tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10585607029255687662024-03-13T08:48:11.133-07:00Swaying Lobsters - musings on life, skiing, and coding in the state of Colorado.robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-42127446558725709152022-11-16T16:21:00.005-08:002022-11-16T16:25:58.431-08:00Pentingell PeakSkied Pentingell Peak back in 2019 with Mike, way too hard for being such an easy peak. <span id="goog_1337568439"></span><span id="goog_1337568440"></span>robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-51397784810158848582022-11-16T16:21:00.003-08:002022-11-16T16:21:33.797-08:00In the early days<p> In the early days of my life, I had a dream of waking up to a view of snow capped peaks, and walking amongst those peaks, and that dream came true, but I never had a dream about sitting in a basement working, but just because I didn't have that dream doesn't mean that it's not a dream come true. When benefits one, the perspective to focus on the joy in life, every breath being a blessing. In a given day now I'll do some day trading, some work, watch a different YouTube video on the one secret to fixing your golf swing, some more work, then a 17 minute live version of Soul Sacrifice from Tanglewood in 1970, then some more work, then end the day with some Robot Chicken. All those things can be dreams, if you'll let them. </p>robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-65390428545733532112020-02-06T12:57:00.001-08:002020-02-06T12:57:14.821-08:00Big SNOW in feet!Big snow forecasted for the mountains, measured in feet, probably going skiing on Saturday. robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-89817322252083056462019-01-17T12:06:00.002-08:002019-01-17T12:06:30.665-08:00I haven't written a blog post in a while, so today I'm going to write one.robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-16122965402832370812018-04-30T08:59:00.005-07:002018-05-15T16:53:35.562-07:002018 Mount Edwards SkiIn my pursuit now of not finishing another list, I'm starting my ski most of the centennials project. Completed #2 today, Mount Edwards, it was a fun day out. <a href="https://s150.photobucket.com/user/robertlmullen74/embed/2018%20Mount%20Edwards/story">Click here if the iframe does not load</a>
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="https://s150.photobucket.com/user/robertlmullen74/embed/2018%20Mount%20Edwards/story"></iframe>robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-30610775626338906702018-04-02T08:41:00.001-07:002018-04-02T08:41:10.079-07:00a new languageNot too long ago, a hole opened in the middle of the sky and all the words that have ever been spoken in every language were sucked up into the vacuum and the world was left without language. <br />
<br />
After some years had passed, there were two men left alone, in a cave. Each man had two sticks. They looked at each other, then at their sticks, and one of the men took the two sticks and smacked them together, making a "fwap"ing sound. The other man looked back into his eyes and then back down at the sticks in his hand, then back up again. Slowly, he took the two sticks and "fwap". After a few minutes, the first took the sticks in his hand, this time, two whacks, "fwap, fwap" and the second took the sticks in his hand and went "fwap, fwap" in return. The two men looked each other in the eye and knew that they were in this together, and thus, a new language was born.robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-70958682911892248292017-10-13T10:18:00.003-07:002017-10-13T10:18:38.528-07:00Best Octoberfest beers you can get in highlands ranch areaAll the best Oktoberfest beer lists contain all the rare fancy octoberfest beers that all the beer advocate wankers claim to be the best so they can lord their superiority over others when really they are just masking their lack of self confidence. What follows here is a list of the best octoberfest beers you can actually buy in a liquor store and take home and drink.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Sam Adams Octoberfest</li>
<li>Paulaner Oktoberfest</li>
<li>Left Hand Oktoberfest</li>
<li>Spaten Oktoberfest</li>
<li>Sante Fe Oktoberfest</li>
<li>Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest</li>
<li>Shiner Oktoberfest</li>
<li>Great Divide Hoss Oktoberfest Lager</li>
<li>Prost Marzen Oktoberfest</li>
<li>Dry Dock Docktoberfest </li>
</ol>
robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-90188337095820073802017-07-27T10:57:00.003-07:002022-11-16T16:25:07.054-08:00tech debtThe best way to deal with tech debt is to never accrue it in the first place. The second best way to deal with it is to pare it down incrementally. Finally, only as a last resort, should you freeze feature development and do a long period of paying down tech debt. Lastly, create tech debt to create job security.robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-2641533396922164602017-05-30T14:19:00.000-07:002017-05-30T14:19:04.372-07:00Top 10 tips for creating top 10 lists<br />
