I think it is implied that these companies also pay competitive wages.
The USAA page, for example, said employees get two week's salary as a Christmas bonus and everyone got an 18.8% bonus. Even if they paid slightly lower average wages, those "benefits" equalize the equation.
"Elite coasts" because elite now means "where the jobs are"?
The reason less people live in the flyover states is because they don't have companies (generally, USAA is in San Antonio) that rank high in these lists, so there's no reason to move or stay there.
I keep hearing this (about consultants) but I find it hard to believe that anyone but the most successful consultants make four times what a systems engineer makes at a run-of-the-mill software company. With that logic, your consultancy would have to be clearing about $500,000 a year (to cover the benefits as well).
Yes, but at our age, we had to go out of our way to take an interest in technology. I think a lot of people in my peer group are complete idiots with computers because they are in blue collar jobs that don't require them AND they never were intellectually curious back in the early-mid 80s.
Were I work, and every place I've worked in the past 18 years, all employees get the same amount of sick days, regardless of having kids or not. I think the is US labor law.
Punishing bad judgment and bad time management because it is not desirable behavior and giving people time off to tend to sick kids is not any sort of pseudo or real discrimination. It's life.
Please share your wisdom with your fellow generation. Work will be a much better place if more people were astute as you are.
On that note, most of the 20-somethings that work for me (I'm a middle manager of 5 developers) know more than me, because I'm not a software developer. Not a single one of them can do the weekly things I do that need to be done to ensure we continue to have jobs. I think the reason us 40+ start to get out of touch with technology (or the perception that we do, at least) is because the latest/greatest tech stops being important.
I'm 40. I think that MY generation at 40 might be starting to get washed up, but that's because we weren't all raised with technology. I earned my undergrad degree, for example, without the benefit of the Internet.
People who are 30 today will NOT be washed-up at 40. So unless this widespread belief adjusts to believing people at 50 are washed up 10 years from now, this is a problem.
People can only "want" things or concepts presented to them.
This isn't necessarily true. We provide product-line software development based on the client's requirements. They know what they want the software to do and it's our job to make the software do it. Sure, we'll try to dissuade/persuade them they need feature X if it helps our bottom line, but in the end, the customers ultimately know what they want. Whatever is "presented to them" is called marketing.
Awesome! This simple wiki entry will increase my logical skills when it comes to slashdotting exponentially. For example, when people gripe about iPhone doesn't do X, I can point them to the "One-dimensional Quality". And when "Fanbois" overlook the otherwise egregious designs of their favorite tech piece, then you have the "Attractive Quality" at work.
It has always irked me that companies can get away with a coffee carafe that is bigger than the reservoir, or the "off" feature is hidden under the "Start" button, but never had a term for it until now. Thanks!
You are dismissing the American Public's love of the giant SUV. Those are the poofiest rides money can buy. I didn't specifically blame US car manufacturers for the poofy ride either--the Japanese trucks and SUVs are just as guilty--just our propensity to buy them.
This review of the Camry, for example:
Think of the Camry as a car shot full of Novocain: It won’t hurt, but nothing fun ever happens when you’re numbed up. A pain-free experience could be enough for buyers needing mere transportation, but it isn’t enough for us.
I do read Car & Driver (the above quote is from C&D). But there are other car magazines and one recent review put it best: The new 2010 Chevy Malibu is the best sedan from GM in years. Unfortunately, it's also the best car you'll ever rent. It also got 7th out of 9, beating out a Kia and a Dodge Avenger. That's nothing to brag about.
I think with a little perspective (i.e. living in countries that don't have a glut of US-centric giant poofy cars), nobody can fairly claim the US desire for smooth riding, yet poor handling cars has declined over the years just because the US manufacturers offer a few really good models that don't have poofy rides.
Anyone who knows anything about advertising knows you try to get the most eyes for the money you spend. This is wasted money because people won't be looking at the car in front of them, so they'll never see the ads. Instead, they should send the ads to the drivers' cell phones.
Montana eliminated their day-time no speed limit. The federal government withholds funding if you don't post. I hear they really don't enforce the new speed limit though.
