An enlightened boss would realize this, and have a flexible working arrangement where everybody could choose the environment they are more productive i
Actually, my boss (well, CEO) figured this out quite a while ago and seems to be doing pretty well with it.
You're obviously not a Canadian. The bigger concern up here is getting doctors and nurses at the moment, nevermind the economic impact of programmers-vs-whatever.
But even more than that, Canada (and the rest of the West) needs immigrants. Statistics Canada just reported that the average number of children for families is now 1.5, meaning that our population would be in decline save for immigration. Looking at the big picture, this would (and will be for some countries) disasterous. Think of things like pensions and all the healthcare costs associated with aging populations.
Thankfully we don't have people like you making our public policy up here.
Up here Rogers is planning on offering the same service, although this seems like something that would be much more likely to succeed in Europe rather than North America.
Now why the hell can't they get some reasonable prices for wireless internet?
Just a small anecdote, but from where I live in Ottawa (Canada) it usually takes me about the same time to travel to say, Montreal or Toronto by train than by plane. Adding to that the fact that generally a plane ticket is about as expensive as a first class train ticket and that the train has electrical plugs for me to use my laptop and I'm a much happier camper going via rail.
Of course the whole 'best tool' addage applies, but the problem with that is that most people don't realize what sort of tools there are out there for centralizing information (ala data warehousing - wikipedia or google directory version).
A bonus to these tools is that of the three that I deal with; SAS, Cognos and Business Objects/Crystal Reports, all have some sort of plugin for Excel whereby it can be linked to a repository of information. The main problem is that these tools do require more $$$ than just getting a copy of Microsoft Office and the sticker-shock probably turns off many a PHB (to say nothing of those who have no idea in the first place).
And of course your southern border is so secure. Give me a break.
The millenium bomber was caught at the Canadian border before all the terrorist paranoia. Didn't seem to matter that he didn't need to have a passport, did it? All these things end up doing is annoying the 99.9999% of people who are travelling legitimatly.
SQL Server may have some missing functionality, but plain text dumps work perfectly well (albeit you might need to do them one table at a time). They're also incredibly simple to do.
Most of Microsoft's products may be crap, but SQL Server does seem to be an exception to the rule. All in all it works pretty well in my experience. However 9/10ths of SQL Server deployments would probably be just as well off with PostgreSQL.:-)
I think I was probably one of the only people to go for the first four years, and every time I thought it was awesome. The majority of the talks were interesting, the activities were fun and (most) of the delegates weren't overly nerdy (in the bad way).
Thank god they moved it to downtown Toronto though. It used to be hosted out by the airport in the middle of nowhere, which even though it was probably better for everyone else, sucked royally for me (being at York U, a Toronto based university) at the time.
I've got news for you - this stuff is already here. Just not as you predicted.
Right now, through simple things like triangulation (and other more complicated algorithyms obviously), the cellular network knows approximatly where you are at any given moment within about a block or less area (in a metro area). Combine this with Parlay/OSA (open service architecture), which is (sort of) an API which allows you to use Telecom networks in applications and we see that there isn't really that much need to wait for GPS to become pervasive in cellphones for location-based applications.
In case you (or any other readers) are interested, a few companies that are working in this area are RedKnee, Appium, etc... (obviously google will find more). I was using this stuff about two years ago for university projects, and haven't touched it since. But there seems to be a lot more potential here in the short/medium term vis a vis waiting for GPS in cells.
Back when I was working in Zambia on a development project with a government agency, the internet access was awful. I'd say that they're probably about ten years behind north america in terms of bandwidth availibility down there.
As for two days spent downloading Debian - that sounds very reasonable. At the place I was working, we had a microwave link with a local ISP who were OK. DSL links were about $1000USD/Month - way out of the budget of most organizations there. As to buying in pieces, I never really had to deal with that. All the computers that were bought where I was working were done with aid money so they all came together. Still, issues with the power system and so on did undermine the full potential of IT.