<ol>
<li>Limit the topic to topics that are interesting.</li>
<li>Make #1 the most important on the list, or the least.</li>
<li>If you run out of interesting points, you should just end the list.</li>
<li>Keep the number of items between 9 and 11.</li>
</ol>
robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-32635734193581067182017-03-21T11:06:00.000-07:002018-05-15T16:51:56.541-07:00Mount Flora Ski DescentMount Flora was the last of the James Peak Wilderness Peaks ski descents that I've done over the past 10 years or so. James peak, Witter, Parry, Eva, Bancroft, and Flora make up the range that dominates the view for westbound travelers on I-70 when they crest the hill just past the buffalo herd overlook.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-opTjziJf7WU/TYZ3Jm6JqlI/AAAAAAAAKjg/ZVrX2tjEO6w/s1600/1-a-buffalo+overlook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-opTjziJf7WU/TYZ3Jm6JqlI/AAAAAAAAKjg/ZVrX2tjEO6w/s320/1-a-buffalo+overlook.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The morning started from Berthoud Pass, at 5:30am, skinning up the service road to Colorado mines peak. Since my brother Mike was diagnosed with leukemia, I've decided I need to just go at these peaks alone, which really sucks, because doing this alone is scary and just not a ton of fun. Hopefully Mike will be fully healed in a couple of years and we will be back at it together in no time. So here I am, by myself, alone and afraid. Let's see, boots on, ok, skins on the skis, ok I can do this, not too bad, let's go. I skinned up the service road to just below Mines, just past Mines peak the windward slopes were blown free of snow so I bootpacked up to the summit of Flora.<br />
<br />
It was cold and windy on the summit, I dropped down into the bowl and everything was still frozen solid, a fairly scary 800 vertical later I was down at ethel lake. I managed to bootpack back up to the saddle and then hike back to the pass. 6 hours, 7 miles, 2500 vert total on the day.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://s150.photobucket.com/user/robertlmullen74/embed/slideshow/2017%20mount%20flora">Click here if the slide show does not load.</a>
<iframe height="360" src="https://s150.photobucket.com/user/robertlmullen74/embed/slideshow/2017%20mount%20flora" width="480"></iframe>robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-43957854435071122602017-01-12T13:54:00.000-08:002017-01-12T13:54:05.024-08:002017 mountain goalsNeed to figure out what do in 2017, ski a few more 14ers, at 48 currently, it would be cool to get to 50 this year. Here's the 10 left:<br />
<ul>
<li></li>
<li>pyramid</li>
<li>capitol</li>
<li>n. eolus</li>
<li>eolus</li>
<li>sunlight</li>
<li>windom</li>
<li>culebra</li>
<li>wilson peak</li>
<li>el diente</li>
<li>crestone needle</li>
</ul>
The list is getting thin, lot of them far away, and really difficult. It'd be cool if I could do 2 or 3 this year, maybe back to telluride to try for el diente and wilson peak, maybe even do mt. wilson for a pure summit ski. If the snow totals are epic it might be a good year to try Pyramid or Capitol too, as the more snow on those peaks the easier they'll be. It's exciting times for sure though. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In addition to the 14ers, last year I got to ski 2 new peaks, Citadel, and Peak 1. It was cool skiing some of the peaks closer to home, in the ski what you see mentality. Some of the other local peaks that are on the to do list:<div>
<ul>
<li>Tenmile peak</li>
<li>Apache</li>
<li>Navajo</li>
<li>Shoshoni</li>
<li>Hagar</li>
<li>Flora</li>
<li>Red Peak</li>
</ul>
<div>
Come summer time, it'd be really cool to get the kids into rock climbing outdoors, maybe figure out a way to incorporate that into a summer camping trip. I know the kids would love that. Some other hiking with the family and maybe a family backpacking trip too, if that is at all possible, maybe just me and Grady.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Either way, lots to do, several lifetimes of adventures in the Colorado rockies and I couldn't be happier to live here and have a family that not only supports me in my endeavors but also likes joining right in!</div>
robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-3451476176261475542016-11-09T09:53:00.002-08:002016-11-09T09:57:18.824-08:00One political postSo Trump was elected and I was surprised that he was, all along I felt there is no way he we will win, and yet he did. So some people ask why or how he could be elected. Trump getting elected is the byproduct of a generation of apathy. A passive population ignoring politics, having had it usurped from them by the minority of people who feel that something different is better than anything like the current state of affairs.<br />
<br />
For those that feel the government no longer serves them the blueprint was laid out 240 years in the Declaration of Independence.
