Do not fear my love.
Spring renews from high above.
Prepare for the heat.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Premise: Haiku
Our Premise in Spring
Would be of the Haiku way
So tap your keyboard
That's right! A Haiku. A Haiku is the simplest of literary forms. It follows a fairly strict pattern, the first line has 5 syllables , the second has 7 and the third, again, 5. Haiku's can normally be about anything, but ours will be about fear.
If you need more info on Haiku's, please check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku.
Would be of the Haiku way
So tap your keyboard
That's right! A Haiku. A Haiku is the simplest of literary forms. It follows a fairly strict pattern, the first line has 5 syllables , the second has 7 and the third, again, 5. Haiku's can normally be about anything, but ours will be about fear.
If you need more info on Haiku's, please check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
The Architect
My earliest memories were filled with being able to design and build things. When I was about eight or nine I took a bunch of scrap wood and built a bridge in my grandparents backyard in Odessa, Texas. I always knew I wanted to be an Architect. But apparently I didn't understand back then exactly what type I wanted to be.
When I was growing up I took all the drafting and building classes I could. But then I was side-tracked for several years chasing art, which is still a passion of mine. But somehow I got into programming. Over the years I have found that I am rather good at it. I have a very logical mind. I have always had a deep interest in tearing things apart and discovering how they work. As a software developer, I get to build things. As a Software Architect I would get to design entire systems.
A Software Architect and a Building Architect share quite a few similarities. You are responsible for the entire project. It's success, or failure, relies on how good your design is. You must manage a throng of people and make sure that your plan is carried out to the fullest. You must be well read and well practiced. You must understand the latest techniques in your trade, better than anyone else around you.
So how can I get there? I'm already on my way. It's been, and will continue to be, a long and difficult journey. There are projects that I have worked on that have consumed over one hundred hours per week of my time. There have been times when I was afraid I would crack under the tremendous pressure.
Several years ago I was responsible for converting my companies entire suite of web applications from Tango to Active Server Pages, two completely different technologies. It was a more difficult task because of the fact that I was not brought into the project until the very last moment. I was given two months to do so, which was impossible. I feverishly worked around the clock while my very pregnant wife sat at home by herself in a town three hundred miles away from her family. There was a two week period toward the end where I did not see her at all. Not because she had gone somewhere else, but because I would work until long after she had gone to bed, and then get up long before she would. She, of course, was furious with me. So the launch deadline came and everyone in the company was very excited about it. Our web site had five thousand dedicated daily users from around the world. Our site would now support five languages. And it would be more performant than ever before. We had a lot riding on it. I had a lot riding on it. So, when the night came we were to launch I had the VP of Marketing in my office as well as my boss who was the Director of IT. There were also ten others waiting in my office, champaign in hand. We launched, everything broke. Ouch. I spent the next two sleepless days fixing everything, and it all ended up fine. But can you imagine the stress.
So in my career I have often encountered several instances of stress like that. But what I learned over the years is that you benefit greatly by having an architect on the project. An architect could have dealt with marketing and let them know that they were wrong in not letting me know ahead of time. He could have designed the bugs out of my systems before I coded them. That's what I want to be some day.
So, what are my next steps? What does it take to be an architect? There are two paths, both of which take a tremendous amount of time. You can either go the scholastic route, earning your Masters or PhD in Computer Science. You then still have to work in the field, first as a developer then working your way up. Or you can choose the path that I inadvertently have. You step into the field and work your way through. You do all the jobs that no one else can or will and you put in your hours. You take your lumps and learn from them.
My current boss has been a Software Architect for many years. He's been in software development for over twenty five years. He told me that I was on the cusp of being an architect. I just had a few things to work on, Most of which are my project management skills. Microsoft has an architecture program which I want to get into. But the requirements are that you be in software development for at least ten years. You must also be in a valid architecture role for at least three years. And you must have a certified architect nominate you. After your nomination you must write a thesis paper and defend it before a panel of ten other architects in a week long process in Redman, Washington. You must also pass numerous tests and hold several certifications. You must also have published several papers in industry leading publications. Like I said, it's a long and difficult journey. But one worth doing.
So what do I have left? Well, I have been in software development for eight years. I have no certifications, although I have ordered a set of training material to prepare my slept for the first round of exams and certifications. I have a software architect, in my boss, that is training me for an architect role. Just a few more years.
When I was growing up I took all the drafting and building classes I could. But then I was side-tracked for several years chasing art, which is still a passion of mine. But somehow I got into programming. Over the years I have found that I am rather good at it. I have a very logical mind. I have always had a deep interest in tearing things apart and discovering how they work. As a software developer, I get to build things. As a Software Architect I would get to design entire systems.
