job
Netscape recognizes HTML files strictly by the .htm extension, so I'm writing this file without the HTML header & body to see how well other browsers do.
The job promises to be very interesting. I've signed on with a former boss in Washington, D.C. to develop a demo of a police booking system by November. What happens after that depends upon financing. This effort is a private enterprise, funded by one company so far, on a shoestring budget.
The hype is that this is a "Global" criminal justice system, encompassing all steps from the first incident report through completion of parole - for any jurisdiction in the world. It is to be Java-based and web-enabled. However, the immediate scope of the project is to present an interactive demo of a booking module to the November convention of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
At this point, we are doing requirements analysis .. an interesting concept since we are not working for a police agency, so do not have any contact with booking officers. How do you determine requirements without talking to users? The answer is that one member of our team used to sell a competing product, so he knows all about it and has talked with dozens of police departments in the past. In fact, he talked the sponsoring company into the project in the first place. (Is that a good salesman or what?)
We are using Unified Modeling Language (UML) software by GDPro to diagram the work flow ("business process" in current lingo). I'm excited about it because we have already used it to build a web site housing all the diagrams. It promises to help write the code, but I think it only goes as far as writing the class headers. The system will be written in Java, but I am learning that neither Java nor C++ are fully capable languages, so the real nitty gritty machine-dependent systems-level stuff is still written in C. We have GDPro on a 30 day free trial and it has already lost its "environment" and told me to call tech support. I now have the time to update my web site while waiting for tech support to call me back. (Third day of waiting for the call now.)
Obviously I have to learn Java, and I've started learning it twice. First time I was told not to use Java directly, we are going to use Forte for Java development platform. Second time, Forte for Java brought the Pentium 166 to its knees. They found a faster computer for me, but I have to install Forte for Java again. Also, I have to learn Java on my own time and won't use it for another couple of months, so I'm not in any hurry.
The other new tools we will be using are CORBA and Core Jini. I forget what I learned about them, but I was excited about Core Jini after I read 100 pages of the book.
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Some of you know that I was happily rolling around the countryside looking for Rambo descendants. Peter Craig, the pre-eminent Swedish historian invited me to stay at his house and use his collection to update Beverly's book. He was a delightful, gracious host who also shares a passion for ice cream. His collection of material is mind-blowing! I had a wonderful time.
When my week was up, I visited another friend in College Park and on Saturday called Jerry McClurg, my former boss. He invited me over to John & Dale's house in Silver Spring. They live next to a large city park. John was looking forward to "retirement" in a couple of weeks.
I left and drove "Home" to Richmond, VA to look for tracks of the Rambos who went south. Once there I called my brother Dean to inquire about a visit. He replied that I could come any time, but that the kids would be home from school in a couple of weeks (on my birthday!) I decided to roll on south pursuing these Rambos to Raleigh, NC and Columbia, SC for those two weeks.
I did return to Virginia Beach late in the evening on my birthday, May 12; Dean and I did run a 10K in 85 degree heat Saturday; and the family left for a European vacation Sunday. (No, I still haven't heard about the vacation. Carolyn and I are the only family members who write a lot.)
I spent the next week in Richmond, finding just enough about the family to keep me there another day, and another day, and another day .. until Friday. I would have stayed through Saturday except that both the state library and the city library closed early Friday and thunderstorms were forecast.
Decision made at 5:30 pm Friday, I arrived in D.C. minutes before dark and called my college buddy Arthur Hou. We enjoyed a delightful visit Saturday afternoon. The other people I wanted to visit in D.C. were unavailable over the weekend, so I dropped in at John & Dale's again that night, but slept in the park. Sunday John was proud to be retired until Jerry showed up and announced that the company had just landed a new contract. When he announced that they were going to develop a "global criminal justice system" I was very amused. When I explained that I was an expert, having worked for the courts in New Mexico 20 years ago on exactly the same concept, Jerry inquired if I wanted to work. I laughed even harder and replied, "No way. I'm much too busy with my genealogy."
By Wednesday I had enjoyed a good time with John & Dale; had seen the other people I wanted to in D.C.; and was "ready" to leave for Philadelphia. Then it struck me ... that I was having fun ... that the location was excellent ... that I could use the money ... and that the book could wait. So I told Jerry that I had reconsidered and would take a job if he offered it to me. Done Deal.
So far it has been interesting and I have no regrets. The park is wonderful, the job is interesting, the guys are fun, and Caesar, the cancer-ridden Shar Pei is still alive.
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Pages of personal interest: Ron Beatty's home page, the Rambo genealogy, Bankston genealogy, the Dorsey Overturff family, the Argo Families Revisited by Wesley Argo, cousin Jean's Schenck and Hegeman genealogy, Eric's RPM coins, Janie's Santa Fe Guest Rentals in New Mexico, Partly Dave's Neighbourhood Garage in Vernon, BC., and now Eve's Garden Organic Bed and Breakfast, a wonderful, eclectic, artistic papercrete alternative living learning mecca in Marathon, Texas.
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