Microserfs

"Microserfs" is a very interesting story that covers the lives of young Microsoft employees. Almost all of the 'coders' were very young people; usually in their mid-twenties. They work very long days trying to meet the shipping deadline, which Dan says they will never make it in time. Also throughout the story Dan, the narrator, talks about how wonderful Bill (Gates) is. It is almost as if Bill is some magical person who watches everything that goes on. At one point in the story, Michael (a normal coder like Dan) has lunch with Bill and is told he is leaving 'campus' for a different project. It is very interesting to see the different levels of popularity in the company, and how the employees interact.
In "Microserfs" we also learn about Dan's life. His little brother drown at the age of 12 in a boating accident. Then his dad loses his job at IBM, which he handles very poorly. His dad is very depressed about his job situation and the fact that his son is dead. It is a tough situation for everybody involved.
As a whole I thought this was a very good read. It was very unique to see how a company is run through the view of a normal employee. Being able to understand the personal lives of the Microsoft programmers was also a nice aspect to the story. It goes to show that life is not easy, even for millionaires.

Interview Photos

For my interview, I interviewed Patrick Rowen of RowenSpeedMotorsports. My interview of him was done over the phone and Patrick's business is run at home, so for my images I have some pictures of his successful eBay store, and some products he is selling. The top 2 pictures are his eBay store. He sells used auto parts, and so far has an impressive positive feedback rating of 100% on 224 total ratings! Customer care is very important to him, because he wants them to get good service and quality products.
The bottom two pictures show two of his prducts; On the bottom is an engine block for a Honda Accord at an affordable price of $450, On the top is a 2-pack of sockets which are specially made for being able to get access to bolts in hard-to-reach places. These are two typical products he would sell, both in the eBay Motors section.