Už jsme tu kde jsme byli

--as they say, where I did my Fulbright (or "back to square one" as we say in these parts).

I find myself once again delving into the realm of computer programming. This week has begun with a return to where I was in the summer, before I (foolhardily, as it turned out) sought the support of experienced programmers to aid me on my journey to setting up my proofs-of-concept. Foolhardy, because it wasted a great deal of my energy and time, and netted me nothing but frustration. Truth is, I have no desire to become a programmer first and foremost. That said, I need to know enough to direct the efforts of those whom I expect eventually to hire. Nothing better for that than getting my feet wet.

If I were able to find a kindred soul, someone passionately interested in what I'm trying to accomplish, not terribly entrenched in the status quo of the field, eager to try something new, and who just happened to have a complementary set of skills to mine, well... I'd be in heaven. For now, I'll have to stick with planet earth, which means if you want it done (whether right I can't yet say) you've got to do it yourself.

In some ways, this is familiar territory for me. I've described myself (academically) as multidisciplinary to my core. The bane of the interdisciplinary is that one needs (all too) often gain at least a modicum of expertise in multiple areas. One needs to be conversant in multiple dialects and methodologies to be able to find the linkages between otherwise disparate fields of inquiry, linkages that have been overlooked or yet undiscovered. The trick (and it's no small matter) is to maintain a focus on the core of your inquiry so you don't bogged down too easily in great breadth with no depth. Properly done, I think it's like meandering through a woods, rather than sticking to a given path. I wrote a fable of interdiscipline on my old blog a while back that fills out this view.

There is always a balance to be struck. There are great rewards in being self-reliant in this way. But there are also more chances to stumble. Finding the balance, learning enough to carry on the conversation, enough to know when, where, and how to delegate is key. What I'm programming now is simply the tools to prove my ideas work. Once I can drum up interest in what those ideas can accomplish, I can safely hire programmers to make those tools better, and more broadly usable. For now, I'll settle on clunky, as long as I can maneuver it.

I did find a project (by a group of astro-physicists) that may be of great help. They've put together a template library for scientific computing in C++ that can be found here.

Wish me luck.

When dead horses ride

I feel at times like I'm stuck in an episode of Seinfeld, where dropping hints seem to have the opposite effect. On November 19, I wrote to a couple guys I had met with back in September in response to their contact of November 18 to say:

My interest at this point is simply to hire a programmer on a contract ("work for hire") basis to assist me in the coding of some proof-of-concept tools, translating my algorithms into executables. As I've said, if all goes well, I'll have much more need for programming in the future.

I fear we're at an impasse. The agreement you sent countermands the entirety of the non-disclosure agreement ("This Agreement and any documents referred to in this Agreement contain the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all previous agreements and understandings between the Parties with respect hereto.")

I'm no lawyer, and I don't have the staff to negotiate fine points of contract. The relationship I seek is simply translating my algorithms into executable code. The non-disclosure agreement protects my interests. I have indicated what I'm willing to offer in terms of compensation (and bonus) for your part.

The only sort of service agreement I'd be interested in signing at this point would merely specify those payment terms, and outline the programming work to be done. I'd even be willing to run it by a lawyer to make sure the interests of both parties to the agreement are satisfied. If this is not of interest to you, let me know if there is anyone you recommend who might be interested. You seem to be quite busy with your ongoing projects. I wish you both the best of success.

We spoke that afternoon, and they assured me of their interest in working for me, and promised to prepare a new work agreement by the end of the month. Of course, it was at their insistence that I allowed them to prepare a work agreement in the first place. I had never sought to hire a consultancy. I merely contacted an individual programmer who had done work for a colleague and who was recommended by him for his programming skills. He suggested including his friend, and I agreed to fly the 300 miles to meet with both of them a couple months ago.

About six weeks passed, during which I had heard barely a word from them. I had written them with the specifics of my proposal for hiring them, how much I would pay (including hefty bonuses based on the success of my business over time), and what I would expect from them. Their reply was apologetic. I intoned, in part:

I well know the issues involved in running your own business, since I've been doing it with various ventures since at least 1990. You've got to keep clear lines of communication open with your clients, focus as much as you can on the work of the business rather than its logistics (they will mercilessly suck up your time and energy).

I thought the point (boldface here) was not too subtle. I guessed wrong.

