This is a perspective that some people need to learn to accept. There are those that don't care and there are those that care too much, but too few that understand that climate change is normal and that our planet is capable of sustaining itself regardless of what we do. If you look at the last century of weather data, you get one perspective, but if you look at larger sample sizes, it goes up and down based on what is needed as a reaction to everything else going on. The only reason to fight climate change is if you are concerned that it is going to impact you so significantly that you won't be able to function. Most urban areas aren't going to turn into desolate deserts, but the African equatorial countries will have to become less inhabited. Maybe they can move to Antarctica since parts of that continent will become habitable. In technology we talk about disruption as a good thing, but in environmental science we talk about it like it's a bad thing. Pick a lane folks! Change is good, but it's not like 3mm of moss growth a year is going to reach you in Chicago for another eon, so chill out!
With Facebook being a major supporter of net neutrality and not letting corporations pick winners and losers, rather creating laws that give the public that choice, doesn't this whole thing seem a bit hypocritical?
Any company that replaces an employee with an H1-B worker is intentionally breaking the law. While the "unemployment rate" doesn't look all that bad, the fact is that we have many technology workers that are out of a job because of this abuse. I caught up with a good friend of mine this week who is out of a 17 year old network engineering job because they are laying people off at Verizon and hiring H1-B folks to do the work. We've seen new stories about Disney doing the same. Com Ed (an Excelon company) has been accused of this in the midwest. The Nielsen company has been doing this for years and signed a multi-year/multi-BILLION dollar contract with Tata Consulting Services and forced managers to replace employees with TCS H1-B workers. Walgreens has done the same with their technology folks claiming to only be "supplementing their staff" when these are full time jobs, not part time or short term "contract" engagements. Time and time again we are seeing this and it is killing our industry.
The frightening reality of this is that not only are our jobs being taken away, but these companies are bringing on completely incompetent staff through these H1-B programs. Seriously, a program that was designed to bring in qualified individuals when local qualified individuals cannot be found is literally hiring people that are NOT qualified to do the job! https://developers.slashdot.or...
It is abuse. It is illegal. It is one reason why this country has taken such a sharp turn towards isolationism in this last election and is willing to tolerate someone like Donald Trump as their President. Most folks I know that voted for him are saying "Yea, he's got a ton of faults, but at least we might be able to keep a job."
This issue has got to be addressed and, in my opinion, the senior executives at companies that have made the conscious decision to replace US workers with H1-B workers should have criminal charges levied against them just like those Wall Street folks that lied and cheated their investors. I am fed up with seeing this over and over again with nothing done about it.
Yet you are probably still all angry about net neutrality going away... You think your ISP needs to check your browsing history when you've created a public life? You probably think Google/Facebook don't know what sex toys you're interested in either since you used "used incognito mode"...
Wish I had some points because I would totally mod this up. That is such a good point! Seriously, there are more pictures that people will regret in 2 years and posts about the most idiotic things imaginable that much of humanity has no right to privacy because they are publicising their entire life anyway!
Yea that's why Illinois (Obama's home state and the birthplace of the democratic machine) is seeing higher rates of people leaving than ever before and Texas is seeing huge growth. Poor argument saying people want to be there because they are "nicer".
Insane taxes to fund a bunch of state regulations is just as stupid as the Federal ones. If you want anonymity on the internet, buy a service that routes you through something that adds anonymity. Everyone here knows that. This is Slashdot not an Apple forum. Your personal preferences are not a commercially protected right. If you want something, you usually have to pay for it. Everyone is looking for secondary means of revenue. Identifying people's online habits is the #1 selling commodity and marketing is one of the top spending areas for most companies. This is capitalism at it's finest and I'm fine with it. Sure beats the far extreme of the left with government running everything and deciding what you can and can't see on the internet (i.e. China)
I agree with the customer service aspect. Apple is light-years ahead of most PC manufacturers including those with "good customer service" like Dell. Having had a variety of experiences with each, I definitely prefer the Apple experience.
If you click through your Windows configuration like you click through an EULA, you probably missed this, but there are a ton of options regarding how updates are applied...
