Who am I, what do I do?

This is the personal blog of Jay Harper. I’m generally a geek, and also President of Slicksurface - a small company that does everything from database programming (especially with 4D), to web work, to search engine optimization (SEO), to graphic design. Professional issues are all written up on the Slicksurface Blog. This blog is just for personal stuff…

My latest interest has been affiliate marketing, but that’s not really covered here either…  

Where did the site name come from?

“Beating upwind” is a sailing term. It’s what you do when you need to get a sailboat to go upwind. Things don’t normally move toward the wind (the wind blows them away). Sailboats are no different and “beating upwind” effectively is one of the hardest things to do in sailing, but it’s one of the most important skills a sailor can have.

“Gentlemen sailors don’t sail upwind”. The point being that if you’re rich enough, life is easy and you can just wait until the wind changes or get off the boat and pay someone to sail it into the harbor for you. Beating upwind is the activity of those who are driven to accomplish a goal. It’s hard, but if you need to accomplish something by a certain time, it’s what you have to do from time to time.

My life has had it’s share of “beating upwind”. Luckily I’ve had my easier, downwind moments as well. But the times when I’ve pushed through and gotten something done are the moments that have really made me who I am today…