Tag: career

Two 1988 papers on DEC culture


I worked with Steve Klosterman for a few years at DEC. He recently shared two 1988 papers written by Reesa Abrams. These may already exist in some online computing history museum. But it's a Sunday night, so here they are.  They're great reads if you're interested in DEC culture. DEC Cultural Operating Manual (1988) DEC Herospeak … Continue reading Two 1988 papers on DEC culture →

VAX 8600 (Venus) System Development Plan


Here are two revisions of the Venus System Development Plan. Revision 2, dated 13-June-1980. Revision 4, dated 16-September-1982. I have Revision 3, but didn't think it was worth having it scanned.  Just imagine the average of revisions 2 and 4. DEC archeological junkies will note the different names on the sign-off page. (Page vii in both … Continue reading VAX 8600 (Venus) System Development Plan →

VAX-11/750 (Comet) specifications


Prodded by comments on my two recent DEC posts, I dug some specs out of the dungeon and had them scanned. Here's the set of internal design specs for the VAX-11/750, a.k.a. Comet.

Anecdotes from my job search


May these tidbits be helpful if you're contemplating a job search in the tech market. The search Like last time, I wanted to stay in Seattle but considered as far north as Vancouver, B.C. and south as Portland. I wanted to work in the Python ecosystem and in open-source, in a technical or managerial position. … Continue reading Anecdotes from my job search →

From my job search, two great recruiters


I contacted six recruiters in my recent job search. Four of them disappeared after only a couple of days. As a friend likes to say, "For most of them, we're just baubles. They forget about us once the shiny wears off." Two recruiters were head-and-shoulders above the rest. They got me into great interviews, stuck with … Continue reading From my job search, two great recruiters →

I’m leaving Solinea


I've resigned from Solinea. The Christmas company holidays made this a little awkward... My last day is Monday the 28th, but we have the previous Thursday and Friday off.  Not sure how much I'll get done on that last isolated day. I worked on Goldstone, which is an über monitoring and configuration platform (i.e., it … Continue reading I’m leaving Solinea →

Vax 8600 (Venus) Ibox microcode


In a comment on my Thoughts on DEC post, Tom Miller offered a rat's ass if I scanned in my VAX 8600 (Venus) Ibox microcode listing. Well, here's Venus Ibox microcode v3.73, generated on 7-May-1984. Tom, you owe me one rat's patootie. This ran on Venus through the end of 1984. I had transferred to … Continue reading Vax 8600 (Venus) Ibox microcode →

Thoughts on DEC


I'm off this week, and while loafing around the house I took an hour or so to search the web about Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), a former employer. That was a mistake, because it got me thinking about my past. This was fun for a while, and then it got sobering. I worked for DEC from February … Continue reading Thoughts on DEC →

My job search experience


I started my search for a new job on September 29 2014, when my employer (IP Street) implemented some organizational changes, and I concluded it was time for me to move on. I accepted an offer on December 22. My search took 12 weeks. My parameters, and some unease, at the outset I was still gainfully … Continue reading My job search experience →

Two Seattle recruiter recommendations


I talked to a few recruiters in my recently concluded job search. Two of them stood out from the pack... Kathi Jones, founder of 3DegreesTalent, spent a lot of time working an opening, even after it became clear that the company might not pay her a commission. I contacted Matt Chung, of West500 Partners, late in my search, when … Continue reading Two Seattle recruiter recommendations →