I wasn't in the quarantined area, anyone who had to go into that had to go through so much more. This was the general policy for the entire hospital during the outbreak just as a precaution...
During the SARS outbreak a few years back, I was employed as a programmer in a hospital where there was a quarantined SARS area. As a result, the entire building was on lockdown and you couldn't enter or exit without a medical overview (they take your temperature, ask you a bunch of questions) and being suited up in a face mask and rubber gloves that were not to be removed for any circumstances...
Try coding for an 8 hour day in rubber gloves and a face mask!
That's a great comparison. I would wager though that a lot of those professors think they are super geniuses:) I think the problem with these guys looking for superstar programmers is that there are only 2 types of people who apply for that work. A real superstar (rare) or someone who thinks they are (which a lot do). That's what causes people like the original questioner to skip the people with experience in the area they want because they only see these polar opposite types and not the substantial middle ground...
I would say in 3 ways. One, stop calling them superstars. To a programmer, the world superstar implies massive overtime with little compensation (aka we want someone who loves programming so much that they won't worry about the fact that we under pay them and over work them). Two, do some research on job requirements. Don't list idiotic buzz words as requirements when the package is something a programmer could pick up in less that a day working with it. The best way to get people to completely glaze over your job posting is to list so many technologies that they are bound to be missing one or two. Third, treat them and pay them what they are worth. If you want a superstar programmer, be willing to pony up. I read something a few days ago here on Slashdot that said Facebook and Google were competing for new grads and offering salaries in excess of 110K to new grads. If that's the treatment those companies give them, what do you think someone with experience and "superstar" status probably thinks they deserve? If you can't give them the money, make up for it with benefits and ability to progress or become a partner in the company...Bottom line, be realistic, and they will take you seriously. A programmer can detect a job that will probably be bad from a mile away just by reading the description.
That's definitely true. I didn't mean to demean the efforts these companies have put in for pushing linux and supporting it. I guess the point I was trying to make is that until there is Google Linux or Mozilla Linux or Adobe Linux out there, or better yet one of the groups such as Ubuntu starts investing in the marketing and brand awareness it needs to make it a household name, Mom and Pop PC owner is never going to take a risk on it, even if it is superior...
It's almost a shame that Linux doesn't charge a fee for the Operating System in that if they did, they might actually be able to afford to hire the developers to work on all the hardware and software compatibility issues on a much wider scale...
I think that the cost has very little to do with it. I think the reason Linux doesn't really contend with Windows for the OS crown is that the main backers of Linux are relative nobodies to the general PC using masses. Sure, everyone who reads slashdot knows about RedHat, Ubuntu, Suse et al. but your average PC user has probably never heard of any of those companies. What Linux needs to make a real run at mainstream is a major player with a lot of non-enthusiast brand recognition to take the torch and run with it. Not that I advocate any of these companies but someone like Google or Adobe or Sony or Mozilla, etc etc. If someone along those lines was willing to jump on board and actually help make deals to have it installed at purchase time, you'd see Linux jump in market share...I honestly don't believe there is as much "brand loyalty" as Microsoft would like us all to believe. You give consumers a real option with real brand recognition, and I think you'd be pleasantly surprised by the result...
Re:Godzilla movie from the POV of the civilians...
on
Cloverfield Discussion
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· Score: 1
This movie will make ***PROFIT*** after step 1 if the weekend estimates are correct. According to Box Office Mojo this movie only had a production budget of 25 million. It is estimated that it will take in more than 16 million per day this weekend. In the opening weekend alone, it will recover all its production costs. Another week, and all the "hype" costs will be covered as well....
After that, it's all gravy!
For what it was, I really liked the movie. At least they didn't have the president giving a speech or the stupid military general talking about how they were going to nuke it. It was just a bunch of people, running for their lives, and all the events unfolded entirely from their perspective. I wasn't going in expecting it to be the best movie I've ever seen though, so I wasn't disappointed....Not a bad way to spend an hour and a half...