<i>But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.</i><br />
<br />
The question is now whether or not this will precipitate any change, or will it be more of the same. People posting on Facebook or Twitter, claiming to abhor the current system, and then doing absolutely nothing about it.
Personally I believe this is all part of the natural evolution of any civilization in decline, similar to the Roman Empire in 400 AD. It is part of the cycle of the ascendency and decline of a civilization. The eventual byproduct will be a civil war in this country with the lines this time being drawn on the left or the right, with perhaps abortion being the main dividing line, as slavery was during the first civil war. Time will tell, but I do know that I'm as ashamed of the fact that our country could elect a bigot like Trump as I am of the general political apathy that has stained my generation.<br />
<br />
I find myself reading this passage over and over to help stay grounded during these tumultuous times. "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-73207522868667383092016-10-05T15:32:00.000-07:002016-10-07T07:41:05.826-07:00A weekend in the alpineSpent the weekend in the alpine on the backside of the Indian Peaks with Gabe and Jared. Nice weekend to get away, even saw some big horn sheep too!
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s150.photobucket.com/user/robertlmullen74/embed/2016%20hiamovi/story">Your browser does not support iframes.<a href=""http://s150.photobucket.com/user/robertlmullen74/embed/2016%20hiamovi/story">Click here to load the photos</a> </iframe>
robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-73929465268083103622016-08-01T16:00:00.001-07:002016-08-01T16:00:29.665-07:00Turquoise Lake Camping and Galena PeakSpent the weekend with some great friends up at Turquoise Lake for the weekend, we managed to get the kids up to the top of Galena Peak, no small feat at 12,900 feet, 3k elevation gain, and 7 miles round trip. The whole hike took us 7.5 hours round trip. After the hike we met up with everyone at the lake for some kayaking, snacking, and drinking. A wonderful weekend all around immersed in the beauty of Colorado's mountains, oh and we didn't see another soul all day long hiking Galena, via la 12ers.
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s150.photobucket.com/user/robertlmullen74/embed/2016%20galena%20peak/story"></iframe>robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-86622977243113103192016-07-19T15:22:00.000-07:002016-07-19T15:22:30.952-07:00Rosalie and Epaulet HikeManaged to get out for an afternoon hike in the Mount Evans wilderness area, great hike up the Tanglewood Trail to a saddle below Rosalie, then up Rosalie and over to Epaulet, reversed the route on the way back. The upper part of this route from Rosalie to Epaulet was magical, not another soul around, wandering in the high tundra, free from any cares and worries, haven't felt like that in quite sometime. One of the cool things about this trip was hiking the route late in the afternoon, normally, it's up early to avoid the storms but it was a slow morning and the forecast and weather looked good all day, that was unique to be descending off a high peak in summer at 6pm.
I was recovering from a bad cold, and it was super hard to breathe on the uphill so I took it slow, but ran the last 4 miles from the saddle back to the TH in 50 minutes. On the run down I tripped and was heading for a rock and somehow miraculously managed to get my feet under me and not crash, pretty scary. The overall trip was 15 miles and 6000 vertical feet and it took me 6 hours and 40 minutes to completed.
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s150.photobucket.com/user/robertlmullen74/embed/2016%20Rosalie%20and%20epaluet/story"></iframe>robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-42083636039617138192016-06-13T09:44:00.000-07:002016-06-13T09:44:08.189-07:00Citadel Hike and SkiFirst time out skiing with Ward, we had planned on skiing Hagar, but the south face route on Citadel is a little more straightforward so we just switched to that route. We had a few bumps along the way, but overall the route went well, good first day out and hopefully the first of many, Ward's got the right attitude for a long and fruitful ski mountaineering career for sure.
