No one is still there from those days. At some point, you need to move on.
I agree. As a Mac developer, I have to admit that Windows and Microsoft lived rent-free in my head for too many years, but those days are gone. It is no longer an oddity or impediment to not be a Windows developer/user. I actually think Microsoft is fighting to remain relevant, and I'm not sure this will mean much in that effort.
I'm old enough to have worked with paper-based bug tracking systems.
On one project I worked on, there was a protracted feature vs. bug debate between a developer and the QA manager. The QA manager made a "final" declaration that the "feature" needed to be fixed, crammed into what little space was left in the bottom right corner of the bug ticket.
The ticket was returned once more with that corner burned off.
Well, in the same vein, I'm a bit weary of NASA's breathless hype of their "progress" in getting (back) to Low Earth Orbit. It's progress when it's done for the first time; when you're doing it all over again, it's a sad sign of regression.
FWIW, I am a strong advocate for a vigorous space program and aviation progress. I would just like to see a little perspective that what is currently being touted as progress is often an echo of past accomplishments.
I've been in software development for 38 years, and my favorite years have been spent doing Mac or iOS development (Mac in the 80's, and Mac or iOS for the past seven years). I write apps as a hobby, which helps keep my skills current, and my employer is (mostly) paying me to do what I enjoy; it doesn't get better than that.
To be honest, writing software for an employer can be a drag, because corporate decision-making processes can be frustrating. But I spent about 10 of those years with some degree or other of a management role, and those frustrations are even worse in middle management. I'm much happier as an "individual contributor". The upsides to corporate development are the benefits and reasonably steady paychecks.
Age discrimination? Maybe; I get along better with some people than others (and vice versa), and maybe age is a factor. I don't really hide my age (I like to inject "Get off my lawn!" into conversations every now and then), I don't try to pretend I'm someone I'm not. I think if you're doing what you like and are engaged as a team member, it all works out.
I think I still have about 5 more years in me, unless my plan/hope/dream of earning a modest income at independent development bears fruit before then.
Actually, it is Executive Orders I'm thinking of. The Gulfstream in question is traced to Iran, who had weaponized Ebola from the patient. Rainbow Six involved eco-terrorists who wanted to decimate the human race by spreading a bio-weapon via an Olympics (in Australia, IIRC).
I'm turning 60 this month. My current (startup) employer had less than 50 employees when I started a year and a half ago; my previous employer was at about 200 employees, pre-IPO, when I started my 2+ year stint there. At both places I had co-workers younger than my youngest child.
I don't think missing the extra-curricular stuff is going to be a big impediment. What's most important is whether your skills and knowledge are current, and being able to adapt to the work environment. I have contemporaries who have struggled with new technologies, languages or methodologies (i.e., scrum vs. waterfall) and therefore haven't thrived in the same environments. I haven't gone out of my way to adapt "culturally" (music, entertainment, etc.), but there's usually something of common interest to talk about.
If you've gone through several interviews and there is a mutual desire to work together, go for it. The startup could be the best place to keep you from becoming sold a calcified before you're 50!:-)
iPad is a mobile browser based on other capabilities than just HTML5 support.
I agree with the previous reply that "mobile browser" suggests a significantly less capable browser than Safari on iOS (iPad or iPhone). One frustration of using iOS Safari is that too many web sites unnecessarily decide the browser is "mobile" and re-directs to their dumbed-down "mobile" variant, requiring me to specifically ask for the "full site", which typically works fine.
So ADHD is certainly over diagnosed, but certainly not YOUR sons.
Well... yes. In my reading on the subject at the time, it was clear that some pediatricians and parents were reaching a diagnosis and proceeding to medication on anecdotal observations and not by thorough evaluation; even advocates of ADHD treatment cautioned against jumping to conclusions. By contrast, as I noted, we did not initially embrace the diagnosis or treatment, and were relatively conservative in applying it. The markedly higher diagnosis rates today make me think that this is more or a problem today, especially since acceptance of the diagnosis and medication is way more mainstream now. Up to a point, it's possible that acceptance has caused fewer people to resist the diagnosis, but the numbers are too overwhelming.
Curiously, I can't tell if you're doubting my son's diagnosis, or doubting my doubts of the number of diagnoses today. In conversations about ADHD, I encounter people that assume all diagnoses are fake (i.e., there's no such disorder), and those who think all the cases are real and caused by environment, diet, video games, etc., without any evidence. I tend to think the answer is somewhere in the middle; some cases are real, some are mis-diagnosed.
