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Well. I've really slacked off writing this lately. Sorry! I can't even say things have gotten busy at work, because they haven't. We've gotten a little more specifications, but nothing really concrete yet. And the project is almost done. Whee!

I had a real Dilbert moment yesterday though. The task manager guy (manages teams of programmers) comes into my office, asks if now is a good time to have a meeting with me and the other guy on the project. Why, of course! We go to have the meeting, and as soon as he starts talking, I know he's trying to translate something a stupid person has told him. He doesn't like it, but he's trying.

He wants the program to do something when the client first connects, "In case they want to use some different protocol. You know, not TCP/IP."

The other guy on the project and I exchange glances. "Like what?" I'll admit to being really concerned, and somewhat confused at this point. Why would they not what to use TCP/IP?

The task manager closed his eyes momentarily, and shuddered. "They were thinking of maybe using XML instead of TCP/IP.". In an instant, my worry is gone, replaced by the urge to laugh hysterically. If this makes sense to you, it's similar to someone saying, "Can you make it so I can use a different utensil other than a fork to eat my meal with? I may want to use a recipe."

So, after we'd reassured the manager that they were just flinging buzzwords around in the hopes of saying something useful, I got to go back to my office and be vaguely amazed that someone actually said that.

What else... I got mail from the company I mentioned in the last scribbling. Liz and I had gotten a message on the answering machine on Wednesday or so with a phone number and case number that we could call and use if we wanted to get our situation "resolved". I was feeling unduly optimistic, so I called the number. They gave me the wrong number. All this does is further convince me that the staff of rhymes-with-BEERS is mostly made of morons.

So, yesterday I got a letter from the rhymes-with-BEERS people. I don't have it with me, so I'm going to have to paraphrase. It basically said that they had tried "multiple times" to get in touch with my by phone but had failed. Okay, look. I got one message on the home answering machine, and none at work. And I had to give these nincompoops both numbers before the feedback form would be accepted. So if they made multiple attempts, they must have done it via the Psychic Friends people, because it wasn't to any of the numbers I gave them.

It goes on to say that they'd like to solve the problem, and they give me a long-distance number I can call with my case number to try to resolve things. Now, why doesn't this sound promising? I don't want to have to pay long distance charges, most likely during the week in the day, to try to explain to some rhymes-with-BEERS phone drone why I think their corporate sales structure has more holes in it than the USS Arizona. Nope, sorry, not gonna happen. But I may go back to the web site and submit my case number and ask for them to really give it the old college try to contact me this time. We'll see how it goes.