There are few problems with the attitudes of large companies, not just tech firms. The first is that a good manager can manage anything and they bring in a very successful mid-manager from a grocery chain who spends a year learning the abbreviations and acronyms before heading out or being ushered out the door.
The next is that the only way to real financial success is to leave the lab and go into the hallowed halls of management. This assumes that everyone wants to wear a suit and sit through endless power point presentations in order to make really big money. Therefore happy productive engineers become mediocre managers so they can drive the nice car and send their kids to college.
Another problem is that the engineers are seen as commodities and if they were really smart they would be management. So we'll not look into our ranks for the rare engineer who wants to be management and would be good at it - it's easier to bring in a carpet bagger from another firm who will punch his or ticket and move on up to the next firm in a couple of years with your companies plans and ideas.
Why do people think Colbert is telling the truth and Beck is not? Because he says so? Both are playing to a demographic for ratings. The difference -- Beck's demographic leaves the house and votes.
That's nothing, 20% still believe the sun revolves around the earth and 25% believe we got our independence from a country other than Britain.....and more than half don't believe in evolution. That makes me a sad panda.:(
Spouting ignorance and rumor as if the source is valid statistics? Doesn't that make you as bad as those you seek to demonize? Or at least as bad as the network news anchors?
I enjoyed reading the comment/debates that people would enter. It was also amusing that any time a high school student was arrested for anything from drinking to making bombs there would be a rash of comments like "He's a good kid" or "you weren't there."
However very often someone would start (do we still use the term) a flame war and the intelligent discussion would disappear.
i could see the paper's point. Attleboro is a small city. Sometimes certain posters would place unfounded allegations against members of city government (usually the police) and they are concerned about presenting the truth.
I don't see why they don't allow the subscribers to access for free using their account numbers.
The difference is that Honda will not sue you for mounting an espresso machine to the dashboard, and you don't have to go to a Honda dealer to buy new tires. After you buy it, it's your car, not Honda's. Stevie thinks differently.
Unfortunately many people will sue Honda if they mount an aftermarket option and there is a problem or an accident because Honda didn't tell me I shouldn't mount a 50 inch Plasma on the hood. (I exaggerate only slightly).
The difference is that the White House has problems distinguishing between what is politically expedient and what is illegal.
Middle to lower level people at agencies outside of the White House may be staffed with career officials and not as many political hacks as the halls of the White House.
(When the president does it, it's not illegal thinking)
When ever the government puts information on paper or on line always view it with a touch of skepticism if not out right cynicism. Remember that presentation is most of perception.
Also, I heard some place that just because it's on the Internet does not mean it's true.
Re:I don't know if I fully agree with that
on
Fire Your IT Boss
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· Score: 1
I agree. A good support department needs good organization and highly skilled techs. Managerial skills and technical skills are not often found in the same people. One of the mistakes companies make is promoting a skilled tech into management as a reward. This often fails. When I was working at Harvard Med we had a director who was moderately technical and his number two person was very technical. They made a great team. The director was good for dealing with school politics the number two man kept the tech side of support going. A company has to view IT support as an asset not a cost center. A good manager can see to that.
There are several reasons that they may want to test you or, as my wife would say, audition you.
Reason 1 is that the HR screeners don't have the technical skills to understand the answers to questions they are told to ask. (Beyond "Where do you want to be in 5 years?") Reason 2 is the manager of the department may not understand what the job functions are, especially in a smaller company. Reason 3 is someone sold them a test.
The inability to judge technical ability during an interview is the reason we see all those Temp-to-perm jobs listed. They don't feel secure in their ability to recognize someone with the needed skills to do a job so they cover themselves.
One solution is to offer up a list of projects you have done, not just as part of a team, to show them. Provided of course the work isn't classified or proprietary to a company. The other is to smile and say no thanks, I already took that test with Cisco, SUN, etc. I have had one HR person tell me that they don't like tests because some people test well but can't apply the knowledge. (that's why the trades have apprentice ship and classroom training)
For some reason my tall blonde wife is always being singled out for "extra security". A couple of years ago we were taking a short flight from RI to MD when they decided her little Swiss Army knife with the two inch blade was a threat. (This after letting the guy with the tool bag, containing screwdrivers, go without question.) Maybe they thought she was a Swiss terrorist? At least they let me mail the knife to our house. In the meantime they swabbed her purse for chemicals. They let her proceed onto the plane with her knitting needles and long scissors. I guess they are sending a message to all the other 40 something women out there not to try anything - they will be caught.
You make a very good point about what the professionals say. However, not revealing info about yourself requires less energy than, say, quarterly paint jobs. A little paranoia is healthy in my work, but it takes less effort not to put up info about school, friends etc than it does to put it there.
I couldn't agree more. In fact everyone should be required to telecommute at least a few days a month. This would be a way of proving that things work, as was said here, in times of emergency. Even snow days or the day care closing could keep productivity from suffering.
