General Music Chat

Oh Lucyyyy! I'm home!


I just got off the phone with this guy who tech led the biggest sh*t sandwich I have ever witnessed in the programming world. To boot, It uses the Excel Spreadsheet from Hell, and an entire team depends on it to for million dollar contract calculations/cost estimates/ etc. (First dumb-ass mistake on their part!) .

Anyway, they want me to fulfill some Change requests that the last two developers couldn't deliver... They couldn't understand why such attrition, and I just explained to the guy, its because the "leadership" is in (pain avoidance) mode here and has made no effort, whatsoever, to support the developers.

I just got medevel (in a professional and polite way) on the lead guy, and basically told him that he cant escape now...He's actually gonna have to provide appropriate input and effort...or he can kiss my ass as I stand back and watch him swing in the wind... Basically, His balls are in a vice now... and he knows he's gotta step up to the plate.

Just had to vent...

It's nice to be in a position where you can actually wield a little influence.
I can occasionally. But I have to be cautious. The "good ol boys" will fire an RN with 20 years of experience and replace them with a new grad that don't no sh*t for a hell of a lot less money.
Patient care be damned as long as the trophy wives of the board members are kept in alcohol, botox, and diamonds.

It's nice to be in a position where you can actually wield a little influence.
I can occasionally. But I have to be cautious. The "good ol boys" will fire an RN with 20 years of experience and replace them with a new grad that don't no sh*t for a hell of a lot less money.
Patient care be damned as long as the trophy wives of the board members are kept in alcohol, botox, and diamonds.

Sans, The trick is to have something they need that nobody else is "willing" to provide..and to have things , that yo can black mail them with

Excel? That's a hoot. I've seen people try to put "systems" together with it, it's always an unhappy ending. I'm getting ready to deploy a web app I developed using Ruby on Rails/SQL Server/SSRS and it is state of the art. I don't think I can go back to .Net.

Well, on the positive side. I interviewed with a company today where I actuallyl felt like I wanted to be there. I'm a tech orgiented project manager and former programmer and yeah, kinda jaded. It would be a trip to work again, with people who believe.

It's been strange. When I was working I practiced twenty hours a week. Since I got canned, it's been a good week when I got half that. Finding a job is itself a fulltime job and it sucks your soul out.

If I don't get that job? God's will. But at least I have identified what I want.

With my music, I have also identified what I want. I want to play my music and I am going to do that. Having played and tested my stuff with other musicians I know it works. My new stuff works! I'm really tickled and I invite all you bandmix folks to share my joy!

I will make people smile if I can and the people I reach will be interesting people. That's a huge goal.

And that's my story...

Talbot

Talbotg

Excel? That's a hoot. I've seen people try to put "systems" together with it, it's always an unhappy ending. I'm getting ready to deploy a web app I developed using Ruby on Rails/SQL Server/SSRS and it is state of the art. I don't think I can go back to .Net.

This Piques my Interest alot... WHen NET first came out, I jumped on it to learn how to write the stand alone apps and web apps..

But there is this grinding mantra in the back of my head that kept telling me not to invest too much into the technology...because , like all things microsoft, they keep changing the rules and the tech and all of it eventually goes to waste to get replaced... (Man I cant cant tell you enough how much that pisses me off)

Anyway... I've heard about Ruby Rails...If that works with SQL Server (And I do like SQL Server) then I prolly need to jump on that wagon... What I want to know is how it is state of the art?

Well, on the positive side. I interviewed with a company today where I actuallyl felt like I wanted to be there. I'm a tech orgiented project manager and former programmer and yeah, kinda jaded. It would be a trip to work again, with people who believe.

It's been strange. When I was working I practiced twenty hours a week. Since I got canned, it's been a good week when I got half that. Finding a job is itself a fulltime job and it sucks your soul out.

If I don't get that job? God's will. But at least I have identified what I want.

With my music, I have also identified what I want. I want to play my music and I am going to do that. Having played and tested my stuff with other musicians I know it works. My new stuff works! I'm really tickled and I invite all you bandmix folks to share my joy!

