I've read a bunch of your back-and-forth comments throughout this story on Slashdot. You have interesting things to say and you defend yourself very well.
If I may be so bold, you are very defensive when people criticize you. I was ready to disagree with you on several notions (in addition to my other post which was already submitted), but decided to simply post a single comment here instead. I think my biggest problem with a lot of comments written by you is that you firmly state how you are completely legal copyright-wise and you sometimes use it as a shield. When arguing the merits of copyright (the good and the bad) using a defense of legal-is-right isn't a good shield. I think you share a lot of common ground with the people you've gone back and forth with. I do disagree with the phrase
since I don't download infringing content, nor do I do anything which might permit or enable other people to use my internet connection who may, and I do not hold much sympathy for those who do.
This is my biggest disagreement with you. I think it's your hang up with a lot of other Slashdotters. I don't believe that most laws are morally right. As others have pointed out, there are contradicting laws and traps within the law which will cause people to do illegal things even if they wish to do everything legal. You acknowledge this to a certain degree even in your parent post this comment.
I do have sympathy for those who wish to be morally right. I do have sympathy who wish to preserve our artwork for future generations. I do have sympathy for those who wish make themselves more knowledgeable. I don't believe that ISPs nor any other entity have a right to eavesdrop on my conversations or watch what I do unless there is a legal (and morally just) warrant to do so. Checks and balances. Right now, I feel the checks and balances are not there. A lot of people agree with me. The illegal file sharing -- right or wrong -- is the population trying to balance out what is currently out of kilter.
Personally, I'd like to see a copyright for 10 years and then that's it. It's public domain. It would simplify a lot of things. It would be fair. I also think that anyone should be able to sell what is copyrighted even during the 10 year term (with a fixed set of royalties going towards the copyright owner). Selling should not be exclusive to any one entity. This helps balance things out.
My suggestion is to have a little sympathy. Not all people who pirate believe in getting everything for free.
One day, they'll come after you. She was ordered to stop singing, but eventually (because of backlash) she was able to sing. That doesn't mean that you can play the radio in public, though. Read the follow up article carefully.
But what do I know? I'm just a consumer who wants to find products that seem likely to last, even if they're a bit more expensive.
I'd pay extra money to know that a product has higher quality and reliability. The problem is that I've been taken (and some of my friends a lot more so) by buying the expensive stuff only to find out that it is the same as the cheap stuff. Example: Sony used to mean quality. Not anymore. For a long time, they rode on their own success until people finally figured out they could get the same quality and pay less money. Because of this (and other things I've seen and heard over the years), I only look at price. Should a vendor actually make an effort and let me know why their stuff is extra few bucks, I'll pay extra attention to that and they can instantly form brand loyalty with me.
I apologize. My reading comprehension needs work. Your second sentence is required to fully understand your first sentence.
Leaking them to wikileaks or the news *is* leaking them to the enemy. It's not as exclusive (everybody now knows the information is out there), but it has the exact same effect.
I became fixated on your first sentence and did not argue against the idea as a whole. My bad. I wish to thank you for (indirectly) calling me out on it.
I don't believe in that everyone should be attacked / destroyed. Quite the contrary. That's something I'd like to one day convince some of my relatives about... hence the reason why I sometimes practice my debating skills on Slashdot. As I said earlier, I'm a work in progress.
Now for the all important questions: If one rat hears Metallica while linked to the other rat, what entities will the RIAA sue? Can a DRM take down notice shut down the experiment? And how does the six-strike policy work in such a situation?
I agree. Databases come with a lot of overhead, but in some (not all) situations, the extra overhead can speed things up. I find it hard to believe that databases would speed up something as simple as what they are suggesting. Something more complex? Perhaps, but I'd have to see what they propose.
On a separate note: Did I miss something? They are talking about coding this up in databases, yet the code they give is in Java. It would be nice to see code in both Java and SQL... and which machines, which operating systems, and what database they are using. Without this, all I see is talk. Without the database code, everything falls into the "maybe" and "what if" categories. We need something concrete before we can have an actual discussion about coding something up in a threaded Java program vs an ACID compliant database.
