You bring up a good point about the social element. If everyone else is zoned out on TV it is a little unrealistic to unplug and expect to have any interaction with others who are still plugged in. I had not thought of it like that before.
Your point on the laugh track is well taken. I have been tv free for several years and recently watched an episode of "friends" at a hotel. The laugh track was terribly distracting and jumped right out at me. I can't help but think most people watch the whole show and never notice.
I too still feel the sting of owning a Jaz drive. I recently snortled aloud in a store as I saw the 1gig media was *still* priced at about $100 per cartridge. Wassup? Do they think those cartridges contain fine wine or something? Anyhow, the drive was slow, finicky and the media was expensive from day one.
Apparently only those wealthy enough can afford to be saved while the rest of the 1500 people a year that croak because of drowsy driving have to suffer.
Suffer? I hope this is in jest, because your current auto is no less safe tomorrow as it is today because of this technology. In addition, many safety items are first produced on high end cars because the cost is more easily absorbed by the purchaser. If the system works it will become a commodity item and become affordable for more people.
Good points. I personally follow the traffic rules and am annoyed when cyclists simultaneously expect the right of way from autos and think they shouldn't yield to anyone else.
I have tried them, but I recommend them only if an upright bike poses comfort problems. The recumbant bike makes you less visible on roads and is less efficient for climbing hills.
You bring up some good points. I think it likely that there will be certain business applications of software that are more reasonable for professional certification. I realize that professional association has some down sides, but all the arguments sound the same as it did for doctors 100 years ago, when they needed little more than a high school education and a mentor. Today we benefit from the high standard for medical advice.
So then, you're happy that the tides are flowing programming jobs to India? Are you "adapting" by taking a 90% paycut and moving to Bombay?
Nope, I'm focussing on areas of technology that currently aren't being outsourced. I've also transitioned into project management and look for work that requires personal interaction. In the past I was an introverted cube worker, but today I choose to be extroverted. People are far more adaptable than they think they are.
My formula may not be right for everyone, but one thing is sure: There is no political solution to prevent outsourcing any more than there is a political solution for spam. This is just plain old economics at work. The character of our profession (if it is to remain professional) will be shaped by how we respond to this challenge.
As far as I can tell, there is no law restricting the amount of law or medical graduates, so I don't know where you come up with the notion of an artificial restriction. Professional associations are more effective than unions because they set standards of conduct and expertise for members, while unions mainly just whine and moan about the bourgeois boss-class.
Of course, reading the majority of "insightful" comments on slashdot leads me to think that unions may represent more of the people here, but I'll take a professional association over a union any day. I look forward to the formalization of the software development field.
programmers need to stop thinking about themselves as some sort of "upper" class. yes, we have some very specialized knowledge and create things that have great value... but so do carpenters and electricians.
I think we need to start thinking of ourselves as professionals. Unions are for blue collar whiners who refuse to adapt to the economic tides. We would be much better served by professional association, akin to the lawyers BAR or the AMA.
It would be nice if they [corporations] paid taxes too.
Figure out some way of taxing a corporation that doesn't translate into higher costs for goods and services. There is simply no such thing as corporate taxes, and those who try to do so increase the tax burden of the poor and middle class.
So, what makes the social democracies from America in this regard? In the social democracies, if the workers cannot get another job (especially because of being blackballed/given a bad reference), then the state will give them MONEY for YEARS. Yes, it is not uncommon for workers who cannot find work to draw welfare/unemployment for years in the social democracies. So, therefore the workers there are NOT at the mercy of the job market.
Let me get this right... paying people to work for years is preferable to a system where workers expect their job performance to affect future employment? There are laws in America that forbid an employer from relating anything more than dates of employment, salary and reason the person left. There are sometimes abuses, but I think making society at large pay someone to sit on his duff for years is inexcusable.
I'm glad to hear there are others who think about this stuff. You aren't alone. I'm fascinated by the manner in which things are marketed.
Just the other day I told someone that if I ever needed to sell something, I would hire a marketing person who worked for a deodorant company. Anyone who can say "you smell bad" and in the next breath convince you to buy their product is a genius!
I understand and embrace the notion of separating content from presentation, but at some level you have to be aware of presentation as a content author. The way a document looks has a direct influence on the reception of the content.
I agree that $2000 is high, but have you considered that spam is costing you now? Maybe not directly, but your ISP is passing along the added bandwidth cost in some manner. If it works, and I'm saying it will, it might be a bargain.
I'm tired of hearing about the outsourcing boogeyman on slashdot. Of the 3 million lost jobs only 300k were due to outsourcing in the last five years. Pick a better scapegoat.
