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Not sure if our little "vote for this bug" scheme was the cause of this, but it looks like Sun is finally starting to realize they need to do something to improve HotSwap to keep up the pace. Check out the forum entry and provide feedback.
If there was only one bug/feature request everyone should care about, this. The expansion of HotSwap support is required for Java to stay cutting edge. Java will get passed up if it continues to require that entire web apps be redeployed after each individual class change. Please vote for this bug and pass it on to your friends. And if you don't know what HotSwap is, vote for this bug and then try it out in your favorite IDE.
For more info, see Keith Lea's blog entry.
My friend Auren Hoffman suggested I check out karmaOne. Like LinkedIn, the idea is to use the power of the social network to refer people to open jobs. Using referral rewards as incentive and requiring candidates already be employed, this approach is a bit different than LinkedOn. On top of that, LinkedIn uses connections that are much stronger than karmaOne. That is, in LinkedIn you actually have to know the person you are referring to (this person may be a strong or weak tie).
In karmaOne, the traditional strong and weak ties are used, but there is a new kind of connection being utilized: a person merely needs to be connected to you by reading your blog. I think this approach is interesting, as some of my best contacts I've made in the past were through blog-reading. There is a lot more of a social dynamic to reading someone's blog than I think we give credit for, and it sounds like karmaOne has recognized that and is trying to capitalize on it.
The blog connections are interesting, but don't represent the core of karmaOne. More importantly, they feel that the best candidates for a job are those that already have a job. And with that, they actually don't allow people who are unemployed to use their service. I find this approach interesting (though a little sad for the guy just laid off).
I present the first selection of job openings sent my way. Let's see how it works out: