Ooochie: A Ruby Developer’s Journal

For as long as I can remember, I've loved VW busses. I knew that at some point in my life I would own one, but it was always one of those dreams that I thought would happen "someday." Well, folks, this is a story about how "someday" sometimes comes a lot sooner than you expect.

Earlier this summer, I happened to be perusing the classifieds (as I often do) and found a beautiful 1973 bus for sale about 15 minutes from where I live. Not only was it 'ooochie orange', but it had automatic transmission and was in really great shape for a 40 year old vehicle. Of course, we went to see it the following day, and it was officially ours a week later. It is *so* much fun to cruise around in, and I'm looking forward to making improvements and roadtripping all over the place in this thing. I mean, just look at it and try not to smile!

You're smiling right? I know I am. :) :) :) :) :) :)

Hmm I wrote this article ages ago, but apparently never posted it (insert apologies for neglecting my blog here). Here's another tasty morsel from my Intellectual Property class:

Non-Compete Clauses

Often when you work as a contractor, or even sometimes as a full-time employee, companies include non-compete clauses or agreements in the paperwork you have to sign. A Non-Compete basically says, "if you leave this company you cannot go to work for one of our competitors." But did you know that it's extremely difficult to enforce a Non-Compete? Courts don't like to enforce them because they put people out of work, thus taking away their livelihood. In order to successfully enforce a Non-Compete, Company A must be able to prove that the employee is giving Company B, their competitor, Company A's trade secrets. Just the desire to avoid competition is not enough to put your ex-employees out of work.

P.S. Just like before, please note that this information applies to United States law. Would love to hear how this works in other parts of the world!

It's official, I'll be attending RailsConf this year in Baltimore! I didn't get to go last year since I was out of the country, so I'm looking forward to getting back in touch this year. (And being a student certainly pays off... the student discount was a very pleasant surprise!) I also plan on checking out the Ignite RailsConf event which looks like an interesting addition to the program this year. Hope to see you there! :)