I propose a solution for keeping the brick and morter stores alive: Since everything is going online and digital, let the brick and morters be digital too. I'd be happy if I could pay a dollar per hour to flip through any book I want and go to any page I want. I know that isn't practical online (otherwise you could just download the entire book and never pay for it), but brick and morter would allow me to search through and scan books to see how good they are before I buy it. (I'd use their computers that I cannot take home with me.) Do the same thing with CDs. So what if I read the whole book or listen to the whole CD? They've got their money from the $1 / hour. If I like the book and want a copy, then I can make the purchase right there from them.
I suppose that would only work in a society interested in reading. It would be nice for book clubs too if they could meet there. Local authors could be advertised. "Book signings" could still be arranged.
Science fiction is the only genre that allows society to ask "what if" and see what a potential outcome will be.
Because of this, a lot of science fiction has become science fact. The real unknown in science fiction is what will always remain fiction. Sometimes, we think that some science fiction will always remain just fiction, but then we take our first step into something like teleportation.
Dismissing the grand parent's post because it is fiction discards the positive benefits that science fiction gives us -- the ability to see a mistake before we make it.
I have kids. I also have multiple stereo systems capable of ridiculous levels of sound.
Same technique that is/was practiced in noisy server farms: Turn the music up, and the noise gets quieter.
It bothers me that people use noise to drown out other noise. I already having problems hearing from time to time. I'd prefer not to make that worse. Unfortunately, city noise is very loud. I disagree that it is a good idea to bust ear drums via loud music so one can concentrate. As a society, we are facing some serious hearing problems in our young for this very reason. Even adults have a hard time with it.
You say, "yes, I can't handle any more work."
Is that true or false?
Okay, so I'm forced to give you another project. You complete it successfully and you complete the rest of your assigned work.
Hmmm. But you said you were fully loaded... yet you somehow did another project without anything failing.
Now we get really crazy conditions and i give you three more projects and you finish all of them successfully on top of your regular workload.
Heck, we could do this infinately!
I'm just learning about this management technique and it will drive a person like me to hate you as my boss. Here's why.
I think of my job like jogging and sprinting. For the most part, I jog. When my boss tells me "I need this", then I'll try to sprint for a bit to get it done then go back to jogging. I do this because I have respect for my boss and sometimes things just need to be done in a timely fashion. What you must understand is that when I sprint, I have to rest afterward. With this management technique that you're stating, I'll be sprinting forever because everything is an emergency, because I don't know what your real priorities are or when things are due or how fast you need something. You just give me things to do until I can't take anymore. Eventually I just collapse and lay on the ground then I look like I'm loafing around. I can't even stand or walk. Now, I have to hide my loafing from you and when you're around or monitoring me, I have to limp along just to get anything done. This is ripe for burn out. As a matter of fact, this kind of technique probably helped burn me out at multiple jobs. It's just taken me 10 years to figure it out.
Pushing until failure also means quality suffers. I deliver high quality work when I jog or walk. In a sprint, my programming becomes more copy and paste. It becomes more spaghetti code. Maintainability suffers. I deliver crap to you. I sacrifice long term gain for short term gain. This is not good for the company. This is not good for you. It's not good for me. Not when you're looking at doing this to me infinitely. It's your job as manager to help me understand when I need to jog and when I need to sprint. I know that sometimes I need to sprint because real emergencies happen. It's part of the job. It's your job to help me understand what needs to be done at regular speed vs done really quickly. When I see jobs pile up, I try to get through the backlog and speed things up. I start sprinting. When I sprint, you also need to let me know that it's ok to stand around for a while afterward to catch my breath before I go back to jogging.
You're right. As a manager it's my job to cheerlead, keep a close track of work and work blockages, to develop a good idea of who overestimates projects and who underestimates projects, who will work late when needed, and how you can reward each person as individuals for work well done to motivate them.
