I'm not so much defending piracy as stating it's idiotic to build a business model around assuming piracy wont exist,
First their model existed before piracy existed. Second they do put systems in place to prevent piracy but people crack it. They put these security measures on a hardware and software level. They also put in EULA agreements, etc. Now they are trying to get the laws ALREADY in place enforced. What more do you want from these guys? They did their due dilligence.
trying to force law changes that effect people in more ways than just preventing piracy in countries where Nintendo doesn't even add to their economy.
Actually they are not trying to force law changes. It is already illegal in China to pirate software. It is both a national law on their own and by the treaties they signed with other countires (e.g. US). Nintendo is trying to get these countries to ENFORCE EXISTING law.
If Nintendo does make a loss on the DS without putting any real anti-piracy measures in it and then people pirate games for it then that's their own fault for being so utterly naive in the first place, it is not the fault of the citizens of Spain, China or wherever.
First this is totally untrue - they put in a lot of measures. Hardware/software/eula's. People crack it.
Second - the whole "if they don't put restrictions in it then it is their fault" mentality is totally false. Did you know if you put money on the front seat of your car, left the windows open, and the keys in the ignition it would still be criminal for someone to take your car, and/or money without your permission? Your insurance company may raise your rates for being a moron but the police would still have to investigate, arrest and prosecute if they caught the person. Companies are not obligated to put these protections in - and it's a shame they have to. It costs them millions of dollars to attempt to protect their works from thieves.
The point is, Nintendo is trying to punish citizens of countries, many of whom have never ever even had a Nintendo product because they couldn't be bothered to even try and do anything about the problem themselves because they were naive enough to think that no one would actually do it.
Actually Nintendo is trying to get countries to enforce their laws and prosecute DISTRIBUTION criminals. They are not going after the 15 year old with the pirated game, they are going after the person who sold it to her. And again, I do not know where you get that NES does not try and lock down their game consoles.
I want to buy the games, but Nintendo doesn't want to sell the games for any of several reasons. One is the No Export For You mentality even if there's a fully translated prototype (Earthbound for NES) or even if it's been released in another anglophone market (Kuru Kuru Kururin for GBA; Pinocchio for Wii). Another is that games from a smaller developer can't get published unless the developer has already released another commercial title on Windows, and some developers aren't fans of the genres that Windows gamers have historically preferred. What is the alternative to piracy in this case?
The alternative is to not play the game or hope the manufacturer will release it to PCs. If they don't want to produce a certain game on the console for your market you can write your letter of complaint, you can get a petition and you can then boycot Nintendo console products in the future. By pirating you are not only preventing Nintendo from getting their cut of the profit you are preventing the game maker from getting their cut of the profit - and the game maker may not have been the one to make the decision...and even if they did - it is THEIR decision. If they decide not to sell to a certain market YOU do not have the right to say "F off, I'm goin to pirate it". No matter the reason - high prices, no availability, your refusal to pay a company because you are too cheap - you do not have the right to take something that does not belong to you and these games do not belong to you.
Answer me this - will you die? Will you fall ill? Will it really hurt you (other then the painful longing that comes from losing your true love) if you don't get to play that game?
Answer me this - Other then "zomg i won't pay high prices" or "I actually own the game but it broke so now I am getting another one" (which is extremely rare) how are you justifying people acquiring pirated games that ARE readily available to them at their local game shop or online store?
I doubt Wii games are what the O.P. was talking about. I think he/she/it was talking about older systems.
For instance, how many people signed the online petition to have Nintendo translate Mother 3 and release it in the US? I believe well over 100,000 people signed it. Yet Nintendo refused to translate and release the game over here. So, fans of the series took matters into their own hands and translated the game themselves. If Nintendo would have released the game, they could have made a ton of money off of it, but instead, it is now being "pirated," instead.
NES not releasing a game into a specific market does not justify people pirating the game. And EVEN if this game was in the market it would still be pirated. So again, stop attempting to justify this fud. People pirate because they don't want to pay the cost of the game. Not playing Mother 3 will not cause you to die so get over it.
Actually, it's always been about attaching controllers to the newest graphics engine. But if that is the excuse, here you go - if you can buy super mario brothers, for the NES, then you can buy pretty much any of the other games. BTW - it's nice and cheap:
Or you can stop making excuses and realize that its about people who are too cheap to buy and they want it for free. Also, if it's that the new games suck and people are only downloading the old games why are the new games rated in the top slots for pirated software?
