I met someone interesting last Friday night. She told me about a relatively new philosophy she adopted that has her saying YES to everything. Of course being the skeptical one I asked her to jump off a bridge. She said she would discuss that first and maybe get me to retract my request.

So I started thinking about my own life. Do I say No too often? Yes maybe. And what would it hurt to say YES all the time. Some things I couldn’t fulfill and would I disappoint? Perhaps. Some of these are the internal requests I make to myself and always find a way to say No.  ”No” could be the biggest cop out going. So here’s to YES. A big YES.

YES. YES. YES.

Think I got it.

First Web pic for site of new Android Stencil. Coming soon at Mobilestencil.com

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Joni Mitchell, The Circle Game

The lure of cheap development is seductive. Product owners want it faster, cheaper, and yesterday. But the cost to a small development group is the distraction of finding, qualifying, and then managing these resources.  That’s the very time that is precious for delivering a project already well underway. So we go round and round in the circle game.

Here are some of what is cooking at Kapsoft. Much will be a tease since it needs to be kept top secret until released:

1. We are working with one client on an Expression Engine project. Using EE to hold catalog, spec, and pic data for a site makeover where the client can control his data. Should be a good pilot and I’m sold on converting MobileStencil.com over to it also.
2. We were accepted to do a Kickstarter.com project and I’m working on a prototype. Targeting 2-3 months.
3. For the past year I’ve been working on a Web/database project. It’s a big idea that is a technical challenge. Seems simple from the outside. NOT.
4. Finally the Android Stencil is almost complete. It will be sold on MobileStencil.com.

1. Never under estimate the power of the man. When he gets cranky torwards the end of the day he can bring out the shock an awe. Have a backup plan that is better then scrambling the emergency TI fighters at the very last minute. Stainless steel ain’t that great.
2. Everyone still thinks your ideas suck. And you still come up with them and try them out. Even if #1 lesson learned is the consequence. Strong work you dude.
3. You need money. You might even like having some one day.
4. Your ideas are revolutionary. They (#2) just don’t know it yet.
5. You learned PHP. It’s growing on you like a fungus. A dangerous language that could probably start a war or a WWW.
6. Apress loves the sketch books. Even if they don’t sell that many. You go!
7. You are fragile, injury prone, and clumsy. A sucky combo.
8. You are 56 now. This must be an end of life crisis you are having.
9. You have amazing kids. Some of “them” said you were a sucky parent. But they really are doing great things. I guess you like the adult versions of little people.
10. You have an amazing core group of friends and family that just won’t give up on you. Pretty lucky for 2011. You.

Apress is coming out shortly with six new of my Sketch Books.

1. IOS5 Application Sketch Book
2. Web Designers Application Sketch Book.
3. Kindle Fire Application Sketch Book.
4. Samsung Galaxy Tablet Application Sketch Book.
5. Blackberry Application Sketch Book.
6. Android Application Sketch Book (HTC).

I love JoePa and Penn State football. Ever since my brother went there in the 60′s, I really think it’s a magical thing. Now it seems it is over. Over in a way no one could have imagined. “The horror. The horror. ”

My son (@jakemkaplan) is a senior and writes PSU football for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Needless to say he’s a little busy right now.  He was hoping it would be a quiet week off the bye leading into a big game. Now this and most likely he will cover the end of an era. The kid seems to always end up at the right place at the right time. The story has to be told, even though it’s not the fairy tail ending he and I were hoping to witness.

We all make bad decisions in our life.  We are just human. We are not perfect. You do the best you can do and many times we come up short. Sorry JoePa.

PHP. For the very first time. Hard to believe after all these years I’m doing some PHP.  It’s dangerous and seductive. Simple. Dynamic. Very much like C, which I have done a ton of over the decades. But not like C. I’m making all the rookie mistakes and I’m sure they will pass with time. So honestly I don’t know just yet.

Will I respect you in the end or will you lie to me? Hypertext Preprocessor. The Web stands on your shoulders.

Cracked it? One thing I’m wondering about the Apple TV speculation that I don’t know why hasn’t been mentioned. Make that two things.

1. Why can’t the TV run iOS and therefore Apps? Think along the lines of a kind of augmented reality TV.
2. Or how about being able to use touch on your TV? Like the MS Surface computer.

Just trying to think out of the box.

I was sitting in the Whole Foods Pub the other day and I could not help but notice how we are all buried in our cell phones. Or should I say we are all buried in our Smart Phones. I guess there will come a time where we don’t have to speak at all. There was a time, not too long ago, I thought this was just fine since I don’t like to hear myself talk for the sake of talking.

I wish I knew what was going on in all these personal experiences we are having with our phones. Just fascinating.