A Software Architect and a Building Architect share quite a few similarities. You are responsible for the entire project. It's success, or failure, relies on how good your design is. You must manage a throng of people and make sure that your plan is carried out to the fullest. You must be well read and well practiced. You must understand the latest techniques in your trade, better than anyone else around you.
So how can I get there? I'm already on my way. It's been, and will continue to be, a long and difficult journey. There are projects that I have worked on that have consumed over one hundred hours per week of my time. There have been times when I was afraid I would crack under the tremendous pressure.
Several years ago I was responsible for converting my companies entire suite of web applications from Tango to Active Server Pages, two completely different technologies. It was a more difficult task because of the fact that I was not brought into the project until the very last moment. I was given two months to do so, which was impossible. I feverishly worked around the clock while my very pregnant wife sat at home by herself in a town three hundred miles away from her family. There was a two week period toward the end where I did not see her at all. Not because she had gone somewhere else, but because I would work until long after she had gone to bed, and then get up long before she would. She, of course, was furious with me. So the launch deadline came and everyone in the company was very excited about it. Our web site had five thousand dedicated daily users from around the world. Our site would now support five languages. And it would be more performant than ever before. We had a lot riding on it. I had a lot riding on it. So, when the night came we were to launch I had the VP of Marketing in my office as well as my boss who was the Director of IT. There were also ten others waiting in my office, champaign in hand. We launched, everything broke. Ouch. I spent the next two sleepless days fixing everything, and it all ended up fine. But can you imagine the stress.
So in my career I have often encountered several instances of stress like that. But what I learned over the years is that you benefit greatly by having an architect on the project. An architect could have dealt with marketing and let them know that they were wrong in not letting me know ahead of time. He could have designed the bugs out of my systems before I coded them. That's what I want to be some day.
So, what are my next steps? What does it take to be an architect? There are two paths, both of which take a tremendous amount of time. You can either go the scholastic route, earning your Masters or PhD in Computer Science. You then still have to work in the field, first as a developer then working your way up. Or you can choose the path that I inadvertently have. You step into the field and work your way through. You do all the jobs that no one else can or will and you put in your hours. You take your lumps and learn from them.
My current boss has been a Software Architect for many years. He's been in software development for over twenty five years. He told me that I was on the cusp of being an architect. I just had a few things to work on, Most of which are my project management skills. Microsoft has an architecture program which I want to get into. But the requirements are that you be in software development for at least ten years. You must also be in a valid architecture role for at least three years. And you must have a certified architect nominate you. After your nomination you must write a thesis paper and defend it before a panel of ten other architects in a week long process in Redman, Washington. You must also pass numerous tests and hold several certifications. You must also have published several papers in industry leading publications. Like I said, it's a long and difficult journey. But one worth doing.
So what do I have left? Well, I have been in software development for eight years. I have no certifications, although I have ordered a set of training material to prepare my slept for the first round of exams and certifications. I have a software architect, in my boss, that is training me for an architect role. Just a few more years.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Better late than never - Clean's stream
Procrastination, that pretty much sums me up. I need to act faster. Be on the ball. I’m tired. 0430 – God doesn’t even turn the sun on until 0700. Nothing in my mind. I am not sure if this works with someone like me. I can’t just let my mind wonder. I always end up trying to tell a story. Whether something that happened in my past, or making something up. See, I am doing it now. Logan is awake. He wakes up slow like I do. Don’t mess with him when he first wakes. He will scream at you…much like me. I wonder if coffee would help. I am sure that he would like it. I don’t know if I would like him on it. He is energetic enough without it. I wish I had his energy. I need to start working out. I am tried of being pudgy. I don’t know where to go with this anymore. I don’t have any thoughts in my head. Well, I guess that isn’t true. I must have thoughts if I am writing. What would it be like if I truly had no thought. I think Brian is home. Logan needs a new diaper. He is pretty soggy. Five more minutes. Who came up with time? I don’t mean who created it, but who decided how long a second is? Why are there 60 of them in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, but 24 hours in a day? Didn’t these people know about standardization? And why do we have an extra day every fourth year? That is just lack of proper math. If they had taken more time with the equation, I am sure that there would have been another way to incorporate that day. Add another minute to each day, or a second. Would that work? Is leap year the only way? How did I get here? “This is not my beautiful wife!” That was a fun song. The Talking Heads…great name. Well, that is my 15. This makes no sense.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)