Little did I know I was in the presence of a truly genius.
No - just another lonely guy in a chair in front of a keyboard with an attitude!

Funny... I thought you were an an independent consulant? Is this is the case why do people hire you? Probably because you add value to their existing teams?
Much of my work is for "custom" software houses - I also book "end-user" projects - in those cases - when I deal directly with the customer [end-user] - the team is me and the staff.

In software shops - there are two kinds - one kind has programmers that have so much to do that they hire for new projects because they are too busy - the other kind has programmers - but they are really help-desk technicians - the project developers usually get canned (they're expensive) when the project is done.

Funny how I have seen a number of very bright people attending sessions at conferences.
Smart people are usually where the shrimp and cresantes' abide. Were any steamers near by?


Heck aroun a month ago I was in a seminar that attended by Charles Petzold. I bet he's a lot smarter than you and I combined yet he is attending a seminar.
I am sure he is - look at how you suck up to him!:-)

It's too bad the demand isn't there any more.
There's demand - I don't go to seminars - so I spend a lot of time flogging unreasonable code through my desk top - It breaks 99% of the tiem - but that one percent sure makes me feel like I am almost as cool as the guy - in Redmond - with the shrimp schluffing out his alimentary input port - as he listens - seemingly attentively - to the seminars.

This is transference of accountability. Developers are responsible for keeping up with the times.
What does "keeping up with the times", mean? Does it mean learning how to do more with what you got - or maintain a modicom of broadbased mediocrity - and spread out the mediocrity to a brand new platform?

You look different - wheres the beard?