It turns out I have quite a bit to learn before I can really start contributing to the going-ons here at NetLearning. They've given me the task of figuring a way to get device activity from their servers/routers/whatever and producing historical graphs of that data so they can troubleshoot. A search on the internet for graphing tools produced a wonderful graphing library that does exactly what Ray wants, but needs to be deployed either in Visual C++, Borland Builder, Visual Basic.NET, C#.NET, or Delphi.
We decided to go with Visual C++ because a)They already had a license for it, and b)I don't know it yet, and I was born to suffer. :p. Actually I'm thrilled to have a chance to learn VC++. It's probably a good thing to have on my resume. Unfortunately, it's more convoluted than Borland Builder ever was, so it might take me a while to learn. Fortunately, I bought a book called "Learn Visual C++ 6.0 In 24 Hours" to help me out. 24 hours!!! Holy cow! With books like these, who needs a CS degree?
In addition to figuring out how to deploy this thing in VC++, I will eventually have to learn how to talk to the server and the databases. Then I can query for historical data and, eventually, hopefully, create an app that graphs server activity in real-time.
Now a lot of people would say at this point that I should be very very scared. They'd be right, but there's a coffee pot here at the office which I'm abusing as much as the one back at the IRIS labs, and caffeine is a sure-fire way to kill fear. I mean, have you ever seen a frightened, wired man?
Last I heard, there are still no camels in India.
Monday, March 15, 2004
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
I was sitting in front of my laptop at NetLearning today looking up software packages to help me with this project that Raymond (the IS director and probably my boss) and Dave (the network consultant) have me working on, and an online form asks me what I work as. So I poke my head into Gretchen's office (where Ray was hashing out some purchasing issue with her) and say "Um, if a form asks me what my job title is, what do I say?"
"I would say... 'IS consultant'."
Hmm.
"Or 'IT consultant' if that sounds better."
"I *like* that. Thanks!"
So there you have it. I'm an IT consultant.
"I would say... 'IS consultant'."
Hmm.
"Or 'IT consultant' if that sounds better."
"I *like* that. Thanks!"
So there you have it. I'm an IT consultant.
Well it looks like I'm about to be employed. There is a company in downtown Knoxville called NetLearning which makes online learning modules for their clients, and I just had a good long talk with their network consultant and SI director yesterday at the office about a project they want me to work on. It's going to be contract-to-hire position, so it's probably a good idea to keep looking for other opportunities, but it's a good place to start and gain some experience while I'm at it. At the very least, it looks like I'll be here for Brent's wedding, which is a good thing. Now I need to start thinking about renewing my passport and visa. Dad's calling me this weekend (right dad???) so I can ask him to talk to the US embassy and Malaysian government and ask them about doing it over the mail.
In the meantime, I've still been MU-ing, without Adrian, who has dissappeared off my radar this week (Where are you??? scumzzz!!!). I also bought No One Lives Forever 2 for $10 (I traded in Silent Hill 2 for $14), which was short, but fun. I know I said I was gonna get Vietcong, but I played the demo and it was a little *too* realistic. I couldn't see a damn thing in those bushes! Maybe later, when I have a sweeter PC, and then at least the bushes will be nicer to look at. Anyway, NOLF2 has it all if you're into dryly humorous spy spoofs: gadgets, guns, one-liners, and racial stereotypes abound. The only problem is it's a first-person game; it's not a gameplay problem (I love first person views), but it does mean you only see Cate Archer, the game's protagonst, about 0.1% of the time. Anyone that cute ought to be onscreen more often. They could've snuck a mirror into her decoder gadget, or something. Yeesh...
On the upside, she's still very hot when she shows up in the cinematics, and it also turns out she's Scottish, which pretty much blows the dials of the hot-o-meter. And the game is the only one I know of that takes you in exotic Akron, Ohio, probably one of the most under-utilized locations in videogaming, ever. I'm sure Matt Forsythe could elaborate, since he's from Ohio. It's also the location of one of the most nerve-wracking boss battles I've played in a while . SPOILER ALERT.......................... During this boss battle, you pursue a ninja assassin into a trailer house, which gets lifted up into the eye of a tornado. The fight takes place as the airborne house slowly breaks apart around you. Great stuff :p..................... END SPOILER ALERT.
Well I'm of to go MU-ing again, and then at 1 o'clock I'm going in for my first day of work. I'll be working on a gratis basis for a couple of days, but hopefully I'll be on payroll by next week.
