“I’m going to go home and cry into my pillow because I have failed Gasca” was my vote for working this Saturday. I wanted to take the day off... so I voted to not come in.
I want a day off. Plain and simple.
So anyway..
I guess other than that.. I am waiting for my Nokia 770 to come in the mail... it’s my present to myself for saving and all the hard work I’ve been doing... it’s a tablet PC that runs Linux. I hope it works as good as I want it to. I’ve wanted one for a couple years now... and for $120 I thought it was an awesome deal... considering the cheapest I can find it anywhere else is $250...
I’ve been happy. Working a lot... I get along with all the guys here... my manager is awesome... I’ve been able to talk with some of the devs, and I think I have a chance at sweet talking them into putting me on the list to become a FTE... but who knows.
If this doesn’t work, I’ll have a chance to go work for a search engine company when my contract is up... so I don’t know exactly what I’ll do yet, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.
And yea... I guess that’s it... I need to do my laundry again... I work all the time... and I’m happy about that.
Anyway... that’s an update for now.
Later,
SteveO
This is funny, watch the star wars episode on robot chicken via Adult Swim...
anyway... just as an update... working lots of hours... long days... the crunch is coming... which means we will start working even more... including Sundays...
I love work, but it is a lot of hours... I’m still happy though... especially when I get that check...
Anyway, I gotta get back to work.
Later,
SteveO
Last night... Scott asked me why to get a 360... I told him a few reasons... but really, I think the best system will be the Nintendo Wii. It’s cool, with the controller you swing like a golf club... or a baseball bat... or like you’re bowling... or playing tennis...
And it’s a lot of fun.
I guess they recommend that people take a lot of breaks while they are playing too... so parents should like it if their kids get a Wii instead of any other gaming system.
This is to all you mothers out there reading this... just so you know.
Later,
SteveO
This seems to be a good number of games on the 360... maybe it will help improve numbers... but then again... I think Halo 3 will be one of the best...
· Mass Effect
· BioShock
· Blue Dragon
· HL2/TF2/Portal
· Halo 3
· GTA IV
· Too Human
· Tiger Woods 08 (This version doesn’t sound too shabby)
· PGR4
· Lost Odyssey
· VF5
· Mercenaries 2
· Assassin’s Creed
· Rock Band
· GHIII
· Call of Duty 4
· Unreal Tournament III
Maybe this explains the numbers (sold)...
· Nintendo DS: 423K
· Nintendo Wii: 338K
· Microsoft Xbox 360: 155K
· Sony PlayStation 3: 81K
I’m excited that I have a new toy waiting for me at home! I got 2 Xbox 360 Wireless controllers from work, and I ordered a wireless receiver for my computer (which will also work with an Xbox 360.) So I’m going to try and get it working so that I can play games on my computer with it... and one day maybe play games on an xbox or xbox360 with it... it kinda depends.
Anyway... I guess it really just depends on how much time I have.
So yup. Any free time I come up with over the next... well... probably month or so is taken up...
Oh yea, I’ve been making plans for when my contract it up... and I found out about a company that is always looking for flash action script people... and one of my co-workers is friends with the guy, and is leaving to work for him after his contract here... so I’m thinking that in the next couple months, I will study action script a little more... it’s basically another language that is like a simplified version of C++.
So... I have my work cut out for me... and I am looking at getting a better job in a few months.
Not that I don’t like this job... but I’d rather get paid over twice as much per hour to do programming... because as far as the industry is concerned testing is not programming... and tech support is not in any way related... so... I’m looking at leaving this job with about 3 months of experience.
Go here to download cool stuff: Microsoft Downloads: Games and Xbox
I’m austricated from computercator because my internection doesn’t work!
Needless to say, we aren’t English majors...
Later,
SteveO
We are leaving the freezer! So it seems at least... I guess the rumor has finally gotten to us that tomorrow we will be moved upstairs to another area... I don’t want to get my hopes up... but I really hope that I get a new monitor... like one of the ones everyone else in the building has... so I can view the game in wide screen mode... because it really seems to be a disadvantage for me to only see things in standard view mode.
I don’t know if I’ll actually get it though... but at the least I hope I get a computer that is not doubling as the Redmond kiosk... which everyone uses for their hours. So when it comes time to update time cards, everybody needs to use my computer. And last but not least, I might be able to view more than one Xbox at a time. That is kinda annoying when I need to use two boxes, and I have to deal with a 1 frame per second refresh rate for everything.
Anyway... I guess it will be interesting... we’ll have to be quiet... but it won’t be as cold... and we’ll have a door that goes directly outside... and not have to squeeze past the IT guys out in the hallway.
Anyway... lovely stuff around the work place...
Although it kind of sucks to be a second class citizen... FTEs get everything (on-site parking, snacks, food, beer, pop) while we now only get pop... (they took our snacks away.)
Plus they really hold us to only taking breaks and lunch at our designated times... but not FTEs... they just do what they want...
Oh well... I want to be an FTE... that would just rock. Anyway... enough complaining...
We are doing our usual testing... and wishing that certain things from Halo 1 and 2 were in the game... we miss our freedom.
Anyway... I’ve said too much.
Later,
SteveO
The new build we’re propping takes forever... grr
This means it takes an hour for me to just download the newest build...
Annoying... but a sign we’re getting closer I guess.
Anyway... I just want to get to work... at least we have lots of free coffee... that’s good....
