outsourced and homeless

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About Me

Just another IT worker who was outsourced. I got unemployment for awhile but then it ran out. Now, I am just trying to survive. (** Update - I am no longer homeless. Read blog to see the progression**) Since I became homeless I spend most of my time driving my beater around northern NJ, job hunting, blogging, and sleeping in parks or in my car at night. The rest of the time I devote to keeping all of my old projects, ideas, and dreams alive. Other than advertisements,all of the links and graphics on this site have been created by me and reflect my various projects and accomplishments over the years. The point is, even though my formal IT career is apparently gone, I hold out hope that my “Cloud Computing” projects or OLAP application will right the ship for me. I am pinning all my hopes on these so you will find links and articles scattered around the site and in the posts. There may be some who wind up here for reasons of employment or homelessness. Others may stumble on this site because of some linkages to stock market indicators and data. Others may stumble here because they are interested in Cloud Computing. Whatever the reason, I feel that my situation and ruminations may resonate with all people who come here, especially with others like myself. Continued below...

About Me Continued

Not having blogged before I actually look forward to the prospect of sharing ideas and experiences with others who may have suffered a similar fate – not just in the world of IT and outsourcing, but in a larger, more profound way. People who have suffered, lost, fought, triumphed, and perhaps fallen again. People who find themselves contemplating mortality, the past, present, future, the fate our country, and countless other things. I will often include photos or video in the posts if I feel they may enhance them in some way. As long as my laptop and car don’t let me down, I still have the wherewithal and means to keep fighting. I am always in the debt of those who leave their wireless routers in their default state (linksys + no encryption). Hotspots like coffee shops and bookstores also prove useful to me but at the same time, I believe that keen observers can tell that I am homeless no matter how hard I try to conceal it. This is a constant source of stress and embarrassment. I sincerely believe that this blog will ultimately have a happy ending. Frankly, the longer I continue this, the worse it will be for me.

Archive for August, 2009

email from headhunter

August 21st, 2009

I received an email the other day regarding a job (description below). This is a job I could do easily and well. On a followup email she asked me what I was making before and what I was looking to make. I hate when they do this because if you were underpaid before, yet you state what you did make, then you state what you would like to make, they scoff at it if it’s substantially more. “Wow, that’s an awful big jump you are trying to make. Why do you think you deserve this much”. I have gone through this with each and every job change. It’s a game you must play with head hunters. You quickly learn to either lie about what you were making, or simply ignore the question. Anyway, I gave her a low number. This was two days ago. Haven’t heard back.

Senior Windows Engineer that has extensive background in Active Directory architecture, design, and implementation; has an understanding of Storage Area Networks; and, is familiar with the VMware ESX 3.5 environment.
Enterprise level Windows Engineer. This candidate will have a minimum of 6 years experience supporting Microsoft Windows Operating Systems and related applications. MSCE highly Preferred.
Develop systems designs and configuration based on requirements. Refines requirement with the client and ensures compatibility to standards.
Related responsibilities typically include the following:
Configure and implement new and existing operating systems and applications software.
Research new products and technologies to improve system performance.
Work with vendors to develop/maintain current standards of performance.
Ensure adherence to procedures and processes for hardware, software, and applications.
Interact with multiple business units in deployment of new hardware.
etc………

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Minor update

August 17th, 2009

I have been a bit disheartened that I haven’t really generated any interest in my blog. Basically I was pinning all my hopes on generating some interest in this so that I could perhaps shine a light on the ramifications of outsourcing, and, of course, to generate some interest in some of my projects. So far, no good I guess. I will probably update this blog less frequently now. I will most likely take some more video when I get another interview. Hell, I should take a digital voice recorder into the interview with me and post the whole audio afterwards! That might be interesting but I suppose it would be illegal. Not a bad idea perhaps. Three hots and a cot

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No More "Wardriving"

