Over the next month and a half, my family and I will be moving to Austin, TX. In thinking through the decision to move, the following is how I can sum up the decision in the best way.

Settling down. Getting comfortable. Finding the sure and easy path. That all was laid out in front on me.

I could have left well enough alone and continued with my job when others are struggling to find one. No one would fault me for doing so.

But instead, my family and I are choosing a different way: an uncomfortable way. This summer we'll be leaving what we know behind: our friends, family and jobs. All to go to a place we've only been once before.

The decision certainly wasn't easy, but in some ways it was. Do we feel satisfied by our jobs? Have we tapped our desire for the adventure that comes with new surroundings and new challenges? Are we satisfied with what we've built for ourselves? Is the grass really greener elsewhere?

Ultimately, I'd be happier to point to a chart that shows Austin's lower cost of living or the tax advantages or how much more love our son will feel with Mommy home more often.

But that doesn't exist in any simple form and, instead, we point to our guts.

It just feels right.

 

Over the past two birthdays, I have asked friends, family and the public at large to buy me a birthday present. I have received such a terrific response that I would be remiss to not ask again. So, buy me a birthday present, please!

This year, I want tin snips.

Yes, tin snips.

Have you ever tried to install a tin roof without tin snips? Have you ever tried to build a house without a roof? There you have it. No tin snips, no house. (Okay, so they were $32 at Home Depot and that's the number we're working with this year.)

Make a $32 donation to the Appalachia Service Project today, and help buy the tools to re-roof a home, plus so much more. 

How do you do it?

Buy tin snips by donating $32 to ASP today. Click here to make your donation, and include in the "tribute" area "Ben Thoma."

Don't have $32? That's okay—donate what you can. I appreciate any and all gifts. With the help of ASP, I'll tally the results and let you know how far we are getting.

What's that? You prefer using Facebook?

No problem: you can donate $32 through Facebook as well.

What if you don't use your credit card online?

Simple. Mail a check made out to the "Appalachia Service Project" to 4523 Bristol Highway, Johnson City, TN 37601. Please be sure to include "Ben's Birthday Gift" in the check's memo area.

 
(2003: Carter County, TN) That's me with the late Norma Dean: one of ASP's earliest volunteers, champion storyteller, and great friend to the project's founder, Tex Evans.) 

What's ASP?

Since 1969, the Appalachia Service Project has served as a home-repair mission that strives to make homes warmer, safer and drier. It serves the good people of Central Appalachia—where West Virginia, Virginia, Tenessee, and Kentucky converge. It is a Christian project, but serves families and volunteers of any religious background.

The majority of the project's efforts are centered on an 8 week period in the summer when tens of thousands of volunteers arrive a week a time to rebuild families homes across 20+ counties in those 4 states. Each volunteer center is staffed by a small group of committed, college-aged staff members. Volunteers fundraise year-around for the opportunity to serve and are usually made up of both high school students and adult group leaders. The experience of volunteerism is as important as the 500+ families that benefit annually. The founder, Tex Evans used to declare that, "ASP is a relational ministry, with home repair on the side."

How'd you find this idea?

A couple years ago, at the TED conference, I was inspired by Scott Harrison's 31st birthday story. Scott used his 31st as an opportunity to create an amazing non-profit called charity:water which brings clean, drinking water to those who otherwise would not have access. While I don't have the ambition to start a new charity, I do see an opportunity to benefit the efforts of ASP.

Thank you in advance

Please, buy ASP some tin snips for my birthday!

We're half way through the list people!

Shit My Dad Says

Shit Girls Say

Shit Suburban Moms Say

Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls

Shit Single Girls Say

Shit Lesbians Say

Shit That Shit Says

Shit An Indian Girl Says

Shit Thirsty Dudes Say

Shit Asian Girls Say

Shit Black Guys Say

Shit Yogis Say

Shit Canadian Guys Say

Shit Fat People Say

Shit Football Fans Say

Shit Gay Guys Say

Shit Panhandlers Say

Shit Runway Models Say

Shit Amusement Park Mascots Say

Shit Cameramen Say

Shit Conspiracy Theorists Say

Shit Coke Drinkers Say

Shit Pepsi Drinkers Say

Shit Tab Drinkers Say

Shit Ghosts Say

Shit Cats Say

Shit Toll Booth Operators Say

Shit Fluffers Say

Shit Jurors Say

Shit Bathroom Attendants Say

Shit Travel Guides Say

 

If you've met me, then you know I am an Apple fanatic. So, when Steve Jobs passed last night, I felt a distinct emptiness. What would we do without Steve?