Places where everyone else is quite happy to drive 50 mph, he will insist on doing 80 or more. Places where everyone else is doing ~100 mph, he will insist on going 150 or more.
This is simply not true. Car and Driver cites a study (too lazy to look for it now, but I've read about it for 20 years going now) that yes, people will driver faster than posted speeds, but as speeds increase, the amount faster people are willing to drive approaches zero. This law of diminishing returns, so to speak, proves more that people will only drive at what feels safe and that speed limits (highways, specifically) are set artificially low. Cynics will say it's for revenue (I partially agree), but others will say there's a lot of conservatism built into the lower speed (I also agree that is a cause). Better safe than sorry, right?
I think the consensus now days is that 70 mph highways, during daylight and light traffic, are perfectly save around 90-100 mph for most cars and drivers' skill.
The point of posting speed limits it is to keep most traffic driving at roughly the same speed. I absolutely agree with your suggestion to remove speed recommendations altogether (having lived in Germany myself, and clearly understanding where you are coming from), but that will NEVER happen in America. We are uptight, conservative and lack proper driver's education.
Also, the Autobahn is engineered with minimum inclines and declines and beautifully engineered equal-radius corners. US highways are engineered to cut around the path of least resistance and for the least amount of money. This leads to wild changes in elevation and dangerous increasing-radius corners, to go along with our giant, crappy cars with their non-handling cloud suspensions and our uneducated drivers.
Then there's the most important part of having them put that information to good use, be it presentation software, html, word processor, spread sheet software, or databases. In one of the classes I teach (Technology in the Classroom), I focus on not only the ability to use the computer to get information, but also to do something with it, using one of the above mentioned computer tools.
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I think it is implied that these companies also pay competitive wages.
The USAA page, for example, said employees get two week's salary as a Christmas bonus and everyone got an 18.8% bonus. Even if they paid slightly lower average wages, those "benefits" equalize the equation.
"Elite coasts" because elite now means "where the jobs are"?
The reason less people live in the flyover states is because they don't have companies (generally, USAA is in San Antonio) that rank high in these lists, so there's no reason to move or stay there.
I keep hearing this (about consultants) but I find it hard to believe that anyone but the most successful consultants make four times what a systems engineer makes at a run-of-the-mill software company. With that logic, your consultancy would have to be clearing about $500,000 a year (to cover the benefits as well).
Not if you are willing and able to relocate.
You as an independent contractor can offer me nothing as a potential employer.
Yes, but at our age, we had to go out of our way to take an interest in technology. I think a lot of people in my peer group are complete idiots with computers because they are in blue collar jobs that don't require them AND they never were intellectually curious back in the early-mid 80s.
constantly taking sick days because of their kids
Were I work, and every place I've worked in the past 18 years, all employees get the same amount of sick days, regardless of having kids or not. I think the is US labor law.
Punishing bad judgment and bad time management because it is not desirable behavior and giving people time off to tend to sick kids is not any sort of pseudo or real discrimination. It's life.
It's "Frei". Arbeit Macht "Frei".
See, I'm 40 and my degree is in German, AND I'm posting on a tech site...we aren't all out of touch!
Please share your wisdom with your fellow generation. Work will be a much better place if more people were astute as you are.
On that note, most of the 20-somethings that work for me (I'm a middle manager of 5 developers) know more than me, because I'm not a software developer. Not a single one of them can do the weekly things I do that need to be done to ensure we continue to have jobs. I think the reason us 40+ start to get out of touch with technology (or the perception that we do, at least) is because the latest/greatest tech stops being important.
I would easily work 100hrs/week if it meant I could retire by 30.
Didn't work out so well for EA employees.
I'm 40. I think that MY generation at 40 might be starting to get washed up, but that's because we weren't all raised with technology. I earned my undergrad degree, for example, without the benefit of the Internet.
People who are 30 today will NOT be washed-up at 40. So unless this widespread belief adjusts to believing people at 50 are washed up 10 years from now, this is a problem.
I was wondering when slashdot started submitting pure trolls as newsworthy.
I don't think he is claiming Apple is under-reported. He is merely positing that it is not over-reported.
If anything gets covered to a higher-than-average degree, it's Linux and Open Source advocacy
FTFY.