Some want recognition- some absolutely do NOT want recognition except privately between you and then- some want gift cards- some do the math and thing gift cards are stupid- some like a couple hours off - others find that to be of no value.
I have no personal experience here, but books I've read and my observation tends to seem like these are correct statements. I don't envy your job. I prefer mine. On a personal note, I'm a pretty good estimator of time... except when it comes to programming. I'd actually love help from my bosses to figure out how to better estimate programming.
All jokes are tasteless. Continuing your thread of logic, eventually all jokes would not be socially acceptable. I believe this is one of the problems with the U.S. right now -- no ability to laugh at bad circumstances. Before you flame me, let me tell you about my best friend. He became a paraplegic less than a year ago. He cracks jokes more often than I do about paraplegia. I can tell you his life has not been easy. You don't understand what it's like to go through something some like that unless it's happened to you or a close friend. There are no words in the English dictionary to describe what he has been through since the accident. Yet, he finds time to make fun of his condition and the best thing I can do is crack jokes right back. I just make sure that I do it with the utmost respect for him and his wife and two young children. Every joke I crack -- even if it is about something horrible like rape or being beaten or paraplegia is said with respect. I didn't see where the original poster was out to disrespect anyone.
Anecdotal: One of my family members reads this type of book. From time to time, I'm told "You need to read this book!" Somehow, I can't bring myself to purchase my money and waste my time on these things, but they do get read by some people... and they like it.
Ditto. For me, I probably wouldn't hang out with that friend. I'd be worried about the legal ramifications and something being taken out of context. Even if it is taken in context, I tend to misspeak or not explain myself clearly. I hang myself pretty good some times and make myself look like a buffoon. I'd rather that not be on youtube or in an official court. Not to mention that now everything would be used to prevent me from getting a job.
I have two profiles in Firefox: one for no-script and another that allows all scripts. When making purchases or doing online banking, I use the profile that allows all scripts, but I don't surf anywhere else. After I'm done, I close out that version of Firefox and open up the other profile for doing regular surfing. It's a bit of a pain to setup, but it was worth it for me.
Not a bad post overall, but I'm going to disagree with you on this statement:
As a manager, the only way to really know if you are really utilizing your people is when they start failing. Otherwise, they might have more capacity.
Keeping closer tabs on your workers can help. My spouse and I share responsibilities in our household. She doesn't need to "start failing" before I recognize that she needs help -- and she's not a person who asks for help. There are other indicators she gives off when she is overloaded with work. Because I interact with her, I know what these queues are. The closer you are to someone, the less you need these bogus metrics.
Let me ask you this: when your worker fails -- is it because they are overworked or is it because you didn't give them the right opportunities and training to solve the problem?
If this work is in IT, there's also a good chance you've also severely demoralized them when they do fail. I suggest the book Leading Geeks. Very good stuff and it was recommended to me by friend who is an IT manager
Both articles are by the New York Times. This is why I stopped reading newspapers years ago. When I did read them, I generally caught contradictions of "facts" within the same day's newspaper. In the middle of the week.
First of all, $70,000 income for two people is well above poverty. The national median income for a family of four is fifty-some thousand and the poverty line is below twenty thousand. $70k might not be rich but don't cry too much in your milk because you are doing okay.
I hate it when people whip out the $20k poverty quote. Technically (because some government official made it so), you are correct. I think the GP is right, though: $70k is borderline middle class / poor. I agree that the median income in the U.S. is $50k or so. I also think most people are poor in the U.S. I know, I know... sources. I'll provide a thought experiment instead:
For a family of four, 2 vehicles (replacing every 5 - 10 years) + insurance on said vehicles + maintenance on both vehicles + annual doctor checkups for two adults and 2 kids + annual eye check ups for everyone + one to two visits to the dentist every year + any medical expenses from getting sick or kids get broken bones etc + healthy food for all 4 people (not super sugar snacks and not McDonalds) + money to stay fit (exercise for both adults and children) + books to read (keep kids educated) + school for kids (and all the extra fees) + schooling for adults (keep up with job advances) + radio / television / computer (for communicating) + internet and phone services (for communication) + repairs to house / apartment + insurance for house / apartment + yard maintenance for house / apartment + tools and furniture and kichenware that must be added / replaced every year + saving for retirement + some form of vacation (which is needed to keep people healthy) + decorations to have some variety and prevent the apartment / house from being too depressing.
