Greetings from Massachusetts,
Sorry for not writing sooner. One week I got caught up watching the Superbowl (but, then I switched to The Sopranos), and then the next week I watched XFL football on Saturday, The Sopranos on Sunday, and got caught in a snowstorm on Monday. I tried to leave at 3:00pm, but the traffic was backed up all the way to Sun's driveway, so I went back to work, watched the Sun ONE webcast, and went home at 8:30pm. I ended up driving all the way home on the highway at 30 mph but still got home faster than I have on some sunny days.
I am considering getting a part-time job at the Omni Parker House hotel in downtown Boston. Not only was the Boston Cream Pie and Parker House Roll invented there, but both Ho Chi Minh and Malcolm X once worked there (there are conflicting reports as to whether they were waiters, bus boys, or kitchen staff). If I ever hope to lead a revolution, Parker House experience is a must. On a related note, a search on Barnes and Noble's website for "autobiography malcolm" (ostensibly searching for The Autobiography of Malcolm X), among the first page of search results is returned: 3. Something Beautiful for God: Mother Teresa of Calcutta; 5. None Too Fragile: Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder; and 12. Special Agent Scully: The Gillian Anderson Files. What gives? I sense that there is a conspiracy at work.
On a personal note, I've started cake decorating lessons and ballroom dance lessons. I'm also going to see Penn & Teller on Tuesday, and Dame Edna next Sunday. The cake decorating lesson is the Wilton Method I class (www.wilton.com). Wilton is seeking an cake decorating instructor in the Buffalo area and is willing to pay a $100 referral fee.
Also, I am thinking about writing a compiler. Does anyone have recommendations for a book about compiler design? I am considering Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools by Aho (the Dragon book), Modern Compiler Design by Grune, just published this year, or Modern Compiler Implementation in Java by Appel. Many people recommend the Dragon book, but the "newest" revision was published in back in 1986. I can't find too many people who have read the Grune book to give a recommendation. Most CS departments I've seen either use the Dragon book or one of Appel's books.
Thursday, February 15, 2001, is the deadline to apply for on-campus interviews with General Mills, ClientLogic, and Infirmed.
There are two job fairs coming up. The first one, on February 28, 2001, is a summer job and internship fair. While you shouldn't expect too much out of this fair (there are a lot of summer camps and temp agencies looking to fill their rosters), there probably will be at least one or two good prospects for computer science students. It will be worth it to go.
Now is the time to revise your resume, adding last semester's courses. Make sure you include your contact information for after the academic year, if you don't live in the area. You also have time to make an appointment with Melissa in the CPP office to have your resume reviewed.
Once again, some of the more notable and/or amusing advertisements from previous weeks' Boston Sunday Globe's "Boston Works" section.
If you've ever wanted to develop fundraising software, Target Software (www.targetsite.com) is looking for Software Developers. They say, "Join our development team and receive on-the-job training in industry leading programming and database tools. An excellent academic record and superior analytical skills are required. Any computer experience (on the job or self-taught) is desirable; experience with Forms, Reports, SQL, Developer 2000 and/or PL/SQL is a real plus." They are located between Harvard and MIT.
Progress Software claims that "It's your choice. You could work at some start-up and live on maybes. Or you could join the Progress team and connect with tangible career advantages. Don't risk it all on a pipe dream. Make the solid choice for success now!" They need C/C++ programmers, and they have a free fitness center. (www.progress.com)
Does your dream job consist of being "a developer to maintain equipment control software that runs under DOS to control a Stencil Printer"? If so, then your dream job awaits you at Speedline Technologies. (www.speedlinetechnolgies.com)
"If you are a Perl poet with clean code and problem-solving savvy, get
ready to: s/your current job/position at WebEvent/".
Unfortunately this company is deluded into thinking that they are
"driving the online calendaring revolution". But, I'll try to be on
the lookout for more ads that include code. (www.webevent.com)
Quallaby Corporation (www.quallaby.com) has a cute name and a cute logo with a hopping wallaby.
"Why work at edocs? .... We offer excellent benefits & compensation, stock options, a team oriented work environment and your own lava lamp when you join our team." (www.edocs.com)
This has got to be the coolest job in the paper. You can be a software developer for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. "Support astrophysical research into phenomenon such as black holes and clusters of galaxies based on data from Nasa's Chandra, a space-based X-ray observatory." They need C/C++, Perl, shell programming, SQL, Unix, and astronomy experience. They seem to be affiliated with Harvard University (a small, private college located near Boston). (cfa-www.harvard.edu)
"This David is beating the telecom Goliaths. It's a classic story. Two competitors: one-- huge, powerful and completely overconfident. The other-- smaller, more agile, and innovative, applying intelligence and energy to change the future of the game. Remember who wins?
We do. We're Sonus Networks, and we're providing the communications industry with an ingenious suite of products that enables the migration of telephony from circuit to packet networks. We're nimble, fast, and just the right size to out-maneuver our over-sized opponents. We're winning awards, increasing our market share, and we're up-sizing our team of the best and the brightest professionals this side of the new public network." (www.sonusnet.com)
"Softricity is defining the convergence of the telecommunications and software industries. We develop the carrier-class infrastructure technology that delivers software as a manageable, scalable, and secure service. And because we hire people with an entrepreneurial spirit and an eye for business, our technology is making an impact. ... Look for the Softricity van on the streets of Boston!" I give this company 6 months. (www.softricity.com)
+++ If you have any questions about academics, job hunting, or the Boston area, please email me at (bfan2 "at symbol" yahoo "dot symbol" com) and I'll try to answer them.
Until next time,
Ben