Services at C21
Here's What I can do for you
I was initially trained as a C++ developer where I worked on very large Retail Store Applications. And I’m talking massive – nearly 1 million lines of code with developers in 3 continents. I ended up being Techncial Team Leader and loved every minute of it! When you’re working with really talented individuals, and have a great support around you, working becomes, as John would say, “Just Playing”.
I’m lucky enough to have had an early grasp on where the future would lie. I saw post-it like widgets for Windows way back in the early 2000s and new at some point these would be held in our hands. I’m a self taught iOS and Android App developer. They’re as different as Ashtanga and Bikram Yoga, and you really have to use both sides of your brain to get round some of the concepts. Put that together with several years of building back-end Website applications to support the Apps and Yoga Clients and you’ve got a full stack developer that can go from paper-design all the way through to complete, integrated product
At C21 we specialise in website design, eCommerce WordPress Sites with Divi and Mobile Application development in SwiftUI (iOS) and Java (Android).
In the past we’ve contributed to over a million lines of C++ code
What I do for you first
The first thing I do is always to listen. And by that I don’t mean ‘hear’ which is something else entirely. My Ashtanga Teacher, John Scott, really focussed on the training I received to make sure I understood the benefit of listening and meeting our students where they are rather than where I thought they were or where I thought they should be, then to talk with them in terms they understand.
So for me it’s to make the technically difficult more understandable.
A lot of Web and Mobile development, whilst technically quite challenging, really isn’t rocket science, and often you don’t need to worry about how things are done. But understanding can help with the process so I’ll explain things where you’re interested to know.
First things First
There’s a couple of guiding principles around these parts. If you’ve heard of Simon Sinek or Dan Millman then you’re ahead of the game
Simon’s principles are that business is not a win/lose scenario but rather an ‘infinite game’ where the idea is not to beat every other business but to keep your business in the game as long as possible. Each day is a chance to leave your business in better shape than it was the day before so eventually we can pass our businesses on to the souls who share the same passion for our ideas and it’s those ideas that outlive the competition
Dan’s famous for his books including ‘The way of the Peaceful Warrior’ and you may have seen Nick Nolte in the film version. As an escape from reality for a couple of hours it’s well worth the watch but if you delve into the message, into the philosophy, then there’s some very important ideas: live in the moment, eliminate attachments, they journey is the reward.
Website Development
I’ve spent the last 5 years working with Wordpress, Divi Builder, Learn Dash and WooCommerce.
Sites I’ve built include Online Student Libraries, Online Community Hubs and more recently Online Training Course Websites. I’ve also been personally running and maintaining Internationally acclaimed Ashtanga Teacher John Scott’s website and Social Media Platform.
I’ve been working with VueJS for the past 2 years.
App Development
I started mobile development when I translated Julie Hanson’s Seasonal Yoga book to a mobile platform. It was one of the very first Apps to appear when the iPhone was launched in 2007. I’ve since gone on to build John Scott’s iOS/Android Apps for Primary and Second Series as well as taking these to the Apple Watch, tvOS and Mac Platforms.
In 2021 I launched Clanns Online, a mobile news and social media aggregation service for smalll groups of like minded individuals
Divi Pagebuilder
I use Divi for WordPress, not because it’s easier for me but because it’s easier for you. If you can drag and drop images onto a Word Document you can use Divi (with a little bit of training). And that, really, is my goal – t0 make you self sufficient so you can work your website yourself.
BTW, this site’s built using Divi
I’ve also recently worked with Firebase, VueJS and of course tonnes of PHP
Xcode / Android Studio
App Development has come on leaps and bounds and are really beginning to mature. I’m not precious of any of the code I’ve written. I’ve long since learned that the best code hardly ever comes out the first time I write it, but iterating, evolving, and re-appraising where I am are all part of the process.
Often times, what comes out first is ok if it gets the job done. Still, it should be robust enought to last!
What to expect next
American Corporate companies are big on Process. I even took part in ISO 9000 qualification meetings. But while processes are often necessary to keep things on track, things like Agile Development often turn out to be ‘Agile Wannabee’. more often collapsing into a series of waterfall developments runs over 2 or 3 week cycles. If they start to eat too much into development often it’s a case of ‘Just get it done’. So I fall somewhere in the middle. There’s no bones about it, things have to be done properly, and correctly, but I’ve no compunction about telling you straight that what you’re after can’t be done, or, more likely, will take more time or a more resources than you’d think. It’s what John employed me to do – talk straight to his media followers and keep them in the picture. And I really want to do that here too. My role as a technical team lead quickly taught me that it’s better to tell someone bad news early, so new choices and changes can be implemented, than to wait until it’s often too late to drop the bombshell that targets aren’t going to be made
So expect some straight talk and a good deal of roll-up the sleeves effort
Be your Authentic Self - 'The Legend of Bagger Vance'
Have you seen the film ‘The Legend of Bagger Vance’?
When you come from the country that invented golf it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing a course near you and the setting for this film is easy to understand, yet it’s the lesson Bagger Vance imparts to the golf prodify played by Matt Damon to be find the ‘authentic shot’ and to see the fairways, greens and every bit of grass as they are and to let them be who they are that sets a good guide for a good way to lead your life.