Starting to weblog for real!

My name is Derek Kivi. I work at the Grid Research Centre at the University of Calgary as a Grid Research Programmer. We are investigating the subject of grid computing.

Prior to that, I worked for Virtualwind (a subsidiary of RWDI) for 3 years developing software to simulate the flow of wind around bridges and buildings. Before that, I worked at CFX in Waterloo, Ontario for a little over a year working on computational fluid dynamics software. I worked at CFX prior to them being acquired by ANSYS. My first job out of university was with Codefast, where I worked to develop an editor interface to their software productivity tools.

I have degrees in Physics and Computer Science from the University of Calgary. Two of my jobs have managed to benefit from both of these degrees. That has come as a surprise since I had figured when I completed my Physics degree that I wouldn’t use it any more.

I am starting this weblog for several reasons. First is to practise writing on a regular basis. My goal is to write a post a day for a year. Second, several sources I have read recently, including Penelope Trunk at Brazen Careerist suggest that blogging is essential for a good career. Third, I hope to be able to express several ideas that I have thought about recently regarding software development, grid computing, and other related areas.