The Garage

Testing, testing!

2019-08-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Does this still work? I haven't tried it for over 9 years and I'm surprised it's still up!

course work

2010-05-12T16:59:00.001-07:00

Been a while since I've posted in this blog. We'll see if it still works.

I've been in Washington DC this week, taking part in a course entitled the Congressional Briefing Conference, given for my line office within my agency. Not too related to my daily work but may/should come in handy in the not so distant future. It's a crash course on the legislative process, including how appropriations come to pass. The course is tailored for government employees, and so is more focused on what kinds of information various Executive Branch agencies have to provide for the budget planning process, how budget and appropriations actions move forward, and the challenges both the Legislature and the agencies face in this yearly exercise.

What's been most interesting is the very clear descriptions and frank discussions on how the system is supposed to work, or more aptly, how it's not supposed to work, at least smoothly. There's been quite a bit of discussion about this. The view from the outside is that Congress is ineffectual, that the party in power tries to run roughshod over the minority party, or that the minority party is obstructionist. While that may be true at times, what is equally true is that the way Congress works is how it was designed to work. Passing new laws is supposed to be hard. The bicameral structure of Congress makes it hard, and smooths out extreme changes that might happen if a minority party for a long period of time suddenly finds itself in the majority after an election. The Senate is the most "deliberative", since it acts by unanimous consent and that any Senator can stop or slow almost any action.

Various presentations have been made by instructors, public policy experts, reporters, congressional wonks, House of Representative staffers, House appropriations staffers, former Senate staffers and so on. It helps that the course is actually given in one of the House office buildings, and part of the course involves sitting in on congressional hearings, viewing the actions of the House and Senate from the galleries, and really, by just being here in the Capitol.

So far, three days into it, with one to go. I'm also enjoying the opportunities to run around here as well....down the National Mall past all of the Smithsonian Museums, the monuments, the Capitol and the White House. There's just something about being here that makes it seem special. At least to visit....not so sure I'd want to make it permanent.

The process continues

2009-05-19T17:49:00.001-07:00

The process with the MUSC/CoEE Endowed Chair of Marine Genomics position continues. About a month ago I was asked to supply references. This was the next step in the process and signals I'm still in the running (the search committee could have said thanks but no thanks at this stage). I am fortunate in that I was able to assemble 4 top notch people and very well-known scientists in the field to do this for me. All were enthusiastic to provide letters of recommendation, telling me that it sounded like the perfect position for me.

I do know that the final candidate is giving his seminar tomorrow (I now have my supportive spies in Charleston!). On paper, he's a very impressive scientist (lots of publications), with a moderately sized lab at the U. Florida where he heads a "Center for Genome Research." With a research focus on genomics/genetics and biophysiology of a sea slug, it will be interesting to hear how the medical school search committee views his research. It all depends on what they want, but of course, I know that HML, and the program within MUSC where the successful candidate will be a member, really need a microbiologist!

passing

2009-04-06T09:39:00.001-07:00

Sad news over the weekend. A dear friend of many in the band, and indeed a former member of the original band, passed away last night after a major heart attack. He was a high school friend of two of the other original members, and was instrumental in getting us some recent gigs. Whenever he showed up to see us, he made it a point to talk to each member, and introduce himself to our family and friends.

It really hits close to home when a friend who's a contemporary in age dies. A real sense of mortality kicks in. It's time to focus on family, embrace challenges, and really enjoy life. It goes too fast, and can be over in an instant.

the interview

2009-03-27T16:12:00.001-07:00

Time to play catch up.

Yes, I did get the interview for the faculty position in South Carolina, officially the Endowed Chair in Marine Genomics, through the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. This took place last week (I doubled this up with another east coast meeting I presented at), and involved meeting faculty and students at the NOAA lab the first day (where the incumbent will be located), followed by a day of meetings and my seminar at MUSC on the second. I thought it went well, and I don't think I could have delivered my seminar any better.

