Just putting in a last minute pitch for a good thing:

There’s a FREE Web conference going on this weekend in Raleigh, NC that covers Flex, ColdFusion, AIR, JavaScript, CSS, Ajax, and other web goodness.  The schedule looks good, there’s a networking party Saturday evening, and the hotel rate is decent.  So go.

And bring your business cards…  the next time I’m asked if I know any web gurus looking for work I need some names and numbers. 

I had a very strange thing happen to me today.  One of my old friends called me to see how I was doing and he asked if I knew any db workers looking for a job.  I had to kind of stop for a moment and pinch myself.  Many of you probably know where I’m coming from when I say that I know a LOT of good IT folks who have lost their jobs over the last year and are still unemployed.  I heard earlier today that many states are seeing unemployment over 11%, so hearing that a good paying job wasn’t bringing in loads of applications seemed odd.  It turns out that the job just hasn’t been advertised much, and my friend needs someone good to work with so I’ll do my part and try to get a few more applicants headed to HR so he has a better shot of getting someone with some decent skills.

The job is in Philadelphia, PA.  Pay is $60 - $65k

Here’s the job posting
Here’s their main job openings page

Well, Keith saw this too.. The keynote at the 2004 FlashForward in SF stuck in my mind, so when I saw mention of the laser projector on engadget it reminded me of Bill Buxton demoing the little projector from Symbol.

Maybe Buxton wasn't far off when he predicted "$10/sq ft. for 100dpi" within five years (and that was two years ago).

Now go look at the little tiny laser projector and maybe you'll wonder why they had to make it look like a minature projector.. it's like.. a mini-me projector..

So if you're into road racing and enjoy seeing cars that turn right instead of just left OR if you're into motorcycle racing then check this out.. a new track on the East coast of the US. And even better, it's close to me, so I won't have to haul my motorcycle as far for track days.

From what I've gathered it's designed primarily for the NASCAR teams to practice on, so it mimics some of the difficult turns on the tracks that they frequent. It's within 45 minutes or so from most of the NASCAR teams, so I suspect they'll be on there testing a good bit. The site says it's designed for "world class" motorcycle events as well, but from the looks of the layout it looks kind of scary to me. I mean it doesn't have the wide runoff areas that the new F1/MotoGP tracks being built these days have (see the Losail circuit built in Qatar for $58mil). If you followed the return of MotoGP to the US last year you might remember that there were lots of changes made to Laguna Seca for safety before MotoGP would even run a race on it.. and there were still lots of complaints from the riders about the track not being safe. But.. . maybe the track map just doesn't show the runoff areas. It does show a good bit of open space around the track (a few trees look kind of close to the track though) so maybe some of that space will be used for gravel runoff areas.

Notice that there's little or no mention of spectator seating or amenities on the layout.. kind of like VIR or Carolina Motorsports park.. or Barber.. this ain't no Bristol or Lowe's motor speedway. It's built for the drivers/riders and those watching on tv. Look on the track map for grandstands - none. (I'm assuming there will be some small grandstands, just not shown yet..)

The site is all in Flash.. not sure why.. but that might be part of the reason it's almost invisible on Google so long after it being released. I had to really hunt for it to find it... so I'm bumping it up a bit here. So note this you Flash designers out there.. this site doesn't even show up in the top 20 for searches like - raceway salisbury nc -,or - road racing track nc -. Bet it will soon though..

(( this post was about the original web site for the track.. I've updated the link below to the new web site ))
Here's the site for High Rock International Raceway in Salisbury (or Spencer ?), NC

OH.. and I wonder if you'll be able to see that back strait from I-85.. it would be a riot to go down that back strait and look over at the wide eyed motorists only 200' or so away (if the map is to scale).

**edited 8/10/08 to add that the zoning board in Spencer approved the plans for the track.. it's moving forward **