While building the new look the JetsonHacks website, I knew there were several new features that should be available. The first, as we talked about previously, is this blog. Why did I pick a blog, after all? There are plenty of articles and places to squirrel things away already.
Reading Books
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time working on this particular website. I’ve learned *a lot* about social media, writing, and network effects. I’m always surprised at the number of people that I hear from, from all over the world, and the interesting things that they share with me. Without this website, none of that is possible.
I started the JetsonHacks website to understand the network effect of social media. It’s a much richer environment and subject matter than I originally thought.
With that said, the articles here take a long time to prepare. It’s not satisfying for the readers, and it’s certainly not satisfying for me. A typical article and video take a long time to make. Even the ones that don’t seem that way. Much of the work that you have seen here is “invisible” if you only see the end result.
Show your work
I lifted the idea of “showing my work” from the book “Show Your Work” by Austin Kleon. It’s a pretty simple premise, show people what you are working on as you go along in your projects. Surprisingly, that has value in and of itself. Perhaps more so than the projects themselves. “The journey is the reward” and all that.
I’ve kept this in the back of my mind for a long time. It didn’t feel like that methodology really fit into the JetsonHacks website. At the same time, that is a feature that needed to be added. Thus the website redesign, with the ‘Blogs‘ section. A place to scribble outside the lines, as it were
Adding a Book Shelf
It’s also pretty clear from looking around my house that I might have a book problem. Maybe not as bad as Richard Macksey’s home library in the picture above. Like, they are everywhere. I’ve read a lot of books. Some are great reads that I would like to share. Others not so much. Like all readers, I have a pile of books that I haven’t read yet, but real soon now… That pile is about 4 years worth of reading, if I am being honest.
So, now JetsonHacks has a Jim’s Reading Bookshelf. These will be books that I have both read and recommend. Along with a major take away or two. To be clear, I may not agree with the book in its entirety. But the point(s) that the book makes are worth the time it takes to read. Plus I have a new AI friend to help me write the reviews! I still get my 2 cents in though.
The books themselves may be technical. But don’t expect them all to be technical. Remember that most all engineers get their start because of something they read or saw in science fiction. Engineers engineer all sorts of things, including companies. Companies have lots of parts. Engineers like parts.
I still have some work to do on the book shelf web page, but that’s part of the challenge. Plus, fixing it will be worth another blog entry!
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