Yesterday night, I committed the code for my MSN protocol implementation named “Gokigenyou” (WWWJDIC definition: ご機嫌よう; 御機嫌よう 【ごきげんよう】 (int) How do you do?; Nice to meet you; adieu; farewell) and its ECF implementation code into CVS. The two projects in question are org.hantsuki.gokigenyou and org.eclipse.ecf.provider.msn.

The basic functionality of sending and receiving messages is there but that’s really about it. The packet parsing code is horrid and really should be rewritten in all honesty. However, if you’re feeling adventurous and all, feel free to do a CVS checkout and poke around with it. And of course, by all means, please file bugs and enhancement requests.

I’ve always known that the MFCF computers has been using Deer Park (1.5.0.6) for a while, but I came to an intriguing revelation today whilst printing out my ACTSCI 221 assignment. I noticed that the logo for Internet Explorer has changed. Surprisingly enough, these computers were actually using IE7. How they can be letting users run IE7 and not Firefox 2 is a mystery to me. The fact that it actually says ‘Deer Park’ and not ‘Firefox’ is an even greater mystery. Do the MFCF staff have no love for binaries and just felt like compiling Firefox from customized sources (thus disallowing them to use the trademark ‘Firefox’ term)? Bon Echo, anyone? I’m using it.

Come now, when someone’s name is サラ, just how hard is it to figure out that it just has to be Sarah, given the fact that the show takes place in the United States and that it’s written right on the official website? But no, apparently, it’s still not obvious enough. Apparently, it just might be Salah. Why? Why, I say?! While I like to think of myself as a forgiving man, this cannot be pardoned as they have dared to defile the awesomeness of カレイドスター. This fansub group’s sins are deeper than the sea, I say.

My name is […] and I am a recruiting representative with Microsoft Corporation. One of our recruiters recently came across your resume and is very interested in speaking with you about the Software Design Engineer Co-op Position when Microsoft comes to campus on February 26-27.

Well, as you all know, I’m going to go to IBM Ottawa next term, so I regrettably had to turn these folks down. Regrettably, you say? Yes, regrettably, I say. Despite the fact that I don’t use Windows as my primary operating system and Microsoft does not actively endorse or promote open source (they do have this Port 25 thing, which I’ll admit I have no idea as to what they do), I have to say that I don’t really have any qualms with working for them. For the record, I would really rather work for Microsoft than Google, Google just scares me way too much. Also, Google doesn’t want me anyway since they didn’t even offer me an interview.

Now going back to this interview thing, what I question about this is why is Microsoft interested in me? On my résumé, the only programming language I have down is Java, I do not make claims of knowing C, C++, or C#, so why? Why oh why are they interested in me?

I voted back in 2005 and didn’t back in 2006 (primarily because “I forgot” because of the work term thingamajig). Voting for the senate and the president/vp stuff will be going on at vote.feds.ca from February 13-15, so don’t forget to cast your vote. And no, I don’t care if you’re not in the Waterloo area right now, you know who you are, Jacky Yip.

Morgan is running for senate for the math faculty, by the way. Which, as you all know, Morgan is like…”kind of” a big deal? All of us in software (now and before *cough*) has been indebted to that man in some way, shape, or form. We all know Morgan is not the type of person that would endorse the action of voting without being informed (even if he was on the line, per se), hence I succinctly note here that we should all read each math candidate’s platforms first before voting, capiche?

I had the privilege of attending a talk by Larry Smith about software entrepreneurial start-ups in the MC and a lecture with him in ECON 102, it doesn’t get any better than this, two talks in one day.

The midterm grades were also posted today and it seems that I’ve managed to pull an 18/28. You know how you go over your scantron to count how many questions you got for sure before you hand it in? Yeah, I counted only eight when I was taking the midterm. So yeah, not bad, not bad at all. :P

Well, I just got a verbal offer for the internship program via a phone call from Marcellus Mindel, the Extreme Blue program coordinator for IBM Ottawa. So it seems I’ll be in that area from May to August, so if any of you folks are going to be that area around that time, we should find some time to meet up, then. ;)

I was actually informed by Tod Creasey about this on IRC last Friday but didn’t want to blog about it until I got the real offer. Getting a job offer on IRC is kind of strange, after all…transcript of the first part of the conversation on Friday as follows.

TodC: You around Remy?
rcjsuen: Hi Tod
TodC: You are going to get a job offer early next week
TodC: Welcome to the Platform!
rcjsuen: Oh, wow
rcjsuen: I really was worried after the first question ;_;
TodC: We needed a good Eclipse cowboy and you have what it takes

Since I actually have a paper to write, I have not indulged myself in reading the entire thing but have instead merely read the first couple of paragraphs and glanced at all of the screenshots. No matter, really, because eye candy is what matters, right? With a user interface as sexy as this, it’s really hard to say no to UI Forms, don’t you think?

It’s cold. Yes, it is. It’s one of those days where you think to yourself “they should’ve closed school today instead of that one other time”. Yes, they definitely should’ve because it was a joke last time.

My computer just shut itself down a little while ago without notice. This actually happens a lot more often than you’d think because my fan doesn’t work and the chip prefers powering down instead of running itself to death into melted metal during the compilation of applications. So why the cause for alarm?

Well, actually, my notebook refused to turn back on for the next sixty seconds or so, which was really rather scary. In the past, I would only have to wait for a maximum time of ten seconds or so and hitting the power button would turn the lights on and began the booting process again. Not this time. I guess I should really backup my data in case the next one is for real.