I published professionally for a webzine based in Texas while I lived in the midwest. I sure hope somebody wasn't bellyaching about how I was taking away texas jobs.
I think everyone with a malfunctioning auto respects the mechanic when in need, but in a general sense our society places value on white collar work. If you have dirt under your fingernails it is hard to get respect, like it or not.
I had a good conversation over a few pints with a British guy I know and we came up with a succinct explanation of American and British views on media:
Suppose a scene of a movie had a naked woman who is shot with a gun. The American will ask why she had to be shown naked while the Briton will ask why she was shown being shot.
No, smart people tend to have real jobs and life responsibilities. For my anecdotal evidence, I served on a Jury while living in Washington DC and was aghast at my peers. At the time I was between jobs, so I was content to serve. Washington is one of the most educated cities in America, yet I seriously doubted that half of the jurors had a high school education. Trying to discuss legal issues with them was painful.
In confidence, lawyers have confirmed with me that juries aren't representative of most defendants because the good ones have lives and find ways of not serving. Hint: to get out of jury duty, simply act like you have a strong opinion about the case matter. Another hint: to get *into* jury duty, act like you don't know or care about anything.
Yeah... just like how Linus Torvalds is a bad programmer on the Linux kernal because he gets no money from it. Also, Microsoft products are really good because everyone makes money by contributing code. Nice argument, but it doesn't float.
Everyone involved needs to agree on a solution THEN implement it.
That has been tried for years. I've read a dozen proposals that may have helped and some that would even work, but everyone is left wondering who will invest the time and money to implement it. It is like purchasing the first fax machine in a city.
I'm not thrilled to hear that it is Microsoft doing it, but I'm glad to see that somebody is kicking the collective IT ass into gear. Their proposal isn't foolproof, but I think it will help.
I'll second the parent post regarding Sun's Java Programmer certification. In addition to years of practical programming experience, the effort (weeks of study on my own) I spent on this certification has been helpful many times. Knowing the subtle nuances of the language can save hours troubleshooting problems. I wouldn't hire somebody based solely on Sun's Java certification program, but it is a good feather in the cap. Bottom line: All certs are not created equal.
Slashdot Mirror
You bring up a good point about the social element. If everyone else is zoned out on TV it is a little unrealistic to unplug and expect to have any interaction with others who are still plugged in. I had not thought of it like that before.
Your point on the laugh track is well taken. I have been tv free for several years and recently watched an episode of "friends" at a hotel. The laugh track was terribly distracting and jumped right out at me. I can't help but think most people watch the whole show and never notice.
I too still feel the sting of owning a Jaz drive. I recently snortled aloud in a store as I saw the 1gig media was *still* priced at about $100 per cartridge. Wassup? Do they think those cartridges contain fine wine or something? Anyhow, the drive was slow, finicky and the media was expensive from day one.
Why does it have to be implemented universally? If just 10,000 people use it and I do too, maybe I'll have less spam.
Apparently only those wealthy enough can afford to be saved while the rest of the 1500 people a year that croak because of drowsy driving have to suffer.
Suffer? I hope this is in jest, because your current auto is no less safe tomorrow as it is today because of this technology. In addition, many safety items are first produced on high end cars because the cost is more easily absorbed by the purchaser. If the system works it will become a commodity item and become affordable for more people.
Good points. I personally follow the traffic rules and am annoyed when cyclists simultaneously expect the right of way from autos and think they shouldn't yield to anyone else.
I have tried them, but I recommend them only if an upright bike poses comfort problems. The recumbant bike makes you less visible on roads and is less efficient for climbing hills.
Imgine being told you are going to have a heart attack in 15 minutes?
;)
And then getting a notice within 10 minutes from your insurance company that your policy is cancelled.
You bring up some good points. I think it likely that there will be certain business applications of software that are more reasonable for professional certification. I realize that professional association has some down sides, but all the arguments sound the same as it did for doctors 100 years ago, when they needed little more than a high school education and a mentor. Today we benefit from the high standard for medical advice.
So then, you're happy that the tides are flowing programming jobs to India? Are you "adapting" by taking a 90% paycut and moving to Bombay?
Nope, I'm focussing on areas of technology that currently aren't being outsourced. I've also transitioned into project management and look for work that requires personal interaction. In the past I was an introverted cube worker, but today I choose to be extroverted. People are far more adaptable than they think they are.
My formula may not be right for everyone, but one thing is sure: There is no political solution to prevent outsourcing any more than there is a political solution for spam. This is just plain old economics at work. The character of our profession (if it is to remain professional) will be shaped by how we respond to this challenge.
