Owen Winkler




I'm doing 32 things
 

Owen Winkler's Life List

  1. 1. have a better photo of myself
    33 people
  2. 2. Participate in Chinese New Year's Eve
    1 person
  3. 3. do voice-over work
    23 people
  4. 4. relearn the piano
    243 people
  5. 5. Contribute to Drupal
    4 people
  6. 6. visit all the continents
    120 people
  7. 7. be a legend
    27 people
  8. 8. be interviewed
    1 entry
    18 people
  9. 9. Publish an article in a programming magazine
    1 person
  10. 10. Learn graphic design
    195 people
  11. 11. Create a kid's activity restaurant menu
    1 person
  12. 12. be more social
    1 cheer
    5,154 people
  13. 13. get my private pilot's license
    106 people
  14. 14. learn karate
    1 cheer
    399 people
  15. 15. learn python
    760 people
  16. 16. sing karaoke
    580 people
  17. 17. write better
    242 people
  18. 18. Obtain a Technorati T-Shirt
    2 people
  19. 19. Be a better friend
    6,062 people
  20. 20. write a book
    26,490 people
  21. 21. finish things
    33 people
  22. 22. juggle more
    1 cheer
    16 people
  23. 23. positively influence the world
    1 person
  24. 24. Make new friends
    12,912 people
  25. 25. Take more pictures
    14,418 people
  26. 26. photograph my home town
    1 cheer
    3 people
  27. 27. Compete in a story slam
    1 person
  28. 28. learn to ride a motorcycle
    1 entry . 1 cheer
    1,669 people
  29. 29. Build a mechanical clock from scratch.
    9 people
  30. 30. learn swing dance
    18 people
  31. 31. produce an album
    52 people
  32. 32. learn to sing
    2,638 people

How I did it
How to catch a crab
It took me
1 day
It made me
Pleased


How to eat a peanut butter and banana sandwich.
It took me
5 years
It made me


How to read more books
It took me
16 years
It made me
happy


See all "How I Did It" stories...

Recent entries
scuba dive
Good fun! 17 months ago

The dive was my first ever, never having even snorkeled before, so I didn’t even know what to expect. I did a short dive to 40 feet off the coast of Grand Turk, and saw all sorts of coral and tropical fish.

There are a couple of things that are difficult to do when you’re learning. I had particular difficulty coordinating breathing in through my mouth and out through my nose (used to clear your goggles if they get water in them), but eventually got it.

I think I’d like to try it again, although I’ll have to build my confidence up more before next time, since I wasn’t expecting it to be as physically (in terms of coordination) challenging.



give a presentation at a conference
Podcamp Ohio and the Philly PHP Meetup 19 months ago

These are two presentations I’ve done this year. Hopefully I’ll do a couple more. If I can keep the quality high, maybe they’ll keep having me back.

The two were a tad different. The PHP meetup was about writing test cases and using SimpleTest to test software. The Podcamp session was a session I led on software tools for podcasters and bloggers. The latter was at an unconference, so I basically led a discussion, whereas the former was a more traditional “stand in front and lecture” type arrangement.

I’ve never really had a fear of talking in front of people, but I do have a fear of being bad at it, and I really want to perfect my game. I see so many sales-y people talking the talk, and I think it would be really powerful to develop those skills as someone with the knowledge to also walk the walk.

I may try another meetup event later in the year, and will possibly sign up to lead a session at the Philly podcamp in September—something a little more focused, controversial, and in my own specific interest zone.



be interviewed
Be interviewed...not at random 19 months ago

I’ve been interviewed at random before, just a “man on the street” kind of thing. But what I’d really like is to be interviewed on purpose because of some experience I have or expertise that I offer being recognized as valuable. I want someone to recognize me as an expert on something, so I can say, “Hey, look, these people asked for my opinion on a topic. Someone must think I’m useful.” That would be validating. I’m looking forward to when it does happen. Especially if I don’t have to ask someone to do it—no, that wouldn’t count.



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What did Owen Winkler accomplish in 2009?
Check out their Year in Review

 

I want to:
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