Jason Copenhaver

So in my quest to update all of our GUI apps at work with the new XP Style theme support I need to put the newest MS SDK in the include path. This caused problems with our apps that used msxml.dll (these apps are kind of old). So I just got done changing them all to use the new msxml4.dll and found that some, seemingly useful, types are confined to the MSXML2 namespace. IXML*Ptr, which are COM Safe Pointer wrapped types. Why did they keep these in the MSXML2 namespace? If they took everything else out of the MSXML namespace and stopped exporting it why leaves these in a different namespace? Oh well, it’s done now.

When I left Acterna I did it because I had an opportunity at a new job. Acterna was my first and only job up to this point. I was getting up everyday not wanting to go to work. Being just barely productive enough at work so as not to raise suspicion. After reading this article at Scott Berkun’s website I think I might have just been burned out. The path I took might not have been the best one. A one year stint at a large company and then 5 months at a startup that I really did dread every day. Now thought, I’m back at Acterna and look forward to everyday at work. I’m enjoying the projects I’m working on and communicating what I want even more. I think I am also on the lookout for burnout this time around. When I get stuck at work now I get up and walk around, stop thinking about the problem. I still have a hard time finding music that affects me, but I’ll just keep looking.

Well, I just got back form dropping my sister and niece off at the airport. They are on their way to Mississippi to see my brother-in-law who is in training waiting for deployment to Afghanastan (sp?). I have to go drop off a load of rocks at the dump from my landscaping project. And later today I think I’ll do some more reading on Ruby. It was just starting to get good last night.


Also be sure to checkout the new slug irc channel stats page at #slug.fl/irc.freenode.net and #sslug/irc.shadowworld.net. I’ve been with SLUG for 4 years now and we finally have not one but two! active irc channels, drop by and say hello!

Okay, book reviews are done. I think the only thing this is missing from my last crappy home page is links to my resume, my patches. and other websites I liked. I’ll do something with those eventually.

Well, I probably can’t help with that. But I have my initial list of Tech companies in the area online so maybe they can help you. I plan on going through and updating names and what not, maybe even making some comments about the companies. Such as the fact that Acterna (my employer) just got bought by JDS Uniphase.

Next I need to import my book reviews. I was kind of liking Alexandria, but now I don’t have to do the export thing, and they will be much easier to edit and arrange here.

Well, I finally broke down and installed Drupal for my personal site. Sor far I am impressed with it. I haven’t bothered to read much documentation, so it took me longer to figure out how to get things the way I want. But I think this is going to serve my needs just fine. It looks better than anything I would have done and it will let me continue to have my book review, my company list, and even a blog. Not that I intend to actually blog, but who knows.. maybe I will…