A few days ago, they forwarded me a completely different work agreement, which wasn't quite so badly worded, but which raised many red flags for me. First off, hadn't I written The only sort of service agreement I'd be interested in signing at this point would merely specify those payment terms, and outline the programming work to be done? Well, yes. But they sent me instead a six page document! Aargh!

Hence, my reply of yesterday finally cutting them loose. That as well, apparently, was not enough. I received two more emails from one of them, the one whom I had originally contacted. He first attempted to allay my concerns over the wording about partial credit that I had objected to, and asking just what a I meant by works made for hire. (Um... you ever heard of web search engines? a library? a lawyer? Do your own homework!) Nonethess, I sent him a terse email:

See: http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ09.pdf.

He responded (yet again) with commentary and quotations challenging the relevance of the cited document on copyright law for the work they would be doing (although the document describes "A software program created within the scope of his or her duties" as an example of work that falls under this category).

Frustrating. What I so much want to write back is:

1. I hear you're a great programmer. Let me know what you charge for legal advice, too.
   
2. I already have good legal counsel, thank you.
3. I'm much better at research than at law. I try to focus on what I'm best at. Something to think about, eh?
4. Oh, gee, thanks for the harassment clarification. I mean, now that I know you're quite adept at arguing obscure points of law, I can be assured you'd be the first to make a claim in court, should my business take off. Gosh, that's the first thing I want to do, hire someone who (what was it you were going to do for me? I mean it's been two months and I haven't seen or discussed any coding) is more interested in forging legal arguments than actually accomplishing any work.

Instead, I write it here, so I can keep silence with them, and let the dead horse lie.

First step, prepare my final three lectures, write and administer final exams, grade exams and papers, submit grades. Next step, get back to clarifying my algorithms. Then, learn C#, and do the programming myself. That'll save us an additional several thousand dollars over the next few months.

Meantime, I try not to wait too anxiously for a call from Miwla College. One way or another, we're ready for our move.

Cutting them loose

Hi Q & A,

I've now had a chance to review the documents you sent over. One point of your proposal stuck out to me:

Client understands that as implementer [Firm] shall receive partial credit for any and all concepts, ideas, theories, insights, discoveries, innovations, and inventions pertaining to the work products specified in this agreement that result in a patent during or after the execution of this agreement.

On this point, I recommend you get yourselves a copy of Nolo's Patents for Beginners, (ISBN 1-4133-0455-9), which may be useful to you moving forward. In particular, p. 140 states: "if one person came up with the concept of the invention, while the other merely built and tested it--the second person is not a co-inventor."

As I wrote previously my interest up to this point has simply been a work-for-hire arrangement with a programmer, to assist me in translating my algorithms into executable code. I am sorry that such a relationship is not in keeping with your plans for [Firm]. Under the circumstances, it appears in my best interest to complete and file the patent applications that I have in process prior to hiring any programming assistance. While I had hoped to prepare the proofs-of-concept in advance of filing, these are not essential to the patents themselves, though potentially beneficial down the road in seeking clients and investors.

I wish you both well, as you move forward with your business and your dreams. I trust that you will abide by the confidentiality agreement that we have all signed, keeping the details of our interactions, and any and all documents provided by me, in confidence. If I have need for your services in the future, I will be sure to contact you.

Best regards,

Articulate

Hibernation

I feel a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I've got myself a nasty cold since yesterday. I actually ended up canceling my afternoon lecture yesterday because I was feeling miserable, and thought resting up for my telephone interview was a higher priority. I might likely have put off the class in any case, the way I was feeling. I'm glad I took the rest though. Despite not feeling quite 100%, I did alright.

I think I remain a rather strong candidate for the post. I had one more question when they wrapped up because of time constraints (the interview was scheduled to last 20 minutes). So, I emailed the chair of the committee. This morning, he sent back a clear and thoughtful response to my inquiry (and cc'd the entire committee). I think that's a good sign that they're still taking me seriously. We'll know soon enough. I would very much like to be offered this opportunity. And I'm rather disinclined to apply for any other positions.

That leads us closer to our (well, not decision point) but our point of movement. Decisions have already been made; we're simply waiting on the few factors that are out of our hands at the moment, before we finalize details. Rocket has now given notice to her supervisor that she'll be taking off before the holidays. That gives her less than three weeks before her hypotheticals become realities.

