This comic strip applies to so many areas of my life right now, and I’m sure you will find the concept familiar to you as well. Navigating change well is all a matter of managing relationships.

The Other Coast ~ June 30 2009 - Click to read more from Comics.com

There’s so much more I could talk about, but a picture says a thousand words. What do you think?

Respond to Change approaching on the horizon. Ahoy! at http://tonychung.ca.

tonychung.ca blog design circa 2007 to 2009

It’s already June. I haven’t redesigned this site yet. At the time of writing it still uses the original theme I installed back in 2007. At the same time, I have also developed ideas for several blog entries that I believe many will find helpful to reconcile issues of life, faith, and vocation. I’ve started 26 draft posts and have a handwritten journal for two more. I love being an ideation machine, but I’m finding that it’s difficult to write about the importance of building relationships when I’m out building relationships.

Over the May long weekend (16-18 this year) I went away to a men’s retreat, and returned with a resolve to improve my relationships with my friends and family, most significantly with my sons. This new focus on enriching the depth of my relationships makes it difficult to apply myself to any tasks outside of my daytime work. While I am passionate about publishing my thoughts to share with you, I’m finding that the cost of sharing revelation is greater than the income it generates.

I’ll be completing these draft posts over time, so bear with me. Right now there is too much life to live to be able to dedicate any time to this blog. Besides, shouldn’t YOU also be out there living your life anyway? What are you doing reading blog posts while the sun’s shining?

…I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). ~ John 10:10b AMP

Have a great summer. You may or may not see me online during this time. All the blessed!

Respond to Revelation doesn’t pay the bills at http://tonychung.ca.

Chung Family on Mother's Day

My thoughts on my wife’s thought:

• Lord, help us to see you in the centre of all the chaos.
• Readers, we’ll see you on the other side.

Invitation to Open Worship Night

One of the ways to keep God in the centre of our thoughts is to spend time in prayer, praise and worship. Our church is hosting an Open Worship Night on June 13. The link opens the event details on Facebook. Here’s a poster you can download.

Poster for Open Worship Night at Northside Church

Hope to see you there!

Respond to Peace in the midst of chaos at http://tonychung.ca.

Today’s post is merely a pet peeve I have about the lack of concern people have about the copyright statement at the bottom of their sites and documents. I’ve been using the traditional publishing copyright statement format since my foray into comic book publishing and songwriting back in the 80s. Naturally, this becomes the default format I turn to when I write my copyright statements. It also makes me sound like a stickler about seemingly insignificant details.

However, I believe that using a traditional copyright statement is key to representing yourself professionally. It shows you’ve done your homework, and on a subliminal level, may impact whether or not you get the sale.

What is the purpose of Copyright?

With the advent of digital technology, copyright is becoming a moot issue, paving the way for free content sharing between interested parties in order to quickly and easily develop new works. It is difficult to control product distribution, so it is also difficult to enforce copyright legislation. One could arguably say that copyright serves no valid purpose anymore, and the terms of fair use need to expand to provide more creative options.

Copyright exists upon the creation of a tangible representation of an idea, and is owned by the creator until 50 years past the creator’s (or last co-creator’s) death. I think in the US this definition was expanded to 75 years. This means the creator has legal control over how their work is used during that time. The creator also has the right to decide how their work is to be distributed, whether for remuneration or willingly released so others can use it for free.

I’m not a legal expert, so I won’t go into detail about the legal issues around copyright and alternative licensing mechanisms, such as GNU open source, Copywrong and Creative Commons. This post is only about the statement itself. The definition of copyright provided above shows why some versions of the statement are inappropriate.

Copyright statement: the right way

While copyright exists upon the availability of a tangible representation of a work, a notification of copyright is helpful to provide information to others as to whom to request permission to reproduce. Legally, a copyright statement only needs to include the word and/or symbol Copyright (©), the earliest year of production, and the name of the copyright holder. I don’t believe there are any specific requirements as to the order of these elements. However, there is a standard format that is usually followed.

Copyright © 2009 Tony Chung Creative Communications.

Alternatives include the short form:

© 2009 Tony Chung Creative Communications.

That’s it.

