I picked up my new (used) manual transmission tonight. Literally. Yoinks! Transmissions are heavy. I wonder how much heavier my automatic will be when I swap it out

This time I can’t post the text of the job rejection because it was done over the phone. Over the past two two weeks I got through an initial phone screen, hour-long technical phone interview, hour-long in-person technical interview by two techs and a 30-45 minute in-person interview by a manager. Then they called and left a message to call them back for “feedback” on the interview. My recruiter said that the technical interviews and such went fine but that they were looking for someone with more Windows experience so they were no longer going to pursue this opportuinty. She said maybe at the end of Q4 there would be more job openings.

I’m crushing on the Nissan LEAF right now, and it’s not even available yet.

Things that would strike me as particularly awesome about driving an EV:

• no transmission

• no coolant/radiator/radiator fans

• no gas, gas tank, exhaust system, or emissions

• no oil changes because no engine oil

• no tune ups (because no spark plugs or distributor

• greatly reduced maintenance schedule (basically just brakes and suspension)

• ability to recharge at home or work

The drawbacks as I see it are:

• reduced range (currently about 1/4-1/5 the range of my Golf)

• expensive battery pack replacement in about 10 years

Rarely do I see a movie theatrically that I feel compelled to write a poor review of the actual theater. But the Olde Town AMC Theaters in Arvada are an exception. They are exceptionally bad.

The story:

K and I went to see Toy Story 3 Saturday night last. Upon beginning the preview reel, the center speaker exhibited symptoms of having a blown driver or something else wrong with the thing: all the dialogue (across all the previews) was missing a lot of frequency range, almost as if everything were coming through a telephone filter. This was not acceptable. I complained to the management and she said in a rather unconcerned manner that she’d look into it but acknowledged one other person had complained about it. She noted it must have been “intermittent.” Yeah, right.

I heard a radio interviewer/host mispronounce this word today, so I had to post a public correction.

The Shakespearian-era curse word zounds is a contraction of “God’s wounds.” Pronounce it as such and not like the word “sounds.”

Yesterday I put a new electric radiator fan in my car. It took an hour. I felt useful, like I’d accomplished something. And I had. I have the oil residue on my elbow to prove it.

This might turn into a reiteration of a previous blog entry, so I really should stop here. I have the sentiment that I can do so much… with a computer, with music, with video editing, with whatever. How do I make a company see what a great asset I’d be to them? Whom do I know? No, I don’t have a muckety-muck degree in whatever field you want, but if you’re a tech person and not an HR person, you’ll understand how to really find talent. Like my Great Uncle Norman. Back in the day when he lived in California, he was out flying a model plane and approached by a guy who said, “Hey kid, you want a job?” I don’t think he had even completed college, but soon he was working for Grumman on the B2 bomber project.

This from a company that initially contacted me.

Thank you for taking the time to consider a position with [name obscured]. While we respect your achievements and appreciate your interest in applying, we’ve decided after careful consideration to move forward with other candidates.

We will keep all of your information on file; if circumstances change we may consider you for any appropriate positions that become available. We appreciate the interest you have shown in [name obscured] and wish you success in your career.

Thank you for taking the time to apply for the I.T position at [company name obscured].  We received a large number of highly qualified applicants for this opening.  While we were impressed with your qualifications, after careful consideration we have decided to pursue other options for this position at this time.