2004 Comes to a Close

Been so busy working on a new project that I almost missed putting something out before the end of 2004. Guess that really proves my geekness; 1. I am spending New Year's Eve coding and 2. I feel the need to blog before the end of the year. :) This year has not been bad, everyone in my family is healthy and safe. I hope 2005 brings the same fortune.

As I mentioned, I was really geeking today. I was using two hands to run three different machines. My main workstation where I was developing, my laptop where I had doco and examples up for reference and a mySQL admin session going on my web server to monitor the databases I was working with. Add a big cup of coffee and music from Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X) filling my headphones and it was geek nirvana.

I am working on a new scouting related site while I wait to see if I win any of the bids I have submitted. This site has a more detailed graphical layout than some sites but download times are still very good and the navigation is clear and logical. Once I get the template finalized I will post a link in my blog for comments and suggestions. The best thing was that figured out a CSS issue that I have been struggling with for sometime. I have entries in an external style sheet to control the behavior of links (color, text decoration, background etc.). I could not get the visited links to work correctly in FireFox. Worked ok in IE. Turns out that I had an extra parameter in the element definitions; e.g. .nav a:link:visited instead of
.nav a:visited. I figured it out by looking at another of my projects where the style sheet was working correctly. Those details will get you all the time.

Back to work on Monday. I will be diving right into my work project. I have been doing some research and testing while on vacation and am ready to get going on the project. We will see what changes when everyone gets back from vacation.

I hope that each of you has a safe and happy New Year. I will be back with you in the new year.

Returns and Purchases

hmmm..... Well the gift did not go over very well. Today we returned it to the store. I had bought a Coffee/Capachino maker. My wife said that 1. "We already have a coffee maker." and 2. "It's a luxury that we can't affored." I have to admit that it bummed me out a bit. On the bright side, my oldest got to spend most of his Xmas money on a new PS2 game system.

If you have been following this blog, you will see that I added my own header graphic. I am getting tired of the same standard layout so I am going to continue to make changes to the blog template. I am thinking of adding a favorite links section and maybe some kind of news feed. Stay tuned and we will see what I come up with. Any comments or suggestions will be gratefully accepted.

I have registered at a freelance coding site. I hope that I can land some small/medium size jobs to bring some extra income in. It would be nice to be able to set aside a bit so that I could buy some hardware (think PDA!!!) from time to time. It will be interesting to see how it goes. In addtion to the money, these projects will keep my coding skills sharp and current.

Aximsite.com - The Dell Axim Community

Aximsite.com - The Dell Axim Community

I have talked about getting a Dell Axim X50v for my next PDA. I ran across this site as I was doing research. It is geared toward Axim's but it still has lot of good information related to PPC users. If you have a PPC (Dell or not) or are thinking about getting one this is a site you should really check out.

Post Xmas Geeking

Had a good Xmas with the family. The kids seemed very happy with what they got. I am not sure if my wife liked her gift but we will see. Guess I didn't need to be as worried as I was about not getting enough for the kids. We have spent the last few days relaxing and the kids have been playing with their new stuff.

For myself I have been doing some research and experimenting with some various bootable CD's. I have done quite a bit of playing with Helix which is a incident response and Computer Forensics build. It working very nicely on a windows machine and has quite a number of useful utilities. On the same lines I built the "Ultimate Boot CD for Windows". I have not spent as much time working with it yet but it looks very good. CD's like these can prove very useful in many difference circumstances. I like the fact that they make no changes to the hard drive so you don't have to worry about any changes to a stable system.

I also have tested a number of CD's that use the Knoppix (Linux) OS. This has given me a chance to try Linux with out having to do a complete system build. Very nice. I downloaded a Knoppix build with a number of Linux based games. It looks like it will be a great way to pass the time. I'll talk about these CD's more after I have had a chance to fully test them. If anyone has any other ones that you like please drop me a line or add a comment to the blog.

Christmas Eve

Christmas eve and all the kids are in bed. Not asleep yet, so Santa has not been here yet. I have been quite down the last few days; I feel that the kids did not get as much as they really deserve. Money has been tight this year; I had a number of unexpected expenses that really hurt financially. I was helping wrap on Wednesday as saw just how little they are getting and it made me very unhappy. I wish I could afford more for them. They will be happy with what they get but I don't feel very good about myself and how little I can get them.

I am glad that I can at least be with them all over the holiday season. I know that my being with them is more important than material gifts but I still feel like crap. I hope things work out better next year for them.

Well time to start putting gifts under the tree. I hope everyone has a safe and peaceful holiday season; no matter what you celebrate.

Developments - Technical and Personal

I am really going to try and post on a more regular basis. I don't know if anyone else is reading but I am finding it enjoyable jotting down (if you can jot with a keyboard) my thoughts and impressions.

