On the position I stayed in the longest I had a boss who not only would throw tantrums like a badly parented child, but he would make lunges as if he were going to strike me. As that may have been 'profitable' it is something I would prefer to not have to deal with either.
His team had a high turnover rate compared to the rest of our business group too. I stuck it out there at first because I really liked the customer and the mission. Also needed to keep stability of work because of child custody/support concerns. When the family issues were no longer an item I updated the Monster resume with what I had done (had made the mistake of tailoring it too much to what I wanted to do) and several much better job offers appeared right away. In that job, the customers really liked me and my work, I could not stand my boss and several co-workers, nor them me but that clique seemed to have issues with everybody and most had problems with them.
Ended up leaving the first one in a few months, because I had conditioned myself to thinking a place that "does not suck" was good enough. Got along quite well with most all of the people there, especially the customer. However, things did seem to change for some people over night and I was not waiting around for it to happen to me, i.e., the customer would just tell our firm that they wanted someone off the contract immediatly and it seemed to have nothing to do with their work and the person was gone the next day. Some of these folks had been assured by the customer that their work was fine, right before being booted.
Another firm that had interviewed me before I took that job called several more times and I accepted a position there. Got along with new boss and customer great. Had 2 coworkers that were reacting oddly to the automation that I was doing and ended up being annoying. Did not really matter, I was one of the only people the customer liked and the guys who were acting oddly were not liked by her at all. Different problem cropped up. The agency I was supporting was moving their offices several States away. I was offered a new position that was in the area and was not going to move for a while, so I decided to try it out.
Bad news/good news: my customer does not seem to like my work (this is a first for me) and has made some serious complaints to my boss. The complaints are completly non-quantifiable too. The good news is I contacted a higher boss asking about some overseas work we had discussed a year earlier, right before I took current job. He came back with some other options, then my boss from my previous job contacted me about two very interesting items that are in late proposal stage with news of more progress that came in today.
Looks like I can move on and let current customer figure out what he wants without me and I don't really have to worry about missing a mortgage payment and getting a bad name in my industry.
An Army tradition anyway, is to tie a pair of boots together by the laces and toss them into a tree when leaving the Army. Objective is to get them into the tree, not distance. Do not attempt with a soldier who is wearing the boots unless that soldier is passed out (never with a Ranger, passed out or not).
Thought it was funny that a variant on this was used in the movie "Wag the Dog" as a substitute for the yellow ribbon thing that is popular now.
Something similar happens in maintenance shops. People throw their key sets up on top of the ceiling beams when they leave.
Now, if we could get these boot thrower engineers, Army mechanics and the other soldiers together we could be unmatched in useless throwing automation technology!
Wondering if my 1972 Dodge Rallye Charger has one of these black boxes in it? I did not even know it was a hybrid until a reporter from The New Republic said it was*!
When I was mobilized by the Army to develop a database for Personnel/HR use in the mid 90s, I thought of something similar for data backup. Was not really thinking of it as a security system, more like an 'insurance' system.
Problem was, I did not know enough about developing systems like that, nor did I know enough about getting the idea in front of the people who could make it happen.
The basics were when users in the field made queries the returned data would be stored for some period of time and a separate server would record who had what and be able to retrieve the data in case the backups were destroyed or inaccessible.
The main thing was that if it were recently downloaded data then it was more relevant than older data, which could wait to be reconstructed but newly queried records were more important to current operations.
Also, since the data was scattered about, it would be of less interest to a party wanting to grab info about soldiers.
Obviously the idea needed more thought by more brains than mine.
Well then, it's a good thing water is a renewable resource, isn't it?
The only thing in danger is CHEAP water, really. Desalination can ramp-up to whatever volume you want, and most countries are located near an effectively unlimited source from which to draw saline...
Well, instead of human manufactured bio fuels perhaps more people should be driving the type of hybrids that I do and use natural bio fuel?
Check with the reporter in my.sig for more information.
Seems something has changed in the Japanese firms since I graduated college 12 years ago, or nothing changed and we were fed a big load of crap.
The notion that Japanese firms *never* do what you describe was drummed into our heads, Soviet propoganda style. The only firms accused of doing this were American firms, but the American firms were learning their lessons and coming around.
Odd thing was, the business instructors and professors with a business background did quite little of this while the ones with "hard science" and liberal arts backgrounds could not manage a lecture without bringing up the Japanese zero defect concept.
Looks like something else I 'learned' in college that I no longer have to believe in.
I am a defense contractor, Defense Financial Manager.
Actually, the funds are someone's money. The Contracting Officers are legally "on-the-hook" for the things they sign for. If they authorize payment for something that was not delivered and the government does not get it's money back, then they are supposed to be liable for the money they released.
If they continue working for the government a payment schedule is arranged and they have money deducted from their salary. If they get any other money from the government (ex:retirement) that is used toward the debt.