I thought about the closest I ever came to Steve—a time when my fandom was at its peak. In 2006, I was an Apple employee at a retail store—I swore that I would never work retail, but this was different.

I decided that I had to be there when Apple opened it's landmark Fifth Avenue Store in New York. I arrived early and secured my place in what would be an epic line. Despite the fact that I was surrounded by other Apple fans, the thought of standing in line all day was not very exciting.

That all changed when I saw him. Steve Jobs ws there. At times I was within 5 feet of him, but was never actually able to shake his hand and let him know how grateful I was for his approach to his company, his products, his life.

As I think back on it now, it's almost fitting that I never got Steve's attention that day. The man remains at arms length for me, but I have been much closer to him than that. I not only use his products, but I feel them.

The greatest part of the man, for me, is that I know him in a way that is more powerful than if I had shook his hand or had a beer wih him.

When I use his products, I connect with Steve's vision. I thrive on his perfectionism and feed on his passion. I understand what he wanted to share with the world. I couldn't possibly get closer to the man than that.

On a day when he has been quoted over and over again, I find it more powerful to think of everything he has said through his work, rather than his words.

Netflix announced today that they were changing their DVD service's name to "Qwickster" and that they had basically dissolved DVD's into their own company. This comes after all that craziness with raising prices and consumer back-lash.

The general consensus in my office is: "Netflix, you're an idiot."

You clearly don't understand the affinity and power that your red envelopes and name have established over the last 12 years. So, let me remind you of the story for a little brand called: Coca-Cola. They made a similar decision back in 1995. Remember this?

Oh yeah?! THAT was a great idea.

So, instead of getting down on Netflix for this monumental blunder (which seemed impossible after the previous, pricing one), let me help you out Netflix. Change back NOW. Take this history lesson and re-re-brand your DVD service as "Netflix Classic." Or is that your plan already?

As if I needed further proof of this branding blunder, while trying to write this post I made 4 unsuccessful attempts to type in this new service's URL. I tried: qwuickster.com, qwickster.com, quickster.com, and qwikster.com before I finally stumbled onto the right one: www.qwikster.com I'm not sure what is more pathetic: the actual spelling of this new "brand" or their lack of foresight to buy up those URLs.

But then again, when it comes to an inability to read their own fan base and make smart decisions, is it really surprising anymore to see Netflix leading the way with brand-dissolving f-ups?

Taken at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center

What's more awesome than the Tour de France?

How about custom letterpress posters inspired by each individual day's events. Join the peloton of supporters backing this Kickstarter project our good friends, Ray & Jill of Lead Graffiti letterpress studio. 

I read about Starbucks Mobile Payment system today, and I just had to try it. Basically, the concept is: why carry around another gift/rewards card in your pocket when you already carry around a smartphone? Made sense to me, plus I already like the idea of mobile payments. I have been using www.venmo.com off and on for almost a year, and found it to be super helpful.

Overall, the Starbucks version of mobile payments is pretty attractive, and what I found was:

1) It's a lot of steps to go through.
2) It was a fun, easy experience that could work to make me a loyal fan.

If you scroll through the images above, you'll see what it took to get me started with the whole mobile payment experience. It ultimately took five steps (really, six) to get to the point where I had drink in hand. Before heading out I found a nearby Starbucks location in the app—nice, obvious user experience.

So, in store, the first thing I had to do was (1) buy a Starbuck card. Luckily they had the (RED) card which donates $0.05 to the Global Fund to fight AIDs in Africa every time it's used (why would anyone use any other card if they know this one exists?). Then I had to resist the urge to use that piece of plastic and instead enter it and it's code into the iPhone app. Okay, easy enough.

Then I had to (2) log in to my Starbucks account (luckily, I had created one before I left—sorry Starbucks, but I hadn't bought Starbucks in probably a year prior to today). The technology (3) linked my Starbucks account to that new, red piece of plastic and, using my iPhone as it's proxy, it displayed to me that I was the proud owner of $20 of Starbucks credit. I liked how the card image was integrated in the experience. There was no doubt that was the card I was using.