Copyright statement: wrong ways

I’m shooting myself in the foot here, because as I mentioned above, there is no legally “wrong” way as long as all the elements are there. However, the above format follows a standard convention used by everyone else in the publishing industry, and this helps to identify the date of first publication of a work.

Jumbled elements

I’ve seen the gamut of copyright statements in use, and cringe every time. Even the STC Forum (of which I handle backend administration) uses a wrong format. Funny how I didn’t notice it before. I was going to change it, but it serves as a good example, so I may just keep it for posterity.

© Copyright 2009, Society for Technical Communication and named contributors.

As far as wrong goes, it falls on the low end of the scale. It’s only “slightly” wrong, because the symbol and the word Copyright are reversed. Other variants of this are:

© Copyright Tony Chung Creative Communications 2009.

© Tony Chung Creative Communications 2009.

Copyright Tony Chung Creative Communications © 2009.

You know the drill.

Parentheses instead of © symbol

This was brought to my attention when I contacted record companies years ago about song lyrics. They told me that the (c) is not the same as ©, and to learn to create the symbol.

On a PC, hold <alt> and press the keypad numbers 0169

On a Mac, hold <option> and press G

About.com demonstrates how to create even more extended characters.

Missing date information

Some believe that without mentioning the year, it provides more flexibility by not locking in a publication date. These are both technically wrong.

Copyright © Tony Chung Creative Communications.

© Tony Chung Creative Communications.

Extended dates

I’ve even seen the use of an extended copyright year:

© 1995 – 2009 Tony Chung Creative Communications.

But these variants make it more difficult to verify the first publish date for legal purposes. In theory it looks like it makes sense on a website because it demonstrates both longevity and currency. However, it doesn’t hold any legal weight, because the copyright date of each page is on its first representation in its current form.

Copyright is rarely wrong

Notwithstanding all the above, having a copyright statement is better than no copyright statement. It’s merely an indication that you care about your work, and that you invite others to contact you before using it for their own ends. With that in mind, then, a more standard copyright statement is better than one thrown together without appropriate research.

However, I have used the extended date format on websites, for purely longevity/currency reasons rather than legal protection. As the content expert, you need to decide the best option and be prepared to defend the decision.

What are your thoughts? I invite your comments about copyright and its variants.

Respond to Professional copyright statements at http://tonychung.ca.

Case in point: MS Word’s string Replace() function, not discussed in any official VBA reference.

As part of my work, I get the opportunity to hack macros in Visual BASIC for Applications (VBA) to automate tedious Word processes. I’ve also had the pleasure of working with the slightly different VBA implementations for Excel and Access. After all, it’s just another programming language, right?

What upsets me is that when I compare Microsft’s documentation to looking up solutions to web development problems using on online references for PHP, HTML and CSS (and now JavaScript), and W3Schools, Microsoft sells developers short. The articles are highly detailed theoretical concepts lacking any useful substance. I know this explanation sounds vague. I’m just trying to get this off my chest so I can get back to work.

Replace the facts, ma’am

Take, for example, the relatively simple concept of replacing strings within strings. Every programming language provides a function to replace strings simply and easily. However, if you read only the Word documentation, you would get the idea that to perform any string replacement functions you need to involve the complex and oft complicated Find object.

Press to call for help within the VB project window

Previous web searches showed me that Word 2003 had a Replace() function that is perfect for this cause. I archive this solution here for future reference.

How to use Replace()

Here’s an example of a simple script that replaces spaces with underscores. Ideally, we’d like to use a regular expression (RegExp) to remove non-alphanumeric characters, but for this demo we’ll just write a function:

Function replaceSpace(sText As String)
    replaceSpace = Replace(sText, " ", "_")
End Function

Test this function with a small Sub to feed it some text. In the absence of RegExp handling, if we know in advance the characters we need to filter out we could join the results of multiple Replace() calls and return the final version. This is the output from the Simple version.

Simple script to Replace() spaces with underscores

If I learn anything about RegExp in the next little while I’ll update this post.

Respond to MS Word has a Replace() VBA function? at http://tonychung.ca.

Take this Umbrella acoustic performance video by an inspirational, talented, worship leader/performer named Cofféy Anderson. Just in time for Good Friday and Easter, or as we pentecostals like to say, Resurrection Sunday, yo.

