BBQIguana

I don’t care about your company

Nov 12

Posted by bbqiguana in Job Hunting | No Comments

I get voicemails and emails all the time from recruiters that start off like this:

My name is [some guy] and I’m an executive recruiter at [Just another headhunter]. We are the 2nd largest privately held Executive Search Firm in NYC according to Crains.

Really? Wow, well I can see that you think that’s impressive, but what does it mean for me?

You’re not the largest, so you’re bragging about being not quite as good. And then, you’re not talking about the world, or even the US, or even the state of New York.. you’re just talking about New York City. Sure, its’ a big city, but it’s not the only city.

So let me get this straight… I should be impressed by receiving an email from a guy who works for a company that’s not even the best in one single city?

And if you’ve got a really great opportunity for me, just how much should I really trust your judgment?

Stop trying to impress me with where you work and start impressing me with how good you are at what you do.

DELETE.

I never return calls from recruiters

Oct 26

Posted by bbqiguana in Job Hunting | 1 Comment

I never return calls or emails from recruiters. And I rarely return their emails, too. In fact, from the way I act, you would think I didn’t want a job. (And you’d mostly be right!)

I’m a damn good developer. I’m talented and I’m experienced. I’m good at what I do. But most recruiters don’t have the ability to recognize that.

In fact, most job recruiters are nothing more than glorified salesmen — cold-callers, really — with all the quotas and bullshit that goes with that. That’s why they act like they do: leaving vague voicemail messages, and talking in circles for several minutes before getting to the point when you do take their calls.

But what they don’t seem to understand is that every time a new job gets listed, I get the same email from a dozen different agencies. So one may leave out certain details, but others will include them. And when I get to my email and start looking through them all, I already know all I need to know about the job without ever calling back.

So what if I am interested in a position? Then, I choose to call back the person who gave me the most information and didn’t waste my time. After all, if I’m going to make this guy a part of the process that gets me paid, it’s important that I don’t think he’s a slimy car salesman.

@Mentions added to KindleTwit

Oct 22

Posted by bbqiguana in Software | No Comments

It seems like the one missing feature has been the ability to see mentions, so tonight I had some time and I added the ability to view mentions (aka, @replies) on KindleTwit.

Me, Neighborly?

Oct 16

Posted by bbqiguana in Uncategorized | No Comments

Am I a good neighbor? Yes, I think so.



I say hi to people from the building when I see them. I make sure their package deliveries are inside, where they won't be stolen. I do what I can.



I also believe it is important to take care of your surroundings and take pride in the place you live. In the winter, I'm the only person in my building who clears snow from the walk and the front steps. But I don't mind. It's not that hard. And in the summer, I sweep the steps, or vaccuum the front landing. I sweep the back walkway and pick up the trash. It's not a big deal, it only takes a few minutes to do it.



I'm a little disappointed that no one else takes any pride in where they live, and I'm disheartened that if I were to stop, no one else would do it. When I'm out of town for a week or two, I come back to find the building looking a mess. And one day, I'll move and it will stay a mess.

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Please do not reply to this email?

Oct 8

Posted by bbqiguana in Technology | No Comments

I hate that phrase. Every time I see it, my first instinct is to add the sender to my spam blocker.

Email is a two-way form of communication. Like a conversation, where everyone can talk as long as they like. But when your email includes that phrase, you’re essentially blocking out my side of the conversation.

In essense, you’re filibustering the conversation. You’re bullying me into hearing what you have to say, while demonstrating no intent to hear what I have to say in return.

Yes, email can be a very good delivery-system for announcements, special offers, etc. But if you’re going to send the email, you need to have a valid return address and someone there who will read and reply to any responses. That little different will win you lifelong supporters, customers, etc.

Twitter client for Kindle!

Sep 20

Posted by bbqiguana in Software, Web | 3 Comments

Impressed with the availability of free 3G wireless on Kindle, I decided to buy one. And within the first few minutes of playing with it, I found myself on the Twitter web site, cringing while I loaded their heavy UI from this device.

So I did the only logical thing I could think of. I created a Kindle-friendly client for Twitter. KindleTwit.

I wrote the whole thing in the last few hours, so I’m sure there are some designn details I should work out. And in time, I will. But the important thing is that it works.

Go try it out!

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TweetPost updated

Sep 7

Posted by bbqiguana in Software | No Comments

I’ve added Twitter’s “Tweet Button” to the TweetPost plugin.

Am I spiritual or religious?

Aug 30

Posted by bbqiguana in Uncategorized | No Comments

In spite of being raised in a Christian family, I am a firm atheist.



I have, at several times in my life, tried to believe in a god, or a supernatural power, or a spirituality, but any time I did, it always felt instinctively dishonest. And not matter how hard I wanted to believe, I have never witnessed anything in my life which could not be explained my a basic understanding of science.



I do miss church, though. Don't get me wrong, I'll never go back to another church, because I believe that what happens there is abusive and dishonest. I see it as a form of government-sanctioned brainwashing. But, I do miss it. Churches are communities, where many friendships can be born. And there's something nice about seeing people dressed nicely — these days, everyone (even well-to-do people) seems to make an art form of looking like a slob who just rolled out of bed.

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What I would say to my 16-year-old self

Aug 26

Posted by bbqiguana in Uncategorized | No Comments

If I could travel back in time and give advice to myself when I was 16 years old, my advice would be to get a passport, save some money, and leave the country after high school.



I was 34 years old when I finally travelled to another country for the first time. That's more that 16 years ago! I should have done it much sooner.



I always wanted to travel the world, but I allowed myself to spend too much time believing it wasn't an option for me, having grown up poor. The only person in my family who ever traveled to another country did it via military service… until I finally started my adventures.



Now, I can look back at the past 16 years (since the end of high school) and imagine how much of the world I might have already seen if I hadn't waited so long.



Oh well. There's no sense regretting the past. What's done is done, and I'm traveling now. A lot! I've done more in this year than the average person would do in a decade. And I'm still just getting started. The future is ahead of me.

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Cult of Less

Aug 17

Posted by bbqiguana in General | No Comments

I always say (quoting the movie Fight Club) that the things you own end up owning you and it’s only after you’ve lost everything that you’re free to do anything.

I love the idea of minimalism. I agree with it. I want to be a minimalist myself — even like this guy — but I wonder sometimes how possible that really is.

Having no possessions means perhaps only one camera and very few camera accessories. My boxes of props are entirely in opposition to minimalism. I think I could be a minimalist at home if I had a photo studio where I was not a minimalist.

Also, I have a lot of books, but I actually use many of them. Minimalist thinking means getting rid of a book once you’ve read it — and I do have some with which that I could do that — but I have a lot of reference books that I use regularly.

I guess I’m not ready to start making a list of all of my possessions, which means I’m still a long way off from the 100 thing challenge, but I’ve decided that’s the direction I want to go.

So who knows? I’ll be posting more on the topic as my efforts to reduce go on. Maybe with some luck I’ll get to a point where I’m comfortable making a list, even if it’s more than 100 things.

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