Nerd Power

The World Runs on Nerds

Unlimited Domain Hosting

I’ve used a number of web hosting providers over the past ten years. Two years ago, I decided I’d host my own domains because it cost me nothing additional to do it from my home. With recent changes and my dynamic living condition, I don’t have a stable location to do this from anymore. Once again, I went on a hunt to find the perfect web host… this time I found it: HostMonster.com

I currently own and operate 19 domains. My biggest problem with purchasing a hosting package is that I have to pay for each domain. That gets expensive! HostMonster makes my life easy. For $5.95 a month, I get to host an unlimited number of domains. This beats the socks off every other hosting solution I’ve ever used.

The only limitation is the 200Gb of disk space and the 2,000Gb of monthly bandwidth. For me, these aren’t a problem. I have 22,325 files on the server for a grand total of 222Mb — I’m only using 0.11% of my allotted disk space. And my monthly bandwidth usage has never exceeded 5Gb so I have plenty of room to grow.

It was a little tricky getting multiple domains setup. I use NameCheap.com as my registrar (highly recommended!) and I had to change my DNS settings to point to HostMonster before I tried to add the domain in HostMonster’s control panel. But, the effort to figure it out was definitely worth the low, low price. I can’t imagine paying anything more for web hosting.

HostMonster is a Linux-based setup, running Apache and all the usual services such as PHP, MySQL, CGI, Ruby, Perl, etc. They have everything you’d expect from a good web host and it’s all available for only $5.95 a month. There are no setup fees and, if you’d like, you’ll also get your domain name free. (I like to keep name registration separate from web hosting so I purchase all my domains through NameCheap.com for only $8.88 each.) If you’re looking for a new web host, I highly recommend HostMonster and, if you have any questions about getting your account setup, feel free to ask me.

4:52 A.M.

There’s a commercial Disney ran a few years ago that showed a family the night before their trip to Disney World. Everyone was in their beds but no one was sleeping. In a kid’s voice that I can only describe as Kermit the Frog, the young boy summed up what the entire family was feeling, “I can’t sleep. I’m too excited!”

It’s 4:52 a.m. and I can’t sleep. I’m too excited! I tried to go to sleep at 3:20 but I simply tossed and turned. Raquel and I decided a few months ago to quit our jobs, sell all our stuff, move into a van, and travel the country. We’ve been actively preparing for this adventure for the past two months and we’re finally at the pinnacle. All the pieces are coming into place and we should be on the road by Monday.

Last Monday, we opened the house to our neighborhood with all of our belongings marked for sale. They made a good dent but we knew we needed a wider audience. That evening, we placed the remaining items on eBay for a 3-day auction. I had my doubts at first but I am now a believer. Come Saturday, just about every item we own will be purchased and removed from the house. Just to make sure, we’ve also advertised a moving sale in the local paper to get rid of anything that remains.

Come Sunday, we’ll have the mattress from the van in the middle of the floor in our empty house. We’ll be eating Chef Boyardee from paper bowls with plastic forks. We’ll be folding up the few items of clothing that have been deemed valuable enough to make the journey with us. We’ll be carefully arranging our supplies into every nook and cranny of the van.

I don’t know why I find this so exciting. Many people think this new life is outrageous. Yes, it is a little crazy… but it’s the type of crazy that I love.

Quogr.com Beta is Live!

I’ve been working on a website, Quogr.com, for many months. With recent changes in my work situation, I’ve had time to put the finishing touches on Quogr to get it ready for beta release. It’s not perfect but it’s ready for use. I’d love for you to try it out and let me know what you think.

Here are a couple of my quogs. Refresh the page and watch them change. Cool, huh?

Your Wish is My Command

The golden rule of improv comedy is to agree and expand. It’s called “Yes And”. In his article How to Be a Better Improviser, Dan Goldstein summarizes this key rule.

When you get a piece of information from another actor, first, accept it as fact and second, add a little bit more information to it… Keep doing this long enough, and you’ll have a scene full of fascinating facts, objects and relationships. Fail to do this and everyone will hate you, even your parents.

This golden rule is the foundation of improv comedy. It’s so well known that the information resource for improv comedy is located at yesand.com. Those who follow the rule are successful. Those who don’t are shunned from the stage.

Life is Comedy

I believe the rule of “Yes And” applies to more than just comedy. It applies to the entire landscape of life. Why? Life is always saying Yes. It is the answer to everything (my apologies to those who thought 42 was the answer to everything.)

Call it the Universe, God, Life Force, Source Energy, or whatever, but that thing or being always says Yes. And that’s it. Can I have a million dollars? Yes. Can I be broke? Yes. Am I beautiful? Yes. Am I too fat? Yes. Am I stuck in the rat race? Am I in a bad relationship? Will I ever find true love? Yes, yes, yes.

Sometimes you ask direct questions to a higher being, sometimes you simply think thoughts. However you do it, life is answering, “Yes, your wish is my command.”