I'll know in the next couple weeks if I'm out of the running for the post at Miwla College, but perhaps more likely, I'll simply find that I'm still under consideration, and things will remain up in the air a bit until February or March. Meantime, what do I do with my research firm? Ah yes... that's still on my mind.

Tonight I was scheduled to have a conference call with the two programmers I've been meaning to hire. Things got far more complicated in the weeks following our initial meeting. As I wrote before, they finally sent me a rather terse document, which I found unacceptable as a work agreement. We spoke a couple weeks ago, and agreed to revisit the issues today. This morning, I received an email from them with a new draft agreement and some feedback and questions on my original specifications document.

There were certainly some improvements in this work agreement, especially in terms of clarity. But I'm a bit leery of a few items, in particular regarding sharing "partial credit" for potential patents. I'd like to run the document by an attorney. More importantly, I really need some more time (and energy) to review it, which currently I'm too wiped out for.

So, I sent off an email postponing the conference call, suggesting that I'll plan to call them in the next couple weeks. Partly, I'm feeling inclined to revert to my plan to simply do the initial programming myself, despite the fact that it looks fruitful for me to abandon my initial forays in C++, and take up learning C#. Of course, with Rocket off of work, and our planned move to parts remote in the coming months (regardless of the outcome at Miwla College, I might possibly have some company learning and programming.

I guess what I realize is that while their assistance would be helpful, their experience would likely save me a great deal of time and trouble, and I'd likely have a workable toolset sooner, I'm not convinced that it is absolutely essential, certainly not enough for me to hand over any credit ("partial" or otherwise) for their implementation of my algorithms. Their new document specifically states that they: as implementer shall receive partial credit for any and all [blahdiblah] pertaining to the work of this agreement that results in a patent both during and after the execution of this agreement.

While, the statement is rather vague (I mean, I could grant them .005% of my company's future profits, which would be "partial credit"), I'm just not sure that their work at this point would warrant it. And, I'm not sure what the legal ramifications would be for my agreeing to it (hence the need to consult with an attorney).

In any case, I'm feeling quite a desire to hibernate from the world for a few weeks. Unfortunately, I've yet another few weeks of obligations (grading, teaching) to Lemon. But, I plan to get my rest as I can, recovering from this nasty bug I've caught, and putting off these programmers until I'm up to dealing with the issues properly. If it means I'm back on my own, then so be it. One thing I've learned this term is that working 25-30 hours a week on teaching, plus a 9-12 hour commute, is incompatible with me building a research firm.

When I started the term at Lemon, I thought I'd have about 1.5-2 days per week for my research. Once grading kicked in, that was impossible (at least without sacrificing my home life). Important to keep that in mind. If Miwla comes through, I would hope that the significantly smaller class size, the full-time office, and a negligible commute would facilitate both teaching and research. And if it doesn't come through, I've got all the time I want (limited only by the reach of our savings). For now, I can only hope.

It'll be nice to have Rocket around more, once she takes off on leave. And it'll be nice to be free of the long (pollution-filled) commutes to Lemon. Soon enough, soon enough.

Who knows... maybe I'll get a pleasant call from Miwla in the next week.

Getting my head back on

I sit here, trying to get back into thinking about my research. It's been nearly a month since my meeting with the programmers. I think we're going to hammer out an agreement, but they've been somewhat dragging their feet. They'd like to set themselves up as independent contractor/consultants, and are trying to put together an agreement according to their plans. I talked with one of them last weekend, about where things stand, and such. He seemed eager to say that he was sure we'd be able to work out an arrangement that made us both happy. But this is all new to them (trying to build a business of their own), thus the delays.

But, truth be told, I've been bogged down these past couple weeks with grading, and being sick, and applying for jobs (in particular this interdisciplinary post which I'm excited about). It's proving tough for me to slip back into the research, especially since the immediate task for me is figuring out the hardest part of the algorithm for the toolset I need to develop. It's really the crucial element that will allow me to accomplish much of what I'm planning the proofs-of-concept to prove. It's just not been done before. And while I have a handle on the outline of how to do it, working out all the specifics, the order of steps and such, and being sure that I've got it right, takes all my energy, something which hasn't been available for use.