I think the author of this article is way off the mark. The title should have been "How to recognize a programmer who's likely to work 18 hours for very little pay." Almost all of his points boil down to the fact that he thinks all good programmers are the ones that can pad out their resume with 900 technologies and eat, sleep, and breathe programming. I can't even begin to tell you how many absolutely amazing C++/Java/Python programmers I've met who I can almost guarantee have never even touched Ruby before. Just because a programmer doesn't go out of their way to try out every single new technology that hits the market doesn't diminish their abilities at those they do use. The author of this article is clearly looking for a programming work horse that he can throw unreasonable expectations on and toss new technology buzz words at until their head explodes. Guess that's probably what you need when you plan a startup and only want to hire one guy to do the work of 10...
I consider myself a pretty big gamer, and that awards show has absolutely zero appeal to me. In fact, I would say it's an insult. The show basically groups us all into some kind of category where they think the only gamers are, I'm assuming, MTV watching, Pot smoking, ADD afflicted, crack heads judging by the content of the show I've seen in a few youtube videos...
Well, maybe that's true, but that show looks terrible!
Seriously? I would bet my yearly salary that even if this movie is terrible, it would make back the 128 million it costs to make. Just the name alone and a well thought out opening weekend will make this movie a blockbuster, guaranteed. MS just needs to throw down the money and show the studios that walked away how badly the screwed up...
I would wager you're wrong on that. I bet a lot of people switch to macs because, as you said, their family and friends start switching and convince them to do the same. Once they get the mac though, they find that some of their favorite programs lag behind in support (adobe, office) as well as most mainstream games won't play on their system. I bet they switch back then...
Never underestimate the power PC gaming. What apple needs to do is figure out a way to nicely emulate Microsofts Direct X functionality, and then we'd see a massive change in the mac percentage...
I agree. I think all of us THINK that people will jump on us and laugh at us (or just plain be overly critical) of work we've done, but in my experience that is not really the case at all. The type of people who are taking the time to go through OSS projects and actually understand what makes them tick are the same people who realize that not all programming projects get to be well thought out designs from day one...If your project is worthwhile continuing, I say put it out there and I think you'll be surprised by how helpful people will be...
I know I personally really wanted a Wii when it first came out. I attempted to find one for a few months after (3 or so) and when it was still 4-5 months later and there were still none on the shelf, I simply just lost interest. It's one thing to hold back a bit to create demand, it's entirely another to not make sales because you can't meet demand (or you don't want to meet demand to give the illusion of excessive demand). I recently checked at a local store the other day in Toronto (almost a year since it was released) and they still don't have any on the shelf. Pretty lame if you ask me, they definitely lost at least one sale there with me...
The reason is truly lack of need. For an Engineer or Programmer, there really is no reason to pursue anything higher then a bachelor degree unless you are interested in becoming a faculty member or going after government funding for your research.
Take computer science for example and compare it to Biology. In Biology, you really don't get into the practical aspects of biological work until you hit grad school. Only big research labs have the equipment, money, and expertise to give you experience in things like Mass Spectrometry, Microarrays, etc. Computer Science, on the other hand, your PhD level work is no different then your undergrad work except that you are working on something you're interested in and you get to dedicate your time at it.
You're definitely not learning how to be a better programmer anymore than someone who takes a job is learning how to become a better programmer...That's why engineers and programmers can get a Bachelor's degree and have very successful careers while Biologists on average require significant graduate studies to reach the same opportunities...
I say you just flat out refuse, but you don't quit. If you get "let go" then you have options like unemployment insurance while you look for your next job. I don't care if I had 12 children I had to take care of, I wouldn't allow them to "surgically implant" anything on me...
It's not that I can't tell the difference, I definitely can. I just don't find myself sitting there, watching a regular DVD, and getting upset over the poor quality. It's not a significant enough difference to convince me to spend 10-15 dollars more per DVD and also to invest in a player that is so much more money to buy. As the price points plummet and the war is won (or a draw with duel players) then it will be an entirely different story. By the time that happens though, I bet physical movie media will be going the same way as physical music media...
