Where did Pluto go ?

Check out the following Pluto is no longer a planet, so which planet is next ?  There are now lots of kindergarden kids that have to rethink their science projects, and its one less planet that I have to remember.

Decompiling C++

I have been recently asked if C++ code could be decompiled, I had always held the belief that it was not possible, but this article says otherwise.  An interesting read, if a little out dated.  Another article that is worth reading is the case of the lack of decompilers for C++

Out of retirement

I have spent the last couple of months enjoying some much needed rest and relaxation, but now the reality of my situation is starting to set in.

I realize that I need to make a living and being a short order cook is not quite my cup of tea, so after much thought and research I have done the following;

I have formed my own company by the name of deltaOptions LLC.  This company will be focused on servicing dealer/broker and Hedge Fund clients, as well as the vendors supporting them.

This is a very exciting new venture for me, and I am very much looking forward to the adventure.

Software Sin

What in the software industry can be considered a software sin, needless cut and paste, improper inheritance hierarchies, lack of an interface based approach to software design, inconsistent naming conventions, commentless code, lack of unit testing, no continuous build environment, not following XP Practices … (Replace with your own pet peeves)?

There are tools and more tools out in the market place that provide the developer with the appropriate safety nets, a reminder from a integrated tool works wonders, just like your mother, a continual reminder that you can be better. So why do so many developers still not use these tools.

So check the following links out, for your ammusement

10 Software Commandments

Ten Commandments of Successful Software Development 

10 Commandments for Java Developers, these also apply to C# developers as well.

Clearly anything that does not follow the 10 commandments is by definition a sin.

Prime Brokerage Services Overload

Now that several of the Prime Brokerages are offering services to the Hedge Fund space, which is a great step forward over previous technology offerings, but this does not go far enough to providing a conistent and dare I say it a standard approach to how Prime Brokerages expose their services. 

If a Hedge Fund is dealling with a single Prime Broker then all is good, but this is not the norm, it is more usual for a Hedge Fund to utilize multiple Prime Brokers.  So for the Hedge Fund there is still the upfront and ongoing costs of interfacing with multiple Prime Broker services, this is far from ideal.

A previous posting of mine, discusses the idea of a service that takes the order/trade information from a Hedge Fund and routes it to the appropriate destinations, the Prime Broker, the Fund Administrator, and even perhaps DTCC, with the appropriate event based feed back mechanisms to the Hedge Fund, so that order/trade status and events can be acted upon. 

A Follow on from that posting, is aimed directly at the Prime Brokerage market, I would suggest that a set of standard protocols/API’s be proposed that could be implemented by any Prime Broker, and even Dealer/Broker, this would allow for the Hedge Funds to develop against a single consistant API, reducing upfront and on going costs, and would be the beginings of a more far reaching infrastructure that would make for a very compelling Hedge Fund technology offering by the Prime Brokers.

I am sure there will be more to follow on this topic.

OpenPrime

Citi offers up OpenPrime, a Prime Brokerage service for hedge funds.  As the likes of Citi, JPMC, and BofA offer up services to the Hedge Fund space, is this the begining of the end for the Fund Administrators like Globop and Citco?

Office Space

Part of my resent research on starting a new has been to investigate the types of office spaces that are available in New York City and what the price ranges are.

Objective: To aquire an office space to serve 1-2 people with full internet access and telephone service, access to a conference room, and be available 24×7, and to look professional.

I selected three places, each had a flat rate for the office space, and then an additional charge for internet and phone usage, each offered a month to month lease, and each required a security deposit.

http://www.116westhouston.com, open plan office space, a little too chaotic for my liking, and did not present a professional atmosphere, and the available space was limited, so little room for expansion.  Also the location was not ideal.

http://www.corporatepark.net, offered cubes, and great private office spaces, great location, next to Pen Station, conference room looked professional, I liked the place, it was a little rough around the edges, but it did satisfy my requirements.  Cost was also good, aprox 850 a month.

http://offices.regus.com, as soon as I walked into the lobby of 11 Pen Plaza, I was impressed.  Very professional looking building, and once I walked into the reception area, I was sold on the place.  It met all my requirements and surpassed them, not the cheapest, but the price is fair for what they offer.

So I think I would go with Regus/HQ for office space, if and when I decide to move forward.  Regus/HQ wins out, even thou it is the most expensive, it exodes professionalism, the spaces are clean and bright, I would not feel embarresed about taking client/potential clients to the office.