Yesterday I interviewed with a local consulting company. The owner/CEO impressed me. It’s not every day you run into someone who knows development and the business side.
The company is based here in Folsom and does business in the region. What’s unique is all their developers are off site with the majority off shore. It’s an interesting approach.
I am glad to be back home. I almost didn’t make it out of the snow storm in the mid west.
Once the plane took off it only took a couple minutes to climb above the storm.
It’s snowing… Ohio in January. I must have been nuts.
And by the way a Happy New Years to everyone!
Its strange being on the east coast, when everyone you know is on the west coast. It’s 6.45 in the morning. Most the people I know would be getting up now — if I was on the west coast. For them it’s 3.45.
Very strange.
3 weeks ago I bought the new 3G iPhone. Like everyone else I wanted to see what the hype was all about. I wasn’t disappointed.
A week after the iPhone was released I headed down to the local Apple Store. Strolling into the mall towards the Apple Store I saw a line of about 500 people. I thought “I wonder what they are waiting for…” As I got closer I realized they were in line for an iPhone. A week after the release people were still lining up for an iPhone. They are nuts!
I ended up ordering the phone from the local AT&T store. They could have a white iPhone in three days. True to their word I had the phone on the evening of the third day.
The iPhone itself isn’t anything revolutionary. Phones have been able to do what the iPhone does for a while now. PDA’s have been out for years with similar capabilities as the iPhone. Where the iPhone shines is its interface. The user interface is the simplest intuitive interface on the market. A monkey could use the iPhone (it’s probably why they are selling so many).
Apple took their award winning iPod, mobile internet and a cell phone and created the iPhone. Like I stated above, it’s nothing new. Other products do the same thing, but none do it with quite the finesse of the iPhone.
The bane of mobile internet devices has been browsing. The rich experience of a desktop browser just wasn’t available. Apples approach is to use a desktop browser. Safari does an amazing job presenting websites as they would look on a desktop. Coupled with the iPhone zoom technology, it almost rivals the desktop.
There are two aftermarket products that should be bought for the iPhone: a full case and a protective film for the touch screen. For the case, I bought the black hard-shell from contour; it is a form fitting black plastic with a rubber feel. It’s for sale in the apple store. For the protective film, I bought the anti-glare protective film from the apple store. Using both products leaves very little of the phone unprotected.
The iPhone is a great phone. Anyone looking for a new phone should check out the iPhone. It’s not for everyone, but most people will find it useful.
I had my longest interview yesterday: 4 hours. They didn’t mean for it to run 4 hours, but it did. Interesting shop, they have some great ideas. I hope they can find their niche.
Tech interviews typically go something like this:
Tell me about yourself.
Interviewer asks about discrepancies in your resume (dates, descriptions …etc)
Interviewer picks a project off your resume and asks you about it.
About this time, they get into the technical aspect of the interview. Usually asking a question about object oriented design or some type of technology.
At this point the interview is almost over and either the interviewer ends the interview or you are introduced to a few people on the project. Once you have met some of the key personnel on the project you are kindly escorted out of the building.
Yesterday’s interview followed the above pattern, with the exception of the meeting people part. Since it was for a leadership position, they wanted me to meet/work with the team. I was watched while I interacted with the team. They wanted my feedback and they were going to get the teams feedback.
Recently, I quit my job.
I was worked like a horse. 70 to 80 hours a week. Craziness, you would think that I would put my foot down. Nope, working for someone who you respect makes all the difference in the world. Everyone has had the one or two bosses/managers who you don’t want to let down.
It’s a great place to be.
I was literally single handily responsible for put this company on the map. They made millions off my work.
In the end I was another expendable employee putting the bling bling into the owner’s banks accounts. I was just another replaceable cog.
Lesson Learn: If they can do it, so can you. Do the work for yourself and put the bling in your account.
A passage written to a son from a father. Found inside the cover of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success:
Within these pages are some secrets to making your dreams come true.
Once we understand out true nature and learn to live in harmony with Natural Law. A sense of well being, good health, fulfilling relationships, energy and enthusiasm for life and material abundance will spring forth easily and effortlessly.
This is just the beginning…
Imagine life as this gooey mess. If you have ever made cookie dough, you know what I am talking about. First the sugar goes in, then the flower, throw in a couple eggs, some baking soda, a bag of chocolate chips, a half cup of vegetable oil and some oatmeal. In this mixture (life) there are varying textures, consistencies and temperatures.
Someone who holds little or no resentment towards the world dives in bare handed mixing the cookie dough. They feel many sensations, textures, consistencies and temperatures. Nothing escapes their senses: They smell the sweetness of the sugar; they feel flat bottom teardrop shape of the chocolate chips. They experience the mixture in the present — its realness.
Someone who holds a grudge –plays the victim in life and does not feel the nuances of the mixture. They cannot differentiate between the flower and the sugar. It’s all white. To them it’s the same thing. They are wearing gloves. The more negative emotion they have, the thicker the gloves become and the more numb they become to the mixture (life). If their gloves get thick enough, the chocolate chips may become rocks; the vegetable oil might become kerosene. Now they are afraid of the mixture (life).
I’m inspired:
… successful people don’t strive for ’success’, they operate in a mode of continuous learning…