I’ve been thrilled at the kind of response I’ve gotten in my job search. I’ve gotten more calls in response to my resume than I’ve ever gotten in other job searches. It’s amazing. I seem to get a callback every other day.

One thing I’ve done differently than in the past is to spend an enormous amount of time typing cover letters. I’ve spent at least one hour crafting each letter, and two hours in some cases. My resoning is that this is the first thing employers see. If I can’t make my case in the first three sentences, I’m a goner.

I’ve applied for interesting jobs dealing with Linux and/or LDAP. I have also broadend my location requirements in an effort to see what’s out there. For instance, I had one phone interview in Burlington last week and tomorrow I’m off to Wilmington for an interview. I don’t know if either one is worth moving or a long commute, but its worth a look. At the very least, I get experience in interviewing and can check out how companies are using Linux.

And in tomorrow’s case, I get a fun day in Wilmington. Kelly and Hallie will be joining me, so it’ll be the first time Hallie’s been to the beach.

Life could be worse, eh

I upgraded the server software this weekend which led to some time where I couldn’t post anything. That has obviously since been corrected.

The problem was in a change in how PHP 4.2 handled PHP_AUTH_USER-type (or “superglobal”) variables.

I’ve got a backlog of blogs (would that be a b(ack)log?), so look out!

After only five months of trying, I’ve finally gotten to the point where I can feed in digital video to my PC. Apple users would simply plug in their Firewire(tm) cables to their Imacs and be off and running in 10 seconds. But nooooooooo, I have to do it the Linux Way(tm).

I bought the card from Intrex back in December with the thought of putting fresh digital videos up on the web. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the version of Windows I run at home (Win98 1st edition) doesn’t support IEEE 1394. A little websurfing found what looked like a compatible driver, so I installed that and held my breath.

Video appeared on the screen. I shreiked with glee. And then it went blank.

Seems the driver I stuck on my PC wasn’t enough to make Win98 happy. After that fiasco, I put the card at the bottom of my list of to-do’s, occasionally returning to it with no success.

Last month, I began to research drivers for Linux, since that’s what I usually run on my desktop. I would get tantalizingly close, but still hadn’t solved it. About one try in 20 were successful in capturing video – all others encountered bus resets every second. Exasperated, I nearly gave it up.

Yesterday, the tide turned in my battle. I was in the Intrex store and noticed that the 1394 cards they now sold had an updated chip on them, though the manufacturer and part number were the same. Then I looked up the chip on the Internet that night and found that it had some features missing from my current card. “This might work,” I guessed, and made plans to return to the store to swap my older-but-still-like-new card for the updated version.

Around 11:00, I arrive at the Intrex store. I had bought a Creative Labs Audigy the day before, thinking its 1394 port might work better than my old card. So, I had two cards in my hand.

“Can I return this one and swap this one?” I asked the pony-tailed sales dude.

“That one, sold yesterday, yeah. That one from December, no can do,” he replied.

“It’s the same part number as the one on the shelf,” I said. “And it’s like new. Couldn’t you just swap it for the new one?”

“I’m not allowed to make that return,” was the reply, “but I can get my manager.”

“That’d be great,” I answered, proceeding to browse the store while the manager came to the front.

I got the same speil from the manager, though he did offer to test it for me. I heartily suggested he do so, explaining my problems with it. He took it to the back room and went to work.

About 20 minutes later, he returns with the card. “Works fine. Windows loaded up the drivers and it checks out fine.”

“Did you actually feed digital video into it?” I asked. He told me they didn’t have any DV devices to test it with.

I offered to bring in my digital video camera before he suggested that we try a Firewire hard drive instead. I told him I’d be happy to wait again, and so I did.

About 30 minutes later, he calls me back to the back room. I’m watching their tech copy files to the Firewire drive. Their test machine is running Windows 98 Second Edition.

Aha! That’s why mine didn’t work. I thanked them for their time in checking it out and bought the newer card on my way out.

A ten second job turned into five months of nothing, followed by an hour of waiting in a computer store. Sheesh!

