I have never understood why anyone would pay for satellite radio programming.
Why? Because it's better. (Or was until the merger.) Better music programming and no commercials.
As far as playing MP3, CD, etc -- that takes planning and effort. With XM all I have to do is flip on the radio and there is (was) music I want to listen to.
There are also numerous alternatives to pay television and yet it's been doing okay for the past 25 years or so.
XM is (was, I hate the new Sirius/XM) a very good alternative to terrestrial radio for people like me who loathe the bulk of the crap that gets played on broadcast radio but still love music.
How do you figure that people in the middle of nowhere are the only market? I'm not in the middle of nowhere and I've had XM for 4 years. Better channels, less talk, deeper playlists, more variety.
I've been to 10 Gen Cons, 5 in Milwaukee and 5 in Indy. Indy wins in every respect. Better hotel access, better convention area, better restaurants. The businesses surrounding the convention center go way out of their way to make attendees feel welcome. (Yes, it's totally self serving, but the businesses in Milwaukee didn't bother.)
Oh yeah. And Indy doesn't roll up the streets at 5pm. It's nice to get be able to find something to eat and/or drink after a long day of gaming.
And The Safehouse? Never really cared for it. But I *do* miss the wax security guard at the MWECC.
Maybe I'm missing something... but I seriously doubt if Vanessa Carlton and/or her publishing company, etc. gave their permission to use "A Thousand Miles" in a video of giant pink penises attacking some woman. Isn't that a copyright violation? (I can't see how that could possibly constitute "fair use.")
Also -- was that an actual picture of the woman in question, altered to show her holding a giant penis? Surely there has to be grounds for some sort of legal action there? While I agree that using the DMCA was probably a bad idea, I can't help but sympathize. I'm sure if my wife was the target of such an attack I'd be seriously upset and attempt to do just about anything I could about it.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Just figured I'd post that so people would stop moaning about this being a First Amendment issue.
If you go check, all the games at the big chain bookstores are WotC d20 games.
For the most part, yes. There are occasional exceptions though. From time to time I'll see some GURPS or even Call of Cthulhu. (The latter is exceptionally rare.) The variance probably has to do with store employees who also happen to be gamers.
Basic d20 is heavily Gamist
I was bored with the Gamist nature of D20 before either term existed, so I feel your pain.
No, you said you won't do buy anything for sale at a mainstream bookstore.
Bzzzt. What he actually said (emphasis mine) was: "Frankly, if I can buy the game at a mainstream bookstore, I'm not interested."
Personally I wouldn't go that far, but I understand the sentiment. I don't dig D20, never have. I said it when it first came out and I'll say it again: D20 is the worst thing to happen to the RPG industry in a very long time.
Actually, the Windows patch should be very small and easy to implement. Time Zone definitions are stored in the registry. Part of that data says when the DST changeover happens.
If they actually do refuse to pay your final paycheck you will need to contact the labor board for the state you work in. Some states will pursue the action on your behalf (free of charge) including recovering lost pay AND damages. If you think your boss is serious about this I would suggest contacting the appropriate government agency NOW just to find out what the procedure is.
My most important advice is this: C.Y.A. Document everything you do from here out. Get witnesses if you can. If at all possible don't check in any source code changes; give patches to someone else and let THEM do it.
Last time I left a job the PHB's wanted me to keep developing right up until the last minute. I'm not talking bug fixes, here; they wanted me to continue doing new development on a project that couldn't possibly be completed in two weeks. It's possible that I was just being paranoid and all they were really trying to do was to suck every last drop out of me before I left. I took no chances; I did my bug fixes -- simple ones -- and handed off the new development to some other sorry sucker.
You know, I hear people dis season 6 all the time and I just don't get it. Season 6 was beyond brilliant -- it was utterly sublime. Was it painful? Hell yeah, but so is life. It was supposed to be painful and disjointed and hearbreaking. If they'd just made season [insert number here] over and over again it would have been dead boring, I think. Season 6 made the characters grow and it made the audience grow as well.
I cas firmly state that all of that schedule compression and lat minute additions DO happen
That doesn't make me feel very good. Can you give some specifics of the sorts of last minute additions and changes that go on in the industry? I'd like to see how they compare with some of the miracles we get asked to perform.
If I put "Senior Software Developer" on my resume instead of "Senior Software Engineer" what does that do to my chances of getting a job? Employers *expect* to see the word "Engineer" there so I keep putting it there.
I'd much rather be "Software Sultan" or "Kode Kaiser" but...
but it does mean that: (a) those who are professionally certified know the risks and have been trained in avoiding mistakes and (b) only those who are willing to be held liable would become PE's. You are allowed to do less critical engineering work without obtaining your PE license. I'm sure the same would true for software developers.
This would certainly mean the end of crappy software. In fact, it would mean the end of ALL software. We can't get our employers to pay us to do it properly now -- you think that's gonna change just because your career is on the line?
