Senior Software Engineer, Java -- US-UT-Orem

We are immediately seeking a Senior Software Engineer with 3+ years experience in application programming development, with 2 years or more programming in Java, C++ or related technologies. Object Oriented Programming experience is a must, along with Database Programming. Experience with embedded systems is a strong plus.

This is a contract-position lasting between 2-4 months.

LOCATION � Utah County, Orem
STATUS � Contract: 2-4 months
COMPENSATION - Up to $60/hr, DOE

SOS Technical - Uniting Talent with Technology
SOS Technical is an Equal Opportunity Employer

How to Apply:
Send your Word-Formatted Resume as an attachment to apply056@sostechnical.com or, attach your resume and submit it to the Orem Technical Office via www.sostechnical.com. Please include “Senior Software Engineer” in the subject line, and note in your email your availability for interviews, and your salary expectations. Thank you!

Tags: Java C++ OOP Object Oriented Programming Orem Utah Embedded

Looking For Junior-to-Mid Level LAMP (PHP/MySQL) Developers -- US-UT-Provo/Orem

I am looking for a few PHP developers with great experience integrating MySQL and also SQL Server (2005). 2-3 yrs. proven experience a must. Able to take concepts and architecture and make them work. This is a full-time, long-term opportunity (not a temp job).

My client is a fast-moving Provo/Orem company that has historically been behind some of Utah’s most exciting technology-enabled startups. Currently, they are working on more than 10 various, fully-funded projects that each have a unique “cool-factor” about them.

The ideal candidate for this position will possess at least an abundance of the following:

1. An unquenchable energy to deliver truly exceptional web-enabled software using their skill with PHP/MySql and other tools. CSS/XHTML experience needed; Graphic Design (photoshop/illustrator) experience useful.
2. They must be an absolute geek through and through–you gotta love the code.
3. Our ideal team-mate will blog incessantly, and have an incredible passion around new Web 2.0 technologies like RSS, tagging, feeds, XML, podcasting, etc. Show us that you discover new ideas, solve other’s problems, and share what you know with the world, and you might be exactly what we need.
4. Membership in a local user-group community is a huge plus.
5. A good student, the ideal candidate has an education, but is also continuously learning. They are able to add knowledge and value to the projects they work on, and are able to effectively help others learn and grow as well.

This is, seriously, a true geek’s dream.

There are currently only a few select junior-to-mid-level positions open. There is a chance that a Senior Level position may become available. Students in-school and/or excellent part-time developers OK, given that you have excellent credentials (portfolio) to back up your work.

The pay-range for these positions is negotiable, but will likely fall between $15 to $30/hr, DOE. SOS Technical and our client offer a full-range of benefits.

To apply, send a resume to apply056@sostechnical.com. If you seriusly want this position, call me and tell me so (801-426-6120). Also, include your blog URL(s) and what other forums and groups you lurk in.

Tags: PHP mysql job jobs career provo utah orem utahcounty linux SQL MSSQL blog

Funny joke to start the week

I love the Internet because you can always find fun stuff. Here is a hilarious joke that I just read. Start off your week with a laugh!

You and Us

At times, I have been congratulated for the unique work I am trying to do through this blog and other activities centered on helping talented people connect with excellent opportunities (for example, DevUtah events, mock-interviews at Provo College, etc). At other times, I have been strongly questioned on why I work with my company, when I could very well go out on my own.

I could do that. I’ve been on my own before, and I will likely do it again. But there’s something else going on here, and it has almost nothing to do with what I can do, and almost everything to do with what I can do for you.

There is a strength I have, and a confidence I trust in, because of the solid footing SOS Technical provides me. Our home-office staff, along with the width and depth of our resources and top-rated quality of our service allows me to be nimble, accomodating, and (hopefully) absolutely focused on your needs, not my own.

I like the commercial (streaming/download) UBS put on recently where they speak of all their global financial powers being brought to bear just to help one client get everything they ever needed.

“Imagine a global financial firm with the heart and soul of a two-person organization,” they say right on their website. “A world-leading wealth management company that sits down with you to understand your needs and goals. An award winning global investment bank and premier global asset management business dedicated to giving you the most personal attention at every level. You and us. Think of it as the most powerful two-person financial firm in the world.”

Yeah. I like the feel of that.

To my clients, consultants and partners: Thanks for an incredible new journey in my life called 2005. I think the coming year will be an incredible one as long as we can keep giving and servicing and creating value and sharing knowledge.

To you, and all other readers here, if there are ways I can help you achieve even more than you already have achieved, let’s talk. I look forward to sitting down with you and, with my team behind me, quite possibly forming “the most powerful two-person [talent management] firm in the world.”

Bring it on!

SOS Tops 2005 Utah Book of Lists

The 2005 Utah Book of Lists, published by Utah Business Magazine, presents you with an annual roundup of what’s been happening in Utah business. My employer’s parent company, SOS Staffing, has consistently been featured at the top of two major categories over the last several years.

In 2005, SOS Staffing received top honors for both Professional and Temporary Employment Agencies.

As I’ve said before, “It’s good to know when you’re doing good.”

This New Year's Eve Lasts an Extra Second

NPR reports that This New Year’s Eve Lasts an Extra Second

Morning Edition, December 27, 2005 � Here’s a sign of changing times: The time is changing. This New Year’s Eve, there will be a leap second. Atomic clocks that keep time around the world will hold back to allow a minute with sixty-one seconds. The adjustment allows for irregularities in the earth’s rotation. The adjustment also adds complications for countless computer systems, which is why the U.S. government has been pressing — so far without success — to abolish leap seconds in the future.