NES of America is a seperate entity of NES Japan and is an American company. They need to ask the American gov't. I am sure NES Japan is doing the same thing on their end.
Mod the above poster -10 FAIL for not understanding the laws, situation, and probably life in general
It is already illegal in China, and has been for many years (google it), to pirate media. The police rarely enforce it. A few times a year they will stop a big, and obvious, operation - but for the most part they could care less.
Nintendo is asking the US to pressure China to enforce their laws and the US-China treaties. The US is obligated to put this pressure, since it is law, and China is obligated to enforce the laws. However this may not happen to do the political environment and if China really gives a crap.
You gave two issues:
1) How do you fight piracy
2) Justification of costs
To answer your posts
1) Hope the police will enforce the laws they are supposed to enforce
2) If you can't afford it - don't buy it. Trust me, nobody will die if they can't play the DS...well maybe the 13 year old kid who wants to have what "ALL" of his friends have.
Yea Nintendo is not coming after you are they? I am willing to bet if NES America knocked on your door with the police and a court order and you said "yes here are the copies, i burned them on my computer, here are the originals" you would be fine. You know the reason why they are complaining about the lack of law enforcement -- too many people are acquiring pirated copies and do not have the originals. Just scan the posts here on/. where people believe that as long as they bought they console they have done their due dilligence to support the company (they forget the consoles are typically loss leaders) and they are not entitled to pirated games.
They want countries to enforce their laws and treaties. Pirating is illegal in China but the police turn a blind eye. So someone asking a country to enforce their laws is not out line. Maybe you don't agree with it because you want to own pirated games/movies/music w/o potential recourse, but then again a car thief doesn't want the police to enforce the laws either.
They are not making a law they are asking the US to enforce current treaties with other countries. So the US has treaties with China about pirating, but China is not enforcing those laws, so the companies are asking the US to pressure China to enforce these. Considering China signed a treaty they are in the wrong for letting this stuff slip by.
So take a pill and help yourself to a cup of STFU.
These are people who I know definitely wouldn't have got one if they had to pay an additional £20 for each game on top of £100 for the device itself. Piracy has been one of the reasons the DS has been so succesful.
That is backwards ass stupid. It is poor justification and I dare you to go to a court of law, with pirated games and say "your honor, this is why i pirate games..." Most consoles are loss leaders.
Listen - stop trying to justify why pirating is OK. It doesn't matter if game console makers earn $1 on the console or $1,000 - if you don't want to buy the games (for whatever your reasons may be) then don't play the games. Buying the console does not magically entitle you to get the games for free...btw the games cost MONEY to invent, code, manufacture. As a/. user, which means you at least have some insight into what programming is, you should know better. Some company spends thousands of hours, possibly millions of dollars so people can say "well why should i have to pay, i can pirate".
Also game consoles tend to be loss leaders (e.g. Ps3) so just buying a game console from a company, and never a game, hurts them directly and immediately.
There is no guarantee those people would get the console and any games if they couldn't copy them.
Atleast Nintendo makes money on the consoles to so they have got my support anyway.
Not really. Considering game consoles tend to be a loss-leader for manufacturers (ala X-box, PS3, not sure about nintendo) the manufacturers don't want you to JUST buy their console (even if you NEVER put a game into it so there is no piracy issue). You are not supporting them by buying the console only - you are hurting them.
Skipping out on work doesn't count as "gross misconduct". I understand some contracts can be very much in favor of the employee - but not showing up to work? I would wager if an employer had such a contract they could take the employee to court and sue. The judge would then tell the employee "son, you do not get paid if you do not work - get your ass to work or stfu":)
Oh my bad. Well sure.
1) Hello this is Bob calling from XYZ HR about a former employee Jim
2) Would you have time to provide me with information about Jim? At this point let them point the file, the key thing is to ask OPEN ended questions, not yes/no questions, and to give them time to respond. Don't be specific. Be very courteous and patient.
3) If they give you start/end date, and title and that's it ask them more open ended questions "great, thank you so much, is there anything else i should know"
One thing to note some companies require you to send in requests in writing - don't do this, just say sure and never send it in. If it's a big company call back later and hope to get someone else. obviously if a person is looking for a job he may be looking at multiple companies so multiple calls will come in.
You will need some basic info about Jim, to confirm you are talking about the right person (have the resume', social security, etc).
If my company fired me I'd get way more than three week's pay in the form of a severance package. Really it doesn't seem fair to the company - I doubt they could replace me as quickly as I could replace them.
If it's not written into a contract, and even then it may have a stipulation that you couldn't have been fired for cause, then you may not get anything.