So, the last steps were to (4) order a drink and (5) hand the cashier my phone, who waved the device in front of a barcode scanner. I saw my card's value change accordingly and immediately. So, past all the set up steps, I imagine future transactions to be super easy, and actually rather nice, especially with the little bit about doing good with (RED).

But the whole thing wasn't perfect. One big thing was: I wish I could buy a card right from the app. Why did I need to buy a physical card and then punch in the numbers from there? Wouldn't it be better to just buy a virtual card through the app? The plastic is now useless to me. Another small thing was: Why couldn't I "swipe" my card at the register? It may be silly, but I'm the type who likes the self check-out line at the supermarket, and this is my several-hundred-dollar device that I'm handing over the counter. Let me scan my phone, please!

One bonus was that Visa had a promo to get $5 added for free when you topped up your Starbucks card through the app. So, I did that and so now my experiment cost me $45, but at least I got $5 on top of that for free. That should get me 2/3 of a drink, right? :)

Anyway, the whole thing is very cool. It me feel good about my small contributions to a charity, let me be an early adopter of a cool, new tech application and the Chai Latte wasn't half bad either. Despite what jaded New Yorkers may think about Starbucks (and it's valid), they have done a great job of integrating a wholly offline experience with a mobile/online one, and they've made me look at them again.

Kudos, Starbucks. Kudos!

Last year, when I turned 30, I decided to ask friends and family to forget the gifts, and instead buy hammers for the Appalachia Service Project. I was hoping to get 30 gifts, 30 hammers—but everyone came through and we ended up with 66!

So, this 31st year, I am humbly asking people to buy me a birthday present again. This time, it isn't about hammers, it's about:

Rolls of Insulation: 31 of them, please!

I don't know about you, but where I live, it's pretty freakin' cold. You know where else it's cold? In the mountains of Appalachia. You know where it is coldest? Inside a kid's bedroom when all you have is board and baton siding.

ASP has a mantra: it strives to make homes warmer, safer, drier. I served with ASP during the hot summer months, so it was always hard to imagine the "warmer" part, but I just checked the weather for Panther, WV (where I first served on ASP) and it's going to be 26º with 1-2" of snow tonight—too cold for this guy.

Why 31 rolls?

Well, aside from being my age, they're only $25 and approximately 31 rolls of R19 insulation can insulate a small Appalachia home. That's a big deal—so, let's insulate a home for my birthday!

How do you do it?

Buy insulation by donating $25 to ASP today. Click here to make your donation, and include in the "tribute" area "Ben Thoma."

Don't have $25? That's okay—donate what you can. I appreciate any and all gifts. With the help of ASP, I'll tally the results and let you know how far we are getting.

What's that? You prefer using Facebook?

No problem: you can donate $25 through Facebook as well.

What if you don't use your credit card online?

Simple. Mail a check made out to the "Appalachia Service Project" to 4523 Bristol Highway, Johnson City, TN 37601. Please be sure to include "Ben's Birthday Gift" in the check's memo area.

 
(2003: Carter County, TN) That's me with the late Norma Dean: one of ASP's earliest volunteers, champion storyteller, and great friend to the project's founder, Tex Evans.) 

What's ASP?

Since 1969, the Appalachia Service Project has served as a home-repair mission that strives to make homes warmer, safer and drier. It serves the good people of Central Appalachia—where West Virginia, Virginia, Tenessee, and Kentucky converge. It is a Christian project, but serves families and volunteers of any religious background.

The majority of the project's efforts are centered on an 8 week period in the summer when tens of thousands of volunteers arrive a week a time to rebuild families homes across 20+ counties in those 4 states. Each volunteer center is staffed by a small group of committed, college-aged staff members. Volunteers fundraise year-around for the opportunity to serve and are usually made up of both high school students and adult group leaders. The experience of volunteerism is as important as the 500+ families that benefit annually. The founder, Tex Evans used to declare that, "ASP is a relational ministry, with home repair on the side."

How'd you find this idea?

A couple years ago, at the TED conference, I was inspired by Scott Harrison's 31st birthday story. Scott used his 31st as an opportunity to create an amazing non-profit called charity:water which brings clean, drinking water to those who otherwise would not have access. While I don't have the ambition to start a new charity, I do see an opportunity to benefit the efforts of ASP.

Thank you in advance

Please, buy ASP some insulation for my birthday!