Fellow parent here and I agree. Another good example is gaming. I love counter-strike. I have for almost half of my life, to be honest, but I'm not letting my son play it at this point. Why? Not because there are guns and violence. It's because of the toxicity and language of the other kids that are playing. He's asked me many times if he can play and, just like League of Legends I say no. These communities, just like many social networks, are simply not conducive to healthy psychological development.
That is exactly what I was thinking as I was reading this. Most companies that I've worked for "own" any IP that I build using company resources including company time. If you are bringing your personal laptop in and working on it only during your personal lunch time or something, you might have a leg to stand on, but during working hours? I have managed hundreds of developers in my career and while I haven't had this exact scenario, I have reprimanded people for working on projects other than their assigned priorities even if it's company work. The one that really gets me is if a contractor is assisting another person from his consulting firm while I am paying for his or her hours. I see this alot with offshore and H1B folks where they are asked to assist others that are "onboarding". Their company should be paying for those hours, not me. I'm not a heartless jerk that doesn't think that consultants should help others from their consulting company. Heck, I've spent many years of my career in those roles and have done that, but I don't bill my primary client for it unless it is for another project at their company and it doesn't impact my primary job responsibilities.
Any of these examples should be considered grounds for termination. If someone is being paid to do a job and they aren't doing it, whether doing someone else's job, working on a side project, surfing the internet for new shoes, playing video games... whatever, then it's a problem and depending on the severity, you need to deal with it one way or another.
Thank you for posting this. It sums up my thoughts exactly. First of all, a deregulated telecommunications means you have choices in which ISP to use. Second it creates competition between them to provide superior services for lower costs. Capitalism at its most basic level is supply and demand. If people demand access to services online and there are multiple suppliers that can sell that access, then we as consumers will have more choice, not less.
Honestly, these startups aren't going to be the ones that get hit. The super competitive media streaming giants that are killing cable companies' "On Demand" revenue streams will be the ones that are impacted. Honestly there's no reason that TWC, Comcast, AT&T and other would have any reason to care one bit about Etsy, GitHub or most of these other complainers. They aren't competition and they aren't creating the need for the providers to increase operational overhead. Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu and others like that ARE competing directly against cable services and they ARE using up large amounts of bandwidth that increases the operational overhead of the ISP, so they are likely targets.
Here's the thing. This is already happening with cellular data providers, but it's not like it's an issue. T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon and AT&T all have their own variations of "Unlimited Data" with various service levels. One will only stream 480p after a certain point. One may have a contract with the NFL to stream their games in HD in the unlimited definition. Another may allow Spotify to stream forever, but only at a certain quality level. All of these variations are based on the deals that these ISPs have struck with other companies and it has resulted in a VERY competitive landscape where options continue to improve and costs continue to go down.
Too many people think that companies will abuse this and abuse their customers through this deregulation, but maybe you guys don't realize how wrong you are. Do you know how much money these companies spend marketing bigger, better, faster and cheaper messages to you as a consumer? You're business means everything to them. These aren't heartless big business entities that have a monopoly on your money. They may have been in years past, but none of these places can function that way anymore. They spend millions on predictive analytic models based on focus groups to figure out if a decision will have a positive impact on their bottom line, so giving or not giving them your business is your voice. Stop trying to get the government to control everything for you. It's like you haven't moved out of your parents' house yet and you're mad because they want you to make your own decision about what to eat for dinner. You as a consumer control the ecosystem, not the government. Use your wallet to speak your mind and companies will react.
Agreed. In the last 10 years I have seen more companies abusing this in the tech sectors than I have ever seen before. TATA Consulting Services or TCS has taken advantage of the lax H1-B rules in so many companies. Look at the more public cases like ComEd (midwest power company), Disney and others where TCS and other offshore companies were hired to place people here in the US to replace American workers simply because they were able to provide cheaper labor. They aren't paying prevailing wages, they are paying $50k - $60k for jobs that normally pay $75k to $80k. These workers live in apartments that are subsidised by TCS with roommates (2-3) so that they can afford housing. Sure it's white collar work with living wage rates, but these guys aren't bringing in 3-5 year veterans, they are bringing in college grads from India and other countries. We have TONS of college grads in technology that are looking for jobs. Many would be happy to take the $50k, but companies sign multi-BILLION DOLLAR contracts with these "offshoring companies" that require them to supply both offshore AND ONSHORE resources. As agile and other technical project management methodologies become more and more common, the need for having local resources that are able to work together more collaboratively has resulted in companies sponsoring ONSHORE replacement programs.