All I know is that a few well maintained centralized power plants have got to be less polluting than millions of small powerplants (IC engines) in various states of maintenance and deterioration. But no, I don't have numbers.
Forgive me if this is redundant, but besides the circuit board and LEDs there were two other factors. 1. She was politely asked about the device and ignored the question, walking away. Fortunately, in New England, being rude is in itself not a crime. 2. She was holding a putty like substance in her hands. Again, not a crime.
But factor in these two issue with the "art project" and the location (an airport where two of the 9/11 hijacked flights originated) and you get suspicious behavior and reasonable cause.
The automatic weapons may have been a bit much, weapons like that are great for a firefight, but not in an arrest of one person.
You can argue freedom of expression, but I can't go to the airport and greet my friend Jack and tell him the movie I saw last night was a bomb while my competition is gunning for me.
Paranoia may one day save Wall Street from a nuclear suitcase from terrorists.
The reason for these cynical comment is not that rich guys are rich, but because they are using their money to buy privileges that should not be for sale, such as the use of a military airstrip. Such use of ones money may be construed by some as "evil"
You may be searched by a police officer if there is reasonable cause to believe that you are involved in criminal activity. The search is looking for evidence of that crime or a weapon you may have to resist arrest. And yes if they find weed or X you can be charged with that.
As far as only a police officer / govt official may search with a warrant, any duly appointed government official or a designee of the court issuing the warrant may conduct the search. Rare, but it happens. The US military cannot search and arrest civilians in the US or it's territories. National Guard and Coast Guard can.
You should refuse to be searched by a minimum wage usher. Ask that they call a police officer, believe it or not that cop can protect your rights and your property. There ae times that the issue can be worked out then and there with the help of an experienced officer.
Create something that will be of value 50 years into the future and you should still make money from it. That's the whole point of copyright law. If publish continue to make money, why shouldn't you?
I hardly think the small percentage of Geeks involved with Groklaw is a valid sample to extrapolate the legal skills of any group. Any more than having two doctors in a church choir says anything about the musical skills of most physicians.
Slashdot Mirror
There are few problems with the attitudes of large companies, not just tech firms.
The first is that a good manager can manage anything and they bring in a very successful mid-manager from a grocery chain who spends a year learning the abbreviations and acronyms before heading out or being ushered out the door.
The next is that the only way to real financial success is to leave the lab and go into the hallowed halls of management. This assumes that everyone wants to wear a suit and sit through endless power point presentations in order to make really big money. Therefore happy productive engineers become mediocre managers so they can drive the nice car and send their kids to college.
Another problem is that the engineers are seen as commodities and if they were really smart they would be management. So we'll not look into our ranks for the rare engineer who wants to be management and would be good at it - it's easier to bring in a carpet bagger from another firm who will punch his or ticket and move on up to the next firm in a couple of years with your companies plans and ideas.
Yes, I've seen this and more.
Why do people think Colbert is telling the truth and Beck is not? Because he says so?
Both are playing to a demographic for ratings.
The difference -- Beck's demographic leaves the house and votes.
That's nothing, 20% still believe the sun revolves around the earth and 25% believe we got our independence from a country other than Britain.....and more than half don't believe in evolution. That makes me a sad panda. :(
Spouting ignorance and rumor as if the source is valid statistics? Doesn't that make you as bad as those you seek to demonize? Or at least as bad as the network news anchors?
I enjoyed reading the comment/debates that people would enter. It was also amusing that any time a high school student was arrested for anything from drinking to making bombs there would be a rash of comments like "He's a good kid" or "you weren't there."
However very often someone would start (do we still use the term) a flame war and the intelligent discussion would disappear.
i could see the paper's point. Attleboro is a small city. Sometimes certain posters would place unfounded allegations against members of city government (usually the police) and they are concerned about presenting the truth.
I don't see why they don't allow the subscribers to access for free using their account numbers.
BTW -- there is almost no commentary now.
The difference is that Honda will not sue you for mounting an espresso machine to the dashboard, and you don't have to go to a Honda dealer to buy new tires. After you buy it, it's your car, not Honda's. Stevie thinks differently.
Unfortunately many people will sue Honda if they mount an aftermarket option and there is a problem or an accident because Honda didn't tell me I shouldn't mount a 50 inch Plasma on the hood. (I exaggerate only slightly).
The difference is that the White House has problems distinguishing between what is politically expedient and what is illegal.
Middle to lower level people at agencies outside of the White House may be staffed with career officials and not as many political hacks as the halls of the White House.
(When the president does it, it's not illegal thinking)
When ever the government puts information on paper or on line always view it with a touch of skepticism if not out right cynicism. Remember that presentation is most of perception.
Also, I heard some place that just because it's on the Internet does not mean it's true.