They're likely talking about layers.. which is something that Adblock already deals with. (along with Flash, images and custom paths - i.e. block anything in the directory */ads/*).
Thanks for the clarification - I probably should have mentioned those specifics rather than just linking to the product webpage, but what are you going to do?
The reason I mentioned ReportNet specifically is because, according to a Cognos rep. I spoke to a while ago, the long-term vision over there (as I understood it) was to replace PowerPlay, Impromptu, possibly Visualizer and whatever other applicable applications over to ReportNet after version 8 or 9. If that's indeed the truth then it seems like a good idea just to bite the bullet and go with ReportNet today - but what do I know, I'm just a customer.:-)
While I personally work in a Cognos/SQL Server shop and am therefore probably a bit biased, I seriously think you should take a look at Cognos' offerings. Their software is great and probably about as leading edge as you can get in the OLAP world. While we're using their PowerPlay and Impromptu products, the direction they're going at the moment is towards ReportNet which is a new product they just released a couple of months ago. Browing their website I came across this online demo that might help you in coming up with a justification for such a system (registration required, but worth it IMHO).
Anyway, if you're looking for help from someone who deals with OLAP systems - drop me a line.;-)
Phone size - if I want blue tooth then I must have a larger phone (very undesirable) but that it would have a camera in it (no use at all thanks - maybe even a hindrance as I might not be permitted to take it with me everywhere I go) and a snazzy colour screen (Why!?! I just want to make and receive calls!) and a dramatically reduced battery life to boot. As for wireless connectivity - the vendors advise it is normally turned off, and activated only for the duration I'm using a particular blue tooth service...( What's the point then!?!!! ) and that using blue tooth would dramatically reduce battery life again!
Admittedly I don't actually use the bluetooth on my phone at all, but it sounds like what you're looking for is something akin to the Nokia 6310i. I find that the call quality on it is great, the battery lasts for days on end without recharges and it doesn't have a 'snazzy colour screen.' That being said, it's been documented that the bluetooth implementation that Nokia put on these has some security flaws so it's probably a good idea to have it turned off when you don't need it. However, if you're just going to be using bluetooth in your car then it shouldn't be such a big problem. Incidentally, you can also set up the bluetooth to be voice activated - so turning it on when you get in your car shouldn't be a problem either especially if you get a power adapter for your car (in which case battery life doesn't matter).
Anyway, the point is pretty much moot since you got one of their other phones, but for the 'give me substance over style' crowd around here, this phone seems to fit the bill in almost every respect.
... and I was going to use my mod points. Oh well.
Anyway, the year before last, I took my then girlfriend to the opening of the Toronto Interior Design show for a Christmas present. She's an interior design student and had an awesome time, met some of her idols and fawned over various kitchen and bathroom thing-a-magigs. I, on the other hand, figured that I'd just have to get dragged around (which I was) and basically just be a trooper. Luckily for me, the event was scattered with all sorts of local wine makers, microbreweries and caterers eager for us to sample their wares. The first thing we got upon walking in were glasses of champagne and things just got better from there.
Incidentally, a lot of the furnature and stuff was kind of neat in various geeky-modern ways. But the point of the story is that for the good stuff you really just need to be in a chic, hipster field. We geeks still don't have a clue when it comes to the good stuff sometime.
Slashdot Mirror
An enlightened boss would realize this, and have a flexible working arrangement where everybody could choose the environment they are more productive i
Actually, my boss (well, CEO) figured this out quite a while ago and seems to be doing pretty well with it.
...he said ironically
I liked this little tidbit here...
"Boners Wanted"
Good to see they've got a sense of humour.
You're obviously not a Canadian. The bigger concern up here is getting doctors and nurses at the moment, nevermind the economic impact of programmers-vs-whatever.