That is the outrageous abuse that revamping the H1-B program needs to address. I have worked for and consulted for a number companies in the last 10 years and almost every one of them had some degree (some far more than others) of H1-B program in place that, at minimum, was using it to pay under-skilled foreigners less to "fill a role" that could be easily filled by native talent.
To be clear, I am not an isolationist and many of the people that have come from these companies and countries are god friends of mine. Yes, on a personal level, I don't want to see them go, the the fact is that we are supposed to have a government that protects it's citizens, not a globalized economic system that puts us back into a pre-unionized age where the workers become oppressed and a slave class. Okay, that's a bit over the top, I mean getting paid $50k to sit at a desk and right code isn't anywhere near slavery, but my point is that it is regression and we shouldn't take that step back.
To answer the obvious troll questions, yes, I am personally very frustrated by this whole issue. I have been in countless positions to hire talented people in junior roles where I can mentor and develop the kind of skills that college grads need. I have had interns from some universities that have shown promise, but rather than hire on some of these folks, I have been specifically told by one company that I cannot and that we need to meet the "contractual obligations of TCS and fill the role with an H1-B worker". When you're in that position, TCS doesn't send you top talent. The company, not the individual, has rewritten a resume for someone that has 1-2 years of offshore call center experience and coached them to lie in the interview. They coach them on what to say to basic job skill questions and often they have little to no experience other than a book they read on the plane trip to the US. I'm not joking, I have actually be told by a worker once that this was the case.
Now, I've also hired a couple of VERY TALENTED folks that needed H1-B sponsorship and, if I am not able to find someone else to fill that specialized role (sometimes with jobs paying into the 6 figures) have agreed to cover the H1-B sponsorship costs. That is what this is supposed to be used for, but honestly, I can say that's been 2 times of the hundreds that I have seen over the last 10 years. This isn't an anti-world and anti-immigration thing, this is an anti-letting companies abuse policies that hurt US workers thing.
This industry is also part of the problem. Because no one will establish an open standard for test strips and glucometers and no one will publish their communications protocols for communicating with the insulin pumps, folks like my wife are stuck having to buy the test strips that will work with the glucometer that is the only one available that can communicate with her pump. I, for one, am glad to see a company like Apple that embraces market disruption jumping into the mix. Even if they don't manage to figure this out, this might scare a little thought into the companies that are in this industry today.
Haven't seen any Type 2 diabetics that needed devices like this. They can usually take a pill a couple of times a day to solve their problem. This type of solution is for the genetic Type 1 diabetic whose body does not generate insulin, not for the person that ate a box of chocolates every day until their body couldn't properly process sugar and insulin. Please don't hate just because you are misinformed on the subject.
We're talking about two completely different things. Type 2 diabetes, usually attributed to diet and, frankly, an often self-inflicted condition, is not what devices like this are designed for. Constant testing of glucose and dispensing of insulin is something needed by a Type 1 diabetic whose body does not create insulin and is far more difficult to manage. Most Type 2 diabetics can be treated by taking a pill a couple of times a day.
Type 1 is a genetic disease and manifests itself completely independent of diet. My wife was diagnosed at 11 and has had almost every kind of CGM (continuous glucose monitor) that is available. We are extremely fortunate to have great insurance and a good enough income to be able to try may of the latest and greatest devices. I will tell you guys that NOTHING on the market today comes even close to this. Because ALL CGMs are subdermal, they have to be replaced every few days, with a new location, in order to minimize the risk of infection. They are insanely expensive, over time, since they are disposable devices. While I agree that money may be better spent on research for a permanent cure, the fact is that a large number of fatalities caused by this disease can be attributed to the challenges of maintenance. Even the subdermal CGMs we have today tell you to calibrate with a finger prick test a couple of times a day. They stick out from your body and get bumped causing, at minimum sharp pain, sometimes pulling away just enough that they start reporting bad data and at in worst cases, they will rip out of your skin making you bleed all over your shirt. They aren't a great solution. Continuous monitoring is far better than checking a few times a day because it creates a much more even level than the constant ups and downs that come with testing and injecting a few times a day. For a busy mom, like my wife, the challenge is to stay on top of all of this while staying on top of all of the other day to day stuff.
