I am the co-founder of Synap Software, an Elixir Phoenix and Ruby on Rails consultancy and software company. I am a Christian and church member, family man, certified diver, private pilot, hiker, reader, and productivity junky. I have a Masters of Applied Science in CS from the University of Denver and a business degree from Illinois Wesleyan University. I am @smeade on Twitter and am not on Facebook.
2019 Review
Happy New Year! The Internet says this is the time of year to reflect and to plan. And I have. Listed here are not New Year’s resolutions nor 2020 goals but an inventory of what's on my mind heading into the new year. Here is my 2019 annual review (h/t to the Full Focus Planner … Continue reading 2019 Review
A Tiny Elixir Phoenix App
Did you know with two commands you can add a new feature to your Phoenix app? Phoenix code generators - also known as scaffolding - create a skeleton of code upon which your programming work can be performed.
How to Get Started with Elixir Phoenix
Treat this article as a quick-ref to getting started with Elixir Phoenix.
Wellness
Follow the findings summarized in the article and you’ll have covered 80+% of what we humans should do to help keep ourselves well.
Reminders about Passion, Growth and Purpose from Performing Arts Academy
Educators and people that work daily with children and in servant-leadership roles understand and practice these observations almost innately. However those of us in tech, especially remote tech-workers, could use a reminder.
DockYard’s Phoenix Phrenzy
To highlight the capabilities of Phoenix LiveView, DockYard created and is running Phoenix Phrenzy, a contest for developers to build with Phoenix LiveView.

Focus
"There are two locales in a pitcher’s universe – on the mound and off the mound. When a pitcher is on the mound he should be thinking about only two things, …

Three New Productivity Habits
In March I formed three habits with the intention of improving productivity and mindfulness. These form a foundation for the building of new habits in April. In March, I: Avoided posting to Twitter and Facebook. Created a habit of ubiquitous capture. Created a process habit (inbox 0). Avoided posting to Twitter and Facebook Avoiding Twitter and Facebook posts … Continue reading Three New Productivity Habits

In Praise of Rails REST, MVC and Conventions
There was a time where Rails conventions were more closely followed. Here is a gentle reminder of some of the well-known and accepted benefits of staying on the rails of convention.