150 lbs. Eating more than a small snack resulted in sweating, nausea, and discomfort. However, over the past 3 weeks or so I've been able to eat regular sized meals and have gained back about 3 pounds! I'm on the "consume as many calories and as much food as possible" diet...which annoys everyone around me who is trying to lose or maintain their weight :)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<b>Work</b><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>For the last 18 years my career has been a huge part of my life and my self-identity. It provided a life that has taken us from Connecticut to Richmond to Charlottesville to NYC to Atlanta. I work for a relatively small software company called Pivotal that was spun out of VMware and EMC. I cannot say enough about how helpful and understanding they have been through this. I have learned more than I care to about employment law, social security disability, short/long term disability, HIPPA, and benefits. My employer continues to provide health insurance and long-term disability insurance during this extended absence (which they are not required to do by law). I cannot imagine how difficult this kind of experience must be for those who must endure crushing financial hardship along with the physical and emotional toll of cancer. I am incredibly fortunate.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<b>Bucket List</b><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I've had a bucket list that I created long before my cancer diagnosis which included taking my wife to Paris (check), skydiving (check), and many other things. I've added a bunch of travel lately. While I'm not sure that I'll be healthy enough to do everything on it, I've decided to plan it and adapt as necessary. Our first trip was to spend 9 days over Thanksgiving driving through Indiana visiting friends and family. I wanted to attend a Purdue football game this year (yes, I'm a glutton for punishment) and my wife was able to arrange for us to sit in the skybox during the game . She also managed to get us a ride on the Boilermaker Special train which included a ride around the stadium, then right through the gates to the south end-zone where we were escorted to the skybox. AWESOME! However, my kids expectations are now completely ruined because they now believe that's NORMAL :) After new years, the family headed for 3 days of fun at Disney World. I had to take a break each day after lunch while Kristen took the kids on a few rides without me, but overall it was fantastic. It turns out my kids (ages 6 & 9) are thrill ride fanatics! And with the Disney's FastPass+ system we spent less than one hour in line over the entire 3 day vacation. Really impressive since my childhood memories of Disney are littered with standing for hours on end in blazing heat for a 2-3 minute roller coaster ride. Already planned are trips to Detroit to see my brother, Indianapolis for the Boilermaker Ball, Winter Park for skiing, Las Vegas for just Kristen and I to get away, San Francisco with the kids, and finally Maui next summer with my cousin. I've even considered renting an RV for a pseudo-camping trip with the family (I have no interest in the type of camping that requires me sleeping on the ground in a tent covered in mosquitos). Needless to say, we're making the most of the time we have.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<b>Life</b><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>As you would expect, life has been quite different for me since the surgery and diagnosis. Without work, my days consist of doctor/chemo appointments, medical/disability administrivia, chores, naps (fatigue), and time with friends/family. Almost everyone is aware of my situation now, but every few weeks I have someone who is not on social media reach out with "OMG, I just found out!" When people actually see me for the first time they generally get a bit uncomfortable and there's a lot of awkward pauses as they search for words. I've gotten used to the awkwardness and try to show them that I'm the same guy they remember, only thinner and a bit less mobile. My closest friends/family have now gotten comfortable with the "gallows humor" that I often use these days. One of the positive benefits of my situation is that lots of things that used to really bother me, just don't matter much anymore. Whoever said "Don't sweat the small stuff. It's almost all small stuff" was exactly right.<br />
<br />
<b>Death</b><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I've thought a lot about death since my diagnosis. It's such a taboo subject that people are really uncomfortable talking about (especially with someone who is terminally ill because it's not just a hypothetical topic). Whenever I'm talking about estate planning, or my bucket list, or other aspects of planning for the inevitable I get a lot of well-intentioned "you never know, miracles happen everyday, god works in mysterious ways, you can't give up" comments. While I'm definitely not happy about my prognosis, I have accepted the reality that the 5-year survival rate for someone in my position is less than 6% with the average being about 2 years (my oncologist thinks that I can make it 3 years based on my response to chemo). That doesn't mean that I've "given up", it just means that I'm a pragmatist at heart and I consider every day since August 24th, 2014 to be "bonus time". That being said, some days are harder than others. It's a surreal feeling to know that you are approaching the finish line. I won't say that it doesn't make me sad, it does. Usually in the form of a few minutes of tears each day when I'm alone. But then I hear the giggle of one of my kids or the voice of my wife in the background and I smile and quickly realize that I don't have time to sulk or feel sorry for myself. Now is the time to live; Death will just have to wait it's damn turn ;)Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-35394911023394252582014-10-03T17:02:00.001-04:002015-06-01T21:46:14.691-04:00The GiftIt's been a couple weeks since I went public with my health challenges in my last <a href="http://mattquinlan.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-road-ahead.html">blog post</a> and I've experienced the most amazing gift since that moment. Imagine for a moment that everyone you have ever impacted or influenced in your life were to reach out at once and tell you the effect you have had on their lives. People you haven't seen or spoken to in 35+ years sharing stories about you as a child. Friends from high school and college that haven't been a part of your life since you were students together. Colleagues from companies past and present telling you how you have shaped their careers and sometimes their lives. And every relative close and far sharing what you mean to them. It's overwhelming. It's humbling. It's a gift.<br />
<br />
It's so easy to get wrapped up in our day-to-day lives that you fail to recognize the impact that your life has had on those around you and thereby on your world. It's a shame that most people will never get the gift that I have received. Most of us will pass through life without realizing our own impact on the world. I'm lucky. It's a gift I will cherish for the rest of my days. <br />
<br />Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-57097697307025926422014-09-22T16:41:00.002-04:002015-06-01T21:46:14.707-04:00The Road AheadFor those of you who read my <a href="http://mattquinlan.blogspot.com/2014/08/decided-to-top-my-january-great-scare.html">previous post</a> I must admit to you that I didn't share everything I knew about my condition when I wrote it. There was a very important piece of information that I decided not to share with the world until I could share it with my children after I was released from the hospital.<br />
<br />
"Terminal". It's such a devastating word. One I hope you never hear.<br />
<br />
I awoke momentarily in the ICU (intensive care unit) out of the narcotic induced haze and overheard a doctor in my room use the word "cancer". I was too loopy to see anything and in too much pain to respond in any way... but I heard it distinctly before I fell back into my narcotic induced sleep. It would be two days before anyone used that word in my presence again. It was a nurse who asked me the simple question "Have any of the doctors actually shared your diagnosis with you yet?" I responded that I had overheard the word cancer and she confirmed it for me. I asked "Terminal?" and she nodded.<br />
<br />
While this is the 3rd time in my life I have been diagnosed with an incurable disease (Crohns & PSC previously), nothing could prepare me for the phrase "terminal Stage 4 metastatic colon cancer". We are certain that it has metastasized to the lymph nodes and we believe it has also metastasized to the liver as well. We cannot be 100% sure of this today because the surgeons were not able to get a liver sample before closing up my abdomen during my initial surgery (apparently they were worried I wouldn't make it beyond the 6 hours I was already in surgery). Our hope is that we can stop/slow it from metastasizing to the lungs (the 2nd favorite destination of colon cancer beyond the liver). We have found no evidence of lung involvement to date but, of course, cancer cells are too small to be seen so all we can do is hope. <br />
<br />
An additional downside to the cancer diagnosis is that it makes me ineligible for a liver transplant if my PSC were to worsen. Many thanks to those who stepped up and volunteered to be a living donor for me, I cannot tell you how your generous offers touched me and my family (I am crying at the thought as I type this line). But it is not to be.<br />
<br />
One of the few nice things about being ill the the outpouring of love and support that you receive (or at least that I've received) from my friends and family. Emails, cards, text messages, phone calls, unexpected visits, comments on Facebook/blogs/twitter. I read / listen-to every single one of them and while I cannot always reply, every one of them lifts my spirits and makes me realize how my life has touched others. I got one of the most heartwarming voicemails from someone I haven't worked with in several years just yesterday. I cried when I listened to it. It's been wonderful to have my parents so close (about 30 mins away) and I've gotten to see a lot of them both in the hospital and since. I talk to my brother in Michigan every week which certainly brightens my day. But most of the heavy lifting has rested on the shoulders of my amazing wife, Kristen. She is my wife, my home healthcare provider, and my savior at the moment. She is the strongest person I have ever met. I may not be lucky health-wise, but when it comes to choosing a spouse, I am truly the luckiest man alive. <br />
<br />
With two young children at home (ages 6 & 9) Kristen and I had to decide what to share, with whom, and when. We definitely didn't want them to find out about my diagnosis and prognosis by overhearing a conversation or piecing things together. So we decided to be honest with them and sat them down last weekend and just told them everything as clearly yet concisely as possible. They were upset of course, but I've been amazed at how adaptable children are. We can now talk about it as a family without any hushed tones or raised eyebrows. It's difficult to know for sure, but I think it was the right choice for us.<br />
<br />
As for work, I am fortunate to work for an employer (Pivotal) that provides life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance, and is generous on top of all that. I am not sure if I will return to work or not (or even whether I will be strong enough to have that option). I certainly gain a lot of my self worth and gain a lot of satisfaction from my work, so it could actually be theraputic for me. I'm currently on short-term disability insurance and will migrate to long-term disability when that runs out. I guess I will just have to wait and see whether returning to work is a real option for me.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
