What happens when you sell an internet startup for millions, and you’re in your early 30’s?
You get a small house and live comfortably.
Stick To What You Know, A.K.A. “Less Is More”
Life is funny. Since Google shut down their RSS Reader feed, I discovered RSS is a pretty slick way to compile and review bunches of excellent blogs. I didn’t even know what the fuss was about until I heard all these people complaining about how convenient it was, so naturally, my curiosity got the better of me.
I started following all kinds of blogs, from friends and people I respected. As I looked through my list last night, I discovered most of them have a common thread. This caught me off-guard at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew why. They almost all have something to do with non-traditional living.
So what does this have to do with me?
Well, I have a blog, too (shocking, I know). What good is it if I just post occasional rantings here? A few people like reading what I write, but it’s not doing much other than that. What if I could combine all the things I have experience with in ways people could actually use, and then post them up here to help other people get to where I’m at?
Well, yeah, that’s a no-brainer. I’ve already got a few articles on how to do things, but I haven’t tied them in to anything specific. I’ve just been posting whatever comes off the top of my head, which sometimes is interesting, and sometimes isn’t.
So starting today, I’m going to start tying all these things together with a common thread: living a non-traditional, debt-free Godly life, and using that freedom to turn around and bless other people, because that’s what God wants His followers to do.
Let’s face it. Who wouldn’t want to donate thousands of dollars to charities? I mean good charities, not the ones that are business cover-ups. Who wouldn’t feel great about being able to genuinely help people who need it? But most people don’t, because they allowed themselves to get to a place where they spend everything they have, and nothing is left over.
I’m here to tell you that there’s no reason you can’t retire early with what you’re making now, and spend the rest of your life doing whatever the heck you want to. All it takes is lowering your cost of living to the point where you can put a decent amount into a retirement fund, and then work a little while and let it build up.
Spend less, save more. Sounds easy, right?
It works exactly like losing weight (which I’ve also done). Your calorie intake has to be less than your output, or you will never- I repeat, never- lose weight.
“But that’s uncomfortable!” you say. “Why can’t I eat and spend what I want?” Well, you can. But you won’t lose weight, and you won’t become free from debt. You choose.
Still with me? Okay, this is where it gets interesting. I’m here to help you find ways to do more with less, using stuff I have experience with. We’re going to lay out a few things you’ll need on your journey to “Less Is More.” Almost everything I’m going to recommend is either free, or ridiculously cheap.
Resources You Should Be Reading
You can’t change your life without at least a little direction. If you’re serious about wanting to change your life for the better, you should start by reading Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover. (Here’s a hint: borrow it for free from the library!) Dave breaks it down into seven “Baby Steps” but you shouldn’t be discouraged. This is how I got started!
The basics, for Those Who Can’t Wait:
- Save $1000 for emergencies. Do what it takes to get there*, and don’t touch it!!
- Snowball your debt, i.e. pay off the smallest debt you have**, then move on to the next biggest one until they are all gone.
- Once your debt is gone, use the money you saved from credit payments to save 6 month’s of income in the bank.
- One that’s done, invest at least 15% into your 401K and/or a Roth IRA***
- College Funds for Children. This is optional.
- Pay off your mortgage. Without dropping your retirement investments****
- Build wealth and give. This isn’t really a step, per se, it is the goal!
*If you can’t save $1000, then lower your cost of living until you can.
**If you can’t pay off the smallest debt, lower your cost of living until you can.
***If you can’t invest 15% into retirement, lower your cost of living until you can.
****If you can’t put money down on the principal of your mortgage, well… you know.
Seriously, it’s a very simple equation. Money in > money out. If you can’t increase your money income, then lower your money output. It’s just that simple.
“Ah!” you say with a frown. “I can’t lower my standard of living!”
Well, yes you can, unless you’re already homeless. You just don’t want to. But you do want to be debt-free, right? Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to work until you’re 75, and then pass on debt to your kids?