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s150.photobucket.com/user/robertlmullen74/embed/2016%20citadel%20ski/story"></iframe>robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-53107098520349300732016-05-24T13:08:00.001-07:002016-05-26T13:54:11.482-07:0016 years of Memorial Day Weekend TripsMemorial Day weekend is an annual ritual in which we not only hike and ski some 14ers usually, but we camp, we travel, we eat, we drink, and we honor those who sacrificed the ultimate to afford us the freedom to pursue. Indeed to not enjoy the freedom that is provided us would be an insult to those who fought and gave all to provide it.<br />
<br />
The trips started innocently enough in 2000 with a trip up to Maroon Peak, where we camped at Crater Lake and climbed and skied the east chutes of Maroon Peak.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>2000 - Bells area, bachelor party for Mike, east chutes of s. maroon, Mike, Marcel, Jim, Jared, Cab, introduced money into marmot society.</li>
<li>2001 - Challenger Peak and camping by Willow Lake with Gabe and Mike</li>
<li>2002 - Bad snow year, no snow left by Memorial Day</li>
<li>2003 - Belford group, Marcel's bachelor party, backpacked up in the basin, Marcel, Cab, Mike Hetzel and Jim</li>
<li>2004 - Wetterhorn/Redcloud/Oxford, great camping at the trailhead, Cab, Mike, Jim, Hetzel</li>
<li>2005 - Harvard, backpacking in the basin with Gabe, Hetzel, Cab and Jim</li>
<li>2006 - Castle/Conudrum/Snowmass, car camping, climbing and skiing Castle, then backpacking up to Snowmass Lake and doing Snowmass. Cab, Mike, Hetzel, Marcel, and Gabe, probably the best of them all.</li>
<li>2007 - Huron/Columbia - Gabe, Hetzel and Mike, car camping and listening to Starman on repeat.</li>
<li>2008 - Princeton and Yale, camping with Jay, Adan, Gabe, Mike and Hetzel, the pot milk.</li>
<li>2009 - No trip, most likely because we were about to have Phoebe, but I don't really know.</li>
<li>2010 - Camping at the difficult campground with Jay and his buddy, Adan and Hetzel, Mike and I camped a night at Crater Lake too, Maroon peak from the summit, dropped a ski and retrieved it.</li>
<li>2011 - Camping on south colony lake road with Jay V, Adan, Hetzel, and Mike, climbed and skied Crestone Peak</li>
<li>2012 - No trip, bad snow year.</li>
<li>2013 - North Maroon, camping at the difficult campground again, Cousin Jay, Adan, Hetzel, and Mike.</li>
<li>2014 - Camping at Ridgeway state park with Mike and Adan, climbed in skied Sneffles, rain and cold all weekend, but we survived.</li>
<li>2015 - The Sangres, camped on Lake Como, climbed and skied little bear with Mike, Gabe picked me up and we camped and went to the sand dunes and a beautiful waterfall.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Many trips, many memories.</div>
robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-53731988167979969562016-05-16T08:04:00.000-07:002016-05-16T08:04:15.677-07:00Peak One SkiAfter 19 years of skiing the resorts in summit county and staring at Peak One from every angle the bro and I finally climbed and skied Peak One. Here's some pictures. <br />
<br />
<iframe height="360" src="http://s150.photobucket.com/user/robertlmullen74/embed/slideshow/2106%20peak%20one%20ski" width="480"></iframe>robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-85528398609667692132016-03-09T15:20:00.000-08:002016-03-09T15:20:04.027-08:002016 Spring Ski Mountaineering Wish ListWith spring coming early this year to the Rockies my thoughts turn to the high peaks, the big lines, the climbs and skis that dreams are made of. So here is what is on the wish list for the spring ski season, conditions pending.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Peak 1 south face day trip</li>
<li>Tenmile Peak south face day trip</li>
<li>Mount Flora day trip</li>
<li>Ellingwood Point weekend camping trip and ski</li>
<li>Trip to the Wilsons or Chicago Basin area for Memorial Day</li>
</ul>
robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-55085020734126559652015-12-28T17:35:00.000-08:002015-12-28T17:35:57.848-08:00Look Henry I Got Glue Stuck on My SkisAfter a grueling climb and ski of <a href="http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=15993&parmpeak=Little+Bear+Peak&cpgm=tripmain&ski=Include">Little Bear</a> I had a decent amount of pine needle and sap on my skis, so I took some white gas and cleaned up the bases nicely and put the skis into storage for the summer. Fast forward to next year and my brother Mike and I are on an early season tour up to Berthoud Pass, at the top of Lift Ggully I go to pull my skins off and there is a whole lot of skin glue stuck on my skis. Skiing down with that much glue on the skis felt like skiing with your skins on, if your skins were on backwards. After that run we were done for the day and I was left with my skis in shape best described as no good. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I did a little research on how to remove skin glue from ski bases, one post on <a href="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/59815-Removing-skin-glue-from-ski-bases">TGR</a> had a few ideas, one was to heat the glue up and scrape it off, another was to use white gas and just clean it off. Starting with the heating and scraping idea, I was unable to make much progress at all, so I switched over to the white gas approach. There was a lot of glue on the bases, but eventually by using a bunch of steel wool and white gas, I was able to get it all off. It took several passes to get rid of the glue, then I switched to a t-shirt rag to do the finishing touches.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The before</div>
<div>
<a href="http://s150.photobucket.com/user/robertlmullen74/media/1FD76F0D-FCC6-4F28-B34B-376A20F2B2B7.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 1FD76F0D-FCC6-4F28-B34B-376A20F2B2B7.jpg" border="0" src="http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s114/robertlmullen74/1FD76F0D-FCC6-4F28-B34B-376A20F2B2B7.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
and the after</div>
<div>
<a href="http://s150.photobucket.com/user/robertlmullen74/media/FBFA7F60-DC99-42D1-B26D-3861589510F1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo FBFA7F60-DC99-42D1-B26D-3861589510F1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s114/robertlmullen74/FBFA7F60-DC99-42D1-B26D-3861589510F1.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Will it work? I'm hoping to take the skis and skins out for a little tour up in Breckenridge to find out. I definitely don't want to get on anything too committing or lengthy without knowing for sure the glue stuck to the skin debacle won't happen again.</div>
robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-54385477352860256302015-12-10T14:43:00.004-08:002016-10-07T07:15:10.813-07:00Learning to Program CourseHere's the basic chapter outline for my new "Learning to Program" course that should be coming out on coursera sometime soon. Let me know if you want to see any additional chapters.<br />
<br />
Chapter 1: How to brew coffee<br />
Chapter 2: How to google for solutions to your problems<br />
Chapter 3: How to paste solutions into your IDE<br />
Chapter 4: How to make more coffee<br />
Chapter 5: How to commit your changes to source control<br />
Chapter 6: How to find the nearest bar to your office<br />
Chapter 7:Learning how your perceived value coincides with how much you complain about other people's softwarerobertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-57854372240943631922015-11-13T08:48:00.002-08:002015-11-13T09:21:33.661-08:0010 tips for technical interviewsThere's lots of advice out there about how to interviews, but after going through about 100 resumes and conducting dozens of interviews over the past 6 months I'd thought I'd share my thoughts.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Make sure you resume prints on one page, include all the positions you've had but "built an ecommerce app in a .NET/SQL stack that supported 100,000 users" is enough.</li>
<li>Do include links to your social profile on your resume: linkedin, github, etc.</li>
<li>Do be knowledgable about the company and if you're not passionate about the business don't bother showing up.</li>
<li>When you're asked about how you work through conflicts don't answer "I've never had a conflict with another co-worker", because then it's obvious you're either lying or delusional.</li>
<li>Do not be afraid to answer any question "I don't know", nothing is worse than listening to someone stumble through a domain that they don't know.</li>
<li>Do ask questions throughout the interview.</li>
<li>Remember the WAIT acronym, "Why Am I Talking", brevity is the key to answering questions effectively.</li>
<li>Be on time, and if you can't, let the company know ASAP, there is grace for people who communicate effectively.</li>
<li>Remember the non-verbal skills: eye contact, dressed appropriately, etc, it's obvious but you'd be surprised.</li>
<li>Lastly, for the hiring managers, hire for passion, train for skills.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<br /></div>
robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-37911477628874865832015-04-03T08:19:00.001-07:002015-04-06T08:56:38.970-07:00What makes a good software engineerA good engineer cares about all the aspects of coding as well as the complete SDLC, they should be extremely passionate about and proficient in at least one area. Writing good code is important but is only a small part of what makes a good engineer. A good engineer will be knowledgable and care about the following:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Testing</li>
<li>Coding</li>
<li>Analytics</li>
<li>Monitoring</li>