IF, and I say that in all caps because this isn't the first time someone has tried to minimize the maintenance of treating this disease, IF they are able to come up with something like this that minimizes the need to carry around a glucometer, finger pricking device, test strips, alcohol pads, band-aids and all of the other junk that my wife has to remember to put in her purse every time she leaves the house, that alone is a really great way to help manage things.
I mean if drinking distilled water is bad for you, long term, without adding the minerals that your body needs, that's not really a good solution. Plus, I expect this water is going to be pretty hot since it's sitting in the desert sun, so that the solar panels can power it, so... Maybe the real application for this is that they have a really fancy way to boil a pot of water to cook their noodles? I didn't really think that my 10 cent pack of ramen needed a more cost effective cooking mechanism, but if they put it on Kickstarter, I'm totally buying one because that obviously means that I need it./sarcasm
I have to say, I'm unbelievably happy to see this. The effects of a program like this are far greater reaching than the article mentions. First of all, it creates income opportunities for more people than just the couple of drivers of a bus. Second it eliminates the need for the town to cover the maintenance costs for large investments like that, but drives more opportunities for local automotive maintenance businesses (usually smaller family owned establishments). Third, they are putting money into the service, not buying an expensive "thing". What will they do with a bus in 5-6 years when it's worn out and needs to be replaced? Buying large items like that doesn't solve the need, but subsidising a service industry that does solve the need it really smart.
In the current economy where cities are constantly fighting against service based businesses like Uber, AirBnB and others that don't pay their premiums for cab medallions and hotel licenses, this is a real win, not only for the local population, but for local businesses to improve their individual opportunities. I'm not in the industry, but so far as I can tell, this is an all around win that doesn't require the local government to establish more rules and regulation, more people to enforce those rules and more time to be wasted in council meetings discussing all of the "what-if" scenarios. For those, like me, that favor smaller government that still works for the people, this is a great example that I hope to see replicated all over.
I'll use my personal "commute" as an example of how this works with, not against, other larger public transit systems. My typical work day is as follows: 1. Drive to my local train station (about 4 miles from home so let's say $2 in gas and averaged maintenance costs). 2. Pay $1.50 to park at the train station (large lot with about 300 spaces for commuters). 3. Take a train to the city $200 monthly (I'm in the suburbs). 4. Take the train back to my local station. 5. Drive home (another $2 in gas/maintenance).
The public transportation in the large municipal area where I live is very good, but locally in my town, there are no bus options for getting to the train.
IF we implemented something like this in our town, I would pay my $4 a day to an Uber driver that would drive me too and from the train station. Now, maybe that doesn't save me any money, but it doesn't cost anything more. The local town, on the other hand, can take that huge space for parking, where the cost of maintaining the lot is barely covered by the parking fees, and create a great new "downtown" business space where a coffee shop and other commuter conveniences would be right at the train station.
Here are the big wins in my mind: New local businesses generate more local tax revenues for an overall increase in local government revenues. Environmental improvements with fewer greenhouse emissions from cars. Less traffic in the downtown suburb. Local folks that are looking for a "side hustle" to make ends meet have another opportunity! Here's the really interesting thing. My wife and I probably only need one car! That's at least $5,000 a year back in my pocket.
Honestly, I don't see the downside in suburban areas like this. Would it work in a larger metropolitan city? Probably not since busses and subways really do a good job to alleviate the traffic that would be caused by a bunch of extra cars that only hold 3-4 people at a time, but I really think that more smaller towns, like mine, can benefit from this in a big way.
Slashdot Mirror
This is a perspective that some people need to learn to accept. There are those that don't care and there are those that care too much, but too few that understand that climate change is normal and that our planet is capable of sustaining itself regardless of what we do. If you look at the last century of weather data, you get one perspective, but if you look at larger sample sizes, it goes up and down based on what is needed as a reaction to everything else going on. The only reason to fight climate change is if you are concerned that it is going to impact you so significantly that you won't be able to function. Most urban areas aren't going to turn into desolate deserts, but the African equatorial countries will have to become less inhabited. Maybe they can move to Antarctica since parts of that continent will become habitable. In technology we talk about disruption as a good thing, but in environmental science we talk about it like it's a bad thing. Pick a lane folks! Change is good, but it's not like 3mm of moss growth a year is going to reach you in Chicago for another eon, so chill out!
