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Saturday, March 05, 2011
Being a Developer

I was sitting at work today, and started thinking about my industry as a whole. Many of my developer friends whine and complain about their jobs. And to be fair, the job of a developer is never an easy one. There isn't much glamour to it, whenever something goes wrong, it's always our fault. Customers and end users are never satisfied. You are perceived as geeky, and socially awkward. Your friends will forever berate you with requests of "fix my computer" or "help me install this". I don't know a lot of lawyer friends that would eagerly divulge legal advice on a moment’s notice. And then I started to think about why this is. Why is it that we are so underappreciated, so scorned? I mean the pay isn't bad, and it's a job that makes you think and do problem solving. So perhaps it stems from the role and perception of IT.



IT Departments in most companies play a supporting role. They don't really create anything, they're usually not core to the underlying business, they are not the "money-makers". But it really depends on where you work. If you work for Microsoft, you are the "money-maker". You probably get treated like a rock star. If you work in IT support for a legal company, you probably get crapped on. So in a way I feel lucky to work for a company where the software and services we do is done by the developers. So to my fellow developers, I would give this piece of advice. If you are frustrated with your job, maybe it's not the career you should be mad at. Maybe it's the company, or the department. But we should strive try to find happiness in what we do. And if it is the job or department, then change it. If you're passionate about development, then you should work hard to be in a place that appreciates your craft.


3/5/2011 6:55:15 PM [Add Comment]




Monday, March 15, 2010
Super Speeds

Here is what you get when copying a 16 GB file between two solid state drives. It actually hit over 230 MB/second at one point!


3/15/2010 11:59:36 AM [Add Comment]




Sunday, January 04, 2009
He's Back

This guy is freakin hilarious. And I think he knows it. Check out his latest infomercial for the "Slap Chop":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUbWjIKxrrs

Here's a review of his classic Sham Wow Incarnation which I think sums it all up:

A Jerk you'll want to buy rags from

1/4/2009 9:38:32 PM [Add Comment]




Sunday, August 10, 2008
Forget iPhone

Now this is what i'm talking about. The upcoming HTC Touch Pro features a full Qwerty keyboard, touch screen, and a higher resolution screen than the iPhone a whopping 640x480 pixels. Now thats gonna yield some serious internet browsing! And the big ticket item, you get the excellent windows mobile platform. Why windows mobile? well besides the superior support for exchange server, you have the huge arsenal of applications from the windows mobile developer community (and not to mention free). No going through restrictive crappy app stores. Also you can tether this phone to your laptop, for broadband style internet anywhere on the go (a feature greatly lacking on the iPhone). You have remote desktop, for people who like to manage their home pc's on the go. Oh yeah and all that other stuff too: TV-out, GPS, AM/FM radio, camera, etc... The downside: its rumored to retail at like $800! Lets hope you get a better deal with a contract. It also seems to be missing a stylus which would've been nice, probably to push the new touch based interface. Oh, did I mention its also sexy? 

 

8/10/2008 12:00:13 PM [Add Comment]




Friday, May 11, 2007
Computers and Business

I realized today. Business is alot like writing code. You're probably thinking, how is that possible? Business is executed by good looking people in nice suits with good speaking skills, while code is written by nerds. But alot of coding, or atleast good coding, is done by reusing stuff that's already been written. We don't try to reinvent the wheel, unless you work for google or something, and for the most part you utilize libraries and code that's already been written and proven functional. I am constantly looking at my old code and copying. Same thing with business. When companies E-mail clients, they usually just write up a proposal once and then for every other client just change the company name at the top. Or if an executive wants to do a presentation on the quarterly earnings, they probably start with the powerpoint they wrote last year and just change the graph. It's just building on top of platforms.

5/11/2007 4:17:26 PM [Add Comment]




Wednesday, April 11, 2007
School Thoughts

Its been almost 3 years now since I graduated from college. My early years were marred by less than adequete grades, but by the time I reached junior year I finally figured out the secret. It's based on 4 simple rules, some of which seem trivial but are absolutely essential. 

First: you have to start studying for exams a couple of days in advance, cramming never works.
Second: go see your professors and TA's for help outside of class, alot of times they'll give you a good idea of what to expect on up and coming exams.
Third: do your homework. It's worth the extra points and you learn exactly what you need for the exam.
Fourth: and maybe the most important, you need to get passed the fact that some classes require more work for the same grade.

Once you can accept these 4 principles, you will be successful. Notice, I didn't write "Go to class", as I had cut many lectures that didn't take attendance, and was still able to get a good grade. However, going to class is always a good idea. Just thought i'd write these down before I forget, and hopefully help anyone out there.

4/11/2007 3:38:21 PM [Add Comment]




Sunday, October 01, 2006
elections

I think I've realized why half the country doesn't vote. Its not that they don't care about politics, but because the lines are too big at the voting booths.

Just my theory.

10/1/2006 10:22:37 PM [Add Comment]




Monday, August 28, 2006
realization

random thought, I just realized why vacation days like labor day and christmas are such a big deal. It's not the fact that you have off from work, or school, but the fact that everyone else has off as well so you can be with your friends/family. Days off arent as meaningful by yourself. I guess its just one of those things you don't really notice, or rather appreciate, until you start workin at a real job.

8/28/2006 5:25:03 PM [Add Comment]




Tuesday, December 13, 2005
wow

What amazes me is that engineers have figured out a way that allows me to play mario kart IN bed against people around the World on a SMALL screen. Awesome...

12/13/2005 7:17:16 AM [Add Comment]




Friday, December 02, 2005
goodburger

I must announce, that the most delicious burger I have ever tasted in the city does not come from burger king, or mcdonalds, or even some fancy grill. It's the double cheeseburger from the little asian deli in the lobby of my run-down office building. I kid you not, it is amazing. The bun itself is also one of those cheap buns you'd get at your local pathmark, but whats oozing from the inside is nothing short of pure culinary genius. Perfect blend of grilled meat, pickles and special sauces. Mmmmm....

12/2/2005 12:39:09 PM [Add Comment]




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