Tags: time atomic clock leap second newyear science computer

'Fat Man Walking'--wired on Route 66

Cell phone, laptop and iPod--when they work--help make Steve Vaught's cross-country trek to shed pounds easier to bear. Photos: En route for health

BlackBerry Top 50 Gadget of Past 50 Years

PCWorld.com has ranked the Blackberry #14 of the top gadgets of the past 50 years. They say, Canadian firm Research in Motion didn’t invent e-mail, wireless data networks, the handheld, or the QWERTY keyboard. But with the little BlackBerry, along with server software that made e-mail appear on it without any effort from the recipient, RIM put it all together in a way that even nontechie executives could appreciate–and thereby opened the eyes of corporate America to the potential of wireless communications. So addictive that some call them CrackBerries, RIM’s ubiquitous e-mail communicators–especially their high-res displays and small yet serviceable thumb keyboards–have forever changed the design aesthetic for personal digital assistants, while their approach to e-mail has become the standard by which all connected handhelds are measured. The Sony Walkman ranked first if you were wondering, you can read the entire list here …

Birth Defect Gene Identified: Research Points To Possible Therapy To Prevent Malformation

Craniofacial researchers have developed an animal model that explains how skull malformations occur and how they might be prevented. Birth defects of the face and skull are relatively common in humans, striking one in 500 to 1,000 babies. Defects can include cleft lip or palate, congenitally missing teeth and severe malformations of the skull.

Molecular Imaging Allows Detection Of Plaques Likely To Rupture

Diagnostic strategies at the molecular level are being developed that 'should be able to detect atherosclerotic plaques likely to rupture in the arteries that supply blood to the heart and brain,' according to a study in the December issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

If you don't trust the media, do it yourself

Two apparently unrelated topics that have ranked high on blog indexes in the last week may have a significant bearing on the way news is gathered and consumed in the future.

First, a comprehensive study led by UCLA political science researchers claims to confirm a liberal bias among most mainstream news outlets and will be published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics. Second, blogger Dan Gilmor wrote that he will be "putting together a non-profit Center for Citizen Media," which will focus on grassroots journalism.

Combined, the two developments speak to some fundamental changes in the way the public views news and other mass information: People have grown increasingly mistrustful of U.S. media organizations' historical claims of objectivity (long ridiculed by European journalists as impossible), and many citizens are willing to take on reporting responsibilities of their own through blogs, wikis, social networks or other online vehicles.

Many hope that...

How to make a droidel

Sci-fi fans come in all faiths and, to underscore that point, this post on StarWars.com shows how to make a dreidel that resembles...

So, Why Are You Not Blogging, Again?

If Motel 6 is blogging and your company isn’t, what were you waiting for, again? Critical Mass?

Accor North America has launched the first podcast advertisement campaign for economy accommodation chain Motel 6. The tongue-in-cheek podcast, called Motel 6 Top Reasons to Stay at a Motel during the Holidays, was launched on Accor North America’s web site and represents something of an experiment for the hotel sector in general.

Via Steve Rubel

So, my question to you and your business is–

NeXT Computer Dead-Enders Give Up

alarm:clock: NeXT Computer Dead-Enders Give Up

Once upon a time, NeXT computer was the toast of Silicon Valley. This year, the start-up founded by Steve Jobs as retribution for his early retirement at Apple, was finally abandoned by the faithful - the Bay Area NeXT Users Group. Jobs founded NeXT in 1985 with an out-of-pocket investment of $7M. In 1996, Apple bought NeXT for $400M and it became the bedrock of OSX.

Read - NeXT Fans Give Up The Ghost (OS News)

Media Center PCs Take Cushy Office Jobs

John G. Spooner and John Hazard of eWeek tell us that many companies are putting Microsoft Media Center PCs to work in lobbys, reception areas and boardrooms.

Although most Media Center PCs pass their days at home in the living room or study, a few have begun taking office jobs.

The desktop and notebook PCs, which come with Microsoft Corp.’s Windows XP Media Center Edition’s specialized user interface for handling multimedia and are operable via a remote control, were created with consumers in mind.

However, a small number of businesses have been purchasing the machines to handle multimedia in internal meetings or customer presentations, some PC makers say.

Corporations often spend extra to set up liven up front offices and meeting rooms, purchasing big-screen televisions, stylish computers and other technological accoutrements.

Googleites Gripe About Sloppy Service

Updated: Google’s customer service department is ill-equipped to handle all its commercial ventures and huge customer base, said analysts, competitors and Google customers.

Microsoft, Google and Lee Settle Down

EWEEK, Dec 22, 2005 — Some five months after Google announced plans to open a product research and development center in China, and said it was appointing former Microsoft vice president Kai-Fu Lee to head the operation, the parties have settled the matter.

In a brief statement released late Thursday, Microsoft spokesman Jack Evans said the parties had entered into a private agreement that resolved all issues to their mutual satisfaction.

…

The brouhaha started in mid-July when Google said that it had appointed Dr. Lee to head its product research and development center in China. The very next day Microsoft said it was filing a lawsuit against Lee and Google, claiming breach of both employee confidentiality and non-compete agreement. [read more]

D-Day Arrives for SCO

"The deadline arrives for SCO to file with the courts whatever evidence the company has found that there's Unix code in Linux."

First Look: Nokia 770 Internet Tablet

We had the pleasure of meeting some of the folks at Nokia who are in charge of Nokia 770 Internet Tablet development this week …

U.S. Patent Office Sides with RIM/Blackberry

According to eWeek:

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has indicated that it will formally and finally reject the patents at the heart of a lawsuit in which NTP Inc. is suing BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. for patent infringement.

But while such a ruling would be good news for RIM and its customers, industry experts say that it will likely take several months before such a ruling would be final. #more

Fact Or Fiction: 9 in 10 New Business Will Close In The First Year?

Greg Balanko-Dickson:

There is a myth from the 1990�s that stated 9 out of 10 businesses close in their first year. The US Small Business Administration still gets calls every year from people looking for the unknown source of the 9 out of 10 sound bite. The myth persists partly due to a widely held belief that business closure is always considered a negative event.

Dun & Bradstreet (D & B) data from the same period shows a much different picture:

• 76 percent of new businesses were open after two years.
• 47 percent after four years.
• 38 percent after six years.

[# via]

Join Industry Associations to boost your career

C.M. Russell blogged about joining industry associations to boost your career:

Joining a professional networking organization can not only boost your career, but they enable you to build your contact list. The more people you know, the more chances you have at finding the next hidden job opportunity.