With Facebook being a major supporter of net neutrality and not letting corporations pick winners and losers, rather creating laws that give the public that choice, doesn't this whole thing seem a bit hypocritical?
Just saying...
Spot on.
Any company that replaces an employee with an H1-B worker is intentionally breaking the law. While the "unemployment rate" doesn't look all that bad, the fact is that we have many technology workers that are out of a job because of this abuse. I caught up with a good friend of mine this week who is out of a 17 year old network engineering job because they are laying people off at Verizon and hiring H1-B folks to do the work. We've seen new stories about Disney doing the same. Com Ed (an Excelon company) has been accused of this in the midwest. The Nielsen company has been doing this for years and signed a multi-year/multi-BILLION dollar contract with Tata Consulting Services and forced managers to replace employees with TCS H1-B workers. Walgreens has done the same with their technology folks claiming to only be "supplementing their staff" when these are full time jobs, not part time or short term "contract" engagements. Time and time again we are seeing this and it is killing our industry.
Here's another story about this just a few weeks ago: https://yro.slashdot.org/story...
The frightening reality of this is that not only are our jobs being taken away, but these companies are bringing on completely incompetent staff through these H1-B programs. Seriously, a program that was designed to bring in qualified individuals when local qualified individuals cannot be found is literally hiring people that are NOT qualified to do the job!
https://developers.slashdot.or...
It is abuse. It is illegal. It is one reason why this country has taken such a sharp turn towards isolationism in this last election and is willing to tolerate someone like Donald Trump as their President. Most folks I know that voted for him are saying "Yea, he's got a ton of faults, but at least we might be able to keep a job."
This issue has got to be addressed and, in my opinion, the senior executives at companies that have made the conscious decision to replace US workers with H1-B workers should have criminal charges levied against them just like those Wall Street folks that lied and cheated their investors. I am fed up with seeing this over and over again with nothing done about it.
Yet you are probably still all angry about net neutrality going away... You think your ISP needs to check your browsing history when you've created a public life? You probably think Google/Facebook don't know what sex toys you're interested in either since you used "used incognito mode"...
Wish I had some points because I would totally mod this up. That is such a good point! Seriously, there are more pictures that people will regret in 2 years and posts about the most idiotic things imaginable that much of humanity has no right to privacy because they are publicising their entire life anyway!
Yea that's why Illinois (Obama's home state and the birthplace of the democratic machine) is seeing higher rates of people leaving than ever before and Texas is seeing huge growth. Poor argument saying people want to be there because they are "nicer".
Insane taxes to fund a bunch of state regulations is just as stupid as the Federal ones. If you want anonymity on the internet, buy a service that routes you through something that adds anonymity. Everyone here knows that. This is Slashdot not an Apple forum. Your personal preferences are not a commercially protected right. If you want something, you usually have to pay for it. Everyone is looking for secondary means of revenue. Identifying people's online habits is the #1 selling commodity and marketing is one of the top spending areas for most companies. This is capitalism at it's finest and I'm fine with it. Sure beats the far extreme of the left with government running everything and deciding what you can and can't see on the internet (i.e. China)
I agree with the customer service aspect. Apple is light-years ahead of most PC manufacturers including those with "good customer service" like Dell. Having had a variety of experiences with each, I definitely prefer the Apple experience.
Part of me thinks that this article should be modded down as flamebait, but I was having a pretty boring day too so I guess I'll grab some popcorn.
If you click through your Windows configuration like you click through an EULA, you probably missed this, but there are a ton of options regarding how updates are applied...
Fellow parent here and I agree. Another good example is gaming. I love counter-strike. I have for almost half of my life, to be honest, but I'm not letting my son play it at this point. Why? Not because there are guns and violence. It's because of the toxicity and language of the other kids that are playing. He's asked me many times if he can play and, just like League of Legends I say no. These communities, just like many social networks, are simply not conducive to healthy psychological development.