I am finished with work until after the 1st of the year. It will be fantastic to have time off with my family over the holidays. I really need the time away from work. I will go back recharged and ready to go. Work is going good. I really enjoy working with the folks on my current assignment. We are focused and ready to do the best we can to complete the project to the best of our abilities. I am really looking forward learning lots from them; I hope that I can offer them some learning opportunities too. I am very glad to be going into the new year in a billable position and not on the bench. I think there are going to be some big changes next year.

Had Xmas with my wife's family last weekend. Pretty much what I expected. 'Nuf said. :) I hope that my wife likes her gift. I know she is troubled about not getting me anything "exciting" this year. As long as I have her and our children in my life, I am a happy person.

While I have been on vacation I have been making some major enhancements to my personal development site. This is a site that I am running off the servers in my home. It's accessible from the internet but very secured. I use it to test different .NET technologies and I am very please with some of the changes I am making. I code all day then come home and code all night; guess that's a sign that I am a geek. I really do love doing this web development.

Well all for now I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season.

Life, Love, and Geekness

Wow, can't believe that it's been four days since I posted. I only want to talk when I have something to say, but on the other hand, it's a discourtesy to you reader not to post regularly. I was reading an article about people blogging about their employer and getting fired. If someone reveals confidential company information, I can understand but otherwise I don't see what the issue is. I only make general comments here not because of fear but because I thinks it's the right way to behave. Everyone has to make that decision on their own. Most readers will not even know who I work for; only those who know me in real life.

The holidays are getting closer (duh!). I have one more trip out and I will be finished with buying for my wife. I really hope she likes what I got her. Making her happy is one of my major life reasons. Getting married to my love was the best thing that happened in my life. Nobody knows where the path not taken in life would lead; but I do know that a part of me would be missing for all time if we had never met. Not only would our everlasting love never happen, but the four children we have would never have been born. I know it sounds very egotistical but I think that the world is a better place because my children are in it.

Made some updates to Boy Scout web site I maintain. Every year the troop sell Xmas trees; it's one of our big fund raisers. This year we sold all the trees by last Monday, about a week earlier than usual. Fantastic! Our troop is going through some rough times with keeping boys in the troop. We have (in my opinion) really improved the program for the boys. We are doing much more "hands on" type of activities to keep the interest up. I know we will get through this and be a stronger troop for it.

My assignment at work is going pretty good. Sometimes it's hard not to feel overwhelmed. But I have to realize that I have a bunch of really great people to work with. I am getting deeper into InfoPath and SQL Reporting services. Two very good applications. I know that Microsoft has it's detractors but some of the products they produce (.NET especially) are wonderful to work with. If anyone has suggestions for sites or books to learn more about InfoPath or Reporting services, please email or post a comment to the blog. I would be happy to share the information that I have picked up to date. Still won't have all the requirements until later but I think we can keep working onward; all of us just have to keep flexible and optimistic.

Getting the Tree

Got our Xmas tree today. For many I know this seems late but we have been pretty busy taking kids to various activities and such. The whole family had fun decorating the tree. All it needs now is some presents underneath. I am going to finish up my personal shopping early next week. I don't want to be like those typical husbands and wait to the last minute.

Assignment at work is going as best as can be expected. The leadership that need to provide input is not going to have it ready until the middle of January. I can't say I am surprised but it's going to push the completion date out. Management is not happy but they have a choice; a quality application or rushed junk. I had put together a project plan and reviewed it with the rest of the technical team leaders and it was approved with a few minor changes. Next week I am sure that the crap will hit the fan about the due date.

Corporate Politics

I am really getting an exposure to how politics at a high corporate level work. It's amazing what people will do to each other at that level. I just don't understand the thought (and I am being charitable assuming that thinking goes on) processes; it's like logic and common sense take a holiday. I don't believe that these people are inherently evil or stupid; they seem to be so wrapped up in their power struggles and greed they can't see reality.

Really, really missing my PDA this week. I keep reaching for it to get some information and it's not there. I really relied on it. Guess I will get a new one in the spring when I can afford it better (I hope). Right now I am thinking about a Dell Axim x50v. We will see what's on the market in the spring.

Like many other PC knowledgeable folks, I am asked to help other both in and out of the office for help fixing people's PC. I don't mind too much, but some folks just don't want to do any thinking themselves. This person has a new computer but the anti-virus is expiring. She sent me an email whining about what to do. I suggested that she purchase the yearly subscription via the web. She fired back that I didn't understand; she had heard that the product she was using wasn't any good and she wanted something different but didn't want to have to buy anything in the store. She had gone to the web and couldn't see how to order the product she wanted. I pointed her to the correct URL on the vendor site. This all took me about 2 minutes. But is was too hard for her. I need to get one of these T-Shirts from ThinkGeek.

Shopping and preparation for the holidays is going pretty good. Gifts are being purchased and wrapped. I will be taking time off before Xmas and between then and the New Year. It will be wonderful to spend that time with my family. I do hope that everyone has a safe and happy holiday season; no matter where or how you celebrate.

