I was presales for an enterprise software company that got called in propose a solution for a VERY large company which is heavy in equipment. (I am being intentionally vague here.) Some of their equipment moved from one piece of equipment to other pieces of equipment. Picture a big box with little boxes inside. You could move a little box from one big box to another big box. Each of these little boxes had to have a record of everyplace they went, which meant that they had to be identifiable.
This organization somehow had been loosing track of the little boxes, and would arbitrarily reassign ID numbers to boxes. They said something like the ID tags would fall off or some sort of nonsense. Since this caused regulatory problems for them, they came up with a project called the "Permanent ID Project" wherein they would use software to keep track of the little boxes.
The first question out of someone's mouth during the demonstration of how we would track the "permanent" ID number of a box was "You know that ID number you just showed us? How would we change that?"
This organization had "incredible unique and specific needs."
I used Clearwire for a little over a year, and dropped them due to their throttling.
Cool story bro time:
Working from home for an enterprise software company, and moving to a rural area with no real broadband other than Clearwire, I went to their store/office to sign up. Since I was using it primarily for work, I worked with a sales manager who specialized in business accounts. After making it clear what I would be using the access for, including the data volumes I would be using, I was assured that the speed and access I needed would be no problem. I even made it clear that my company used VOIP. I was even given a loaner modem, so I could test the service. After about a week of testing, I decided to sign up, putting the recurring charges on my corporate AMEX.
About three or four months of everything working swimmingly, I was on a call one day, when the phone just stopped working. I had a hardware VOIP device, so I could see the LEDs weren't working, but my other Internet access was fine. I called our VOIP support, and they figured out that the port for VOIP had been blocked.
I called the Clearwire sales guy who I had worked with--and who had assured me that VOIP would not be an issue--and he denied that the port had been blocked, but he contacted Clearwire support, and was told by a manager that indeed the port was blocked. He put me in contact with this manager, who helped me figure out a port that would not be blocked, so I could set the VOIP modem to that port. During this time, he warned me that the speed would be throttled when the system registered the usage that was coming from my IP address and port.
I saw my speeds slowly degrade to unusable on all Internet access, not just VOIP, and by this time DSL had come to my area, so I took the modem in to the store to return it. The very unfriendly person who took the return informed me that I would be hit with a ~$300 termination fee, even though I had not agreed to a contract or terms, and she could not prove that I had.
As soon as the charge hit my AMEX, I filed a dispute on the charge, which was promptly reversed, and I never heard or saw anything again.
I know of other large enterprise software companies that have recently put technical staff on "non-exempt" status. In theory, you can make up the difference in overtime, BUT at least one of these companies limits how much overtime you are allowed to work.
This whole situation was fomented by the 2001 California law that declared programmers non-exempt. The pitch for the bill that would lead to the law was that programmers were being exploited by having to work long hours with "little" compensation. There are lawyers who even put up sites showing how much a programmer would expect to make with overtime. But like I said, it is unlikely you can actually see these huge gains, because of overtime limits.
The only people who really benefit from this law--lawyers.
When the hard drive on our family laptop crashed, my wife declared that she wanted a Mac. We did jump ship, and we are happy with it, meaning we will let everyone we know that we made the jump and are satisfied.
My son got a cheap crystal radio kit for Christmas, which didn't work. I went online and got plans for another radio, and we went to Radio Shack to get the extra parts we would need.
I tried ask about crystal radios and was met with blank stares. The first guy had never even heard of a crystal radio. The second guy claimed he had built one, but it was obvious he didn't even know what one waw when he offered batteries.
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I was presales for an enterprise software company that got called in propose a solution for a VERY large company which is heavy in equipment. (I am being intentionally vague here.) Some of their equipment moved from one piece of equipment to other pieces of equipment. Picture a big box with little boxes inside. You could move a little box from one big box to another big box. Each of these little boxes had to have a record of everyplace they went, which meant that they had to be identifiable.
This organization somehow had been loosing track of the little boxes, and would arbitrarily reassign ID numbers to boxes. They said something like the ID tags would fall off or some sort of nonsense. Since this caused regulatory problems for them, they came up with a project called the "Permanent ID Project" wherein they would use software to keep track of the little boxes.