Is it big pharma pushing doctors to prescribe more? Is it doctors too lazy/busy to do a proper diagnosis? Is it mothers, fathers and teachers who seek to explain bad behavior and poor discipline (which is largely their fault) on medical conditions? Is it our foods which have changed over to GMO based content over the same period of time?
The basic cause of this is simple: lack of physical activity causes kids to be fidgety. They can't concentrate. Kids that fidget in class are disruptive. They are marked as "trouble".
Crap. My son was diagnosed in the early 90's. We resisted the diagnosis at first, then balked at medication. In the end, the medications did help him succeed in school and at such activities as soccer, where the difference in his ability to pay attention was easiest to observe.
The counter-intuitive thing about ADHD medications is that they are typically stimulants, hardly something you would think of giving to a hyper-active child. Our doctor described the symptoms as something more akin to the restlessness that can come with drowsiness than an over-active mind or metabolism.
Maybe some parents diagnose and treat to make life easier, but I'm here to tell you that we specifically did not medicate my son during weekends and vacations, partly to minimize the medication, and partly to be able to observe his baseline behavior to see whether it changed over time.
As for teachers, my wife has taught first and second grade for about 20 years, and in her school system, teachers are prohibited from offering a diagnosis or even acknowledging the possibility when asked; that is the domain of medical professionals, not teachers. YMMV, of course.
All that said, ADHD is certainly over-diagnosed, and that was almost certainly the case back when my son was diagnosed, at the early end of the chart in TFA. I have to say I was shocked at how much more prevalent the diagnosis has become. I tend to lay the blame at the feet of Big Pharma marketing treatments to lay people; the lengths they go to in advertising in magazines (with pages of fine print that few read or understand) and television, carefully staying within the guidelines of regulations (that clearly aren't helping) is absurd.
(For those who haven't read it the gist of it is that the world is governed by a democracy in which only those who have served in the military can vote. The argument is that voting rights are open to anybody, but only after demonstrating a willingness to sacrifice for the common good. Non-voters still obtain the same freedoms/rights/etc, but are not trusted with the operation of the government.)
I beg to differ, but IIRC, the "franchise" (to vote) is granted to anyone who enters (and leaves) public service of any kind, not just the military, and only a small percentage actually end up serving in the military. Readers may be forgiven for overlooking this, because many of the arguments about this qualification for voting is specific to military veterans.
As a Boomer (age 59), I'm finding it more important to embrace the future than ask the young 'uns to adopt the past. I think the last time I used a land line phone at work was over three years ago, and that was an exception; it's all Skype and Hangouts now, and I like it better.
I do miss some of the perqs of the past: private offices, beer at lunch...
Mansfield tried to retire in 2012. It's just possible he wanted out again and Tim Cook asked him to stick around and lend his expertise without the management responsibilities. It's the perfect semi-retirement: get rid of the tedious part of the job, work on the fun stuff, and continue to get compensated. I'd jump at an offer like that. Get removed from the management bio page? pfft.
I think every fighter produced starting with the F-4 Phantom II was criticized as having some fatal flaw, and most ended up being liked by their pilots.
Wow. A Stranger in a Strange Land quote. Apropos of everything.
Not at all. My initial thought was that there is a lot to sort out about what Snowden did and ultimately will do, and it's probably not time to rush to judgement on the totality of Snowden's actions yet. A lot has come to light that people have legitimately reacted to, and that is ultimately a good thing. I just haven't sussed out the totality of Snowden's intentions and actions yet, and that's why I'm withholding my final personal judgement, and why I think it's early to award him a Peace Prize. If he's truly deserving, will a year or two matter? Others have waited much longer. Personally, I'd rather receive a carefully considered, even if delayed, approbation.
It's more complex than I have time for here, but...
To the extent that Snowden exposed the overreach of widespread data collection and surveillance of US citizens without probable cause, he may well be a hero.
If he truly has information that could badly damage legitimate U.S. interests (something the Guardian reporter claims, which I think may be overblown), and if he is willing to share that directly (or even indirectly) with foreign governments specifically to inflict that damage, then I have a problem with that.
