1. Xbox 360 – countless hours of happiness!
2. C# – one of the most beautiful languages ever written for a computer.
3. ASP.NET – started out as a web framework with so much potential and it has never failed to deliver.
4. .NET Framework – an endless repository of win!
5. Windows 2000 – the perfection of an operating system – for its time.
6. Microsoft Excel – spreadsheets rock!
7. Active Directory – unlike any network directory service you’ll ever encounter.
8. LINQ – because I’ll never use a foreach loop to search through an object collection ever again.
9. Surface Computing - the single most *real* advancement for true ubiqtious computing beyond personal devices.
10. Zune HD – despite lacking phone capabilities – a marevelous piece of hardware with equally amazing software integration.

1) In-person interviews tend to be very useless. Meaning that you can perform flawlessly on a job interview and still not be hired. Likewise, you can perform less than stellar and still be selected. What’s going on here? Call it the pre-interview bias. Those hiring know for the most part who they want to bring on. Interviews are used only to confirm their initial feeling. What’s more, an interviewer will probably look past weak points of a favored candidate, but highlight them in the least favored ones. Studies have confirmed multiple times that a decision to hire is usually accurately made within the first couple of seconds of meeting the candidate.

2) Use that pre-interview bias to your favor. Use cover letters, resumes and charasmatic recuriters to sell youself as a star. Your goal is to come across as celebrity. Amongst a stack of candidates and resumes, you should be the favored one.

3) Don’t waste time on companies that are only somewhat interested in you. If it doesn’t feel like a company is overly enthusiastic about the interview or meeting you, then your chances of being hired are usually next to none. Hiring the right person is a painful ordeal for many companies – if they think you’re the perfect fit – you’ll definitely know.

4) Once you’ve been invited out to an interview – just relax. These people already know whether they want to hire you or not, so just go in and be yourself. Smile, agree to what most people are saying, don’t say too much and don’t ever say something negative – like, “I’ve never heard of that product”. Instead, use an agreeable positive attitude all the time - like, “Oh yea, that does sound familiar”.

5) I know I’ve mentioned this above, but it’s worth its own line. Don’t speak too much! Every word exposes you, gives them something to judge you on. If you allow your interviewer to do most of the talking, then you minimize the focus and judgement on yourself. You allow more of their pre-interview bias to be a deciding factor. Always reinforce their pre-interview bias – look impeccable, stand tall, smile, have open agreeable body language, appear confident. This alone is worth so much more than what you can ever hope to convey through words.

6) Don’t miss out on that opportunity to ask questions! They may seem to contradict the above, but when it comes time for you to ask questions make sure you do! Rarely will asking a question hurt you, but quite the opposite. If you have been quiet and reserved for most the interview and now you start asking intelligent and thought provoking question, then not only do you confirm the pre-interview bias – you also end the interview on a very positive note. Asking the right questions can excite and make your interviewer smile and be very happy. This should be your goal.

My mother is single and semi-retired. She’s worked all her life as a nurse, and is now slowly transitioning to retirement. She currently works part time as a caregiver to the elderly – but doesn’t receive healthcare benefits.

Thankfully, she’s a very healthy person but everyone gets sick and when she does, she’s found a community health center that takes patients on a needs basis. It’s not great care but it suffices.

About two years ago, she had a searing pain in her chest and went to the emergency room. After several tests and a stay in the hospital, nothing was found and she was released. Her total cost: approximately $6,000.

As a family, we came together to pay this cost and decided that she can no longer slide by uninsured. She enrolled in a high-deductible emergency plan through Blue Cross. It covered hospitalization in the case of an emergency – but little else. Her monthly cost was around $175. She still had to visit the community clinic for doctor visits and still had to pay out of pocket for any prescriptions, as neither was covered.

This July, she canceled the plan – and rightly so. It was one of her most expensive bills and provided no immediate benefits. How would you feel paying $175 every month for healthcare but still having to visit a community clinic because you aren’t covered to see a doctor?

As soon as she mentioned she canceled the plan, I had her call Blue Cross to re-instate coverage and transfer the cost to me. In addition, we upgraded the plan to cover the same level of service typical of an employer provided plan. My cost – $430 a month. Thankfully I’ve been blessed with a decent job and no major expenses, so I can cope with the cost in exchange for the peace of mind to know that my mom no longer has to worry about seeing a doctor.

Soon after the new coverage went into effect, her chest pain came back. Only this time she was able see our family physician. With proper diagnosis it was determined she needed to have her gall bladder removed (something that the hospital missed the last time she went in for similar symptoms).

