I got an email from someone inquiring about my availability for a project yesterday. Another person asked me through New Tech Heroes' contact form about a job possibility last week. Both asked the same question: "Are you available for long-term work?" They enjoyed the blog, and got the idea that I have some idea what I'm talking about and can use the technologies involved (which is one of the reasons that anyone involved in new media should have a blog). They weren't sure, however, if I was actually available for work.

Let me clear this question up.

Yes, I am.

This is a fast-moving time in a fast-moving industry. Startups are launched and shut down in a matter of months. Anyone working in new media or social publishing should be open to new opportunities, and I certainly am. While I have a small list of ongoing clients' projects, I'm also living in Michigan, which a quick peek at the statistics will tell you isn't exactly a hotbed of economic growth in 2008.

So, yes, I am open to opportunities. Full-time or contract jobs, projects, you name it. If it's related to writing or web development, particularly using open source tools like Drupal or Joomla, please consider me if you like what you see here on New Tech Heroes. I have a wide range of media and communications experience, and I'm willing to relocate or travel as needed. My resume is available here.

Image source: Steve Woods (woodsy on sxc.hu), Colchester, Essex, U.K.

MARINE CITY, MI (March 19) - In a sad and pathetic attempt to linkbait, New Tech Heroes editor Tom Kephart today ran a story about several "A-List" bloggers filling up blogspace with comments about each other. The feces-flinging began with a post by Michael Arrington on TechCrunch, and was soon followed by over two dozen blogonistas weighing in on venture capital, snobbery and corporate murder.

"I just wanted to be part of this moving human interest story," Kephart told his own blog in a post written by himself. "If there's navel-gazing to be done, I certainly don't want to be left out." Kephart added that he has recently lost over 30 pounds, which allowed him to find his navel to gaze at for the first time in years.

The TechCrunch post and the many posts reporting about the post (which oddly didn't include The Huffington Post, despite being mentioned in Arrington's post) were the lead story on Techmeme on Wednesday afternoon.

Kephart added that he was in complete agreement not only with what Arrington had written, but everyone else who had weighed in on the subject, even though everyone disagreed with each other. "I can't risk alienating any A-List bloggers - or venture capitalists - who might accidently read my blog," Kephart said in a separate interview with himself. "Although New Tech Heroes is only valued at a bit over US$2,000 (€1,281), I'm always willing to listen to offers, especially those in the low to mid seven figures."

No one else contributed to this report, not even some anonymous blogger at $5.00 per post.

PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Kephart, New Tech Heroes.

Now anxiously awaiting the tenth U.S. president of his lifetime, Tom Kephart approaches each day with the grace of a panther and the caution of a small boy with a pointy stick. He's been writing about technology issues since his first review of his grandparents' eight-year-old Admiral model P17D21 television. Something about "rich black and white tones of the Captain Kangaroo show;" alas, the rest is lost to posterity.

With a curiosity about people and things limited only by an unfortunate fear of riding on buses, Tom has traveled to several of the United States in search of adventure. Someday he hopes to visit California.

Tom is married to his high school sweetheart. He has one adult child and one still hoping to make it to adulthood. A dog and a cat round out the all-American family.

He has been a freelance writer, graphic designer and programmer for over 21 years, but that's only three in doggie years.

He sings for beer in karaoke bars in his spare time, and also directs and acts in community theater productions.

Though Tom loves the outstanding benefits of being a freelancer, he is as attracted to shiny piles of money as the next guy. If you're looking for a writer, contact him, provided you have shiny piles of money. Actually, dingy piles of money are okay, too.

Tom's also available for your next web design and development project, having labored over HTML code for over a decade, sometimes even remembering to close his tags properly. Experience with CSS, JavaScript, DOM, XML and other letter combinations adds to the fun when he's working on a project. He is an evangelist for open source content management system software, having had good experiences with Joomla!, Wordpress and his current favorite, Drupal. He's also available for bar mitzvahs and debutante balls, provided you want to hear a guy with a shaved head sing the blues. Who knows? You might.

After three decades of watching the tech world spin madly past and being a small part of it himself, Tom Kephart continues to be fascinated with the creative spirit of new technology. And, of course, vintage television receivers.