How about playing the "doing your job" game?
It's better than freeware: It actually pays YOU to play it!
In past Christmas slowdowns, I've taken the opportunity to do work-related things that are actually fun and are much easier to do without a lot of other people around:
Writing new utilities
Server stress testing
Experimenting with new languages
This year, I'll be doing some long-needed data normalization on the Oracle DB while I'm less likely to disturb customers and my fellow developers.
It would be nice to know when it hits heliopause, or the point in space where the sun's magnetic field ends.
How is this defined? It seems to me that the field's strength would never actually be zero, but would grow more infintessimally weak.
And what is interesting beyond heliopause? Would there be some observable effect on the satellite? Or is it just that we no longer have to worry about Sol pulling Pioneer 10 back in?
Hypocrisy: the wrong people have been punished
on
HOWTO: Annoy a Spammer
·
· Score: 1, Flamebait
Sure, that's cute to sign him up for thousands of catalogs. Unfortunately, it's at the expense of innocent bystanders.
The real argument against spam isn't that it's annoying, but that the recipient has to bear the costs. This little stunt has annoyed the spammer, but by loading various companies with unnecessary costs.
If the vigilantes wanted to make a point, they would have sent their own letters, with their own postage. Thousands of pieces of mail is still annoying, but it wouldn't have been punishing the unrelated companies.
I haven't given any Radio Shack any information since the late 70s.
"Can I have your phone number?"
"No, thank you."
How tough is that?
Same goes true for Best Buy wanting your ZIP code.
"Can I have your ZIP code?"
"Nope."
About 25% of the time I'll get a surprised "Really?", half the time they don't care, and the other I'm not even asked because the drone doesn't want to ask.
fight for our rights to, say, play DVDs on an open-source OS?
Playing DVDs on an open source OS is not a right, in any sense of the word. Please don't cheapen the Constitution by equating that with, for example, the right to free speech.
There's only one response necessary, assuming that you don't want a per-hour contract job: "I'm sorry, I can't." That's all you owe her.
Just because someone tries to pressure you to do something doesn't mean you're obligated.
If you feel like you have to give everyone what they ask for (and if so, you're hardly alone), work on a simple, polite, unwavering response. Try "I'm sorry, I can't."
You'll often get people who try to argue it. Do not fall into their trap. It's the slippery slope to doing something you don't want to do.
"I'm sorry, I can't."
"Why not?" -or-
"But we're in trouble" -or-
"Can you just come in for an hour?"
If you say anything other than "I'm sorry, I can't", repeatedly and firmly, you're going down the slippery slope to doing something you don't want. Your ex-boss clearly has the balls to ask you for pro bono work, so she also probably will try to wear you down by arguing.
"But we're in trouble."
"I'm sorry, I can't."
"You were the one who set up the server!"
"I'm sorry, I can't."
"We have the report due tomorrow!"
"I'm sorry, I can't. I really have to go now. Good-bye. [click]"
Of course, feel free to hang up even earlier. Don't be rude, but don't allow the rudeness of others to trample on you.
This way, EVERY view of the page would be a hit on their server that has to serve up content, and it would be a 1x1 pixel so you wouldn't even notice it.
I can't start! I can't find an entry-level job anywhere, much less one that I'm actually qualified for...
What exactly are you qualified for? I have no idea.
Why isn't there a resume on
your web page? When I saw your comment, I looked to see what you were about. I couldn't tell other than that you play trombone.
Make it your job to get a job. Think like a hunter.
First off, nobody should look for a job without reading Nick Corcodilos' excellent Ask The Headhunter.
Second, think like a hiring manager.
Remember that the hiring manager has 50 resumes in a folder that HR has dumped in his lap, or worse, 50 emails that have been forwarded from HR.
Tell me, as a manager, exactly what you can do for me. This might mean some extra work on your part customizing a copy of your resume, and of course writing a job-specific cover letter. DO IT. Don't skimp here.
I want to know exactly what the applicant can do to help me out. Make a thumbnail sketch of what you are. The top of my resume looks like this:
16 years
professional software development, most recently specializing in Perl, PHP and ColdFusion, including
Project leader and senior software engineer for TITLEWAVE online library collection and e-commerce site (1 year)
Developing object-oriented Perl and PHP, including interfacing with Oracle and MySQL (8 years)
Creating intranet database applications with Cold Fusion, Access & VBA and SQL (5 years)
Creating flagship software products in C/C++ (5 years)
Five lines sum up my background and experience, and highlight my key skills.
