I know news travels fast, but I’m betting there are some folks out there who haven’t heard yet: As of this past Monday, October 30th, I no longer work for AOL. My position was eliminated as part of the ongoing layoffs. Now, you know. So, what does this mean for me?
I truly believe in the cliché that “every time one door closes, another one opens.” This is a tremendous opportunity for me as part of my continuous evaluation of my life. It gives me a moment to think clearly and pursue choices that weren’t as convenient before. I can make a serious attempt at getting Panoptic (my mostly idle consulting business) finally into gear. I can explore new employment opportunities. I can even work on some of the more risky business ventures that I’ve been sitting on for quite some time.
With regard to AOLserver, I was passionate about it before joining AOL and will remain involved with it long after. I firmly believe in the technology’s capability as well as the growing community of users and supporters of it. Through Panoptic, I even hope to be able to spend more time devoted to AOLserver, now that I “own my own time” again.
What all this means is that if you have a project in mind that you think might be a good fit for me, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’d be happy to either bid on the work in response to your RFP, or work out a reasonable hourly rate and work with you on a time and materials basis, or entertain other possibilities. Nothing is out of the question at this point: the opportunities are endless.
Tags:
AOL,
layoffs,
Dossy Shiobara,
Panoptic,
AOLserver
Programmer, husband, father, singer, guitarist, tinkerer, reverse engineer, strange, and living in New Jersey. 
I’m sad to see you go! It was great seeing your passion across the listservs and bouncing ideas off of you. I’ll be on the lookout for what you’ll be doing next! And as they say in Jr. High … Don’t be a stranger, I mean K.I.T!!!!
Hey Dossy,
How about leveraging some of those musical talents? I have room for a quitarist and vocalist in the new band I am forming that will take Reston, VA and NYC by storm later next year by which time I should actually be able to play the guitar myself.
Since you go by and are well known by one name, “Dossy”, you already have part of what it takes to make it in this realm.
Anyway, good luck. I am looking forward to more froth in your postings. The post about Halloween retailer or something to that affect was useful but come on…
Your friend
Julio Hernandez-Miyares
The fact that you still want to work with AOLserver says a lot about your character (positive, I mean). I was sad to hear you departed from AOL. You had helped me once with AOL’s email, and I knew you were dedicated just from reading your listserv emails. I wish you the best with whatever paths you decide to take.
Good luck. Hopefully you’ve gotten a nice fat severance package to go along with that layoff, too.
Also, be careful of the loneliness in the land of the consultant. Yon hurricane pushed me off the cliff into fulltime consulting and going to work clientsite is for me a really good way to stay sane. You’ve got family and all that, so you’re better off than me when trying it (I live with a dog, and that’s it). ;)