PJM - September '21

Goooood Morning Hobos!

September is my favorite month of the year - usually because it's NJ local summer with chill weather, hurricane swells, and fall foliage - but in COVID year 2...I'm sitting tight in Bali.

I've got a few exciting updates to share from this past month including launching a new side project! (details below)

Yewww!

-Phil

PROJECT UPDATES...

Glassy

So this was a looong time coming -

I've been working on & off on a project that is dear to my heart - Glassy.

It's a platform to give transparency into organizations and create trust.

Companies can create a dashboard to show customers, employees, stakeholders and others their Financials, Analytics, Salaries, Roadmap, Environmental impact and much, much more. Each category is 100% optional of course and there's a lot more in store for updates. But I'm so, so excited to finally get this thing out!

I built it because I was tired of companies spewing the same BS on how well they treat their employees, diversity in the workplace, or how they're looking after the environment. Don't spend millions on a commercial to tell me what you want me to hear - just give me the option to look into your company! I think there's more power, efficiency, and meaning in this type of "marketing".

If you have a company that you want to sign up to Glassy I'm giving the first 10 companies a Lifetime deal for a one-time payment of $150... the monthly price will likely end up around $15-30/month, but I want to give a special thank you to the early supporters.

You can check it out at https://glassy.so...

Create an open company culture by being transparent with your investors, employees, customers, and other stakeholders.

Personal Site

While new projects are the bomb - realistically most don't end so well. Some obviously don't work and others die a slow death. In either case, it's good to remember and learn from each project. I created a list of these projects that I've "retired" into a Project Graveyard on my personal site.

CURRENTLY LIVING IN...

BALI, INDONESIA

Yep - I'm still in Bali and life is gooood, but I'll be heading back to NJ in November for the first time in 2 years 😱.

In over 10 years of living abroad - it's the longest time I've been away without going back home for a visit.

As good as video calls are - they can't beat some good ol' family time, joints around a fire, and bumping into high school friends at the bar ;)

Doesn't mean I'm slowing down for October, rather I'm super focused on what I want to get done. Catching some good tailwinds!

Bali is still closed but you can still help support the GoFundMe I started to help the locals of Keramas.

MY FAVORITE CONTENT FROM SEPTEMBER...

Business | Marketing

I was a HUGE mailchimp fan because they represented the "bootstrapper" world. It's not the fact that they wanted to sell that bugs me - but there is so much of this acquisition that seems so wrong. They used their "never sell" attitude to get customers & employees onboard and fall in love with the brand, the employees were lied to / not given much if any equity, and probably most of all - I don't ever want to use an Intuit product ever again. Bye Mailchimp - I've moved to Sendgrid for the time being.

From the old boss at Jet.com... It's funny I was talking to my friend in Costa Rica the day this dropped about how we could create a town that didn't "sell out". The common thread on popular, surf towns is that they get built by the adventurous types that come in and create a vibe, small-businesses, events, etc. - but as the town grows they can't afford to live there when rich people decide to "buy into" the town. Cities and towns values come from the small-business owners and daily grinders. I don't know if Marc's idea is right/will be THE FUTURE of cities but it's an idea worth pursuing - I'm really interested in the part of giving ownership to the people that help build the city.

PSA...please for the love of god stop talking to me about crypto prices. I'd love to chat disruption and how blockchain/web3 will change the world - but otherwise I'd rather talk with this hamster on what crypto is going to the moon.

Design | Development

Tailory is a marketplace to buy and sell pre-made, ready-to-use components for Tailwind CSS UI framework. Just launched from a fellow Bali-based creator - it needs more makers, but I'm very excited for the future of this marketplace.

We generally assume that the world is becoming a better place every year. But when it comes to individual freedoms, the opposite is true. Most studies show humanity is now less free than several years ago....

Travel

Living in Bali has kept me in tune with what's going on in Australia during the pandemic. I've always thought of Australia as the free-er version of America - nonchalant, care-free, and just don't get too worked up about things. While health-wise their lockdown worked out - it's coming at a cost to their democracy and a future that frightens me for Australians.

In what can only be called a repeat performance, yet another maritime disaster has befallen Bali’s sister island of Nusa Lembongan. But it’s not all bad news. On September 15th a massive industrial barge carrying supplies to build the new tourist harbor was being towed by a tugboat around the northwest corner of the island’s barrier reef. A notorious section of reef that bears the full brunt of the Bandung Strait’s sneaker sets and confused currents. In an age old scenario, apparently the tug shaved the edge of the reef too close right when the inevitable biggest set of the day poured through.

Books | Podcasts | Music | Videos

I've lived in many different countries and never became fluent in any second language. This was a good mindset/motivation to realize why and how to change that...

They say a Software Engineer is just a “professional google searcher” and that is 100% accurate. This isn't JUST for engineers tho - super applicable to anyone who wants skills like Young Jamie

I watch this every 9/11 (multiple times) - and I tear up every single time. This was a very strange year in particular - the US exit from Afghanistan, thinking about the past 20 years and all the people who've lost their lives. For as polarized and problematic the US is - this video sums up who American people are at heart.