A good year for me

Despite the news about the economy, the war, and and everything else that went wrong in 08, overall I had a pretty good year. I am starting a new venture with my wife and one of my best friends, and I'm moving into some very unfamiliar territory that will involve a hybrid blend of running my own company, doing independent consulting, and working with other friends in business in the Baltimore Washington corridor. Here are a few things that have contributed to the changes I've made in 2008.
Aside from the fact that Jillian came into our lives, wrecking our social lives and wrapping her daddy around her little finger- I've identified a few key things that have benefitted me in the past year.
1. I read GTD Getting Things Done This book really helped me increase my rate of productivity and showed me where I was wasting a substantial amount of time shuffling paper and responding to extraneous tugs on my time.
2. I read The Four Hour Work Week If GTD showed me how much time I was wasting, The 4 Hr Work Week showed me what else I could be doing with that time. This book really sent me on the social networking search, and opened my mind to the idea of multiple revenue streams.
3. I bought a Moleskine Through all of the digital technology, multiple email accounts, and PDA/ phones- there is still something inherently satisying about carrying a notebook, and scratching my thoughts down on real paper, in a real notebook.
4. I won an xbox from microsoft. This might not seem like a very big deal, but it showed me a benefit to be had by staying engaged in technology, and staying in the know with what is happening in the tech world. I attended their Heroes events, and wound up grabbing two copies of Vista.
5. I joined the local Linux user's group, bought a laptop from Dell that came preloaded with Ubuntu, and then set it up to dual-boot with Vista, and came to realize that I'm an OS agnostic. I'm not a die-hard linux guy, and I'm not a MS clone. I use what works best for what I need. Hardware and software are tools. There's nothing emotional about it.
6. I made a conscious decision to focus my efforts in an area where I already have expertise. I'm an HVAC guy who knows how to use technology, not a tech guy stuck doing HVAC. There's a subtle difference there, but it has helped me re-vamp my online presense, and has led me. to where I am.
7. I started a facilities-related blog dedicated to helping building maintenance & facilities techs do their job better called maintenance mastery, and I actually have a couple loyal readers!
8. I discovered Twitter. Join, follow me and become involved in the social networking community.
9. I found out about Zigbee. I'll talk more about this once Enercient gets up and running.
10. I quit my job when the economy was at an all-time low. For more info- see item 9.
I can't look into a crystal ball and see what the future holds 100%, but I do know that I have a complete focus, a vision for my life, and the tools necessary to be both successful and influential in the coming generation.
Stay tuned and Happy New Year!

Changes Coming in the New Year

I've got several projects in the mix coming for the new year, and I want to keep everyone updated.First, the thing we've been talking about the most, Enercient Systems Technologies is going along swimmingly. Mel and I are hosting a banquet in Columbia on the 15th, where we'll be pitching our concept for Enercient, and having an official launch.
johntindale.com is going to be going through some continual upgrades and becoming more focuses on local consulting. I still basically use it as my online business card, but I've been feeling for a while that it is time for me to specialize. I'm not a web developer, I'm not an SEO Consultant- I'm an HVAC guy who knows how to use Social Media tools to get exposure for myself and for the things I'm interested in doing.
I'm also continuing my experiments in online reselling, Google Adwords, and social media in general. The thing I've been thinking about is how to be easily identified no matter what social network I'm on- So I've been creating backgrounds and images that have the same look and feel regardless of what social network you use to connect with me. I'd be happy to hear what you think.
Finally PCF Management has been kind enough to offer part-time employment so that I have more time to work on the first two projects I mentioned. Now, let's just hope that the Amtek transition will go as smoothly as everything else has.

Happy Christmas

I would just like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas tonight, and wish everyone the very best for the holiday and new found prosperity in the coming year.

-johntindale

experiment in retail

I have been conducting an experiment in "online marketing" because I want to see for myself if people will honestly buy stuff through a reseller online. I have a google adwords account with a few search terms, and I have a couple of retail sites online.
My first page is called johntindaleresources, and I have had quite a few hits, but no takers. Traditional marketing would lead me to believe that I am using the right advertising, but that somehow I've fallen short on the delivery- meaning that somehow the people who are clicking the link are expecting to find one thing, but are being offered something else.
So my next experiment is to try to pare it down to the bare minimum for a few days leading up to Christmas, and see if people will show any interest in a no-frills bare minimum, referral site for last-minute Christmas items and see if I can actually move a product.
I had to upgrade to Google Adwords standard to allow two simultaneous campaigns, and I'd imagine in my lust for clicks, I could easily outrun my budget for this experiment, so I'm going to keep it to a max of $5/ day and only run it from here 'til Christmas Eve. Some of my keywords are "last minute shopping, ipod, and mp3 player"
I have also introduced two other factors, more popular mainline products, and more items with a lower price point. I guess we'll see.

