I must say, Kill Bill Vol. 1 is an incredible movie. Quentin Tarentino has still got it.

“I can tell you with no ego, this is my finest sword. If on your journey, you should encounter God... God will be cut.” -- Hattori Hanzo.

Wow. Amazing writing too.

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that the stuff life is made of.” -- Benjamin Franklin

I've been thinking a lot lately about the importance of time. There are moments in my life where time proceeds excrutiatingly slowly. For instance, waiting at the airport for a flight, watching a bad movie, waiting in a doctor's office...

And then there are moments when time just simply evaporates, leaving me wondering how so much time had been allowed to slip away unnoticed. For instance, when I am focusing on a programming task, days off with my wife, or writing an important email...

I can't believe it's been a month since my last contract ended. Where did the time go?

“Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.” -- Douglas Adams

When it comes to President George Bush, I am of two minds. I have been that way since the 2000 election debacle. Of course, over the past four years, I have sometimes liked him a little more and sometimes liked him a little less depending on his reaction to what is going on in the world. George Bush should consider starting an MTV reality show, where cameras follow him around 24 hours a day... maybe then, I can understand and appreciate him more.

Firstly, I have never been comfortable with his insistence that the invasion of Iraq was necessary after September 11th. Let's get this clear: the war against Iraq was not necessary. That doesn't make it a bad idea, but Iraq posed no threat to the United States. Noone will defend Saddam Hussein, however, and the world is a better place without him. But at what cost? Preemptive invasion is now an acceptable military tactic against any country whose leader we do not like? Are we safer, or actually less safe with this new war on muslims? I don't know the answer to that question. I will give Bush credit for deposing a brutal dictator, but I didn't like the way it was done without any world support besides Britain.

Secondly, I have to give him credit for being a great leader. A great leader outlines a vision, and sticks to it. He doesn't waiver. So Bush earns points with me for strong leadership. However, being a good leader also means being able to admit you were wrong, and listening to others. Bush never admits a mistake, even when everyone else can see it clearly. That lack of humility comes off as arrogance, which is a trait many people outside the United States (Canada and Europe in particular) are put off by.

I could go on and on about him. I don't like his double-speak. “The PATRIOT Act allows those in the positions of authority to protect your liberty.” He doesn't seem to be concerned with the run-away spending of the Federal government.

But what is the alternative? I didn't like any of the Democratic candidates. The Dems needed to combine the experience of Kerry, the charisma of Clarke, and the enthusiasm and energy of Dean.

There are currently four successful businessmen that I have to admit that I admire in some fashion:

* Donald Trump - There are many things you can say about him, however you have to admit Trump is the biggest and baddest real estate developer in Manhattan.

* Mark Cuban - Jumped from starting a multi-billion dollar Internet business into owning a NBA basketball team. He loves his job, and it shows.

* Sean “P. Diddy” Combs - Puffy started a small record label, run out of his home, and turned it into into a multi-million dollar fashion and entertainment enterprise: Bad Boy.

* Russell Simmons - Started a record label as well, and lauched the careers of many famous groups. He parlayed this initial success into a multi-million dollar fashion and entertainment empire: Def Jam.

Yes, that is quite a diverse group. I have taken some time to read up on the history of these four men, as they each fascinate me in slightly different ways.

The question I am asking, however, is once you have “made it” as a businessman, and have earned the big bucks, does that have any effect on how you approach life? (I was inspired to write on this topic from Mark Cuban's blog. I love his writing.)

Look at Donald Trump. The man has an ego as big as his multi-billion dollar bank account. He walks around with a royal swagger, somewhat like a mafia don surveying his turf. That's his style, and who am I to knock it. Every building and casino he owns is named after him. He only dates models, even his oldest daughter became one. Every wall, ceiling and fixture inside his suite at the Trump Tower is covered in gold. He goes nuts if he sees a door handle in one of his buildings that is not polished. That is his approach to life.

Then there is Mark Cuban. He is best known for his brash outspokenness. He shoots hoops before every game, and he is one of the most vocal fans sitting on the sidelines. He is a billionaire, that dresses in jeans and a t-shirt every day. As he himself says, he worked hard to become a billionaire so that he wouldn't ever have to wear a suit again. That is his approach to life.

Sean Puffy Combs is, like Donald, all about the bling. Diamond this, gold that. Fendi shirt, Gucci pants. Another guy who likes to set the fashion trends. But unlike The Donald, he doesn't seem to have a tendency to refer to himself every few minutes during conversations. He seems rather humble, and has a good sense of humor. Still, he travels with a huge entourage, is unmarried, dates models and starlets, and is quite concerned with image in everything he does.