Did I miss anything? I'm sure I did. To do all of this cost a lot of money. People regularly skip retirement and health related expenses just to make ends meet. This is not a good thing for society. Start putting realistic price tags to everything I just said and I would be very surprised if you didn't come up with $70k+ / year. Let's not forget that this can vary from location to location too.
My definition of poverty is when society will not support you with basic necessities no matter how hard you work. I consider everything above basic necessities. (Even the radio / TV / computer... or else how do you communicate with outside world and be educated?) But maybe you have a different definition of poverty than I do. That's cool too. I'd be interested to hear it.
Set the resume pile to side. Turn off the computer. Go meet people face-to-face. Network.
There are places that are looking to train people how to find a job and hook them up with employers. I'm not talking about companies that do this for money either. Here's one in Indiana that I found when I was out of a job: Business and Professional Exchange. Good group of people. Frankly, I wish a lot more groups like this were around to offer more variety.
I'm still looking for a good way to determine what I'm worth. It varies from region to region, from job to job, and from company to company. I hear salary.com is not the best place to get an estimate.
That's because some of us aren't managers nor do we want to be. Want to think outside the box? Hand out the resumes to some of the underlings and let them work through the piles and see what they come up with. After all, these underlings will be working with the new employee and they could implement what they WOULD do. Does it cost money? Yes, but it also has the potential to bring in quality candidates.
Slashdot Mirror
Mark-t,
I've read a bunch of your back-and-forth comments throughout this story on Slashdot. You have interesting things to say and you defend yourself very well.
If I may be so bold, you are very defensive when people criticize you. I was ready to disagree with you on several notions (in addition to my other post which was already submitted), but decided to simply post a single comment here instead. I think my biggest problem with a lot of comments written by you is that you firmly state how you are completely legal copyright-wise and you sometimes use it as a shield. When arguing the merits of copyright (the good and the bad) using a defense of legal-is-right isn't a good shield. I think you share a lot of common ground with the people you've gone back and forth with. I do disagree with the phrase
since I don't download infringing content, nor do I do anything which might permit or enable other people to use my internet connection who may, and I do not hold much sympathy for those who do.
This is my biggest disagreement with you. I think it's your hang up with a lot of other Slashdotters. I don't believe that most laws are morally right. As others have pointed out, there are contradicting laws and traps within the law which will cause people to do illegal things even if they wish to do everything legal. You acknowledge this to a certain degree even in your parent post this comment.
I do have sympathy for those who wish to be morally right. I do have sympathy who wish to preserve our artwork for future generations. I do have sympathy for those who wish make themselves more knowledgeable. I don't believe that ISPs nor any other entity have a right to eavesdrop on my conversations or watch what I do unless there is a legal (and morally just) warrant to do so. Checks and balances. Right now, I feel the checks and balances are not there. A lot of people agree with me. The illegal file sharing -- right or wrong -- is the population trying to balance out what is currently out of kilter.
Personally, I'd like to see a copyright for 10 years and then that's it. It's public domain. It would simplify a lot of things. It would be fair. I also think that anyone should be able to sell what is copyrighted even during the 10 year term (with a fixed set of royalties going towards the copyright owner). Selling should not be exclusive to any one entity. This helps balance things out.
My suggestion is to have a little sympathy. Not all people who pirate believe in getting everything for free.
One day, they'll come after you. She was ordered to stop singing, but eventually (because of backlash) she was able to sing. That doesn't mean that you can play the radio in public, though. Read the follow up article carefully.
But what do I know? I'm just a consumer who wants to find products that seem likely to last, even if they're a bit more expensive.
