RobbieTheGeek.Com - The Geek Speaks...

New job...First update

RobbieTheGeek — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:49:13 -0600

Just a quick note. Week one down I am still happy with my choice, and I am looking forward to dong and learning more.. Those that don't know that situation is working at Sony BMG in the group that handles the websites of the musicians. The people are awesome (Suzi, Dave, Jared, Andrew & everyone else I have met) and the environment is cool. The work though nothing earth shattering is something new for me, challenging enough to make me feel like I have accomplished something when it is complete. It is a nice change to work in the private sector after all the time I spent working for city and state government agencies.

And the big news is...

RobbieTheGeek — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:06:01 -0600

After almost 12 years working in or around the City of New York (4 years as a provisional civil servant, 4 years as a consultant to City of NY, and 4 years as consultant from Unisys to New York State supporting the City of NY) an era comes to an end this Friday. I have spent years working as an IT jack-of-all-trades for Management Information Services, some of the titles included Senior Network Manager, Citrix Enterprise Engineer and Technical Liason just to name a few.

Monday morning I start working at Sony BMG!

I will do a followup after my first day. Wish me luck...

Lots of reading...

RobbieTheGeek — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:28:11 -0600

I have been slacking on my blogging duties do to life kicking my butt, and as always tons going on not to mention the unbelievable amount of comics I have been reading. I have been truly enjoying comics in all their forms. Since the Comic-Con here in NYC I have been consuming comics with reckless abandon.
Some of the highlights are The first 25 books of The Runaways, The Young Avengers, Ex Machina #1, The Identity Crisis event, HellBoy & B.P.R.D. stories, Animal Man (strange but fun), The Walking Dead, Invincible, Powers, All-Star Superman, Secret Invasion (really the crossovers & tie-ins like Captain & Ms. Marvel), Spider-Woman Origins, The Batman RIP event, Firebreather and there are so many others. I won't get into the stuff I didn't enjoy, there has been some, but with the help of friends like Jon Hoche and the guys at iFanboy and Variant Edition and finally the guys from Pulp Secret I have been pointed in the right direction.
My job sent me to a Perl hands-on class about 3 months ago, and since then I have been writing scripts with reckless abandon, mostly scripts to automate the configuring, maintaining and simplification of managing Nagios at my day job. I can tell you after taking a lot of classes, and being in school for an eternity, this class has really brought a lot of things together for me. I loved the class, I loved the experience, I am loving writing code to make others or my own life easier. All that being said I am really loving Perl & all it's nuances. Quote of the week from that class, "Let Perl, or any language handle what it does best, so all you have to worry ab out is the logic."

I promise to blog within the next 3 days
I have news that I will be letting out of the bag here, and probably via Twitter on Monday. Til then read some of what I mentioned those comics were unanimously amazing.

NY ComicCon - Day 2 (Part 2)

RobbieTheGeek — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:38:37 -0600

The next thing that I went to was the Hulk panel at the IGN Theater. The line was freakin' ridiculous, but I met up with my friend Frank and his son and we stood in line. The room that this panel happened in had 2 screens, 1 on either side of the center where the stage / dais where everyone eventually sat to talk. The panel was filled with 2 producers Gale Anne Hurd and Kevin Feige, the director Louis Leterrier and a surprise to us Tim Roth. We were given a talking to by the producers first then the director, then they showed us some footage of Ed Norton transforming. A little more discussion then we are shown Tim Roth in character and the process of him starting with the process leading Emil Blonsky from normal man to super solider. Then Tim Roth is introduced, and it turned into a comedy routine between him and Loius Leterrier they were feeding off the crowd and each other.

There was a line of folks then that were allowed to ask questions for the remaining time, there wasn't much to really write home (or here) about except maybe if Hulk would speak, and the director asked what we would want Hulk to say. Then there was mention of the 70s Hulk and Lou Ferrigno popped his head out on stage, came out sat down and spoke to us for a few. We got a chance to hear Lou do his best Hulk Smash which was surprisingly convincing and in line with the Hulk speaking question.

Then we were lucky enough to see the new trailer, before the trailer started the producer said that if we sat there for 15-20 secs after the trailer that they would likely confirm or deny an internet rumor for us also. Lights dim, trailer starts, and wow it looks rather impressive, the effects are great the story looks interesting, and damn is Hulk scary. Trailer ends, and there is a silhouette entering the doorway to a bar, and William Hurt (Gen. Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross) on a stool, and some quick banter about a problem, and camera pans up to Robert Downey Jr (aka Tony Stark) he will be in The Incredible Hulk.

NY ComicCon - Day 2 (Part 1)

RobbieTheGeek — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:47:06 -0600

The second day of the 2008 NY ComicCon was by far the best day for this geek. I started off arriving around 11AM and not really sure where the rooms where the panels were located. I strolled following the cryptic signs and the small amounts of people heading back to the panels area. I went from room to room checking what was there because I had already reviewed the schedule and wasn't too excited about the choices I read on the schedule before I arrived.

I ended up squeezing into the "Lee on Lee" panel, where I was pleasantly surprised, not originally looking forward to this panel. Stan Lee was so amusing, quick witted and the epitome of "old school" charm. Then it was off to Spotlight on Mike Mignola, but I was lucky enough to pop in the room before the previous panel ended and listen to Orson Scott Card talk a little of the process to migrate Ender & Company from the printed word to the work of graphic novels. Mike Mignola reminded me of every teacher I have liked in college he made his way to the front, sat down and asked, "So I guess we should start?", then let us know he had nothing prepared and turned the session over to the audience for questions. What followed was 45-50 minutes of the most genuine answers, and amusing banter that I was to be privy to for the entire weekend. Thanks Mike for a great panel, he may have turned it over to us but he did so as a puppet master turns the movements over to his doll he was always in the driver's seat.

Next was off to get in line for the Hell Boy 2 / Wanted panel, and that didn't go so well. I sat and ate some quick lunch, and watched the line for the Lucasfilm panel in the Theater grow steadily for the next 45mins, and never go inside. Now the Hell Boy 2 panel can't even line up cause Lucasfilm's debacle hasn't even started filing into the Theater. Met up with Jon at this time, since we were both looking forward to the Cast & Crew from Hellboy 2 and eventually gave up and headed to the funniest, most irreverent panel I would be subjected to all weekend, Spotlight on Grant Morrison. This was unbelievable, it was like a rock star was arriving, the Comic Con staff barking at folks, there was a film crew from MTV, and more photographers then I saw in the previous 2 panels combined. The introduction set the stage with quotes and art from Grant himself, taken out of context, and put together as though we were in a Grant Morrison 101 class, and the lecturer wanted to make sure that we knew our subject before he even opened his mouth. Lights go up, and we are introduced to Grant after the MC and presentation end almost 15mins into the session. Then as Mike Mignola, had earlier he opened the floor to the audience. There were questions from all sides, on all kinds of different matters, after a question about comic book movies where Grant said they all have something to bring to the table, a shout rang out from the audience, "Batman & Robin". To paraphrase the response, Grant didn't miss a beat and said the colors in that movie are amazing, you just have to turn off your brain and appreciate the neon, ultraviolet world, it is the movie to make if Batman was gay. I was floored and started specifically seeking out all the Grant Morrison penned stories the next day.