Ryan Under Dev

SaaS Metrics

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:06:44 -0400

I have recently become interested in business metrics. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m tired of not really understanding the business side and living only on the technical side that is driving this desire. I don’t like being kept in the dark.

One thing I’ve discovered is that there is a LOT of good information out there on this sort of thing.

If you run or work for a SaaS company, this is a really interesting article on measuring your company’s metrics.

http://www.forentrepreneurs.com/saas-metrics-2/

Mac OSX Mountain LionI recently upgraded to Mac OSX Mountain...

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 13:32:00 -0400

Mac OSX Mountain Lion

I recently upgraded to Mac OSX Mountain lion. For 20 bucks, I got a few new apps and features. I do like the new “messages” side bar and iMessage integration. It lets me chat with iphone users anywhere which I really like. Now if only they would open that up to other platforms!

I did have to reinstall java and GIT (we use this to manage our source for our company). Xcode needed to be upgraded as well. Other than that, it there was no issues with the upgrade.

I’d recommend the upgrade to anyone with a mac.

EDIT:

Make sure you install Apple Command Line Tools. Xcode 4.4 requires you to reinstall it!

https://developer.apple.com/downloads/index.action?name=for%20Xcode%20-#

Amsterdam Station: Lion Red in iTunes Now

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:46:00 -0400

My brother, Chris Connelly, has a local Atlanta band called Amsterdam Station. They play they write their own songs and play at local bars in Midtown and Buckhead. Listening to Sweet Georgia Pine reminds me of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ early stuff.

Checking out his site and listening to the quality of the music, you would never realize that he has a full time gig working for GSU. I’m super impressed with his energy and passion. Awesome job Chris!

If you have a few bucks, you can purchase the album or a single song on iTunes.

Tunes: Amsterdam Station - Lion Red

Bob Lutz: The (Electric) Car Guy If the US had more guys like...

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:23:00 -0500

Bob Lutz: The (Electric) Car Guy

If the US had more guys like Bob Lutz, it would be a better place.

For those that have yet to see Revenge of the Electric Car, I highly recommend watching it on Hulu/Netflix or buying it on iTunes.

I think this video sums up Bob Lutz and what it is to be a real American car guy.
http://jalopnik.com/bob-lutz/

This is a guy who helped shape American car manufacturing over the past 50 years. Yeah, he was a big proponent of the SUV and big car phenomenon which has continuned to be serious problem in the movement to decrease dependence on oil. But the bottom line is that big cars and SUVs sell well in the US (which I hate to admit). After a dip in ‘08, people have gotten used to higher gas and the SUV purchases are up again. He is absolutely right that GM has to build cars that people want. It’s how you stay in business.

But there HAS to be a better way to build cars that are sustainable and NOT run on gas.

This is where it gets interesting.

1) He is pro increasing taxes to get customers used to curb gas consumption in the US (that are coming). Show wha the “real” costs of oil are (wars, etc).

2) He is very PRO the electric car for the simple fact it’s way more efficient and with battery capacity going up and prices coming down, it’s only a matter of time before eletric cars become a much better option than gasoline.

He predicts in the next 10 years that eletric cars will begin to be a better option. In otherwords, science will win. Eletric cars are going to happen.

Check out what he says in this Real Time with Bill Maher Overtime:

Bob Lutz on Real Time with Bill Maher

Here is to you my enlightened friend.

Model trainsWhen my dad was growing up in Moberly, MO, he and...

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:40:05 -0500

Model trains

When my dad was growing up in Moberly, MO, he and his father built a huge model train scene. They owned Lionel O Scale, and spent thousands of hours building.

A few months back I decided to start my own tradition and began constructing an HO scale model train scene. It’s smaller and more realistic. We are building mountains, tunnels, streams, and a town. Really fun stuff. I feel like a kid again.

It’s nice to have a hobby outside of work. I highly recommend it.

Blackout Sopahttp://www.blackoutsopa.org/ One of the strongest...

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:16:00 -0500

Blackout Sopa

http://www.blackoutsopa.org/

One of the strongest assets that this country has is our freedom of speech. It allows us to be an innovative, diverse culture capable of adapting and meeting chalenges of today. I’m all about protecting IP (as I make a living off IP), but SOPA has gone way too far and is completely open ended. It’s a law designed to let those in power to decide who speaks.

Here is an overview of WHY SOPA IS REALLY BAD.

Write your congress person. Tell a friend.

An Amazonian Customer Experience My wife and I buy a LOT of...

