I’m actually having a lot of fun with the RentACoder site that I wrote about earlier.  A lot of the requests are pretty “entertaining”, to say the least.  One request I looked at was for a VB.NET class that could handle database access for updating data, retrieving information, etc.  Upon closer reading of the request, though, it was apparent that the guy has no clue what he really wants or what’s involved.  Also, he mentioned that he promised a client he’d build this functionality by Monday.  Awesome.

I ended up finding a request I liked, though.  Someone wanted an application that allowed them to schedule backups of SQL Server databases and email someone after the backup to notify them if it worked or not.  Optionally, the requestor wanted the ability to then archive a week’s worth of database backups into a .ZIP file on a schedule as well.

I had code already for backing up databases and I had a custom stored procedure I’ve used in the past for sending SMTP messages via a SQL stored procedure, so I figured I’d give it a try.  I just finished making the code for creating the job and scheduling it in the Job Agent on SQL.  So now I’m just doing some testing and need to make a basic deployment script and an interface.  The project just needs to be done by January 31, so I figure I’ll add a few neat bells and whistles just for fun.  I’m asking $30 for the project ($5 of which is the cut RentACoder gets).  I feel a little bad charging so much for it… especially since you can basically do the entire thing with existing SQL tools and wizards…. but if I add in some spiffy error-handling and make a nice clean interface, I think it’ll be worth it.  Plus, it gives me a new stored procedure he can use for sending mail via SQL if he wants.  Seems like a good deal, I think.

I’m competing with over a dozen other people, though… so we’ll see if I get it.   Even if I don’t, though, it was a fun excercise to do.

RentACoder has a unique concept, I think.  Developers and coders sign up and bid for work.  Lowest bidder gets it.  They work with the customer to get required information, update status reports as the project goes on, and they get rated on how well they get the job done.  Similarly, the person paying for the work will be rated by the person doing the work.

This way, businesses can find people with a good reputation to get the work done. To get reputation, people have to take on jobs they might not get involved with otherwise.  Pretty neat.

What I didn’t like about the site, though, is their exams.  If you specialize in certain things, you can use a partner site, ExpertRating, to take a 40-question test in 40 minutes.  If you pass, it shows up on your RentACoder profile so people know you have above-average skills in the topic.   It’s $25 for each test and is $10 if you want to retake the test within 2 days.

I took the SQL Server 2000 exam and only scored a 55%.  Passing but appalling. It was well below what I was expecting.  They ask some pretty archaic questions, so I’m not totally surprised, but I was definitely disappointed in the exam.  I actually wrote to the exam people and complained about the relevancy and, in some cases, the accuracy of some of their questions.

I doubt I’ll be taking any more of their exams any time soon. At least not until they do more relevant questioning.

It frustrates me, though…. So many of their questions were things you get out of studying a book made to prep you for tests like this but never deal with in real life.

Example:  One question relied on you knowing that you can only have a maximum of 1028 columns in a SQL Server table. 

Chances are, though, if you know that useless 1028 column trivia, it’s because you (a) took tests like that rather than going out and actually DOING work on SQL or (b) you did the work but you are such a retard, you actually ran into that limitation.  Either way, if a candidate I was interviewing knew that, I’d at least be suspicious.

In the real world, there’s no f’ing way a customer is going to (a) request or (b) pay for a table with 1028 columns…  I had to look up the maximum columns on Google, which is fine, but most of the test is designed for stuff that you are supposed to just know rathing than stuff you’re going to look up.  That’s why you only get a minute per question.

There were at least a few questions totally rigged, though… one used double-quotes instead of single-quotes for something… which totally changed their Select statements.  Another question depended on the database using a non-default language setting, which was case-sensitive.  That’s why I dislike those sorts of exams….  I end up struggling with what I know the answer to be versus what I’m supposed to choose for the test…  At least with more informal testing that gets reviewed by someone, you can back up your answers a bit.  Unfortunately, that isn’t the case with multiple choice questions.

The good news is that ExpertRating isn’t exactly some highly rated site in the real world.  The bad news is, I basically got conned out of $25 for a worthless test.  Ah, well.  Live and learn, right?

[UPDATE:  I got annoyed at having such a low score, so I paid $10 more just to retake the thing.  Hey, even though I think the exam is complete inconsequential, I don’t want to have my good name sullied by some third-rate exam site.  Anyhow, I got a 60% this time.  The interesting part — aside from apparently unlearing some of the material I had gotten right the first time I took the test — was that now it shows me as being ahead of 40% of the other people who have taken the test.  So now I’m just about at “mediocre” status, eh? Whatever. I’m not spending any more money on that site. For real this time.]

Ok… I have conceded at last. I’m going to learn ASP.NET

Not that it’s that hard, but — until recently — I haven’t really wanted to do any work with it.  It just seemed like a waste of time.

So what’s changed? Well, for starters, the company I work for is going down the path of getting more of their development done by contractors. In and of itself, that’s not a big deal. Tonight I met one of the guys who will be doing some of the contract work, though.

I was actually impressed. He was a young guy, but was already the Director of IT at a company and had extensive experience with enterprise-level solutions. We talked a bit about the project we’d be working on together and a little about .NET 2.0, SQL Server 2005, etc. Quite a knowledgable guy, actually… And he mentioned that he had some friends who were at our disposal if we needed anyone for performance-tuning, SQL development, or pretty much anything else.

…and that’s when it happened. I felt that competitive spark within me flicker a bit….

And what happened then…?
Well…in Who-ville they say
that the Grinch’s small heart
Grew three sizes that day!

…or something like that. I’ve needed something to work towards and someone to learn from. Granted, this situation still doesn’t quite do that as well as if I was in a development shop working with talented folks every day, but I’ll certainly settle for a reasonable approximation to it for the time being, I suppose.

I look forward to seeing what this guy and his buddies can do — if only so I can attempt to learn from and then surpass them soon.

I don’t understand why everyone fusses over C#.NET so much.   I haven’t really found anything to do with it that I can’t readily do with VB.NET.  Even Microsoft says there’s really not much of a difference between the two…

In talking with Josh about it, I guess the big benefit of it is just that it’s in the C-style of programming, which some folks find easier to read/understand.  It’s very hard for me to get behind a language just because of formatting, though…

The best quote I’ve seen related to this topic so far is:

“…the brutal truth is that the CLR enforces commonality and language is a lifestyle choice.”

I’ve always wanted to have my own WhereIsKevin.com — even though someone managed to buy that domain before me.

Basically, though, I think it would be interesting to have my own personal mapping site that tracks me via GPS.  Blog entries, pictures, etc. could be geocoded and linked to my current position.  That way, if I’m at a place I’m bookmarked on my site, you’ll see some snapshots and whatnot.  Or maybe if I’m at work, it could display my phone number at the office but if I’m at home, it could display my cell phone number…

It’s not a completely new idea, of course… I think Flickr and some others use geocoding these days.  I’m just looking for something personal and specific to me.  Plus, even though my mapping page currently ties in with Google Maps, I’d prefer to make my own custom map. That way, I don’t need to hit up Google’s servers and I can also protect my privacy a bit more.

Anyhow, I’ve recorded the coordinates for my most-frequented spots… so I just need to find a good way of doing some dynamic plotting.  I’m not too good with web-based languages, so it might take a bit.  Should be fun, though.  In the end, I plan on having my basemap made to look a bit like a simplistic treasure map.  I’ll also probably get it to calculate things like distance and direction, so I can show whether I’m headed away from or to a bookmarked location and maybe even if I’ve been there for a while.

If anyone feels like helping me with this, let me know either here or via email.