Sakai Times

Those of you who live in places where it actually gets cold are going to laugh, but San Marcos Texas has been basically shut down for five days in a winter storm.

It started early Saturday morning with torrential rains and a tornado. It tore up some guard rails and roofs, but no one was injured. Then it just kept on raining and the temperature kept on falling until we were under a blanket of ice. Tuesday was to have been the first day of Spring classes, but they canceled, and the weather didn’t let up so they canceled again yesterday.

We’re thawing out today, and classes are underway. Every tree and cornice and overhang is drip drip dripping.

Sure, I could have been working from home. But if you haven’t heard from me, it’s because I was greedily soaking up some unexpected time with my wife and son.

# posted by Zach @ 9:49 AM 0 comments

Here are the five things that Texas State needs the most out of me in the next month:

1. Sakai 2.3 in production (and finally convert our tables to InnoDB while we’re at it!)
2. Document everything in our installation that deviates from stock (providers, scripts, a couple of tools, etc.)
3. Solve once and for all the synchronization problems with our eccentric registrar data.
4. Catalogue and prioritize the known loose ends (i.e., every time I said “I should really go back and fix that.”)
5. Bring a couple of programmers up to speed on the Sakai universe.

Looks like I need good luck and caffeine!

# posted by Zach @ 11:16 AM 0 comments

Happy new year, denizens of the Web and the Sakai-related. A new year brings in a new outlook and a clean slate. So far (the middle of the third day), I have managed not to do anything I regret. In the spirit of newness, I am happy to announce that I have formed a company called Aeroplane Software LLC and I will be leaving Texas State at the end of January to strike out on my own.

Texas State has been very good to me, but I have been jonesing to work for myself ever since I started my career. The great thing about working for a state institution is that the risk is very low. The downside is also that the risk is very low. I’m ready to find out if I can fly under my own steam. Whether I thrive or fail it will all be on me.

Effective immediately, I’m available for moonlighting: nights and weekends, small projects. Starting in February, I’ll be firing on all cylinders. I look forward to a whole lot more Sakai in the coming year.

# posted by Zach @ 10:59 AM 2 comments