PDA's End of Functional Existence

Well it finally happened; last night the PDA I have been using for 4 years (Palm M505) gave up it's functional existence and took the 128 MB SD card along with it. It's not like I lost a living thing but I have enjoyed using a PDA and it's going to be an adjustment to go back to paper and pencil. I am not going to get a new one right away because 1. I don't know want I want (see my previous Palm rant) and 2. I have gifts to by for loved ones for Xmas which comes first. Well everyone has to make sacrifices. ;)

Got pretty good response to the presentation I was doing. Everyone liked it but the person in charge wanted it to "flow" differently. It did not take long to make the adjustments that were needed. I have been asked to do the presentation with it on Monday. That's no problem; I really don't mind talking in front of others (as long as I am prepared) and I will be giving the talk via teleconference. This project that I am on still seem really good; I just hope I can stay out of the corporate politics as much as possible.

Still (of course) getting ready for the Xmas holidays here. I am really looking to spend time with all of my family (did I mention I have four children). Hope they enjoy the time as much as I do.

Lusting for Technology

One side effect of the holiday season for me is the chance to lust after some of the new gadgets that are in the stores. The one thing that has been a huge disappointment is the new Palm T5 which was released in late October. My PDA (Palm M505) is reaching the end of it's functional life and I was hoping the new model from Palm would be on my list. Not a chance; no Wi-Fi and no OS 6. Hope the next device has what I want or I may have to switch to PPC. But it's probably just as well, I really don't want to be spending that much on myself right now.

I have a presentation for my new assignment due on Thursday. Got it finished today and am having a co-worker look it over. I am pretty happy with it; I think it clearly explains the reasoning behind my recommendations. It gets a final review on Friday so we shall see. I am still working with InfoPath and SQL Reporting services. I believe that both will be picked for this project and I want to be fairly competent in both.

Got a call today from one of my old client contacts. J. calls every few months to catch up and bounce a technical question or two off me. I really enjoy talking with her; she is one of the nicest people that I have been fortunate to meet. She always brightens up my day.

Made some updates to the Boy Scout troop web site that I support. I have three sons in scouting and the site is one way for me to give a little back. I converted the site to .NET over the summer; I am really pretty please how it turned out. I am in the process of putting together the media shows in the gallery section. It takes a bit but I think the results are pretty good.

Onward and Upward ... I think...

Continuing getting my recommendation/estimate presentation ready for
Thursday. I wish I had a bit more time to research ok.. play with these new
apps but that's the way it goes. I did spend more time last night just to
get a better understanding of how development would work out. Had a chance
to chat another about my thoughts on the project. I do feel better knowing
that he was thinking along the same lines.

The Xmas season has started in our family. Once again we are going to try
and get all the shopping done before the last minute. Once again I'll wager
we are rushing about the day before to finish up. On a personal level,
this year I know just what I want to by my wife. You know, the lady who
doesn't want anything. I think I have a good one this year. And No, I am
not going to say what it is.

As the kids get older it get harder and more expensive to buy for them. I
know the season is not all about presents, but they are all good kids and
more than deserve some things that they really want. I guess I can always
say that I am doing my part for the American economy.

Back to Work

Thanksgiving holidays are over and it's back to work. The new
assignment is going well, just have to get used to how things are
done. I have a presentation on my recommendations due by Thursday.
Should be no problem. Using some new tools from Microsoft; InfoPath
and SQL Server Reporting. It's always fun to learn about new ways of
doing things.

I am taking the time just before Xmas and between Xmas and New Years
to spend time with family. It will be great to spend time together.
I am really lookig forward to it.

Holiday

It's nice being home for a few days for the Thanksgiving holiday. I will do som minor researh for my new assigment. I need to get some practice with InfoPath and SQL Reporting Services. Going to have the family here as always.

New Assignment...

I am part of a consulting services portion of the company I work for. Got a new assignment today. I am glad of the change, but don't like the feeling of not fully understanding the project. Pretty typical for the first day on a new assignment in a consultant's work life.

I am looking forward to the holidays, family at my place as always.

My Email

If you feel the need to email, ripblog@gmail.com will make it's way to me.

In the beginning...

In the beginning was the Blog. Hopefully it will be readable or at the least not too embarrassing. I have never been one to commit my thoughts to words before this. Something about the reach, the potently of the Blog appeals to me. Maybe it's just one person's attempt to be immortal in a small way.

In my blog description I call myself an "older" geek. So, while not ancient, I am not new to this planet. I have been involved with technology for all of my working life. Started with mainframes and now I have been deeply involved with web development for many years.

I hope to limit my tendency to technical subjects. This is a place to record the journey. I hope someone out there enjoys the trip too. So ends the first "Bit".

Rip