January 16, 2007

A brief explanation on why I think that asking people if they read technical books is a good interview question; prompted by a recent candidate calling the idea 'stupid' and a 'big waste of time' then days later a bunch of my coworkers seeing my study and noticing how many technical books I own.

1. First, as a direct retort to points made by the candidate a) yes - there is a class of technical books that basically any competent Microsoft software developer with some writing skills could crank out, and they are useless b) yes - there is a good deal of API-level documentation built into Studio and many solutions to issues are available on newsgroups and via web searches c) but no these are not the only books out there and there are levels of thinking and classes of problems that cannot be designed by hitting F1 and cannot be solved by doing a search with the error message that you get back from the compiler, kernel, or api.

2. Nobody knows everything. Those that think that they do are wrong, plain and simple. In the software development field - a new crisp field which is wild and broad and in some areas untamed - things change and new ideas show up all the time. The one constant difference of this field with others is that since it is new people tend to think that they should only read new books and that they should learn new technologies only.

The basic education that you get from a C.S. degree and 3 years experience does *not* normally get your feet wet with some of the *root-level concepts* that are important to your ability to do well. These concepts have been around since potentially the 60s and are core to this field and your ability to do excellent technical work. These concepts are available via some light reading and lots of on-the-job experience that is enhanced by this theory.

At the same time, things are changing. The new version of C# should probably be learned, and the new version of SQL Server as well if you are one of the idiots that make your living hacking Windows during the day (myself included). There are also new ways of thinking and new manners of technology in practice that come up everyday, and you should get with those as well. All good stuff and not useless.

Also, my vote is NO HIRE.

12:00 AM part of work

January 15, 2007

People from work are coming over, a HOWTO brought to you by the most tormented part of my mind.

First, let's list our goals as we think through the fact that our current boss, our potential future boss, and many people that I work with day-to-day are coming over to my house and will witness this mess that is my life when I get busy.

Impressions that I plan to give these coworkers:

1. I am a genius, my potential only barely tapped - I have books about shit that they have never heard of that are insanely complicated and must enhance my abilities at work being as pedestrian as work must seem to such a great mind.

2. I have a complete home office that must have been built from the ground up for working long house for our shared employer. I am dedicated, a workhorse with a bottomless reserve of energy and initiative.

3. The home office also appears to be used for other, non-shared-employer work. I am valuable on the market - a hot commodity recognized by all those that have work with me. I am a consultant for hire with many more small experiences bringing ideas to life that make my opinion at work seem much more wise that the 3 previous employers listed on my resume.

4. I am pleasant outside of work and you want me to be your friend. The bond from this party will never be broken by petty office politics.

5. I have a rich home-life, my wife is lovely and awe-inspiring and I should never have to work late ever again.

05:23 AM part of work

My favorite parts of reading:

1. Starting at my bookshelf and feeling my (not past, not pride of accomplishments) future self broaden with pride - look how smart and wise I will be after reading all of these books that up until now have served only to make me poor.

2. The choosing of another completely different book after reading a good, long one. (define:Long => greater than 100 pages if non-technical.) Example: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (David Eggers) followed up by The Abolition of Man (C.S. Lewis) or potentially an US Weekly or book about open Adoption or how to care for a small child.

3. The feeling of connection with my father, mother, sister, brother, grandfather that I never knew, grandfather that I knew, grandmother that I never knew, grandmother that I knew and adored for her love of books. Everyone has at least one book that they like because it screams back at them the part of the truth that they have figured out through bitter experience or simple stumbling, and finding and reading those books makes you connected to them - to that experience.

4. The smell and the brrrrrrrrrt sound as you flip pages quickly when you get towards the end, physically feeling some sort of accomplishment and wonder at how somehow could express something in something maybe one/two inches and a few ounces.

05:08 AM part of inspiration

January 04, 2007

He is faithful.

I think there is one big thing that I, along with the rest of the human race, can't really understand or justify. Most people think that the concepts of justice and "fairness" and all that are core principles that must be upheld.

And mercy doesn't make that core value list because it isn't fair to give people things that they haven't earned.

There is one shining example of mercy in the world, and his example of allowing us into His kingdom is the basis of all real understanding of adoption and what it is that I need to do and feel as we do this together.

04:12 PM part of things beyond my control