The thread starter should go to HR, tell HR what is up (send them an e-mail and bcc home), keep things documented (even writing names, dates & statements down). And then say "I don't think I can work in a hostile work-place and my manager made it hostile. Sorry I gotta leave early." Also tell HR "Honestly, I was leaving on good terms but now I am contacting my lawyer to cover myself. If i find the company bad mouths me I am going to sue". The manager, if the company is large enough, may get fired himself.
I think you are implying someone who quits a company would then require the company to pay unemployment. That is false. You can only get unemployment if you were laid off or fired without proper cause (proper cause is not "I didn't like him"). The company has to prove this cause (e.g. the meeting they had with you where you were told to sign a letter) and it cannot be older then one year or after your last review where the offense was before the review. A company fired me and HR told UC I was fired because I sent out an inappropriate joke e-mail (that was not the reason i got fired, HR got their information wrong). The inappropriate joke e-mail (which I did send out) was 2.5 years old. Since it was more then a year old, and i had received multiple reviews it was not a valid reason. I also had a letter from my boss, who fired me, that the reason i was fired was for having my resume' listed on monster. I got UC.
That's a fine line you are bouncing on. If a former co-worker of mine says "can you give me a reference" and I do it then that is fine. I won't lie about my position - I won't say "Yes i was his direct manager" when in reality (firing someone for mis-representing their position in a company is valid..you can't say you are the CEO when you are NOT the CEO.) You may get in trouble for having the conversation during work hours and/or on the company phone - but go and do it from home or on your lunch break on your cell phone and you are fine.
Personal opinion = "did you like the guy". Professional opinion = "did he do his job well". I don't have to state "my personal opinion is" it is implied it is my personal opinion - in fact they ALL are personal opinion just the subject matter may be about a professional question or a personal question (quality of work vs personality).
BTW your company can have all the policies it wants, firing you for CAUSE will not necessarily apply. It's like a company I worked for, and fired me. They put in the exit letter that if I spoke to any current/former employees of the company I could be sued. Last I heard the company I worked for is not entitled to change the freedom of speech portion of the constitution when it comes to non-proprietary information. So I signed the letter, kind of laughing (only thing i could laugh about), and walked out. Called my friends (and coworkers) to let them know why i got fired. It was a good thing because the company told people I just upp'd and walked out without notification or reason to the company.
1) Answer the phone with "good morning, xyz company, and I'm Bob at HR"
2) Don't have the information at the tip of your tongue. Unless you are in a small company you will most likely have to pull up a file. So say "sure hold on while i get xyz file" put them on hold (mute) for a minute.
3) Come back, even make sounds of shuffeling paper.
4) When answering questions take a moment to shuffle the paperwork for more complex questions (e.g. hire date is not something you would remember, but you would remember if you liked working with the person).
HR people are no different then other people so just act normal. Take your time and make sure to have your friends resume' with you so you can give accurate info (date of hire, date of quitting/termination, title). Anything extra you are not supposed to give but if you want to have the job description, and info you want to give. If they ask salary, which is a big no-no, make sure to give a padded version of your friends salary - just make sure he put that on his job app.
I would not resort to this part of the process unless they first said "No". You don't want to initiate a hostile attitude. Just send an e-mail "would you please provide me a complete copy of my employee file... thank you". If they say no keep the e-mail and respond with the statute. If they say no again sue them.
BCC all letters to your home address.
Step 1) Send an e-mail (BCC your home e-mail) stating that you have given three weeks notice but got the impression you were required to stay a longer term.
Step 2) Keep a copy of it's response. If they say "hey we want you to stay longer" great. Send yourself a copy.
Step 3) In the future when a potential employer says "why don't you want to use these guys as a reference" show him the letters "hey they did like me, they wanted me to stay more then three weeks notice".
Employment at will also means you can quit whenever you want. You fired your company and gave them 3 weeks notice. If they fired you would you get 3 weeks notice?
Slashdot Mirror
I'm not so much defending piracy as stating it's idiotic to build a business model around assuming piracy wont exist,
First their model existed before piracy existed. Second they do put systems in place to prevent piracy but people crack it. They put these security measures on a hardware and software level. They also put in EULA agreements, etc. Now they are trying to get the laws ALREADY in place enforced. What more do you want from these guys? They did their due dilligence.
trying to force law changes that effect people in more ways than just preventing piracy in countries where Nintendo doesn't even add to their economy.
