Por una cabeza.

Bad Beats, Argentine Tango, Unemployment, and writer's block... when ever will I sleep.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

One year

There have been eight separate I.T. catastrophes during the past year.  The company survived each by the generous application of luck, and serendipity.  Hard work, skill, brilliant insight, or the sudden discovery of paradigm shifting analytical wizardry had zero relevance.

Looking back to observe the trail behind, I am flabbergasted by the traps, landmines, and dead ends that were unencountered.

It's better to be lucky, than good.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Nepotism is alive and well

A friend from college called.  Asked that I put in my resume, then later I spent the day talking about what a mess the situation seemed to be.  I met the CEO, who sized me up, didn't ask a single question, and offered up the top of their range.

I start in three weeks.

Oh, hell, what have I gotten myself into now? 

At least the pay is double....

Monday, February 20, 2012

Big bang theory

Hmm.. Just discovered this. #235, uhm, please note- they've already won! But thanks for offering...

Friday, February 03, 2012

The frog in the well knows everything ...

.. but has never seen the ocean.

井の中の蛙大海を知らず。

Landed a job some months ago. Grateful for that. But, really, has it come to this? I know times are tough. Times are tough all over. I keep thinking I'm over qualified, under paid, over worked, and under utilized.

In several months, this pattern has developed. I write up specs, the Big Man rejects them as too expensive, too complicated, too difficult to implement, and I am directed to simplify, reduce, and cuts the estimates by half. Implement something, quick, direct, and speedy. Just a little code.

So coding begins. The project is delivered. Oh.., and Testing, which reveals huge gaps. The Big Man, facing a half-assed solution, remembers that full project had some good ideas, decides the said full project from months ago is now... well, ... looking good. It solves many of the problems, avoids others, and in hind sight, seems quite clever and economical.

And here I sit, wondering? Why is it, I've got a weekend to complete a two month project. A project rejected as too much time and effort. Yet, I'm on the hook to do it. Do it by extreme coding, all night, full effort, every little short cut trick 25 years has taught me. Dedication to deliver.

But this is my 6th go around. I know this music.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I wonder who it is that's at the bottom of the well? The Big Man who seems to be getting great work at fire sales prices, or me, who seems to be getting played like a fine violin?

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

First interview in three years...

Friend of a friend, of this guy I know, has this other friend who knows someone that might be looking to hire ... well, anyone.

What are they looking for? skill set?

Can you spell XML? Can you point out the internet for me? Can you build me an on-line shopping cart, using our legacy warehousing system running on cobol, and use ruby on rails for the front end, and really really great animated graphics, in your spare time, by tomorrow, as an intern, for free? We just know it will be a high volume site, so there can't be any down time, ever. It's like ebay, for your cat, with a classy, think facebook, sidebar advertising that instantly presents all the up-sell checkout items, where we will rake in advert dollars, to make up for the at-cost pricing in the shopping cart!

Oh, hey, ... sounds like an opportunity
I apply, I get an interview.

question one. If there were ten of you, clone yourself, on a complex project, how would it go? uh, it would go well, on time, on budget, tested.

voice of Shaggy-Like weird question, man

and this was the most technical of the questions.

perhaps, as a geek, AKB48 otaku is about right for the times...

being a programmer is just too weird anymore.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Tea, Taxes, and the Budget

Here's the new budget math, removing eight zeros;

21,700 tax revenue (IRS)
38,200 spending (USA Budget)
=====
16,500 borrowed. The accumulated deficits amount to a total Debt Balance of 142,000.

Suppose the Tax Revenue somehow DOUBLES, and the same magical, somehow, allows the SPENDING to remain flat:

43,400 tax revenue
38,200 spending
=====
5,200 surplus to pay down the debt (142,000) every year for the next 27 YEARS!!

When Greenspan fixed Social Security, way back in 1983... increasing the tax from 9.3% to 15.3% ... in order to build up a surplus, Congress spent it. And how. Social Security never grew a surplus.

Greenspan Social Security


It's not about No New Taxes... it's that congress has made a mess of the money it already gets.



Monday, April 18, 2011

Atlas Shrugged, part 1

Couldn't help but see it twice, and will catch a third mid week. Two things- It has some style similar to The Fountainhead movie (quick jabs and the book is required reading), and kudos to the Grant Bowler for a clever and warm HR.

Looking forward to part deux.