“Sure, doesn’t everybody?” you say.
Right. But what are you willing to give up now in order to be able to do that later? Cable TV? Hobbies? Eating out? Designer clothes? New cars? Chances are you have at least one of those things. If you do, and you’re still in debt, you should stop right now and think. There are tons of websites and blogs to give you ideas as to how to save money.
I can see you’re upset, so I’m going to just leave you with these words…
Less is More.
Change “I Want” to “I Will”
Recently, I was reading a Charlotte Mason book on homeschooling, and came across this quote:
Children should be taught to distinguish between “I want” and “I will”.
And it got me thinking. This is primarily directed towards teaching and training children, but it struck me how applicable this is to everybody, especially in today’s ridiculously backwards society.
How many times have we said to ourselves, “I just want….” or even “I’d really like it if…” when we really are saying “I wish things were different.” The truth is, we can’t change anything except ourselves, which includes our attitudes.
What if instead of saying “I want to know more about God” we say something like “I will spend twenty minutes a day reading my Bible.” Did you know you can read through the entire Bible in about 90 days if you read 20 minutes a day?
Instead of saying “I want to write a book” we say “I will spend an hour today writing.” Did you know if you can write 1500 words a day, you can write a novel in about a month?
Instead of saying “I want to save for retirement” we instead say “I will stop eating out and wasting money, and put that into my 401K.” Did you know you can retire early (and even be debt-free!) if you do simple things like this? It’s not as difficult as it sounds.
What if instead of “I want to lose weight and get in shape” we say “I will eat smaller meals, and get a little more exercise?” Did you know, just controlling your meal portions and getting a few hours of exercise a week is all it takes? Like 40 pounds in 3 months.
What it boils down to, then, is that we always want things to happen, but we’re not willing to take the first step. And truthfully, most things we want to accomplish are easily doable if we just take it one step at a time.
How do I know this? Because I’ve done all four of these things. I’m not a superhero, either. And they weren’t that hard if you break them down into manageable chunks. It’s not magic! It just takes the willingness to take the first step.
So… don’t just say “I want.” Nothing will change.
Get up and take the first step.
Server Migration
Funny, but I thought only animals migrated… maybe web servers are some sort of bizarre animal species? (I know computer programmers are!)
Seriously, website got moved to a new server, so if you couldn’t reach it today (I know, you were anxiously clicking, waiting with bated breath, right?) that’s why. Took a while for the DNS servers to catch up with the new location.
So, yeah. Like all three of my subscribers. Lol.
Two Years And Counting: Looking Back
I can’t believe it’s been two years. It seems like much longer, considering.
Two years since what?
Two years since I had my life turned upside down, through no fault of my own, and ended up laid out in a hospital room with my femur shattered in about 8 pieces, indebted to the hospital for $100,000.
It’s kind of a bittersweet remembrance. Of course, there are parts of it I wish I could forget, like the feeling of being slammed into a car’s windshield. I wish I could forget when they installed a traction pin through my knee with a cordless drill. I wish I could forget screaming at the top of my lungs when they moved me from table to table to table in order to get MRI scans. I wish I could remember everything that happened in the hospitals, the people who visited me, the things people told me about when I wasn’t strung out on painkillers.
But it’s not just about what I do and don’t remember. If life were just a series of random events, then all we’d have to do is wait for it to be over. Instead, I’ve chosen to look and actively see what God is trying to show me. Sometimes it’s obvious, and sometimes it’s not.
It’s not about what I do and don’t remember from the last two years that gets me. When I look back and try to remember the things I learned about myself, and about God, it reminds me that there is so much more to life than just waiting out your time.
I learned that God is extremely patient- to a point. Eventually He will get your attention.
I learned that no matter how strong you are, there are always situations that can and will break you.
No matter how broken you are, God still loves you, and He will bring you through it if you let Him.
It’s easier to hear God when you’re immobilized in a hospital bed with nowhere to go and nothing else to do but listen.
