Jim Lavin’s Blog

As most of you have probably figured out by now, I recently left my job of nine years to work with a new company here in the DFW Area. A lot of people would have thought it strange to change jobs in the middle of a down economy, but not really, it was more like a transition from one established company to another established company.

As for the routine on-boarding with every company, this time it was totally different. There were no new people to get to know, I’ve known everyone I’m working with for quite some time. The entire team had everything ready for me the day I arrived; office, computers, phones, etc. They made it absolutely painless to hit the ground running.

And there is a lot to be said about going back to work in an office. We have what Scott Hansleman would call a “two pizza” development team. Its a small team, but just big enough to be really collaborative. I get to talk with other developers face to face making our collaboration much more effective since we can scribble something on a whiteboard or walk through some code or bounce ideas off of each other when we are looking for the best way to get something done. I’ve missed out on this for some time, trying to collaborate over a telephone and a desktop sharing session is good when you’re a virtual team, but is is no substitute for being there in person. And all of the developers at my new job are well worn; seasoned; developers with probably even more experience than me. We all come from different backgrounds making what we bring to the table even more beneficial to the rest of the group.

There is also a clear delineation between my work life and my personal life. Being able to leave work at work and enjoy time away from the office is really rejuvenating. Each morning I feel refreshed and excited to get back to the office. It was funny, on my first day I asked one of the guys what were our normal office hours and he chuckled and said “Nobody is here to look over your shoulder and make sure you punch a time clock. You can come and go as you please. Just remember to make your deadlines and be on time for meetings, other than that you’re on your own.”  This free spirited way of treating people as adults is a big change of pace compared to the big corporate world of tracking your time and making sure you meet your billing quotas. I forgot how much that used to weigh on me.

This job is actually a new challenge for me, I have to learn the ins and outs of Objective-C, Cocoa and iPhone Development all in a very short time because we’ve promised to deliver an on-line ordering app for the iPhone by the end of the first quarter of 2010. But, heck, I love a challenge and I love learning something new!

If you ask my friends, they’ll tell you that I am always searching for the perfect home theater pc and the cheaper the better. I’ve tried Mini-ITX mother boards, slim-line PCs, Fancy full-sized theater cases and a whole host of other systems. But, as you’d guess all of them have their short comings; under powered, too expensive, too big or too loud. I really haven’t been able to find the perfect low-cost system with enough power to play back High Definition MPEG-4 Video that is small and quiet enough to put in my entertainment center. That was until I happened to find the Acer Aspire Revo AR1600-U910H Desktop PC this past weekend at Fry’s Electronics. This system is based on the Atom N230 processor and the NVIDIA ION LE-Graphics processor giving you the ability to tackle any type of video playback all for under $200.

Below are the Acer Aspire Revo Specifications:

• Box Contents – Acer AR1600-U910H Desktop PC, USB Keyboard, USB Mouse; Software Bundle – Windows XP Home with Service Pack 3, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition 2007 Trial, McAfee Internet Security Suite 2008 60-Day Trial
• Intel Atom Processor 230 1.6GHz
• NVIDIA ION LE Graphics
• 1024MB DDR2 RAM
• 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 512K L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB
• 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
• Back ports – 4 x USB, RJ-45 (LAN), VGA, HDMI
• Dimensions – 7.1 (H) x 1.2 (W) x 7.1 (L) inches
• EnergyStar Compliance
• Expansion slot – Mini PCI Express
• Front ports – 2 x USB, High Definition Headphone Jack, Microphone Jack
• High-Definition Audio Support
• Multi-in-One Digital Media Card Reader MMC, SD, MS, xD Picture Card
• Ultimate Small-Form Factor Design Case
• Weight – 9 lbs.

Add a Windows Media Center Wireless Remote for around $50 and a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade for around $100 and you’ll have the perfect Home Theater PC setup for around $300.

Everyone,

I want to thank you all for making the last 9 years at Sabre/EDS/HP an experience that I will never forget. It has been a whirl wind of activity which lately has seemed to be a blur as we have taken the Transportation SOA from a concept and turned it into reality.

Several memories stand out, which I’d like to share and hopefully give those of you who worked with me a chuckle as you remember the good ole times

1. No, BAASIC was not responsible for the baggage debacle in the new Denver Airport when it opened.
2. There is no room for weekends and Holidays when you are working a pursuit.
3. Phoenix AZ is really hot, no matter what time of year you are there, especially when you are trying to merge two airlines and meet an unbelievable deadline.
4. It is always hard to shove an Elephant down a 16K network connection.
5. Yes, I always love to name my projects after annoying cartoon characters.

To all the developers, remember my motto “Make it work, Make it work right, Make it fast, Make it pretty and Make it maintainable” following it will always remind you to take things in small steps, which I have found to be the key to tackling anything in the development world.

To all the managers, look for the developers who are excited to dive in, work hard and take on new technology, for there you’ll find the next group of developers who will always make you successful.

Again, I want to thank everyone, without you I’d still just be coding in a cubicle and not the success I am today! I’ll miss you all and I hope our paths will cross again in the future!

Best Regards,

Jim Lavin