I agree completely. People around your work are able to alert you to opportunities much faster than Internet sites or searching the classifieds (yikes!).

If you are any kind of a technical person and you live in Utah, I strongly recommend you check out DevUtah, more of a user group than a industry association–and just about right for me.

Networking 2.0 -- Open Letter to LinkedIn (and their competitors)

The simple truth is that I am a raving fan of LinkedIn–I love it.

However…

About 2/3 of the time when I invite someone to connect with me on LinkedIn, they say something like, “Sure. But does anybody really use it?”

Someone else said, “Isn’t that just like a geek dating service for jobs?” Ooh. That one hurt.

But the reality is that people, especially the new college students/grads, are wanting–no, demanding–software that exists for their wants and needs. Martha Irvine from AP said it best, I think:

Generation Raised With Internet Grows Up
CHICAGO, AP, 12/5/2004 — Young people are now the savviest of the tech-savvy, as likely to demand a speedy broadband connection as to download music onto an iPod, or upload digital photos to their Web logs. The Internet has shaped the way they work, relax and even date. [via]

So, I have a network of a bazillion people in LinkedIn right now (some of them I am very close to and I love the tool for it) but many of them just aren’t seeing the value in it that they originally must have expected. So, at my request, they went through all the hassle of registering and creating a password and divulging all their hidden secrets about their life and now we’re “LinkedIn”… but what does that really mean? What does it do for me that nobody else can do, or I can’t do myself?

LinkedIn, how do I know you really, truly care about me? After all, I am not just a faceless number you can count on to promote that you have 4.4 million people in your database. This should be a give-and-take relationship. Right now, it just feels like I am doing all the giving. All my contacts, personal information and gory details about where I’ve worked, what I’ve done and what interests me.

Since it is the time of the year for giving, let me give you some advice on how you can balance out this relationship (you’re welcome).

Some of these ideas are practically free. Others may cost you a few CPU cycles and a few cases of Dr. Pepper. None of them involve Holiday Greeting Cards (thanks, but no-thanks).

Easy Stuff

• Make it easy for me to display a link to my profile.
  This one should be a no-brainer. I put all my stuff on LinkedIn–let me show it off. Especially all the smart people I know. More than that, I will be 10x more likely to keep my online profile updated if I know people are looking at it. Many people are putting their resumes and bios online. Let me just forward people to LinkedIn, instead.
  BTW, I did find a link to my profile after many days and nights of searching. But, if I didn’t know how to hack URIs and encode HTTP GET request strings, I never would have figured it out.
• Let me make my profile public–if I want (or, at least to Google)
  I am already on Google. I’d really like my LinkedIn profile to be searchable as well. Now, you must be a LinkedIn member to view profiles. Let me give mine to the world, if I want. People who want to connect with me will join.

Feed Me: Unlock your strangle-hold on my information. Let me have some, too.

• Allow me to create a list of people I know on my blog/site
  This is like a blogroll, but don’t miss a few important points:
  • The links should give the option of going to the user’s blog or seeing their LinkedIn profile.
  • XFN rel= tags need to be available to me as I define who my contacts are, and how I know them. Then, I want these output in my contact-feed. If you want, read what Shirley Kaiser says about XFN, and this web-presentation about why XFM allows “rediculously easy group forming” (Given at SXSW, 2004 by Tantek �elik)
  • While JavaScript will make implementing this easy, it’s not readable by spiders which makes the data useless. Let me get this data via OPML or RSS as well or, heck, remote PHP works, too.
  • If I give you my Blogrolling.com password, will you update my blogroll with the blogs of new contacts I add?
• RSS feeds/emails of things happening in my network
  When stuff happens to the people in my network, I’d like to know. Allow me to subscribe to a few feeds (contract with Feedblitz to enable feed-to-email service) to know about different things, such as:
  • People that just changed positions/jobs, or added items to their profile
  • New opportunities available
  • New jobs in my personal network
  • Questions being asked by people in my network
  • Events, Trainings, other calendar items from people in my network
  • New blog postings from my trusted contacts
  • New Flickr photos and del.icio.us bookmarks from my trusted contacts

The Holy Grail
If you’re still reading, that’s great. Get to the level I am talking about below, and you’ve got a network everybody on earth will want to be a part of:

Allow me (or third-party companies) to access/change my LinkedIn data via API calls (SOAP/REST, whatever) and ask basic questions to determine intelligent actions based on who I know and how closely I know them. For example:

• I would love it if my email client collected a (secure) list from you of my trusted connections and their email addresses and used that in it’s spam filtering algorithms. This could prevent both false-positives and unreliable filtering based on content alone. (Partner with gmail/yahoo, etc on this one! Also, SpamAssassin and others should jump at the chance to have a user-defined “whitelist” that requires no programming by the user!)
• Overlay LinkedIn data from Google Maps/Yahoo Maps, etc, to show me where my contacts live.
• Let my contacts update LinkedIn with coordinates of where they are right now, enabling offline connections. Many cell-phones are enabling GPS location notification–work with Verizon/Cingular, etc, and allow my cell-phone to tell you where I am on earth right now (if I want)
• If I give you my Instant Messenger username and password, will you add my new contacts to my buddy list?
• If someone in my trusted contacts list calls my cell-phone, can you tell me who it is?
• Can you enable my cellphone/pda to alert me when people I know are close to me –or– give me the ability to browse a list of people I may be in a room with via some notification. For example, everyone who enters a conference room is registered and that list is compared with my LinkedIn database to tell me who of those people I know, and how I know them–or who I should meet.

In summary, here’s my pitch and request: LinkedIn, I love your tool. It’s easy, fresh, kinda fun and it’s an incredibly easy way to actively manage my contacts and relationships. The next step is for LinkedIn to actively help me passively manage my relationships. Help me keep up on things that I may not have known are happening.

The other key here is to strike up relationships that don’t constantly drive subscription fees. Some of these features I think are prime for fees in the right place, and to the right organization. But, please don’t be so concerned about driving revenue that you miss the fact that the value you add to your data will define the revenue you’ll make in the long-run.