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:55:00 -0500

An Amazonian Customer Experience

My wife and I buy a LOT of stuff from Amazon. When I say a LOT, I mean almost everything we buy (besides groceries) is purchased through their website. We buy everything.. diapers, books, electronics, hair products. If it be sell’n on Amazon, the wife be buy’n.

That said, I’ve been a Nook user for a while now, but when the new line of kindles came out I thought about upgrading. We are Amazon Prime members so i loved the idea of getting free books. And my nook’s battery was now lasting not more than a few hours so I figured it was time for a new e-reader.

That was the beginning of my troubles.

My new kindle touch was delivered a few days after I “one-click” purchased it. It even came in it’s own branded box. Cool. Well, not really. Right out of the box, I realized something was not right. The device was not responsive to touches. It wasn’t a little unresponsive, it down right didn’t work. Turning pages required several hard finger presses on the screen. It was a chore and reading became laborous. I drove to Best Buy to test another device just to confirm my kindle was defective. Sure enough, when I played with the one at the store, it was snappier and responded correctly. The virtual keyboard worked. The menu button worked. Back home, I finally called support in a last ditch effort before returning the device for a new one.

That’s where things got worse.

The person helping me could not communicate well nor understand anything I said. She read off a script and didn’t listen to anything I was saying about the device. After a 20 minute, one-way conversation, I was very frustrated. I had done the support checklist. I had done the “hard reset”. At one point, she said well you can do a factory reset which will take some time. I should go do that and then if it doesn’t fix the problem call back later.

I thought, “Really? Do you honestly think that will solve the problem? It’s a hardware problem and you know it. You are just trying to get me off the phone.”

She was about to hang up when I said I wanted a new device and that the factory reset option was NOT an option.

Breakthrough

She finally got the message, but she didn’t just send a replacement which is actually WHAT I wanted. She simply sent me an email with a link to a return sticker for a full refund return. But whatever, I was going to get this resolved.

BTW, I tried to do this online and it told me to call support first for kindle products.

I got the sticker so I can return the device, but here is the kicker, it takes 10-15 days to get a refund. Really? They did explain that I could get my money back sooner if I called when they received the device, but that’s extra work for me.

I have a 5 month year old who needs babysitting. My amazon return should not.

Dénouement

After resolving the issue, I requested to speak with a manager. I really wanted to give some constructive feedback. I got some strage, unintelligble response from the rep, and then was then promptly put on hold. And then enventually my call was dropped shortly their after.

Nice.

This was a terrible customer experience. If Amazon expects my family to continue to spend ungodly amounts of money with the online empire, they need to learn a few things from Apple and get their customer service organization in order.

Two tips to better customer service:

Your customer service reps should be knowledgeable and have a solid grasp of the english language.
Returning defective products should be easy and hassle free.

This experience has left a bad taste in my mouth. I’m questioning whether purchasing from an online giant like Amazon is worth it. I would rather buy from a company that has a decent customer service experience.

People I Like: Sean KiewietSean Kiewiet (CIO) founded Priority...

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:20:00 -0500

People I Like: Sean Kiewiet

Sean Kiewiet (CIO) founded Priority Payment Systems in Atlanta, GA with John Priore (CEO), Richard Harris (COO) in 2006. Today, they are a very successful merchant services company providing bank card services to restaurants and retail stores across the country. This year they will do about 6 billion in transactions (that’s 4x what square does) with over 50,000 merchants in their portfolio.

For the past 6 years, they have been quitely building a solid, very profitable business and, in a terrible economy, managed to double growth every year. I’ve been working with them on an iphone project for the past 6 months and have had a chance to get a deep look into how a company like this is successful.

What I’ve learned is that the success of this company has everything to do with the management team.

Sean has been teaching me about business strategy as well as setting life goals in general. I consider him a mentor in many ways. I’ve learned a lot about how to run a business. But beyond the business strategy, one of his most insightful ideas is what he calls his number. This number is the dollar amount that he needs to have aquired to feel successful. Everything beyond that number is just gravy. At this point he has reached that goal. But what that frees him up to do is either donate the rest, invest in the people in his community, or spend the money however he feels will make the most impact. His choices at this point may or may not have a financial gain in mind.

This is such a powerful idea. Most of America is driven by a desire to aquire more assets and money. That’s fine to a point, but if that’s the only thing driving you in the long term, you’ll never reach a higher plane of existance. You’ll always be desparate to “make it” and never truly fulfill your true purpose.

We all should “pick a number” and live by this model. Yes, to reach that goal you may need to sacrafice and work very hard, but once you reach it, your mode should switch from “I’m going to hit that number” to “I’m going to make the world around me better”. If more people lived by this, our world would be a completely different place.