Also, to basically everyone reading this: you're also not paid to read Slashdot - GET BACK TO WORK!
Well played.
That is exactly what I was thinking as I was reading this. Most companies that I've worked for "own" any IP that I build using company resources including company time. If you are bringing your personal laptop in and working on it only during your personal lunch time or something, you might have a leg to stand on, but during working hours? I have managed hundreds of developers in my career and while I haven't had this exact scenario, I have reprimanded people for working on projects other than their assigned priorities even if it's company work. The one that really gets me is if a contractor is assisting another person from his consulting firm while I am paying for his or her hours. I see this alot with offshore and H1B folks where they are asked to assist others that are "onboarding". Their company should be paying for those hours, not me. I'm not a heartless jerk that doesn't think that consultants should help others from their consulting company. Heck, I've spent many years of my career in those roles and have done that, but I don't bill my primary client for it unless it is for another project at their company and it doesn't impact my primary job responsibilities.
Any of these examples should be considered grounds for termination. If someone is being paid to do a job and they aren't doing it, whether doing someone else's job, working on a side project, surfing the internet for new shoes, playing video games... whatever, then it's a problem and depending on the severity, you need to deal with it one way or another.
Thank you for posting this. It sums up my thoughts exactly. First of all, a deregulated telecommunications means you have choices in which ISP to use. Second it creates competition between them to provide superior services for lower costs. Capitalism at its most basic level is supply and demand. If people demand access to services online and there are multiple suppliers that can sell that access, then we as consumers will have more choice, not less.
Honestly, these startups aren't going to be the ones that get hit. The super competitive media streaming giants that are killing cable companies' "On Demand" revenue streams will be the ones that are impacted. Honestly there's no reason that TWC, Comcast, AT&T and other would have any reason to care one bit about Etsy, GitHub or most of these other complainers. They aren't competition and they aren't creating the need for the providers to increase operational overhead. Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu and others like that ARE competing directly against cable services and they ARE using up large amounts of bandwidth that increases the operational overhead of the ISP, so they are likely targets.
Here's the thing. This is already happening with cellular data providers, but it's not like it's an issue. T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon and AT&T all have their own variations of "Unlimited Data" with various service levels. One will only stream 480p after a certain point. One may have a contract with the NFL to stream their games in HD in the unlimited definition. Another may allow Spotify to stream forever, but only at a certain quality level. All of these variations are based on the deals that these ISPs have struck with other companies and it has resulted in a VERY competitive landscape where options continue to improve and costs continue to go down.
Too many people think that companies will abuse this and abuse their customers through this deregulation, but maybe you guys don't realize how wrong you are. Do you know how much money these companies spend marketing bigger, better, faster and cheaper messages to you as a consumer? You're business means everything to them. These aren't heartless big business entities that have a monopoly on your money. They may have been in years past, but none of these places can function that way anymore. They spend millions on predictive analytic models based on focus groups to figure out if a decision will have a positive impact on their bottom line, so giving or not giving them your business is your voice. Stop trying to get the government to control everything for you. It's like you haven't moved out of your parents' house yet and you're mad because they want you to make your own decision about what to eat for dinner. You as a consumer control the ecosystem, not the government. Use your wallet to speak your mind and companies will react.
Just for curiosity with a CS degree why were you working retail?
Ask a millennial.
Sorry, I couldn't help it.
I see what you did there ;)
sit at a desk and right code
Times like this really need an edit button so I don't feel so bad.
Agreed. In the last 10 years I have seen more companies abusing this in the tech sectors than I have ever seen before. TATA Consulting Services or TCS has taken advantage of the lax H1-B rules in so many companies. Look at the more public cases like ComEd (midwest power company), Disney and others where TCS and other offshore companies were hired to place people here in the US to replace American workers simply because they were able to provide cheaper labor. They aren't paying prevailing wages, they are paying $50k - $60k for jobs that normally pay $75k to $80k. These workers live in apartments that are subsidised by TCS with roommates (2-3) so that they can afford housing. Sure it's white collar work with living wage rates, but these guys aren't bringing in 3-5 year veterans, they are bringing in college grads from India and other countries. We have TONS of college grads in technology that are looking for jobs. Many would be happy to take the $50k, but companies sign multi-BILLION DOLLAR contracts with these "offshoring companies" that require them to supply both offshore AND ONSHORE resources. As agile and other technical project management methodologies become more and more common, the need for having local resources that are able to work together more collaboratively has resulted in companies sponsoring ONSHORE replacement programs.