I'd pay extra money to know that a product has higher quality and reliability. The problem is that I've been taken (and some of my friends a lot more so) by buying the expensive stuff only to find out that it is the same as the cheap stuff. Example: Sony used to mean quality. Not anymore. For a long time, they rode on their own success until people finally figured out they could get the same quality and pay less money. Because of this (and other things I've seen and heard over the years), I only look at price. Should a vendor actually make an effort and let me know why their stuff is extra few bucks, I'll pay extra attention to that and they can instantly form brand loyalty with me.
Yes. There are 16,384 (2 ^ 14) columns. FYI, there are 1,048,576 (2 ^20) rows.
I apologize. My reading comprehension needs work. Your second sentence is required to fully understand your first sentence.
Leaking them to wikileaks or the news *is* leaking them to the enemy. It's not as exclusive (everybody now knows the information is out there), but it has the exact same effect.
I became fixated on your first sentence and did not argue against the idea as a whole. My bad. I wish to thank you for (indirectly) calling me out on it.
I don't believe in that everyone should be attacked / destroyed. Quite the contrary. That's something I'd like to one day convince some of my relatives about... hence the reason why I sometimes practice my debating skills on Slashdot. As I said earlier, I'm a work in progress.
Leaking them to wikileaks or the news *is* leaking them to the enemy.
Is wikileaks now an enemy of the United States? Is the news media an enemy of the United States?
If the answer is yes, why haven't we invaded them and taken them over?
Now for the all important questions: If one rat hears Metallica while linked to the other rat, what entities will the RIAA sue? Can a DRM take down notice shut down the experiment? And how does the six-strike policy work in such a situation?
I agree. Databases come with a lot of overhead, but in some (not all) situations, the extra overhead can speed things up. I find it hard to believe that databases would speed up something as simple as what they are suggesting. Something more complex? Perhaps, but I'd have to see what they propose.
On a separate note: Did I miss something? They are talking about coding this up in databases, yet the code they give is in Java. It would be nice to see code in both Java and SQL... and which machines, which operating systems, and what database they are using. Without this, all I see is talk. Without the database code, everything falls into the "maybe" and "what if" categories. We need something concrete before we can have an actual discussion about coding something up in a threaded Java program vs an ACID compliant database.
I propose a solution for keeping the brick and morter stores alive: Since everything is going online and digital, let the brick and morters be digital too. I'd be happy if I could pay a dollar per hour to flip through any book I want and go to any page I want. I know that isn't practical online (otherwise you could just download the entire book and never pay for it), but brick and morter would allow me to search through and scan books to see how good they are before I buy it. (I'd use their computers that I cannot take home with me.) Do the same thing with CDs. So what if I read the whole book or listen to the whole CD? They've got their money from the $1 / hour. If I like the book and want a copy, then I can make the purchase right there from them.
I suppose that would only work in a society interested in reading. It would be nice for book clubs too if they could meet there. Local authors could be advertised. "Book signings" could still be arranged.
Very interesting. At first read, I like this and I'll have to think about this some more. Thank you for sharing.
Science fiction is the only genre that allows society to ask "what if" and see what a potential outcome will be.
Because of this, a lot of science fiction has become science fact. The real unknown in science fiction is what will always remain fiction. Sometimes, we think that some science fiction will always remain just fiction, but then we take our first step into something like teleportation.
Dismissing the grand parent's post because it is fiction discards the positive benefits that science fiction gives us -- the ability to see a mistake before we make it.
I have kids. I also have multiple stereo systems capable of ridiculous levels of sound. Same technique that is/was practiced in noisy server farms: Turn the music up, and the noise gets quieter.
It bothers me that people use noise to drown out other noise. I already having problems hearing from time to time. I'd prefer not to make that worse. Unfortunately, city noise is very loud. I disagree that it is a good idea to bust ear drums via loud music so one can concentrate. As a society, we are facing some serious hearing problems in our young for this very reason. Even adults have a hard time with it.