The Bucket List

I just watched the Bucket List, and it was a good movie

For me to poop on!

Enercient Rollout

Enercient Systems Technologies is currently in development to provide wireless HVAC, lighting, and building controls and sensors for commercial use. We have a comprehensive plan to be in beta testing with our product through a partnership with our first regional partner, Oasis Mechanical

We are asking you to help us in one of three ways:

1. Spread the word about Enercient- go to our website and read more information about our plans, and tell your friends and business associates.
2. Help us build our network- think about friends and associates you may have who might be interested in using our product, or contractors in other regions across the US who may be interested in parntering with us to bring our product to their markets.
3. Invest- we are soliciting investors to provide seed funding to help bring our product to market, If you are interested, please reply to this email, call me or go to our website to view our business plan and talk to us about investing today.

I have attached a copy of our first newsletter. Feel free to forward to individuals you may feel would be interested.

Thank you,

John Tindale
phone 301-706-1490
email john@enercient.com
web www.enercient.com
Enercient Systems Technologies

My thoughts on the Big Three

I have been an auto enthusiast for most of my life, and since some of my earliest memories are of dad working on the K5 Chevy Blazer out in front of the house. I remember Saturdays filled with 4WD trucks packed and loaded early for trips with a convoy of trucks, CB Radios, big tires, mud bogs, chains and come-alongs. Everything that made owning a 4WD fun. I have always loved Detroit steel, and I love cars. I started reading Motor Trend in middle school. I've been going to the WANADA auto show every year for 15-20 years. Even if the last one was about rims and rice burners.

Then came Michael Moore in 1989 with "Roger and Me" showing how devastating the GM plant closing was to Flint, Michigan- and it got many of us wondering what was wrong with American auto manufacturers. We were shocked at how the big evil auto manufacturer ruined a town by closing that plant. I mean, shouldn't someone have MADE THEM keep it open? Shouldn't some legislation be created to keep that from happening?

So, When Saturn came out with an econobox, that was supposedly going to create US jobs, rejuvenate GM's manufacturing process and bring back the American automobile, we jumped in with both feet. We ended up buying two Saturns over the course of 10 years or so in the 90s, while in the meantime I continued to have my eye on one of those big 4WD vehicles.

On the one hand, the big three have just been giving us what we were buying. I mean, bigger was better, right? Just in case it got a little icy on that trip to the mega-mall, we needed that extra large Canyonero that could haul all of our mall-booty home safely. I mean, seriously. If Chrysler had offered an electric car in 1998, how many people would have traded in that Lincoln/ Cadillac/ Chevy/ Oldmosbile SUV to buy one? Then again, someone could have stepped in and imposed higher taxes on gas-guzzlers. Someone could have made us buy smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. I mean the Japanese manufacturers kept making small cars and NEVER offered the big evil 8-cylinder gas gluttons did they?

Someone should have seen the storm coming. Someone should have remembered the gas crisis of the 70's and early 80's. Someone should have stepped in and MADE US do the right thing. Someone should have legislated fuel economy. They already assume that we need to be told to wear our seatbelts, replace cracked windshields, buy insurance, and keep our tires inflated to the correct pressure. Someone should have been making us have some common sense at the pump.

Maybe Obama will teach us to do the right thing. I can't wait. I'm gonna spend my Obama bucks on a Toyota Prius that requires that I buy a $4,000 battery every 100k miles and not spend it on a new paint job for my 89 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup with the 5.7 liter 8 cylinder engine.

farewell, my queen

tonight, I finally shut down my old HP Pavilion. On our network at home, her name was Amidala- I know that her namesake would eventually give up her role as queen and serve as a senator- but when i bought this tower, Amidala was a queen.