That is the outrageous abuse that revamping the H1-B program needs to address. I have worked for and consulted for a number companies in the last 10 years and almost every one of them had some degree (some far more than others) of H1-B program in place that, at minimum, was using it to pay under-skilled foreigners less to "fill a role" that could be easily filled by native talent.
To be clear, I am not an isolationist and many of the people that have come from these companies and countries are god friends of mine. Yes, on a personal level, I don't want to see them go, the the fact is that we are supposed to have a government that protects it's citizens, not a globalized economic system that puts us back into a pre-unionized age where the workers become oppressed and a slave class. Okay, that's a bit over the top, I mean getting paid $50k to sit at a desk and right code isn't anywhere near slavery, but my point is that it is regression and we shouldn't take that step back.
To answer the obvious troll questions, yes, I am personally very frustrated by this whole issue. I have been in countless positions to hire talented people in junior roles where I can mentor and develop the kind of skills that college grads need. I have had interns from some universities that have shown promise, but rather than hire on some of these folks, I have been specifically told by one company that I cannot and that we need to meet the "contractual obligations of TCS and fill the role with an H1-B worker". When you're in that position, TCS doesn't send you top talent. The company, not the individual, has rewritten a resume for someone that has 1-2 years of offshore call center experience and coached them to lie in the interview. They coach them on what to say to basic job skill questions and often they have little to no experience other than a book they read on the plane trip to the US. I'm not joking, I have actually be told by a worker once that this was the case.
Now, I've also hired a couple of VERY TALENTED folks that needed H1-B sponsorship and, if I am not able to find someone else to fill that specialized role (sometimes with jobs paying into the 6 figures) have agreed to cover the H1-B sponsorship costs. That is what this is supposed to be used for, but honestly, I can say that's been 2 times of the hundreds that I have seen over the last 10 years. This isn't an anti-world and anti-immigration thing, this is an anti-letting companies abuse policies that hurt US workers thing.
This industry is also part of the problem. Because no one will establish an open standard for test strips and glucometers and no one will publish their communications protocols for communicating with the insulin pumps, folks like my wife are stuck having to buy the test strips that will work with the glucometer that is the only one available that can communicate with her pump. I, for one, am glad to see a company like Apple that embraces market disruption jumping into the mix. Even if they don't manage to figure this out, this might scare a little thought into the companies that are in this industry today.
Haven't seen any Type 2 diabetics that needed devices like this. They can usually take a pill a couple of times a day to solve their problem. This type of solution is for the genetic Type 1 diabetic whose body does not generate insulin, not for the person that ate a box of chocolates every day until their body couldn't properly process sugar and insulin. Please don't hate just because you are misinformed on the subject.
We're talking about two completely different things. Type 2 diabetes, usually attributed to diet and, frankly, an often self-inflicted condition, is not what devices like this are designed for. Constant testing of glucose and dispensing of insulin is something needed by a Type 1 diabetic whose body does not create insulin and is far more difficult to manage. Most Type 2 diabetics can be treated by taking a pill a couple of times a day.
Type 1 is a genetic disease and manifests itself completely independent of diet. My wife was diagnosed at 11 and has had almost every kind of CGM (continuous glucose monitor) that is available. We are extremely fortunate to have great insurance and a good enough income to be able to try may of the latest and greatest devices. I will tell you guys that NOTHING on the market today comes even close to this. Because ALL CGMs are subdermal, they have to be replaced every few days, with a new location, in order to minimize the risk of infection. They are insanely expensive, over time, since they are disposable devices. While I agree that money may be better spent on research for a permanent cure, the fact is that a large number of fatalities caused by this disease can be attributed to the challenges of maintenance. Even the subdermal CGMs we have today tell you to calibrate with a finger prick test a couple of times a day. They stick out from your body and get bumped causing, at minimum sharp pain, sometimes pulling away just enough that they start reporting bad data and at in worst cases, they will rip out of your skin making you bleed all over your shirt. They aren't a great solution. Continuous monitoring is far better than checking a few times a day because it creates a much more even level than the constant ups and downs that come with testing and injecting a few times a day. For a busy mom, like my wife, the challenge is to stay on top of all of this while staying on top of all of the other day to day stuff.
