"Wow. Just wow. Is this, and the other manager-loathing screeds here just a measure of your own collective self distrust?"
No, I would chime in that it's based on experience. Consider the following simple exercise: Say 30% of managers are actually friendly and trustworthy, 40% of managers are friendly but easily cowed by higher-ups when demands are placed on them, and the remaining 30% of managers are sociopaths who are happy to fake friendliness until they can take advantage of someone.
In any particular case of "manager friendliness", should an employee trust them? No, statistically speaking that would be a bad bet (only 30% likely to stick up for them in a pinch). And it's not even necessary for all managers to be sociopaths for that to be the case.
"So with that I finally got the F$#@ Work epiffany and haven't worked more than a couple 60 hour weeks since, and can count the number of weekend days I've worked in the last 6 years on one hand."
Somewhere, this is the subject of a dark European satire of life in America.
"This is a philosophy course they're referencing and if you look at the tests you'll notice that the questions are just like any philosophy course. They ask you to explain/argue both sides of an issue (one of the test questions even says argue against ID)."
I knew philosophy courses. Philosophy courses were a good friend of mine. You, sir, are not in any philosophy course. (B.A. Philosophy UMaine 1993)
"You think you have a cure and it's only afterward that you find out that you do or don't, there's no calculating the odds because you don't have that information."
"I have never read of China deploying snipers, bombers, missiles, and using them on their civilians. I highly doubt that any 1st world country a part of the UN would sit idly by if that were indeed happening."
You had me thinking I needed to respond to your argument until I read this. Ha.
"Even if they do believe it, it is kinda like sending a guy in a blue uniform and police badge and a pistol into a gang house full of people with automatic weapons alone and asking them to surrender without a fight (except without the possibility of literally getting killed... I think)."
Not so much... It's not that they expect anyone to be won over/surrender. The point of an exercise like this is for the "apologist" to experience repeated abuse and become disassociated to the point where they completely tune out any criticisms of their crazy belief system. That's how a lot of cult-like organizations work. It's quite effective.
"What does 'source' mean when you say open source? If you mean creative commons or some other open licensing scheme, don't refer to it as 'source', which specifically refers to software."
This is the most useful post I've seen in the last day -- The last link looks like something I could definitely use. Thanks so much. (And, wish I had mod points.)
"How did this interview take place? Why did the interviewer not do the world a favor and kill the guys on the spot, or at least identify him to authorities that will shut them down?"
Case study: It's ignorance of this level that makes Americans the easiest scam targets.
1. There is one God. Infinitely perfect, He is a triune God, eternally co-existant in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
2. Jesus Christ, the Son, is true God and true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died, was buried, rose again the third day, and is seated at the right hand of God making intercession for believers. He, the Just, died on the Cross of the unjust as a substitutionary sacrifice for all who believe in Him and are thereby justified by His shed Blood.
3. The Holy Spirit is a representative of the Tri-Unity in the world today. His work is to convict men of their sin, bringing them to repentance. He also seals, indwells, and comforts the believer. We believe in the supernatural Gifts of the Holy Spirit as described in the New Testament. Although important in the life of a Believer, the Gifts are NOT essential for Salvation, and their lack does NOT indicate a "lesser Christian" or a "lack of Faith".
4. The Old & New Testaments, as originally written, are without error. Being divinely inspired by God, they are a complete revelation of His Will for the salvation of man. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice. In ALL matters of doctrine, The Bible is the final Authority. (To borrow an old saying, "Nothing TRUE is NEW, and nothing NEW is TRUE.")"
"If hooking a car battery up to a monkey's brain will help find the cure for AIDS and save somebody's life, I have two things to say... the red is positive and the black is negative. --Nick Dipaolo"
What if it's a hundred monkeys? A million monkeys? A billion? What if there's a 5% chance it might help? What if it's a researcher who thinks it might help, but hasn't been right to date?
"Was my experience typical of Fox News? Fair enough I only saw about 30 minutes of it, I could have caught the "republican hour of power" without knowing but the channel is called Fox News not Fox Editorials, I kind of expected some news."
Yes. 24 hours a day, every day, it's like that. The founding CEO Roger Ailes was formerly the media conbsultant for Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush (Republican U.S. presidents). Fox News is the number-one rated cable news network in the United States, beating the next two combined (CNN and MSNBC).
When I drive through the large middle part of the U.S., Fox News is playing all the time in public bars, restaurants, clubs, etc. I fear that it's enormously corrosive and brainwashing to our country's discourse.
