I'm the hacker in question and its the former ad I replied to. And yes, I'm quite gainfully and meaningfully employed with the Tribune. And no, I'm not full of shit (at least I wasn't on that occasion.) Glad folks are enjoying/inspired by it.
The ad used the work `grok'. So there was a pretty high chance that the tone of your cover letter would be well received. Good perception!
Me too. I felt like I was listening to half a discussion.