Friday, March 30, 2007

WorldNetDaily: Soy is making kids 'gay'

WorldNetDaily: Soy is making kids 'gay'


really, what more can you add to this comment

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Printers & Airport Express

With my new "hotspot nirvana" in place I had to find a way to work with my printer from my PC. Nobody believes me when I say I am "working from home" so hopefully this builds me evidence ;-)

At home I use my AMD issued Fujitsu S2110 Lifebook running Windows XP. This machine is a freaking rock star and I love it (I do love my Mac OS X way better as an OS).

So now that I have a hotspot nirvana that works with my PC/Apple lifestyle..I needed a way to allow my PC to access the printer I have since connected to my Airport Express (see my earlier post).

It actually works. I can now print (via wireless) from my PC to my printer connected to an Airport Express.

Check out this documentation to do it yourself...it actually works!

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Hotspot Nirvana

I must admit that while I spend my days thumping high-tech I rarely get all nerdy at home. There have been a few exceptions to this rule (my evil home theater system being the only real deviation).

I use a an Apple MacBook Pro at home. I wish it would have an AMD processor inside of it but clearly Apple has chosen to bend at the will of Intel's dollar power so alas I am stuck having to juggle a mixed PC/Apple lifestyle.

Recently I got the coolest valentines day present ever - the new Apple Airport Extreme. Yes, you know you are a nerd when the coolest present you can get is a wireless base station.

This was a prep gift for the expected Apple TV (which has since been delayed again). So with this gift came the decision that it was time to get my wireless at home fixed properly.


I have an oddly shaped loft. It goes in an "L" formation which makes for horrible 802.11 signaling. Keep in mind that the 802.11 signal is a parabolic signal.

Furthermore my mixed PC/Apple usage means that I can't really achieve the 802.11n that the Airport Extreme buys me. So this gave me the excuse to start figuring out ways to extend the reach of my base station using 802.11/g.

I acquired an Airport Express quite some time ago with the high hopes of bringing it with me as a tool when I traveled. This worked well until I managed to loose it in Poland (seriously, Warsaw Marriott I am not calling you idiots again). The Airport Express is cool because it allows you to extend the range of your existing Apple wireless signal using their nifty little Airport WDS (Wireless Distribution System).

With my airport express in hand I now have my base station and an extension that will allow me to get signal into my bedroom. On top of that I have finally created a strong enough signal to make it downstairs to my coffee store of choice.

Yes, I took the nerdy way of making my loft into a "hotspot".

Monday, March 05, 2007

Taking the next step

It's that season again. That time of the year where everyone I know seems to be trying to find the next new job, the next career or even a first job as they graduate from college.

For whatever reason folks seem to think that I am the guy to ask for job advice. Rather than repeat myself constantly, here are my complete thoughts.

(1) Stop Settling
I am sick of seeing people settle on a job because it's easy, low-stress, provides a paycheck or happens to align with their personal lives well. Companies exist for the benefits of shareholders. Shareholders are mostly, though not always, made up primarily by teachers, government employees and average folks who have invested retirement accounts (through any number of financial instruments) into the company. This means your work is primarily for their benefit.

This is an abstract way of thinking about work but I truly believe you should work hard for the folks who have entrusted you (through the company you work for) with their retirement money. Settling does nothing but abuse that trust and sell a company short.


(2) Your resume is irrelevant
Stop sending me fancy resume's with good formatting and nice cover letters. Nobody cares if you ran student council, worked at Chili's or had a 4.0 GPA (ok some people care a little about the GPA).

Most companies now scan resume's to collect the text from them. That text is then searched to find the best candidate based on the keywords that best match the job.

If your resume doesn't match the keywords then you had better read my third point.


(3) Know more......
Companies grow because of their people. Good people move up in the business world not by getting fancy degree's and/or learning how to suck-up. They move up because they do what's right for the business and CONTINUE doing what's right for the business.

In order for you to do what's right for your business you must be willing to actually get dirty and understand what your doing. You must be willing to research your competitors, your suppliers and your customers. It may not have anything to do with "your job" but the more you know the better you will be. It doesn't matter what your title, level of responsibility or even function is - knowledge is a responsibility.

When I joined AMD I knew nothing of the semiconductor business. I mean NOTHING. I made it my goal to find as many different parts of the company and get to know them as best I could. While I may never be an expert on semiconductor manufacturing, I at least know the right folks to ask. I also gained a diverse set of background that I can draw on throughout my future career.

The more you are willing to sacrifice to learning, growing and building a base of knowledge - the faster you will grow in your job.



(4) It's all about people
I am shocked at how many of my friends continue to spend their time online looking up job postings and sending in a resume hoping for a response.

I am sure that people do get hired that way. Obviously the massive amounts of recruiters that AMD hires is proof that resume mining is a way to build a good base of candidates. Trust me, as someone who has done this before, resume mining is not the way to get hired.

I have never been hired based on my resume. In fact for most of my career I haven't had a resume. I always get hired based on the recommendation of a friend.

Get to know people. Be a good person and focus on building good solid relationships with smart people. Don't be shallow, get to know people who are GOOD & SMART not because they work for some company. The more good and smart people you can meet and learn from, the better rounded you will become. This will always translate into the skills you need to be successful.

Here are some ways you can do this without much effort:

- Ask your friends about their jobs and learn how they approach problems.

- Anytime you get a chance, meet new people and understand their business. Build the model of a business in your head as you chat and try to get a perspective from their business. People who can build a model of a business in their head during a conversation with me, ALWAYS impress me. They become golden when they understand how to ask questions.


- Ask for help. Keep asking. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. I constantly call up my friends and colleagues and ask them to come to lunch with me just so that I can bounce ideas off them.

If you know someone who is growing in their career, get to know them and figure out how they are doing it. Very few career growing ideas are unique.

You would be surprised what other people can teach you.



(5) There is no such thing as a bad job or a bad company
I truly believe that there is no such thing as a bad job or a bad company. If you work hard at your job and truly keep in mind that you are working for the benefits of your shareholders, you will be rewarded.

I have been in many dysfunctional companies and jobs. Those experiences are what shaped me and continue to shape me. I learned some great lessons and practiced important skills in companies that were failing or growing. Spend your time finding a way to love your job rather than complaining about how hard it is.