I have friends all over the world who record my favorite shows, expunge the commercials, and let me borrow them! I don't pay a cent except for bandwidth, and if I like the show enough I'll buy the DVDs to support the artists (Venture Brothers, maybe the next Simpsons set, Family Guy, etc...).
It works great, just like asking your neighbor to tape your favorite shows when you go on vacation.
Oh...the bad part is, the media companies can't make any money off of it.
I can't not pay taxes, but after hearing soldier after soldier on TV and online supporting Bush's 'plan'...I decided to stop giving extra.
*shrug* Just trying to show that people who were against the war but supported the troops (like myself) are growing weary of this joke of a 'war'...and our support for the brave people who fight and die is waning because of their incompetant commanders.
I guess when I hear the President say people like me don't support the troops...I can only think "You think we don't support them now? Wait a year or two and see what the mood of the nation is."
I support them by respecting the fact that they do their job, even though I don't agree with their orders. Just because I stopped giving extra funds (above my taxes) to them, doesn't mean I don't appreciate their willingness to follow orders as a good soldiers should. I would never insult a soldier for his actions in Iraq if he were under orders.
I guess there are differing levels of support...our retard-in-chief seems to see things in a binary fashion tho.
I can't wait until the military funding dries up, and we can hang the commanders who send the soldiers afield without proper support.
It's a pissing contest now, but it doesn't affect me since I don't fucking call anyone or even email anyone except for work. In-person communication FTW!
I've stopped donating money to the troops...they love Bush and his war so much, they can solicit donations once the funding runs out. So tired of this bullshit, so tired of being told I 'do not support the troops' beause I think they are being used in an amoral, unethical and illegal manner.
So they get you coming and going, eh? Can't make a back-up because you're only paying for the content...but you have to pay full price to get a new disk if yours is damaged and unplayable. This silliness is protected by law, and Americans have a proud history of ignoring unjust laws.
Instant milleage based on road speed and fuel injector duty cycle. I bought the car for $4000! It's great. If I drive 65 on the highway I can get 30MPG!
...but a good performer who has invested years into the company and the community in which the company operates deserves a little more consideration. The company only has to hire a new body and spend a few weeks training them up. The employee might have to sell his freakin' house before he can move to a place with jobs.
I don't want to run a company. I know many people who have their own businesses....they make maybe 35-50% more than my well-compensated salaried job does...but their income fluctuates and they have way more stress.
Small business is sold to the American people as some great get-rich scheme but most small businesses fail and that seed money is gone. It's a sucker's bet these days.
So what exactly is it about 'including contractors' that suddenly makes a layoff of 100-150,000 employees believable? If you only accept the 150,000 figure as full-time US employees...how many more contractors do you think IBM employees in the USA?
Your hogwash reasoning goes well with Cringely's hogwash numbers.
The military was supposed to provide security while the destroyed infrastructure was fixed and the Iraqis magically banded together in a western-style democracy. 5 years out and the infrastructure is just as messed up as when the invasion finished. Military can't seem to protect that infrastructure...sounds like a slap to me. Not to mention that they had to build a freakin' WALL to divide the different Iraqi sects. A smart man would have realized that, hey, infantry != police...and that a better plan was required post invasion. Whoops! The man we got had no post-invasion plan and the poor bastards in the military are being forced to do shit they never signed up for.
The military was sent to do a diplomat's job I will admit...but to claim that they aren't pathetically failing at that job would be a lie.
Yeah...a few crackpots deny that mankind is having an effect on shifting climate...a few crackpots also deny that mankind landed on the moon and that the earth is round.
I mean, the big bad US military is scraping the bottom of the recruitment barrel and radical religionists are slapping our Iraq forces around exactly as predicted in 2002. They're using 1950s technology...think of what the English could bring to bear against an American invasion!
We're scared in the USA too...our government has run amok and the salt-of-the-earth joe-jobbers have authoritarianism firmly lodged in their throat. Their years of cheerleading Bush's imperialism has rendered the gag reflex inert.
But that's how American Business is done! "at-will" employment anyone? Businesses need to be agile more than ever to please the jerk-off shareholders. They can't afford to lose money keeping non-optimal people employed if priorities shift, etc... You will likely get another job...but it seems the days of long-term employment are going away.
I'm not saying it's right, but that's what we have going on in the USA today. I think we need a little more government in our business than we've been having...shift the balance back to the regular people...but I've been called a godless commie so who knows:D
There are only 150k total IBM employees in the US. Cringely is talking out of his ass with that number.
I see you're a contractor systems administrator. I'm sorry you won't be able to come on as a full-timer, but your post seems to be a serious case of sour grapes. I mean...part of being a contractor is that your job is not guaranteed.
It all comes down to 'following the rules' for you types, don't it? No matter that the rules and procedures are injust or simply non-functional...and that the process for change fairly well road-blocked for youth.
I bet you also spout such gems as "If they aren't doing anything wrong, they have nothing to worry about!"
What's the matter...depressed because your help-desk job is gonna get outsourced to India? Cheer up, we still need native English speakers who understand the big picture of software and systems design!
Slashdot Mirror
...but I've come to like my BitTorrent friends a whole lot more.
I have friends all over the world who record my favorite shows, expunge the commercials, and let me borrow them! I don't pay a cent except for bandwidth, and if I like the show enough I'll buy the DVDs to support the artists (Venture Brothers, maybe the next Simpsons set, Family Guy, etc...).
It works great, just like asking your neighbor to tape your favorite shows when you go on vacation.