• Visits to your website will go way up when more people are actively using, grooming and managing their contacts via your portal.
• Subscription deals can be struck with content providers and others to drive incremental revenue streams from data you’re already providing.
  That will enrich their user’s-experience, binding their customers closer to their service, and all of it stems from you opening access to your system.

If you do that for me, LinkedIn will be as valuable to busy professionals as a resume is to job-seekers or a phone-number is to communication.

If you don’t do this, I fear for you that the list of queries matching “better than LinkedIn” will grow very large, very soon.

Good luck, and thanks for the service!

Tags: linkedin networking contacts manage relationships XFN GPS instant messenger location notification RSS email communication

Utah Tech Jobs: New Entry

I got the following from Phil Burns regarding the Dev Utah Geek Dinner tonight at the Mayan in SLC.

There has been a small change to the way the dinner will be going today. They are not going to be prepared to do a buffet for us tonight.

So here�s how it will work:

When you get there, let them know you are with Utah Geek Dinners � they�ll know where to seat you then. We are on the third floor right at the top of the stairs.

This also means that the wiki lockdown isn�t in affect. Anyone that wants to come is welcome.

Hope to see you all tonight!

Small Change to Geek Dinner Plans

I  got the following from Phil Burns regarding the Dev Utah Geek Dinner tonight at the Mayan  in SLC.

There has been a small change to the way the dinner will be going today.  They are not going to be prepared to do a buffet for us tonight.  

 

So here’s how it will work:

 

When you get there, let them know you are with Utah Geek Dinners – they’ll know where to seat you then.  We are on the third floor right at the top of the stairs. 

 

This also means that the wiki lockdown isn’t in affect.  Anyone that wants to come is welcome. 

 

Hope to see you all tonight!  

Looking For LAMP (PHP/MySQL) Developers

I am looking for a few excellent PHP developers with great experience integrating MySQL and also SQL Server (2005). 2-3 yrs. proven experience a must. Able to take concepts and architecture and make them work.

True geek’s dream.

To apply, send a resume to apply056@sostechnical.com

December DevUtah Dinner Location/Time

December’s DevUtah GeekDinner will be Tuesday, Dec 20^th 6:00 pm at the Mayan Restaurant, on the third floor.

• Dinner will be a buffet and will cost $12.95 per person.
• The Mayan Restaurant is located at 9400 S. State St. in Sandy.
  

• Their website is here:
  http://www.themayan.com/
• And a map is here:
  http://www.themayan.com/Directions.cfm
• We have to provide them with a final count by 5 pm on Monday. Therefore, registrations on the wiki will CLOSE MONDAY at 4:30 PM. Please be sure to update whether or not you will be attending by then!
  

All information will, of course, be available on our website at
http://www.devutah.com

Filed Under: devutah geekdinner

Front End Web Designer - Entry Level -- US-UT-Alpine

Our client sells items using the Internet, mainly eBay. They have several websites that need to be updated, refreshed, and edited to maintain a consistent look-and-feel. Familiarity with Shopping Cart application “ProStores” is a plus.

The ideal candidate will have familiarity with image-editing for the web (photoshop, etc), HTML, and a good eye for design. Also, if a candidate has knowledge of/willing to help with basic technical support/troubleshooting for the other office members, that is excellent.

The client has mostly static webpages, but some dynamic scripting is being used because of the applications they have purchased (for example, their ProStores shopping cart). They are NOT looking for someone to redesign everything at this point–they are looking for someone willing to help tweak existing sites and fix bugs. Then, they will look to add two-to-three more websites along the way.

The client is most-interested in finding the right candidate the first-time.
If you have your own laptop/software, it may be a big plus.
Location: Alpine.

Pay-Range: $10.60-$18.88/hr, Depending heavilly on proven experience

To apply, send a Word-formatted resume to apply056@sostechnical.com

Tags: ebay web design css html job career alpine utah county americanfork

Middle to Senior Software Engineers -- C#, SQL, ASP.NET

SOS Technical is immediately seeking several qualified Software Developers who are able to immediately contribute to a few fast-growing companies between Draper/Riverton and Utah County (Provo/Orem/Springville).

Qualifications: The ideal candidates will have several years of proven software development experience coupled with excellent abilities in the most-current Microsoft web-development tools. Candidates must be able to program effectively in C#, and write stored procedures in T-SQL (SQL Server). Also, candidates must be familiar with ASP.NET components such as Data Grids, Lists and Repeats.

Further, the ideal candidate will be full of energy and ideas, and will have the ability to rapidly grasp complex ideas and take them from whiteboard-to-production with little-to-no management. Sharp, enthusiastic, willing to learn candidates may be selected over those with more years of experience.

Minimum Education Level: N/A
Career Level: N/A
Job Type: Direct Hire
Job Status: Full Time
Compensation: Depending on Experience. SOS Technical offers a full range of benefits.

To apply send a word formatted resume to: apply056@sostechnical.com

SOS Technical � Uniting Talent with Technology
SOS Technical is an Equal Opportunity Employer

To learn more about SOS Technical, visit us at www.sostechnical.com!

Tags: C# SQL ASP.NET dotnet job csharp c-sharp aspnet

Google sponsors "AdSense New Features" webinar

Eric Giguere informs us about this free conference by Google to discuss new Adsense features:

Anyone interested in AdSense should consider signing up for Google’s upcoming “webinar” (Web-based seminar) on new AdSense features. The webinar is on Dec 21 at 12 noon EST. Space is limited, so you have to register quickly — it may be too late by the time you read this. Use this link to register.

Visual Studio Express Free For 1 Year | John Hesch

John Hesh notes that Visual Studio Express is Free For 1 Year

Microsoft is giving away free one year licenses for some of their best development software including:

• Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition - An ideal environment for dynamic Web development.
• SQL Server 2005 Express Edition - A powerful and easy-to-use database to complement each Express Edition.
• Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition - Productivity that is ideal for first time or casual Windows programming.
• Visual C# 2005 Express Edition - A great combination of power and productivity for the Windows developer.
• Visual C 2005 Express Edition - Horsepower with a finer degree of control than other Express Editions.
• Visual J# 2005 Express Edition - Ideal for those with prior Java-language experience or learning the Java language.