Sometimes listening to God is hard. Sometimes it’s painful, but necessary (like surgery). Sometimes it’s like a breath of fresh air. It always puts me at peace.
I learned that nothing in life is more important than spending time with God. Nothing. Without that, everything else kind of falls apart.
I learned that I could speak honestly with people, and more often, if I shared my hardships with them. People don’t want to listen to advice from someone who’s never been through hardship.
Hardships are well, hard. Sometimes unbearably hard. That’s okay, sometimes. You just have to lean on God.
There are many other things I learned while I healed, and I’m trying every day to remember them and live them out. Once your life has been turned around by God, you begin to understand how He works, and how He works through the rough times. He’s there.
Some days I wish I didn’t have a messed up leg. Every time it rains, my whole leg aches. It itches. It twinges and aches when I exercise, it hurts even more when I don’t. It’s a constant reminder of how I could have died… but didn’t. It reminds me that God is with me, every day, in every circumstance.
I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
State of the Blog Address
So, I haven’t written anything here lately. I haven’t written anything on my blog in a while, honestly. There is a part deep inside of me that feels badly about this, because as we all know, you can’t be a successful writer if you don’t write.
However, the sad truth is that I’m just too busy with working and being with family to really do much of anything lately. When I do have time, it’s usually working on something else, like music, or reading. This is infinitely better than writing, and I’ll tell you why.
Because without *doing* anything in our lives, we have nothing to write about! How could I come up with cool new ways to write about technology and music if I didn’t actually do them? How could I explain the process of being quiet and listening to God’s still, small voice if I haven’t done it? Where would I get the cool pictures of my latest creation if I don’t build anything? How could I relate parables of God’s grace revealed to me through my awesome children if I don’t spend time with them? I can’t. And neither can you.
So all that to say, I’m here, I’m having fun living life, and I’m getting a lot done. And when I have time to sit down and write about it again, you can bet I will.
Software Dual-amp guitar simulation
QMidiRoute, and CPU Scaling In Ubuntu Studio
How many of you are aware of the program “QMidiRoute”? It lets you transform any kind of MIDI input into any other… it doesn’t have the power of something like Mididings, but it’s got a GUI and is very easy to use. What do I use it for?
On my live looping guitar setup, I wanted to be able to control three programs with one MIDI foot controller, an old ART X-15. The pedal isn’t programmable, so for me to split up messages, I use QMidiRoute. It goes something like this:
I’m using Rakarrak for guitar sounds (I also use Guitarix, which sounds better), and I’m pretty much using it in stompbox mode, i.e. just turning single effects on and off. The mapping uses a single CC# and different distinct values to turn individual fx on/off (which is dumb). I can put the pedal in CC mode, but I can’t make it do that… qmidiroute can do that for me. Also, any PC signals automatically change presets in Rakarrak, which I don’t want… so I have qmidiroute discard anything it doesn’t have a specific rule for.
For SooperLooper, I want to be able to use PC messages 1-10 to record, dub, change loops, and so on. It doesn’t need any translations, so I have my MIDI messages going straight to it. It only does what you map it to, so no other changes are needed for it.
For Hydrogen, I want to use my second bank of PC messages (11-20) to control it, but Hydrogen doesn’t recognize PC signals, only notes or CC values. Once again, qmidiroute to the rescue… I can make specific PC changes translate into an actual note, which I can then use to trigger controls or one-shots from Hydrogen.
You can also have multiple configurations, and make a shortcut that loads that particular file on startup, which makes it easy to use in a live performance setting! You just add it to your Jack patch panel, save it, and the next time you fire it up, it’s automatically configured and patched in.
Check it out! It can also route signals to two different output ports, which lets you split notes or note ranges (or PC and CC ranges) to two different outputs.