I agree. A good support department needs good organization and highly skilled techs. Managerial skills and technical skills are not often found in the same people. One of the mistakes companies make is promoting a skilled tech into management as a reward. This often fails.
When I was working at Harvard Med we had a director who was moderately technical and his number two person was very technical. They made a great team. The director was good for dealing with school politics the number two man kept the tech side of support going.
A company has to view IT support as an asset not a cost center. A good manager can see to that.
There are several reasons that they may want to test you or, as my wife would say, audition you.
Reason 1 is that the HR screeners don't have the technical skills to understand the answers to questions they are told to ask. (Beyond "Where do you want to be in 5 years?")
Reason 2 is the manager of the department may not understand what the job functions are, especially in a smaller company.
Reason 3 is someone sold them a test.
The inability to judge technical ability during an interview is the reason we see all those Temp-to-perm jobs listed. They don't feel secure in their ability to recognize someone with the needed skills to do a job so they cover themselves.
One solution is to offer up a list of projects you have done, not just as part of a team, to show them. Provided of course the work isn't classified or proprietary to a company.
The other is to smile and say no thanks, I already took that test with Cisco, SUN, etc.
I have had one HR person tell me that they don't like tests because some people test well but can't apply the knowledge. (that's why the trades have apprentice ship and classroom training)
For some reason my tall blonde wife is always being singled out for "extra security". A couple of years ago we were taking a short flight from RI to MD when they decided her little Swiss Army knife with the two inch blade was a threat. (This after letting the guy with the tool bag, containing screwdrivers, go without question.) Maybe they thought she was a Swiss terrorist? At least they let me mail the knife to our house. In the meantime they swabbed her purse for chemicals. They let her proceed onto the plane with her knitting needles and long scissors. I guess they are sending a message to all the other 40 something women out there not to try anything - they will be caught.
You make a very good point about what the professionals say.
However, not revealing info about yourself requires less energy than, say, quarterly paint jobs.
A little paranoia is healthy in my work, but it takes less effort not to put up info about school, friends etc than it does to put it there.
I couldn't agree more. In fact everyone should be required to telecommute at least a few days a month. This would be a way of proving that things work, as was said here, in times of emergency. Even snow days or the day care closing could keep productivity from suffering.
All I know is that a few well maintained centralized power plants have got to be less polluting than millions of small powerplants (IC engines) in various states of maintenance and deterioration. But no, I don't have numbers.
Forgive me if this is redundant, but besides the circuit board and LEDs there were two other factors.
1. She was politely asked about the device and ignored the question, walking away. Fortunately, in New England, being rude is in itself not a crime.
2. She was holding a putty like substance in her hands. Again, not a crime.
But factor in these two issue with the "art project" and the location (an airport where two of the 9/11 hijacked flights originated) and you get suspicious behavior and reasonable cause.
The automatic weapons may have been a bit much, weapons like that are great for a firefight, but not in an arrest of one person.
You can argue freedom of expression, but I can't go to the airport and greet my friend Jack and tell him the movie I saw last night was a bomb while my competition is gunning for me.
Paranoia may one day save Wall Street from a nuclear suitcase from terrorists.
I'm sure she will be found innocent.
The reason for these cynical comment is not that rich guys are rich, but because they are using their money to buy privileges that should not be for sale, such as the use of a military airstrip. Such use of ones money may be construed by some as "evil"
You may be searched by a police officer if there is reasonable cause to believe that you are involved in criminal activity. The search is looking for evidence of that crime or a weapon you may have to resist arrest. And yes if they find weed or X you can be charged with that.
As far as only a police officer / govt official may search with a warrant, any duly appointed government official or a designee of the court issuing the warrant may conduct the search. Rare, but it happens. The US military cannot search and arrest civilians in the US or it's territories. National Guard and Coast Guard can.
You should refuse to be searched by a minimum wage usher. Ask that they call a police officer, believe it or not that cop can protect your rights and your property. There ae times that the issue can be worked out then and there with the help of an experienced officer.
Create something that will be of value 50 years into the future and you should still make money from it. That's the whole point of copyright law. If publish continue to make money, why shouldn't you?
I hardly think the small percentage of Geeks involved with Groklaw is a valid sample to extrapolate the legal skills of any group. Any more than having two doctors in a church choir says anything about the musical skills of most physicians.
Anybody who judges the people in the US by our media coverage is sorely misled
I admit a lot of people don't need the vehicle they're driving but I can't haul a 1/2 ton of wood in a Prius.
The reason the server is down is it's time for 3000 gb oil and filter change.
Seriously, recycling will be messy.
Yes, but how much of that is in taxes?
I'll bet the military sues for patent infringement on auto loader / launch technology...
All stored on drives with a one year warranty
99% of which will be cell phone videos of college students holding beer bottles and yelling "Woooo!"