I feel myself still holding on to my desire to struggle, to fight injustice, to standard-bear for the cause of education in this country, push to have it on the political agenda. I'm torn between my desire to fight the good fight, and my desire just to be the best I can at what I do well. There is a logical part of me that thinks it's better to be successful now, and trust myself that I will do good in society with my success, than to expend my energies feeling indignant and self-righteous (at the risk of never accomplishing that success which might lend more import to my opinions and actions). Protest is easy. Change is hard.

It's a difficult choice for me, to let go of that. I've never been the quiet tinkerer behind-the scenes. I've always been out front, on the stage, never the set crew or on the lights. Stars come and go, but the crew often remains, making show after show a success.

I believe in my research. I believe in its worth, not only commercial, but its value for society. I also believe in myself, that should I be allowed financial success, I would do well with it.

The flames have died down outside; let my heart catch fire again!

Small Breakthrough

On Monday, I came into my office to get a little work done. Rocket had the day off for Labor Day, and we had spent Sunday with the boys and D back in Paradise, where we rented a sailboat, and took in the city's charms. It had been over 100F for about a week, nearly 110F on Saturday, enough for us to escape. Air conditioning in that context doesn't work well. We've only got a small window unit in one room in the house. Because of wiring problems, the circuit will trip if we dare to run the microwave or coffee maker (or just about anything else) while the A/C is running.

My office A/C wasn't much better, but I think it kept the space below 90F. In any case, I finally got my latest program to work (well, sort of -- for every set of data points, in most cases about 300-400, it drops the last one, but at least it's a very close approximation). So, I can get down to the nitty gritty of proofs-of-concept.

I'm still teaching of course, and there've been some annoying snafus on campus, as I mentioned on Friday. Many students still don't have their books. But in comparison to what the Little Rock 9 suffered, these insults are quite tame. So, I'm keeping a good spirit about it all, and counseling my students likewise.

The commute is somewhat as I expected, and since I had realistic expectations, it hasn't truly annoyed me yet (other than the guilt of contributing to congestion and pollution more than I'd like). This still leaves me with 2.5-3 days per week to keep up my research, working on my patents, building my business.

More and more academic job postings trickle into my inbox. I've yet to get enthused about the job season. I haven't applied for any jobs yet this season. I think I will, but I'm not pinning my hopes on that anymore. I'm more interested in prospects that correspond to a place we might like to live (which, yes, is still an open question). If I see a posting that screams my name, well sure I'll jump at it. But I'm not holding my breath.

My research at the moment has little to do with my ostensive subfield, the area in which my degree seems to best qualify me to teach in. So what do I do? Should I apply for academic jobs without mentioning what's really driving me these days, the research on which I am pinning my hopes? Or do I note this in my cover letter, realizing that most committees will scratch their heads wondering why, say, a cook would be applying for a job in gardening. The connection is clear to me. But then, do I really want an academic job anymore?

I'm teaching two classes now adjunct (about 80 students total). My best guess is that's about 2/3 time compared with the time I'd put in to being a full-time tenure-track faculty member. Meaning, of course, that if I took a faculty gig, I'd likely still have 1.5-2 days/week to work on my research and business, plus the summers. Likely more in fact, if one accounts for my current 6-9 hours of commuting per week. Ideally I'd live much closer to campus. Who knows?
____________
And ... tomorrow, the Painter starts kindergarten. Life... is quite full, and really exciting. Grant that we have the strength and courage to make it through the next few months, to find our path, to locate our new home.

One week down

It has been intolerably hot here. Good thing the air-conditioning in my car works. I've spent more time driving this week than I have in a long time.

The commute to Lemon (about 42 miles or so) ranges between 45 minutes and an hour and a half each way, depending on the time of day, and condition of the highways. This week I made four round-trips. I feel a tinge of guilt at driving the distance alone in my car, knowing that I am contributing to the congestion and the pollution. There are simply no viable public transport options. This is not what I'd like to do long-term, not if it can be helped.

I've spent most of this week attending to the details of teaching again. I've actually kept a reasonably relaxed attitude, expecting all the worst. So, when it's occurred, I haven't been too shocked. My card key still hasn't been programmed to give me access to my office. Well, actually it's someone else's office (my friend Sara Chaisano). From what I've been told, I have free access to it on Tuesdays, until 5:00. I guess I just hang out in the conference room or the library on Wednesdays and Thursdays!

