I got a job offer today! A company i thought wouldn't pan out did. Almost exactly 4 months after being laid off. Unix sysadmin for a local healthcare company. Schweet pay/benes, too. I start either Wednesday or Monday!

im still jobless. this wouldn't be so bad if i could pay my mortgage. I mean, sitting on my tail all day has its advantages but it gets REALLY OLD after a while. Its kind of like staying home from school sick - you quickly find out that there isn't anything good on TV, none of your friends can come out to play because their all working, and you're too poor to do anything else entertaining, so you sit at home and read books you've already read and post to slashdot all day with meaningless posts which get moderated down to -1, Troll or -2, What the hell is this guy on

i've sold most of my dvd's on ebay and amazon. unfortunately most of that money went immediately to have one - just one - of my wisdom teeth painfully extracted. so you see, it never rains around here, it pours. But i think things may be looking better. There's a job on monster.com in the relatively local area that im qualified for! maybe i'll get it! i hope. for chrissakes - i cant even find a good contract. Local or otherwise! Just a few thousand dollars god, thats all i need to survive for a few more months! :( :(

Meanwhile, if anyone knows of anyone who wants to buy some x-men comics, e-mail me for my list. i'll sell cheap - under price guide values. Or if anyone, out of the kindness of their hearts, wants to donate cash to a geek in distress, feel free to paypal the cash to daniel_s_tate@hotmail.com. Sympathy letters also accepted. Spam too. Makes me feel wanted.

http://www.contentwatch.com/index.php

I just ran that on my computer. Among the things it listed as pornographic was anything with the word "homosexual" or "gay" in it. This brings a question to the front of my mind.. It seems that the stereotypical depiction of homosexuals as sexual beasts who will try to harm or recruit your children is so widespread it is considered beyond profane - it is pornographic.

I have to ask then.. Should parents have a right to know if their children are gay?

To me it's the same issue is should a family know their white, christian child is dating a black girl or a jewish girl or a islamic girl. Hell, i'm surprised "Islam" didn't come up in that scan.

I'll do anything for a job. I'm not above begging, or annoying slashdot with a sig under every post, on, or off topic. Its the capitalist mentality of putting your product in front of as many eyes as possible.

Unemployment sucks. I've been with 3 companies that have all had serious financial problems. I really pick the winners.

I've completed 4 of 7 tests for my MCSE. I have three sun certifications. I've worked my ass off at every job i've been at. After hours, before hours, on the weekends, slipping into alternate dimensions to finish work, streamlining existing procedures. The only thing i don't have is a bachelors degree, which bites my ass. I wish i would have gone to school. Now it's too late, with a car and a house, and much more debt than that.

Every company on the block now wants an MCSE with a bachelors degree with unix experience and 4 years of DBAing in Oracle with a little helpdesk and afterhours work, weekends twice a month, shitty bennies and no perks for 39,500 a year. Welcome to the real world. I'm probably going to lose my house. Where i'm going to get the money to finish my certifications, which all my friends & contemporaries say i need (especially the two managers and HR Director whom i count among friends) to get in the door.

I've sent my resume to many companies locally. Everyone else wants me to move on my own dime for a 5 or 6 month contract. i'm firmly planted where i am and it will take a long term engagement for me to uproot.

I've grown apathetic. I don't want them to take my house, of course. But if they do.. I'll live through it. Somehow, i'll live through this. Thats all that matters.

If anyone cares, my resume is at http://resumes.dice.com/dantate

Where have I been the last few weeks, (not like anyone has noticed..)

I got laid off February 15th. Bluestar, Bridgestone, now Shop at Home.

Well, it could be a good thing.. in 6 or so months. SAH wasn't the greatest.

if anyone needs a sysadmin, e-mail me for my resume at daniel_s_tate@hotmail.com. I have experience, certifications, and a nack for choosing the winners. :(

Read more about it in my other journal,
http://www.livejournal.com/~orbikitti

Jesus. People here just wont stop yapping about how microsoft won't open their source for anyone.

True enough they won't open it for you or I, or government. Its secret source code. It's some of the most valuable source code in the world. However, microsoft DOES open their source to true academics under STRICT NDA's.

So...
Quit.. Yer... BITCHIN.. If you REALLY want to look at/dis MS source code, perhaps you should just go to school. About 2 years into it perhaps you'll realize you're taking life a BIT too seriously.

From the page:
Microsoft® makes source code to Microsoft operating system products like Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows CE available to universities and other "not-for-profit" research institutions at no charge. Currently, there are over 100 universities worldwide with our source licenses.

http://research.microsoft.com/university/NTSrcLicInfo.asp

"Bill Gates trying to kill journalists!"

A noticably weakened Bill Gates today sneezed at a 4 PM press conference announcing his philantrhopic extension to the public library system. Gates later was diagnosted with a potentially fatal and communicable illness "Influenza".

While covering the conference in his boxers, in his living room, Rob Malda noted that a member of the press who, at one time made a snide remark about Windows 3.1 being "Broken", was standing directly in front of and below Gates.

"I can only assume this was a pre-planned attack against the media. Gates will not stand for negative press, and, being the dark god Azmodeus himself, his vengence knows no limit of time".

When asked if this could be attributed to circumstance, or wild speculation on his part, he denied the accusation and began screaming "bitchslap dot pee ell! BITCHSLAP DOT PEE ELL!".

Hemos and Timothy could not be reached for comment.

Members of the mainstream media were not at a loss for words with this issue, mentioning:

"The things a mind can come up with, when deprived of intelligent human contact" -- Hugh Downs

"And you *LISTENED* to him?! He doesn't even have a mastery of the english language" -- Wolf Blitzer

"Jesus Christ.." -- Jesus Christ

"Taco is correct.. [What follows was a long-winded, dicursive diatribe blaming Bill Gates for Columbine. Omitted for the sake of brevity.]" -- Jon Katz

"I posted this story three minutes before he did" -- chrisd

Now this is just hypocritical! Slashdot, bastion for everything "Free Speech", censoring its own users. Editors abusing their privilages.

I urge anyone who reads this to put that link in their .sig. It is something that should be addressed. Hypocracy is a sign of cowardace.

I figure, with the diverse backgrounds offered here in /.-land, at least 1(,000) of you would have an astronomy background, in some way, shape, or form.

I've always had a passing interest in all things space, in particular, i've always been captivated by whats "out there". I was wondering if any of youse guys had suggestions on books, programs (Windows, or Linux), and especially GOOD telescopes (Sub-$500-range). I've looked through google, etc - but i want a community opinion!

Thanks.

What we need now is slashdot-like-kuro5hin.

And why the devil must i preview my own journal entry before posting? !

Anyone (Well, like anyone reads this thing) know how to get all your posted articles.. ever?

Its like you can search on everything BUT you're own name, and the last 24 articles arent helping.