But even more than that, Canada (and the rest of the West) needs immigrants. Statistics Canada just reported that the average number of children for families is now 1.5, meaning that our population would be in decline save for immigration. Looking at the big picture, this would (and will be for some countries) disasterous. Think of things like pensions and all the healthcare costs associated with aging populations.
Thankfully we don't have people like you making our public policy up here.
Or the version for Nokia Smartphones. Works fine on my 6620.
Up here Rogers is planning on offering the same service, although this seems like something that would be much more likely to succeed in Europe rather than North America.
Now why the hell can't they get some reasonable prices for wireless internet?
Just a small anecdote, but from where I live in Ottawa (Canada) it usually takes me about the same time to travel to say, Montreal or Toronto by train than by plane. Adding to that the fact that generally a plane ticket is about as expensive as a first class train ticket and that the train has electrical plugs for me to use my laptop and I'm a much happier camper going via rail.
'Spreadsheet sprawl' is the problem and OLAP (online analytical processing) is the answer.
Of course the whole 'best tool' addage applies, but the problem with that is that most people don't realize what sort of tools there are out there for centralizing information (ala data warehousing - wikipedia or google directory version).
A bonus to these tools is that of the three that I deal with; SAS, Cognos and Business Objects/Crystal Reports, all have some sort of plugin for Excel whereby it can be linked to a repository of information. The main problem is that these tools do require more $$$ than just getting a copy of Microsoft Office and the sticker-shock probably turns off many a PHB (to say nothing of those who have no idea in the first place).
... or you could just go to Portugal's statisical office. From where their population data is availible with one click.
The point is that there are definitive sources of information on the internet for various subjects, as long as you're aware of them.
And of course your southern border is so secure. Give me a break.
The millenium bomber was caught at the Canadian border before all the terrorist paranoia. Didn't seem to matter that he didn't need to have a passport, did it? All these things end up doing is annoying the 99.9999% of people who are travelling legitimatly.
Canada land area: 9,093,507
Cost of cable broadband: $40CDN
Cost of DSL broadband: $29CDN
Moral of the story: There's more to it than just geography.
SQL Server may have some missing functionality, but plain text dumps work perfectly well (albeit you might need to do them one table at a time). They're also incredibly simple to do.
Most of Microsoft's products may be crap, but SQL Server does seem to be an exception to the rule. All in all it works pretty well in my experience. However 9/10ths of SQL Server deployments would probably be just as well off with PostgreSQL. :-)
The CBC has a stream of their TV coverage (in real, but what can you do?) availible here
I think I was probably one of the only people to go for the first four years, and every time I thought it was awesome. The majority of the talks were interesting, the activities were fun and (most) of the delegates weren't overly nerdy (in the bad way).
Thank god they moved it to downtown Toronto though. It used to be hosted out by the airport in the middle of nowhere, which even though it was probably better for everyone else, sucked royally for me (being at York U, a Toronto based university) at the time.
Have fun guys and gals.
Yeah, from 1998.
Windows 98 went from 'funny' to 'sad' years ago.
I've got news for you - this stuff is already here. Just not as you predicted.
Right now, through simple things like triangulation (and other more complicated algorithyms obviously), the cellular network knows approximatly where you are at any given moment within about a block or less area (in a metro area). Combine this with Parlay/OSA (open service architecture), which is (sort of) an API which allows you to use Telecom networks in applications and we see that there isn't really that much need to wait for GPS to become pervasive in cellphones for location-based applications.
In case you (or any other readers) are interested, a few companies that are working in this area are RedKnee, Appium, etc... (obviously google will find more). I was using this stuff about two years ago for university projects, and haven't touched it since. But there seems to be a lot more potential here in the short/medium term vis a vis waiting for GPS in cells.
Even better, he could hack one of these to listen to his tunes and get his sugar-fix at the same time. :-)
It's so true.
Back when I was working in Zambia on a development project with a government agency, the internet access was awful. I'd say that they're probably about ten years behind north america in terms of bandwidth availibility down there.