You say, "yes, I can't handle any more work." Is that true or false? Okay, so I'm forced to give you another project. You complete it successfully and you complete the rest of your assigned work. Hmmm. But you said you were fully loaded... yet you somehow did another project without anything failing. Now we get really crazy conditions and i give you three more projects and you finish all of them successfully on top of your regular workload. Heck, we could do this infinately!
I'm just learning about this management technique and it will drive a person like me to hate you as my boss. Here's why.
I think of my job like jogging and sprinting. For the most part, I jog. When my boss tells me "I need this", then I'll try to sprint for a bit to get it done then go back to jogging. I do this because I have respect for my boss and sometimes things just need to be done in a timely fashion. What you must understand is that when I sprint, I have to rest afterward. With this management technique that you're stating, I'll be sprinting forever because everything is an emergency, because I don't know what your real priorities are or when things are due or how fast you need something. You just give me things to do until I can't take anymore. Eventually I just collapse and lay on the ground then I look like I'm loafing around. I can't even stand or walk. Now, I have to hide my loafing from you and when you're around or monitoring me, I have to limp along just to get anything done. This is ripe for burn out. As a matter of fact, this kind of technique probably helped burn me out at multiple jobs. It's just taken me 10 years to figure it out.
Pushing until failure also means quality suffers. I deliver high quality work when I jog or walk. In a sprint, my programming becomes more copy and paste. It becomes more spaghetti code. Maintainability suffers. I deliver crap to you. I sacrifice long term gain for short term gain. This is not good for the company. This is not good for you. It's not good for me. Not when you're looking at doing this to me infinitely. It's your job as manager to help me understand when I need to jog and when I need to sprint. I know that sometimes I need to sprint because real emergencies happen. It's part of the job. It's your job to help me understand what needs to be done at regular speed vs done really quickly. When I see jobs pile up, I try to get through the backlog and speed things up. I start sprinting. When I sprint, you also need to let me know that it's ok to stand around for a while afterward to catch my breath before I go back to jogging.
You're right. As a manager it's my job to cheerlead, keep a close track of work and work blockages, to develop a good idea of who overestimates projects and who underestimates projects, who will work late when needed, and how you can reward each person as individuals for work well done to motivate them.
Some want recognition- some absolutely do NOT want recognition except privately between you and then- some want gift cards- some do the math and thing gift cards are stupid- some like a couple hours off - others find that to be of no value.
I have no personal experience here, but books I've read and my observation tends to seem like these are correct statements. I don't envy your job. I prefer mine. On a personal note, I'm a pretty good estimator of time... except when it comes to programming. I'd actually love help from my bosses to figure out how to better estimate programming.
Hope this helps.
Except maybe the robo callers. And that's ok my book!
All jokes are tasteless. Continuing your thread of logic, eventually all jokes would not be socially acceptable. I believe this is one of the problems with the U.S. right now -- no ability to laugh at bad circumstances. Before you flame me, let me tell you about my best friend. He became a paraplegic less than a year ago. He cracks jokes more often than I do about paraplegia. I can tell you his life has not been easy. You don't understand what it's like to go through something some like that unless it's happened to you or a close friend. There are no words in the English dictionary to describe what he has been through since the accident. Yet, he finds time to make fun of his condition and the best thing I can do is crack jokes right back. I just make sure that I do it with the utmost respect for him and his wife and two young children. Every joke I crack -- even if it is about something horrible like rape or being beaten or paraplegia is said with respect. I didn't see where the original poster was out to disrespect anyone.
Anecdotal: One of my family members reads this type of book. From time to time, I'm told "You need to read this book!" Somehow, I can't bring myself to purchase my money and waste my time on these things, but they do get read by some people... and they like it.
Ditto. For me, I probably wouldn't hang out with that friend. I'd be worried about the legal ramifications and something being taken out of context. Even if it is taken in context, I tend to misspeak or not explain myself clearly. I hang myself pretty good some times and make myself look like a buffoon. I'd rather that not be on youtube or in an official court. Not to mention that now everything would be used to prevent me from getting a job.