The rules over here at DoD tend to be much more strict than at other agencies, contrary to what some in the media would lead you to believe.
I hear that one of the problems now, with non DoD activities, is that there are not many prosecutions going on for that sort of thing. Also, the way these stories are written, there may not have been any wrongdoing at all (check my.sig) other than the exagerations by the reporter. It could be a case of a badly written contract that the government accepted, but if the terms for payment were met then nobody is on the hook for the money, but should be losing their job.
In my case, since I am just a contractor and not a government officer, in this role, (in another position I am sometimes in uniform for the Reserves) I am never on the hook for the agency funds, but my customer is and if his error is due to my doing bad work then I am at risk of losing my job, which can happen with no notice.
On the History Channel (or similar) I saw a show about sabotage during WWI. A German agent in the USA was building and supplying liquid incendiary devices to Irish dock workers who would, in turn, leave the devices in the holds of ships sending supplies to England.
The devices were made of metal tubes, connected with a threaded coupler and a piece of brass separating the tubes. Acid in one tube would eat through the brass and combine with the other liquid and burst into flames, catching the compartment on fire and forcing the Captain to flood the compartment and cause the ship to sink. The thickness of the brass determined the delay and made sure that the evidence was deep below the sea.
The method was finally discovered when one of the devices failed and was discovered when the ship ported.
Now, instead of using the delay technique, or using a shorter delay and other container materials besides lead pipe, I believe two people with bottles of the same liquids could manage to mix them together and set a fire great enough to take down an airplane.
Slashdot Mirror
I really liked what I saw in that documentry by George Lucas about Cleveland. Is Cherry Bomb still playing the local clubs?
On the position I stayed in the longest I had a boss who not only would throw tantrums like a badly parented child, but he would make lunges as if he were going to strike me. As that may have been 'profitable' it is something I would prefer to not have to deal with either.
His team had a high turnover rate compared to the rest of our business group too. I stuck it out there at first because I really liked the customer and the mission. Also needed to keep stability of work because of child custody/support concerns. When the family issues were no longer an item I updated the Monster resume with what I had done (had made the mistake of tailoring it too much to what I wanted to do) and several much better job offers appeared right away. In that job, the customers really liked me and my work, I could not stand my boss and several co-workers, nor them me but that clique seemed to have issues with everybody and most had problems with them.
Ended up leaving the first one in a few months, because I had conditioned myself to thinking a place that "does not suck" was good enough. Got along quite well with most all of the people there, especially the customer. However, things did seem to change for some people over night and I was not waiting around for it to happen to me, i.e., the customer would just tell our firm that they wanted someone off the contract immediatly and it seemed to have nothing to do with their work and the person was gone the next day. Some of these folks had been assured by the customer that their work was fine, right before being booted.
Another firm that had interviewed me before I took that job called several more times and I accepted a position there. Got along with new boss and customer great. Had 2 coworkers that were reacting oddly to the automation that I was doing and ended up being annoying. Did not really matter, I was one of the only people the customer liked and the guys who were acting oddly were not liked by her at all. Different problem cropped up. The agency I was supporting was moving their offices several States away. I was offered a new position that was in the area and was not going to move for a while, so I decided to try it out.
Bad news/good news: my customer does not seem to like my work (this is a first for me) and has made some serious complaints to my boss. The complaints are completly non-quantifiable too. The good news is I contacted a higher boss asking about some overseas work we had discussed a year earlier, right before I took current job. He came back with some other options, then my boss from my previous job contacted me about two very interesting items that are in late proposal stage with news of more progress that came in today.
Looks like I can move on and let current customer figure out what he wants without me and I don't really have to worry about missing a mortgage payment and getting a bad name in my industry.
Ashley Renee is my favorite star! (NWS)
I also add the obligitory cowbell query.
Firstly, when is "more cowbell" too much?
Secondly, how many notes are too many?
Thank you, I await your informed response.
Melt the sea ice at the north pole to offset the melting land ice.
Um, you did know that when floating ice melts the water level drops, didn't you?
ROFL
.sig.
No, Arlington, VA. Should be buried somewhere in the story linked to in my
Yea, it's a shame when that happens.
One of the good things about the rising sea level is that there will be more room to cultivate train oil to replace petrol products.
If more people drove hybrids, like I do, Atlantis would still be around.
Yes, I need two! One for each 'hybrid' that I drive. None of that silly taking-it-with-me-between-the-two nonsense.
Now, how to get them to Denmark . . .
So, if their probes are not shot down like ours were, we will know that there really IS something to this whole red theme.
An Army tradition anyway, is to tie a pair of boots together by the laces and toss them into a tree when leaving the Army. Objective is to get them into the tree, not distance. Do not attempt with a soldier who is wearing the boots unless that soldier is passed out (never with a Ranger, passed out or not).