It's hard to believe that I bought this HP Pavilion nearly 7 years ago, but its true. I was separated that year, and I needed a computer that I could use to manage my affairs. I shared a house with a roommate, so it was my bookkeeper, my confidant, my DVD player, and my connection to the outside world. I drafted my divorce agreement on Amidala and emailed it to my lawyer.
Amidala was the sole stewardess of my 1400 strong war chest of HVAC-related outlook contacts.
I met Mel in 04, and eventually moved in with her, and Amidala moved with me. Mel wasn't used to all the computer hardware, but Amidala became a print server for Mel's laptop when I brought comcast and a router to the house. Later, I bought a Dell which started out as a Windows Media machine hooked up to the TV in the basement, so Amidala served faithfully as a print server for a few years in our office- which is now the baby's room.
When the baby was born, Amidala was packed up and moved downstairs, to sit alongside the Dell, and continued to faithfully sit on the network so I could pull files, or other useful information as needed from her hard drive.
Last Christmas Mel got me an external HD, so we began backing up Amidala, and the other 3 computers on the network (my Dell Tower, and our two laptops) last year, and I moved all the files from Amidala to the new Dell tower. At the same time i noticed that Amidala was choking on boinc, so i wiped her hard drive, doubled her RAM and loaded Ubuntu, and she went back to happily boinc'ing away- and that has been her sole purpose since June or July.
Lately I've been thinking that Amidala was more of a drain on our electricity at the house, than her benefit looking for ET (It was taking a day and a half to complete a task) so I finally decided to shut her down tonight.
Goodnight Amidala, you were there for me through some pretty tough times. 7 years was a pretty good run. Maybe you'll make a good Ubuntu evangelist for a local non-profit org.

wireless update

After I installed the system everything worked fine until that evening when the system decided to blow heat without shutting off. We woke up to find out the house was 85 degrees. First, I never knew our system could get the house up to 85 degrees, second I discovered that it was no fault of the honeywell system.

It turns out that we've never really used the second stage of our electric heater in the 5-6 years I've lived here! I replaced the outdoor heat pump a few years ago, and I put a programmable thermostat on 2-3 years ago, but I never had any reason to get into the wiring of the air handler.
Anyway, the first night I just thought that we had the remote sitting in a cold section of the house.

The second night, I disconnected the low voltage wire that brings on the 2nd stage of heat when the first stage can't keep up, and finally this morning, I was fed up and got into the wiring inside of the air handler.

Last night I discovered that one of the heat sequencers are bad, and it is getting stuck in the "on" position. We're lucky we had the fan running in the continuous "on" position, or we would have had a burnout. It ran fine the rest of the night, and all day the next day, and then when I was out dropping Josh off with the baby momma, Mel texted that it was doing it again.

It turns out that both of the internal temperature sensors inside the heater package are bad, and it is causing the duct heater to get stuck in the "on" position. This is an easy fix, I can pick up the parts today- the bad news is that our system never used either stage of the electric heat the way it was wired before! In other words, if we had been running the electric heat before this would have shown up by now.

For now, I have temporarily disconnected the electric heat, and the system seems to be maintaining temperature. I'll pick up the parts I need today, Stay tuned...

Wireless thermostat from Honeywell

I like to stay up on HVAC technology, and I'm going to be starting an HVAC/ Energy/ Control company in a few months, so I thought it would be a good idea to buy and install the new FocusPro Wireless system from Honeywell.

The system I bought comes complete in the box with wiring and installation instructions. Sometimes it is a little tough for me to gauge how hard or easy something is to install since I'm a bit of a geek and i do this stuff for a living, but I think a DIY'er could do this with a little bit of knowledge about low-voltage wiring.
It only took me a couple hours to install, and it seems to be running like a spinning top. First I disconnected the power to the air handler- even though I was only working with low voltage, its always better to be safe than sorry. Next, I mounted the main control unit to my air handler, and wired up the connections. I have to admit, I got a little nervous when I cut the wire coming from the thermostat!

Next, I mounted the return air sensor, I mounted it high because it is important to make sure it is upstream from any humidifiers or other accessories. I wired up the sensor, and checked all my connections.

Next I returned power to the system and then synchronized all the wireless devices. Once I verified that everything was synced, I mounted the outdoor sensor.

Next, I took the new thermostat and mounted it where the old thermostat was. (since I took a honeywell t-stat out, I could use the old mounting holes) and mounted the new wireless stat. I gotta admit it was nice not having to "wire" the 'stat.

Finally, I programmed the thermostat, and then put the wireless comfort station on the coffee table. I like this thing, because I'm thinking that Mel can take it up to the baby's room and let the system run off of it, so that the baby's room doesn't get cold.