Actually they are not trying to force law changes. It is already illegal in China to pirate software. It is both a national law on their own and by the treaties they signed with other countires (e.g. US). Nintendo is trying to get these countries to ENFORCE EXISTING law.
If Nintendo does make a loss on the DS without putting any real anti-piracy measures in it and then people pirate games for it then that's their own fault for being so utterly naive in the first place, it is not the fault of the citizens of Spain, China or wherever.
First this is totally untrue - they put in a lot of measures. Hardware/software/eula's. People crack it.
Second - the whole "if they don't put restrictions in it then it is their fault" mentality is totally false. Did you know if you put money on the front seat of your car, left the windows open, and the keys in the ignition it would still be criminal for someone to take your car, and/or money without your permission? Your insurance company may raise your rates for being a moron but the police would still have to investigate, arrest and prosecute if they caught the person. Companies are not obligated to put these protections in - and it's a shame they have to. It costs them millions of dollars to attempt to protect their works from thieves.
The point is, Nintendo is trying to punish citizens of countries, many of whom have never ever even had a Nintendo product because they couldn't be bothered to even try and do anything about the problem themselves because they were naive enough to think that no one would actually do it.
Actually Nintendo is trying to get countries to enforce their laws and prosecute DISTRIBUTION criminals. They are not going after the 15 year old with the pirated game, they are going after the person who sold it to her. And again, I do not know where you get that NES does not try and lock down their game consoles.
Below are some links for you (in case you are bothered to check so you can be corrected in your improper knowledge)
http://www.iconocast.com/0000000013/S1/News1.htm (do a search for Nintendo)
http://www.ocmodshop.com/news/displaygamingnews.asp?articleid=33394&zoneid=15 (do a search for Despite)
I want to buy the games, but Nintendo doesn't want to sell the games for any of several reasons. One is the No Export For You mentality even if there's a fully translated prototype (Earthbound for NES) or even if it's been released in another anglophone market (Kuru Kuru Kururin for GBA; Pinocchio for Wii). Another is that games from a smaller developer can't get published unless the developer has already released another commercial title on Windows, and some developers aren't fans of the genres that Windows gamers have historically preferred. What is the alternative to piracy in this case?
The alternative is to not play the game or hope the manufacturer will release it to PCs. If they don't want to produce a certain game on the console for your market you can write your letter of complaint, you can get a petition and you can then boycot Nintendo console products in the future. By pirating you are not only preventing Nintendo from getting their cut of the profit you are preventing the game maker from getting their cut of the profit - and the game maker may not have been the one to make the decision...and even if they did - it is THEIR decision. If they decide not to sell to a certain market YOU do not have the right to say "F off, I'm goin to pirate it". No matter the reason - high prices, no availability, your refusal to pay a company because you are too cheap - you do not have the right to take something that does not belong to you and these games do not belong to you.
Answer me this - will you die? Will you fall ill? Will it really hurt you (other then the painful longing that comes from losing your true love) if you don't get to play that game?
Answer me this - Other then "zomg i won't pay high prices" or "I actually own the game but it broke so now I am getting another one" (which is extremely rare) how are you justifying people acquiring pirated games that ARE readily available to them at their local game shop or online store?
I doubt Wii games are what the O.P. was talking about. I think he/she/it was talking about older systems. For instance, how many people signed the online petition to have Nintendo translate Mother 3 and release it in the US? I believe well over 100,000 people signed it. Yet Nintendo refused to translate and release the game over here. So, fans of the series took matters into their own hands and translated the game themselves. If Nintendo would have released the game, they could have made a ton of money off of it, but instead, it is now being "pirated," instead.
NES not releasing a game into a specific market does not justify people pirating the game. And EVEN if this game was in the market it would still be pirated. So again, stop attempting to justify this fud. People pirate because they don't want to pay the cost of the game. Not playing Mother 3 will not cause you to die so get over it.
Actually, it's always been about attaching controllers to the newest graphics engine. But if that is the excuse, here you go - if you can buy super mario brothers, for the NES, then you can buy pretty much any of the other games. BTW - it's nice and cheap:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=super+mario+brothers+nintendo&safe=on&cid=16603037394614279608&sa=title#ps-sellers
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=super+mario+brothers+nintendo&safe=on&cid=16603037394614279608&sa=title#ps-sellers
http://toytraders.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2615801
Or you can stop making excuses and realize that its about people who are too cheap to buy and they want it for free. Also, if it's that the new games suck and people are only downloading the old games why are the new games rated in the top slots for pirated software?
NES of America is a seperate entity of NES Japan and is an American company. They need to ask the American gov't. I am sure NES Japan is doing the same thing on their end.