Visit Cofféy Anderson’s official home page to find other ways to connect with him. I was going to list all his sites here, but he already does that, with more pizazz!

“Holler at yer boy!”

Respond to A little Good Friday Resurrection at http://tonychung.ca.

While the new settings are happily propagating the Internet, if you need to reach me, use  the phone, facebook, or twitter. I will test the server settings later tonight, but I probably won’t be checking email at least until Monday.

As a supposed web “expert”, I would never willingly admit ignorance and stupidity unless I believed my experience will help someone else. I am nonetheless embarrassed to admit that I changed my DNS settings before the weekend and lost the ability to receive email against my domain tonychung dot ca in the process. I believe this experience will help others who also enjoy messing around with their web setups.

The moral of the story is this: BEFORE playing with any of the advanced settings, make sure you

a) UNDERSTAND network protcols

b) ARCHITECT your network setup to best accommodate the limitations of your web/domain registrar control panels

Thankfully it’s just technology. Time to enjoy real life.

Ciao!

Respond to For want of an MX record… at http://tonychung.ca.

The way I see it #26: Po Bronson

Still later, while out for lunch with my friend, a Starbucks shift supervisor, I told this story, and referred to the quote on the cup that I kept encountering. As if on cue, the sleeve from my grande sized beverage fell to the table, revealing the same quote on that cup as well.

I have since seen that quote several times in the past six months.

The infamous quote

A quick email to Starbucks customer relations provided this story:

Cup Number: 26

Author: Po Bronson

Category: Author of stories, screenplays and non-fiction, including What Should I Do With My Life?

Story: Failure’s hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you’re successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever.

Why success is dangerous

Several years ago I landed a temporary clerical position in health care purchasing. Through my computer skills and willingness to learn, apply, and train the business processes of our organization, I eventually earned full time status with benefits and accrued vacation time. I had a long run of success in that job. I learned what I was supposed to do quickly and my desire to grow led me to drive the position.

That success proved to be dangerous because it soon became apparent I was not passionate about the work even though I did my job well. To make matters worse, I wasn’t driven to succeed in any alternate career paths because I knew I had the stability of my job. Even though I developed and applied new skills outside of the scope of my job, I felt locked into this position, trapped from doing anything outside this job.

I had already been working side contracts, but not enough to convince me to leave the stability. Eventually I had wrestled with myself long enough, and hit the point where I was prepared to leave my successful career and start over. I pushed myself to send out one resume every week, and interview at least one prospective employer every two weeks.

It took outside involvement to break me out of the cycle. One of my technical writing course instructors called me up out of the blue and offered me my first full-time technical writing and illustration gig. The bonus was that I didn’t even need to apply for it. That started a new process of self-discovery where I could apply my ability to learn new technology quickly, write about it, illustrate it, and develop web-based and other content management systems to explain it.

Looking back, I realize that it would have been better if I arranged informational interviews to develop business relationships with interesting companies rather than apply to job postings. In this way I could better find the type of work that suited me, rather than a specific position to fit into.

Why failure is hard

My new path hasn’t been easy, and after losing two jobs back-to-back due to external circumstances, I experienced moments of self-doubt and depression. Even though I was appreciated by my employers and clients, and many of my former co-workers are now good friends I would not have met in my old job, the loss made me feel like a failure.

Every day I need to rise above my feelings consciously decide to lay those cares down at the foot of the cross. God continues to open the doors and I continue to get more work than I can handle without Him. I am grateful for a supportive family, and several friends and colleagues who send work my way. Over the last few years these friends have taught me a lot about networking, business relationships, and prioritizing, all of which help to overcome any feelings of failure.

Something funny

When I searched the Internet for Po Bronson, the quote’s author, I was amused that the front page links to articles published in October 2007, on the science of how consistent sleep makes your child smarter and thinner. Being a father of two energetic boys, I was particularly interested in any science that could help me convince these kids to sleep more.

Ironically, on Oct 15 2007 I posted a link to this very same article on my Facebook page: Can a Lack of Sleep Set Back Your Child’s Cognitive Abilities? — New York Magazine. The same article, by the same authors. I couldn’t believe it.