The first question out of someone's mouth during the demonstration of how we would track the "permanent" ID number of a box was "You know that ID number you just showed us? How would we change that?"
This organization had "incredible unique and specific needs."
I used Clearwire for a little over a year, and dropped them due to their throttling.
Cool story bro time:
Working from home for an enterprise software company, and moving to a rural area with no real broadband other than Clearwire, I went to their store/office to sign up. Since I was using it primarily for work, I worked with a sales manager who specialized in business accounts. After making it clear what I would be using the access for, including the data volumes I would be using, I was assured that the speed and access I needed would be no problem. I even made it clear that my company used VOIP. I was even given a loaner modem, so I could test the service. After about a week of testing, I decided to sign up, putting the recurring charges on my corporate AMEX.
About three or four months of everything working swimmingly, I was on a call one day, when the phone just stopped working. I had a hardware VOIP device, so I could see the LEDs weren't working, but my other Internet access was fine. I called our VOIP support, and they figured out that the port for VOIP had been blocked.
I called the Clearwire sales guy who I had worked with--and who had assured me that VOIP would not be an issue--and he denied that the port had been blocked, but he contacted Clearwire support, and was told by a manager that indeed the port was blocked. He put me in contact with this manager, who helped me figure out a port that would not be blocked, so I could set the VOIP modem to that port. During this time, he warned me that the speed would be throttled when the system registered the usage that was coming from my IP address and port.
I saw my speeds slowly degrade to unusable on all Internet access, not just VOIP, and by this time DSL had come to my area, so I took the modem in to the store to return it. The very unfriendly person who took the return informed me that I would be hit with a ~$300 termination fee, even though I had not agreed to a contract or terms, and she could not prove that I had.
As soon as the charge hit my AMEX, I filed a dispute on the charge, which was promptly reversed, and I never heard or saw anything again.
Cool story, huh?
That's what she said.
(Am I doing it right?)
Again with the modding as "troll." I think maybe the mod needs a hug. (Hopefully, they are out of mod points by modding all these as "troll.")
Geez, who pissed in the mod's corn flakes. This comment is hilarious! (Okay, not hilarious, but funny.)
I know of other large enterprise software companies that have recently put technical staff on "non-exempt" status. In theory, you can make up the difference in overtime, BUT at least one of these companies limits how much overtime you are allowed to work.
This whole situation was fomented by the 2001 California law that declared programmers non-exempt. The pitch for the bill that would lead to the law was that programmers were being exploited by having to work long hours with "little" compensation. There are lawyers who even put up sites showing how much a programmer would expect to make with overtime. But like I said, it is unlikely you can actually see these huge gains, because of overtime limits.
The only people who really benefit from this law--lawyers.
Well, that clears it up.
I am forced to use XP for work.
And I have my kids use Edubuntu on an old laptop.
When the hard drive on our family laptop crashed, my wife declared that she wanted a Mac. We did jump ship, and we are happy with it, meaning we will let everyone we know that we made the jump and are satisfied.
. . . jumped the shark?
They have people who call themselves editors here, but they don't edit, and they can't spell--so I prefer to call them editers.
Well, it was on msnbc.com, so we shouldn't expect journalism at all.
I for one welcome our new UFO overlords.
Why didn't he stand up? Why didn't he do as he was requested?
Yeah! Charlie don't surf...the Internet.
Nicely played, sir!
Seldom is the question asked: Is Americans evolving?
Is it because they are plain stupids?
As far as I'm concerned, this is Slashdot quote of the day.
Seldom is the question asked: Is it because they are plain stupids?
I wish I had mod points right now! +1 Insightful!!!!!!
You might want to get your sarcas-o-meter checked. I think it might need calibrating.
I guess the yoke's on them.
Amen!
My son got a cheap crystal radio kit for Christmas, which didn't work. I went online and got plans for another radio, and we went to Radio Shack to get the extra parts we would need.
I tried ask about crystal radios and was met with blank stares. The first guy had never even heard of a crystal radio. The second guy claimed he had built one, but it was obvious he didn't even know what one waw when he offered batteries.
Go Braham Bombers! Nationally ranked basketball team from the middle of nowhere in Minnesota.
"Like anyone can ever know that Napoleon."
So that's the reason they gave you? [nelson]Ha! Ha![/nelson]
or LAYOFF even.