In the meantime, I've still been MU-ing, without Adrian, who has dissappeared off my radar this week (Where are you??? scumzzz!!!). I also bought No One Lives Forever 2 for $10 (I traded in Silent Hill 2 for $14), which was short, but fun. I know I said I was gonna get Vietcong, but I played the demo and it was a little *too* realistic. I couldn't see a damn thing in those bushes! Maybe later, when I have a sweeter PC, and then at least the bushes will be nicer to look at. Anyway, NOLF2 has it all if you're into dryly humorous spy spoofs: gadgets, guns, one-liners, and racial stereotypes abound. The only problem is it's a first-person game; it's not a gameplay problem (I love first person views), but it does mean you only see Cate Archer, the game's protagonst, about 0.1% of the time. Anyone that cute ought to be onscreen more often. They could've snuck a mirror into her decoder gadget, or something. Yeesh...
On the upside, she's still very hot when she shows up in the cinematics, and it also turns out she's Scottish, which pretty much blows the dials of the hot-o-meter. And the game is the only one I know of that takes you in exotic Akron, Ohio, probably one of the most under-utilized locations in videogaming, ever. I'm sure Matt Forsythe could elaborate, since he's from Ohio. It's also the location of one of the most nerve-wracking boss battles I've played in a while . SPOILER ALERT.......................... During this boss battle, you pursue a ninja assassin into a trailer house, which gets lifted up into the eye of a tornado. The fight takes place as the airborne house slowly breaks apart around you. Great stuff :p..................... END SPOILER ALERT.
Well I'm of to go MU-ing again, and then at 1 o'clock I'm going in for my first day of work. I'll be working on a gratis basis for a couple of days, but hopefully I'll be on payroll by next week.
Monday, March 08, 2004
With apologies to Yeats and his 'Ballad of the Foxhunter':
The Pauper's Dream
Sunday morning I had a dream
I was working at a bookstore
The shelves were tall and dusty
The owner was a nice fellow
He asked if I wanted an advance on next week's pay
I said no way
No way
This girl with short dark hair
She's putting books on the shelves
She has a nice smile when we speak
So I decide to ask her
"Are you seeing anybody either tomorrow or today?"
She said no way
No way
No sorrow here
No shame
No way back to whence ye came
I didn't know anybody in that dream
But everything was alright
Her long blonde friend and I were lounging
She leaned over and told me
"We've talked all day the sun's turned red"
"You're getting bored", to which I said
"Are you kidding, I could listen to you talk all day"
"No way I'd ever get bored listening to you talk, no way"
No way
No sorrow here
No shame
No way back to whence ye came
I didn't know anybody in that dream
No sorrow here
No shame
No way back to whence ye came
Just a poor idea of paradise
Unfit for anyone who'd be his own king
Just a poor idea of paradise
Unfit for anyone who'd do his own thing
No sorrow here
No shame
No way back to whence ye came
Inside a pauper's dream
And when you wake up
You're a blind hound
And the moments pass and pass
Oh, you wake up
You're a blind hound
The moments pass and pass
The Pauper's Dream
Sunday morning I had a dream
I was working at a bookstore
The shelves were tall and dusty
The owner was a nice fellow
He asked if I wanted an advance on next week's pay
I said no way
No way
This girl with short dark hair
She's putting books on the shelves
She has a nice smile when we speak
So I decide to ask her
"Are you seeing anybody either tomorrow or today?"
She said no way
No way
No sorrow here
No shame
No way back to whence ye came
I didn't know anybody in that dream
But everything was alright
Her long blonde friend and I were lounging
She leaned over and told me
"We've talked all day the sun's turned red"
"You're getting bored", to which I said
"Are you kidding, I could listen to you talk all day"
"No way I'd ever get bored listening to you talk, no way"
No way
No sorrow here
No shame
No way back to whence ye came
I didn't know anybody in that dream
No sorrow here
No shame
No way back to whence ye came
Just a poor idea of paradise
Unfit for anyone who'd be his own king
Just a poor idea of paradise
Unfit for anyone who'd do his own thing
No sorrow here
No shame
No way back to whence ye came
Inside a pauper's dream
And when you wake up
You're a blind hound
And the moments pass and pass
Oh, you wake up
You're a blind hound
The moments pass and pass
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