The position would be both a tremendous opportunity and tremendous challenge. It not only involves carrying out state of the art research in the field and being successful with grant proposals, it also includes building a large program, establishing collaborations, and working with an existing genomics consortium that consists of researchers from all of the major SC universities and colleges.

My next step was to let them know whether I want to remain in the running, and I did that yesterday. Their next step includes whether to keep me in consideration after my visit and I was told their committee should meet within the next week or two to decide this. They also have one more candidate to interview, but that won't happen until May. They need to fill the position by the end of the year so I'm hoping things move a little faster once the last candidate is interviewed.

If I do make the short-short list, then there would be another visit and meetings with the provost/vice provost and relevant departmental Chairs. Part of this will be the start of negotiations for salary and startup package, and part will be to pick a MUSC home department. I'm not interested in any kind of partial appointment either, e.g., 9 months with 3 months coming off of grants. It would have to be a 12 month appointment to get me to move (or a really really good 9 month one commensurate in salary to what I have now). The startup package is important to, since it was also signaled to me that this could include funding for research faculty, post docs, and student funding, lab remodeling (new and older lab space is available), and even equipment. It was suggested that one consideration was to determine whether high throughput DNA sequencing capability should be part of the laboratory. Thinking about all of the possibilities is exciting. It would be so easy to start planning right now, but I need to be careful not to get ahead of myself (get my hopes up) and neglect my responsibilities in my current position.

And of course, if I do get to the next step, my wife and I have to decide whether or not to really take the plunge and move away from the state that both of us have lived in all our lives, leaving family and more than likely the kids behind. We've talked about it as do-able, but I don't think we can truly know until there's a real offer. And like I said, the offer has to be a good and secure one to entice me to leave the well paying and very stable position that I have now.

LIMBAUGH AT CPAC

2009-03-11T15:20:00.001-07:00

Could resist this, just for the comparison between the President and Limbaugh.

LIMBAUGH AT CPAC: "But what about the rest of the party? Here’s the duel that Obama and Limbaugh are jointly arranging:

On the one side, the president of the United States: soft-spoken and conciliatory, never angry, always invoking the recession and its victims. This president invokes the language of ‘responsibility,’ and in his own life seems to epitomize that ideal: He is physically honed and disciplined, his worst vice an occasional cigarette. He is at the same time an apparently devoted husband and father. Unsurprisingly, women voters trust and admire him.

And for the leader of the Republicans? A man who is aggressive and bombastic, cutting and sarcastic, who dismisses the concerned citizens in network news focus groups as ‘losers.’ With his private plane and his cigars, his history of drug dependency and his personal bulk, not to mention his tangled marital history, Rush is a walking stereotype of self-indulgence – exactly the image that Barack Obama most wants to affix to our philosophy and our party. And we’re cooperating! Those images of crowds of CPACers cheering Rush’s every rancorous word – we’ll be seeing them rebroadcast for a long time."

(Via David Frum)

Stiff 'Em

2009-02-18T14:43:00.001-08:00

From Joe Klein at Time: Swampland (fast becoming my favorite political opinion writer), discussing Republicans in Congress and the newly passed stimulus package:

Politics 101 dictates the following: They should pay the price for their latter-day Hooverism. As little money as humanly, legally possible should go to their districts...

I've just spent a few weeks outside the country and, when you take a step away from the media maelstrom, the overwhelming impression is the sheer volume and severity of the problems that the country and the world--and our new President--are facing right now. This is a global crisis. A great many people are being hurt badly...

...we should also take careful note of those who have opposed these programs--especially those who have done so for cynical, political reasons Their braying, and playing of Aerosmith songs, seems inappropriate, tone-deaf and puerile, at a moment of real pain and fear.

(Via TIME: Swampland)

It seems to me, and I think to many many Americans, that the lockstep GOP members are running an orchestrated strategy to be as difficult as possible with Obama. Yet they know darn well that they'll take whatever money from the stimulus package that comes the way of their state and congressional districts. There is a real urgency in getting things going, whether it be getting TARP completed, the provisions in the stimulus package, and the bad mortgage buyouts.