My prognosis is really difficult to determine. All you really have is the statistics, but all patients are individuals and have specific advantages and disadvantages that bias those statistics. For example, the 5 year survival rate for stage 4 colon cancer is about 6%. But, was the average patient age in that study 30 or 60? The average survival of a stage 4 colon cancer patient from diagnosis is just over 2 years. Am I on the high side or the low side of the bell curve? Who knows? Obviously, my PSC is a complicating factor that could have a negative effect on my survival rate. Then again, chemo may actually help my PSC in addition to slowing/stopping my tumor growth (according to my GI oncologist). So instead of focusing in on a date, I've decided to focus on living the rest of my life focused on the things that bring me joy in life. Starting with a 6 year old and a 9 year old who need their daddy.<br />
<br />
<br />Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-43632884683771889232014-08-26T21:59:00.001-04:002014-08-27T07:24:09.912-04:00Decided to top my January great scare performance this weekend.<p dir="ltr">A few of you may have heard that I have had a recent health scare.  If you read my prior post in January you learned about my PSC diagnosis and the challenges of liver transplantation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">This months edition will dip back over 2 decades ago when I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease.  In 1991 it was bit generally well known and there was no world wide web yet to learn about it.  It's an inflammatory bowel disease that can range from mild to terrifying.  Over the part few weeks I took that accelerated journey.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It started with a colangitis attack (liver infection) about 3 weeks back.  I took a well of antibiotics (yes, finishing entire bottle).  One of the dangers of antibiotics is a new infection that springs up right after the antibiotics stop...it s call "c diff" and it is incredibly dangerous.  I developed a c diff infection but didn't realize it for over a week (was traveling in California).  On Friday I got home to Atlanta and went to the doctor who confirmed her cdiff diagnosis over the weekend and got me started on new antibiotics.  Unfortunately, they didn't work in time and on Sunday night my colon perforated spilling the contents off my bowls into my abdomen.  On a pain scale of 1-10 this is a twelve.  I couldn't breath and thought I might suffocate.  It was 3 am and Kristen quickly got me to the e.r. where we waited in line (not patiently, but we waited).  I finally saw a doctor about 60 -90 minutes later and was told I needed surgery immediately.  Monday morning the removed my colon and have me a illeostomy bag that hangs from my abdomen.  Today I managed to get internet access and get my breathing tube removed.  It's still painful to talk much, but comments and email is welcome....but the single best thing you can do for me is fill this out.</p>
<p dir="ltr">http://organdonor.gov/becomingdonor/stateregistries.html</p>
<p dir="ltr">Thank you and I will add health updates here so that you don't have to learn by word of mouth.  </p>
<p dir="ltr">For those of you who dig scars here you go.  The loop goes around my belly button.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Love,<br>
<u>Matt</u></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHj24u6j1M7Ts-37VuZoO2iDACYoNZVEOgLA8Y1Ch6hYHNin3pkDypKFzTJyw0rLBZKXLq_-HKV12lhKXyJ0CWpuibjK7qwJH9M1rvhoPcPjuqtUL7WEt_ZwqO52wUv30wGLKx_kedtSy/s1600/20140826_223050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHj24u6j1M7Ts-37VuZoO2iDACYoNZVEOgLA8Y1Ch6hYHNin3pkDypKFzTJyw0rLBZKXLq_-HKV12lhKXyJ0CWpuibjK7qwJH9M1rvhoPcPjuqtUL7WEt_ZwqO52wUv30wGLKx_kedtSy/s640/20140826_223050.jpg"> </a> </div>Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-20470456281325236512014-01-27T12:07:00.001-05:002014-01-27T12:36:38.478-05:00My PSC Journey<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><b>Diagnosis</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">About three years ago, I received a diagnosis called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) which is a rare liver disease (affecting 3 out of every 100,000 people in the U.S.) without a known cause or cure. The disease prevents the bile that’s produced in the liver from properly draining into the small intestine. Without proper drainage, the bile buildup causes stones and cirrhosis of the liver, which will ultimately require a liver transplant to survive. Given the serious nature of the condition, I decided to share this information only with my immediate family (obviously, that has now changed).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><b>Cholangitis Attacks</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">As you might imagine, this news came as quite a shock to me and my family. But, I was asymptomatic at the time, so it was easy to live in denial for a while. About 6-9 months later I was on a business retreat in the mountains of Colorado when I suddenly felt very ill. Instead of participating in the meeting I slept for about 18-20 hours straight. I had no idea at the time that I was having a cholangitis attack (liver infection) and that my life was in danger without medical attention. Luckily, my body was able to fight off the infection and I returned home none-the-wiser. About a year later I was on vacation with my family at the beach and I had another cholangitis attack, this time I found my way to the emergency room and spent a week in the hospital recovering with the help of antibiotics.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><b>Proactive Monitoring & Therapy</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">I get pictures (MRCP) taken of my liver every so often by my heptologist to track the progression of my disease. A few months ago the pictures showed what appeared to be a lot of gall stones that had formed behind the strictures in my liver and my doctor was very surprised that I had not experienced more symptoms yet. He proposed that we insert a drainage tube through my ribs and into my liver that would help to drain out the bile and hopefully a lot of the gall stones. The tube would be taped to my side and i would come back to the hospital periodically over a period of 6 weeks where they would insert instruments into the tube and try to balloon strictures in my liver and remove gallstones. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><b>Recent Saga</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">On January 9th I checked into Emory Radiology for my procedure. When I came out of anesthesia I knew something was wrong. The amount of pain I was experiencing far exceeded what the doctors expected. After a couple of days in the hospital on narcotics I went home. Only to return 3 days later with uncontrollable pain. They did an MRI but could not determine the reason for the excessive pain. I was put on a narcotics cocktail of 3 drugs in an effort to control the pain. We then installed a 2nd liver drain in my abdomen with the hope that it might be less painful and we might be able to remove the 1st one. No such luck. Finally, we switched to plan B and used the drains to help guide an endoscope (tube that goes down your throat) into my primary bile duct and install a stent to improve the flow of bile from the liver into the small intestine. Once they installed the stent the doctors were able to remove the drains altogether (yippee). Finally pain free, I was able to go home after a 5 day stay in the hospital. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">Unfortunately, a few days later I developed a fever that progressed over the next 3-4 days until I was told to return to the hospital for treatment of a probable liver infection (a clear risk of the procedure, but not one that you expect to happen). So I’ve been hospitalized for the 3rd time in three weeks, this time with a cocktail of IV antibiotics to fight the liver infection. After 5 more days in the hospital it looks like I might be able to finally go home (fever free) with a PICC line installed so that I can administer my own IV antibiotics for the next 4-6 weeks. I’m writing this from my hospital room right now as I await the doctor’s decision.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><b>The Road Ahead</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">This will not be the last time I am hospitalized for PSC. I know this. But my hope is that we were able to clear away enough gallstones and sludge from my liver and balloon enough strictures during the procedures and the painful time that the drains were in that we have extended the life of my liver. Also, since I now have a stent inside my primary bile duct we should be able to conduct future therapies endoscopically (down my throat) rather than having to punch a new hole in me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">PSC is a strange disease. Some people need a liver transplant within 12 months of diagnosis and others spend 20 years or more with their original liver. There’s just so much variance that statistics aren’t much help. So, I will go on about my daily life until the next time that PSC decides that it’s time to remind me of it’s presence and we will deal with the challenges as they come. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">As word of my hospitalization spread I was asked continuously “what can I do to help?”. And I never knew what to tell them until now. You can be a hero and become an organ donor online right now, before you close your web browser. It takes 5 minutes. There are over 35,000 people waiting for a kidney and over 10,000 people waiting on a liver this very moment. On average, 18 people die every day waiting for an organ transplant. Take the 5 minutes now. Click a mouse, save a life, be a hero. Your organs aren’t much good to you once you’ve passed, but they are a source of hope for thousands who sit waiting for that miracle phone call “we have your new liver/heart/lung/kidney/etc" : </span><span style="color: #042eee; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><u>http://organdonor.gov/becomingdonor/stateregistries.html</u></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">The life you save could be mine. </span>Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-68789657473797106352013-12-03T17:45:00.001-05:002014-01-27T11:42:40.300-05:00Let the Games Begin : The Home Arcade ProjectI'm a child of the 80s. Break-dancing, rollerskates, neon, Hall & Oates, parachute pants, and most importantly, video games. My favorite place to go as a kid was the arcade. Dumping my entire allowance into machines one quarter at a time was a common occurrence. I turned 40 this year and while I have an Xbox360 and a Wii, I really longed to play the games of my youth. Several months ago I took my kids to a birthday party and the establishment had an <a href="http://arcadelegends.com/">Arcade Legends</a> full-size video game console that had dozens of games on it. Unfortunately, the $3000 price tag was a bit much for my taste. This began my quest for an alternative. After researching a half-dozen options I learned that the upkeep for real video game machines is non-trivial. Many of them have very old technology that requires specialized (expensive) service technicians and proprietary hardware. I was looking for nostalgia, not maintenance.