IF, and I say that in all caps because this isn't the first time someone has tried to minimize the maintenance of treating this disease, IF they are able to come up with something like this that minimizes the need to carry around a glucometer, finger pricking device, test strips, alcohol pads, band-aids and all of the other junk that my wife has to remember to put in her purse every time she leaves the house, that alone is a really great way to help manage things.
I mean if drinking distilled water is bad for you, long term, without adding the minerals that your body needs, that's not really a good solution. Plus, I expect this water is going to be pretty hot since it's sitting in the desert sun, so that the solar panels can power it, so... Maybe the real application for this is that they have a really fancy way to boil a pot of water to cook their noodles? I didn't really think that my 10 cent pack of ramen needed a more cost effective cooking mechanism, but if they put it on Kickstarter, I'm totally buying one because that obviously means that I need it. /sarcasm
You get a lot of teenager Uber drivers in your area? I've never seen one. Oh yea because the minimum age is 21 (23 in some cities).
Your argument is invalid.
Innisfil, population 32,727 as of 2014
Is anybody else weirdly disappointed that the town does not have 41 more people?
You just restored my faith in Slashdot.
This needs to be modded up.
LOL
I have to say, I'm unbelievably happy to see this. The effects of a program like this are far greater reaching than the article mentions. First of all, it creates income opportunities for more people than just the couple of drivers of a bus. Second it eliminates the need for the town to cover the maintenance costs for large investments like that, but drives more opportunities for local automotive maintenance businesses (usually smaller family owned establishments). Third, they are putting money into the service, not buying an expensive "thing". What will they do with a bus in 5-6 years when it's worn out and needs to be replaced? Buying large items like that doesn't solve the need, but subsidising a service industry that does solve the need it really smart.
In the current economy where cities are constantly fighting against service based businesses like Uber, AirBnB and others that don't pay their premiums for cab medallions and hotel licenses, this is a real win, not only for the local population, but for local businesses to improve their individual opportunities. I'm not in the industry, but so far as I can tell, this is an all around win that doesn't require the local government to establish more rules and regulation, more people to enforce those rules and more time to be wasted in council meetings discussing all of the "what-if" scenarios. For those, like me, that favor smaller government that still works for the people, this is a great example that I hope to see replicated all over.
I'll use my personal "commute" as an example of how this works with, not against, other larger public transit systems.
My typical work day is as follows:
1. Drive to my local train station (about 4 miles from home so let's say $2 in gas and averaged maintenance costs).
2. Pay $1.50 to park at the train station (large lot with about 300 spaces for commuters).
3. Take a train to the city $200 monthly (I'm in the suburbs).
4. Take the train back to my local station.
5. Drive home (another $2 in gas/maintenance).
The public transportation in the large municipal area where I live is very good, but locally in my town, there are no bus options for getting to the train.
IF we implemented something like this in our town, I would pay my $4 a day to an Uber driver that would drive me too and from the train station. Now, maybe that doesn't save me any money, but it doesn't cost anything more. The local town, on the other hand, can take that huge space for parking, where the cost of maintaining the lot is barely covered by the parking fees, and create a great new "downtown" business space where a coffee shop and other commuter conveniences would be right at the train station.
Here are the big wins in my mind:
New local businesses generate more local tax revenues for an overall increase in local government revenues.
Environmental improvements with fewer greenhouse emissions from cars.
Less traffic in the downtown suburb.
Local folks that are looking for a "side hustle" to make ends meet have another opportunity!
Here's the really interesting thing. My wife and I probably only need one car! That's at least $5,000 a year back in my pocket.
Honestly, I don't see the downside in suburban areas like this. Would it work in a larger metropolitan city? Probably not since busses and subways really do a good job to alleviate the traffic that would be caused by a bunch of extra cars that only hold 3-4 people at a time, but I really think that more smaller towns, like mine, can benefit from this in a big way.
And you thought statistics was the only thing that could be interpreted "correctly" to argue either side of a debate...