This leads me to my next problem to tackle… I hadn’t been able to run guitar effects very well, due to random CPU spikes and latency issues. In my research to build my laptop into a live performance machine, I stumbled across some interesting information about CPU frequency scaling, and how in XFCE it is extremely wonky… I did some research, and discovered how to manually override the wonky settings with a program called “cpufreq-set” (in package “cpufrequtils”).
I also noticed how my laptop would go out of performance mode whenever I started Jack, which caused all kinds of problems with latency. So, I added a couple of scripts in the Jack configuration tab, which forces the CPUs into Performance Mode when Jack starts, and puts them back in economy mode when Jack stops. (I had to add superuser rights to the program cpufreq-set to do this).
Here’s the page with all the info on cpufrequtils, and a screenshot of my Jack startup/shutdown scripts.
http://www.pantz.org/software/cpufreq/usingcpufreqonlinux.html
You can see the numbers, those are forcing the CPUs to run at a max of 2.2Ghz and a min of 800Mhz, respectively.
My Linux Rig
I got the idea to post up the computer setup I’m using from MyLinuxRig, which is itself a derivative of The Setup which outlines what successful people use to get things done. So without too much fuss, here’s my Linux Rig questionnaire! This is what I use to get stuff done.
1. Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Jeff Hendricks. During the day, I am a technical writer for the Manufacturing Engineering department of a major agricultural equipment manufacturer. By night, I’m a writer and musician. On the weekends, I organize and lead the music in our local church.
2. What Distro do you run on your main desktop/laptop?
I’m currently running Ubuntu Studio 12.04, probably will upgrade to 13.04 for testing/documentation purposes. I started off with Red Hat 7.3 years ago, migrated to SuSE for a few years, and then settled on Ubuntu somewhere around 2008. When I discovered Ubuntu Studio in 2010, I knew I had found what I was looking for.
3. What software do you depend upon with this distro?
Ubuntu Studio is geared towards audio, video, graphic, and creative production in general. For music, I use Ardour, Hydrogen, SooperLooper, and a bunch of other tools… LMMS is nice, Rakarrak, and so on. Ubuntu Studio comes with just about everything you’d need for music production already installed and configured.
For writing, I use the Linux Beta of Scrivener, from Literature and Latte. I also use WriteOrDie (with Adobe Air) for those stubborn days of writer’s block.
For productivity I use Dropbox, Evernote (running in Wine), Lastpass, XMarks, Thunderbird, and LibreOffice occasionally. I use a lot of Google Chrome plugins too, especially CloudPrint, XMarks and LastPass. I use Evernote Clearly on a daily basis to read news articles without all the garbage ads and sidebars.
4. What kind of hardware do you run it on?
I’ve got an inexpensive HP 625 laptop, I upgraded it to 8GB of RAM. It’s not that fast, and the touchpad on it is very iffy… otherwise, it’s rock solid, haven’t had a problem with it. Does everything I want it to. If I upgrade in the future, I’ll probably go with a higher-end HP with a better chipset. (I’m also HP repair tech certified, so fixing those laptops is a piece of cake)
5. What is your ideal Linux setup?
I think an HP Elitebook 2170p (I’ve used these, they’re very nice!) would be perfect with an SSD and 8+ GB of memory. It’s got ridiculous battery life (around 8 hours with the extended battery) and it’s very portable, yet packs full-size laptop performance. And everything is Linux-compatible. It’d be perfect with a docking station and dual 22″ monitors! The only downside is that is uses Intel graphics… not my first choice. It wouldn’t be for gaming, though, so it’s okay.
6. Will you share a screenshot of your desktop?
Here’s a shot of my desktop running Native Instrument’s Guitar Rig 5 under Wine using ASIO drivers.
ADDENDUM:
What is a computer if you can’t have fun with it? Here’s some games I play on my Linux machine when I’m not working! Some I got from the Humble Indie Bundle, some from Steam, some I bought direct. All are native Linux versions.
Beaker Says…
My new laptop setup at work. Beaker says “Mee mee mee!”