I will make people smile if I can and the people I reach will be interesting people. That's a huge goal.

And that's my story...

Talbot

Talbotg

IMike, I totally agree about the job hunt, sucking out the soul... And yes, you have to treat it like a day job in and of itself...
I worked two job fairs a few months back, and man...there were a lot of people in 'modus desparatus'... It was killing me to see so many folks like that... So, I made damn sure I gave the candidates every shot in the book to succeed at the interviews...AT the very least, I made sure they walked away feeling there was some hope...if only to provide them with some direction and solid advice...

If you can afford to retire...do it and run with your music... But if you cant afford it... Try to find the least stressful job you can... and run with the music... Just a thought

Mike, you probably already know this but music will get you through it all!
It is food for the soul when its hungry. Through unemployment, trajedy, 2 divorces, unemployment several times, loss of friends and loved ones, music has been my best friend that has stood the test of time through thick and thin. Hang in there Bro!

What I want to know is how it is state of the art?

You should do some reading about Rails, it is THE modern way to develop web apps. I can put together an app in a week that would have taken me months with .Net. In particular, read about ActiveRecord, migrations and scaffolding.

Paperdog you seem to be a sharp individual,
but remember the old rule, never under estimate
your opponent. Hope it all works out for you.
Email and Bandmix, is the pinnacle of my
computer knowledge, and I only achieved
these things this year.

Talbot have you ever thought about self
employment? Then you don't have to
depend on anyone but yourself. If I can
do it anybody can do it.

I mentioned in a previous post that I quit my job last Friday. It was an obscure post, so I'm just re-iterating. It's not that I did not like or want the job. It's not that I wasn't good at a hard to learn job. There were bugs in the system that had to be deciphered before delivering almost every package. Not getting paid by the hour, but $1.32 per stop, not package. It wasn't just the scanner f'n up, it wasn't just the paper turn by turns being consistently wrong. It wasn't that packages had to be delivered in apartment developments that are not integrated in GPS. Or missing street signs. Or assigned addresses to places like The red roof Inn that is 1 mile (no exaggeration) out of sync with all other addresses on that road. You deliver those packages until you have delivered every package, been to every stop, gotten every signature needed, (you don't get paid for any non-signature- non delivery's) for every package on your truck that you loaded on your own time (Packed until a package of pencils wouldn't fit without breaking. It wasn't that the boss kept changing my routes every time I got a working knowledge of every where in a 100 mile route per day. It wasn't the clue that only a windbreaker in deep Ohio winter was assigned me,(have to wear uniform) or one short sleeve shirt, the pants were my dress pants. Nor was it the stress of the job or exposure to diseases that promote things like Shingles. This close to Christmas, in this economy, I asked the Lord for wisdom when a voice told me the Serenity Prayer, of which I've never memorized. Yet.

What I want to know is how it is state of the art?

You should do some reading about Rails, it is THE modern way to develop web apps. I can put together an app in a week that would have taken me months with .Net. In particular, read about ActiveRecord, migrations and scaffolding.

Will Do Thanks Jimmy!

Paperdog you seem to be a sharp individual,
but remember the old rule, never under estimate
your opponent. Hope it all works out for you.
Email and Bandmix, is the pinnacle of my
computer knowledge, and I only achieved
these things this year.

Lynard I hear ya... AT work, I'm generally ducky...but humble... I have been in the biz long enough that I know the bullshitters when I see them...and in this case i saw a few and called them on it. Part of my job actually requires it.. I'm what you call a last line of defense, before they toss out their project efforts. Lotsa times they fail to use best practices or other prescribed methods in the projects... SO I come in there and I get to kindly light some fires under their heineys in order to make a path to help them solve whatever they needed solved... It never ceases to amaze me in this day and age, that some people still don't get fundamental steps to maintain cohesiveness in their work...

Consider my heiney fired!

OK, I got Four sinkfulls of dishes done and I think Glen Campbell is ready to perform. Everyone quiet now, please!