How about rigging a bite switch to the ubikey (either directly or via something like a raspberry pi / beagle bone). That's assuming that the only issue with the ubikey is you pressing the button.
Maybe (if it has an rpi) it needs a sequence. Bite. Pause. Bite bite. Pause. Bite. Etc.
I suspect you'd need someone to build it for you but I doubt there is a shortage of capable or willing people here. Sadly, my electronics skills are not up to it :(
I'm always impressed by people with accessibility issues using technology (or whatever is the correct term - sorry if that's at all offensive :( ). I've managed to make one of my apps a lot more useful to blind/partial sighted people after talking to a guy who can't see. It took me about 30 mins, and made the world of difference to him.
Exactly. Freelancing has a lot more control, but less money, and you bid on jobs like an agency would.
Contracting is basically a full time job, but you own the company, can claim expenses / equipment / etc, and otherwise, it works like a normal paid job. You dont, EVER, bid on jobs, you get hired for a set period. Companies like this as it's an _operational_ expense not a HR expense, and chances are, they have a hiring freeze :)
I think a lot of people, especially @jangosteve, mistake freelancing for contracting.
I've been in London for 6 years, I've contracted for 5 of those (architect position at the BBC was "only available is it was full time". In hind sight, I shouldn't have taken it). I've been out of work for a total of 6 days in 6 years (took a week to get a contract after a 3 month holiday). I started my first contract within 6 days of landing in the country (nothing prearranged)
Freelancing is when you go from short term contract to short term contract, or you quote/bid for work. They can be 2-5 days a week, for maybe a month or less. For that I agree you need to pimp yourself like @jangosteve says, because you are moving so much. You are basically a 1 (wo)man consultancy.
I don't do this (except for my "on the side" mobile stuff). Too inconsistent.
But if you are a back-end dev (or front end, just to a slightly lesser degree) you can stay in the same place for _years_, or until you get bored of it. 3-6 months is a normal minimum, at least in the .net space which I'm in.
Unless you are useless. Then you're likely to get turfed out quickly.
Where I am at the moment, I've been there for 3 years (nearly). Last place I was there for 2 including some as a full timer. I've done moonlighting (apps, websites) at the same time. One of the guys I work with has been there for 8 years. I'm sure HMRC should have something to say about it, but no one is looking.
I'd normally want to move on after 2, just to keep fresh, but I do the same with FT jobs.
I'd be very hesitant about taking a FT position anymore. You can be fired with 1 months notice, and you get 4 weeks holiday, and maybe 75% of the wages _with tax removed before you get it_.
Contracting, I get no notice (this has only happened once when the customer literally ran out of money), but usually 28 days. I don't get paid if I'm sick, but I keep myself healthy and allow for 2 weeks sick and 6 weeks holiday a year. I have insurance to cover if I get REALLY sick.
I usually take closer to 8 weeks holiday a year. Sometimes between contracts, sometimes during them (usually during, but not at the same time)
For me, contracting is an easy way to work. The paperwork overhead with a system like freeagent is TRIVIAL if you have a half decent accountant (cough mine is great cough maslins.co.uk). Make sure you have a bit of a buffer in case you DO have issues getting work or a client pays late (if they pay late consistently, fire their arse)
So:
1. Get a limited company, and a good accountant
2. Get indemnity insurance (you need it anyway)
3. Get used to being called by recruiters who you'd like to slap with a fish
4. DO IT
I think a lot of people, especially @jangosteve, mistake freelancing for contracting.
The way you're using the term "contracting" is not the way everyone does. What you're talking about is short-term, fixed-term contracts, and otherwise sounds a lot like disguised employment, and as you mentioned HMRC might have something to say about that if they had time. However, there are plenty of other models for contract work that don't have the structure and limitations you described but are still clearly contracting rather than employment.
The way you're using the term "contracting" is not the way everyone does.
Different locations refer to contracting differently and this is part of the issue when people talk about contracting and freelancing. You need to work out the location in which they are referring to.
In London and the UK this is indeed how people use the term “contracting”. London has a whole market built around “contracting” the way nicwise describes.
In London and the UK this is indeed how people use the term “contracting”
It's how some people in London and the UK use the term and how some of their contracts are set up. But plenty of other people would also describe themselves as "contractors" despite having a different kind of contractual arrangement, and since no-one has some magical authority to define the term I think your generalisation is unfounded. If nothing else, a lot of boundaries have been deliberately blurred since IR35 came along, so the whole permie vs. contractor distinction hasn't been what it used to be for at least a decade.
I'm a contractor also, front end, and my agency invoices for me. All I do is fill out a timesheet on work time. It's literally no different than a perm role, but I get 100k instead of the 50k - 60k I'd get for the same role as a perm.
Recruiters generally aren't interested in you at any advertised rate, or even for any particular skill. They just see Java (substitute as necessary) and contracter in the general vicinity of each other and decide to call you up and smooch you, even if the job is not a good fit and pays half what you charge. Problem is, you often have to keep in touch with recruiters to keep the flow of work, so you can't just cut them off entirely.
Burner phones and email addresses for recruiters is certainly a thing, though.
When I was doing contract from 2004-2007, a shit Nokia and an O2 PAYG phone was a good investment. Many times did I just chuck the thing in the bin.
Recruiters will suck up to you even if you've ignored them for months. Commission vampires - that's all they are. You're just a line in a spreadsheet to them.
My current rate is nearly double the rate of my first contract which was equivalent to double my last permanent salary. This is after a few years of contracting, starting off in a low-cost city (Belfast, N. Ireland) branching out to Dublin and now London.
If you live in London and do software for a salary, you better LOVE what you are doing and where you are doing it, 'cos you aint doing it for the money.
You might want to also ask daily rates for contractors... most of the salary rates I've seen are around 60-75% of what contractors go for, and London has a crazy number of contractors (I'd guess 75% contract, 25% full time?)
A lot of my colleagues have said it's not just about the money. That is important, and OK when your on your own, <30 and trying to make a name for yourself. But I know of some SHIT and I mean AWFUL programmers who get paid thrice as much as I and some colleagues, it often seems experience, or years count more than actual talent sometimes. I'm between 20-29k.
(keep in mind, microsoft haters, that microsoft is currently a HUGE proponent of node.js - a lot of the Azure Mobile Services and the like are built on node)
NGEN precompiles the IL into native code if you use the normal framework.
Mono AOT compiles (and links) code into various architectures, but MonoTouch and Mono for Android (http://xamarin.com) would be the major public uses for it - native iOS / Android apps using C#.
If you wonder "can they be any good": go get the new Rdio app. It's done in MonoTouch (and their Android one, in beta, is done in Mono for Android)
How about rigging a bite switch to the ubikey (either directly or via something like a raspberry pi / beagle bone). That's assuming that the only issue with the ubikey is you pressing the button.
Maybe (if it has an rpi) it needs a sequence. Bite. Pause. Bite bite. Pause. Bite. Etc.
I suspect you'd need someone to build it for you but I doubt there is a shortage of capable or willing people here. Sadly, my electronics skills are not up to it :(
I'm always impressed by people with accessibility issues using technology (or whatever is the correct term - sorry if that's at all offensive :( ). I've managed to make one of my apps a lot more useful to blind/partial sighted people after talking to a guy who can't see. It took me about 30 mins, and made the world of difference to him.