Wrote a batch processing front-end to REP that uses the annotated P. falciparum strain 3D7 as its test data source from PlasmoDB and processes the results. The program is written using Python and the Biopython library. The Python Regular Expression tutorial and the Python course in Bioinformatics provided essential information along the way. To ensure correctness, the results were compared against a PlasmoDB gene query for the Pfam domain.

In Biopython, processing FASTA file formats are almost trivial:

it = Bio.Fasta.Iterator(handle,
     Bio.Fasta.SequenceParser())

seq = it.next()
while seq:
    print seq.description
    print seq.seq
    seq = it.next()

The comp.lang.python newsgroup is also very helpful. And to close, here are some useful resources available online for Python and Biopython:

• Python Tutorial and Python Library Reference by Guido van Rossum.
• How to Think Like a Computer Scientist: Learning with Python by Allen Downey, for beginners.
• Dive Into Python by Mark Pilgrim, for experienced programmers.

It’s Ryan’s twenty-third birthday. Treated him to dinner at the Outback Steakhouse, followed by milkshakes at Old Dutch. Stephen and Barry joined us. We picked up Stephen’s sister, Mandy, afterwards and eventually ended up at the Bonanza Lounge for karaoke. It was my first time at a Karaoke Bar.

Mandy is quite cute. In fact, I’m a little jealous because our birthday boy got to have all the fun with her. She even sang him a special song. Anyway, the crowd that evening was great and I had an excellent time. I’m fortunate to have good friends like Ryan.

Brooke Schnyder contacted me promptly at one to begin the thirty minute Microsoft phone interview. Brooke is part of the Human Resources department and my interview was consequently non-technical. I didn’t mind. I’m not sure how I did. Subjective interviews like these are difficult for me to assess. Regardless, if nothing else comes out of this, I’ll at least have some more interviewing experience under by belt.

The Microsoft college interview process is somewhat of an enigma, so here’s a quick summary of the kinds of questions I was asked, to give you an idea of the nature of questioning you’re in for at the first phase. Some are obvious, some are there to make sure that you did the minimal amount of company research before applying, and others are reasonable curve balls:

• What type of position are you considering?
• Why do you think Microsoft is a good match for you?
• Why did you choose your field? How did you become interested in computers?
• Why did you choose to attend the college that you did?
• What college course did you find the most challenging and how do you think your college experience will prepare you for a job at Microsoft?
• Why did you become a Teaching Assistant?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• What are you looking for in a job?
• Pick a Microsoft product to which you believe you can make the greatest contribution.
• Choose three programming languages that you consider yourself to be an expert in.
• Choose three areas of study that you consider yourself to be an expert in.

And so on. Basically, the phone interview is a way for Microsoft to determine what area of development you would best fit into. If they think I’m a good match, the next step will be to fly over to Redmond and interview with a hiring manager as well as several other Microsoft employees. Phase two. Here’s to hoping.