I made a special request on Tuesday that they program the card key to allow access to my Wednesday night classroom at least, so I wouldn't have to teach in the hall, or get accommodation from the campus police to open the door for me. That was taken care of.

Little problem in the bookstore: the text for my evening class was canceled and replace with the text for another class, which was listed in the bookstore as missing. So, my students had another courses texts, and their students didn't have any. And for my Tu/Th class, the bookstore only ordered half as many copies as I have students. [SIGH] Par for the course, I guess. Water on a duck's back.

I've enjoyed being in a class again. Fairly large classes (especially without TA sections): 42 in one and 40 in the other. At the community college where I taught before, the sections were mostly 25-30. I'll have to mentally prepare for grading time!

I've been mostly distracted by all the details of getting settled in to the academic setting again. It is a treat to have put that "faculty" parking sticker on my car, and to have received my campus photo ID with "faculty" emblazoned across the top. These accoutrements seem real, even though other aspects of my status there seem otherwise.

The job season is now upon us in earnest too. I've decisions to make whether and which academic jobs I will apply for. Partly, Rocket and I need to clarify for ourselves what our requirements are. Do we wish to limit ourselves to living within four hours of her folks. (My mom, visiting this week, was describing her recent trip to the Provence region of France, to which Rocket said "Provence sounds nice... maybe we could move there.") So, clarification is in order.

One unresolved issue is whether I wish to build my business as a solitary activity, or whether I might not like an academic position as a home base. It's all very confusing. I like teaching. I love research. I feel at home in an academic setting. Yet, I'm bitter, terribly bitter, and disappointed that my PhD has left me little better off (if at all) than before I returned to school. I've become disillusioned of academia in ways. Put another way, just because someone has spent a lifetime in one town, doesn't mean it's really home.

1) Clarification of our requirements and expectations regarding where and how we will live.
2) Decisions regarding whether and which academic positions might fit with those requirements & expectations.

And, oh yeah, I've got to get back to my coding, and preparing proofs-of-concept. That's the task for today.

Conference: Good!

I'm having a great time at [Applied Research Field Industry Conference]. It's been really one thing after another, confirming that I'm the right track, that the methods I'm developing are not really being done by anyone else, and at least as importantly, that they are of interest to a variety of others. There've been quite a few interesting talks and demos. I've been inspired to define a few more challenges and projects to get working on, in response to some of what's been presented (and from conversations I've had after panel presentations and during the receptions).

There's the possibility of some consulting work with a firm in Russia, the possibility of collaborations with a research lab for a European company based in Massachusetts, and interest in the technology I'm developing for possible integration with the software products of another European firm. I become more and more convinced that what I'm doing will work, that it will work fairly soon, that it will be in demand and useful to a variety of clients. This is all very exciting.

Now I just need to finish that coding to get my first proofs-of-concept presentation ready.

Still coding

Apologies to those of you with little interest in or knowledge of programming:

To clarify a point, I needed to create a multidimensional dynamic array, that took input from several files, rather than the keyboard. I also realized in the past couple days, that it were best if I could also create temporary multidimensional dynamic arrays, based on the data in the first ones, to handle the intermediate transformations that the data needs to undergo.

For some reason however, I'm baffled. My earlier attempts today, to simply handle the transformations on the fly so to speak, writing the data directly to a file, through a complex calculation didn't work. This evening, I spent a bit more time creating the temporary arrays, then running the calculations on intermediate data, which in principle should be simpler. But the program keeps faulting out at a certain point.

It's exciting to be on the verge of so much. Yet it's frustrating to have the hurdles and pitfalls elude me. Sleep. I must sleep. Then maybe I can return to this fresh.

In any case, I'm heading off to New York on Sunday morning for [Applied Research Field Industry Conference]. I don't have to solve everything tonight, or this week. In another week, I return to the classroom again, at least for a time. It will be a good test for me. How will I adjust to being a professor (albeit an adjunct)?

This all will come. It just takes time (and patience).

Improving the tool

I keep working on the programming. I don't want to lose my stride. I'm trying to automate as much of the data processing as I can. I think I'll take a break from it now though, to have a look over what I've yet to do for my course preps.

Not much else to report. I've become a hermit of late, focused. Until I get this first proof of concept done (and ideally a couple related ones), I'm pretty mum on it all. If all goes well, they'll provide me enough fodder for writing up the patent applications, and for pursuing funding. Best would be if they lead directly to some consulting or contract work, delaying the day when I'll need outside funding.