Not a bad deal for a hobbyist, novice, and student developer.

Business Startup Kit

Nick Denton of Gawker Media Fame posts a worthy bookmark (as of this writing 798 people tagged this page on del.icio.us) listing a toolbox of free/low-cost tools for startup companies to leverage.

My faves are:

• FreeConference — I’ve used this a lot. It’s worth every penny you don’t spend.
• Paytrust — Let it manage your bills for you.
• Perspective — “Because nothing is ever as good, or as bad, as it seems at the time.”

The only things I would add:

• Gmail — Free, secure email that’s not evil.
• Clickthrustats — Who’s clicking what, and how many times?
• Aweber — Full-service email list management, blog-to-email publication, and autoresponders
• LogMeIn or GoToMyPC for remote access.
• Quickbooks Online — Don’t follow the money, let it follow you

Client Implementation Partner (Project Manager) -- US-UT-Sandy

Job Description: SOS Technical has an immediate need for a Project Manager. This role will be responsible for the planning and project management of service selling engagements with Client�s clients. In this pivotal role you will be involved with the client from discovery of requirements through successful launch of Client’s sales, application, and/or direct marketing programs. Responsibilities include project management, development of processes, overall systems requirements definition, outsourcing touchpoints, and application configuration. You will work closely with other Client team members including the Executive Account Manager and the Inside Sales Manager to ensure project success. As success breeds new opportunities for engagement expansion, you will be working with the team to create and launch additional sales-driving programs. Other responsibilities include the support of selling activities with this client and other potential clients including creating estimates of implementation costs, creating statements of work and architecting potential solutions.

Qualifications: Essential Knowledge and Skills

? Minimum 5 years of Project Management Experience
? Minimum of 4 years of technology-enabled business process implementation experience
? Ability to build rapport with client contacts and work collaboratively with cross-organizational teams to drive towards success.
? Experience with order management, receivables, service contract management, or inside sales programs, and especially the combination some of these business processes would be a significant advantage
? Bachelor’s Degree

Technical Knowledge

? Solid understanding of Microsoft Project, Excel, Access, Visio and Word
? Very strong analytical and problem solving skills
? Strong business application process analysis skills.

Minimum Education Level: Bachelor�s Degree
Career Level: N/A
Job Type: Direct Hire
Job Status: Full Time
Compensation: Depending on Experience. SOS Technical offers a full range of benefits.

To learn more about SOS Technical, visit us at www.sostechnical.com!
To apply send a word formatted resume to: apply066@sostechnical.com

SOS Technical � Uniting Talent with Technology
SOS Technical is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Web Application Developer -- US-UT-West Valley

Job Description: SOS Technical has an immediate need for a Web Application
Developer. Development responsibilities include page design, form handling, and troubleshooting of custom web applications. Areas of development include internet/intranet applications, web services, data extraction and transmission projects.

Qualifications: Candidates should have a strong interest in web development, a desire to overcome challenges and a willingness to learn new techniques and skills. Qualified candidates will have experience in W3C Compliant HTML, Typographics CSS, basic SQL, and either PHP or JSP. Knowledge in CSS Layout and Web SEcurity is a plus. Successful applicants will be detail oriented, analytical, and willing to learn new technologies.

Minimum Education Level: N/A
Career Level: N/A
Job Type: Direct Hire
Job Status: Full Time
Compensation: Depending on Experience. SOS Technical offers a full range of benefits.

To learn more about SOS Technical, visit us at www.sostechnical.com!

To apply send a word formatted resume to: apply066@sostechnical.com

SOS Technical � Uniting Talent with Technology
SOS Technical is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Don't Crack My Password

Steve Gibson made the ultimate online password generator for helping you secure your WPA wireless network (or anything else you want a completely random string of gobbledy-gook that will never be guessed)

My visit to the page generated this password (don’t steal it):
QRlSu%QhEl”ig/h:>_D>~n+[%p`&n;a-S~]7=.Ni07I9db’PWK-4+QAN+p0k_,P

Get your own >> https://www.grc.com/pass

Sony: Serves You Right

Danger, Rant Ahead:

Speaking to a friend yesterday about the whole Sony Rootkit fiasco (I didn’t know about this new threat yet) and DRM in-general, he said something very interesting:

The big media companies have been telling us for 50 years that life is all about “keeping up with the joneses”, “beating out the next guy”, “making your millions”, and taking everything you want along the way–no matter the consequences.

Now, they whine and moan because consumers are doing exactly what they’ve been taught all along, and they’re forced to eat their own dogfood.

Piracy is rampant, and they push laws through to force people to obey them. Then, they override our computers and DVD players with their Digital Rights Management software/hardware and carelessly enable hackers to take over our machines or steal our identities.

Finally, to make us feel that much more guilty, they play us anti-piracy commercials at the beginning of DVDs that will surely, somewhere, contain at least one scene where a person is blatantly taking something that doesn’t belong to them (money, sex, or even a person’s life), and has no intention (or capability) to pay it back.

But that’s okay, they will tell us… it’s only a movie.

I believe that all of what is happening are the last, futile throes of death of an old-market industry trying to convince us that Botox and race-cars will keep them young and cool. The problem is, they keep throwing the party and less and less people are showing up for them. It’s just simply not pretty watching old people try and look young and pretty when it’s obviously hopeless. Nobody wants to watch that horror show.

In 5 years, digital media will be completely different. I love emerging movements like

Sony CD threats continue to emerge, Installs even when you say 'no'.

TechRepublic warns us that Sony CD threats continue to emerge amid further scrutiny of the company’s blatant and money-rolling disregard for user rights when it comes to protecting their, um, assets.

And get this… Sony’s first attempt at a patch is/was buggy, allowing the hacker’s software to run rampant across your computer EVEN IF YOU DECLINE THE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT! (sorry for the shouting, but I think it’s appropriate here!)