I like the outdoor sensor and the fact that the system can switch whether it reads between the thermostat and the remote. A few things I'd like to see from honeywell is a web interface and a few more "wired" inputs in the main box- like an air pressure switch to tell us when the filter is too dirty, or inputs from other honeywell accessories, like an economizer or one of their ventilation systems.At any rate, it is a good start.

5 technologies that Rock and why things will change

Recessions suck- but they give smaller, more nimble companies the ability to shine when they might have been absorbed by a larger company in better times. For example, the recession in the early 90's gave companies like Yahoo, Google, etc. the opportunity to leapfrog ahead of companies like AOL and Compuserve.

So here's my predictions for the next big winners:
1. wireless technology- wireless application developers, network providers, and mesh networking will revolutionize the communications- meaning entertainment, information, web and communications all rolled into one on one or many connected devices. We'll no longer think of a device as a connection to a system, but of a device as part of a system.


2. embedded technology- smaller chips and embedded software will allow more and more mundane everyday objects to convey more information. Shoes will warn of friction-related blisters before they occur, shirts will measure heart rate, etc. Chances are, if its an important measurement, someone right now is figuring out a way to get it with embedded tech.


3. 3D Printers- Three dimensional printers, already in development and production will allow companies to roll-out with prototypes quickly, but longer term use of the systems will eventually blur the lines between what is a prototype and what is simply a useful one-off device.


4. Nanotech- not just new fibers and new materials, but new mini-machines with gears, and pistons, and tiny nano-devices created to build tiny devices. These tiny devices will give us the ability to eventually use the technology itself the capability to to make things smaller


5. The development kit. technology already builds on technology- but soon we'll no longer need to start at square one to get to the end result. Think of kids using lego mindstorms to build "robots" or this year's college students using the research from last year's class to move a project forward. Eventually people will think it is totally natural to create software without knowing a program language, or to build a car without knowing everything about aerodynamics, fuel efficiency, etc. They will use tools produced by others, to produce tools and products for others to use.


Although each of these things seem isolated, I see them as part of a system that will revolutionize the way things are done. No longer will chips be designed by techs in a sterile building wearing white suits, but in a rented warehouse by a couple of weekend hacks. For a brief moment in time, the little development shops, and hacker groups will be able to produce high-level tech while keeping costs down.

So if you are involved in one of these technologies, get to work, stop waiting for the gov to bail you out, build something and give your neighbor a job.

Enercient Countdown

I'm getting a little nervous/anxious/excited about the Enercient project, so I decided I'd add to the hype by getting a countdown clock and posting it on my blog.

Enercient progress report

Well, last week was a stellar week for us and for Enercient. We met with our web development team early in the week, and the "junto" page seems like its going to be very cool. Thursday we attended our first meetup, a social rockstar event at RFD. Finally on Friday we locked in our relationship with the hardware provider for Enercient!

For those of you who don't know, Mel and I arrived at the idea to start Enercient after researching social platforms, online applications, etc. and tried to think about how these things would relate to the facilities management industry- one thing led to another, sending us down yet another slightly different path, and we arrived at the idea to create a fully integrated, web-enabled wireless building management system.

This has been a really cool experience for me, I've done other ventures and been involved in some pretty big things in the past, but nothing has been quite like this. Mel and I started out with the idea that if it got too wierd, or stressed us out too much, took too much time from the family, or just didn't seem like it would work- we would stop, and so far everything has been going according to our plan.

So, here we are now, and (I guess becasue of being a little older and wiser) things have progressed relatively smoothly. I have been thankful for the network of friends that I have, but we have just been able to plod along, follow our plan, and move Enercient along little by little. I am fully confident that when we "officially" launch in January, we'll be ready to go.

Check back here, and as things progress, I'll provide updates!

Go Skins!

Not a big deal

I know that in the world of Technorati, Twitter, Socialmedian, etc. ad infinitum I am pretty much small potatoes, but I have been working on a couple of projects that I happen to think are very exciting. Enercient Systems Technologies was a little idea I got to provide wireless HVAC controls to commercial buildings.

It turns out that it has become a full-blown business venture, and as we draw nearer to the official launch of the company, some very cool things have been happening:
1. Microsoft has been VERY helpful. I attended their heroes launch this year, I actually have an ACCOUNT REP, and we just recently signed up as a Microsoft Registered Partner. (depsite the fact that I've told them that we'll ALSO feature the penguin on some of our equipment.
2. We have a pending Energy Star rating in the works
3. We will hopefully have a contract with our supplier on the table in a few weeks.