There is a wide range of legitimate points of view about U.S. foreign policy, legitimacy of various techniques to protect national security, and so on. I respect many people's differing opinions on this. One thing I do think has been helpful is that the current debates have broken across once impenetrable ideological boundaries; people usually on opposite sides of the political divide are finding themselves agreeing with each other. It's forcing people on all sides to focus on the facts and issues rather than cling to ideology. That can't be bad.
I'm still ambivalent about the Snowden case, as I believe many still are. So we're going to compensate the rush to give the award to Obama by rushing to give it to Snowden?
In the words of Valentine Michael Smith, "Waiting is."
The Times Square (attempted) bomb was termed a "weapon of mass destruction" in the charges that were filed. I do think "WMD" is over-kill for those cases.
Slashdot Mirror
No one is still there from those days. At some point, you need to move on.
I agree. As a Mac developer, I have to admit that Windows and Microsoft lived rent-free in my head for too many years, but those days are gone. It is no longer an oddity or impediment to not be a Windows developer/user. I actually think Microsoft is fighting to remain relevant, and I'm not sure this will mean much in that effort.
63, just started a Mac project in Swift.
I'm old enough to have worked with paper-based bug tracking systems.
On one project I worked on, there was a protracted feature vs. bug debate between a developer and the QA manager. The QA manager made a "final" declaration that the "feature" needed to be fixed, crammed into what little space was left in the bottom right corner of the bug ticket.
The ticket was returned once more with that corner burned off.
Well, in the same vein, I'm a bit weary of NASA's breathless hype of their "progress" in getting (back) to Low Earth Orbit. It's progress when it's done for the first time; when you're doing it all over again, it's a sad sign of regression.
FWIW, I am a strong advocate for a vigorous space program and aviation progress. I would just like to see a little perspective that what is currently being touted as progress is often an echo of past accomplishments.
"...flying supersonic is clearly the future^H^H^H^H^H^H past of aviation"
There. Fixed that for you.
Seriously: having a plan on (metaphorical) paper for something that has already been accomplished (and abandoned) constitutes news?
I've been in software development for 38 years, and my favorite years have been spent doing Mac or iOS development (Mac in the 80's, and Mac or iOS for the past seven years). I write apps as a hobby, which helps keep my skills current, and my employer is (mostly) paying me to do what I enjoy; it doesn't get better than that.
To be honest, writing software for an employer can be a drag, because corporate decision-making processes can be frustrating. But I spent about 10 of those years with some degree or other of a management role, and those frustrations are even worse in middle management. I'm much happier as an "individual contributor". The upsides to corporate development are the benefits and reasonably steady paychecks.
Age discrimination? Maybe; I get along better with some people than others (and vice versa), and maybe age is a factor. I don't really hide my age (I like to inject "Get off my lawn!" into conversations every now and then), I don't try to pretend I'm someone I'm not. I think if you're doing what you like and are engaged as a team member, it all works out.
I think I still have about 5 more years in me, unless my plan/hope/dream of earning a modest income at independent development bears fruit before then.
Actually, it is Executive Orders I'm thinking of. The Gulfstream in question is traced to Iran, who had weaponized Ebola from the patient. Rainbow Six involved eco-terrorists who wanted to decimate the human race by spreading a bio-weapon via an Olympics (in Australia, IIRC).
Correction: Wasn't an Ebola patient transported on a Gulfstream a sub-plot of a Tom Clancy novel?
Wasn't a patient transported on a Gulfstream a sub-plot of a Tom Clancy novel? (Executive Orders, IIRC)
I'm turning 60 this month. My current (startup) employer had less than 50 employees when I started a year and a half ago; my previous employer was at about 200 employees, pre-IPO, when I started my 2+ year stint there. At both places I had co-workers younger than my youngest child.
I don't think missing the extra-curricular stuff is going to be a big impediment. What's most important is whether your skills and knowledge are current, and being able to adapt to the work environment. I have contemporaries who have struggled with new technologies, languages or methodologies (i.e., scrum vs. waterfall) and therefore haven't thrived in the same environments. I haven't gone out of my way to adapt "culturally" (music, entertainment, etc.), but there's usually something of common interest to talk about.
If you've gone through several interviews and there is a mutual desire to work together, go for it. The startup could be the best place to keep you from becoming sold a calcified before you're 50! :-)
Bold words from someone who probably be long gone from the job before NASA even tries to get someone into low earth orbit again.
iPad is a mobile browser based on other capabilities than just HTML5 support.
