Tao of the Machine

Wax 0.1.20

I wrote about Wax before (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)... it's a layer on top of wxPython. Although it's far from complete, I am already using it for some projects. I find it a joy to use, but then again I might be a little bit biased. A first version is available now. Don't expect too much; the version number should tell you enough about its state. ^_^;

Bear in mind that it's not complete, though usable, and that I am open to suggestions, bugfixes, contributed code, etc. Read more here. Latest version can be found in the download section. Documentation will be added Real Soon Now.

Observations

I just discovered that the Hackles authors are in Gainesville!

:::

I added a search thingy for the site. Nothing fancy, but it works. Good thing that one doesn't need server-based stuff to do a site search.

:::

Lack of work is starting to be quite precarious, so if this blog suddenly isn't updated anymore, you know the reason. Of course, I don't want to be a Bob, so it's possible that one of these days I will have to get a menial job. I didn't come to the States to flip burgers, so maybe I should rethink my goals for the future.

The worst thing about looking for a job might be that it's so depressing. Entering the same info over and over again on sites. Looking through endless lists of job descriptions that you cannot get because they're far away, because they're too specialized, or because they have other requirements you don't meet. When you finally find something where you might stand a chance, and write a letter, you either get rejected or people don't reply at all. Does wonders for you self esteem. Repeat ad nauseam.

Until recently, I had never been rejected for a programming job. I was quite optimistic when I applied for the position of "financial software programmer" at a local software firm, a while ago. It required a programmer with a financial background. Since I have a BA in business economics, and lots of programming experience, I naively thought they would be glad to have me. Wrong. They didn't even bother to reply. When we called, three weeks later, they said that the position was filled. Like I said before, apparently companies can afford to be picky and rude during a recession.

Oh well. To increase my chances on the job market, it doesn't seem a bad idea to have Java on my resume. This seems like a good place to start. It shouldn't take too long to learn the basics. (This is a bit of a sacrifice, since extended exposure to most languages send me back screaming to Python. )

In the meantime, let's see if I can find any potential customers in this area who want software developed fast and dirt cheap...

Ladders

Meat shake

In spite of the sorry state of the music industry, occasionally somebody does manage to release a good album. Check out Ugly Duckling's "Taste the Secret". Yes, even in 2003 it's still possible to make hip-hop and not be a pimpin' daddy, a bling-blinger, a thug, or a shock rapper reciting brain-damaged rants.

UD are smarter than the average rapper. Check them out. They're cool.

A weird comic strip

Unicorn Jelly.

A manga/sci-fi comic. It looks like it was made with an old Mac (that's not criticism, since I like the pixelated look). I found the beginning rather interesting, but further on it kinda turned me off because of gratuitous (?) gore and complexity. Still, there are all kinds of tid-bits with the comics... color panels, animated comics, explanations, RPG stats, even games. Worth a look.