Thought it was funny that a variant on this was used in the movie "Wag the Dog" as a substitute for the yellow ribbon thing that is popular now.
Something similar happens in maintenance shops. People throw their key sets up on top of the ceiling beams when they leave.
Now, if we could get these boot thrower engineers, Army mechanics and the other soldiers together we could be unmatched in useless throwing automation technology!
Jackson is the County Clerk. I think he means that he is not qualified to do anything outside of government work.
If this statement is any indication of his communications skills I can't wait to see his report on the voting machines!
Wondering if my 1972 Dodge Rallye Charger has one of these black boxes in it? I did not even know it was a hybrid until a reporter from The New Republic said it was*!
.sig
Awaiting my letter from Big Brother.
*See
That depends. How much energy is required to fry them in oil? Is this energy free?
I will donate some of my special liquid hydrogen from my 'hybrid' 1972 Dodge Charger, no charge
Doesn't a technology become 'green' as soon as a reporter declares it so?
See? You are one of the brains I could have used for this!
Very informative.
When I was mobilized by the Army to develop a database for Personnel/HR use in the mid 90s, I thought of something similar for data backup. Was not really thinking of it as a security system, more like an 'insurance' system.
Problem was, I did not know enough about developing systems like that, nor did I know enough about getting the idea in front of the people who could make it happen.
The basics were when users in the field made queries the returned data would be stored for some period of time and a separate server would record who had what and be able to retrieve the data in case the backups were destroyed or inaccessible.
The main thing was that if it were recently downloaded data then it was more relevant than older data, which could wait to be reconstructed but newly queried records were more important to current operations.
Also, since the data was scattered about, it would be of less interest to a party wanting to grab info about soldiers.
Obviously the idea needed more thought by more brains than mine.
Well, instead of human manufactured bio fuels perhaps more people should be driving the type of hybrids that I do and use natural bio fuel?
Check with the reporter in my
Seems something has changed in the Japanese firms since I graduated college 12 years ago, or nothing changed and we were fed a big load of crap.
The notion that Japanese firms *never* do what you describe was drummed into our heads, Soviet propoganda style. The only firms accused of doing this were American firms, but the American firms were learning their lessons and coming around.
Odd thing was, the business instructors and professors with a business background did quite little of this while the ones with "hard science" and liberal arts backgrounds could not manage a lecture without bringing up the Japanese zero defect concept.
Looks like something else I 'learned' in college that I no longer have to believe in.
I am a defense contractor, Defense Financial Manager.
.sig) other than the exagerations by the reporter. It could be a case of a badly written contract that the government accepted, but if the terms for payment were met then nobody is on the hook for the money, but should be losing their job.
Actually, the funds are someone's money. The Contracting Officers are legally "on-the-hook" for the things they sign for. If they authorize payment for something that was not delivered and the government does not get it's money back, then they are supposed to be liable for the money they released.
If they continue working for the government a payment schedule is arranged and they have money deducted from their salary. If they get any other money from the government (ex:retirement) that is used toward the debt.
The rules over here at DoD tend to be much more strict than at other agencies, contrary to what some in the media would lead you to believe.
I hear that one of the problems now, with non DoD activities, is that there are not many prosecutions going on for that sort of thing. Also, the way these stories are written, there may not have been any wrongdoing at all (check my
In my case, since I am just a contractor and not a government officer, in this role, (in another position I am sometimes in uniform for the Reserves) I am never on the hook for the agency funds, but my customer is and if his error is due to my doing bad work then I am at risk of losing my job, which can happen with no notice.
On the History Channel (or similar) I saw a show about sabotage during WWI. A German agent in the USA was building and supplying liquid incendiary devices to Irish dock workers who would, in turn, leave the devices in the holds of ships sending supplies to England.
The devices were made of metal tubes, connected with a threaded coupler and a piece of brass separating the tubes. Acid in one tube would eat through the brass and combine with the other liquid and burst into flames, catching the compartment on fire and forcing the Captain to flood the compartment and cause the ship to sink. The thickness of the brass determined the delay and made sure that the evidence was deep below the sea.
The method was finally discovered when one of the devices failed and was discovered when the ship ported.
Now, instead of using the delay technique, or using a shorter delay and other container materials besides lead pipe, I believe two people with bottles of the same liquids could manage to mix them together and set a fire great enough to take down an airplane.
So, does that make it a hybrid?
I am a little fuzzy on that word now that it is misapplied to almost any modification of anything that moves or not.
Since it is not being reported by Philip Chien, formerly of Wired so, I suppose, we can believe it . . .
:)
Ah, it is the New York Times, which is much more accurate than an Examiner story, compare and contrast at the link
Wow, I thought my waist was actually getting smaller through increased activity and better diet.
Now I discover that it was just relative to an accounting error?
Bummer!
Oh come on, some of us know that the Martians are just going to shoot this one down too.