It's all coming along nicely.

World-Class Shovel

A few minor disturbances today. My wife called to ask if I could take the Painter to the doctor's office to get his TB test for kindergarten. It's required, which we've known for a while, but because of insurance and doctor hassles we'd been putting it off. Problem is, he starts school in two weeks, I'm out of town next week, and they need the paperwork ASAP. So... I had to take him to a new doctor's office, with the requisite 98 forms to be filled out. It took about two hours to get a 30-second TB test injection. Aaargh!

I've decided another thing. When I enter a doctor's office (or any waiting room) with a loud obnoxious television on, I'll go directly to it, ask with the tone of a judgmental professor whether anyone is watching (I'll forego this if someone obviously is engrossed), then switch it off. It felt so good to turn that thing off!

In any case, it was unexpected time away. I'm trying to get real comfortable with my shovel before I head to [Applied Research Field Industry Conference]. And I'm hoping to leave myself at least one full day before I leave to finalize my initial class preps.

I did some more tweaking of the C++ code, enabling me to process the data more efficiently. I needed to create a multidimensional dynamic array, if you know what I'm talking about. Yesterday's effort succeeded in setting up a dynamic array for my data, then reprocessing it according to my requirements. But I really needed to add the multidimensionality, which will save me a great deal of work. The data I'm dealing with quickly numbers in the hundreds of thousands of data points, so saving time is essential! I'm still mostly clueless when it comes to programming, but drib by drab I'm starting to get it.

Now, about digging those holes...

Big Breakthrough

And wouldn't you know it?... There's no big celebration, no fireworks. Only the immediate realization that only now can the hard work begin.

About 180 lines of code in C++, and I finally cracked a problem that's been daunting me for weeks. I've been trying to figure out a way to compare different sorts of data one to the other, on an even keel. Finally, I've written the tool that will allow that.

It's as if I have 5976 holes to dig, and I've only just now invented the shovel. I guess it's time to get digging.

I've been mentioning this proof of concept that I'm working on. At this stage, I'm ready to start piecing things together. Whether or not I'll be able to pull that off in time for [Applied Research Field Industry Conference] next week (and get my course preps done) is yet to be seen.

But, I'm much more confident that it all can be done in a reasonable time than before I solved this problem.

Maybe it's time to head home and play with the boys. I can work on this more tonight and tomorrow.

Plus this, plus that

What have I been up to?

Mostly... C++. I've worked my way through about 350 pages of the text, finally at the point where I'll get back to some coding. I realize at this point that what I'm trying to do, while in some ways quite simple, really isn't. In a way, that's really good. Because, if it were really quite simple, I'd have a lower confidence level that it's truly new. Because it's so involved, I have greater confidence that it's not likely been done before. Which, to an entrepreneur, is quite a pleasant thing to imagine.

I've not done much work on my course prep this past week. I received my contract last week, which I immediately signed and returned. It arrived about a month later than they had given me to expect it. Point 2 of the contract read, with a sprinkling of bold face, and all caps, that employment for all new part-time faculty is contingent upon attendance at their orientation session. You'd think they could have given new faculty more than two and half weeks' notice, eh?

Fair enough, normally I could attend a meeting with two weeks' notice... except, it happens to be scheduled at a time when I'll be in New York attending [Applied Research Field Industry Conference]. I've sent quite a few emails to various parties trying to ascertain how to proceed. The word I get is that they require it to ensure attendance, but every year there are some people who can't make it. Problem is, I've signed a contract, which by their composition contains a screaming section explaining that my employment is contingent upon fulfilling a requirement that I simply can't fulfill (rather, I'm not willing to cancel my flight and miss the conference).

In terminology I'm familiar with "contingent upon" means that I will not be employed if that requirement is not satisfied. Yes, I understand (from their mollifying remarks) that it's hyperbole, yet it's legal hyperbole, that protects them, not me. Real problem is I can't get anyone in my department or college to respond to my emails requesting an alternate orientation session (which is what I was asked to do by the chancellor's office). My emails have actually been courteous (I'm bitching here to get it off my chest.)

So, do I leave them hanging? Probably not, but this is really annoying, and a bad start to my return to the classroom. We'll see.