August 11th, 2009

I must say I don’t know why I waited so long to get Internet access on my phone so as to use it as a modem. It has now totally liberated me from the necessity of finding unsecured routers. I needn’t lurk around “wardriving” in order to get connected and work from my laptop. Wireless hot spots have been helpful to me, especially when I need to do a large upload, but I am always worried about appearing slovenly. We are always are own harshest critic however. I compare the way I am dressed now to the way I used to dress and don’t really relish going into a bookstore or Starbucks and avoiding eye contact with women. I got an email today from someone asking about my “services” regarding the olaptrader.com website. We then spoke on the phone and after he referred to my “company” as “you guys” a few times, I was frank with him and said it was just lil old me. Anyway, he might be interested in purchasing some of the mountain of financial data I accumulated over the last 5 years! Even if I don’t find a job, if I can start to find a way to sell that data I will be in good shape. That’s about it for today. I have spent much time today on Twitter trying to familiarize myself with some of the jargon and syntax.
I am going to try and catch some Z’s in “Lyndt” park in Nutley, NJ. It’s right along the Passaic river.

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Reality Check

August 9th, 2009

I have come to the realization that documenting my day to day existence by creating video is probably a waste of time. I got some feedback from some old friends regarding the last one I did from my car. They said it was very boring. Hence, I dont see the point in making more unless it is something like the first one I did where I was going on the job interview. Me sitting in a dirty, dark car and ruminating about my life, past and present, just isnt very exciting. Why would I think this would be interesting? The only real type of “exciting” video that would engender some interest would actually be a scenario where something bad was happening to me. If I was in the car and a cop came up and yelled at me, I suppose that would be mildly entertaining but I wouldnt have the camera out anyway and if I did and actually pointed it at him, he would probably go berzerk.
On another note, I have decided to get internet access via my cell phone. It’s an extra $10 per month on my credit card but this way I can use it as a modem and connect to the laptop via bluetooth. I am no longer a slave to open wireless connections or hotspots. Any additional expenses are hard to justify for me but I think this was the right thing to do. Now I have to look into applications which may be available via Verizon so that I can tweet from the cell phone directly without having to use the laptop.

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Submission to Blogsrater.com for feedback

August 7th, 2009

This is a reciprocal link for the purposes of getting some feedback on the format, aesthetic appeal, and overall structure of my blog.

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Windows AMIs in Amazon EC2

August 5th, 2009

I have had a very productive day today. I have been in a Borders bookstore in Livingston, NJ all day and have finally uploaded some videos to YouTube which I had created a few months ago. These are tutorial videos which I was planning to use to enhance the ability of prospective customers to re-bundle Windows AMI’s. I have been meaning to upload these forever but the files were large .avi’s which I had to convert to .flv format. Even after that they were over 60 megs. When I was initially setting up the websites for my various projects over the last few years, I always couched things by using the word “we” instead of “i” and by saying “my company” even though it was simply a one man band. I am going to embed one of the videos here in case someone winds up here by virtue of an interest in “cloud computing“. I suppose today was an indication that there is still some fight left in me. It would have been easy to do nothing all day.

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List of US Companies Exporting America

August 5th, 2009

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/popups/exporting.america/content.html

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Somber Thoughts

August 4th, 2009

I love digging out just the right quote from a book I read so many years ago. One that perfectly expresses how I am feeling at the moment. Sorry to be so somber today.
No video today.

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Drive Away into the Setting Sun

August 4th, 2009

I was sleeping in my car the other night – a rather tumultuous sleep considering the rain and the circumstances. In the fuzzy stage between sleep and wakefulness I had a memory of waking up as a child in my bedroom with the shining rays of the sun beaming through my window. It was the kind of moment when you can see the dust motes in the air and you stare off into space and lose yourself. All was right with the world. There were no cares or wants, no anxieties or fears. I laid there for awhile in a state of blissful relaxation; of course, not truly appreciating how fleeting those moments are. You hit the age of 14 or perhaps 18 and the pressures of life start to slowly mount. You either embrace and grab hold of them, or, you long for the time when life was full of innocence and the somnolent sleep of youth.

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Incredible and Rare Pearl Harbor Photos

August 2nd, 2009

There are about 14 photos in all. I have uploaded them to Amazon S3. Here is the link to download them all.
HERE

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