<li>Deployment</li>
<li>Operations</li>
<li>Performance</li>
<li>Scale</li>
<li>Patterns and Best Practices</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In addition to caring about all aspects of coding and the SDLC, a good engineer stays up to date on the latest trends in the industry. You can tell a lot about what a developer cares about by who they follow on twitter, their RSS feeds, and the podcasts that they listen to. Also, a good engineer should care and be knowledgeable about the products and business that their efforts are serving.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Lastly a good engineer takes pride in everything that they do, remembering that whoever can be trusted with little can also be trusted with much.</div>
robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-48669251300907424482015-03-11T13:14:00.001-07:002015-03-11T13:14:33.508-07:00Spring ski season is upon usThe warming weather and lengthening days can mean only one thing, spring season is now upon us. When this time of year descends upon us many reach for their clubs or bikes, not me, I reach for my Salomon Pocket Rockets with my Fritschi Freerides, slap on my G3 skis and head for the Colorado high country. <br />
<br />
Over the past 15 years I've been out and about summiting the high peaks and skiing down during the prime ski mountaineering months of April and May. I've been tracking the list of 14ers, here and on 14ers.com <a href="http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/usrpeaksv.php?usernum=7926">http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/usrpeaksv.php?usernum=7926</a>. I've ventured in and around the Indian Peaks and Fall River range as well, skiing many of those high peaks as well.<br />
<br />
There is simply no better way to enjoy the mountains of Colorado, nothing beats a long snow climb to an airy summit, clicking in and holding on for dear life as you descend 4000 vertical feet of every imaginable snow condition. Back to the camp in the afternoon, you can kick back, enjoy a beer and relish in the satisfaction of a thrilling climb and descent.<br />
<br />
Going from the list of 58 14ers, I have 15 left to do, whether or not I finish them all doesn't matter all that much (although it'd be nice). What does matter is getting out, climbing and skiing on velvet corn and enjoying the warm weather with great friends immersed in the incompressible beauty of the Colorado Rockies.robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1058560702925568766.post-13529520775167937382014-10-04T21:22:00.002-07:002014-10-04T21:22:54.932-07:00Tips for moving from dev to management<br />
Management isn't for everyone, but without it we'd probably be unable to get anything done in a corporate structure. It's planning, organizing and leading, delegating tasks and letting other people succeed. These skills aren't completely diametrically opposed to strictly technical positions, but it's pretty close. It's probably why everyone is familiar with some of the most talented engineers struggling to succeed in a management role.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With that being said, it can be done, and if you' have the right temperament and frame of mind, you can not only succeed at it but you might even enjoy management. Here's a couple of points stick out that are good to keep in mind.</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>You don't get to manage 10 of you. You were put into this role because you probably outperformed your peers, so don't think that you'll get to manage ten top performers. However, hopefully you'll get complimentary set of skills that you can leverage to </li>
<li>Build a team, a team is a group of individuals working towards a common goal. Be a constant reminder of what your team is working towards.</li>
<li>Realize your words carry more weight than they did before, so choose them carefully. Have select people to confide in "off the record" is important, but it's also important to not vent everything to your team.</li>
<li>Think small at first. It's amazing how a series of small, incremental improvements can affect employee morale, you won't be able to complete restructure the organization, but you can make your team more customer service focused and as a result, end up with happier customers, either internal or external.</li>
<li>Get to know who is working for you, weekly or bi-weekly informal one on one sessions are great. Ask lots of questions, find out how they tick, every single person has a unique viewpoint and way of thinking and working. By learning how your team members think and learn you will be better suited to managing them and assigning them the work most likely to keep them happy.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
robertlmullen74http://www.blogger.com/profile/04813820783240042436noreply@blogger.com0