Mod the above poster -10 FAIL for not understanding the laws, situation, and probably life in general
It is already illegal in China, and has been for many years (google it), to pirate media. The police rarely enforce it. A few times a year they will stop a big, and obvious, operation - but for the most part they could care less.
Nintendo is asking the US to pressure China to enforce their laws and the US-China treaties. The US is obligated to put this pressure, since it is law, and China is obligated to enforce the laws. However this may not happen to do the political environment and if China really gives a crap.
You gave two issues:
1) How do you fight piracy
2) Justification of costs
To answer your posts
1) Hope the police will enforce the laws they are supposed to enforce
2) If you can't afford it - don't buy it. Trust me, nobody will die if they can't play the DS...well maybe the 13 year old kid who wants to have what "ALL" of his friends have.
Yea Nintendo is not coming after you are they? I am willing to bet if NES America knocked on your door with the police and a court order and you said "yes here are the copies, i burned them on my computer, here are the originals" you would be fine. You know the reason why they are complaining about the lack of law enforcement -- too many people are acquiring pirated copies and do not have the originals. Just scan the posts here on /. where people believe that as long as they bought they console they have done their due dilligence to support the company (they forget the consoles are typically loss leaders) and they are not entitled to pirated games.
So what is it that you want Nintendo?
They want countries to enforce their laws and treaties. Pirating is illegal in China but the police turn a blind eye. So someone asking a country to enforce their laws is not out line. Maybe you don't agree with it because you want to own pirated games/movies/music w/o potential recourse, but then again a car thief doesn't want the police to enforce the laws either.
They are not making a law they are asking the US to enforce current treaties with other countries. So the US has treaties with China about pirating, but China is not enforcing those laws, so the companies are asking the US to pressure China to enforce these. Considering China signed a treaty they are in the wrong for letting this stuff slip by.
So take a pill and help yourself to a cup of STFU.
These are people who I know definitely wouldn't have got one if they had to pay an additional £20 for each game on top of £100 for the device itself. Piracy has been one of the reasons the DS has been so succesful.
That is backwards ass stupid. It is poor justification and I dare you to go to a court of law, with pirated games and say "your honor, this is why i pirate games..." Most consoles are loss leaders.
http://www.vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=56707&page=3
Also game consoles tend to be loss leaders (e.g. Ps3) so just buying a game console from a company, and never a game, hurts them directly and immediately.
http://www.vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=56707&page=3
PS3 80 GB - Cost $485, Price $400, Loss $85. PS3 160 GB - Cost $520, Price $500, Loss $20. XBox360 Arcade - Cost $260, Price $200, Loss $60 ...
There is no guarantee those people would get the console and any games if they couldn't copy them.
Atleast Nintendo makes money on the consoles to so they have got my support anyway.
Not really. Considering game consoles tend to be a loss-leader for manufacturers (ala X-box, PS3, not sure about nintendo) the manufacturers don't want you to JUST buy their console (even if you NEVER put a game into it so there is no piracy issue). You are not supporting them by buying the console only - you are hurting them.
Skipping out on work doesn't count as "gross misconduct". I understand some contracts can be very much in favor of the employee - but not showing up to work? I would wager if an employer had such a contract they could take the employee to court and sue. The judge would then tell the employee "son, you do not get paid if you do not work - get your ass to work or stfu" :)
Gladiator
Sparticus
Rome (HBO series, first few episodes were sexy awesome)
Excalibur/King Arthur
Oh my bad. Well sure.
1) Hello this is Bob calling from XYZ HR about a former employee Jim
2) Would you have time to provide me with information about Jim? At this point let them point the file, the key thing is to ask OPEN ended questions, not yes/no questions, and to give them time to respond. Don't be specific. Be very courteous and patient.
3) If they give you start/end date, and title and that's it ask them more open ended questions "great, thank you so much, is there anything else i should know"
One thing to note some companies require you to send in requests in writing - don't do this, just say sure and never send it in. If it's a big company call back later and hope to get someone else. obviously if a person is looking for a job he may be looking at multiple companies so multiple calls will come in.
You will need some basic info about Jim, to confirm you are talking about the right person (have the resume', social security, etc).
If my company fired me I'd get way more than three week's pay in the form of a severance package. Really it doesn't seem fair to the company - I doubt they could replace me as quickly as I could replace them.
If it's not written into a contract, and even then it may have a stipulation that you couldn't have been fired for cause, then you may not get anything.
