Category Archives: Life

Reflections and glimpses into bits of my life.

Dents for 2010-09-28

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  • @cassidyjames Sorry for late reply. Working on some code for custom backgrounds for a client’s app. Not using some paint program that is. #
  • @cassidyjames That said, there is some powerful image manipulation API in the SDK. So one could build a pretty decent Android paint app. #

Dents for 2010-09-16

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  • Stayed up late last night to finish editing Negotiation. Submitted to #365Tomorrows and hoping it’ll be my first non-self-published piece. #
  • Getting my #scifi short Negotiation from 800 to below 600 words was painful. I prefer longer formats. #writing #365Tomorrows #
  • Sometimes the Have-Big-Sword-Will-Cut is the right technique to programming. #programming #rant #

Gliders, Italy and Androids

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What an incredible summer and it is funny how it all started.  I found myself without a job at the end of April.  A week or two later I started a crazy schedule of fencing, archery and hiking amongst the usual day-to-days at home.  I even got to try out some serious tree climbing and zip-lining.  And I met new friends at a retreat and a number of parties too.  I even got to hang out with and host Anna and Behnaz, two friends from Montreal for over a week.

At the beginning of July, after months of preparation my brother, Martin went for the Air Cadet’s gliding summer camp.  After over 6 weeks of intensive work, training and practise, my brother can now legally fly a glider by himself.  I am incredibly proud of him and we now have a real pilot in the family.  Wow.

The past month and a half I had the honour and pleasure of hosting one of my very good friends from Italy, Laura.  Laura came to visit us, see Canada and learn English.  We did that and a whole lot of hiking, sightseeing and partying in Toronto, Niagara, Tobermory and Hamilton.  And her English became a lot better too.  I am so thankful that you came Laura and I hope you enjoyed being with us as much as we having you over.  Thanks!

After a full summer, I’ve come full circle.  About three weeks ago, I interviewed and got hired as a mobile developer for Web Impact.  I get to work on building Android mobile applications in a great environment with awesome coworkers.  I have always wanted to get into mobile programming.  But I never imagined that I would be doing what I get to work on.  Unfortunately I can not disclose the details of what I am working on and the technology behind it.  However I can say that the technology and the way we apply it is how I envision the future of mobile, web and desktop computing will look like.

This year has been an amazing ride so far.  And from what I can tell there is even more awesomeness in store.

Old is the New New

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Or at least it seems that way. After all the fun that was summer, it looks like I will be going back my old pace of life and digs. So does that mean?

First of all, no real changes in my life at the present. The world changes around me. I feel like I am running around like mad trying to change life. But instead it looks like most of my efforts are resulting in my not moving. Or maybe it is the motions of the universe cancelling out my motions. Either way nothing new on my side. At least nothing new that I can envision. Maybe just a gentle slow plodding toward where I need to get to. Except…

Except that I may start working as a software developer again. And I might get the chance of working on various mobile platforms. I’d like that very much as I do want to move into mobile programming. If not I am pleased that the job market for software developers is hot. Especially ones with experience and modest expectations. I think the era of the very highly paid developer will draw to a close, as the economy tries to readjust. But I am so ready to get back into coding on a day to day basis.

On the tech side, after playing around with openSUSE this summer I realized this distro is not for me. I love the polish and care that the KDE side receives in openSUSE. But the underlying system and configuration just does not match the way my brain works. A Debian distribution feels more natural and works better. Combine that with a focus on ease of use that Ubuntu offers… well I am back to using Kubuntu. Kubuntu 10.04 is a better version and feels just as snappy as openSUSE. While the construction of the system and the popularity of Ubuntu win out over openSUSE.

Interviews and a Taste for the Rising Sun

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Yesterday (today since I haven’t gone to sleep yet), was one heck of a busy day. The kind folks at Hireglyphics managed to setup two interviews today. One with a major interactive agency in downtown Toronto, another with a mobile/web development house in Mississauga.

The first interview could of gone better. But I should of done more programming these past few months. So very much mea culpea. However I’m glad the company thought well enough of me to interview me. And I do know what to improve upon both technically and personally. To celebrate/mourn the interview I dragged poor Caroline for sushi lunch. Great food and amazing company, thanks so much Caroline!

The second interview turned out awesome. I feel I really connected and showed that while I’m not an experienced mobile developer, I am an experience developer who can work in any language, platform or paradigm. The opportunity to get into mobile computing excites me to no end. And the job description sounds compelling. Feeling a bit peckish afterwards, so I went to one of my favourite Japanese restaurants for teriyaki. Awesome as always, and I got the bonus of meeting with and catching up with Rudy afterwards.

So why am I writing all this? This whole day and my career situation has really solidified in my head. I spent a good chunk of the day, recording all of my progress in job hunting. I know where I am at, and where I’d like to be. I like it that quite a few different companies expressed interest in me. Also I am so thankful for having such awesome people as my friends. While I can point to many, many aspects in my life that need work on, I am lucky to have amazing, supportive friends. Finally I am thoroughly in love with Japanese food and coffee.

Dents for 2010-07-28

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