I know I don't. It really doesn't matter if Blu-Ray or HD-DVD wins out in the end, there can't be that many consumers out there who are planning to start upgrading their existing DVD collection to one of these formats. I have an HDTV and regular DVD's look just fine. I know these new formats offer better quality, but the difference and enhancements are not enough to warrant an upgrade. From VHS to DVD was worthwhile, this is just a stop gap measure. I personally don't plan to upgrade at all until something significantly better comes along. Maybe the next generation after this...
That's sort of exactly what I was going to say. I think Google is getting kind of a bad reputation for being "too good" for their customers. Especially when it comes to adwords/adsense. Take a look at sites like http://forums.digitalpoint.com/ and you can find literally thousands of people who were dumped by Google with nothing more then a lockout of their account and an ambiguous email. That kind of customer service will get you nowhere.
Also, they have a brutal history with some of their apps when it comes to just dumping existing users. Their recent fiasco Google video subscribers (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/11/12532 37) is a prime example of that.
If it truly is a PS3 only problem that is causing this delay, Microsoft should just throw money at Take-Two to get them to release the 360 version early. Would be a big kick to Sony. Sadly, they are probably contractually obligated though...
I agree, I don't think it's excessive, the number is there to make a point. The point is, the theater chains are going WAY overboard for an issue that is only an issue by propagandizing anyway. I think we are witnessing the death of the theater. As some said over at the Michael Geist site, who wants to go to a theater and be subjected to huge lines, searches, unsanitary conditions, and unassigned seating (aka huge waits while being beat in the head with ads) to see a movie they can purchase for life for $20.00 in 4 months?
As the release to DVD gap begins to close, so too will the doors of the theater chains...
The article says that they offered the 4.6 Billion as a first offer because the FCC has said that they need to meet 4.6 at least. This is basically saying, no matter what, you will meet your minimum, so how about considering some of our stipulations because of the nice thing we did just there...
Slashdot Mirror
I wasn't in the quarantined area, anyone who had to go into that had to go through so much more. This was the general policy for the entire hospital during the outbreak just as a precaution...
During the SARS outbreak a few years back, I was employed as a programmer in a hospital where there was a quarantined SARS area. As a result, the entire building was on lockdown and you couldn't enter or exit without a medical overview (they take your temperature, ask you a bunch of questions) and being suited up in a face mask and rubber gloves that were not to be removed for any circumstances... Try coding for an 8 hour day in rubber gloves and a face mask!
Yeah, exactly. It's even better when it's like we need 10 years experience in Ruby (ummm...You'll have to give me another 5 years or so then...)
That's a great comparison. I would wager though that a lot of those professors think they are super geniuses :) I think the problem with these guys looking for superstar programmers is that there are only 2 types of people who apply for that work. A real superstar (rare) or someone who thinks they are (which a lot do). That's what causes people like the original questioner to skip the people with experience in the area they want because they only see these polar opposite types and not the substantial middle ground...
I would say in 3 ways. One, stop calling them superstars. To a programmer, the world superstar implies massive overtime with little compensation (aka we want someone who loves programming so much that they won't worry about the fact that we under pay them and over work them). Two, do some research on job requirements. Don't list idiotic buzz words as requirements when the package is something a programmer could pick up in less that a day working with it. The best way to get people to completely glaze over your job posting is to list so many technologies that they are bound to be missing one or two. Third, treat them and pay them what they are worth. If you want a superstar programmer, be willing to pony up. I read something a few days ago here on Slashdot that said Facebook and Google were competing for new grads and offering salaries in excess of 110K to new grads. If that's the treatment those companies give them, what do you think someone with experience and "superstar" status probably thinks they deserve? If you can't give them the money, make up for it with benefits and ability to progress or become a partner in the company...Bottom line, be realistic, and they will take you seriously. A programmer can detect a job that will probably be bad from a mile away just by reading the description.
