SyneRyder FAQ

Is that really a photo of you in the sidebar?

My new #1 most frequently asked question - yes, it really is a photo of me. I thought the photo might scare people, but I've received an overwhelmingly positive reaction to it, so I've kept it. Actually, some people like the photo a bit too much.

The photo was taken using the timer controls on my Canon PowerShot A70. I used standard desk lamps for lighting, with the lamps positioned creatively within a darkened room.

When are you going to get a drivers licence?

I'll get my drivers licence when I get a car. I see no point in getting a licence until I will be using it regularly. I don't need a licence for clubs & licensed venues, I already have a separate 18+ ID card.

Okay, so when are you going to get a car?

Possibly never. I still don't have a need for a car. I've been without a car for a long time now, and I enjoy the lifestyle. I love walking to the shops and through various parks on the way. I like catching the train into the city, and walking to the river to eat my lunch. Since I work for myself (as an independent software developer), I don't even need a car to get to work. If I really need a car I can catch a taxi, it works out cheaper.

The indie lifestyle and cars don't always go together. A survey of independent software developers showed that only 48.15% of indies feel they need a car. Compared to where I live, where 72.5% of the population owns a car (according to 1998 Census figures), it's a big difference.

Here's a tip: Please don't ask me this question anymore. I'm asked so frequently that it's very annoying. That's me being polite - please take a hint. Thank you.

But if you did get a car, when would you get it?

I used to say I'd get a car when I achieved the following criteria (which I've achieved already):

• Can comfortably afford the running costs and maintenance costs of a vehicle using annual income, not savings. A recent NRMA survey put this figure at $105 - $330 per week.
• Can afford all related expenses without compromising my business expenses, personal expenses or my investment & savings plans.
• Can afford to buy the car outright and maintain the above criteria. I don't believe in debt.
• Find a reliable car that will last me many years. I keep things for a long time and use them to their limit (for example, I still use a 10 year old computer).
• See a real positive use & need for a car. I'll wait until a car is something that I need to have.
• Find a car that I love, while still being a practical choice. I know the style and models of car I like.
• When I can afford a DeLorean.

Despite that, I still don't have a need for a car. I'm still happy walking to places, catching public transport or taxis. And in today's "climate-aware" culture, it's nice to have fewer carbon emissions than everyone else.

I don't believe in leeching or freeloading, so I try to give petrol & maintenance money to people I occasionally get lifts from. If anyone feels I owe them more petrol money, please drop me a line so I know. Being a non-driver I don't keep up with the current cost of petrol, so I need to be reminded occasionally.

Do you have the email address of Jon Crosby, the singer from VAST?

No. I have never had a personal email address for Jon. However, it's easy to find an email address that will get through to him - find the official VAST web site and browse through there. Jon Crosby himself occasionally talks on the chat boards there. It's also where he previews new VAST songs before their official release.

Why won't you eat/drink anything with caffeine?

I just woke up one day (15th Feb 2000) and decided not to have caffeine anymore. Not Coca-Cola, not coffee, not even chocolate. But if you need concrete reasons, I have many:

• I try to avoid all drugs, even medicinal ones where possible.
• Computer programmers tend to develop addictions to stimulants - most coders get addicted to caffeine, but I want to avoid the addiction altogether.
• Friends made me promise never to drink Jolt Cola again after I drank a whole bottle before a University maths test. I was so hyperactive I disrupted the class.

"Detoxing" from caffeine made me hyper-sensitive to it. A single piece of chocolate cake was enough to make me dizzy, and Green Tea would make my heart race. 7 years later, I don't react quite so dramatically - I've tried the occasional chocolate bar to see what would happen, with little to no reaction. But I don't really enjoy chocolate anymore.

Giving up caffeine has been worth it. My concentration and health has improved since quitting. It was hard at first to give it up, and I did slip up once or twice in the first two months, but it gets easier over time.

What's all this stuff about punk-ethics?