Sony CDs continue to cause controversy as an unrelated threat emerges… It turns out that the rootkit disaster perpetrated by Sony in an effort to prevent users from actually playing the music on the CDs they purchased wasn’t the only threat posed by CDs from Sony. Just when you thought it was safe to play holiday carols over the office network, a new malware threat has surfaced on even more Sony CDs.

The latest threat�caused this time by SunnComm Technologies’ anti-copying software�is unrelated to the Sony BMG digital rights management malware, hidden by the company on millions of CDs released in early 2005 and reported by Mark Russinovich in November. But after someone wrote and distributed a worm to take advantage of the First 4 Internet malware discovered in nearly 5 million Sony BMG CDs, the Electronic Frontier Foundation decided to investigate other Sony CDs.

This is a serious threat�it can allow an attacker to gain complete control of a PC that merely played the CD. The new threat apparently only applies to CDs sold in the United States and Canada; Sony has posted a list of titles infected by the SunnComm MediaMax software threat.

While Sony has also posted a patch, I’d be a bit cautious about applying the fix right away. The first patch Sony released turned out to have a bug of its own, according to a Princeton computer science professor’s blog. According to the blog post, an interesting aspect of this malware is that it installs “even if you decline the MediaMax license agreement.”

Sony has purportedly fixed the patch, but at this point, my advice would be to just say no to playing any Sony CDs in your computer�stick to playing them in your vehicle’s sound system!

Tags: sony rootkit drm nightmare piracy hacking malware spyware security

IM Attacks Rising

Be careful with your instant messaging application.

The IMlogic Threat Center (an global consortium that provides global threat detection for instant messaging) last week said that IM security threats increased by 3,266 percent in November 2005 as compared to November 2004. The group said attackers are increasingly using rootkit software to hide the process, files and registry keys for software used in their attacks. This causes infected end users to “remain unaware of their infection and continue to serve as a point of exposure and propagation,” the center said in a statement. About 52% of attacks in November 2005 were targeting AOL Instant Messenger; 27% targeted MSN and 21% targeted Yahoo’s instant messaging software. In addition to IMlogic (DEMO 2004), Internet security firms Symantec, Sybari, McAfee, Postini, as well as AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo! are involved with the IMlogic Threat Center. More information is available at the group’s Web site.

[Via DemoLetter & BlogsOnBert]

Study: Workers can survive three months without their managers

Bosses have just three months in which to fill middle manager vacancies before the lack of leadership and direction resulting from their absence has a detrimental effect on morale and productivity, a joint British and U.S survey has suggested.

Perhaps less surprisingly, the study of 400 HR directors, split evenly between the two countries, also concluded that middle managers, long considered the work-horse of management, are critical to the success of an organisation.

Nearly two thirds � 64 per cent � of the UK HR managers polled by recruitment firm MRINetwork felt middle managers were critical to success, compared with 79 per cent of those in the U.S.

The most crucial function for middle managers was in maintaining company morale (73 per cent), said the UK HR managers, with customer satisfaction next at 68 per cent, followed by hiring and team building (63 per cent) and sales and productivity (58 per cent).

In the U.S, by comparison, customer satisfaction came top, at 74 per cent, followed by company morale (73 per cent), hiring and team building (66 per cent) and implementation of a chief executive’s vision (66 per cent).

…

“In many companies, the middle management layer serves as the keystone that links senior management with junior team members. When that link is interrupted, the repercussions are sudden and far-reaching,” said Mills.

[via management-issues.com]

IM Attacks Rising

Be careful with your instant messaging application.

The IMlogic Threat Center (an global consortium that provides global threat detection for instant messaging) last week said that IM security threats increased by 3,266 percent in November 2005 as compared to November 2004. The group said attackers are increasingly using rootkit software to hide the process, files and registry keys for software used in their attacks. This causes infected end users to “remain unaware of their infection and continue to serve as a point of exposure and propagation,” the center said in a statement. About 52% of attacks in November 2005 were targeting AOL Instant Messenger; 27% targeted MSN and 21% targeted Yahoo’s instant messaging software. In addition to IMlogic (DEMO 2004), Internet security firms Symantec, Sybari, McAfee, Postini, as well as AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo! are involved with the IMlogic Threat Center. More information is available at the group’s Web site.

[Via DemoLetter & BlogsOnBert]

How Will They Remember You?

Reading about DevUtah’s upcoming SpeedNetworking event reminds me to remind you to be sure you have business cards on-hand whenever you’re networking! My favorite business card provider is Vistaprint, a full-service printer that has very cool eCommerce technology, enabling you to design and proof your cards, notepads, holiday cards, etc, right online.

And, don’t forget that they will give you 250 full-color business cards for FREE:

From Vistaprint’s Website: “Take control of your business card and get better results. With VistaPrint’s pre-designed templates, you can create a professional, attractive business card online in seconds. No more haggling with a designer! Right now get 250 full-color business cards FREE with this special offer. Click here.“

Order now, so you’ve got ‘em in time for the next Geek Dinner!

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

my.indeed Launched

Vertical job search engine Indeed just launched a new service titled my.indeed, which is so unassuming and so non-technical, you almost don’t know it’s there.

But it works great.

Browse the job listings and simply click “save” on jobs you like and it tags them in your saved jobs listing. You can also see your searches, a feature available from the indeed homepage for a while now.

My only concern is that it appears to be browser-specific. Meaning, you can’t tag a job in my.indeed and then access it from another computer later. Yes, most people use their own computers, but job-searching is something that inherently means a person may soon be switching computers and, hence, losing their saved info.

Hmmm… I wonder if indeed could add a “save to del.icio.us” option to enable people to store their jobs and access them later.

What Have I Done For You Lately?

Hopefully, I’ve done a lot.

Between my blog for hiring managers, this other one for technical job-seekers, posting our jobs online in an easy-to-read format (all with full RSS feeds and free email subscriptions), and even some podcasting and geek-links thrown in for kicks–I hope there’s at least a little value here .

If you think there’s something worthwhile here, please consider nominating any of my sites (or all of www.utahtechjobs.com) for The Recruiting.com 2005 Best Blog awards (sponsored By Jobster). To vote, simply send an email to blogawards@recruiting.com mentioning my site (and URL, please) and where you think I fit.