This is bad, and can really get worse. Action is needed to restore public confidence and it has to be done fast. Yet all the republicans (now with a small r) can do is to continue to parrot their tired, worn out, and failed "only tax cuts will work" mantra, and try to drag things out so that failure can (in their deluded minds) be pinned on the Dems. Do they (ever) have any new ideas, any innovative solutions?

Not lately. And at this rate not any time soon. Our best hope at restoring public confidence and trust now sits in the White House.

<strike>still</strike> no longer left hanging...

2009-02-17T15:22:00.001-08:00

It's hardly worth mentioning...I've gotten unofficial word that the national director will not name a director at the center I was applying to, and will instead let the current search lapse (and a quick look at USAJobs indicates this is what happened). What this mean is that it will have to be reopened for competition. Whether I would reapply or not is dependent on feedback. From the bits and pieces I've heard, it's very political there right now. Very frustrating. While I respect the folks at the center very much, I do wish more of an attempt had been made to let the finalists know just what the heck was going on.

In the meantime, I'm still waiting to hear whether I'll get an interview for the faculty position in Marine Genomics there. I was told last Thursday that the larger selection committee was going to decide on who to interview in the last batch of candidates. I assume the outcome of this will depend much on the recommendation of the chair of the search committee, who's the one who heard my seminar and encouraged me to apply.

I'm getting tired of the waiting and uncertainty. It's wearing, and mentally pulls me in different directions. The constant thinking about it usually results in increasing the level of frustration I have with my current situation. Yet, I sometimes even feel guilty about that since I do have a very well-paid and secure job, nothing to complain about any time and especially now!

addendum 2/18/09
It's official now, in the sense I've talked to the chair of the search committee and got his off the record comments. The way it was handled by higher ups was terrible in his mind (and mine). And I know the names of those who mishandled things (confirmed by the retired director).

The chair of the search told me I might be lucky...and that I may not be as suited for this particular administrative position as I would be for the faculty position I was recruited to apply for. Still waiting on word about that, whether I'll get an interview or not. More still yet to come.

Nine and a half weeks

2009-02-08T16:54:00.000-08:00

OK, so I got a terse email from the chair of the selection committee that a decision should be forthcoming this week. I certainly hope so. It's been way too long a wait for something as important as this. Supposedly I'll also hear something about the second recruitment, although I suspect that since the principal on the second is also on the hiring board of the first, there may be some sort of timing issue.

I'm getting things done and lab work is progressing normally, but it is hard to have your head in two (or three) places at once, compounded with the uncertainty. But, as I've been told, "hang in there."

a challenge

2009-01-20T16:59:00.001-08:00

President Obama's inauguration speech was less about hope and more about the challenges we face as a country. And yet, even though there was an acknowledgement of the challenges, it was really more of a challenge to all of us. We the American people are the solution.

It was more We than I. It was sobering yet uplifting.

America has her rallying point. Will we listen? Will we individually act?

The Inauguration is almost here

2009-01-19T16:25:00.001-08:00

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's inauguration of President Obama. Truly an historic day in our country.

The challenges to his administration and our country are tremendous. The economy is teetering between bad recession and depression. Jobless rates are approaching 10%. We have record deficits. Our often failed foreign policies, our influence on the rest of the world, our very moral authority, are questioned and our acts as a country have been questionable.

Obama and his team have impressed the majority of the American population with their intelligence, preparation, and planning. They will be hitting the ground running. He's picked a tremendous cabinet. The expectations are high, and things really may get worse before getting better. But for a change we have a President who is not only giving hope, but also challenging all of us to be part of the solution. Public service is being openly encouraged at the highest levels.

I can't wait until tomorrow.

6 weeks and counting!

2009-01-19T15:35:00.001-08:00

Talk about expectations not living up to reality. There has not been an official decision concerning the selection for the Director's position I interviewed for. As I wrote below it was thought that a decision would be made the following week. At the end of that week, I got word (officially) it was in the hands of the Area Director and he was delaying a decision for a few days, then it was "we're not sure what's going on", then first week of January it was "the Area Director and his Deputy are in SC and a decision will be made, so hang in there."

