[sabio]

I've been wondering if you got a chance to travel in your jobs, as a IT professional ? Let's say you're a programmer, do you always work in one place or you travel across your country, continent, world ? Please describe your trips as a IT worker.

[gabehabe]

There are places... outside my office?

This post has been edited by gabehabe: 21 February 2011 - 05:14 AM

[tlhIn`toq]

I've been to about 30 US States and 10+ foreign countries as part of my employment.
If there was time I took photos that you are welcome to check out.
http://web.me.com/tl..._countries.html

This post has been edited by tlhIn`toq: 21 February 2011 - 07:28 AM

[Craig328]

I've travelled for things like customer site installs and such. I went to Mexico City twice last year for a consulting contract and I have to say I very much enjoyed that trip. Other than that, travel for work = commuting.

[macosxnerd101]

I travel more as a salesman. I've become quite familiar with O(2^n * n^2) as a result.

[tlhIn`toq]

macosxnerd101, on 21 February 2011 - 10:17 AM, said:

I travel more as a salesman. I've become quite familiar with O(2^n * n^2) as a result.

Huh? O² ?? Oxygen. Or the lack thereof in some places?

[macosxnerd101]

Oxygen is O₂. Look up the travelling salesman problem.

[sabio]

tlhIn`toq, on 21 February 2011 - 07:27 AM, said:

I've been to about 30 US States and 10+ foreign countries as part of my employment.
If there was time I took photos that you are welcome to check out.
http://web.me.com/tl..._countries.html

Wow. Great pictures. Could I ask what kind of job it was during your trips ?

[tlhIn`toq]

Software Engineer. Code monkey. Whichever you prefer.
The company I work for builds tourist attraction and theme park souvenir photo systems. Ya know when you go on a roller coaster or zip line and get your photo taken? That's us.

So I get paid to develop camera controls systems, photo display walls, client/server sales systems, integrate with existing park ticketing systems, use RFID tags and various sensors, blah blah blah.

Go to the theme park. Ride the roller coast. Install the camera system.
Ride the coaster
Adjust the camera
Ride the coaster
Adjust the camera
[Lather, rinse, repeat]
[Next ride]
Ride the log flume
Adjust the camera
Ride the log flume
Adjust the camera
...
Ride the zip line
Adjust the camera
...

Find ways to install cameras in places and on rides where people say it can't be done. That's the fun stuff. Finding ways of overcoming challenges. The ride is in a cave with no power. It's over a crocodile pit. They splash through a waterfall. Its a chairlift 200' off the ground. Its a cable-car with curving acrylic sides...

[no2pencil]

tlhIn`toq, on 26 February 2011 - 08:51 PM, said:

The company I work for builds tourist attraction and theme park souvenir photo systems.

I actually had an idea for an adjustment / web 2.0 update for these.

At cedar point there is a huge problem with people not paying for their photos. Everytime you get off the ride & go to check out your photo, I hear the employees yelling at the people not to take photos with their cell phones. They are taking a photo of the photo & thus not paying for them. So I had an idea that what if they were to a discounted price, maybe even at a kiosk that allows them to post their photo on Facebook, or with a file sharing site & then it sports a Tweet onto Twitter. As long as the machines are online, it shouldn't be terribly difficult to add.

Oh, & on topic, I've held booths at computer show/ham fests selling parts from repairs, software, repaired gaming systems at Computer Shows in Cleveland Ohio, Forte Wayne Indiana, & Chicago Illinois. Not terribly glamorous, but fun all the same!

[mostyfriedman]

damn nice pic tlhIn`toq, I always wanted to go to Dubai.

[creativecoding]

tlhIn`toq, on 26 February 2011 - 06:51 PM, said:

Software Engineer. Code monkey. Whichever you prefer.
The company I work for builds tourist attraction and theme park souvenir photo systems. Ya know when you go on a roller coaster or zip line and get your photo taken? That's us.

So I get paid to develop camera controls systems, photo display walls, client/server sales systems, integrate with existing park ticketing systems, use RFID tags and various sensors, blah blah blah.

Go to the theme park. Ride the roller coast. Install the camera system.
Ride the coaster
Adjust the camera
Ride the coaster
Adjust the camera
[Lather, rinse, repeat]
[Next ride]
Ride the log flume
Adjust the camera
Ride the log flume
Adjust the camera
...
Ride the zip line
Adjust the camera
...

Find ways to install cameras in places and on rides where people say it can't be done. That's the fun stuff. Finding ways of overcoming challenges. The ride is in a cave with no power. It's over a crocodile pit. They splash through a waterfall. Its a chairlift 200' off the ground. Its a cable-car with curving acrylic sides...

Sounds like a load of free rides.

[tlhIn`toq]

no2pencil, on 26 February 2011 - 08:21 PM, said:

At cedar point there is a huge problem with people not paying for their photos. Everytime you get off the ride & go to check out your photo, I hear the employees yelling at the people not to take photos with their cell phones. They are taking a photo of the photo & thus not paying for them. So I had an idea that what if they were to a discounted price, maybe even at a kiosk that allows them to post their photo on Facebook, or with a file sharing site & then it sports a Tweet onto Twitter. As long as the machines are online, it shouldn't be terribly difficult to add.

We are not the technology provider for Cedar Point. Like any business, there is more than one company that makes Ride Photo systems. Our most direct competitors are Kodak and Fuji. They have deep pockets but are primarily interested in getting into a park for the rights to the giftshop so they can sell branded batteries, disposable cameras, memory cards and so on.

We are more interested in actually creating the best ride photography systems available. We update cameras in our parks ever year or two. OTher hardware as needed. I can't imagine how so many of these parks accept 3-5mp cameras in today's world. Our current round of deployed cameras are 10-18mp.

We resolved the problem of guests photographing the display walls years ago. We display a ghosted logo of the park over the guest photo on all display walls. The problem with Cedar Park and many others is 'you get what you pay for'. They buy the least expensive system on the market, or have someone from their own AV department rig something with the camera maker OEM software and Windows slide show. It might have been cheap to install but cost 10x in lost revenue. I've used this same problem of guests photography display walls to show sites how our more expensive system actually is cheaper by the end of the first year.

Our sales stations allow guest photos to be sold as printed photos, save to USB/disc, email attachment, cell phone MMS. This year we added a multi-camera array that shoots a 6-12 image 3D photo. That can be output to Lenticual media or an email/file animated .gif.

This post has been edited by tlhIn`toq: 27 February 2011 - 07:52 AM

[JackOfAllTrades]

Dammit, I want a SW job where I get paid to ride roller coasters and the like! That's like a TRUE Dream In Code for me!

[tlhIn`toq]

JackOfAllTrades, on 28 February 2011 - 07:30 AM, said:

Dammit, I want a SW job where I get paid to ride roller coasters and the like! That's like a TRUE Dream In Code for me!

Like all software engineer jobs 90% of it is sitting on my ass in front of a keyboard.
I only get sent out to sites if there is something unusual where I have to code on site, like integrating with an existing POS or ticketing system. Or if it is a big job and it is "all hands on deck" at which point I become an installer again, hanging on the outside of some ride running wire or chest deep in water - and avoiding big ass spiders.

When I have to trap spiders with a 12" fry pan lid, I'm in the wrong country.