Personally, I think I may fit in the following areas:
Cat 4 - Best Job Seeker Blog — myside.utahtechjobs.com
Cat 9 - Best Tech Recruitment Blog — www.utahtechjobs.com
Cat 7 - Best Recruiting Advice Blog — Job Seeker Advice: myside.utahtechjobs.com, Employer Advice: hirepower.utahtechjobs.com
Cat 1 - Best Third Party Blog — www.utahtechjobs.com

What’s interesting about this, is that many of these blogs are for recruiters to share with other recruiters… that’s not my thing. What I do is focus specifically on interfacing with YOU, the job-seekers and the job-providers. Hopefully, you feel the love…

P.S. I nominated Paul Allen’s blog for Best CEO Blog as I don’t know very many other CEOs who literally give away such incredible thought-leadership and business ideas. That, to me, is real value. Thanks, Paul!

Google's Golden Rules for Effective Technical Teams

Phil Windley points us to Google’s Golden Rules for Effective Technical Teams:

Google�s Eric Schmidt and UC Berkeley�s Hal Varian list ten “golden rules? that Google tries to follow: 1. Hire by committee. 2. Cater to their every need. 3. Pack them in. 4. Make coordination easy. 5. Eat your own dog food. 6. Encourage creativity. 7. Strive to reach consensus. 8. Don�t be evil. 9. Data drive decisions. 10. Communicate effectively. The goal is to be a good place for knowledge workers….

There’s a lot more at the original article and on Phil Windley’s site.

Phil801 - Geek Blog

Utah�s next Geek Dinner is coming up! This time around we�ll be doing a Speed Networking format so that we can all get to know each other better. Please come on out and join us!

Date: Tuesday, Dec 20th
Location: To Be Determined, Intended to be near Point of the Mountain

Further Information and the location when it�s figured out is available at http://www.devutah.com

Please RSVP on the Wiki!!!

Tags: devutah utahgeekdinner calendar events utah county job networking career fun @public

Escape yesterworld with Microsoft?

Stephanie Olson writes about some interesting web PR:

In the inspired silliness category, Microsoft is attempting a little humor to market its otherwise serious server and developer tools, Sequel Server and Visual Studio 2005.

At Escapeyesterworld.com, a seemingly unpromoted Web site hosted by Microsoft, video episodes like “Evil Wears a Cape” and “Repetitive Tasks of Doom” feature clips and characters from old Flash Gorden shows. Voiceovers tell of the benefits of the technology, such as “freedom for developers who toil in DLL hell.”

Maybe this is why a search for “evil” at Google now renders results other than Microsoft.

CBS Beams Programming to Verizon Phones

TV network CBS announces a new deal under which it will offer video clips from some of its best-known programs over Verizon’s V Cast wireless video service. [read more]

Toshiba Targets Channel with Low-Price Notebooks

The notebook maker is offering a pair of sub-$1,000 notebooks executively to the reseller channel. However, some resellers say the effort may be too little too late. [read more]

AJAX Desktops Won�t Stop

TechCrunch points us to:

eskobo is the most recent entrant into the crazy-crowded Ajax desktop space. Eskobo has (now) standard drag and drop modules. Everything is customizable except the adertising, which can be moved, but not removed, from the page. [read more]

TechCrunch: Wall Street Journal Discusses the Rise of Bloggers

Lee Gomes wrote about Memeorandum, Blogniscient and TechCrunch in the Wall Street Journal today. It’s an interesting column discussing the rise of blogs as “journalists” and the usefullness of blog aggregators in filtering out the most important writing.

The reality is that while there are now as many tech blogs as stars in the sky, only a tiny fraction of them matter. And those that do aren’t part of some proletarian information revolution, but instead have become the tech world’s new elite. Reporters for the big mainstream newspapers and magazines, long accustomed to fawning treatment at corporate events, now show up and find that the best seats often go to the A-list bloggers. And living at the front of the velvet rope line means the big bloggers are frequently pitched and wooed. In fact, with the influence peddling universe in this state of flux, it’s not uncommon for mainstream reporters, including the occasional technology columnist, to lobby bloggers to include links to their print articles.

While I agree with the trend that Lee Gomes is highlighting, I also think there is something even bigger going on. I agree with Dave Winer when he says:

There’s more going on here than the reporters being replaced by bloggers. It’s disintermediation, the thing that the Internet does to every business, art and profession that aggregates and repackages. Carl Sagan said that human beings are the cosmos gaining consciousness and studying itself. The tech bloggers are the tech community, the programmers, lawyers, investors, business managers, users, taking responsibility for their own cosmos. The reporters were necessary when you needed a million dollars to start a news “paper,” then a billion dollars to start a media empire. Now you need a laptop computer and an account on Blogger or MSN Spaces.

Bloggers take friction out of the news reporting process. No editors are around to slow down the process. There are also no fact checkers, which can cause problems. However, the blogosphere tends to correct for this, and, as an ecosystem, I’d wager the blogosphere gets more things right than journalists.

Anyway, it is an interesting article. Lee Gomes is one of the guys who gets it, obviously. And I just bought every print copy of the ‘Journal at the local newsstand.

[Original Article]

Microsoft CEO will have to shop for Xbox

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer will have to shop around for an Xbox 360 game console this holiday season just like the rest of us–it doesn’t come with his job.

“The Ballmer children do not have their Xbox 360 yet. I’m in the same boat as many of you,” Ballmer said. “Thanks to the wonders of Sarbanes-Oxley, management does not get a free Xbox 360,” he quipped at a meeting of technology industry executives. [read more]

Email Phishing Targets One in Four

NEW YORK (Reuters, via eWeek)�Roughly one in four U.S. Internet users are targets of phishing attacks�phony e-mails seeking personal financial data�according to a study conducted by Time Warner Inc.’s Internet unit AOL and the National Cyber Security Alliance.