Anyway... I heard this comedian on the radio today...walking into the airport he saw a sign with pictures of things that you can’t bring onto an airplane. On the sign was a picture of a bomb... which is cool. I mean, not in case you don’t know you can’t bring a bomb onto an airplane... I guess some people might not pay attention to the outside world, and would bring a bomb onto the plane...
Then the picture of the bomb... you know, that old wick time bomb... the one that looks like a bowling ball with a wick coming out... you have to think... what kind of old school terrorist actually still lugs that thing around... all his friends are like “what are you doing?”...
Anyway... I started laughing... I only wish I could remember the name of the comedian... it was a funny bit, and I hear he’s coming to Seattle soon...
Anyway... a boring start to my day today... just waiting for the build... I guess I can’t run any cases in the old builds anymore... so I have to just wait...
Oh well... at least I have my coffee.
Later,
SteveO
It seems my internet connection requires a little more maintenance than I thought. I ended up all in all going a couple days without internet... thanks to the fact I was trying out Kubuntu (a Linux Distrobution) and it F***ed up my boot loader... which means my computer wouldn’t start... so I had to re-install another Linux distro...
My neighbor apparently found out that I was using their internet connection... so I had to stop using Windows completely so that I could spoof my MAC address and still connect to my neighbor’s internet connection... I guess it’s not the best thing... but it will work for a little while.
Other than that... I’m pretty sure that I won’t be in the Halo 3 Credits... I missed the cut-off date, and the only chance I still have is if they do some sort of re-call for the list. So anyway... that sucks...
Other than that, I hope my automatic deposit starts working this Thursday, so that I don’t have to drive to work early to pick up my check on Friday... or go to pick my check up and find out that I have to go on my lunch break because it’s not ready until 10:30...
So... things are going good around the office. I wish I could spend more time with my dog, but Ev is taking care of him... although I wish she would get another job. She is so lazy and useless. Honestly... I guess I’ll just have to deal with it until we move our separate ways.
Other than that... I guess it’s kind of weird to be updating my blog from work... I sure love Bloggers post via email feature. I guess I just don’t have time to do it from home.
Around the house I did my laundry this past weekend... it really needed to be done... it cost $10 for my laundry alone... and then went hiking with Jaani Sunday.
(Break to prop a build...)
Anyway... so the house is a little cleaner... my computer ended up in my room... Ev was complaining about having to move my super nice comfortable chair to let the dog out... so my room is nice and cluttered... which doesn’t really bother me too much... it’s better than Ellensburg...
The dishes were finally cleaned... which was starting to annoy me because I don’t eat at the house... like ever... and while I do sometimes take a lunch to work, I use the same container every day... I clean my thermos... I clean my food container... and my fork or spoon... but most of the time I just walk next door to QFC (Quality Food Company), Subway, or Wendy’s... the pancake house is kinda nice if I get to work over an hour early...
Ok... I guess that’s an update... I work 10 hours a day... go home... and fall asleep... then get up and go to work... I might get another 12 hour day today... but I don’t know for sure if I want to stay... I didn’t know we were doing take home... which means we play in the lab while the Devs take boxes home... (hence take-home...) I leave for work at 8am... and get home between 11pm and 1am... depending on when I get off... well, except for Friday when I get home around 8:30pm... and Saturday when I get home around 9pm...
So... this is the life of an entry level Software Tester... I have less hours than developers... and less hours than more experienced testers.... but it’s what the software industry is like... and I feel right at home.
Later,
SteveO
I found out today that I missed the deadline for making the credits for CSGs... I’m not sure that I’m not in them yet... but I guess if I’m not, then I can’t do anything about it... Grrr..
Later,
SteveO
So, this was the theme for a good part of the day... as I talked about Ethereal, Neusus, Honeypots, Cedega, Cross Over Office... writing a driver to use the Xbox 360 controller in Linux... bla bla bla... Replacing the N.E.W. Server... and all the lovely things I can’t talk about too!
Anyway. Another fun day at work. More and more I realize that most technically inclined people just don’t have the knowledge base I have about using different applications, and how to find applications to do what you want.
It also seems that almost every Windows person I meet knows very little about Network Security... so it seems. Most of the people around the office keep saying “Oh that would be really good” and more than often my response is “but Windows won’t do that”... at least not without making a whole bunch of really slow programs to form a good application.
So. In the end... I am sure that in every way Linux seems superior to Windows... with a more stable and faster result... aside from ease of use... I guess Windows is easier to use that Linux... but Mac on the other hand... that is what I need to work with for a while...
I think as soon as I have $2500 to get a new laptop I’m buying a Mac Book!
Anyway... I gotta get back to work.
Later,
SteveO
An interesting article on WiFi hazards....
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/rss.aspx
One of the guys in the lab is this guy Kale, who is an awesome artist... here is a picture he drew the other night:
Halo with real physics...
That’s it for now...
Later,
SteveO
I got this awesome email from work today... because we were told that only FTEs and tech people could plug or unplug any network cables yesterday.... well, all of our Xboxes were unplugged last night, so this morning one of the guys in the MP lab back here sent an email to our manager, requesting him to come plug in his Xbox. This is the response we got:
“Since you, the people of the freezer are constantly rewiring stuff to make things work you’re now considered “those few designated by FTEs” and are of the anointed.
In English: You’re free to mess with network cabling. Continue to be extremely cautious...”
Great days in the freezer.
Later,
SteveO
P.S. About the sign on the fridge that says “Don’t drink the milk... lets just say the light wasn’t the only thing not working on the fridge last night...