The thread starter should go to HR, tell HR what is up (send them an e-mail and bcc home), keep things documented (even writing names, dates & statements down). And then say "I don't think I can work in a hostile work-place and my manager made it hostile. Sorry I gotta leave early." Also tell HR "Honestly, I was leaving on good terms but now I am contacting my lawyer to cover myself. If i find the company bad mouths me I am going to sue". The manager, if the company is large enough, may get fired himself.
I think you are implying someone who quits a company would then require the company to pay unemployment. That is false. You can only get unemployment if you were laid off or fired without proper cause (proper cause is not "I didn't like him"). The company has to prove this cause (e.g. the meeting they had with you where you were told to sign a letter) and it cannot be older then one year or after your last review where the offense was before the review. A company fired me and HR told UC I was fired because I sent out an inappropriate joke e-mail (that was not the reason i got fired, HR got their information wrong). The inappropriate joke e-mail (which I did send out) was 2.5 years old. Since it was more then a year old, and i had received multiple reviews it was not a valid reason. I also had a letter from my boss, who fired me, that the reason i was fired was for having my resume' listed on monster. I got UC.
That's a fine line you are bouncing on. If a former co-worker of mine says "can you give me a reference" and I do it then that is fine. I won't lie about my position - I won't say "Yes i was his direct manager" when in reality (firing someone for mis-representing their position in a company is valid..you can't say you are the CEO when you are NOT the CEO.) You may get in trouble for having the conversation during work hours and/or on the company phone - but go and do it from home or on your lunch break on your cell phone and you are fine.
Personal opinion = "did you like the guy". Professional opinion = "did he do his job well". I don't have to state "my personal opinion is" it is implied it is my personal opinion - in fact they ALL are personal opinion just the subject matter may be about a professional question or a personal question (quality of work vs personality).
BTW your company can have all the policies it wants, firing you for CAUSE will not necessarily apply. It's like a company I worked for, and fired me. They put in the exit letter that if I spoke to any current/former employees of the company I could be sued. Last I heard the company I worked for is not entitled to change the freedom of speech portion of the constitution when it comes to non-proprietary information. So I signed the letter, kind of laughing (only thing i could laugh about), and walked out. Called my friends (and coworkers) to let them know why i got fired. It was a good thing because the company told people I just upp'd and walked out without notification or reason to the company.
1) Answer the phone with "good morning, xyz company, and I'm Bob at HR" 2) Don't have the information at the tip of your tongue. Unless you are in a small company you will most likely have to pull up a file. So say "sure hold on while i get xyz file" put them on hold (mute) for a minute.
3) Come back, even make sounds of shuffeling paper.
4) When answering questions take a moment to shuffle the paperwork for more complex questions (e.g. hire date is not something you would remember, but you would remember if you liked working with the person).
HR people are no different then other people so just act normal. Take your time and make sure to have your friends resume' with you so you can give accurate info (date of hire, date of quitting/termination, title). Anything extra you are not supposed to give but if you want to have the job description, and info you want to give. If they ask salary, which is a big no-no, make sure to give a padded version of your friends salary - just make sure he put that on his job app.
Chances are this won't work in a bigger company.
quote the applicable statute and paragraph
I would not resort to this part of the process unless they first said "No". You don't want to initiate a hostile attitude. Just send an e-mail "would you please provide me a complete copy of my employee file... thank you". If they say no keep the e-mail and respond with the statute. If they say no again sue them.
BCC all letters to your home address.
Step 1) Send an e-mail (BCC your home e-mail) stating that you have given three weeks notice but got the impression you were required to stay a longer term.
Step 2) Keep a copy of it's response. If they say "hey we want you to stay longer" great. Send yourself a copy.
Step 3) In the future when a potential employer says "why don't you want to use these guys as a reference" show him the letters "hey they did like me, they wanted me to stay more then three weeks notice".
Employment at will also means you can quit whenever you want. You fired your company and gave them 3 weeks notice. If they fired you would you get 3 weeks notice?
allows for incredible amounts of free time to work on stuff like Linux ? or hacking my iPhone.
I see where you're going with this. You're trying to get one of the /. geeks to hack your phone for you. Well-played young man well-played.
First you gotta look like goddess:
http://tynanwood.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/cw2-300x225.jpg
She does not
Second you gotta be a geek.
She is not.
Wow, today Slashdot has both a story about the web in 1996 AND a comment asking for 1996 technology!
Old does not mean irrelevant or obselete. It was an example, and a low-overhead one. Win-win imo. Side's i can't view flash at work.