I have two profiles in Firefox: one for no-script and another that allows all scripts. When making purchases or doing online banking, I use the profile that allows all scripts, but I don't surf anywhere else. After I'm done, I close out that version of Firefox and open up the other profile for doing regular surfing. It's a bit of a pain to setup, but it was worth it for me.
All this... and if the dude quits, there is usually no backup for that person. Large company mentality at its finest.
Not a bad post overall, but I'm going to disagree with you on this statement:
As a manager, the only way to really know if you are really utilizing your people is when they start failing. Otherwise, they might have more capacity.
Keeping closer tabs on your workers can help. My spouse and I share responsibilities in our household. She doesn't need to "start failing" before I recognize that she needs help -- and she's not a person who asks for help. There are other indicators she gives off when she is overloaded with work. Because I interact with her, I know what these queues are. The closer you are to someone, the less you need these bogus metrics.
Let me ask you this: when your worker fails -- is it because they are overworked or is it because you didn't give them the right opportunities and training to solve the problem?
If this work is in IT, there's also a good chance you've also severely demoralized them when they do fail. I suggest the book Leading Geeks. Very good stuff and it was recommended to me by friend who is an IT manager
Both articles are by the New York Times. This is why I stopped reading newspapers years ago. When I did read them, I generally caught contradictions of "facts" within the same day's newspaper. In the middle of the week.
First of all, $70,000 income for two people is well above poverty. The national median income for a family of four is fifty-some thousand and the poverty line is below twenty thousand. $70k might not be rich but don't cry too much in your milk because you are doing okay.
I hate it when people whip out the $20k poverty quote. Technically (because some government official made it so), you are correct. I think the GP is right, though: $70k is borderline middle class / poor. I agree that the median income in the U.S. is $50k or so. I also think most people are poor in the U.S. I know, I know... sources. I'll provide a thought experiment instead:
For a family of four, 2 vehicles (replacing every 5 - 10 years) + insurance on said vehicles + maintenance on both vehicles + annual doctor checkups for two adults and 2 kids + annual eye check ups for everyone + one to two visits to the dentist every year + any medical expenses from getting sick or kids get broken bones etc + healthy food for all 4 people (not super sugar snacks and not McDonalds) + money to stay fit (exercise for both adults and children) + books to read (keep kids educated) + school for kids (and all the extra fees) + schooling for adults (keep up with job advances) + radio / television / computer (for communicating) + internet and phone services (for communication) + repairs to house / apartment + insurance for house / apartment + yard maintenance for house / apartment + tools and furniture and kichenware that must be added / replaced every year + saving for retirement + some form of vacation (which is needed to keep people healthy) + decorations to have some variety and prevent the apartment / house from being too depressing.
Did I miss anything? I'm sure I did. To do all of this cost a lot of money. People regularly skip retirement and health related expenses just to make ends meet. This is not a good thing for society. Start putting realistic price tags to everything I just said and I would be very surprised if you didn't come up with $70k+ / year. Let's not forget that this can vary from location to location too.
My definition of poverty is when society will not support you with basic necessities no matter how hard you work. I consider everything above basic necessities. (Even the radio / TV / computer... or else how do you communicate with outside world and be educated?) But maybe you have a different definition of poverty than I do. That's cool too. I'd be interested to hear it.
Set the resume pile to side. Turn off the computer. Go meet people face-to-face. Network.
There are places that are looking to train people how to find a job and hook them up with employers. I'm not talking about companies that do this for money either. Here's one in Indiana that I found when I was out of a job: Business and Professional Exchange. Good group of people. Frankly, I wish a lot more groups like this were around to offer more variety.
I'm still looking for a good way to determine what I'm worth. It varies from region to region, from job to job, and from company to company. I hear salary.com is not the best place to get an estimate.
That's because some of us aren't managers nor do we want to be. Want to think outside the box? Hand out the resumes to some of the underlings and let them work through the piles and see what they come up with. After all, these underlings will be working with the new employee and they could implement what they WOULD do. Does it cost money? Yes, but it also has the potential to bring in quality candidates.