<br />
<br />
<b>The Research</b>
<br />
After many hours of reading forum posts I stumbled across a <a href="http://theath1ete.hubpages.com/hub/build-arcade">blogpost that described exactly what I was looking for</a>. I realized that I could emulate all of the arcade game systems as well as all of the home video game consoles from my youth by just installing a laptop into an arcade cabinet and connecting a specialized controller board (with two joysticks, buttons, and a rollerball) with a USB cable. This way, if anything goes wrong with the unit, I can fix it myself. In the blogpost the author refers to an <a href="http://www.recroommasters.com/x_arcade_p/rm-xt-arc-t.htm">Xtension Arcade Cabinet</a> that is essentially a cabinet kit that is all pre-cut and pre-drilled so that all you have to do is provide the computer hardware & software. I filled out the online order form and was just about to click the payment button when I hesitated at the shipping cost. Out of curiosity I clicked on the "About Us" link on the manufacturer's website and realized that they are less than 30 minutes away from me. I emailed the company and asked if I could come pickup the order to save the shipping cost and they assured me that it would be no problem. They even had display models so that I could try out different sizes and options before deciding which unit to purchase.<br />
<br />
<b>The Hardware</b>
<br />
While I was looking at the display models I opted to add a few upgrades to my original purchase. First, I purchased a <a href="http://www.recroommasters.com/Premium_XL_Xtension_Arcade_Cabinet_p/rm-xt-arc-prem.htm">slightly larger cabinet</a> than I had originally intended because I wanted plenty of room at the console for two player gaming. It cost about $100 more but it also included a backlit header (which doesn't seem like a big difference in the website pictures, but looks so much cooler in person) which is a $50 upgrade when buying the smaller model. Next, I noticed that some of the cabinets had real working coinslots in them. I opted for the coinslots instead of the simple flat black front ( <a href="http://www.xgaming.com/store/arcade-parts-and-accessories/product/arcade-machine-coin-door-led-coin-mech/">purchased separately from xgaming.com</a>). The actual board that houses the joysticks/buttons/trackball called a <a href="http://www.xgaming.com/store/arcade-joysticks-and-game-controllers/product/x-arcade-tankstick-includes-usb-cables/">Tankstick</a> had to be purchased separately as well. It is essentially a keyboard that connects to your computer via USB or PS/2 ports. Finally, I really loved the custom graphics on the display models so I purchased graphics for the header and a matching graphic overlay for the joystick/controller board. I had some old LCD monitors that I had intended to use in the cabinet, but the larger (XL) cabinet holds a 27" monitor (instead of a 24") so I purchased this new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007BZ1092/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1">27" monitor on Amazon</a>. The cabinet requires a monitor with power and inputs on the bottom because of the mounting system. The only thing left to find was a computer to actually power the unit. My father had purchased a used IBM Thinkpad T42 for $200 several years ago and the display was cracked so he generously donated the laptop to the project.
<br />
<br />
<b>The Software</b>
<br />
The problem with using a PC and emulators for a game cabinet is the end-user experience. Seeing a Windows desktop as you switch games or emulators requires you to suspend the fantasy that this is an actual arcade machine. Enter <a href="http://www.maximus-arcade.com/">Maximus Arcade</a>. This simple piece of software provides a slick user interface that allows you to switch between different game emulators (Nintendo, Sega, Atari, MAME, etc) and then select a specific game (called ROMs) to play within that emulator. All without ever touching a keyboard or using a mouse. The simplicity of this user gameplay experience comes at the cost of many many hours of configuration and troubleshooting. Maximus Arcade does not include any emulators, so each emulator must be located, downloaded, configured, and then integrated into Maximus Arcade individually. Easier said than done. While this isn't necessarily the fault of Maximus Arcade (afterall, there are dozens of emulators to integrate with), but the documentation could be MUCH better. I configured and integrated the following emulators : NES, Super NES, N64, Atari 2600, and MAME. But I must admit, that once it was finished, the software worked exceptionally well.<br />
<br />
<b>The Cost</b>
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<!--StartFragment-->
<colgroup><col style="width: 65pt;" width="65"></col>
<col style="mso-width-alt: 5162; mso-width-source: userset; width: 151pt;" width="151"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="15" style="height: 15.0pt; width: 65pt;" width="65">$500 </td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; width: 151pt;" width="151">cabinet</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="15" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;">$35 </td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;">coin slot</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="15" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;">$70 </td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;">graphic
header/overlay</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="15" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;">$200 </td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;">tankstick</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="15" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;">$200 </td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;">monitor</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="15" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;">$25 </td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;">Maximus Arcade</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="15" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;">$0 </td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;">free laptop **</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="15" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;">$30 </td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;">shipping*</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="15" style="border-top: none; height: 15.0pt;">$72 </td>
<td class="xl67" style="border-left: none; border-top: none;">sales tax</td>
</tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="15" style="height: 15.0pt;"><b>$1,132 </b></td>
<td class="xl63"><b>TOTAL</b></td>
</tr>
<!--EndFragment-->
</tbody></table>
<br />
* actual shipping cost for everything would have been $110 if I had not picked it up cabinet myself<br />
** obviously, you may not have a free spare computer so this may be a significant cost<br />
<br />
<b>The Lessons Learned</b>
<br />
<ol>
<li>The <a href="http://www.recroommasters.com/%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cb%3EThe%20Result%3C/b%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cb%3EThe%20Result%3C/b%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Ca%20href=" http:="" www.recroommasters.com="">Xtension cabinet</a> saved me so much time/effort vs building from scratch or rehabbing an old cabinet. Not to mention, I met the guy (Wayne) who runs that small business and he's extremely nice and helpful. Highly recommended!</li>
<li>There are speaker slots up behind the backlit header but no instructions. There is a black piece of wood that covers those speaker slots included in the cabinet kit. My only conclusion was that the speaker slots were purely for decoration.</li>
<li>The florescent light behind the header cannot be removed/replaced without disassembling the cabinet. In order to reduce the frequency of this, go buy an extra powerstrip with an on/off switch so you can turn the backlight off without powering down the PC and mount it to the back of the cabinet.</li>
<li>While the Tankstick is defaulted to use default MAME emulator keystrokes with the NUMLOCK key ON, I have found that <a href="http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=104360.0">this causes some games to not exit properly</a>. I had to remove NUMLOCK and remap my games to use the Tankstick </li>
<li>The Tankstick is a really nice keyboard emulator, but don't bother trying to custom program it. The moment you turn off the PC the keys all revert to their default values until you lift the Tankstick out of the cabinet to press a hidden button (poor design). Map all of your emulators to the Tankstick's default key mappings</li>
<li>The coinslot comes with no instructions. There is a single diagram on the manufacturer website that is not very helpful. You must remove the bottom panel of the tankstick (6 screws) to attach the cords from the coinslot. Trial & error to determine which cable goes where. Coinslot also does not come with anything to catch the quarters!</li>
<li>Google is your friend. When you come across weird idiosyncrasies that don't make sense, start trolling the message boards comment threads for solutions (like the NUMLOCK issue above).</li>
<li>Download the emulators and the game ROMs together from a torrent server. Otherwise you will find yourself spending HOURS trying to figure out the nuances of how to get your ROMS to be recognized by the specific version of the emulator you are using. I tried five different MAME emulators before getting one that worked reliably. (note: legally speaking you must pay for all ROMs/games that you use. I will leave that exercise to you. I am simply pointing out the simplest method of configuring those ROMs/games to work with your emulator of choice.)</li>