When nothing happened that week, I called (a week ago) the retired Director and I got hints (without direct that the original selection was not me, and that the Area Director did not accept the board's choice. I also got some other insight into the politics of it all, including some issues with board decision making, and budget. He suggested I call another person, director of a 'sister' center and a member of the hiring board, so I did. Off the record he gave me similar information, confirming the first choice was not me. He was also good enough to give me a little feedback as to why, and as I suspected, the issue against me was my lack of experience in the areas of management, facilities, and strategic planning. My science was a home-run and evidently there were comments of "brilliant" although I've never felt that about myself (I work hard but I'm not brilliant). But again, what's not clear is what's going to happen next. Either it's been thrown back to the selection committee for reconsideration or they'll open up the job again. If the former they have until the first week of February to decide or else the job certificate (some kind of government HR thing) expires.

Now interestingly, a week after my interview I was contacted by a member of the hiring board who's faculty with the Medical University of South Carolina and also represents his university on the Laboratory Science Board. He strongly encouraged me to apply for the Endowed Chair in Marine Genomics, a new faculty position where the incumbent will fill new lab space at the same NOAA Laboratory. This would be a full professor position (tenured) with not only research responsibilities but also to drive collaborations and coordination with members of the South Carolina Genomics program, made up of researchers at MUSC, Clemson, USC, and Charleston College. After a phone conversation with him (I needed to make sure he was talking about me!), I decided to apply. As yet, I haven't heard anything back from them beyond confirmation they got my application, although he 'promised' an interview in February. It could be that they're waiting to decide on the Director's position as well.

In any event, the wait is a killer mentally and emotionally, a real roller coaster. I find myself only half at work sometimes because I think about it so much. It's also really hard to decide whether or not we would make such a move for either job without knowing that there's an offer. I think my wife has decided we could make the move if I was to be offered the Director's job, but again that's not the same as really making the decision. She's less thrilled about me considering a faculty position because of the all -consuming nature of starting out. Our kids were great about the possibility when we discussed it with them. Our parents are concerned but supportive. A few friends know and they're all great and supportive as well.

Could this be it?

2008-12-07T18:39:00.001-08:00

This was one of those interesting weeks. Just before Thanksgiving, I was offered an interview for the Director position of a NOAA lab in South Carolina. I'm not going to go into specifics, but if it's offered (and there's three candidates that have been interviewed), my wife and I have a major decision to make. Much like the job I interviewed for earlier in the year, it represents quite a change in our living situation, the impacts on family and kids, and so on.

On the other hand, it represents an opportunity to become part of one of the best laboratory facilities within NOAA with state of the art research and scientific expertise in ecology, health, genomics, bioinformatics, and environmental chemistry. It's a way better fit than the previous job I applied for, and would be a real career advancement, with quite a large set of new esponsibilities. While largely administrative, I think I made it clear during the interviews and my seminar that I still am in the position of maintaining a science presence with a lab and post docs/grad students. Evidently I impressed, and I do feel it was one of the best seminars I've ever given. I know that members of the laboratory science board expressed the same sentiments, and so did members of the executive board including the chair of the board and Director of the adjacent lab that's in the same set of national labs within this part of NOAA.

I'm on the flight home now.....my wife and I will have a lot to discuss over the weekend. Supposedly the decision could come (unofficially) as soon as Monday. Oh, boy....

historic day

2008-11-04T22:37:00.000-08:00

It really is an historic day. The people of the United States of America have not only elected the first President of color, but also seems to have finally rejected the politics of ideology. Of course this is not universal. I hope that President Obama will prove to those who fear this result that they need not. We all need to work together to tackle the many challenges we face.

Let's get the election over with

2008-10-30T23:32:00.001-07:00

Last night I was on the phone with my mom and told her I was going to be watching the Obama infomercial. Following is an email she sent me along with my response. I love my mother dearly but could no longer remain silent when she and other family members seem to so easily buy into the false, out of context allegations against someone who I hope in the next 5 days is the next President-elect of the United States. Anyway, it was a chance to write a short essay about my feelings.