Compare this with the standard meaningless "Objective" heading. Besides, "To obtain a position as a developer that will utilize my skills & experience" is just cargo-cult resume writing.
Other little notes from my resume sins file:
Do not discuss money. If the ad asks for a salary range, then specify it, but then leave it alone.
Put your name and contact info on every document, probably on every page. Stuff gets mixed up once it comes out on paper.
Don't try to hide your small amount of experience by omitting dates. I won't be fooled.
Tell me why you are better then the other 90% of the resumes I'm getting.
I take filling this position very seriously. I expect you to do the same. Cookie-cutter cover letters get round-filed.
Ask The Headhunter makes the key point that managers WANT to hire you. They want to find someone that they can hire so that we can all get back to doing real work. Make it easy for me to see that you are the person for the job.
It's not obsolete. "Will no longer work" means future. By that logic, any book at all would be obsolete. "This Merck manual is obsolete because we're going to have tricorders do all our medical work for us."
Sam Tregar's
Writing Perl Modules for CPAN is an excellent introduction
to the world of modules, and the community of Perl and open source
software in general. Tregar surveys all aspects of module installation,
creation, documentation, testing, packaging, distribution and maintenance
in a clear, readable style.
I don't have any disagreement with anything chromatic has said, and I agree that the important bit of value here is that it's based on experience beyond what docs and FAQs can say.
The problem is not just the net. The problem is that the kids are not thinking when they write. It's no different than someone saying "I should of done that", instead of "I should have done that", because they're thinking about how it sounds, rather than the what the sentence is actually saying.
Another one of my pet peeves along these lines: Putting the dollar sign after a dollar amount. "This cost me 50$" instead of "This cost me $50". Again, the writer is thinking in terms of how it's spoken, not written.
Finally, the teacher is herself affected by the most insidious use of writing directly as one speaks: The use of "like" as a pause, with implied content. She says "It was like `Get with it, Bova,'" when she means "The students were thinking, 'Get with it, Bova'".
The use of like is not just incorrect, it's also potentially confusing. "She said my shoes were ugly, and I'm like 'Whatever, bitch.'" Did the speaker literally say "Whatever, bitch" to her detractor, or was it merely thought? We can't tell.
I'll leave the rant about literally vs. figuratively to another poster.
I'm just amazed at how cynical people want to be, and how they find problems that just don't exist.
Sanders said she thinks she still doesn't know the truth.
"I believe they're covering it up. I really do," she
said.
"They"? Which "they"? There's a vast conspiracy hiding the truth of sidewalk wax?
Does Sanders have nothing else in her life to provide interest? Did the subscription to the Star run out? Maybe turning off the TV and taking a trip to the library to find a good book would help.
She doesn't believe the health department, so what will she believe? Is there any source that she'd give enough credence to? Is she going to be monitoring SidewalkBlobTruth.com for the REAL UNCENSORED STORY?
We're so jaded as a society that we have to come up with exciting fables to explain the most mundane of phenomenon.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, but without it, what would we have called my sister's favorite band?
DirectX supports "rich audio". What is THAT?
In past Christmas slowdowns, I've taken the opportunity to do work-related things that are actually fun and are much easier to do without a lot of other people around:
- Writing new utilities
- Server stress testing
- Experimenting with new languages
This year, I'll be doing some long-needed data normalization on the Oracle DB while I'm less likely to disturb customers and my fellow developers.Right. Which is what I asked: "How is this defined?"
OBVIOUSLY.
How is this defined? It seems to me that the field's strength would never actually be zero, but would grow more infintessimally weak.
And what is interesting beyond heliopause? Would there be some observable effect on the satellite? Or is it just that we no longer have to worry about Sol pulling Pioneer 10 back in?
The real argument against spam isn't that it's annoying, but that the recipient has to bear the costs. This little stunt has annoyed the spammer, but by loading various companies with unnecessary costs.
If the vigilantes wanted to make a point, they would have sent their own letters, with their own postage. Thousands of pieces of mail is still annoying, but it wouldn't have been punishing the unrelated companies.
Chimera is already a Mozilla project, a browser for OS X.
I agree 100%. But that's not the same as "right to play a DVD on a given OS".