Software doesn't suck because software engineers are bad. Well, okay, it does, but that's not the only reason. The primary reason that software sucks is that nobody is willing to pay us for the amount of time it actually takes to do something. When you take an 18 month schedule and compress it down to 6, remove all QA, and THEN add all sorts of additional requirements at the last minute what do you expect? I doubt if "real" engineers work that way, why should we?
I'm an engineer and recently had the dubious honor of managing a system implementation and integration project. It wasn't a completely positive experience though it did have its rewards.
My biggest warning to you is to not expect the impossible deadlines and ridiculous requests to magically disappear. You'll just be the one passing them on to the engineers. The only difference will be that they'll know that you know how ridiculous they are.
It's not at *all* a way to 'scam' the consumer into watching more commercials.. just a way to 'shorten' a show so it fits your schedule.
Survey says... get real. It is absolutely a device to squeeze more commercials into a given time period. That's why it was made, how it is marketed, why it will be bought. Did you miss the part about the millions of dollars of extra ad revenue?
I remember from a year or so back (when I used to write closed captioning software) a couple of networks doing someting like this already. (I seem to recall PAX being one of them but wouldn't swear to that.)
The reason the whole thing sticks in my mind is that dropping frames like this plays hell with caption data and any other VBI data such as Web TV, VCHIP, etc.
I work in corporate IT doing software development and implementations. The project that I'm currently working on started in July 2000. The system was scheduled to be fully operational on November 30th, 2000. In addition to missing that date we've also missed dates in December 2000, January, Mar, June, September, and October 2001. We may or may not actually make the December 2001 date that we've currently been given. Each and every one of those missed dates was chosen for political reasons. The question has always been "When does this business need this system?" and not "How long will it take?"
After the October date was missed there was a meeting of all the Project Managers, Program Managers, Subject Matter Experts, and other people involved in the project. They worked round the clock for nearly 3 days to come up with a revised project plan and estimate of how long it would take to finish the system, test it, and bring it online. The number they came up with moved the date into late January. Executive management didn't like this and decided that the new date would be mid-November. Their plan for squeezing out these extra two months? Just make everyone work harder. Needless to say we've got a group that is completely burnt out and getting less done in more time. Nifty.
As long as "suits" continue to make schedules based on business needs (read "corporate politics") and not based on the complexity of the problem this is going to continue to happen.
What is does require, however, is experience. In other words, the longer that you follow the CMM, the better your schedule estimates will be.
I would agree that experience improves ones skills at estimation. I wouldn't necessarily assume that this is a benefit or byproduct of CMM or any other methodology. It's simply a matter of having more data on which to base your assumptions. I've also discovered that this experience doesn't necessarily translate well from one type of project to another or across problem domains. To get a decent estimate you need smart people who are experience at doing your type of project in your problem domain. No way to get around it.
Slashdot Mirror
...ceiling cat had better beware.
How is that screwing over the public? You want to wait, wait.
FYI, the authors make much, much more on the hardback version -- a higher percentage of a higher price.
I have never understood why anyone would pay for satellite radio programming.
Why? Because it's better. (Or was until the merger.) Better music programming and no commercials.
As far as playing MP3, CD, etc -- that takes planning and effort. With XM all I have to do is flip on the radio and there is (was) music I want to listen to.
I feel your pain. I want my Lucy back.
And Fred? Fred's dead, baby. Fred's dead.
There are also numerous alternatives to pay television and yet it's been doing okay for the past 25 years or so.
XM is (was, I hate the new Sirius/XM) a very good alternative to terrestrial radio for people like me who loathe the bulk of the crap that gets played on broadcast radio but still love music.
I'm right there with you. I've had XM for 4 years and loved it. Now... I'm on the verge of dumping it because of the infiltration of crap from Sirius.
If I wanted DJ's and shallow playlists I'd listen to terrestrial radio.
How do you figure that people in the middle of nowhere are the only market? I'm not in the middle of nowhere and I've had XM for 4 years. Better channels, less talk, deeper playlists, more variety.
An anonymous spokesman for the Army has stated that they also want a pony.
Gen Con belongs in Milwaukee? Bzzt.
I've been to 10 Gen Cons, 5 in Milwaukee and 5 in Indy. Indy wins in every respect. Better hotel access, better convention area, better restaurants. The businesses surrounding the convention center go way out of their way to make attendees feel welcome. (Yes, it's totally self serving, but the businesses in Milwaukee didn't bother.)
Oh yeah. And Indy doesn't roll up the streets at 5pm. It's nice to get be able to find something to eat and/or drink after a long day of gaming.
And The Safehouse? Never really cared for it. But I *do* miss the wax security guard at the MWECC.
Maybe I'm missing something... but I seriously doubt if Vanessa Carlton and/or her publishing company, etc. gave their permission to use "A Thousand Miles" in a video of giant pink penises attacking some woman. Isn't that a copyright violation? (I can't see how that could possibly constitute "fair use.")
Also -- was that an actual picture of the woman in question, altered to show her holding a giant penis? Surely there has to be grounds for some sort of legal action there? While I agree that using the DMCA was probably a bad idea, I can't help but sympathize. I'm sure if my wife was the target of such an attack I'd be seriously upset and attempt to do just about anything I could about it.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Just figured I'd post that so people would stop moaning about this being a First Amendment issue.