I try to live my life by a code of ethics, and someone has written a code that is similar to my own: An Anarchist's Punk Ethic. While I don't really identify with the anarchist side of it anymore, I still find that many of my values are reflected in that document. This is why I sometimes regard myself as a quiet punk; I'm not a loud extrovert, yet the conviction is there inside and I'll stand up when I want to.

Do you have a crack or serial or keygen for...

NO. I don't have any pirated software or music, nor do I promote its use.

If you can't afford to buy the program, just don't use it. If your client or boss is coercing you to use the program, suggest that they buy it for you - you'll find that they stop pressuring you very quickly. Investigate low-cost alternatives (eg Paint Shop Pro is cheaper than Photoshop), ask if discounts are available (Microsoft offers cheap academic and business licences) and consider open source alternatives, since many of those are free.

You could also talk to the developers of the program and explain why you can't/won't buy the program. Sometimes this will be helpful information to them. If you are prepared to offer something in return they may even give you a free licence. Could you send them an original CD from a local band, local stamps or currency, anything unique? Could you offer your time to be a beta tester? Write a software review for your local newspaper? If you can offer something that benefits the developer (rather than just asking for a handout), they are more likely to respond positively to you.

Are you a Christian or something?

No, absolutely not. I can understand why you would think that - I went to a Christian high school, many of my friends were active churchgoing Christians, and I've written a few online journal entries with religious overtones. However I'm not a Christian and I'd really appreciate it if you could remember that, thanks!

Why do you call yourself an antichrist?

Because the Bible calls me one. The word antichrist appears only 4 times in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible: 1 John 2:18, 1 John 2:22, 1 John 4:3, and 2 John 1:7. You can verify this with the concordance at Blue Letter Bible. It's worth reading how the Bible defines antichrist:

"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." - 1 John 2:22, KJV.

So the antichrist is anyone who does not believe in God, or does not believe Jesus is the Messiah or the son of God. You do not have to dislike Christians or Christianity to be an antichrist - if you don't share their beliefs, you are an antichrist. Note that some newer translations remove all references to antichrist. Take a look at 1 John 2:22 in the Good News Bible, Australian Edition, 1988:

"Who, then, is the liar? It is anyone who says that Jesus is not the Messiah. Such a person is the Enemy of Christ - he rejects both the Father and the Son." - 1 John 2:22, Good News Bible, Australian Edition, 1988.

It's a subtle change, but it's enough to make many Christians think there is only one Antichrist. 1 John 2:18 specifically says there are many antichrists in KJV, but the Good News Bible uses capitalization to make you think that "enemies of Christ" are somehow different to "the Enemy of Christ". KJV doesn't make this distinction.

Timothy Southall has a page called Who Is The Antichrist? that explains this very clearly.

If you're here trying to solve the 1890's puzzle to find the 5 letter word that appears 4 times in the bible (King James Version), you won't find it here. The answer is not "antichrist". The clues to the puzzle may have mislead you, it requires you to believe that animals do not have souls and do not go to heaven.

So, what do you believe in?

I believe in Pi. Decide for yourself what that means.

You need to add a section called "Ethell, My God."

Why?

You should get a blog.

I don't have a blog, but I've introduced an RSS feed for this site. Just click on the little orange button in the menu on the left, and you'll be taken to it. You can copy the URL and add it to your favorite RSS aggregator (whether that's BlogLines, FeedDemon, NetNewsWire or something else is completely up to you).

I don't intend to keep a daily personal blog anymore. I prefer to focus on how-to articles here... the most popular pages on my site include "How to prioritize your tasks", "How to master a CD at home", "How to run a beta test" etc. It's the kind of thing that worked well for Joel Spolsky and Steve Pavlina, two of my favorite bloggers.

If you want me to write a blog because you want to know everything I get up to every day... well, just get to know me better. I'm a prolific email writer and write long emails to my closest friends. My longest email was about 6000 words long. You'll get far more juicy stuff from me via email than I'll ever publish on a web site.

 

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