So yeah, I'm sitting here at my desk at work and I get a phone call:

"Hi. Is this Jon Kiddy? My name is Kevin, I'm from Google and I'd like to talk to you about a document you downloaded regarding Corporate Compliance. Are you able to make decisions regarding compliance at Roswell Park?"

I said, yeaaaah, I just browsed a document on compliance recently (I think yesterday) about compliance for PCI regarding SSL. But I'm just a programmer, just hunting down some info like I do everyday as part of my job when needed.

He said, oh ok. Can I send a follow up email to you to pass along to your superiors regarding corporate compliance?

Sure, why not...

So yeah, I then get an email sent to my Roswell email (which I never game them) saying thanks for the small talk, here is his contact info. Apparently Kevin is the Regional Marketing Representative for North America from Google Enterprise...

I mean, where did this guy get my phone number, my email, and my name from? And more importantly, how did he know I was looking up that stuff recently?

Well, as a programmer, it is easy to guess where since Google is slowly taking over the world one Google Search at a time.

Scary stuff, imo.

more readable version...

6+ years ago, coming out of college I had a certain level of hunger and thirst for techy/geeky type knowledge that I quite haven't experienced since. I had some basic tools but soon realized that college didn't prepare me enough to be totally effective. Duh. However, my hunger was soon squashed to some degree by the day-in and day-out needs and responsibilities both inside and outside of work (and the fact I was given only classic ASP to work with initially). I didn't even consider alternatives as I didn't know better. I dove into ASP and learned as much as I could, apparently oblivious to Microsoft's abandonment of the language and the inadequacies of its usefulness. I used it simpley to just get another day of programming done, collect paycheck, repeat.

Recently though I've noticed more of a department wide issue... or I guess more accurately, my eyes have opened a little to see myself and my professional inadequacies. For example: In the men's room down the hall from us there is a sink. You turn the sink on, water comes out and drains as any normal sink would. Good enough, right?! I say No! 1. Only the cold water works. 2. You have to turn the knob in a different direction then normal sinks. 3. It seems to drain into an open sewer system viewable by a hole in the ground. 4. You can't fully turn it off no matter how tight you turn it. 5. It never really feels totally clean even after maintenance is there doing their thing. 6. It just doesn't look any where near as efficient as it should be 7. But it does clean your hands.

This is generally how I feel when I see vendor products being implemented on top of each other here at Roz just to get things working. Yes, it works... we get water, we get our hands wet, but the process and functionally it should have is totally not right. I guess I really didn't understand this until recently, as evidence of the other "programmers" around me at work (everyone but the web team I mean) seem to just get by and severely impede progression of not only their personal development but also the effectiveness of those around them. From my perspective, there is a severe gap in practical knowledge as a whole. Just "making things work" isn't always the right way. However, I'm only empowered to change 1 person's development and growth. Me.

I am by no means fully capable or qualified to make judgments on others or change policies or whatever (that isn't my intention here). However, I recognize that I have some learn'n to do.

Since conquering classic ASP, I've always felt I lacked something to be fully vested in my chosen profession. I've since drawn the conclusion that college is simply a series of hoops to jump through to get started and that a lot more is warranted and needed to get to the level of proficiency that I intend on getting to. I'm greatfull for my past experiences in eduction and I love my current job... but the real quest lies just beyond what college or a job can offer: an insatiable desire to learn. Personally, I'm starting to feel it again. And I like it. I intend to embrace it. =)

Last night I wandered into Circuit City and made an impulse purchase (so fun). I figured, why not... time to get a new furry creature for my desk at work.

Logitech MX Revolution






It works on both XP machines and Macs. I like it a lot so far. =)

I think impulse purchases are good for the soul if done in moderation.