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Personal Wisdom
What is it that "you do" ?
Saturday, March 06, 2010, by Sebastian Dwornik
I invent.
I build.
I automate.
I fix things.
And I do this sometimes for money, but mostly because "that's what I do."
What I am, is an enabler. I use the tools technology provides to enable people around me to live better.
And I'm not alone in this.
“ Try not to become a man of success, rather try to become a man of value. ”
– Albert Einstein
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A New Year and A New Site (sort of...)
Saturday, December 26, 2009, by Sebastian Dwornik
Sorry for the delay in blogging and technical difficulties to the site. I have been porting it to a new CMS design and it took a little longer then expected. I've had a few blog posts in the queue, but didn't want to post them until the new site came back up.
Most of the changes are in the back-end for SEO and improved efficiency. But if you encounter any glitches or errors then please let me know.
 With 2010 approaching I sense a growing optimism for the new year, and decade. There is excitement and renewed hope for a brighter future where we can all begin a new phase of living with understanding so much more of our planet and our place with in it.
So lets make 2010 a year to remember as a turning point for when modern civilization accepted and adapted to a more sustainable way of living.
All the best and warm wishes to you all this season.
Cheers,
Sebastian Dwornik
Appliedpda.com
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People Don’t Read Anymore, They Merely Skim
Thursday, June 18, 2009, by Sebastian Dwornik
If I leave my RSS reader alone for too long it will eventually implode into a black hole under its own weight of unread articles that have piled up. Most of which will be ignored by the time I get to them. And those that I do end up reading, better be short, sweet, and to the point. An added picture that summarizes the writing most clearly will usually get more attention than the accompanying text.
This is because most people online merely skim the text for keywords and partial sentences, in the hope that the information will piece itself together in their brain and make sense. All to save time, and move on to the next article for skimming.
The massive bombardment of inorfamtoin ovrelod has adpatd our brians to wrok like a programmed search engine. To seek out bits from text and pictures but never the whole composition. As if we’ve lost our patience for it.
Which can be frustrating when you spend a large amount of time writing a detailed email, to only then have to repeat it again to the person you just sent it to, because they skimmed over it and missed all the best jokes.
This realization has forced me to reduce my RSS subscriptions substantially and begin using the telephone more often when trying to explain ideas to people. I suppose Twitter’s success partially stems from this skimming of emails and blogs.
For now, if you have read this article fully, did you catch the typos? Or did you skim?
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CN TOWER CLIMB for WWF-Canada
Sunday, April 12, 2009, by Sebastian Dwornik
It has been two (2) years since I last climbed this giant monument and set a personal record of 14 minutes and 17 seconds.
It was not easy, and to this day I wonder how I still managed to do it.
There is a park near me which has a fair amount of stairs leading to the top of an escarpment. Today’s first, brief practice run reminded me all too sudden of the pain and mental stress it takes to push oneself over the envelope.
The focus, determination, and constant struggle, of literally every step along the way to the top, can be synonymous to pursuing many other goals in life.
Whether it’s building your own business, beginning a new career, raising a family, or completing an important project, it all consists of many small details, everyday, to maintain a level of forward momentum. Until finally these small increments over time bring to fruition big changes.
I believe overnight success is a myth. Because if it did occur overnight, you can bet it will be gone by the next morning.
True success is rather slow and arduous.
 In the end, when you finally reach the top, it is the journey, in itself, that embeds the real lessons of personal growth and fulfillment. The rest is just a pleasant view.
So on this upcoming Saturday, April 18, 2009, I will once again push my limits for charity (WWF), and if you feel generous in supporting me on this cause, you can help sponsor me too.
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What sparks new ideas and innovation within people?
Tuesday, February 10, 2009, by Sebastian Dwornik
Simple: the environment of course.
Humans are extremely sensitive to their environment. Every work place we encounter for any significant time affects our lifestyle and attitude through the experiences we have in that environment. We adapt and gradually change along with it, either for the better, or worse.
Creativity, in the form of invention and innovation, requires a space where people are challenged, yet not entirely distracted, and are not afraid to be wrong.
While a complacent and stagnant work place drowns ideas and suffocates any wild thoughts that would otherwise bring colour and life to the people that crave to be heard.
Everyone is an Inventor
My first real job after graduating from college was developing boot ROM's for various network cards using x86 Assembly language. It was the summer of 1997 and being a hacker all my adolescent life, the job was well suited and very exciting. I even had a window cubicle.
Most importantly though were the people I worked with, and an easy-going boss that was a mentor as well.
Once a month, the entire engineering department would get together in the morning for a wild brainstorming session. The focus was ways to improve existing products and features as well as think of new product ideas.
It was a fantastic time. Not only did we get breakfast served, but everyone felt more important and useful in helping to grow the company with their input. The greatest satisfaction though was when your own idea is chosen to be further developed. A geek on such a mission is then rarely swayed and couldn't be happier.
The lesson: A work place environment should nurture and support its people to spark new ideas and be open to feedback. Because everyone has ideas and every person in a company should not only be selling, but inventing too.
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Everyone Has Ideas
Sunday, December 21, 2008, by Sebastian Dwornik
Just not everyone acts on them. And even fewer follow-through with them.
For example, as the 2009 New Year approaches, many people traditionally make a New Year resolution. Which will most probably be abandoned within a months’ time.
This is sad. For I believe that everyone wants to change something about themselves to grow and become a better person.
Better people inspire and develop environments that are more conducive to better living. Businesses work the exact same way; after all, they are made up of people.
The greatest challenge then isn’t about choosing a New Year resolution: it is instead that you follow-through with it to completion.
The secret being: focus.
F-ollow
O-ne
C-ourse
U-ntil
S-uccessful
At journey’s end you will then have gained an attitude that will be worth a lot more than any New Year resolution.
So lets make 2009 a great year! Start something… and finish it.
All the best and warm wishes to you all this holiday season.
Cheers,
Sebastian Dwornik
Appliedpda.com
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Welcome to my microISV
My name is Sebastian Dwornik and I am a software developer near Toronto, Canada.
Here you will find my thoughts on all matters regarding software, my company, and sometimes life in general.
Have feedback? Don’t be shy and post your comments within the forum.
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