Still going strong. The core of the server hasn't changed much at all since the last update (with most of the work going into the example library as a means of giving the engine a workout), so of course I spent a bit of today thinking through a few dramatic changes to object representation. ;-) I'm pretty happy with how things are progressing; assuming this new idea pans out, I've probably just delayed a 0.1 release by quite a bit, but if not, I'll may package it up in a couple of weeks and call it a first cut.
The tires should arrive today, and the new wheels (ADR/RS Limited Concept Pro 17"x7") are slated to arrive on Monday, which means a trip to Roadmaster Tire that night. :-) It'll be nice to drive around without the donut again.
Work
Starting to pick up quite a bit. I'm still getting my bearings on the major project that's been assigned to me, but people have been pretty helpful so far. The work environment is very cool; people are laid-back, work gets done in an orderly fashion, and things are generally thought through at a level I'm not used to seeing in the smaller outfits I've worked at before. The commute is becoming a pretty livable routine, but I'm still not comfortable with the downtown atmosphere; I've started categorizing the people down here that do nothing but irritate me...I'm going to rant a little (a lot), so you may want to skip the rest of this diary.
First, there are the people who have an inflated sense of self-importance and act like the world will end if they don't reach their destination RIGHT NOW. These people will obliviously shove someone out of their way as they power-walk down the sidewalk and proceed a good six feet out into the street to see if anyone is coming and they can cut across, regardless of right-of-way. When they realize that they can't, they just stand there with a multitude of their equally daft peers, blocking the view of drivers trying to see around the corner (to avoid running into the pedestrians to do have the right of way). If you're looking for me in Chicago, I'm the guy standing on the sidewalk, waiting for the signal to change as a crowd pushes past me into oncoming traffic. I'll be easy to spot.
Then there's the people who stand directly in front of the door I'm trying to enter as an attempt to sell me on something. "Spare change?", "Help the homeless today?", "StreetWise?", "Getcher Red Eye!", etc. I'm going to get a t-shirt with large, unmistakable print with, "No, I do not want [select all that apply]" on it, with a list including "streetwise", "to give you any money", and a host of others. Oh, and if anyone from the Chicago Tribune is reading this, you'll never get one red cent from me ever again, thanks to the neanderthals you have handing out your "Red Eye" publication in front of the train station who practically whack you with the paper as you walk past.
In the same vein as the above, but in a category all their own, are the people who ask me for money/spare change/"sumtin' fo' a hot meal?". I walked into McDonalds today (the upscale, fine dining experience I was craving), and was greeted at the door encouraging me to "help the homeless on my way out". After getting past him, I then had to deal with the fellow at the condiments bar asking if I had any spare change. Having finished my meal, I left with the parting words of "didja save any change for me?" from the first guy at the door. Not that ranting into the Internet is going to help things at all, and I'm probably going to be called some mighty fine things as a result, but GET A !@&*ING JOB! I see "Help Wanted" signs everywhere I go, doing all manner of unskilled work on a part time basis, so lack of training or skills is no excuse. Pick up a few part time jobs (been there, done that, nearly had my house foreclosed on), and find some way to contribute to the society that you're asking to take care of you.
I come from a small town, and maybe that's why these things bother me so much, but the worst traits in people seem to be magnified downtown (at least, where I'm working and walking every day). There's nobody taking their time as they walk down the street (the smell from the sewers does a pretty good job of helping people along), people are focused directly on their destination and block out those around them, even people just lost and asking for directions (I was probably the first person out of hundreds who stopped to help a pair of folks who were obviously from out of town trying to find a particular landmark the other day), and the idea of having a conversation with someone at a crosswalk is just absurd (they'll either not hear you because they're already half-way across the oncoming traffic, or they'll think you're going to mug them/ask them for spare change/try to sell them the Word of God). It's a little disappointing to see that some of the best traits of individuals can't scale to large crowds.
I come from a small town, and maybe that's why these things bother me so much, but the worst traits in people seem to be magnified downtown (at least, where I'm working and walking every day). There's nobody taking their time as they walk down the street (the smell from the sewers does a pretty good job of helping people along), people are focused directly on their destination and block out those around them, even people just lost and asking for directions (I was probably the first person out of hundreds who stopped to help a pair of folks who were obviously from out of town trying to find a particular landmark the other day), and the idea of having a conversation with someone at a crosswalk is just absurd (they'll either not hear you because they're already half-way across the oncoming traffic, or they'll think you're going to mug them/ask them for spare change/try to sell them the Word of God). It's a little disappointing to see that some of the best traits of individuals can't scale to large crowds.