Q: Jason, what do you do for a living?
A: I know you just asked that because I hate that question. Invariably, people ask that question as a pleasantry. Perhaps it's my evasive answer that lures them to press me on the subject, but when I regretfully disclose details, they almost always slowly withdraw (or recoil) when they receive what they pursued.
Basically, I sell stuff for money, work on websites and computer related projects, and occasionally consult businesses on their technology and marketing approach. You could easily consider me a luftmensch much of the year. If I were financially independent, I'd probably be a software designer just because it's something that intrigues me. However, I am not credentialed or trained to engineer software for a living. So, I work on projects (not software engineering) and spend some of my time collecting money via selling merchandise.
There's more money in buying things for A, selling them for B, and pocketing the difference than pretty much any other work. If you are good at it, and I am, it can be very lucrative. I've sold all kinds of things, from water filtration devices to jewelry, even internet services and technology services. Presently, I am working to build a jewelry party plan business. And, I'm fairly excited to finally dedicate myself to a project that's nagged me for better than a decade. It's always been that "If you just want to make tons of money," project I wish I'd done.
In 1997 I started an ISP, at the goading of an associate who found a job early on and left to never participate in the business. In August of 2000 someone offered me more money that I could logically refuse and the corporation sold the assets, meaning the customer base and the dialup internet services division, which basically ended that business' life cycle.
Since that time, I've spent a good bit of time consulting people on business IT solutions. However, most of my more valuable contributions have gone largely uncompensated. So, back to profits!
Q: What's up with this site? What's the point and what do you hope to accomplish?
A: Basically, this site is for my own bemusement. However, I do post news and information that people find very useful. The reality is, this is a world of information overload and information necessity. I try to create a reux of information in a way that makes it useful to the reader, simplify the complex and amplify the important.