In a phishing attack, e-mails ask prospective victims to verify personal information through links to real-looking Web sites. [read the rest of the article]

What Recruiters Talk About At Parties

C.M Russell talks about what recruiters talk about when job-seekers and clients aren’t around:

I went to a local SHRM holiday party last night. We dined on finger foods and talked about recruiting, job hunting and everything related. The conversation eventually turned to the quality of job applicants - specifically their resumes and writing skills.

Basically they had nothing good to say about the quality of resumes they are seeing lately. One recruiter says she sees 1 good resume out of every 25 that come across her desk. Now I’m sure she’s exaggerating a bit but her comments cast a shadow of doubt over the writing skills of many job seekers. Another recruiter commented on the overall communication skills of applicants in today’s job market. “These people can’t write properly”, she blurted. “They send in these emails and instead of writing ‘are you’ they use IM speak and say ‘R U’…it’s totally unprofessional”

This is a special message to all job hunters.

Learn how to write!

I dont like to shout but your level of writing skills are not helping you find gainful employment. Bad writing skills, typos and poor grammar are something that do not belong in your job hunt. It’s time to banish them.

So here are some tips and advice for improving your writing skills.

1. have at least 3 people proofread your resume before sending it.

2. stop using acronyms and ‘IM speak’ in your emails. Recruiters are looking for quality applicants. When you substitute ‘you’ for ‘u’ it leaves a bad first impression.

3. hire a professional resume writer. Go to PARW to find one.

4. if you cant afford a resume writer visit your local unemployment office. They usually have counselors who can assist you with your resume.

5. search the internet for writing resources and teach yourself better writing skills[read the original article]

For Skype, One More Headache Called Yahoo

The ink on the $4.1 billion eBay-Skype deal is almost dry and already competitors are lining up to rain on Skype’s parade. If the regulatory/incumbent problems were not enough, here comes news that Yahoo will soon upgrade its Messenger’s dialout/dial in features to compete with SkypeIn/SkypeOut.

Essentially what this means is that Yahoo users could use their IM client to dial-in/out to old fashioned phone networks or cellular networks, along with new SIP-based VoIP services. (By the way, Yahoo’s hasn’t announced this service officially, and a few news publications jumped the gun!) Yahoo is not “launching a brand new VoIP service, instead it is offering an upgrade to what was available and will aggressive market the service. PC Magazine has some pricing information.

Users can receive unlimited domestic calls for $2.99 a month or $29.90 a year, and they can purchase prepaid voice credit in $10 and $25 increments.

Senior Application Developer - Cisco --US-UT-Lindon

SOS Technical is seeking a Senior Application Developer who will focus on the dedicated IT environment that our company is currently running for Cisco. In addition to the other dedicated Cisco team, which includes an IT Manager and the Support specialist, you will have en extended team through the rest of our company and their services partners.

You will support customer teams to develop, improve and redesign the application architecture for Cisco. The architecture is based on IFS, Enfinity webshop, and Cognos. Training on all three environments will be provided as part of the introduction period.

Qualifications: N/A
Minimum Education Level: N/A
Career Level: N/A
Job Type: N/A
Job Status: Full Time
Compensation: Depending on Experience. SOS Technical offers a full range of benefits.

To learn more about SOS Technical, visit us at www.sostechnical.com!

To apply send a word formatted resume to: apply056@sostechnical.com

SOS Technical � Uniting Talent with Technology
SOS Technical is an Equal Opportunity Employer

SAP Business Analyst II -- US-UT/TN/NC

Location: Utah, Tennessee, or North Carolina

SOS Technical is seeking a Business Analyst who will provide process and system support to project teams designing, enhancing or implementing the company�s product. These projects can include new client implementations, internal process improvements, and general system enhancements.

A LOT of travel is involved with this position – 90% or more for the next 18 months, thereafter, only about 10%. You should plan on being on the road/overseas (Singapore) at least 3 months at a time, with 2 week breaks at home.

MUST have experience with International Shipping (bill of waiting, international shipping)

Compensation: $70 - 75K annually

To learn more about SOS Technical, visit us at www.sostechnical.com!

To apply send a word formatted resume to: apply056@sostechnical.com

SOS Technical � Uniting Talent with Technology
SOS Technical is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Senior Business Systems Analyst -- US-UT-Lindon

Senior Business Systems Analyst

Location: Lindon, Utah

SOS Technical is seeking a Senior Business Systems Analyst who will be responsible for working closely with Business Managers, Account Team Leads, and customers to create consistent reports, by gathering data, and compiling and analyzing information. Lead data driven problem-solving efforts among business management group.

Qualifications: Must be able to:
- Interface with Customer, gather requirements, etc.
- Interface with IT re: Customer needs.
- Liase between IT and Customer.
- Generate business reports
- Good business skills/understanding
- Good IT understanding.

Job Status: Full Time
Compensation: $65 - $85K/yr

To learn more about SOS Technical, visit us at www.sostechnical.com!

To apply send a word formatted resume to: apply056@sostechnical.com

SOS Technical � Uniting Talent with Technology
SOS Technical is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Utah County is Well-Employed

I am amazed at what you can find using Melissa Data.

For example, I am pleasantly suprized to learn that Utah County has a lower unemployment rate (4.0%) than the rest of the state of Utah (4.4%), and it has been steadily trending downward from 4.8% at the beginning of this year.

Salt Lake County, meanwhile, has an unemployment rate higher than the state overall, and while it is also coming down, it appears to be decending less rapidly than Utah County–though I didn’t crunch out the numbers on this one to be sure.

This is more evidence of the growing agreement among recruiters and employers that talent is getting scarce–especially in Utah. It is also evidence to my long-standing theory that the job market in Utah County doesn’t “suck”, as many will say, it is just tighter–companies already have plenty of people–what they will be hiring for in the future are better people–people who will solve problems, not just identify problems.

Looking around at companies like Funding Universe (and the localized FundingUtah) and the Junto Partners, it is clear that money is flowing out of investor pockets and into entrepreneurial ones. I love the sound of that!

Economics tells you that means our salaries should all be rising more-rapidly than those of our Salt Lake County counterparts. I don’t know for sure, but I believe there are many more opportunities in Utah County than people give us credit for–and if they’re not paying as-well now, they will be soon.

Bring it on