<li>Mapping emulator buttons is kind of a pain. Decide which emulators you want to include. Research the buttons on the original controllers. Decide how to provide the best consistency for the Tankstick and write them on the diagrams included in the Tankstick manual.</li>
<li>Install and configure each emulator independently before trying to integrate it into Maximus Arcade.</li>
<li>Configure each emulator to "Close all additional processes started during launch" in the "Configuration" tab of Maximus Arcade's "Preferences" interface (CTRL-P). This ensures that exits happen cleanly.</li>
<li>To configure MAME from within a game hit the TAB key on the keyboard and follow the menus.</li>
<li>Plan to devote dozens of hours to this project over a multi-week period if you are not already very familiar with emulators.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<b>The Result</b>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaG5NFytTxqY30GFkQ7ursxssHih_BBYa1DEb4qSiUZuNqEnd6t_aKJ5MOy0N4ug0qP3nWO8Lqp09h2n2QbW2UADV1FSryxGHwQDFKTMQOGciq_17Ols8ddTRZfDevjNYC-JiDYI9HLeh4/s1600/20130920_125552.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaG5NFytTxqY30GFkQ7ursxssHih_BBYa1DEb4qSiUZuNqEnd6t_aKJ5MOy0N4ug0qP3nWO8Lqp09h2n2QbW2UADV1FSryxGHwQDFKTMQOGciq_17Ols8ddTRZfDevjNYC-JiDYI9HLeh4/s400/20130920_125552.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuNZbUazcr48ATE0RUdjdAim_rxp4qJPfdXPsa_51e9qHanxKzYIRG6DOObIBzw1XBIYrUnmh2weI73hPNAFf1NXMJE4zyOqGBNagix5gm9IhcnQnhUe-I4cVigSS5hndmbB31M9AlUgC/s1600/20131203_165830.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuNZbUazcr48ATE0RUdjdAim_rxp4qJPfdXPsa_51e9qHanxKzYIRG6DOObIBzw1XBIYrUnmh2weI73hPNAFf1NXMJE4zyOqGBNagix5gm9IhcnQnhUe-I4cVigSS5hndmbB31M9AlUgC/s400/20131203_165830.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nVN08bo-LiA3qbDgrzDn0WABA0lzafeY1F7A4Gx9QVeXwNN_PAqeOx0tIQKn_qVlAVcTa0tfiVNtcYT9Zc4zvsycrDqa0QUJYu4PJgp0fz31u15cbarGPAnUE232raTIewiaEePfmXND/s1600/20131203_165740.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nVN08bo-LiA3qbDgrzDn0WABA0lzafeY1F7A4Gx9QVeXwNN_PAqeOx0tIQKn_qVlAVcTa0tfiVNtcYT9Zc4zvsycrDqa0QUJYu4PJgp0fz31u15cbarGPAnUE232raTIewiaEePfmXND/s400/20131203_165740.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6H9-iAru6IH2Py4-nB3yWKgM6gGGOfgqitOlB1VKWLHOE7xnfasmjjAwgxnfnPZdXWReSv3PkU7ErhsdubVB5h2NvJ0tQr27fVkqfH62IQEpD5tKskGVJ0WRSwFCxoyUNlRW89od1FX3/s1600/20131203_165728.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6H9-iAru6IH2Py4-nB3yWKgM6gGGOfgqitOlB1VKWLHOE7xnfasmjjAwgxnfnPZdXWReSv3PkU7ErhsdubVB5h2NvJ0tQr27fVkqfH62IQEpD5tKskGVJ0WRSwFCxoyUNlRW89od1FX3/s400/20131203_165728.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5Vywl5d7GhDl0gxLOj5bYbExi3jP1Zjepn-lvvrcqvgUHWCcbOpxEBX528RVNJB4PFi4QY2tAPwGr9lo0CDuAqWV13e_2tRAkSh6IBrhYlNG0nm_3I1za6C03K4nhpOd6udWY-iEw0Zx/s1600/20131203_165711.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5Vywl5d7GhDl0gxLOj5bYbExi3jP1Zjepn-lvvrcqvgUHWCcbOpxEBX528RVNJB4PFi4QY2tAPwGr9lo0CDuAqWV13e_2tRAkSh6IBrhYlNG0nm_3I1za6C03K4nhpOd6udWY-iEw0Zx/s400/20131203_165711.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif54GZLo5mNC4hpbf_zHHNy4mw2ULNXWDIKS7ZYR1P8PE37WqYgL2o9ucdzsW80GzdXXyEUe5gN_l7r77ll-VJ3Gbeuy2uJWYNKf-y7P-bEmrtFFPkHsNEif5iwoszdSSdjyLj-6tS36u2/s1600/20131203_165649.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif54GZLo5mNC4hpbf_zHHNy4mw2ULNXWDIKS7ZYR1P8PE37WqYgL2o9ucdzsW80GzdXXyEUe5gN_l7r77ll-VJ3Gbeuy2uJWYNKf-y7P-bEmrtFFPkHsNEif5iwoszdSSdjyLj-6tS36u2/s400/20131203_165649.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84eXzqxrn9zqaDeMTEeHNLhMrmv84owOTfVWX7wkwxxWTzmCcAK3iSrkeIRirSZV1r0nZSAEXpg0ansGQAlU3WZKSCvVKab8L9euPqsJsRlEk6Yn6v7Q-fEmm7ejVFphcmxqZxWqf1rkX/s1600/20131203_165640.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84eXzqxrn9zqaDeMTEeHNLhMrmv84owOTfVWX7wkwxxWTzmCcAK3iSrkeIRirSZV1r0nZSAEXpg0ansGQAlU3WZKSCvVKab8L9euPqsJsRlEk6Yn6v7Q-fEmm7ejVFphcmxqZxWqf1rkX/s400/20131203_165640.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGpDb-YZetXt4qQ9GiWljSaLj5hcHWAJ0WVGz9BBbGYqWS8Hzaw-7lzH4aurmEYRpn3Y0w9kGuNbjF4srXYoHFdmXf2Gyrc2OqcMnKI17fdSclZb7HKvcZ9wFoNY8XYgkxWNzSZPWLivL/s1600/20131203_165634.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGpDb-YZetXt4qQ9GiWljSaLj5hcHWAJ0WVGz9BBbGYqWS8Hzaw-7lzH4aurmEYRpn3Y0w9kGuNbjF4srXYoHFdmXf2Gyrc2OqcMnKI17fdSclZb7HKvcZ9wFoNY8XYgkxWNzSZPWLivL/s400/20131203_165634.jpg" /></a>
<br />
note: The coinslot was on backorder when I first wrote this, so you can see a sticker in place of the coinslot in some of the pics. But here's a pick with the completely functional coinslot installed (only relevant for MAME):
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxx8w2l359kyB4CGDzK0Jf50Jw6WNzE1uExrTC0xXMPTC3a3a3JKR3yARf4orbMnl3fYCX3rXtSkEFeqnTuMfySE-tVid0Vj5jz00CMqHwWYI4UZwv_JTIxFaos4Bz9knmjkNOH4LPE_y/s1600/20131206_211250.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxx8w2l359kyB4CGDzK0Jf50Jw6WNzE1uExrTC0xXMPTC3a3a3JKR3yARf4orbMnl3fYCX3rXtSkEFeqnTuMfySE-tVid0Vj5jz00CMqHwWYI4UZwv_JTIxFaos4Bz9knmjkNOH4LPE_y/s320/20131206_211250.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<b>The Conclusion</b>
<br />
This was a labor of love for me, but it was definitely worth both the time and the money spent. Not only do I get to play these classic games, but I get to share them with my own children. I even got my wife (not much of a gamer outside of Halo) hooked on the classic Tapper arcade game. If you are a nostalgic child of the 80s like me, and you have a bit of spare cash and some free time... I highly recommend taking the plunge.Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-83028526047393810422009-02-11T01:08:00.012-05:002012-03-28T09:49:20.228-04:00How to Prioritize AnythingIt's always difficult to prioritize lists that are longer than 3-5 elements because it's just too much data for most people to process. I've struggled with this problem in several forms over the years, from choosing a job offer out of college to ranking my direct reports to prioritizing feature requests for a software product. Somebody along the way figured out that if you ask people to just decide the priority of two choices multiple times then you can calculate the relative priority of an entire list... it's called "<a href="http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_02.htm">Paired Comparison Analysis</a>".<br /><br />I remember seeing this approach when we took my firstborn to get his baby pictures. They take over a hundred digital pictures of your kid and then display them on a big flatscreen and you are supposed to pick five. Getting down to about 10 is pretty easy (eyes closed, screaming, etc), but choosing those final 5 from the 10 is actually really difficult. So they pull up just two pictures at a time and ask you to choose between the two. They repeat this many times until your 5 become obvious. The efficiency of this approach is brilliant because the faster the parents choose, the more customers the studio can serve.<br /><br />While the photo studio example is purely binary, a more sophisticated variant allows me to specify degree (e.g. I like this one twice as much as that one). This is overkill for some use-cases but can be valuable in more complex situations. I found some <a href="http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/worksheets/PairedComparisonWorksheet.pdf">tools</a> to enable this, but they required me to manually compute the score for each of the elements manually. Being a techie I found this to be just silly.<br /><br />I built a spreadsheet which automatically calculate the scores for each element. Each element is listed down the left-hand side and repeated along the top. The bottom triangle of the grid is blanked out to avoid duplicate comparisons.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0hVrD9Z93aAf2jjBJxB3WK6fdToYyjKYu6s4yK3y-aTG78pby6es_-sOxahHpBlnapA9mwairP5XGt6D60zE-YXbtMJiKpVnsYp0FS5h4OzOyt4-pCk_7U9RG57hWJwQD2jIzEzHI9MM/s1600-h/foo.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0hVrD9Z93aAf2jjBJxB3WK6fdToYyjKYu6s4yK3y-aTG78pby6es_-sOxahHpBlnapA9mwairP5XGt6D60zE-YXbtMJiKpVnsYp0FS5h4OzOyt4-pCk_7U9RG57hWJwQD2jIzEzHI9MM/s400/foo.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307721417484950034" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When the element on the left is better than the element on top you enter a positive number in the grid. When the element on top is better you enter a negative number. You could use the same spreadsheet to do simple binary comparisons just using the values one and negative one. If you feel that the comparison is a tie just enter zero. The scores for each element are displayed on the far left. Once you have completed scoring just sort the spreadsheet by the score.<br /><br />If you'd like to try it for yourself you can <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/file/z204sx44kp8b448/proiritize.xls">download my spreadsheet here</a>.Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-80056728065985766572008-12-22T00:48:00.011-05:002010-01-13T14:12:19.849-05:00Happy Holidays<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOw_OsPXlXuvyqMqbMbTY0tmGgYgPofBR8g9_Olj3DeHtwHmNhRvl3rsSSS-frASdivNh-AXJ9VzO1xX2IGW951z7S-sBYhY3R_gx7WEY4X1FkELoeqtV5I5-aDxhsIxS2MaPIQfh32Ckc/s1600-h/card08.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOw_OsPXlXuvyqMqbMbTY0tmGgYgPofBR8g9_Olj3DeHtwHmNhRvl3rsSSS-frASdivNh-AXJ9VzO1xX2IGW951z7S-sBYhY3R_gx7WEY4X1FkELoeqtV5I5-aDxhsIxS2MaPIQfh32Ckc/s400/card08.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282655248545016866" border="0" /></a><br /><br />2008 has been an exciting year for the Quinlan household as we <a href="http://mattquinlan.blogspot.com/2008/05/happy-birthday-carson.html">welcomed Carson Michael Quinlan to the family on May 21st</a>. Carson is just starting to roll over on his own and is babbling constantly (I think he may have said DaDa, but it's hard to tell). Evan has adapted well to his new sibling and enjoys telling everyone "that's baby Carson, he's my brother!"