'the OPML sketch of who I am and how I got here'

As I've already mentioned, I had the pleasure of meeting a certain gentleman by the name of Dennis E. Hamilton earlier this week. He's a fascinating chap.  As we were talking it became apparent to me he was a true hacker - one of the originals. Dennis started programming in 1958 while working at Boeing as an engineer, spent some time admin'ing the UW computer systems and a bunch more. What I loved is not only his in depth knowledge of programming languages (including some I've never even heard of), but also how he's kept totally up to date with the latest stuff. He's still a 'hacker' in the original sense of the word.

As a continuation of the meetup, he's just written a cool post on the 'Aha' moments of programming and provides some advice for some wannabie coders. Worth checking out if you're looking for some pointers.

Anyway, what made me laugh is this opening line to that post:

"At Tuesday’s East Side Meetup, Alex Barnett asked me to give the OPML sketch of who I am and how I got here. After a 20-minute ramble (at least), I managed to spill out some version of my 47-year career in computing and my love for software development."  

I don't remember phrasing it that way. Maybe I did - we had just been discussing OPML before I asked. I think what I actually asked was - 'can you give me the outline of your professional career'. But think - an actual OPML file describing of who I am and how I got here. What a cool idea. I think I'll try that.

-

Tags: OPML