Well, 2014 is on the way out. What a year. I like to do these posts every year to reflect on the passing year, and set some goals for the next. Let’s reflect on my resolutions for 2014: Ship great products: I did a lot of this in 2014. Between some sizable new features at CrowdTwist, some major new additions at ShootProof, and additional features being added to my iOS app, FloodWatch, I’d say that I shipped quite a bit this past year. Ninety percent of my focus continues to be on the web application side of things, which is still a ton of fun. **Find fun and satisfaction in all that I do: **I joined ShootProof in July, which spoke directly to this goal. I’ve found working in a smaller team to be much more satisfying, and our team is incredible. It’s truly a joy to go to the office everyday; I believe in the team and the direction we’re headed. **Say “no” more: **I’ve done a good job on this, being sure not to bite off more than I can chew. As a result, I’ve been largely absent from blogging, speaking at conferences, and writing articles. This is a bummer, but has been necessary to keep a good balance. Now, what to tackle in 2015?

As of today, I’m joining my friends at ShootProof as Director of Engineering. My move to ShootProof is about getting back to what I love most: building products. I’m looking forward to working with a small team in a nimble environment. iOS and web development, infrastructure, technical leadership …all of my skills are going to go to good use at ShootProof. I’m thrilled to be embarking on this journey with them.

In reviewing my 2013 Technical New Year’s resolutions, I give myself a solid B-, maybe a C+. I’ve been completely slammed and overwhelmed with my day job at times, which has contributed to my lack of focus on things outside of work. It’s also worn me down at times, and left me with little motivation. That’s no excuse, but a human being can only take so much. If I reflect on my goals…

Back in March, I gave a new talk at Atlanta PHP: “Top Ten List: PHP and Web Application Performance”. This talk is a culmination of my ~14 years of experience primarily as a web application developer, but also as a systems administrator / DevOps-type. After working with PHP and web applications for so many years, I have amassed quite a few tricks for squeezing maximum performance out of web applications, PHP or otherwise. I’ll be presenting it again at CoderFaire Atlanta on April 20, 2013. CoderFaire is organized by a fantastic crew of Cal Evans, Kathy Evans, Chris Spruck, Kevin Roberts, and Jacques Woodcock, so it’s going to be a great event. I’ve never attended a CoderFaire event before, but I’ve only heard positive things. Because it’s not limited to a single technology platform, you’re sure to meet a wide array of technical minds from all different backgrounds. I’m sure we’ll all walk away with some fresh, new ideas from this diverse crowd.

I try to do this every New Year’s Eve, so I’ll give it a whirl this year. First, a little reflection on 2012’s resolutions. I did okay in 2012. I failed to actually release FloodWatch 2.0 (for iPhone and iPad), but I’ve made some great progress in the last quarter of the year, so I should be able to release it in Q1 2013. I failed to blog more. Big time. I’ve just been so busy with work that I haven’t made it a priority. I’ve already got a post ready for 2013, so I’ll publish that in the coming days. Must stay devoted to this. I’ve not done much with front end technologies in 2012, sheerly because we’re on specialized back and front end teams at CrowdTwist. While I’m bummed that I haven’t done more front end work this year, it’s nice to have been so focused on PHP and server-side code all year. I did gain a lot of exposure to PHP 5.3 and PHP 5.4 changes, so that’s been great. I’ve spent a decent amount of time on the systems administration side this year, as well as helping craft and refine our back end toolset at work, too. I also submitted and helped resolve an APC bug this year, which the CrowdTwist team looks forward to being included in the 3.1.14 release. I’ve built a lot of great application components in PHP this year – definitely one of my better years with many projects to reflect on. I’m very aware of how my architecture and implementation skills have improved with time and experience. I’m building things that I’m genuinely happy with the first time around. CrowdTwist has been incredible, and 2013’s going to be a huge year for us. Look out!