That's definitely true. I didn't mean to demean the efforts these companies have put in for pushing linux and supporting it. I guess the point I was trying to make is that until there is Google Linux or Mozilla Linux or Adobe Linux out there, or better yet one of the groups such as Ubuntu starts investing in the marketing and brand awareness it needs to make it a household name, Mom and Pop PC owner is never going to take a risk on it, even if it is superior...
It's almost a shame that Linux doesn't charge a fee for the Operating System in that if they did, they might actually be able to afford to hire the developers to work on all the hardware and software compatibility issues on a much wider scale...
I think that the cost has very little to do with it. I think the reason Linux doesn't really contend with Windows for the OS crown is that the main backers of Linux are relative nobodies to the general PC using masses. Sure, everyone who reads slashdot knows about RedHat, Ubuntu, Suse et al. but your average PC user has probably never heard of any of those companies. What Linux needs to make a real run at mainstream is a major player with a lot of non-enthusiast brand recognition to take the torch and run with it. Not that I advocate any of these companies but someone like Google or Adobe or Sony or Mozilla, etc etc. If someone along those lines was willing to jump on board and actually help make deals to have it installed at purchase time, you'd see Linux jump in market share...I honestly don't believe there is as much "brand loyalty" as Microsoft would like us all to believe. You give consumers a real option with real brand recognition, and I think you'd be pleasantly surprised by the result...
This movie will make ***PROFIT*** after step 1 if the weekend estimates are correct. According to Box Office Mojo this movie only had a production budget of 25 million. It is estimated that it will take in more than 16 million per day this weekend. In the opening weekend alone, it will recover all its production costs. Another week, and all the "hype" costs will be covered as well.... After that, it's all gravy!
For what it was, I really liked the movie. At least they didn't have the president giving a speech or the stupid military general talking about how they were going to nuke it. It was just a bunch of people, running for their lives, and all the events unfolded entirely from their perspective. I wasn't going in expecting it to be the best movie I've ever seen though, so I wasn't disappointed....Not a bad way to spend an hour and a half...
I think the author of this article is way off the mark. The title should have been "How to recognize a programmer who's likely to work 18 hours for very little pay." Almost all of his points boil down to the fact that he thinks all good programmers are the ones that can pad out their resume with 900 technologies and eat, sleep, and breathe programming. I can't even begin to tell you how many absolutely amazing C++/Java/Python programmers I've met who I can almost guarantee have never even touched Ruby before. Just because a programmer doesn't go out of their way to try out every single new technology that hits the market doesn't diminish their abilities at those they do use. The author of this article is clearly looking for a programming work horse that he can throw unreasonable expectations on and toss new technology buzz words at until their head explodes. Guess that's probably what you need when you plan a startup and only want to hire one guy to do the work of 10...
I consider myself a pretty big gamer, and that awards show has absolutely zero appeal to me. In fact, I would say it's an insult. The show basically groups us all into some kind of category where they think the only gamers are, I'm assuming, MTV watching, Pot smoking, ADD afflicted, crack heads judging by the content of the show I've seen in a few youtube videos... Well, maybe that's true, but that show looks terrible!
Seriously? I would bet my yearly salary that even if this movie is terrible, it would make back the 128 million it costs to make. Just the name alone and a well thought out opening weekend will make this movie a blockbuster, guaranteed. MS just needs to throw down the money and show the studios that walked away how badly the screwed up...
I would wager you're wrong on that. I bet a lot of people switch to macs because, as you said, their family and friends start switching and convince them to do the same. Once they get the mac though, they find that some of their favorite programs lag behind in support (adobe, office) as well as most mainstream games won't play on their system. I bet they switch back then... Never underestimate the power PC gaming. What apple needs to do is figure out a way to nicely emulate Microsofts Direct X functionality, and then we'd see a massive change in the mac percentage...
I agree. I think all of us THINK that people will jump on us and laugh at us (or just plain be overly critical) of work we've done, but in my experience that is not really the case at all. The type of people who are taking the time to go through OSS projects and actually understand what makes them tick are the same people who realize that not all programming projects get to be well thought out designs from day one...If your project is worthwhile continuing, I say put it out there and I think you'll be surprised by how helpful people will be...