No, but stupid slogans *do* win over PHB's which is what drives this sort of mania.
If you go check, all the games at the big chain bookstores are WotC d20 games.
For the most part, yes. There are occasional exceptions though. From time to time I'll see some GURPS or even Call of Cthulhu. (The latter is exceptionally rare.) The variance probably has to do with store employees who also happen to be gamers.
Basic d20 is heavily Gamist
I was bored with the Gamist nature of D20 before either term existed, so I feel your pain.
No, you said you won't do buy anything for sale at a mainstream bookstore.
Bzzzt. What he actually said (emphasis mine) was: "Frankly, if I can buy the game at a mainstream bookstore, I'm not interested."
Personally I wouldn't go that far, but I understand the sentiment. I don't dig D20, never have. I said it when it first came out and I'll say it again: D20 is the worst thing to happen to the RPG industry in a very long time.
Actually, the Windows patch should be very small and easy to implement. Time Zone definitions are stored in the registry. Part of that data says when the DST changeover happens.
If they actually do refuse to pay your final paycheck you will need to contact the labor board for the state you work in. Some states will pursue the action on your behalf (free of charge) including recovering lost pay AND damages. If you think your boss is serious about this I would suggest contacting the appropriate government agency NOW just to find out what the procedure is.
My most important advice is this: C.Y.A. Document everything you do from here out. Get witnesses if you can. If at all possible don't check in any source code changes; give patches to someone else and let THEM do it.
Last time I left a job the PHB's wanted me to keep developing right up until the last minute. I'm not talking bug fixes, here; they wanted me to continue doing new development on a project that couldn't possibly be completed in two weeks. It's possible that I was just being paranoid and all they were really trying to do was to suck every last drop out of me before I left. I took no chances; I did my bug fixes -- simple ones -- and handed off the new development to some other sorry sucker.
You know, I hear people dis season 6 all the time and I just don't get it. Season 6 was beyond brilliant -- it was utterly sublime. Was it painful? Hell yeah, but so is life. It was supposed to be painful and disjointed and hearbreaking. If they'd just made season [insert number here] over and over again it would have been dead boring, I think. Season 6 made the characters grow and it made the audience grow as well.
That doesn't make me feel very good. Can you give some specifics of the sorts of last minute additions and changes that go on in the industry? I'd like to see how they compare with some of the miracles we get asked to perform.
I'd much rather be "Software Sultan" or "Kode Kaiser" but...
This would certainly mean the end of crappy software. In fact, it would mean the end of ALL software. We can't get our employers to pay us to do it properly now -- you think that's gonna change just because your career is on the line?
Software doesn't suck because software engineers are bad. Well, okay, it does, but that's not the only reason. The primary reason that software sucks is that nobody is willing to pay us for the amount of time it actually takes to do something. When you take an 18 month schedule and compress it down to 6, remove all QA, and THEN add all sorts of additional requirements at the last minute what do you expect? I doubt if "real" engineers work that way, why should we?
I'm an engineer and recently had the dubious honor of managing a system implementation and integration project. It wasn't a completely positive experience though it did have its rewards.
My biggest warning to you is to not expect the impossible deadlines and ridiculous requests to magically disappear. You'll just be the one passing them on to the engineers. The only difference will be that they'll know that you know how ridiculous they are.
--john
Survey says... get real. It is absolutely a device to squeeze more commercials into a given time period. That's why it was made, how it is marketed, why it will be bought. Did you miss the part about the millions of dollars of extra ad revenue?
I remember from a year or so back (when I used to write closed captioning software) a couple of networks doing someting like this already. (I seem to recall PAX being one of them but wouldn't swear to that.)
The reason the whole thing sticks in my mind is that dropping frames like this plays hell with caption data and any other VBI data such as Web TV, VCHIP, etc.
After the October date was missed there was a meeting of all the Project Managers, Program Managers, Subject Matter Experts, and other people involved in the project. They worked round the clock for nearly 3 days to come up with a revised project plan and estimate of how long it would take to finish the system, test it, and bring it online. The number they came up with moved the date into late January. Executive management didn't like this and decided that the new date would be mid-November. Their plan for squeezing out these extra two months? Just make everyone work harder. Needless to say we've got a group that is completely burnt out and getting less done in more time. Nifty.
As long as "suits" continue to make schedules based on business needs (read "corporate politics") and not based on the complexity of the problem this is going to continue to happen.
--john
I would agree that experience improves ones skills at estimation. I wouldn't necessarily assume that this is a benefit or byproduct of CMM or any other methodology. It's simply a matter of having more data on which to base your assumptions. I've also discovered that this experience doesn't necessarily translate well from one type of project to another or across problem domains. To get a decent estimate you need smart people who are experience at doing your type of project in your problem domain. No way to get around it.
--john
Well organized projects have unpredictable schedules. Badly managed projects have even more unpredictable schedules.
--john