I knew that I feel connected to certain authors because of their writing styles, but this was the first time I felt that connection even through uniquely different publishing streams. Coincidence? I think not!

Know your calling

I agree with the sentiment that it’s easier to recover from failure because it helps you to find out what you’re not good at. Success can blind you to your true calling, and it may take more than just hard work to break yourself out of the cycle once you realize you’re on the wrong path.

My long-running purchasing career provided me with opportunities I wouldn’t have experienced any other way. I don’t regret the long years, because they helped me to realize the truly important things in life. My new career in technical writing, web development, and music production provides me with more time to spend with my family, which I know is my true calling.

The final word: if you’re in the same boat I was in, where you find yourself growing distant from your present job, don’t lose heart. Decide to live each day focused on your goal. Keep the job if it’s your sole income source, and reach out to your community to find others who may be able to give you opportunities to prove yourself.

Respond to Excess of success worse than failure? at http://tonychung.ca.

Engadget’s Josh Topolsky demoed the Palm Pre on Jimmy Fallon live. I don’t usually follow Engadget, and I don’t stay up late enough to watch talk shows, so I’m fortunate that Engadget posted this video so I could see this new device in action.

This new phone by Palm isn’t even in production. Certain celebrities have been given the opportunity to own one of these puppies to help with the pre-launch. But of all carriers, why Sprint? CDMA technology is so dead, as the world converges to 4G.

Anyway, I don’t have a lot of time to whine. I saved this video link on my site so I can watch it later when I have less to do. Enjoy!

Respond to I hope Palm Pre makes it to Canada, eh? at http://tonychung.ca.

Here is my list of 25 things that you need to know about me, with thanks to Pastor David Koop, who, over ten years ago, first introduced me to “Who I Am”, scripture-based affirmations of our true identity.

Special Note: The complete list is endless as to be eternal.

Who I am in Christ

Tony Chung worships God in spirit and in truth

1. I am a child of God
2. I am led by the Holy Spirit who lives inside me
3. I live by faith and not by sight
4. I worship God in spirit and in truth
5. I know my tongue is to my body like a rudder of a ship, and choose my words carefully to steer my life
6. I am quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry
7. I speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves
8. God gave me a spirit of power, love and self-discipline
9. I am a love letter from Christ, written with the Spirit of the living God on the tablet of my heart
10. I bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control
11. I make the most of every opportunity to know and do the Lord’s will
12. I wear the full armour of God at all times for protection from evil
13. I am a man who prays in the spirit on all occasions, unceasingly, without losing hope
14. The Lord builds my house, on the solid foundation which is His word
15. I love my wife as Christ loves the church and would give up my life for her
16. I discipline my sons in love, as even the Lord disciplines me
17. I know my God has great plans for me and my future
18. I use money wisely, and give generously and cheerfully, knowing God is faithful to supply all my needs according to His riches in glory
19. I resolve conflict before going to bed
20. I know my God is faithful to protect me from temptation, and He is equally faithful to forgive me for my imperfection when I confess my wrongful actions
21. I fix my thoughts on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.
22. I am prepared to answer, with gentleness and respect, for my hope in Jesus
23. I resist the devil and he flees from me
24. I draw near to God, and He draws near to me
25. By faith I see the Lord seated on the throne, never changing, and returning in glory

Bonus thought: (the free gift)

26. I have been made righteous by the free gift of God, which is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross

Finally, my brethren

There is a running joke that the apostle Paul often closed with the phrase, “Finally, my brethren,” then carried on for several chapters beyond. Not in the spirit of Paul, I offer only a few closing thoughts.

The Bible predates me, so I can’t claim any any copyright to this list. Feel free to share this list with anyone, print a copy to read daily, or post it on your own blog. Better still, compile your own list of affirmations based on what God shows you about you. In my introduction I said this list is endless—after all, it’s eternal! For example, here’s a version of Who I Am from Joyce Meyers’ website, with links to confessions, prayers, and additional scripture references “for a sound mind”.

I won’t bother to tag anyone with this post. I believe God has already tagged you and is waiting for you to respond.

If you like any of the songs in my player, remember to buy the CDs to support the artists.

Respond to 25 Not-so Random Things About Me at http://tonychung.ca.