It’s wisdom like this that helps Sean to be generous, thoughtful, and strong for those around him. In an insecure world, he works to make it better. It’s people like him that make companies successful.

People I Like: Ty AmellTy Amel is the founder and CEO of...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:46:00 -0500

People I Like: Ty Amell

Ty Amel is the founder and CEO of StackMob. They are a startup in San Francisco that builds backend services for mobile applications. He’s a smart, talented guy, but I like him not for his talents, but because he believes in a bigger world outside of himself. He believes in making a commitment to serving those around him. Great leaders know this. He is selfless in his pursuit of success.

He feels deeply responsible for making StackMob successful with a focus on supporting his employees. Yesterday he told me that, “I have a responsibility to make this company successful not just for myself, but for those who I employ. If things don’t work out here, I will be fine. But it’s people that work for me that I worry about.” Now that’s something that many CEO’s will insincerly say, especially the step-on-any-one-to-get-there types. But from Ty he truly means it and it shows in his actions. Young startups face a daunting challenge, but it takes this type of thinking to be successful. Remember, it’s not about you.

As with anything worth having, it takes takes uber commitment. It’s a serious drain of time and requires great sacrifice from people. Ty is wise enough to realize the costs and takes great effort to lead a balanced life. He is lucky to have a wonderful girlfriend who is supports him, but it’s tough because Ty spends a lot of time working and can’t be with her as much they would like. There is definitely tension at times, but he takes great effort to give her quality time when they are together. She also keeps him in check :).

I too am a driven person and sacrifice time that I could other wise spend with friends and family. It’s extremely important to keep things in perspective. In the end, your family and those you love are who matter. I can take a lesson from him on this.

Ty is a person I like.

People I likeI think I want to start writing posts about people...

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:59:00 -0500

People I like

I think I want to start writing posts about people in the software engineering community that I admire. These are everyday people from engineers to CEOs of companies.

I think it’s important for the community to know who the game changers are because it’s important to support them in their work. Their wins are our wins.

I don’t want to come off fake with this or seem like I’m seeking approval from them. I’m doing this because I believe that what they are do is important to the community, and I want to promote thier success. Because of their station in life, their success will lead to many others’ success. They are the people that will put others to work and help us all move forward.

I’ve got a few people in mind to start with. I’ll post in a few days.

Steve Jobs: Zen Focus I finished the biography of Steve...

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:53:00 -0500

Steve Jobs: Zen Focus

I finished the biography of Steve Jobs recently. It gave me a lot to think about.

Steve was relentless in his pursuit of building amazing products that just “worked”. They were magical in that anyone could just pick them up and start playing with them without any prior knowledge. It was about quality without compromise.

One of the secrets to his success, as described in the book, was “his ability to focus” and it let him “say no” to many distractions. In 1997, when Apple was on the verge of collapse, Steve stepped into the role as interim CEO. His first order of business was to jettison all projects that were not “central” to the core business of Apple. He cut hundreds of jobs and killed several major projects. He made apple pick only 4 products for four different market segments: Personal Home, Personal Mobile, Business, Business Mobile. Forget everything else.

This got me thinking about building great mobile applications and what it takes to do that.

I’ve recently discovered a company called StackMob. They allow anyone to quickly build out a “restful service”. For non-technical people, that simply means the backend computer system which makes “connected mobile” applications possible. Their pitch is that they handle all of the “backend” so developers can focus on the “font-end”.

This lets people “focus” on a specific part of the application so that they can excel. The bar is set so high when it comes to user experience. It takes 110% focus to compete. By specializing, developers can build better apps which reach a wider audience.

Node JSI started a new Node JS meetup group for the Atlanta...

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:28:00 -0500

Node JS

I started a new Node JS meetup group for the Atlanta area. Node JS is an amazing new server side javascript framework for building FAST and SCALABLE web applications. You can build world class, web scale without being an expert.

If you are interested, please check out the first meeting!

http://www.meetup.com/Atlanta-Node-JS-Developers/

New Company, New Dad

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 01:51:50 -0400

So a whole lot has happened since my last post 15 months ago. I’ve
finally moved my blog to posterous, so now I can start updating again! First, I’m a new dad! Emily Katherine was born August 5, 2011. She was
8lbs 5oz! I can’t tell you how amazing it has been.

Second, I left Snapfinger to found a new company, Nomad Apps. We don’t
have a website up yet, but we are working on that. Third, Rusty Zarse and I are now working together on a new project for
Priority Payment Systems, http://www.prioritypaymentsystem.com. We
took over development of iPOS, a point of sale system for the ios
devices.

Snapfinger Raises 7 Million in Series B Funding - Acquires...