Lastly, Russell Simmons is also a music mogul, but has what appears to be a different approach to life. He is married, and has a child. He has a huge mansion, but I think that is more of a reflection of his wife's tastes and style than his own. His wife also runs their fashion business, Phat Farm. He has written a well-regarded autobiography detailing how he went from being a street hustler to a CEO. Many famous people, including Sean Combs, recommend that book.

So...

If I were to “make it” -- become rich enough -- how would I approach life? Well, for one, I would definitely spend time with my family and friends. I would not become one of those 6am to 2am workoholics. Of course, I will only know for sure when I do become more successful, but I like to think I will never develop an ego the size of a large city...

Franchises are all around us. Everywhere we look. Thousands of brand-name restaurants, gas stations, muffler shops, and coffee shops operate as franchises. And hundreds of thousands of business owners in North America are making money by running someone else's business model. Is this a business paradise, or an unnecessary drag?

What does a franchise give potential owners? Well, for starter's, you get a brand name. Everyone knows of McDonald's. Everyone knows what to expect when you order a meal there. Most people even know the McDonald's slogan by heart. If I opened a restaurant named Duffy's, noone would know what type of food is served there. Needless to say, opening traffic at my restaurant would be significantly less than at McDonald's...

You also get an established business system. Some franchises provide training to owners. Some provide the products to sell. And some provide everything, from the real estate to the equipment to the start-up financing. In short, these are often turn-key operations.

But there is obviously some trade-offs. The first one you'll likely encounter is the up-front cost. Franchises can cost as much as $500,000. Businesses need all the start-up capital they can get, and paying a franchise fee takes away money that could be used to keep the business running. There are also sometimes ongoing license fees, which can cut into profits as well.

There may also be restrictions on the products you purchase and sell. So for example, you might be able to get a great deal on coffee, but your franchise agreement requires you to buy all your foods from the head office at a higher price. There are many things like that outside of your control.

Since you are subject to the rules and restrictions of the head office, who is really in control of your business? Are you your own boss, or are you really just the “manager” of the franchise with a profit-sharing plan?

Of course, not all franchises are that restrictive. Some simply let you use their brand for a fee. And some fees are quite low. Ultimately, whether a franchise makes sense is up to you. Find out the details and run the numbers. Franchisors are supposed to be there to help you get your business up and running successfully... after all, they have a vested interest in your success as well. You may be running your own business for the first time, but the franchisor has (presumably) done it many times before.

My name is Scott Duffy, and I am a software developer that lives in Toronto, Canada. I work on contract, which means I generally design, develop and implement an application for a company, train their existing IT staff on issues relating to ongoing support, and then move on.

Well, it's that time of year for me. I have recently completed a contract at a financial firm in Burlington, Ontario, and am now looking for my next contract. If you are looking to get a project completed (on- or off-site), please feel free to give me a call.

Here's what I can do for you:

• I can interview all of the business stakeholders, to determine the business requirements
• I can write up those business requirements to get client sign-off on the project
• I can convert business requirements into written functional specifications
• I can develop comprehensive and accurate time estimates based on those specifications
• I can convert functional specifications into a robust application design
• I can develop software using almost any programming language or platform
• I can work with project managers, testers and users to ensure testing is completed
• I can implement and support that application with minimal post-implementation issues

I have successfully performed all of those tasks and more over my 13 years of professional IT experience. Although not a project manager, I have lead projects in the roles of team leader, lead developer, architect, and project leader.

Here is the MS Word version of my resume. Here is the HTML version. I look forward to hearing from you.

Update: I am now working. My resume will be updated around October 2004, and be posted again.

Today, I spent the afternoon at the bookstore. I was able to grab a sofa-chair, so I had a fairly comfortable afternoon reading books. I ended up buying a couple of books relating to Zen.

Technically speaking, Zen is a branch of Buddhism. Now, just in case my mother is reading this, no - I am not converting to Buddhism. But I may start practicing a bit of Zen. What does that entail? Well, I am planning to do a bit of daily meditation, clean up my home office (remove the clutter), and just generally get into a daily routine of discipline.

Do I expect to reach enlightenment? Well, honestly, no. At this point, I can't imagine going all the way down that path. But the principles of Zen intrigue me:

• Want little
• Know how to be satisfied
• Enjoy peace and tranquility