I know that in the grand scheme of things, none of this is a very big deal to anyone and I try to keep it all in perspective- but for now, at least I'm excited about it!

Its official

Well, Melanie and I are starting down the "startup trail" with a new company designed to provide wireless building and controls solutions to commercial and residential homes and facilities throughout the US. The company is called Enercient Systems Technologies, and will soon be providing wireless HVAC, energy management, security, remote monitoring, and keyless entry for commercial and residential customers.

Although I have been involved in several startups and various ventures throughout my life, I feel like this is "the one." I get excited about this every time I think about it (which is quite often) and its one of those things that I feel like is actually a culmination of my life's work, and that a success with this startup will give me the sense that "we did it"

Why?
1. Its is a product that I am passionate about being sold to a market that I know very well. I have had an interest in tech ever since I first saw two robots crash land on a desert planet looking for a way to save the galaxy. Tech is my passion, and I have spent more time and effort staying up with the latest technology than normal. I know the market because I have been involved in HVAC all of my life. Ever since I climbed into my dad's service truck and rode with him to climb onto the roofs of Washington DC I have known that I was born for this stuff. (Despite the fact that sometimes I was dragged kicking and screaming)

2. It is a green product that I can offer without looking like a sellout, and without wearing flowers in my hair. The bottom line is that I care about the environment, and I have the knowledge and the ability to actually do something about it, but I don't have to hug any trees, and I don't have to wear compressed cardboard sandals to do it. I have been offering energy efficient solutions for years- who knew what I do would become such a fad?

3. It is a product that has staying power. Yes, I'm talking about legacy. I feel that this is a company that my son and daughter would someday be proud to someday work for (and eventually own) and I feel that this is something that will carry me through to retirement.

It is true that depite all of the piss and vinegar I had in my 20's I was clueless when it came to discovering what really matters. I thought I understood business, I thought I knew what it meant to change the world, and I thought I knew what role I would eventually play in this world.

Now I am 37 years old, and despite the fact that most baby boomers I know are kicking and screaming their way into retirement age, I want to use this company as the opportunity to move gracefully into middle-age, and spend the time from my mid-forties to retirement investing in the generation behind me, and leave them a world that sucks a little less than the one I have encountered this far.

I see a world where wireless products can monitor energy use and provide real-time data and energy saving solutions. I see a world where people can send and receive updates about their home on their iphones and windows mobile devices. I see a world where your heat pump can call your hvac contractor, and provide efficiency data so that your contractor can make repairs to your system proactively before catastrophic breakdowns occur. I see a world where building systems technologies provide a node for seamless integration with a larger, global wireless network that revolutionizes communications, interoperability, and information sharing.

Check back frequentlty to the Enercient website, and watch for opportunities to invest, network with us, partner with our company and help us bring this exciting product to market.

a little late but...

So I took this picture back in August, and put it on Evernote, but I just got around to actually doing anything with it. I just thought it was a little eerie up on the roof of a local mega-mall. I think I'll call it "rooftop unit wasteland"

Make a Stand

So its been over a year since I took that blacksmithing class, but I bought a cheap 55 lb anvil last week, and I though I would work on getting my back yard foundry together.

So today, rather than watch the Redskins lose- I decided I'd work on my backyard foundry. I thought about going up to HD and buying a pressure treated 8x8, but I remembered I had a bunch of lumber left over from my trash bin project.

I measured to where my arm would feel comfortable (at the bottom of my swing) and cut a bunch of scrap 25 1/2 long, and just started nailing it together. Maybe I'll wrap it with some steel straps later to add a little strength- but i has a little heft to it, and seems to be doing a good job.



It stands pretty firm, but I think I might get some sand to put under it anyway. Now I can begin working on my foundry.

new glossary search engine

I stumbled upon a new search engine, called MetaGlossary, and I think its going to be a good one. Although it is in beta, it has a plugin for the Firefox search bar, and actually returns some pretty good definitions.

I tried searching "firefox" and returned the following. http://www.metaglossary.com/results/?query=firefox Searching "soccer mom returned http://www.metaglossary.com/results/?query=soccer+mom

There isn't much info about the site on the site, but an Alexa search reveals that it is owned by a company in New York.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Amazon MP3 Downloader for Linux

Amazon has packaged their download software for Linux. I think this is pretty cool, because it is DRM Free mp3 format music, so you can play it on anything. Linux users can now use the download tool legitimately!

Download the tool, download the player. Support DRM Free Music.