"A 60 percent taxation rate is uncivilized... If it weren't for the U.S. involvement in WWI and WWII, Sweden would be speaking German today, so how's about you get some fucking perspective? Is that too much to ask (he queried, knowing the answer)?"
You contradict yourself. The U.S. had a top income tax rate of between 63% and 94% all the way from 1932 to 1981 (including the WWII period). So by your ridiculous argument, you just proved the U.S. "greatest generation" to be inherently uncivilized.
"I disagree with your first point. Without the welfare state, they would have to work, because the alternative would be worse for them... Feel the power of capitalism, the only effective system for redistribution of wealth:)."
For people who are self-destructive, this is simply not true. Feel the fatal logical gap in laissez-faire economics.
FTA: "Pupils and their families will have to sign behaviour contracts known as Home School Agreements before the start of every year, which will set out parents' duties to ensure children behave and do their homework."
Man, I hate bullshit faux-"behavior contracts" like this. What do the families get in return? Do the students get barred from school if they refuse to sign?
Have behavioral standards and inform them in a handbook. If there's no negotiation or choice, then there's no real contract.
Years ago, I had a Copy Cop employee refuse to make a print of a map I'd created in SimCity, claiming Maxis held the copyright to the map. I was pretty upset.
"4) Store the dry casks on site until Yucca opens, or they can be re-processed."
No one in the entire world has ever accomplished that to date (hypothetical storage or re-processing of nuclear waste, at an economical cost). Until someone does, the whole industry is simply snake-oil that will plague future generations.
Slashdot Mirror
"Wow. Just wow. Is this, and the other manager-loathing screeds here just a measure of your own collective self distrust?"
No, I would chime in that it's based on experience. Consider the following simple exercise: Say 30% of managers are actually friendly and trustworthy, 40% of managers are friendly but easily cowed by higher-ups when demands are placed on them, and the remaining 30% of managers are sociopaths who are happy to fake friendliness until they can take advantage of someone.
In any particular case of "manager friendliness", should an employee trust them? No, statistically speaking that would be a bad bet (only 30% likely to stick up for them in a pinch). And it's not even necessary for all managers to be sociopaths for that to be the case.
http://www.antonellagambottoburke.com/NonfictionReviewCorporate.htm
"So with that I finally got the F$#@ Work epiffany and haven't worked more than a couple 60 hour weeks since, and can count the number of weekend days I've worked in the last 6 years on one hand."
Somewhere, this is the subject of a dark European satire of life in America.
The greatest trick that Milton Friedman ever pulled was convincing the world unions don't exist.
"This is a philosophy course they're referencing and if you look at the tests you'll notice that the questions are just like any philosophy course. They ask you to explain/argue both sides of an issue (one of the test questions even says argue against ID)."
I knew philosophy courses. Philosophy courses were a good friend of mine. You, sir, are not in any philosophy course. (B.A. Philosophy UMaine 1993)
"You think you have a cure and it's only afterward that you find out that you do or don't, there's no calculating the odds because you don't have that information."
Hello: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayesian_inference
"...my answer with all those conditions is still yes, because a trillion monkeys don't add up to one person in my book."
Kind of funny that you spent so much time trying to obfuscate your actual answer.
"I have never read of China deploying snipers, bombers, missiles, and using them on their civilians. I highly doubt that any 1st world country a part of the UN would sit idly by if that were indeed happening."
You had me thinking I needed to respond to your argument until I read this. Ha.
"Even if they do believe it, it is kinda like sending a guy in a blue uniform and police badge and a pistol into a gang house full of people with automatic weapons alone and asking them to surrender without a fight (except without the possibility of literally getting killed... I think)."
Not so much... It's not that they expect anyone to be won over/surrender. The point of an exercise like this is for the "apologist" to experience repeated abuse and become disassociated to the point where they completely tune out any criticisms of their crazy belief system. That's how a lot of cult-like organizations work. It's quite effective.
"very rigerous standards"
Let's hope so.
"What does 'source' mean when you say open source? If you mean creative commons or some other open licensing scheme, don't refer to it as 'source', which specifically refers to software."
No, the use has expanded in publishing and academia.
See here in California -- http://www.opensourcetext.org/
See here in the Federal government -- http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1464&tab=summary
This is the most useful post I've seen in the last day -- The last link looks like something I could definitely use. Thanks so much. (And, wish I had mod points.)
"How did this interview take place? Why did the interviewer not do the world a favor and kill the guys on the spot, or at least identify him to authorities that will shut them down?"
