I've hired a bunch of technology folks, and been acquainted with a hundred more. They all tend to have something in common, and it’s fairly easy to spot in a job interview. What I look for are people that live and breathe technology. With a few simple questions you can sort the posers from the real thing. Here are some examples: Do you have your own home network? Bonus points for having a server. Double bonus points for knowing what “flashing the firmware” on a router means (a geek will know, even if they’ve never actually done it themselves).  Anyone

Back when I was a young pup starting out in the late 80s, I had a freelance graphic design and computer consulting business that specialized in desktop publishing. I was either doing the design or production work myself, or I was setting up desktop publishing departments at other companies. I’ve always been interested in technology, so early on I had CompuServe and AOL accounts, used bulletin board systems and other early technologies. In my circle of friends, acquaintances and business associates, I was the first person to “see” the World Wide Web in the early 90s. There wasn’t much to