Still Bartering!

Here’s the spring barter list! Let’s make a deal!

• A quality bike trailer
• General bike knowledge (I need to learn how to fix this thing myself, it’s costing me a damn fortune)
• Accounting/small business administration and startup knowledge (help me file my DBA and all that rot)
• Shelving and storage of varying sizes for varying parts, from video cards up to minitowers and CRT monitors
• Interior design expertise. If you can come in here and put together an organizational scheme that lasts me more than a month, as far as I’m concerned that’s better than money.
• A flatscreen monitor or two

From now on I’m going to post a barter list in the middle of every month. I think barter is great business. I mean, what’s money other than a middleman? If I have a $THING_0 you need, and you have $THING_1 that I need, why would I instead take money and then go try to find $THING_1 somewhere else? Wasted effort and wasted capital. So drop a line or give a call if you can bring me anything on this hit list and you’re the market for our services, we will work something out. I always take staples; food, bulk whole bean coffee, cigarettes, etc. will pretty much always be accepted as payment.

We’re still here!

It’s been quite a while since I posted something that was actually Guerrilla Tech-related, so much so that I’ve gotten a few emails asking me what’s going on. So here’s an update.

The day job’s been absolutely off-the-handle insane, and it’s occupied damn near every conscious moment for the last month and a half. But that’s okay, I planned for that, and the cash influx has been very welcome. Now that the anarchy at the office has begun to abate, I’ve been able to start returning my focus to Guerrilla Tech.

The Bad Vista campaign, of course, continues, and now that the weather’s turning and my bike’s fixed, pamphleteering shall once again proceed. I’m also working on getting a more traditional flier together with the same content, for hanging at bus stops and lampposts.

Also, in addition to the money that the day job’s been bringing in, I received a small-medium sized grant last week, and I’ve been kicking around ideas for how to spend it. There will be some local newspaper ads in the offing, I’m in the market for a cheap bike trailer, perhaps a new demo laptop (maybe a Cloudbook, they look damn nice and I feel that it’s an idea I should support). It’s funny, I’ve become so accustomed to running this show on zero dollars, that now that I’ve got a little cash to throw at it I’m almost at a loss as to how to spend it. If you ever have the opportunity to have this problem, I highly recommend it.

And that’s where we’re at. Waiting on a bolt of inspiration for the next bold stroke. Stay tuned.

-pd-

The funniest thing just happened.

I was in the kitchen making a screwdriver, and something happened and I turned my head for a second and I just kept pouring and pouring. And then I turned back and the glass was half full of vodka, and I didn’t know what to do, so I just made it like that and drank it.

Now I’m going to bike to the grocery store with no hands. That’s the secret to bicycling when you’re drunk. It minimizes the number of limbs that you have to keep track of. Bye!

-pd-

Now bartering!

If any of my faithful readers can offer any of the following services, I am presently looking to barter for:

• A bike trailer
• General bike service (I really need someone to teach me how to adjust a derailleur, or at least tell me how to spell it)
• Small business accounting/administrative knowledge, especially relating to registering with the small business administration, publishing a dba, and suchlike bullshit that I know nothing about

If anyone out there in blogland has any of these skills and would be willing to make a deal for our fine services, please reply to this post (you can just leave your email address if you want and I’ll get in touch with you).

-pd-

Thanks for the oatmeal!

So we made it through the hacktivism workshop without too much stuttering, and I certainly hope that everyone who was there learned a little bit; I sure learned a ton from y’all. As nervous as I was going into it (and I know it showed), it was a real pleasure getting to do that, and getting to meet so many incredibly passionate people. I just wanted to make a quick “thank you” post, because I really am grateful for the opportunity to do that, to step out of my own comfort zone and meet some people who are making their own difference in their own way. You guys inspire the hell out of me. Thanks for a phenomenal time. Oh, and the oatmeal.
-pd-

One last word about the hacktivism presentation before I actually go do it

I made an executive decision this morning. The script I’ve spent two weeks agonizing over every waking moment of my life? Yeah, chucking it. We’re gonna go in there and wing it and see what happens. Wish me luck, I’ll certainly need it.

Look for a full update on my experience at the Unconventional MN Regional Consula after the weekend!