Today, then, is reworking my algorithm to more closely fit the way C++ works (at least as much as I know and understand), and beginning to code the initial test program for the proof of concept. Next week, I suppose, I get back to course prep in earnest (unless of course I'm not to be employed). Frankly, the $7700 (for two classes--they only gave me a contract for a single term, though I had been asked to teach the courses for two) couldn't hurt us (especially in today's market), but we won't go hungry without it. I've tried hard not to feel insulted by the payscale, considering I spent six years getting a PhD (after the Master's) in order to qualify for such low pay (and this, AFTER a 7% pay raise!) Granted, it's twice what I was making for teaching at a community college in Colorado 7-8 years ago. But that's little consolation.

Enough. This simply reminds me why I'm heading off into my own work. In that, lies satisfaction, and at least the potential for reasonable compensation.

Plus what?

C++. You know, the programming is not really all that hard. And while creating an algorithm in plain English can be rather involved, it isn't all that hard either. But getting the darn compiler to work... well, that has proven difficult. It's funny, you'd think they'd have some documentation that'd make it easy enough for someone to just get started. I spent over an hour this morning going around in circles simply trying to figure out how to compile and run a simple test program, without first having to figure out about forms and objects and projects... Sheesh!

I finally figured out a way to do so using the command prompt. But I've yet to figure it out within the Borland C++ Builder GUI. Ah well. The command prompt should serve for now.

I believe I shaved three years off my life this morning by the stress of it.

So I've decided that I need to become a programmer, at least initially. I called around to try and find someone I could hire to write me some code, and hopefully tutor me a bit. But I'm tired of waiting. Today's fortune cookie:

You think too much.
Today means action.
Carry out your plan.

And so, that is what I'm trying to do. I've got a conference coming up in New York at the end of this month. It's the big Industry Conference for Applied Research Field. If all goes well, I'll have a working proof of concept to show around. I'd really like to create some buzz. I want people to be surprised and impressed by what I show them.

How could you do that? What did you do? I mean, wow!

That's what I'd like to hear. And the answer would be... sign this non-disclosure agreement please, then I'd be happy to discuss it with you.

I'm close. I'm really close, at least for this initial proof of concept. There's a lot more work (A LOT MORE WORK!) left to do. But that's the exciting part. The point I'm trying to make now is to demonstrate that certain things are possible, even if they haven't been considered before. To some extent it's creating a market for a product that people don't yet think they need.

But we're not talking an umbrella sun hat with a fan. What I'm trying to create will have real-world, everyday applications. It's just people have gotten used to what they've got. Maybe it's like the first cordless phones, or the first digital text files. Before they came along, most people didn't think they'd have cause to walk in the garden while talking on the phone, or read a memo without holding a piece of paper.

I've been working on the algorithm for various proofs of concept. If all goes well, this first one will land me some consulting work, and at least one patent application. There's more to come. But this is a start.

And so, I'm becoming a bit of a programmer.

Studying up

The aspects of academia that I readily identify with are not the politics of it all, but rather the roles of teacher and student. I've been working on both of those lately. In preparation for the coming term, I've been working on my schedule of assignments and order of topics for the courses I'll be teaching. While I previously mentioned a first draft of one of the courses, I've since modified it a bit. I decided for a variety of reasons not to be quite so creative, at least during this first term back as a teacher. I've decided to pretty much stick to the text, rather than expecting several sessions for special lectures. Another reason for this decision is simply not to make more work for myself than is necessary. This isn't entirely laziness. I'm motivated in part because going back to the classroom after a seven-year hiatus brings with it a need for testing the waters a bit more safely than I had imagined.

With my other hat, as student, I've been going through one of my wife's calculus texts, and a text on C++ programming, as well as a volume directly relevant to applied research field and yet another (which I've mentioned before) on patents. Today, I decided it best for me to start defining the algorithms for the proofs-of-concept that I'm working on. It's fun to get into the nitty gritty, to tease out all the various subtleties, varieties, and ramifications of the problems.

The hard part is defining the problem, and the necessary steps for solving it. Once that's done, I can make a decision as to whether I will simply acquire all the necessary skills to do it myself or hire someone to translate my algorithm into a program capable of handling all the calculations.

Funny, it's been so long since I did any programming. It's been forever since I've studied higher math. I like learning. I like the challenge of it all.