On Oct 30, 2008, at 9:40 AM, "Mom" wrote:

RIGHT OBAMA AND HIS ADVISORS----- THE REVERAND AND I USE THT TERM LOOSELY-------JEREMIAH WRIGHT! AND OTHERS!!!!!! AREN'T YOU JUST A LITTLE CONCERNED?

On Oct 30, 2008, at 10:30 AM, Mark wrote:

Hi Mom,

I debated whether to send this, but your message kind of set me off. Just a few thoughts.

I'm not concerned at all. We all have nutty associates in our past, and it doesn't define us. Wright lost a screw along the way but wasn't always like that. Sure throwing Wright under the bus as soon as some of this stuff surfaced would have been the right thing to do politically, but personally I also think it would be hard to immediately disown your pastor.

Listen, I respected McCain back in 2000, and he certainly would have been a better President than what we got. But his campaign this time around has been nothing but lies, deceit, and devoid of any new ideas on how to run the country. His judgement has become questionable (Palin, etc) and his knee jerk and impulsive reactions to almost any new situation and challenge is more than a little worrisome. Back in 2000, the Bush campaign destroyed McCain with some pretty underhanded tactics, tactics using lies, smears and innuendo that he absolutely abhorred.

At the time, McCain essentially said that he would never run such a campaign--he was too honorable to get down in the mud like that. However, for this campaign he ends up hiring the same people and running the same kind of campaign. Where's the honor and honesty in that? And take the week of the initial financial meltdown. McCain "suspends" his campaign to make a big show that he was going to Washington to "handle" the situation. It was such a bogus, grandstanding stunt, and it backfired (even Republicans said he did nothing substantive to help the situation). Besides I want my President who thinks be able to handle more than one crisis at a time--it's called multitasking and that's what they have to do, everyday. And what do I want in a President? I want to be inspired, I want new ideas. Truly, what does McCain offer? The only thing we hear is innuendo about past acquaintances, phrases taken out of context, but nothing substantive about how we get out of the economic and foreign policy holes we're in.

And one last thing regarding Palin--I want our elected officials in such high offices TO BE SMARTER THAN ME. Not some nitwit who can't string two complete, grammatically correct sentences together without having them written out for her or memorized. But what really frosts me is her definition of real America and real patriotic Americans--it'sso narrowly defined and not inclusive of all Americans who love this country, regardless of race, religious and personal choice beliefs, or political affiliation. Her speeches are full of buzzwords that basically say Obama is unAmerican because (a) he's black and (b) has Muslim friends. I have Jewish, Arab, Hindi, gay, pro-choice friends....does that make me less of an American?

Love, Mark

Springsteen: "I want my country back"

2008-10-06T10:34:00.001-07:00

Why he's the Boss

"'Hello Philly,

'I am glad to be here today for this voter registration drive and for Barack Obama, the next President of the United States.

'I've spent 35 years writing about America, its people, and the meaning of the American Promise. The Promise that was handed down to us, right here in this city from our founding fathers, with one instruction: Do your best to make these things real. Opportunity, equality, social and economic justice, a fair shake for all of our citizens, the American idea, as a positive influence, around the world for a more just and peaceful existence. These are the things that give our lives hope, shape, and meaning. They are the ties that bind us together and give us faith in our contract with one another.

'I've spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between that American promise and American reality. For many Americans, who are today losing their jobs, their homes, seeing their retirement funds disappear, who have no healthcare, or who have been abandoned in our inner cities. The distance between that promise and that reality has never been greater or more painful.