-pd-

Congratulations, Greg!

This week Greg got approved for Ubuntu membership. That is a bona fide big deal, and a hell of an accomplishment.

If you like, you can see the full explanation of what membership means here, but briefly:

A person who wants to become a member should be engaged in a sustained level of contribution to the Ubuntu community. This can include coding, writing or documentation, the creation of art-work, music, testing, bug triage and verification, translation, advocacy, leadership of LoCo teams, etc. Contributions should be significant and visible. Anybody who is active in the Ubuntu community is a good candidate for Ubuntu membership.

Congratulations, Greg. Couldn’t be fucking prouder of you, dude.

The weirdest thing happened to me today…

I got a job. I start tomorrow. One of the temp agencies I had signed up with months upon months ago called and asked if I wanted to interview with a marketing/outsourcing firm (it’s hard to explain), doing inbound tech support. I thought “Hell, good for a laugh, right?” They offered me the position on the spot.

I thought it over. In the end, money won. At a gut level, accepting another “working for the Man” job feels like I’m admitting defeat. But I need the money. But trying to juggle Guerrilla Tech and a “day job” could get hairy fast. But I need the money. I love you all and Guerrilla Tech’s future really does get brighter every single day, but right now, today, this barely pays my rent, and it pretty much never leaves me with any left over to reinvest in this enterprise like I really need to.

And I want to emphasize that that’s what this is about. I didn’t take this job because Pete needs the money (well, maybe a little, but really) I took it because Guerrilla Tech can do good work with this money. Will this mean I have less time in the short term to devote to Guerrilla Tech? Yes, of course. Does this mean we’re shelving the project? Absolutely not. Will world domination proceed on schedule? Bet your ass it will.

Watch this space for exciting new shit in coming days.

-pd-

Lurv!

This really won’t happen very often, dear readers, but just for a couple paragraphs, I’m gonna step away from Pete as Revolutionary Entrepreneur and just say this as Pete, who happens to be luckier than anybody’s got a right to be.

To Lizz and Steph (even though god knows Steph will never read this), happy Valentine’s Day. I love you both so much.

Steph: The last two years with you have changed my life, and opened me up to love in a way I could not have imagined before meeting you. We’ve seen some darkness, but you’ve been my rock through it all, and I am grateful beyond my ability to express it. You’ve been my strength when I’ve been weak, you’ve been my light when shit’s been dark. I’ve said it a hundred times, but there is no fucking way I could do this without you. You make me a better man than I could be alone. Thank you so much for loving me. I hope I’m worth it.

Lizz: Ten years, baby. Who would’ve believed it? You’ve seen some of the worst I have in me in the last decade (and vice versa), but we’re still standing together. Words fail me in describing the magic you and I have. The story of my adult life is in a lot of ways the story of me and you. You believed in me when no one else did, you’ve defended me when you damn well I was wrong. There have been so many times when because you chose to stand by me, you stood alone. I don’t know what you ever saw in me, but I swear to god, baby, stick with me and we’ll laugh at them all one day. Here’s to the next ten years.

You two are the best parts of me. Yeah, I’m writing this because it happens to be Valentine’s Day, but fuck Valentine’s Day. I loved you last week, I love you today, I love you next year. If I have nothing else, if all this vanished tonight, I’d have you. And that’d be enough. You’re my inspiration, you’re my hope, you’re my reason. For this and everything else. I love you both.

And to my faithful readership, happy Valentine’s Day. Whoever you’ve got, let them know.

Uh, yeah. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging.

-pd-

Coffee time redux

That was awesome. Out on the street tonight dropping BadVista fliers, right now I’m sipping on an apple cider at Bob’s Java Hut on 27th and Lyndale. And for the very first time, people (I shit you not) actually came up to me and asked me for my card. Someone at the table behind me recognized Ubuntu and gave me love, so I threw a card at them, but I didn’t want to bug anybody with my whole rap so I just let them go back to their conversation, which then turned to Linux, the girl who recognized it explaining a little bit about what it is to her tablemates. One of them then came up and got another card off me. That’s dope, baby. Makes me warm inside on this bitchin’ snowy cold night. (And if you’re reading this because I gave you my card at Bob’s, hi! Thanks for making my night!)

-pd-