…entirely shitty day. I don’t even want to write about it. Weekend, here I come!
Monthly Archive for June, 2008
Kronomy — we are looking for (paid) beta testers in the next couple of days. If you are interested, or just want an Invitation code to look around, please just leave a comment below!
It’s starting to become a little overwhelming what has been coming in in job related requests in the past 2-3 weeks. And that’s despite the fact that I have not been sending out any applications or updated any job profiles online in about 3 months. A little summary:
- I received 8 requests for job interviews (or CV details):
- 1 in Mondsee/Austria (Web Application Development)
- 4 in or around Linz/Austria (Software Development, 2x Web Application Development, Consulting)
- 1 in Munich/Germany (Web Application Development)
- 1 in Zürich/Switzerland (Web Application Development)
- 1 in Minneapolis/USA (General IT)
- I went to one interview, which lead to a definite job offer in Linz/Austria (in the perfect position nonetheless)
- I received one request to take over a Webmaster position
- And I should pick up and revise parts of a project I finished for a client 2 years ago
Considering the joke that’s going on at my current job, I wonder how long the start-up bonus will keep me at that place.
On another note: Shaolin Soccer is on TV. It’s a lot funnier in English than German.
I have to say, I am actually pretty happy with the upgrade process… now all we need is, that the slew of incompatible extensions gets upgraded quickly…
Now, while working at some of the places I have worked at recently, I did get to know quite a few Apple-ites. I do understand a lot of their reasoning, I do understand that Apple makes pretty gadgets and widgets, I do understand, that in a lot of ways they are more inventive and creative than Micro$haft, but I don’t quite get the part of the apple community that almost shows religious dedication to the Big Apple.
I even got myself to watch Steve Jobs’ Macworld Conference & Expo keynote in January. He announced the Macbook Air then. Woohoo! The world has not exactly stopped then. Even less I understand the whole buzz around the WWDC keynote, when — even to me, as a barely marginal apple interested geek — has already understood, that Apple would just HAVE TO announce a successor to the iPhone, especially if they wanted to stay competitive in Europe. I have to admit, the low(?) price even surprised me. Way to go Steve! But considering the amount of money Apple made with the Generation 1, including all the so-very-Microsoft-ish politics surrounding it. (In general: Can anybody explain to me, why Apple lovers shun Billy the Kid Gates for his capitalist and monopoly models so often, when Apple is not a bit better? Even more expensive in a lot of areas — and more closed and clandestine for sure? Don’t get me wrong, I would be the first one to embrace alternatives, and the last one to defend Microsoft.)
Actually, at the price of USD 199,– I might even consider getting one of these suckers. That’s just a bit more than EUR 130! But did Steve have to wrap this into a whole keynote? I would have caught the ads myself too.
Maybe it’ll finally be too cheap to still be some sort of dick enhancement for marketing folks. I do have friends — even software guys — who own one, but sorry, seeing a lot of those big talkers in the sales and management departments showing off their little toys every day, when they can’t even spell “Firefocks” just makes me want to bang my head against the screen… or theirs actually.
I do understand that to Developers — after all its the WWDC — Apple developers — this is a very exciting event. But why everybody else, who considers themselves indie in the nerd scene has to jump onto every little bit of info that Mr. Jobs drops… well… I still haven’t given up hope that someday I’ll understand.
continued from Why High School Reunions are not something for everyone:
The response:
Hello Sid!
We will go buy groceries Saturday morning and will drive to [the guy where the reunion is at] afterwards.
It would be best if you buy your own things and I’ll repay you. Then I can divide the lump sum amongst all the involved people. Non-alcoholic drinks, snacks, bakery goods, etc. you don’t have to buy yourself.Is that ok for you?
I don’t think I’ll even dignify this with an answer. Bear in mind, these people have University degrees. I am just sitting here in awe.
Now, I already skipped my 5-year reunion — granted, it wasn’t on purpose, but I was half way around the world at the time. So, this year will be the 10th anniversary of me finally getting out of this madhouse. There were quite a few things about how the school — or at least things in my class — were run, but after all these years, I actually sort of had to start to look forward to seeing some of those people again. But the more the date approaches, the more I dread the drive to the reunion.
How does a regular reunion look like here: Right, you get people’s phone numbers, call each other up if this or that date sounds good, and then you meet at a pub to have drinks. At the end of the evening, everyone says their goodbyes. Those you want to stay in touch with you can exchange phone numbers with, those you don’t - well - at least you didn’t have to put up with them for more than an evening. Not so with my class. Bear in mind, we were a mere 18 (thats EIGHTEEN) graduating students in that class; nevertheless, I got the first email about an upcoming reunion “next summer” in November(!). Ever since then, there have been a bunch of emails back and forth, turns out, that we have to do a whole camping weekend. Alright. Might be a nice idea. It’s just — they did the same thing for the 5-year reunion already. Plus it’s at the weekend place of a guy I was best friends with in high school. Yes, it’s awesome there, right on the shore of Lake Attersee, but I already know how this is going to be again. I know for a fact that his wannabe-playboy dad — who has been in a 5-year midlife crisis back then already — will be hanging out there again. And his immature jokes about women and booze already turned me off and seemed childish and inappropriate at the age of 16. I mean — we are all approaching 30, do we have to be crashing with sleeping bags at some rich kids house still?
I could still deal with that. Then, a month before the reunion, an email comes in, that all the people from my hometown (that’s at least 10) should meet in a pub to talk the specifics of the reunion. Hmmm — isn’t THAT already a friggin reunion? Either way — I quietly ignored that email.
Then today — a mere 5 days before the reunion — another email hits my inbox. It’s about that 3 people will meet beforehand and buy all the food and drinks for the meeting. Headshaking, I responded, that they don’t have to buy anything for me, as I am a.) vegan and b.) I don’t drink, so I figured that this shopping spree really would not benefit me a lot. An hour later I get an email that I could tell them what to buy for me, or I could come with them, but I couldn’t bring my own, as they wouldn’t want the discussions about who pays for what. Now, i repeat — we are almost 30 — shouldn’t we be able to get our own frigging shit? Coincidentally I have to say, that there are people in that shopping delegation, that also were in our school dance committee… and there were financial irregularities that — to my knowledge — haven’t been resolved to this day.
I wonder how those people have survived to this day on their own. Actually, that’s probably one of my main motivation to go there at all. To see those protozoons and find out how the hell they have made it this far.
To be fair, there are a few people I still hold dear from back then, but with most of those (2) I am still in touch — and the other 2 or so I hope to see again to exchange contact info.