As far as I can tell, there is no law restricting the amount of law or medical graduates, so I don't know where you come up with the notion of an artificial restriction. Professional associations are more effective than unions because they set standards of conduct and expertise for members, while unions mainly just whine and moan about the bourgeois boss-class.
Of course, reading the majority of "insightful" comments on slashdot leads me to think that unions may represent more of the people here, but I'll take a professional association over a union any day. I look forward to the formalization of the software development field.
No, he is saying you should be an adult about it and realize that bitter attitudes aren't helpful.
programmers need to stop thinking about themselves as some sort of "upper" class. yes, we have some very specialized knowledge and create things that have great value... but so do carpenters and electricians.
I think we need to start thinking of ourselves as professionals. Unions are for blue collar whiners who refuse to adapt to the economic tides. We would be much better served by professional association, akin to the lawyers BAR or the AMA.
It would be nice if they [corporations] paid taxes too.
Figure out some way of taxing a corporation that doesn't translate into higher costs for goods and services. There is simply no such thing as corporate taxes, and those who try to do so increase the tax burden of the poor and middle class.
So, what makes the social democracies from America in this regard? In the social democracies, if the workers cannot get another job (especially because of being blackballed/given a bad reference), then the state will give them MONEY for YEARS. Yes, it is not uncommon for workers who cannot find work to draw welfare/unemployment for years in the social democracies. So, therefore the workers there are NOT at the mercy of the job market.
Let me get this right... paying people to work for years is preferable to a system where workers expect their job performance to affect future employment? There are laws in America that forbid an employer from relating anything more than dates of employment, salary and reason the person left. There are sometimes abuses, but I think making society at large pay someone to sit on his duff for years is inexcusable.
I'm glad to hear there are others who think about this stuff. You aren't alone. I'm fascinated by the manner in which things are marketed.
Just the other day I told someone that if I ever needed to sell something, I would hire a marketing person who worked for a deodorant company. Anyone who can say "you smell bad" and in the next breath convince you to buy their product is a genius!
I understand and embrace the notion of separating content from presentation, but at some level you have to be aware of presentation as a content author. The way a document looks has a direct influence on the reception of the content.
I agree that $2000 is high, but have you considered that spam is costing you now? Maybe not directly, but your ISP is passing along the added bandwidth cost in some manner. If it works, and I'm saying it will, it might be a bargain.
I'm tired of hearing about the outsourcing boogeyman on slashdot. Of the 3 million lost jobs only 300k were due to outsourcing in the last five years. Pick a better scapegoat.
I published professionally for a webzine based in Texas while I lived in the midwest. I sure hope somebody wasn't bellyaching about how I was taking away texas jobs.
I think everyone with a malfunctioning auto respects the mechanic when in need, but in a general sense our society places value on white collar work. If you have dirt under your fingernails it is hard to get respect, like it or not.
I had a good conversation over a few pints with a British guy I know and we came up with a succinct explanation of American and British views on media:
Suppose a scene of a movie had a naked woman who is shot with a gun. The American will ask why she had to be shown naked while the Briton will ask why she was shown being shot.
No, smart people tend to have real jobs and life responsibilities. For my anecdotal evidence, I served on a Jury while living in Washington DC and was aghast at my peers. At the time I was between jobs, so I was content to serve. Washington is one of the most educated cities in America, yet I seriously doubted that half of the jurors had a high school education. Trying to discuss legal issues with them was painful.
In confidence, lawyers have confirmed with me that juries aren't representative of most defendants because the good ones have lives and find ways of not serving. Hint: to get out of jury duty, simply act like you have a strong opinion about the case matter. Another hint: to get *into* jury duty, act like you don't know or care about anything.
Yeah... just like how Linus Torvalds is a bad programmer on the Linux kernal because he gets no money from it. Also, Microsoft products are really good because everyone makes money by contributing code. Nice argument, but it doesn't float.
Everyone involved needs to agree on a solution THEN implement it.
That has been tried for years. I've read a dozen proposals that may have helped and some that would even work, but everyone is left wondering who will invest the time and money to implement it. It is like purchasing the first fax machine in a city.
I'm not thrilled to hear that it is Microsoft doing it, but I'm glad to see that somebody is kicking the collective IT ass into gear. Their proposal isn't foolproof, but I think it will help.
I'll second the parent post regarding Sun's Java Programmer certification. In addition to years of practical programming experience, the effort (weeks of study on my own) I spent on this certification has been helpful many times. Knowing the subtle nuances of the language can save hours troubleshooting problems. I wouldn't hire somebody based solely on Sun's Java certification program, but it is a good feather in the cap. Bottom line: All certs are not created equal.