New Take on Signing NDAs: Charge 'Em

1) Signing NDAs - Projects under NDA get a premium charge of about 33%-50%

2) Releasing rights to the source code to the client - Premium of about 100% (I see this the other way around, though... If the client will let me have rights to the source I write, I give them a 50% discount)

3) Work I hate - I charge about $200/hour if someone asks me to fix their client PCs (virus, DLL hell, etc...). I hate doing this so much I don't even do it for my own computers (I just reinstall everything from scratch when Windows starts to act up). My point by charging so much is that I really, really don't want to do this crap, but I'll cry my way to the bank if a client really wants me to do this.

4) I also charge extra for doing stuff in really old languages (I started in the Clipper/dBase/QuickBASIC days). These clients just want to keep their system running and want minor changes (or database corruptions repaired). I have to keep DOS virtual machines for these people and have to keep around books for those old languages. I charge extra for these little, mostly single-digit hour jobs. The clients are happy because they keep their system running without risking the disruption of a rewrite (These are critical financial systems), and the extra income makes remembering old school tech worth it for me.

The main problem is that as a "hacker" (wannabe maybe), I always think about ways to improve things with technology. So basically any aspect of human life I come across I have the one or other idea about. That means the likelihood is about 90% or more that any NDA I sign would touch an idea I already had.