<br /><br />Kristen has returned to work part-time at <a href="http://yourckvc.com/">Crabapple Knoll Veterinary Clinic</a> where she co-manages inventory. She looks forward to returning back to full veterinary technician duty sometime next year. In the meantime she has been managing our basement remodeling project which should be finished in time for Christmas.<br /><br />In February Matt said goodbye to <a href="http://www.jboss.com/">JBoss</a>/RedHat after 3.5 years and joined a small software startup in Atlanta called <a href="http://www.appcelerator.com/">Appcelerator</a>. Unfortunately, in the fall Appcelerator <a href="http://blog.jeffhaynie.us/tough-times-tough-decisions.html">relocated to Silicon Valley</a>, so Matt joined up with some of his old JBoss pals at <a href="http://www.loopfuse.com/">LoopFuse</a>. Matt's parents are only 20-30 minutes away so we get together with them often.<br /><br />The pets are all happy and healthy (Tika, Chloe, Elijah, Wink, and Nougat) and continue to clog our vaccum cleaner as always :)<br /><br />Happy Holidays!<br />Matt, Kristen, Evan, and CarsonMatthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-87507057761935225292008-12-19T18:59:00.002-05:002008-12-19T19:04:34.908-05:00MacBook Air Wireless Dropouts FIXED!After 10 months of watching my wireless connection drop out randomly (and usually at the most inopportune times) I have finally found a solution. So for anyone else out there running WinXP on a MacBook (BootCamp, Fusion, or Parallels) let me save you the 10+ hours of frustration and point you directly to the solution.<br /><br /><a href="http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=8471704#8471704">You just need to replace the wireless drivers with the Broadcom drivers provided by HP.</a><br /><br />Voila!Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-33145114456564534322008-12-16T17:20:00.005-05:002008-12-19T18:56:19.330-05:00Next Stop... LoopfuseWhile I have certainly enjoyed my <a href="http://blog.jeffhaynie.us/tough-times-tough-decisions.html">post-Appcelerator vacation</a>, it's time for me to return to the working world. Many of my friends have suggested that I might get a "real job" at a large established company instead of playing the startup game (again). But I'm not convinced that there is any more stability in Fortune 500 companies than anywhere else given the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2008/11/17/layoff-tracker-unemployement-lead-cx_kk_1118tracker.html">rash of layoffs</a> at large companies. Especially since large company layoffs tend to be governed by seniority while smaller companies are more focused on "who do we need to survive".<br /><br />I am thrilled to be joining up with some of my former JBoss colleagues (Roy Russo, Tom Elrod, and Frank Merenda) over at <a href="http://www.loopfuse.com/">Loopfuse</a> and will serve as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. LoopFuse provides a marketing and sales automation suite offering organizations the ability to generate leads from their website, score and route leads, marketing campaign capabilities, full web analytics support, and full CRM integration. This is all provided in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_as_a_service">SAAS</a> model so our customers don't need to install, maintain, or support any additional hardware or software.<br /><br />If your company relies on it's website for a significant portion of your sales leads and you don't have an <span style="font-weight: bold;">automated</span> system to identify, score, assign, track, nurture, and analyze your leads for you, then you have been missing out. Drop me an email at mquinlan-at-loopfuse.com and I will give you an overview.<br /><br />Sorry kids, daddy has to stop playing and start paying for your tuition again :)<br /><br />-Quin'Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-47760694459568147222008-10-21T16:54:00.008-04:002008-10-21T17:11:01.051-04:00AjaxWorld - San Jose 2008For the past week I have been laser focused on preparing for my <a href="http://ajaxoct08.sys-con.com/general/sessiondetail1008.htm?id=107">presentation at AjaxWorld</a> on rapid prototypting for rich internet applications. I always seem to underestimate the amount of effort it takes to build a really compelling presentation and therefore I always end up making tweaks up until the very last minute. Maybe I'm just never satisfied and believe that it could be just a little bit better. Lucky for me it seemed to work.<br /><br />The presentation generated an amazing response. About 50 people came up to me during the conference telling me how much they enjoyed the presentation and that I had crystalized their challenges and provided an interesting solution simultaneously. The Appcelerator booth was overwhelmed by people wanting to learn more about our technology. Personally, it's incredibly satisfying when you realize that you've really made a connection with your audience.<br /><br />Later in the evening I was able to participate in a panel discussion about "The Future of Rich Media and Content Across All Four Screens". At first I had no idea what the concept of "four screens" meant. They are (supposedly) : the theater, the TV, the computer, and the phone/handheld. Each representing their own experience and their own idiosynchrasies. At the end the question was posed "Would your recommend Computer Science as a degree to your child?" Initially I simply answered "no" and tried to leave it at that with no explanation (b/c it was kind of humorous) but when pressed I passionately argued that <rant> computer science curriculums have NOT kept up with the pace of innovation happening in the software world and that our CS students would be MUCH better served learning SQL than learning RS/JK edge-trigged flip-flops.</rant><br /><br />Overall, I've really enjoyed the conference so far.Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-63494139071703181212008-10-16T18:35:00.004-04:002008-10-16T19:40:26.593-04:00What's next for Quin?I have been incredibly fortunate during my career and I can say that I have very few regrets. From <a href="http://www.tallan.com">Tallan</a> (including <a href="http://www.carmax.com">Carmax</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_America">ValueAmerica,</a> & <a href="http://on2.com/">On2</a>) to <a href="http://www.interwoven.com">Interwoven</a> to <a href="http://www.jboss.com">JBoss</a>/<a href="http://www.redhat.com">RedHat</a> to <a href="http://www.appcelerator.org">Appcelerator</a> it has been an amazing ride. However, today I am pondering my next move. As some of you may have heard Appcelerator has recently <a href="http://blog.jeffhaynie.us/tough-times-tough-decisions.html">decided to close the Atlanta office</a> so I am soon to be unemployed. <br /><br />I am looking for a senior technical management or evangelism position in the Atlanta area with a maximum of 25% travel. I have a home office now so I can work from home if necessary. I haven't gotten around to revising my resume yet (do people still bother?) but my <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattquinlan">work history</a> can be found on linked in. If you know of any good opportunities for me please send me an email (matt-at-quinlan-dot-net) or <a href="http://twitter.com/mattquinlan">tweet me</a>. If you have already given me a job lead, my sincerest thanks. <br /><br />Cheers!<br />-Quin'Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-77581947259108022582008-10-13T13:38:00.001-04:002008-10-13T13:39:43.308-04:00Get "Rich" Quick : Rapid Prototyping for Rich Internet Applications<strong>It's the GUI stupid!</strong><br /><br />Many years ago, I consulted for a large semi-conductor company during the early stages of a software project. They had a highly detailed and fairly rigid process for software projects that started with a complete requirements document based on an extremely verbose and granular template. As the project progressed and I saw the size of the document balloon from 50 pages to more than 200 pages, I had the realization that this document would never be read by ANYONE from beginning to end. The business owners who were responsible for ensuring that the requirements fit their actual business needs were completely overwhelmed by the document's size and complexity. Six months later the business users were given their shiny new software and they were disappointed that the software didn't match their expectations.<br /><br />In reality, the software was a very solid effort that met all of the requirements specified in the document. However, business users had no ability to read the requirements document and imagine what the user interface might look like for the requirements provided. I remember feeling that the business owners didn't know what they really wanted and feeling resentful of that fact. In retrospect, I realize that almost nobody knows exactly what they want, until they see it. Why? Because to a user, the interface IS the software. Concepts like data models, middleware, rules engines, LDAP, and SSL have no real meaning outside of us techies.<br /><br />So how do we avoid this? Is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development">Agile Development</a> the answer? Agile is definitely a step in the right direction. It codifies the practices that had evolved in the most successful and most productive software development teams of the 1990s. However, we need more. We need to enable our development teams to prototype the user interface quickly and easily so that users can actually see (better yet, use) the software EARLY in the process. In web 1.0 this was a fairly straightforward effort of building static HTML wireframes. The problem was that this work was largely throwaway b/c they had to be rebuilt as servlets, JSPs, ASPs, PHPs, etc.