Case study: It's ignorance of this level that makes Americans the easiest scam targets.
That's interesting and useful information and I'm glad that you presented it here.
"The theory is solid..."
Well, apparently it's actually not -- more like it comfortably feeds into a lot of Slashdot free-market superstitions.
I'm hoping this was also drafted in some fantasy game:
http://www.wphafm.org/sofaith.htm
"WPHA Statement of Faith
1. There is one God. Infinitely perfect, He is a triune God, eternally co-existant in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
2. Jesus Christ, the Son, is true God and true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died, was buried, rose again the third day, and is seated at the right hand of God making intercession for believers. He, the Just, died on the Cross of the unjust as a substitutionary sacrifice for all who believe in Him and are thereby justified by His shed Blood.
3. The Holy Spirit is a representative of the Tri-Unity in the world today. His work is to convict men of their sin, bringing them to repentance. He also seals, indwells, and comforts the believer. We believe in the supernatural Gifts of the Holy Spirit as described in the New Testament. Although important in the life of a Believer, the Gifts are NOT essential for Salvation, and their lack does NOT indicate a "lesser Christian" or a "lack of Faith".
4. The Old & New Testaments, as originally written, are without error. Being divinely inspired by God, they are a complete revelation of His Will for the salvation of man. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice. In ALL matters of doctrine, The Bible is the final Authority. (To borrow an old saying, "Nothing TRUE is NEW, and nothing NEW is TRUE.")"
"If hooking a car battery up to a monkey's brain will help find the cure for AIDS and save somebody's life, I have two things to say... the red is positive and the black is negative.
--Nick Dipaolo"
What if it's a hundred monkeys? A million monkeys? A billion? What if there's a 5% chance it might help? What if it's a researcher who thinks it might help, but hasn't been right to date?
"Was my experience typical of Fox News? Fair enough I only saw about 30 minutes of it, I could have caught the "republican hour of power" without knowing but the channel is called Fox News not Fox Editorials, I kind of expected some news."
Yes. 24 hours a day, every day, it's like that. The founding CEO Roger Ailes was formerly the media conbsultant for Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush (Republican U.S. presidents). Fox News is the number-one rated cable news network in the United States, beating the next two combined (CNN and MSNBC).
When I drive through the large middle part of the U.S., Fox News is playing all the time in public bars, restaurants, clubs, etc. I fear that it's enormously corrosive and brainwashing to our country's discourse.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_news
"Honestly, I don't think there is a clear reasoning at this point why marijuana is illegal. It just is."
It's so the entire population can all feel "edgy" (rebellious, dangerous, above-the-law) by partaking in a harmless but illegal drug.
"A 60 percent taxation rate is uncivilized... If it weren't for the U.S. involvement in WWI and WWII, Sweden would be speaking German today, so how's about you get some fucking perspective? Is that too much to ask (he queried, knowing the answer)?"
You contradict yourself. The U.S. had a top income tax rate of between 63% and 94% all the way from 1932 to 1981 (including the WWII period). So by your ridiculous argument, you just proved the U.S. "greatest generation" to be inherently uncivilized.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_tax_in_the_United_States#History_of_top_rates
"Escape from Britannia": New movie starring Kurt Russell...
"I disagree with your first point. Without the welfare state, they would have to work, because the alternative would be worse for them... Feel the power of capitalism, the only effective system for redistribution of wealth :)."
For people who are self-destructive, this is simply not true. Feel the fatal logical gap in laissez-faire economics.
FTA: "Pupils and their families will have to sign behaviour contracts known as Home School Agreements before the start of every year, which will set out parents' duties to ensure children behave and do their homework."
Man, I hate bullshit faux-"behavior contracts" like this. What do the families get in return? Do the students get barred from school if they refuse to sign?
Have behavioral standards and inform them in a handbook. If there's no negotiation or choice, then there's no real contract.
Rural Maine here. 1984 required reading in Senior-year college-prep English in the late 80's, along with Brave New World, etc.
Correction: That was a Kinko's.
Years ago, I had a Copy Cop employee refuse to make a print of a map I'd created in SimCity, claiming Maxis held the copyright to the map. I was pretty upset.
That's a spectacular point.
"4) Store the dry casks on site until Yucca opens, or they can be re-processed."
No one in the entire world has ever accomplished that to date (hypothetical storage or re-processing of nuclear waste, at an economical cost). Until someone does, the whole industry is simply snake-oil that will plague future generations.