'I believe Senator Obama has taken the measure of that distance in his own life and in his work. I believe he understands, in his heart, the cost of that distance, in blood and suffering, in the lives of everyday Americans. I believe as president, he would work to restore that promise to so many of our fellow citizens who have justifiably lost faith in its meaning. After the disastrous administration of the past 8 years, we need someone to lead us in an American reclamation project. In my job, I travel the world, and occasionally play big stadiums, just like Senator Obama. I've continued to find, wherever I go, America remains a repository of people's hopes, possibilities, and desires, and that despite the terrible erosion to our standing around the world, accomplished by our recent administration, we remain, for many, a house of dreams. One thousand George Bushes and one thousand Dick Cheneys will never be able to tear that house down.

'They will, however, be leaving office, dropping the national tragedies of Katrina, Iraq, and our financial crisis in our laps. Our sacred house of dreams has been abused, looted, and left in a terrible state of disrepair. It needs care; it needs saving, it needs defending against those who would sell it down the river for power or a quick buck. It needs strong arms, hearts, and minds. It needs someone with Senator Obama's understanding, temperateness, deliberativeness, maturity, compassion, toughness, and faith, to help us rebuild our house once again. But most importantly, it needs us. You and me. To build that house with the generosity that is at the heart of the American spirit. A house that is truer and big enough to contain the hopes and dreams of all of our fellow citizens. That is where our future lies. We will rise or fall as a people by our ability to accomplish this task. Now I don't know about you, but I want that dream back, I want my America back, I want my country back.

'So now is the time to stand with Barack Obama and Joe Biden, roll up our sleeves, and come on up for the rising.' "

(Via Joan Walsh in Salon.com.)

Definition of Community Organizer

2008-09-09T23:32:00.001-07:00

I swear the Republican Party is on crack and wants to win at any cost. They are sleazy, lying scum bags. I don't think I've ever felt so pissed of during a presidential campaign. One of the points they keep trying to make is when discussing executive experience for governing, Palin and McCain have it, while Obama has only been a "community organizer" (wink wink). The constant reference to it, first by Mr. 9/11 Rudy Giuliani, and then repeated often by Palin, is deeply offensive in so many ways. Joe Klein on Time's Swampland blog laid out just what Obama did as a community organizer:

What a Community Organizer Does:

This morning, I received a press release from a group called Catholic Democrats about the work--the mission, the witness--that Obama performed after he got out of college. Here's the first paragraph:
Catholic Democrats is expressing surprise and shock that Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's acceptance speech tonight mocked her opponent's work in the 1980s for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. She belittled Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's experience as a community organizer in Catholic parishes on the South Side of Chicago, work he undertook instead of pursuing a lucrative career on Wall Street. In her acceptance speech, Ms. Palin said, 'I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.' Community organizing is at the heart of Catholic Social Teaching to end poverty and promote social justice.

So here is what Giuliani and Palin didn't know: Obama was working for a group of churches that were concerned about their parishioners, many of whom had been laid off when the steel mills closed on the south side of Chicago. They hired Obama to help those stunned people recover and get the services they needed--job training, help with housing and so forth--from the local government. It was, dare I say it, the Lord's work--the sort of mission Jesus preached (as opposed to the war in Iraq, which Palin described as a 'task from God.')

(Via TIME: Swampland.)

Sounds like a faith-based initiative to me. What also upsets me about this is that our son has been developing a very high sense of social justice, and I can see him doing something like this as he moves through college, or even after. He's even talking about joining the Peace Corps. You just have to hope that vomit like this doesn't end up turning the young idealistic people of today away from public service.

I hope people wake up in time to call bullshit on the whole lot of them.

Almost empty nest

2008-09-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

We moved our son to his college dorm last week. He started classes today. Strange feeling for both of us. Even though our daughter is home, it really does feel like the end of a major chapter in our lives, and the start of another. Certainly not lacking for things to do though, with work, several home projects to do and complete on the house, the band, and so on.

Maybe even start to write more. I certainly could use some discipline here.

graduation weekend

2008-05-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

The long graduation weekend is over. It had its ups and downs, expectations met and not met, joy and disappointment.

Obviously it should have been all positive, yet maybe that's impossible with young adults and their parents, and the parents with their parents.