I can’t seem to lose this extra weight. Your wish is my command.
I’m in debt up to my eyeballs. Your wish is my command.
Nobody loves me. Your wish is my command.
I’ll never find my perfect job. Your wish is my command.
I’m glad I have so many friends that love me. Your wish is my command.
I have more money than I know what to do with. Your wish is my command.
I love being healthy and fit. Your wish is my command.

Banish No from Your Vocabulary

I have a friend I met a year ago. The first thing I noticed about him, and probably the reason I took an immediate liking to him, was that he never says no. It is like the word no doesn’t exist in his personal dictionary. He embraces life, accepts everything for what it is, and thoroughly enjoys the journey. He’s a great friend because he will always respond to any request and he is successful in business for the same reason. Who wouldn’t want to know someone like this?

Over the past year, I have tried to banish no from my vocabulary and run with whatever life throws my way. I haven’t been completely successful but I have reaped some great rewards. I’ve made a few great friends and had once-in-a-lifetime experiences that never would have occurred had I allowed my impulse reaction to control my responses.

Let life flow smoothly by aligning your vocabulary with the Universe. Don’t say no, don’t try to change or control, don’t avoid, don’t deflect. Instead, embrace that which is and let it be. Say yes and add to it. Life has so much goodness and well-being in store for you. You just have to accept the language of the Universe, let life be, and go with the flow.

On The Road Again

I apologize. It has been quite some time since I’ve posted to my blog. The reason is because I have been busy preparing for our new lifestyle. The contract I was working on finished in early December and I decided not to pursue other opportunities. At the same time, Raquel resigned from her position. We’ve purchased a camper van and are planning to travel the country for the next eight months.

Today, we’re in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to ring in the New Year with great friends. We’ll travel around Florida for most of January. Then we’ll head home to register the van, make sure everything is well with the house, and watch the Super Bowl with our neighborhood.

When we depart again in February, we’ll head to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Then over to Arizona to visit our friends in Tucson. Then toward San Diego and up toward San Francisco to visit my family. As the summer begins heating up, we will escape to the north to see Oregon and Washington. We’re contemplating Alaska during July and then we’ll travel through Canada as we head back home in August.

Please Give Away My Money

If I were to tell you I had some extra cash that I wanted to give to someone in need, would you be able to help me do it? If you had some extra cash and wanted to make the world a better place, what would you do? Can you help? Reply to this article with your suggestions. Even better, repost this article and forward me the responses from your readers.

Here are a couple of rules for your reply:

1) The money can’t go to you or to a friend in an attempt to benefit yourself, even if you have a bona fide need.

2) The money must go to a specific need, not a general organization that takes donations. For example, it can’t be donated to a church, the Red Cross, or the United Way. These are all great organizations but they don’t fit into this exercise.

3) Keep your thinking concrete. Do this by limiting the dollar amount to something between $100 and $1,000.

4) Identify the situations that would benefit the most from a donation of this size. For example, someone in debt $100,000 won’t receive much benefit from a $1,000 donation. However, a family in need of food and clothing for the winter can make $1,000 go quite a way.

I may or may not give my money to the cause you suggest. That’s not the point. By your simple thoughts of making the world a better place, and your action of expressing them in words, you begin feeling better about the world you live in. And that is what matters most — not what happens around you but what happens inside you.

I practiced this exercise with a group of friends at work. It was amazing to watch the eyes of each person light up, to see their minds turn through the possibilities of making the world a better place. For those ten minutes, we felt alive. Take some time and do this. You’ll thank me later.

You can save the world. All you have to do is save yourself.

Jamaicans Make a Personal Connection

I love the Jamaican way of taking everything in stride. There is no stress. There is no hurry. The most common phrases are “ya mon” and “no problem mon.”

When I returned from Jamaica, I abruptly switched employment. The new location and being surrounded by new people made something stand out. In Jamaica, eye-contact is not avoided like it is here in the States. Jamaicans watch and observe the people in their surroundings. If you look at them, they make eye contact and give a friendly, “good morning.”

That starkly contrasts the “don’t look, don’t talk” attitude exhibited by 90% of the individuals in my new employment surroundings. It is as if the majority of Americans are non-verbally communicating, “I don’t have time for you. You aren’t interesting to me. I’m sure you have no interest in me and if you do there must be something wrong with you. Let’s just agree to save each other the time and continue walking without even a friendly nod or warm smile.”

Making eye contact, especially with strangers, can be intimidating. I remember a time when I would immediately look away from the gaze of any stranger. It is one of those things that took much time, patience, and practice before I realized that I was missing out on life.

If you have that natural inclination to look away when a stranger looks your way, seriously consider a trip to Jamaica. Nearly every person there is a better role-model for this experience than the majority of people in the States.

Quick Status Update

I accepted a short, 10-week contract with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. I’m helping create a portal that allows users of the Indiana job matching board to post applications for the new Honda plant that was recently announced. My current desire is to stay as an independent contractor for a while and “see the world” (or at least Indianapolis) by working for a number of different employers through a corp-to-corp/1099 relationship.