All’s well that ends well, however, as the new card works fine, just like I guessed. In the Land of Linux, one little chip part number can make a huge difference in performance.

Aw, man! I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to rockin’ tonight at the Brewery when Camper Van Beethoven takes the stage.

I’ve posted to Cracker’s website a few times, asking them when they’d ever play Raleigh again. While Cracker itself won’t necessarily be here tonight, their redneck cover band “Ironic Mullet” is opening. Ironic Mullet is made up largely of Cracker members.

At any rate, no matter who shows up tonight, its bound to be a good time! Take the Skinheads Bowling!

Not having a job could be worse. After all, I could have a job, uh, “arming cows”

Somebody out there loves me! I just got a call this morning on a tantalizing job in Burlington. It would be as an all-around Linux guru for a nice, profitable company. In short, it’s right up my alley. I’ve got a phone interview Friday afternoon and we’ll take it from there.

My friend Tanner Lovelace just forwarded me a Sales Engineering position with his West Raleigh company. Being a sales engineer at Netraverse was probably the most fun I’ve had in a job. Of course, working for the illustrious Alan Boyd had a lot to do with that, too.

After lunch I’m off to visit with a friend’s boss to chat about becoming a network consultant for her company. I’d be farmed out to their clients’ offices to set up software and whip their networks into shape. It’s probably a lot of Windoze work, so I’d have to bite the bullet, but it could grow into something interesting.

All in all, things are not as bleak as I was making them out to be earlier this week. I’m getting over a cold (same one Hallie has) and my mood is improving now that I’m feeling better.

Lots of possiblities ahead!

Another SARS case is in the Triangle. This time the victim didn’t travel to southeast Asia. She picked it up from a visit to Toronto.

Unless the woman was visiting someone in a hospital setting, this story makes me think the virus is now on the loose in Toronto. By now word should have circulated among Toronto citizens about the virus – and this woman still brings it back.

Looks like it’s “ready or not, here I come” with SARS. It may be mere days away from a full-blown outbreak in your neck of the woods.

This is my first Monday morning in 5+ months that I haven’t spent at the office. It’s weird not going to work on a Monday, when everyone around you is at a desk somewhere. Mondays when you’re not on vacation, that is.

I’ve spent the day sending out resumes in emails in response to positions, none which have the feeling of “dream jobs” but some which do have some appealing aspects. It’s tough for me to feel fired up about myself right now, and that’s something my cover letters desperately need.

I woke up Saturday morning in a bummed mood. It was a combination of the chilly weather and the thought that Saturday would be just another day as long as I stay unemployed.

“Are you all right?” Kelly asked me on our way to Durham to visit friends. “I’m just trying to figure out my future,” I mumbled while staring out the window, as if a fantastic job would drop out of the drizzly gray sky.

I had hoped to have found a place I could stay last time around. Something stable. It’s frustrating to find myself back at square one. Job-searching sucks. I’m not looking forward to running this gauntlet again. Yeesh.

Job searchin’ has begun in earnest. Well, that was the case on Day One of being unemployed. I’ve responded to about a half-dozen positions and have heard back from … none.

Something that should have been obvious occured to me today in the midst of my searching. I’ve been cruising Monster.com for new jobs, since that’s where everyone goes. After digging into a few interesting positions, I’ve discovered that the perception of there being all these jobs available is just an illusion. What actually happens is one big-name company farms a position out to multiple headhunting firms and each one writes their own description and publishes it under a different title.

The job descriptions I’d been reading for some network security positions seemed way too similar for them to be different positions. Thus, about one of every three or four results I get from Monster.com is a legitimate job.

Couple this with the fact that $FORMER_EMPLOYER got 200+ resumes back for just two openings and you see just what an uphill climb I might be facing. Still, I’m confident I’ll find something interesting, and soon.

I still think the best way to find a good job is to get a referral from a friend. Word-of-mouth still rules. Thanks to everyone who has sent leads my way. I do appreciate it.