Maybe that's enough said.

another life passage

2008-05-01T23:18:00.000-07:00

i can't believe my baby girl is graduating from college this weekend. Where did the time go? It's all the usual cliches. But with things like this, time really does seem to go far too fast.

We head out in the morning for Spokane, then down to Pullman (WSU) for the big day on Saturday.

I'm not going anywhere...

2008-04-17T23:36:00.000-07:00

...at least not now. Early last week the oh so very formal "form" arrived in the mail. Just a standard HR form with several lines that could be checked, depending on the purpose of the communication. The line "you were found to be qualified for the position but another candidate has been selected" was checked. No phone call, no feedback. I suppose I could call or email. However, my supervisor (who knew I was interviewing and knows many of the principles) is attending a meeting this week where many of them will be. Maybe I'll hear something through him. Oh, and yeah, it did go to the inside candidate. But he is well qualified.

Would I have gone? Even though I knew it was a long shot, I pretty much had decided that I would probably have taken the plunge. My wife was willing. Time to get my mind back on things here.

Now, we really have to focus on our kids graduating and getting my son to pick a school. One he likes has a soccer program he could probably contribute to, and the coach likes him. It's a very conservative evangelical Christian school a couple of hundred miles away. We have no problem with 99% of the school curriculum and mission. However, one major tenet is the believe that sexual immorality includes homosexuality, and that is a belief that we do not accept. Both my wife and I have had gay friends who are very moral, it's not even a view I've ever considered to be acceptable. So while it's an easy decision for my wife and I, It's a bit tough on my son because he really wants to go there. I wish we had completely read the mission statement before he applied.

Interview complete

2008-03-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the day. A very long day in fact. As outlined in the last post, I spent the day giving a seminar, meeting with the selection panel, meeting with the lab scientists and general staff, and a final meeting with the selection committee. The process ends tomorrow with a tour and the long flight home.

Do I want this if offered? It would a tremendous change of life and lifestyle. So many things to think about. It would be very challenging job.

interviewing

2008-03-04T21:11:00.001-08:00

I've been away from home for a week and a half, three full days to go before returning. The first week was a vacation with my wife--it was a celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary. I'm still on the east coast, attending a conference at which I gave a talk yesterday. Getting a little tired of hotel rooms, and I look forward to getting back home and sleeping in my own bed.

So, I am getting a job interview with the research center in West Virginia (see "options"). it's in two weeks and from all the information sent me, it will be pretty intense. There are three candidates. Besides the the seminar, there is a 3 hour session with an interview panel, tours, meetings with lab heads and staff, and a final meeting with the agency area head. My boss knows, out of fairness I told him. It's a weird feeling. It is so far away and it would mean starting over research-wise. huge life change for my family. It may be very tough on my son, but he will be starting college next year. Really tough on both our moms.

But all this is getting ahead of myself. The other two candidates are very, very qualified, and actually more so because of their closer experience with fresh water aquaculture. It will be a good experience. Nervewracking, but positive.

the end of my third browser

2008-02-22T22:57:00.001-08:00

As quoted from Slashdot, it's the end of the line for Netscape.

Netscape Finally Put Down: "Stony Stevenson writes to point out that Netscape has finally reached end of line with the release of version 9.0.0.6. A pop-up will offer users the choice of switching to Firefox, Flock, or remaining with the dead browser, but no new updates will be released. 'Nearly 14 years after the once mighty browser made its first desktop appearance as Mosaic Netscape 0.9, its disappearance comes as little surprise. Although Netscape accounted for more than 80 per cent of the browser market in 1995, the arrival of Microsoft's Internet Explorer in the same year brought stiff competition and surpassed Netscape within three years.'
Read more of this story at Slashdot.

I used Mosaic and Lynx (text only) before Netscape, but then it came along as the first, I believe, "commercial" browser. it was the best for awhile. But later versions sucked on Macs, and even IE was a better choice for the longest time. After the transition to Mac OS X, I used early versions of Omniweb before settling on Safari (with occasional dalliances with Firefox). The sale to AOL killed innovation in the browser....I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.