Need some dev/tech advice

It just hit me this weekend: I am going to survive. My new job pays a, barely, livable wage. And for all those firms who chose younger folks over me, I gloat! In the training for my new job, there were plenty of younger people. They were sharp, they caught on fast, some had experience already and all were educated. But it turns out having a stable lifestyle and just showing up on time, alert and ready to work everyday, is still a valuable commodity. That reliability and my past experience vaulted me from confused and frightened on day one to natural class leader who devoured the material faster than it could be delivered by day ten. By the time it was over I was practically the substitute instructor. Remember this: there is great value in maturity and experience. That gives you a natural advantage, don’t let anyone convince you otherwise!

The labor market is also improving. One recruiter and an HR lady from jobs I was turned down for earlier this year have called me in the past few weeks asking me to re-interview. I politely told them, hell no, it’s too bad the young people you hired instead of me burned out, disappeared, quit, got sick, or partied too hard and missed too many days in the first few months, but you had your chance. I was standing right in your office, I-9 documents and resume in hand, desperate for a job, willing to work for peanuts and crumbs — I would have showed up an hour early and stayed an hour late on my own dime just to get up to speed — and you guys all fucking blew it.

But my ultimate goal is to make at least a measly ~60k, preferably more, and have an actual semblance of middle class life. A goal so low I might have laughed at it a decade or two ago. But anyway, the recession … another story. To succeed in the local tech market here in Austin, I know mastering network level stuff is important. Powershell and Active Directory are a decent start, besides, that’s part of my new job. I get paid to do learn and use them. The other thing people have told me, if the goal is to be well rounded, is to pick up the basics of at least one, modern programming language. The language I’m considering is Python. Is that as good a choice as any? The first step in the online Python course is to download Notepad++, located here. Any downsides to this?
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I’m no longer lost in the forest

I should be able to get back to a more reasonable and predictable schedule in the next week or two. I’m telling you, it took real effort, no social life combined with the benefit of lots of hard math classes long ago, to be able hit the ground running and get up to speed when starting with zero network experience. But training is done, I have passed and can now, somewhat at least, manage a series of domains or directories, AKA, My Forest.

It’s just amazing how these networks have to be nursed and coddled as they often barely limp along. For the past few weeks, when I got home from what is basically a 24/7 urgent care facility for broken domains and servers that won’t sync, it was like being an off-duty, lowly resident trauma doc. The last thing I wanted to see was a working keyboard, because keyboards lead to dying hardware and broken software.

Money for nothing, chicks for free

 

A proud, hard-working and humble people ruthlessly stripped of property, every last meager possession ripped from their calloused hands, their priceless dignity annihilated by a distant, unhinged tyrant. It’s the basis of ancient fairy tales and modern day action flicks the world over. From the Brothers Grimm to Star Wars to The Matrix, it’s a seductive narrative, tried and true, that appeals both to our shared European immigrant roots and our independent, uniquely American sensibilities. There may be dragons to fight or droughts to overcome, brave country knights or rugged cowboys chopped up and cut down. But there is always a hero, one who puts his own safety aside and risks all to stand up fearlessly against overwhelming odds.

Such was the case in an exotic, untamed land far to the west of power and wealth, an almost mythological place full of treasure and peril, with flashy, savage names. Countries within a country, the Utah, New Mexico, and Nevada territories. Lands once free, until jackbooted thugs wearing the insignia of collectivist war lords rode into town and stole the chosen people blind. The problem is, like most bedtime stories, it’s pure fairy dust. But there sure is some stealing going on … [Read more…]

Cliven Bundy goes full racist (Updated, it gets worse)

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Update: Bundy took the mic this afternoon and doubled down. Even Sean of Hannity is backing away now. Story here:

Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher currently under fire for remarks he made about “the Negro,” explained himself on The Peter Schiff Show today, saying that he’s just “wondering” whether black people are better off being actual slaves or better off being slaves of the federal government.

You’ve probably seen the spectacle of Clive Bundy and his band of militia who chased off government officials attempting to collect the hundreds of thousands of dollars he owes in grazing fees last week. After the government left, the militia hung around and it turned into sort of a gubmint bashing party right down to the barbeque, with Teabagger pols lining up to swear their allegiance with Bundy and his newfound hatred of the government. Oddly, they did this all while waving US flags around. But now Bundy opened his mouth one too many times and the party is probably over: [Read more…]

Hypothetical illustration of the surface of Kepler 186f: Lycoris

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Kepler 186f, “Lycoris” by Karen Wehrstein. And she does this stuff at no charge, she depends solely on contribs. If anyone wants to drop a buck or two in her Paypal account at hearth@xplornet.com that would be great.

 

We won’t know details of the surface of 186f for years, probably decades, at best. It could be a cool Venus, a warm Mars, or a water world with a thick, steamy atmosphere and no clear surface transition between vapor and liquid phases. It could have a highly reflective atmosphere or surface, locking it into a snowball state, colder than the North Pole and drier than the Atacama desert. It could be like nothing we have yet imagined. But we can have some fun guessing … [Read more…]