Plug and Play: if you are installing software and drivers, you're doing it wrong.
People can only "want" things or concepts presented to them.
This isn't necessarily true. We provide product-line software development based on the client's requirements. They know what they want the software to do and it's our job to make the software do it. Sure, we'll try to dissuade/persuade them they need feature X if it helps our bottom line, but in the end, the customers ultimately know what they want. Whatever is "presented to them" is called marketing.
Awesome! This simple wiki entry will increase my logical skills when it comes to slashdotting exponentially. For example, when people gripe about iPhone doesn't do X, I can point them to the "One-dimensional Quality". And when "Fanbois" overlook the otherwise egregious designs of their favorite tech piece, then you have the "Attractive Quality" at work.
It has always irked me that companies can get away with a coffee carafe that is bigger than the reservoir, or the "off" feature is hidden under the "Start" button, but never had a term for it until now. Thanks!
You are dismissing the American Public's love of the giant SUV. Those are the poofiest rides money can buy. I didn't specifically blame US car manufacturers for the poofy ride either--the Japanese trucks and SUVs are just as guilty--just our propensity to buy them.
This review of the Camry, for example:
Think of the Camry as a car shot full of Novocain: It won’t hurt, but nothing fun ever happens when you’re numbed up. A pain-free experience could be enough for buyers needing mere transportation, but it isn’t enough for us.
I do read Car & Driver (the above quote is from C&D). But there are other car magazines and one recent review put it best: The new 2010 Chevy Malibu is the best sedan from GM in years. Unfortunately, it's also the best car you'll ever rent. It also got 7th out of 9, beating out a Kia and a Dodge Avenger. That's nothing to brag about.
I think with a little perspective (i.e. living in countries that don't have a glut of US-centric giant poofy cars), nobody can fairly claim the US desire for smooth riding, yet poor handling cars has declined over the years just because the US manufacturers offer a few really good models that don't have poofy rides.
Yes, exactly what I meant. I got hung up on trying to describe it and got it backwards.
Anyone who knows anything about advertising knows you try to get the most eyes for the money you spend. This is wasted money because people won't be looking at the car in front of them, so they'll never see the ads. Instead, they should send the ads to the drivers' cell phones.
Montana eliminated their day-time no speed limit. The federal government withholds funding if you don't post. I hear they really don't enforce the new speed limit though.
Places where everyone else is quite happy to drive 50 mph, he will insist on doing 80 or more. Places where everyone else is doing ~100 mph, he will insist on going 150 or more.
This is simply not true. Car and Driver cites a study (too lazy to look for it now, but I've read about it for 20 years going now) that yes, people will driver faster than posted speeds, but as speeds increase, the amount faster people are willing to drive approaches zero. This law of diminishing returns, so to speak, proves more that people will only drive at what feels safe and that speed limits (highways, specifically) are set artificially low. Cynics will say it's for revenue (I partially agree), but others will say there's a lot of conservatism built into the lower speed (I also agree that is a cause). Better safe than sorry, right?
I think the consensus now days is that 70 mph highways, during daylight and light traffic, are perfectly save around 90-100 mph for most cars and drivers' skill.
The point of posting speed limits it is to keep most traffic driving at roughly the same speed. I absolutely agree with your suggestion to remove speed recommendations altogether (having lived in Germany myself, and clearly understanding where you are coming from), but that will NEVER happen in America. We are uptight, conservative and lack proper driver's education.
Also, the Autobahn is engineered with minimum inclines and declines and beautifully engineered equal-radius corners. US highways are engineered to cut around the path of least resistance and for the least amount of money. This leads to wild changes in elevation and dangerous increasing-radius corners, to go along with our giant, crappy cars with their non-handling cloud suspensions and our uneducated drivers.
It has been proven many times over, the slower you go in a built up area, the less critical and minor accidents occur.
Then let's make the speed limit 5 mph. That's logical, right?
Then there's the most important part of having them put that information to good use, be it presentation software, html, word processor, spread sheet software, or databases. In one of the classes I teach (Technology in the Classroom), I focus on not only the ability to use the computer to get information, but also to do something with it, using one of the above mentioned computer tools.