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 12:48:00 -0400

Snapfinger Raises 7 Million in Series B Funding - Acquires Codetrex

I’m in the process of being acquired by Snapfinger. It’s a big change for me, but I’m very excited about this opportunity. Kudzu Interactive, the parent company of Snapfinger.com, just announced a 7 million dollar round B funding with Norwest. I’ll be coming in as a VP of Innovation (which is simply our name for the B2C side of things). I’ll be in charge of Snapfinger.com, Snapfinger Mobile, and all other things “Snapfinger”. We recently were mentioned in New York Times, TechCrunch.com, WSJ, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle! Pretty exciting days right now. New York Times TechCrunch.com Atlanta Business Chronicle

Best Google Logo Ever - Pac-Man

Sat, 22 May 2010 00:35:00 -0400

In honor of the 30th anniversary of the release of Pac-Man, Google created a logo on may 21st, 2010. Totally awesome and original. Best logo ever.

Steve Jobs: No Flash.I’ve been wanting to write about...

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 07:43:00 -0400

Steve Jobs: No Flash.

I’ve been wanting to write about Apple’s stance on developing for the iphone. It’s a very hot topic and has irked quite a few developers (not to mention large corporate entities, eh hem, Adobe). First, Apple has a complete ban on Flash on their iphone os platforms. This covers ipad and the iphone. Here is their reasoning: http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/ Bottom line is that Jobs thinks that flash is insecure, slow, unreliable, etc, etc. It won’t run well on a limited power device. Maybe… He claims that adobe as a company is “closed” where as apple is open. Job says “adobe claims that we are a closed system, and that Flash is open, but in fact the opposite is true.” He goes on to explain this. I completely disagree.

The iPad

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 10:07:54 -0400

Irina recently purchased the wifi iPad (my 3G comes in a few weeks). I have to say that I am quite impressed with this little device. It’s about three in the morning here, and I’m still playing with it.

Typing on it is a bit challenging. I can tell it will take some time to get adjusted to it. It is blazing fast. Steve jobs was not bs’ing about that. I truly do think that this will be a game changer for the consumer market but also for the lifestyle businesses that many people make a living with. I foresee a whole lot of apps that will be released for small businesses owners looking to run their business and personal lives with one simple device. Gaming will obviously be a big player but I think other application categories will be important as well… more so than was on the iPhone.

The Latest

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 03:19:17 -0400

I’ve been extremely busy over the past few months with my latest work at Kudzu Interactive. We just released several apps in the app store including one for California Pizza Kitchen. If you have an iphone, you can download it here. I’m going to start vlogging on youtube. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, and I’ve finally started. Over the next year, I’m going to document my experiences. I won’t do it every day, but my plan is to post once three times a week on a regularly scheduled interval. I’ve also started working on a new internal project. I don’t have a whole lot of time right now for it, but I’m spending a few hours here and there researching and meeting with people. I’m very excited about it, but can’t really talk about it now. As the project progresses, I’ll add more details. Stay tuned.

Building Networks in Atlanta

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:48:42 -0500

I live in Atlanta. It’s an easy living city with low cost, but there just aren’t as many technology companies here. Google has a small office here. Microsoft has a sales office in Alpharetta. I think there are a few other tech companies with some sort of office here, but for the most part, there are just a lot of banks, health care, and marketing companies. And if you want a job in the Government, you’ve come to the right place. For technology-minded people, it can be challenging at times. I find it hard to meet interesting technology people, so when I do, i go out of my way to become friends. That means attending start-up groups, going to lunches with people, late night phone calls, or whatever. Sometimes it feels like a full time job just to keep making those contacts. But Atlanta just isn’t a San Francisco. My Atlanta-based technology entrepreneur friend Blake Byrnes recently explained how he is does not have the option of moving to San Francisco, but “wants to be involved with start-ups and is doing what he can to make them work here”. That’s quite a bold statement, but he is an extremely bright and ambitious individual so I believe he can make things happen anywhere. For Atlanta-based technology people, that will need to be our rally cry.

Startup Atlanta

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:26:47 -0500

I recently joined Startup Atlanta. It’s a great group that meets once a month and is geared towards Atlanta based entrepreneurs, investors, journalists, etc. Each meeting, there are new companies which present their new company and pitch their product or service. They have 5 minutes to present and then some time for Q and A. The key here is that these are INNOVATION-based startups. Which means that it’s not really for web marketers but those people behind the actual creation of technology. There is another group called atlanta web marketers. “Startup atlanta is a non-profit organization with a 10 year mission to advance the INNOVATION-based Startup Ecosystem in Atlanta and the surrounding regions.” Twitter: @startupatlanta