Why can't I, as a producer of DVD content, decide which hardware I want my material played on? Why don't I have that same right of protection?
Same goes true for Best Buy wanting your ZIP code.
About 25% of the time I'll get a surprised "Really?", half the time they don't care, and the other I'm not even asked because the drone doesn't want to ask.Playing DVDs on an open source OS is not a right, in any sense of the word. Please don't cheapen the Constitution by equating that with, for example, the right to free speech.
If you feel like you have to give everyone what they ask for (and if so, you're hardly alone), work on a simple, polite, unwavering response. Try "I'm sorry, I can't."
You'll often get people who try to argue it. Do not fall into their trap. It's the slippery slope to doing something you don't want to do.
"I'm sorry, I can't."
"Why not?" -or-
"But we're in trouble" -or-
"Can you just come in for an hour?"
If you say anything other than "I'm sorry, I can't", repeatedly and firmly, you're going down the slippery slope to doing something you don't want. Your ex-boss clearly has the balls to ask you for pro bono work, so she also probably will try to wear you down by arguing.
"But we're in trouble."
"I'm sorry, I can't."
"You were the one who set up the server!"
"I'm sorry, I can't."
"We have the report due tomorrow!"
"I'm sorry, I can't. I really have to go now. Good-bye. [click]"
Of course, feel free to hang up even earlier. Don't be rude, but don't allow the rudeness of others to trample on you.
Bill Wyman wrote for the Chicago Reader back in the 90s. He was not loved. See Three Pandering Sluts And Their Music Industry Stooge, featuring the always-entertaining Steve Albini.
What exactly are you qualified for? I have no idea. Why isn't there a resume on your web page? When I saw your comment, I looked to see what you were about. I couldn't tell other than that you play trombone.
Make it your job to get a job. Think like a hunter.
First off, nobody should look for a job without reading Nick Corcodilos' excellent Ask The Headhunter.
Second, think like a hiring manager. Remember that the hiring manager has 50 resumes in a folder that HR has dumped in his lap, or worse, 50 emails that have been forwarded from HR.
Tell me, as a manager, exactly what you can do for me. This might mean some extra work on your part customizing a copy of your resume, and of course writing a job-specific cover letter. DO IT. Don't skimp here.
I want to know exactly what the applicant can do to help me out. Make a thumbnail sketch of what you are. The top of my resume looks like this:
Five lines sum up my background and experience, and highlight my key skills. Compare this with the standard meaningless "Objective" heading. Besides, "To obtain a position as a developer that will utilize my skills & experience" is just cargo-cult resume writing.Other little notes from my resume sins file:
Ask The Headhunter makes the key point that managers WANT to hire you. They want to find someone that they can hire so that we can all get back to doing real work. Make it easy for me to see that you are the person for the job.
It's not obsolete. "Will no longer work" means future. By that logic, any book at all would be obsolete. "This Merck manual is obsolete because we're going to have tricorders do all our medical work for us."
Another one of my pet peeves along these lines: Putting the dollar sign after a dollar amount. "This cost me 50$" instead of "This cost me $50". Again, the writer is thinking in terms of how it's spoken, not written.
Finally, the teacher is herself affected by the most insidious use of writing directly as one speaks: The use of "like" as a pause, with implied content. She says "It was like `Get with it, Bova,'" when she means "The students were thinking, 'Get with it, Bova'".
The use of like is not just incorrect, it's also potentially confusing. "She said my shoes were ugly, and I'm like 'Whatever, bitch.'" Did the speaker literally say "Whatever, bitch" to her detractor, or was it merely thought? We can't tell.
I'll leave the rant about literally vs. figuratively to another poster.
-
WWW::Mechanize for the automated fetching.
- for the HTML validation
both of which I just happen to maintain."Might consider", as if this has never been discussed before.
Worse, what's with the moderators scoring at a +5 Insightful?
Well, it won't really prevent cellular phone theft, although it will probably make them not so appealing as a target.
I like to think that Dijkstra was prematurely optimized...
She doesn't believe the health department, so what will she believe? Is there any source that she'd give enough credence to? Is she going to be monitoring SidewalkBlobTruth.com for the REAL UNCENSORED STORY?
We're so jaded as a society that we have to come up with exciting fables to explain the most mundane of phenomenon.
I suspect that the wax absorbed dirt over time to become its current black color.
Isn't it time for a new "Casemods" category that I could add to my exclusions along with Katz?