Honey

My social skills are going down the tubes again. I can’t really think or write about much else except data elements, XML conversion, and getting things to show up on a web page the way I intended them to. I’m likely to have my head stuck inside the computer for quite a while into the future.

That’s alright by me. I like the way it smells.

Agent and I attended a lovely dinner party this week, complete with homemade deliciousness and comfortable chatting around large, conjoined tables. I hardly knew anyone there, but felt a sense of familiarity and belonging anyway. Good food, good people, and good conversation.

I didn’t talk much to the whole party, as this is my way, but eventually someone across the table asked what I do for a living. I’ve had this conversation before. It goes something like this:

“So, Koen, what is it that you do?”

Insert one of: ["I'm a programmer."], ["I work with computers."] or if I really want to blow their mind I’ll say “I’m a web application developer” (which is my actual title at work). Agent likes it when I say “I’m a computer scientist,” which is what I always mean to say, but I forget.

“Oh…” That’s usually the end of this conversation, but sometimes they’ll act interested. “So what does that mean?” they’ll implore curiously.

And I’ll say “I make websites that do stuff!” with a little too much enthusiasm.

Sometimes this will mean nothing to them and I’ll have to give an example. When giving examples about the Internet, I’ve found there’s nothing more universal than Google. I’ll say something like “Do you use Gmail? That’s an example of a web application.” And then they’ll think I’m really smart (hopefully), but usually I also see a flash of pity in their eyes.

So I told everyone at the party that “I’m in computers”, which may have been the dorkiest think I could have said. Everyone was very kind, even though I felt like I’d foreignated* myself. It didn’t help that I became a little too excited about the challenges of developing interfaces for use on both Internet Explorer and Firefox. I lost my audience then, which was perfectly fine with me.

*Foreignated is not a word, yet.

If you sit at a computer for longer than a few hours each day, you probably listen to music. If you listen to music on your computer, you’ve probably heard of Pandora, where you can listen to free Internet radio that plays music you like. If you listen to Pandora a lot, you may wish that you didn’t have to have a minimized browser window with Pandora running that sits there, cluttering your toolbar.

Well, the answer’s been around for a long time. Check out Dan’s wrapper application for Pandora, which will run Pandora in the system tray. When you close the box, Pandora keeps playing, but lives in the system tray instead of in your toolbar. This makes me very happy.

(Windows only)

I have been an absolutely boring person lately because I’ve actually had something to do at work. It has been so wonderful yet also quite smothering (in a good way). So I wrote a poem about it.

I look up from my computer for a moment and remember
that I’m a human being, but only for a moment
I dive head-first back
into the clutches of my sweet, algorithmic mistress
Days go by
I have thought of nothing else but
perfect, most clever solutions to adorable, logical titillations
Social skills I once possessed
deteriorate completely
I commune only with text editor and browser,
hours upon hours
I never want to stop
Yet I must
Remember

As many of you already know, I work as a web application developer. What this means is that I make web sites that do stuff, sometimes really cool stuff. I love what I do and I want to do more of it! I would love to help you create and setup your own web site, for whatever you’ve been wanting to say or offer over the Internet. I would especially love to teach you how to construct and maintain your own space on the world wide web so you can experience maximum enjoyment and self-satisfaction.

I’m more than willing to offer this service as a trade for something you have that I want. Here’s a list of the stuff I can think of right this second that would be cool to trade a web site for:

• Bass guitar + amp
• Tattoos
• Voice, guitar, ceramics, or painting lessons
• Yoga classes
• Food and cooking lessons
• Music and art
• Screen printing lessons, equipment, and facilities
• Recording studio time
• Jewelry
• Writing lessons or workshops
• Vacations
• Auto repair
• Money, if all else fails

If you need a web site, I’m sure we can work out a deal. Contact me directly: koencidence at gmail dot com.