<br /><br />As our web applications become more sophisticated this approach starts to break down even further. Today, rich internet applications include syndicated content, widgets, DOM manipulation, Ajax calls, and often a substantial amount of JavaScript. Static wireframes just cannot easily emulate this kind of rich user experience accurately.<br /><br /><strong>What If?</strong><br /><br />What if you could build the user interface prototype in a matter of days or weeks without a single line of server-side code or even a datamodel? What if the business owner could not only play with this prototype, but also provide context specific feedback seamlessly while exploring the prototype? Finally, what if the prototype wasn't a prototype at all, but was the actual user-interface of the final product (zero throwaway code)... even if you haven't decided which server-side technology you want to use (Java, .Net, Ruby, PHP, Python, Perl)?<br /><br />This is exactly how we develop software for our consulting customers today using the Appcelerator platform. We've been doing this for over a year now, but we haven't really given it a name until recently. We call it "Interactive Use-Cases". Essentially, we skip the entire functional requirements definition phase and move directly from use-cases to working prototype! This is only possible because of the advantages that the Appcelerator platform provides us. Let me explain.<br /><br /><strong>Technological Enablers</strong><br /><br />First, Appcelerator's widget library, <a href="http://doc.appcelerator.org/overview/web_expression_language/index.html">web expression language</a>, and <a href="http://doc.appcelerator.org/overview/ria_messaging_basics/index.html">message-oriented architecture</a> were designed to enable web developers to build UIs with the minimal amount of code (read: JavaScript) possible. As an example, Ajaxian's Dion Almaer posted a small interactive web page on <a href="http://almaer.com/blog/enjoying-the-observer-pattern-with-custom-events#comment-39349">his blog</a> and invited people to port it to their favorite JavaScript framework. Compare the ViewSource of the <a href="http://google-ajax-examples.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/customevents/appcelerator.html">Appcelerator version</a> to those of the <a href="http://google-ajax-examples.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/customevents/index.html">other frameworks</a>. More app + less code = better productivity.<br /><br />Second, the fact that you are not generating your HTML from server-side scripts frees you from the wasted effort associated with building throwaway static wireframes. Build applications as Ajax enabled .html files which dynamically pull data/content from the server and (re)render those sections of the page accordingly.<br /><br />Third, our message-oriented architecture is ideal when prototyping because message subscribers in the browser do not care about the source of their messages (that's the point of publish/subscribe architectures). So build the entire user interface with the exact messaging code that they will need for production use. But instead of building a datamodel, DAO objects, DTOs, business logic, and such to provide the actual service implementations, just add a single line to your webapp to include a single JavaScript file containing mock implementations of these backend services. In 90% of the cases you can mock that service with a <a href="http://appcelerator.pastebin.com/f1c9bd53e">couple lines of JavaScript</a> that generates a JSON message with a mock payload.<br /><br />My favorite part about this approach is that once you have gotten sign-off from the business owners, you can remove a single line from the application and all of the mock services have now been turned off. And the server-side programmers have a complete contract of every service which needs to be developed along with test data. Even better, they can choose to implement those services in any language they prefer because the UI is just producing/consuming JSON.<br /><br />Fourth, thanks to a recent enhancement by <a href="http://www.appcelerator.org/profile?id=29">Andrew Zuercher</a>, we can easily collect user feedback on our user interface prototype by passing an additional URL parameter which highlights the border of any HTML control on mouseOver. By CTRL-clicking on any highlighted element a feedback dialog box appears that includes the specific page and HTML control being commented on. Users can see other users comments so that feedback effort isn't duplicated. UI elements that already have comments are indicated with red borders.<br /><br /><a href='http://www.appcelerant.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/annotate.png'><img src="http://www.appcelerant.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/annotate.png" alt="annotated web page screenshot" title="annotate" width="486" height="471" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-75" /></a><br /><br />Everyone knows that prototyping is a valuable exercise that improves the likelihood that the business users will be satisfied with the end-product. However, the limitations of web technology have made it prohibitively expensive and time consuming for all but the most critical web projects...... until now.Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-62705216369178365602008-10-13T13:36:00.004-04:002008-10-13T13:38:17.600-04:00The Effects of Open-Source on RecruitingThis is the first of a series of blogposts in which I will explore the impact of an open-source business model on different aspects of a software company. During my tenure at both JBoss and Red Hat and now at my current employer Appcelerator, I have witnessed these sometimes subtle, often dramatic, effects from finance to sales to engineering to IT to support to marketing to legal to human resources. Everyone is affected in an open-source company. <br /><br />I have always enjoyed technical recruiting. Probably a result of my first employer (Tallan) emphasizing the importance of everyone participating in the recruiting process. The company actually tracked statistics on which employees had passed/failed interviewees and the success/failure of those interviewees who were actually hired. There were no direct financial rewards for being the best interviewer, but there were definitely some bragging rights. It was during this time that I realized just how different hardcore technical recruiting is from almost any other position. When companies hire accountants, managers, lawyers, marketers, and salespeople, so much of the decision was based upon a candidate's history, his/her personality, and his/her attitude. However, when a company is trying to fill a highly technical position, the VAST majority of the decision (hopefully) falls on his/her technical accumen. Technical recruiting is different... and for good reason.<br /><br />One of the most difficult challenges facing companies who need to fill highly technical positions is to accurately assess a candidate's skillset and knowledge. Notice that I distinguish between knowledge and skills. While I do actually understand the bodily mechanics, balance, and coordination necessary to dunk a basketball... I still do not possess the athletic skill to do so. Oftentimes, the HR department won't even attempt to evaluate the technical aptitude of a candidate, just assuming that the candidate's proficiency on any technical skill listed on the resume is likely to be sufficient for the position's requirements. That's not a dig on HR, how on earth would we expect them to evaluate whether a candidate who lists Oracle as a skill is capable of installing Oracle, designing datamodels, or tuning Oracle databases? It takes a rockstar to know one ("...it's just a handful of people in the world who can tell the difference between you and me. But I'm one of them." - from Goodwill Hunting). When companies do actually attempt to assess technical talent it is often conducted haphazardly by someone who would rather be coding than interviewing candidates. Either way, the result is that the quality of technical talent within an organization fluctuates more than the price of crude oil. And because companies loathe the concept of shedding weak talent, mediocrity becomes the accepted standard.<br /><br /><strong>Enter open-source.</strong><br /><br />The introduction of open-source into a software company's business model adds a new way to evaluate the technical accumen of potential hires. When looking to add new members to the team, no talent pool can compare with the members of that project's open-source community. Rather than conducting a series of interviews to determine the best candidate, you can easily see who the most engaged, most insightful, and most talented community members are based on their comments, their posts, their blogs, and their code contributions. This approach to recruiting results in a ruthlessly efficient "weedout" process allowing a company to easily identify the best possible candidates. Much like the ability of open-source software to prove it's value before a company invests in support, this model requires a job candidate to prove his/her value prior to consideration. <br /><br />During my tenure at JBoss I specifically remember that the HR department was not allowed to interview or source candidates for positions on the core development team. You first had to be a contributor. And if your contributions showed that you were a rockstar, then we would send you an email and ask if you would like to make your hobby into your job. Few people declined because it gives them a chance to work on something they are personally interested in (which isn't necessarily true for most programmers).