Oh...the bad part is, the media companies can't make any money off of it.
I trust him as much as I trust Saddam.
Guess you shoulda tried harder in school, eh?
I can't not pay taxes, but after hearing soldier after soldier on TV and online supporting Bush's 'plan'...I decided to stop giving extra.
*shrug* Just trying to show that people who were against the war but supported the troops (like myself) are growing weary of this joke of a 'war'...and our support for the brave people who fight and die is waning because of their incompetant commanders.
I guess when I hear the President say people like me don't support the troops...I can only think "You think we don't support them now? Wait a year or two and see what the mood of the nation is."
I support them by respecting the fact that they do their job, even though I don't agree with their orders. Just because I stopped giving extra funds (above my taxes) to them, doesn't mean I don't appreciate their willingness to follow orders as a good soldiers should. I would never insult a soldier for his actions in Iraq if he were under orders.
I guess there are differing levels of support...our retard-in-chief seems to see things in a binary fashion tho.
I can't wait until the military funding dries up, and we can hang the commanders who send the soldiers afield without proper support.
It's a pissing contest now, but it doesn't affect me since I don't fucking call anyone or even email anyone except for work. In-person communication FTW!
I've stopped donating money to the troops...they love Bush and his war so much, they can solicit donations once the funding runs out. So tired of this bullshit, so tired of being told I 'do not support the troops' beause I think they are being used in an amoral, unethical and illegal manner.
Meh.
So they get you coming and going, eh? Can't make a back-up because you're only paying for the content...but you have to pay full price to get a new disk if yours is damaged and unplayable. This silliness is protected by law, and Americans have a proud history of ignoring unjust laws.
I wonder if the IRS requires strict book-keeping from faith-based non-profits. I sure hope they do.
Instant milleage based on road speed and fuel injector duty cycle. I bought the car for $4000! It's great. If I drive 65 on the highway I can get 30MPG!
I'm not gonna bite on this one, but I just wanted to point it out.
...but a good performer who has invested years into the company and the community in which the company operates deserves a little more consideration. The company only has to hire a new body and spend a few weeks training them up. The employee might have to sell his freakin' house before he can move to a place with jobs.
I don't want to run a company. I know many people who have their own businesses....they make maybe 35-50% more than my well-compensated salaried job does...but their income fluctuates and they have way more stress.
Small business is sold to the American people as some great get-rich scheme but most small businesses fail and that seed money is gone. It's a sucker's bet these days.
So what exactly is it about 'including contractors' that suddenly makes a layoff of 100-150,000 employees believable? If you only accept the 150,000 figure as full-time US employees...how many more contractors do you think IBM employees in the USA?
Your hogwash reasoning goes well with Cringely's hogwash numbers.
It's a historical fact. Don't sweat it, it's not gonna be 150,000 people or even 100,000 people...that is absurd.
The military was supposed to provide security while the destroyed infrastructure was fixed and the Iraqis magically banded together in a western-style democracy. 5 years out and the infrastructure is just as messed up as when the invasion finished. Military can't seem to protect that infrastructure...sounds like a slap to me. Not to mention that they had to build a freakin' WALL to divide the different Iraqi sects. A smart man would have realized that, hey, infantry != police...and that a better plan was required post invasion. Whoops! The man we got had no post-invasion plan and the poor bastards in the military are being forced to do shit they never signed up for.
The military was sent to do a diplomat's job I will admit...but to claim that they aren't pathetically failing at that job would be a lie.
Yeah...a few crackpots deny that mankind is having an effect on shifting climate...a few crackpots also deny that mankind landed on the moon and that the earth is round.
Not sure why I posted this...
I mean, the big bad US military is scraping the bottom of the recruitment barrel and radical religionists are slapping our Iraq forces around exactly as predicted in 2002. They're using 1950s technology...think of what the English could bring to bear against an American invasion!
:(
We're scared in the USA too...our government has run amok and the salt-of-the-earth joe-jobbers have authoritarianism firmly lodged in their throat. Their years of cheerleading Bush's imperialism has rendered the gag reflex inert.
It's a sad time for the USA
But that's how American Business is done! "at-will" employment anyone? Businesses need to be agile more than ever to please the jerk-off shareholders. They can't afford to lose money keeping non-optimal people employed if priorities shift, etc... You will likely get another job...but it seems the days of long-term employment are going away.
:D
I'm not saying it's right, but that's what we have going on in the USA today. I think we need a little more government in our business than we've been having...shift the balance back to the regular people...but I've been called a godless commie so who knows
Sorry. It's just not that bad. This will go as many other layoffs have gone...contractors and underperformers will be canned...a few thousand at most.
There are only 150k total IBM employees in the US. Cringely is talking out of his ass with that number.
I see you're a contractor systems administrator. I'm sorry you won't be able to come on as a full-timer, but your post seems to be a serious case of sour grapes. I mean...part of being a contractor is that your job is not guaranteed.
...and profit by assisting oppresive governments...the world keeps a-turnin...
...to extend copyright every time Mickey Mouse is at risk of becoming public domain.
It all comes down to 'following the rules' for you types, don't it? No matter that the rules and procedures are injust or simply non-functional...and that the process for change fairly well road-blocked for youth.
I bet you also spout such gems as "If they aren't doing anything wrong, they have nothing to worry about!"
What's the matter...depressed because your help-desk job is gonna get outsourced to India? Cheer up, we still need native English speakers who understand the big picture of software and systems design!
...then when bad people break the law and use proxies...the 'good guys' won't be able to use proxies to stop the bad guys!
Or something...