As for two days spent downloading Debian - that sounds very reasonable. At the place I was working, we had a microwave link with a local ISP who were OK. DSL links were about $1000USD/Month - way out of the budget of most organizations there. As to buying in pieces, I never really had to deal with that. All the computers that were bought where I was working were done with aid money so they all came together. Still, issues with the power system and so on did undermine the full potential of IT.
Why poke his eye out when you can make him see the light?
Hint: iPods do run linux. Yay.
They're likely talking about layers.. which is something that Adblock already deals with. (along with Flash, images and custom paths - i.e. block anything in the directory */ads/*).
Just another reason to use Firefox/Mozilla.
I hear perpetual motion machines are still pretty safe. ;-)
Thanks for the clarification - I probably should have mentioned those specifics rather than just linking to the product webpage, but what are you going to do?
The reason I mentioned ReportNet specifically is because, according to a Cognos rep. I spoke to a while ago, the long-term vision over there (as I understood it) was to replace PowerPlay, Impromptu, possibly Visualizer and whatever other applicable applications over to ReportNet after version 8 or 9. If that's indeed the truth then it seems like a good idea just to bite the bullet and go with ReportNet today - but what do I know, I'm just a customer. :-)
While I personally work in a Cognos/SQL Server shop and am therefore probably a bit biased, I seriously think you should take a look at Cognos' offerings. Their software is great and probably about as leading edge as you can get in the OLAP world. While we're using their PowerPlay and Impromptu products, the direction they're going at the moment is towards ReportNet which is a new product they just released a couple of months ago. Browing their website I came across this online demo that might help you in coming up with a justification for such a system (registration required, but worth it IMHO).
Anyway, if you're looking for help from someone who deals with OLAP systems - drop me a line. ;-)
Phone size - if I want blue tooth then I must have a larger phone (very undesirable) but that it would have a camera in it (no use at all thanks - maybe even a hindrance as I might not be permitted to take it with me everywhere I go) and a snazzy colour screen (Why!?! I just want to make and receive calls!) and a dramatically reduced battery life to boot. As for wireless connectivity - the vendors advise it is normally turned off, and activated only for the duration I'm using a particular blue tooth service...( What's the point then!?!!! ) and that using blue tooth would dramatically reduce battery life again!
Admittedly I don't actually use the bluetooth on my phone at all, but it sounds like what you're looking for is something akin to the Nokia 6310i. I find that the call quality on it is great, the battery lasts for days on end without recharges and it doesn't have a 'snazzy colour screen.' That being said, it's been documented that the bluetooth implementation that Nokia put on these has some security flaws so it's probably a good idea to have it turned off when you don't need it. However, if you're just going to be using bluetooth in your car then it shouldn't be such a big problem. Incidentally, you can also set up the bluetooth to be voice activated - so turning it on when you get in your car shouldn't be a problem either especially if you get a power adapter for your car (in which case battery life doesn't matter).
Anyway, the point is pretty much moot since you got one of their other phones, but for the 'give me substance over style' crowd around here, this phone seems to fit the bill in almost every respect.
... and I was going to use my mod points. Oh well.
Anyway, the year before last, I took my then girlfriend to the opening of the Toronto Interior Design show for a Christmas present. She's an interior design student and had an awesome time, met some of her idols and fawned over various kitchen and bathroom thing-a-magigs. I, on the other hand, figured that I'd just have to get dragged around (which I was) and basically just be a trooper. Luckily for me, the event was scattered with all sorts of local wine makers, microbreweries and caterers eager for us to sample their wares. The first thing we got upon walking in were glasses of champagne and things just got better from there.
Incidentally, a lot of the furnature and stuff was kind of neat in various geeky-modern ways. But the point of the story is that for the good stuff you really just need to be in a chic, hipster field. We geeks still don't have a clue when it comes to the good stuff sometime.