<br /><br />Next week, Appcelerator will have our first official hire directly from our community. Kevin Whinnery (formerly of Lawson Software) will be joining our team as an evangelist. Kevin has been one of our most active members to date and is in the process of writing a book about Appcelerator. This is a perfect example of someone who clearly proved their worth in advance... and we are thrilled to have him coming aboard. Welcome to Appcelerator Kevin! Are you next?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.appcelerant.com/effects-of-open-source-on-recruiting.html">REPOSTED from Appcelerant.com</a>Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-76385170270732742362008-08-18T14:12:00.002-04:002008-08-18T14:37:53.482-04:00Google Alerts via RSSI am trying to become a more efficient consumer of news and information. I was a bit late coming to the RSS party, mostly because I didn't truly realize the value it could create. However, once I started using RSS it became a passion of mine. I found it incredibly valuable to have my news & information delivered to me rather than having to go find it constantly (which always drops off when I get busy).<br /><br />I found lots of cool tools that allow me to mix RSS, and filter RSS, and generally create mashups (more on this in future post). However, the one itch I could not scratch was the ability to consume my <a href="http://www.google.com/alerts/">Google Alerts</a> as an RSS feed. It seemed ridiculous to me that I couldn't find a little RSS icon anywhere on the Google Alerts page. <br /><br />Luckily, after much searching, I found someone who had noticed that the URLs for individual Google Alerts looked a lot like those for Google News. So here's the scoop, if you want your Google Alerts as an RSS feed:<br /><br />1. Goto <a href="http://news.google.com">Google News</a> and enter the query that you would want to use for your Alert. <br />2. Look at the URL that is created as a result and pull out the q=______ section (hint: this is your querystring)<br />3. Add the querystring onto the following URL:<br />http://news.google.com/news?output=rss&q=________<br /><br />Obviously replace the ________ with your querystring from step 2.... and Voila! You now have an RSS feed to import into Google Reader or whatever reader you prefer.Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-15238516102929180562008-08-18T10:05:00.006-04:002008-08-18T10:38:40.529-04:00Outlook : Hazy with a chance of PainThis morning I booted up my laptop and launched Outlook to pull up my calendar and task list (one of my favorite Outlook features) and plan out my day. However, my expectations were quickly dashed when Outlook informed me that it "Cannot open your default e-mail folders. The file c:\Documents and Settings\mquinlan\Local Settings\Appclication Data\Microsoft\Outlook\outlook0.ost cannot be accessed. You must connect to Microsoft Exchange at least once before you can use your offline folder file." and then closed immediately upon clicking the OK button.<br /><br />Now I'm actually a big fan of Outlook, when I was working for RedHat and switched my laptop over to Linux I was forced to live without Outlook for more than a year and I must admit that the alternatives (Thunderbird and Evolution) are complete crap. Yes, Thunderbird is fine for email only users. But if you actually need to run your life in your PIM and you need something simple like calendaring support... you are stuck using buggy 3rd party extensions like Lightning. So needless to say, one of my favorite aspects of leaving RedHat was to return to my previous level of personal productivity through Outlook. Or so I had hoped.<br /><br />Now on to debugging the problem. I've checked to ensure that the file it references does indeed exist. I've even temporarily removed the file so that Outlook might recreate it from the server-side (Exchange). But no luck. I'll post the resolution here once I figure it out. Not because anyone reading this is likely to benefit, but more likely that I will stumble across this again in 12-24 months and not be able to remember how to fix it and this will be my documentation.<br /><br />Update: Looks like the problem wasn't Outlook, but rather another piece of software which I use to sync Outlook's calendars with Google calendar. While Google provides a free piece of software to do this, it is only capable of syncing your main Outlook calendar and I like to separate out personal and work calendars. I purchased and use SyncMyCal and it has worked flawlessly... until today. I'll see if there's an update. But luckily, this issue was fairly easy to resolve and didn't require me to rebuild my entire Outlook .ost file.Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-10545002356771207012008-08-14T15:55:00.004-04:002008-08-14T16:04:38.687-04:00Carson UpdateI've been a slacker about updating this blog about Carson's health. The good news is that there has been little reason to update the blog because Carson has been very healthy and happy! In just the last week or so he has become sooo much more aware and grins at us when we make goofy faces (which is often). Anyhow, thank you to everyone who has been following our saga and praying for us. He may not be destined to sing opera (b/c of the vocal chord damage), but somehow I'm sure he'll manage :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxbLphZpR58r5Us1t6SQNbf-S_SPj7u1YILRliDhPO6UzI5mSSarOTfdWifHc-Mf9ZDZZqPgZQk7jY_CuVXc0GzT-F2fbEjNim_I8XugkpZGJ2cgnB3vGJTcFMKc5ayuP1hnJaBnhN2v0/s1600-h/carson_announcement.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxbLphZpR58r5Us1t6SQNbf-S_SPj7u1YILRliDhPO6UzI5mSSarOTfdWifHc-Mf9ZDZZqPgZQk7jY_CuVXc0GzT-F2fbEjNim_I8XugkpZGJ2cgnB3vGJTcFMKc5ayuP1hnJaBnhN2v0/s400/carson_announcement.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234466546947563362" /></a>Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-73868178553497924682008-08-06T16:03:00.003-04:002008-08-06T16:08:18.069-04:00The Death of Offline Web AppsI love my Google Reader (especially the VI hotkey navigation). I really love the fact that I can take my RSS feeds offline with me when I'm about to jump on a plane. However, what happens when the concept of being disconnected from the Internet disappears? <br /><br />I tend to be a ridiculously early adopter of technology and therefore end up with hopelessly outdated technology that costs 5x more than it should. I have always thought that connectivity should be independent of wires & location. From <a href="http://www.amazon.com/OmniSky-Minstrel-Wireless-Modem-Palm/dp/B00004Y7T3">OmniSky</a> (for my Palm Pilot in 1999) to <a href="http://www.duxcw.com/digest/Reviews/Network/intel/anysum.htm">Intel Anypoint</a> (1.5 mbps baby) to <a href="http://www.epinions.com/content_19865964164">digital phone cards</a> (PocketPC) to <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1650291,00.asp">EvDO cards</a>... there's almost never a reason not to have an IP address except on an airplane, a submarine, in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage">faraday cage</a>, or in deep space. Since I'm unlikely to encounter three of those situations it's really about the ability to access the net at altitudes of 30,000ft.<br /><br />I just read today that <a title="Delta goes WiFi" href="http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/delta-become-only-major-us/story.aspx">Delta has announced it is going to provide WiFi on all domestic flights</a>. And it seems <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2007-12-06-jetblue-wifi-service_N.htm">JetBlue has been offering limited access since 2007</a>.<br /><br />As competition forces the cost of mobile connectivity to decline, offline may be a stop-gap solution that eventually becomes a solution in search of a problem. Now this doesn't mean that some of the advancements that have been associated with offline will also disappear (local data storage, desktop integration, etc.). However, the idea that my user interface needs to be stored locally will soon seem quaint.<br /><br />note: cross-posted at my <a href="http://www.appcelerant.com">work blog</a>Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-87788944890596354272008-08-04T15:21:00.004-04:002008-08-04T15:31:46.315-04:00Stop Identity Theft by Freezing Your CreditWhat keeps someone from applying for a credit card in your name? Truthfully, very little. We have all seen the reports of identity theft in the news, but you may not know that this has become a truly rampant problem affecting a growing portion of the overall population.<br /><br />How do you protect yourself? There are dozens of advertisements for services which claim to protect you from identity theft. Most are worthless, a few have some merit, but the good news is that you can protect yourself for $9 if you are a resident of Georgia (other states may be up to $30, if you have been an ID theft victim it's free).<br /><br />It's called a credit "freeze" and essentially it means that nobody can open credit in your name unless they provide a secret 10-digit pin number. Simple & effective.<br /><br />Here are direct links for issuing a credit freeze for each of the 3 credit bureaus;<br /><ul><li><a target="creditfreeze" href="https://annualcreditreport.transunion.com/fa/securityFreeze/landing">TransUnion / TRW</a></li><li><a target="creditfreeze" href="https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp">Equifax</a></li><li><a target="creditfreeze" href="https://www.experian.com/consumer/cac/InvalidateSession.do?code=FREEZECENTER">Experian</a></li></ul> notes: You must pay the $3 fee per bureau which means $9/person or $18/couple. You may also be required to pay a small fee to "thaw" your credit profile when you actually do want to apply for credit. But it's a small inconvenience for the protection it provides.<br /><br />Do it now and save yourself from the identity theives.Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-82201016618024236362008-07-18T10:00:00.011-04:002009-02-04T18:15:12.259-05:00Cross-E-mail Client HTMLI was a salty Java programmer who never really cared much for GUI development until recently when I joined an RIA (rich internet application) software company called <a href="http://www.appcelerator.com/">Appcelerator</a>. One of my tasks at work was to create a monthly newsletter for our community members. We have an amazing graphic designer here (Tyrus) who created a really cool layout for me and all I had to do was convert the image into HTML so that it could be rendered in people's email clients.<br /><br />Twenty plus hours later I am still trying to figure out all of the quirks associated with rendering HTML in email clients. I thought that creating cross-browser web pages (IE, Firefox, Safari) was a challenge, but cross-email web pages are nearly impossible. It turns out that there is an entire community of people who spend countless hours identifying what works and doesn't through painstaking trial and error.<br /><br />My newsletter design was to have a grey background color rounded corners and one of the corners was intentionally asymetric with an arm shooting out of it. Like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDnMePwOwA1CK8U3GVN7VX4RlNGmigsuzcVKqOcOvQBgADPG-gtOtDw5Vj8HiQyPOHXeupdCFYThk0x84Ya2g3FPmjovh-dFczAtkU1VH8YD0OYQ96zULY__rHBvCpn6YyupMJQ1h3kr2/s1600-h/FLEXmuscles_cropped.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDnMePwOwA1CK8U3GVN7VX4RlNGmigsuzcVKqOcOvQBgADPG-gtOtDw5Vj8HiQyPOHXeupdCFYThk0x84Ya2g3FPmjovh-dFczAtkU1VH8YD0OYQ96zULY__rHBvCpn6YyupMJQ1h3kr2/s320/FLEXmuscles_cropped.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224356888215733842" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So I cut up the image into some component images that I planned to align with HTML background colors inside a table to provide a canvas on which to place my text.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJzMMHSYibnoXmya7wed44QXNBQRRX22VZFP8CrZNkKk8bDS6ZmZe_fqWhw3FcpugccFZHtaY4aV7MgEKj4l26lv1sikMdeAYyZklMPC90yA8IvkKqvjq7vTdoeV8T8SZXtIy_W_U-nEc/s1600-h/layout_guide_cropped.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJzMMHSYibnoXmya7wed44QXNBQRRX22VZFP8CrZNkKk8bDS6ZmZe_fqWhw3FcpugccFZHtaY4aV7MgEKj4l26lv1sikMdeAYyZklMPC90yA8IvkKqvjq7vTdoeV8T8SZXtIy_W_U-nEc/s320/layout_guide_cropped.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224358347824232050" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Now the question was how do I emulate the background color shown in the image within my webpage so that I can enter the textual content of the email? I had lots of options here with tables, div tags, background images, background colors, styles, etc. So I chose one and went about building my webpage after an hour or two I had everything working in Firefox so I decided to test it in Internet Explorer. WHOA! Not even similar! I spent HOURS googling and tried dozens of "tips", but it turns out that most people posting tips just regurgitate what someone else had told them (which wasn't necessarily true).<br /><br />I finally decided that the only way to truly understand what background color options I had was to conduct a test. So I built an HTML table with 6 different ways to color a cell to see what kinds of color changes and alignments resulted. I had also learned that Outlook has used Internet Explorer to render it's HTML until version 2007 when Microsoft decided to use MS-Word instead (so I had to add MS-Word/Outlook2007 to my testing). Here are the results:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMF08H8cp7oUS832wUAy5tScUd3SAPwnSXj2qcdkG08XvD3kWF0sdADe8r3JPw94TgfmGVlPaXdEausx8rqkrknv8vsdu_rG43iyXIuajHUn9YB4M9KBCIfOtaGBdT-g7Mvq_BQwPfFjEV/s1600-h/comparison.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMF08H8cp7oUS832wUAy5tScUd3SAPwnSXj2qcdkG08XvD3kWF0sdADe8r3JPw94TgfmGVlPaXdEausx8rqkrknv8vsdu_rG43iyXIuajHUn9YB4M9KBCIfOtaGBdT-g7Mvq_BQwPfFjEV/s400/comparison.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224362048789164482" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Notice how Firefox renders all of them exactly the same. Perfect alignment and perfect color. IE screws up both the alignment and the color so that almost every one of them is different! And Outlook... god help Outlook. After about 5-6 hours of searching I finally found <a href="http://www.quirksmode.org/css/quirksmode.html">this post</a> which highlighted the fact that in strict mode (as opposed to quirks mode) an image tag is displayed as an inline element which causes Internet Explorer to add 4 pixels of spacing below the image to account for descending letters like j,q,p, and y (nevermind this is an image and cannot actually have descending letters!). The solution was to add a style tag:<br /><br /> style="display: block"<br /><br />And voila, the space at the bottom of the image in IE disappeared! Simple right? As Lee Corso would say, "not so fast my friend". When I rendered the image with the style attribute in Outlook2007 it added a 1 pixel border on the LEFT of the image! I finally solved that problem by duplicating the background color of the image inside the TD cell of the table which contained it. Like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwA61x0o52baV6TrD1pAENzIGYuKSOvf8cu8G2f7UNGvj76CLJUuXuLExckMMJDGQ4fwbfcxA67J4Rs_OFyEvoD-6nq0ruZ9Vlu_G4at1TRswWPRyEtMbF6gpO0nhmBxNmfsMwbToQyCnR/s1600-h/word_left_align_bug.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwA61x0o52baV6TrD1pAENzIGYuKSOvf8cu8G2f7UNGvj76CLJUuXuLExckMMJDGQ4fwbfcxA67J4Rs_OFyEvoD-6nq0ruZ9Vlu_G4at1TRswWPRyEtMbF6gpO0nhmBxNmfsMwbToQyCnR/s400/word_left_align_bug.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224367426305905698" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After trying several other email clients and toying with this for hours I finally decided that the most cross-client solution to background colors was to use tables (styling every padding/spacing/margin attribute to zero and collapsing borders) and to set background color directly on TD elements. Image alignment required the tricks I describe above. Also note that recipients who use Gmail will not get the proper spacing if you use style="margin xxx" or style="height xxx" or style="width xxx". For gmail, you must specify height or width as a tag attribute instead of a style.<br /><br />Now that I have figured all of this out... I hope to never utilize this knowledge again in my personal or professional life. However, just in case I am forced (kicking and screaming) to do this again, this blogpost will serve as my documentation of what actually worked. And who knows, maybe it will help someone else not spend 20+ hours pulling their hair out on these issues.Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-5194505353240969392008-06-12T22:45:00.005-04:002008-06-18T15:25:27.813-04:005 Quick Personal Finance FormulasBeing somewhat of a personal finance junkie (<a href="http://clarkhoward.com">Clark Howard</a> & <a href="http://daveramsey.com">Dave Ramsey</a> disciple) I am always on the lookout for better ways to make decisions with my money. For example, when I'm standing in front of the 1080p flatscreen HDTV at Frys I try to think of what that money would be worth in my retirement account. Or when I'm trying to decide if I should pay someone else to mow my lawn, it helps to quickly calculate my personal hourly payrate. <br /><br />Money Magazine (Jan2008) had a great little article with 5 quick formulas that you can do in your head to help with questions like this.<br /><br /><hr /><br /><br /><b>How many years will it take to double my money?</b><br /><br /><i>72/annual investment return, eg: @ 8% investment return, it would double in 9 years</i><br /><br /><hr /><br /><b>What am I giving up in retirement savings when I spend money today?</b><br /><br /><i>Add a zero to the price tag, if you have invested the money for 30 years, earning a 8% return. So a $10,000 dollar stereo system trims the savings by "$100K".</i><br /><br /><hr /><br /><b>How do I need to earn, before taxes, to buy what I want?</b><br /><br /><i>Multiply the cost by 1.4 (for 28% federal tax rate)</i><br /><br /><hr /><br /><b>What am I worth by the hour?</b><br /><br /><i>Divide your annual pay in half, drop the last 3 zeros. If you make $100,000 a year, you make $50/hour (40 hour week)</i><br /><br /><hr /><br /><b>Does my fund manager do well enough to justify his fees?</b><br /><br /><i>Multiply your fund's expense ratio by 10. The result is the percentage by which it needs to outperform a low-cost index fund to cover the extra fees. A fund with an expense ratio of 1.5% for example needs to do 15% better than the index.</i>Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-17220819254151163292008-06-09T19:02:00.004-04:002008-09-02T21:49:31.840-04:00Carson is HOME!Do you want to see him?<br /><br /><a href="http://video.homeip.net:443/CgiStart?page=Single&Language=0"><span style="font-size:130%;">Click here for live webcam of Carson's Crib !</span></a><br /><br />This link will require a plugin to be installed in your browser.<br />Don't worry.... it's safe.Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484566496141332097.post-66058608213037264872008-06-09T09:37:00.002-04:002008-06-09T09:44:26.804-04:00Carson Coming Home !Saturday morning Kristen and I were treated to a big surprise. We arrived the NICU to find that Carson's NG feeding tube had been removed! His doctors were happy with his progress and decided to remove the tube and let him free feed (as opposed to taking a bottle on a specific schedule). For the very first time we were able to hold him and see his entire face... no tubes, wires, tape, cannulas in his nose, or IV's in his forehead. We expect to bring him home early this evening :)Matthew Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11457287771429456590noreply@blogger.com2