May 29, 2009

Joining the Hulu-lujah Chorus

I've seen the reviews online for the new Hulu desktop app - available for both the Mac and Windows. Basically, it's everything I like about Hulu: content, content, content, and seamless playback - something that some of the other network specific players haven't realized is important. (Yes, I'm calling you out ABC.)

But they've added a little more: Hulu Desktop adds remote awareness. This turns the computer into a TV and includes that full coach potato feeling, where you don't even have to cross the room to switch what you're going to watch anymore.

On the other hand, maybe the Hulu commercials are more accurate than we thought and they're really working to create docile, vaccous Hulu fans for the alien overlords to chow down upon.

May 21, 2009

Loving the BPL on a sunny day.

Loving the BPL on a sunny day.

May 14, 2009

Family walk at Jamaica Pond

Family walk at Jamaica Pond

April 30, 2009

April 25, 2009

Cambridge Science Festival at MIT

Cambridge Science Festival at MIT

April 19, 2009

Beat the rush.

Beat the rush.
Come watch the marathon a day early. Actually it's a hs run for scholarships.

April 15, 2009

Join the Impact's rally

Join the Impact's rally
Much smaller, hard to find but better organized: better sound, funnier lines, nicer costumes and (at least for me) less threatening.
I wonder how much better this could have been with more publicity and a better location.
And at least this is something I agree with.

Angry teabaggers

There are a lot of angry teabaggers out today.
I can't help but notice how many ignore speakers to get close to the cameras. Though that is made easier by inadequate sound systems.
I wonder how many know about the policies they're railing against.

Checking in...

Not much to report...

Still looking for work. Have a phone screen for a tech support job in another 45 minutes. Yeah, I know, but after 6 months, money coming in will be worth answering phones.

In other avenues of interest, took an iPhone Boot Camp class a couple of weekend's ago and got a lot out of it. I'm working on my second app and working with Apple to clear up the certificate problem, so that I can actually test my apps on a real device.

I also rolled out a new mobile blog: jp4mobile.blogspot.com, which will also have a jp4mobile.com web site once I have time and money to set up the web site to go with it.

I have some app reviews, etc...

Going forward, not quickly, but seem to be starting to get some traction, which feels good.

March 10, 2009

Medical Experimentation Is A No Go...

A few weeks ago, I told you about a testosterone study that I was trying to get into. Unfortunately, I didn't pass the re-test.

Does that make me not man enough, because my testosterone levels are low-normal? Eh...

Oh well, another job that didn't work out.

Back to studying mobile programming to create my own job.

March 9, 2009

Home Again

My father's was difficult. They're right when they say you can't go home again.

Happy to be in my home and safe.

March 6, 2009

Going home for a few days

I'll be spending a few days at my Dad's house in Western Mass. Not sure if there's Internet yet. Or if I'm finally going to get roped into helping him pick out a computer and set up a network. I'll be on Twitter and can get email on my cellphone.
Any contact with the real world while I'm languishing with family, will be gratefully accepted.

February 24, 2009

Idealist Job Fair

I haven't been to a job fair in almost thirty years, since I was an undergrad at Northeastern. Not much has changed. Picture an empty hall packed with rows and rows of tables, each table staffed with one or two earnest looking people and in a few cases a flag, some take-aways and a standing display of some sort.

What really surprised me was the sheer amount of people. When the doors opened, we were backlogged for about ten minutes to even get in due to the number of people. This wasn't just kids, but I noticed a lot of grey-heads in suits with leather satchels in hand.

This was a career fair for jobs in the non-profit sector. But the only word that mattered to a lot of us was jobs.

Meg from Idealist.org gave a great presentation on looking for jobs in this sector for both new workers and mid-career sector switchers. She pointed out the percentage of growth for jobs in non-profit space and shared some strategies as well as outlining some of the realities. (She also recommended their downloadable career guides.)

I hadn't really been scared before. I guess I've been optimistically sure that something will work out. I've got my plan, the skills I need to acquire and the sector that I need to break into, so I haven't been really dealing with this at the ground level. There's a palpable whiff of desperation and it's hard not to be affected by that. Especially when you see job after job for entry- or mid-level positions only in my own search.



Posted with LifeCast

A nonprofit job fair at BU

A sign of troubled times. It opened minutes ago. It's wall to wall people minutes after it opened.

February 23, 2009

I love this sticker.

I love this sticker. How can you not love hi-tech alien cows?

February 19, 2009

Dust Mites

We don't see them. We don't feel them. We do however share our beds with them.
For me - that's a problem. I'm allergic to the little bastards. Flannel sheets and my futon (neither are good for me, because they're both dust magnets) are warm but not helping me here.
Gotta find some good night time allergy meds, if I'm gonna sleep well.

Posted with LifeCast

February 18, 2009

My niece drawing

My niece drawing

DSC00085

My brother and nephew.

February 11, 2009

I Love This Bridge

I found this picture, while searching for Boston backgrounds on the iPhone. The Zakim bridge really is spectacular, especially at night.

Posted with LifeCast

February 10, 2009

Distant Shore

Okay, this is my new favorite iPhone app. It's from The Blimp Pilots LLC,the creators of the wildly popular Koi Pond app.

On the face of it, this is brilliant in its simplicity. The user walks an endless beach, you hear the gulls, the pounding of the surf and the crunch of feet on the sand or in the water. The user can explore the beach or collect shells (five shells will generate a bottle that can be used to send messages) or bottles (which will allow you to respond to someone else's message).

The other users that you communicate with are anonymous. You don't know of any other way to communicate with them and they have no other way to communicate with them. There are no usernames or anything that would you give a clue about them -- it's no surprise that the most common question I've seen in the messages are requests for my age, gender and location.

Update: Just to be clear, you can still communicate with previous penpals, too.