Fortunately our family is able to deal with this, but it’s far from ideal nor would I call it a practical solution. I challenge anyone to tell me that healthcare reform isn’t need. When hospitals can charge $6000 for missing a diagnosis and people who’ve worked all their lives now need to worry about affording even the most basic medical coverage – this can’t be the best healthcare available.

What about all the other semi-retired people, working part time jobs? People who depended on others for healthcare, but are now left hanging because that person suddenly passed away? What about all the people laid-off or unemployed? What do we say to them?

I believe in small and fiscally conservative government. But my conscious doesn’t afford me the luxury of allowing good people to fall by the wayside. Or paying for overpriced inefficiencies.

This isn’t a liberal or conservative issue. It’s a human issue. It’s about ensuring that honest people aren’t left to struggle when life deals them a blow. And it’s about ensuring that no one places a premium on a basic essential to life.

Not really…While the new 3Gs brings some great features to the table, it seems by Apple standards more of a technical refresh, as opposed to a next generation product. Which leaves one to guess that next year will bring the next gen iPhone complete with the breakthrough features and a complete product redesign.

So then does purchasing the 3GS mean buying a stepping stone? Sure feels that way. As I don’t have a contract with AT&T, buying the 3GS would mean being stuck with it for the next two years. If a significant iPhone is released next year, where does that put me? Probably like current iPhone 3G owners looking to upgrade to the 3GS.

So what’s an iPhone eager person to do? Well, carefully thinking through everything – I’ve concluded that my best option is to the buy the iPhone 3GS off contract, meaning paying full retail price (yep, a nice $700) for the phone. Sounds crazy? Perhaps, but here’s my reasoning:

• Sticker shock yes, but still at $700 – I’m not breaking the bank. Subsidized pricing is nice, but if it means selling my soul for the next two years, I can pass.
• Second, no contract. Meaning I have options. I’ve never been on a cellphone contract (ever) and the thought of one doesn’t make me too happy.
• Third, there is a very real possibility that Apple may end its exclusivity deal with AT&T. If that happens, I can think of a couple other carriers I would like to get my service from instead.
• Next, and most importantly – I can always sell my iPhone 3GS. Used models on eBay have easily fetched $400 to $550. If next year brings a new iPhone, I can ebay the 3GS, recoup atleast half my cost, and have the option of purchasing a new model – possibly at a subsidized price this time since I was never on a contract.

I really wish I could just go for it, get a new iPhone with the 2 yr agreement and be happy. But don’t think I can convince myself that I not making a mistake if I’m doing this for the 3GS. So off contract it is.

Update: Looks like AT&T is reversing course slightly and allowing early buyers of the 3G to get in on the fully subsidized price for the 3GS. Details at: http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2009/06/17/atandt-relents-a-little-lets-iphone-3g-customers-with-upcoming-up/

Update: Talking to my excellent co-workers and friends I found out you can always end your contract early by paying a termination fee of $175 (which goes down each month).  Didn’t know such a thing exists! So with that in mind think I’ll go on-contract and get the 3GS subsidized.

Luckily (should I strangely use that word) last night that moment came through for me. Here I am heading down from the 19th floor to the first, when I stop on the 17th to pick up a dude. As soon as he gets in and the door close, the elevator proceeds down for a few seconds and then stops.

We both look at each other – uh oh (me secretly grinning inside). Realizing that neither of our phones had a signal, we use the emergency call button to page for help. But who wants to wait for that?

So my comrade, Alex, proceeds to push against the ceiling to reveal some sort of hatch (just like the movies right?) while I use my vegan manliness to pry the elevator door apart. Observing me having more progress, Alex joins the effort and soon we have both the elevator door and the floor door open. Success! Climbing out to the 17th floor, we both hi-five our escape and head down another elevator to our original destination. Yep, can scratch that one off the list.

For the self-employed, the idea of CoLabing is great. It gives you the chance to get out of the house, change up your routine, and get motivated by being around other people. Mind you, there is a membership fee, but for what you get, I think its well worth the money (plus, you get your own downtown office! can you say Baller??)

For me, CoLab solves one of the two main problems that i faced with being self-employed: one – regular income and two – being around people. Had CoLab been around when I was laid-off last year, I could easily still be freelancing today.

Apart from helping the self-employed, CoLab also helps to foster and grow the tech community within Orlando (something that is very important to me) by giving those who work here a sense of community and connection. Now that’s awesome!

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