I know I personally really wanted a Wii when it first came out. I attempted to find one for a few months after (3 or so) and when it was still 4-5 months later and there were still none on the shelf, I simply just lost interest. It's one thing to hold back a bit to create demand, it's entirely another to not make sales because you can't meet demand (or you don't want to meet demand to give the illusion of excessive demand). I recently checked at a local store the other day in Toronto (almost a year since it was released) and they still don't have any on the shelf. Pretty lame if you ask me, they definitely lost at least one sale there with me...
The reason is truly lack of need. For an Engineer or Programmer, there really is no reason to pursue anything higher then a bachelor degree unless you are interested in becoming a faculty member or going after government funding for your research. Take computer science for example and compare it to Biology. In Biology, you really don't get into the practical aspects of biological work until you hit grad school. Only big research labs have the equipment, money, and expertise to give you experience in things like Mass Spectrometry, Microarrays, etc. Computer Science, on the other hand, your PhD level work is no different then your undergrad work except that you are working on something you're interested in and you get to dedicate your time at it. You're definitely not learning how to be a better programmer anymore than someone who takes a job is learning how to become a better programmer...That's why engineers and programmers can get a Bachelor's degree and have very successful careers while Biologists on average require significant graduate studies to reach the same opportunities...
I say you just flat out refuse, but you don't quit. If you get "let go" then you have options like unemployment insurance while you look for your next job. I don't care if I had 12 children I had to take care of, I wouldn't allow them to "surgically implant" anything on me...
It's not that I can't tell the difference, I definitely can. I just don't find myself sitting there, watching a regular DVD, and getting upset over the poor quality. It's not a significant enough difference to convince me to spend 10-15 dollars more per DVD and also to invest in a player that is so much more money to buy. As the price points plummet and the war is won (or a draw with duel players) then it will be an entirely different story. By the time that happens though, I bet physical movie media will be going the same way as physical music media...
I know I don't. It really doesn't matter if Blu-Ray or HD-DVD wins out in the end, there can't be that many consumers out there who are planning to start upgrading their existing DVD collection to one of these formats. I have an HDTV and regular DVD's look just fine. I know these new formats offer better quality, but the difference and enhancements are not enough to warrant an upgrade. From VHS to DVD was worthwhile, this is just a stop gap measure. I personally don't plan to upgrade at all until something significantly better comes along. Maybe the next generation after this...
That's sort of exactly what I was going to say. I think Google is getting kind of a bad reputation for being "too good" for their customers. Especially when it comes to adwords/adsense. Take a look at sites like http://forums.digitalpoint.com/ and you can find literally thousands of people who were dumped by Google with nothing more then a lockout of their account and an ambiguous email. That kind of customer service will get you nowhere. Also, they have a brutal history with some of their apps when it comes to just dumping existing users. Their recent fiasco Google video subscribers (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/11/12532 37) is a prime example of that.
If it truly is a PS3 only problem that is causing this delay, Microsoft should just throw money at Take-Two to get them to release the 360 version early. Would be a big kick to Sony. Sadly, they are probably contractually obligated though...
The problem is that the government isn't doing anything about this stuff, so the lawsuit is the independent citizen version of a fine.
I agree, I don't think it's excessive, the number is there to make a point. The point is, the theater chains are going WAY overboard for an issue that is only an issue by propagandizing anyway. I think we are witnessing the death of the theater. As some said over at the Michael Geist site, who wants to go to a theater and be subjected to huge lines, searches, unsanitary conditions, and unassigned seating (aka huge waits while being beat in the head with ads) to see a movie they can purchase for life for $20.00 in 4 months? As the release to DVD gap begins to close, so too will the doors of the theater chains...
The article says that they offered the 4.6 Billion as a first offer because the FCC has said that they need to meet 4.6 at least. This is basically saying, no matter what, you will meet your minimum, so how about considering some of our stipulations because of the nice thing we did just there...