I agree with the previous reply that "mobile browser" suggests a significantly less capable browser than Safari on iOS (iPad or iPhone). One frustration of using iOS Safari is that too many web sites unnecessarily decide the browser is "mobile" and re-directs to their dumbed-down "mobile" variant, requiring me to specifically ask for the "full site", which typically works fine.
So ADHD is certainly over diagnosed, but certainly not YOUR sons.
Well... yes. In my reading on the subject at the time, it was clear that some pediatricians and parents were reaching a diagnosis and proceeding to medication on anecdotal observations and not by thorough evaluation; even advocates of ADHD treatment cautioned against jumping to conclusions. By contrast, as I noted, we did not initially embrace the diagnosis or treatment, and were relatively conservative in applying it. The markedly higher diagnosis rates today make me think that this is more or a problem today, especially since acceptance of the diagnosis and medication is way more mainstream now. Up to a point, it's possible that acceptance has caused fewer people to resist the diagnosis, but the numbers are too overwhelming.
Curiously, I can't tell if you're doubting my son's diagnosis, or doubting my doubts of the number of diagnoses today. In conversations about ADHD, I encounter people that assume all diagnoses are fake (i.e., there's no such disorder), and those who think all the cases are real and caused by environment, diet, video games, etc., without any evidence. I tend to think the answer is somewhere in the middle; some cases are real, some are mis-diagnosed.
Is it big pharma pushing doctors to prescribe more? Is it doctors too lazy/busy to do a proper diagnosis? Is it mothers, fathers and teachers who seek to explain bad behavior and poor discipline (which is largely their fault) on medical conditions? Is it our foods which have changed over to GMO based content over the same period of time?
The basic cause of this is simple: lack of physical activity causes kids to be fidgety. They can't concentrate. Kids that fidget in class are disruptive. They are marked as "trouble".
Crap. My son was diagnosed in the early 90's. We resisted the diagnosis at first, then balked at medication. In the end, the medications did help him succeed in school and at such activities as soccer, where the difference in his ability to pay attention was easiest to observe.
The counter-intuitive thing about ADHD medications is that they are typically stimulants, hardly something you would think of giving to a hyper-active child. Our doctor described the symptoms as something more akin to the restlessness that can come with drowsiness than an over-active mind or metabolism.
Maybe some parents diagnose and treat to make life easier, but I'm here to tell you that we specifically did not medicate my son during weekends and vacations, partly to minimize the medication, and partly to be able to observe his baseline behavior to see whether it changed over time.
As for teachers, my wife has taught first and second grade for about 20 years, and in her school system, teachers are prohibited from offering a diagnosis or even acknowledging the possibility when asked; that is the domain of medical professionals, not teachers. YMMV, of course.
All that said, ADHD is certainly over-diagnosed, and that was almost certainly the case back when my son was diagnosed, at the early end of the chart in TFA. I have to say I was shocked at how much more prevalent the diagnosis has become. I tend to lay the blame at the feet of Big Pharma marketing treatments to lay people; the lengths they go to in advertising in magazines (with pages of fine print that few read or understand) and television, carefully staying within the guidelines of regulations (that clearly aren't helping) is absurd.
(For those who haven't read it the gist of it is that the world is governed by a democracy in which only those who have served in the military can vote. The argument is that voting rights are open to anybody, but only after demonstrating a willingness to sacrifice for the common good. Non-voters still obtain the same freedoms/rights/etc, but are not trusted with the operation of the government.)
I beg to differ, but IIRC, the "franchise" (to vote) is granted to anyone who enters (and leaves) public service of any kind, not just the military, and only a small percentage actually end up serving in the military. Readers may be forgiven for overlooking this, because many of the arguments about this qualification for voting is specific to military veterans.
Thank you; it was mentioned in TFA, but your link is better.
The captain's name is James Kirk.
Beer?
Bottle of Bordeaux.
And yes, I do have a private office.
Hey, I was a lot younger then! As it turns out, I visited Bordeaux last week, and now realize I have a lot of lost time to make up!
Open office plan at work, but I've been working at home 3-4 days per week lately, which is pretty private...
As a Boomer (age 59), I'm finding it more important to embrace the future than ask the young 'uns to adopt the past. I think the last time I used a land line phone at work was over three years ago, and that was an exception; it's all Skype and Hangouts now, and I like it better.
I do miss some of the perqs of the past: private offices, beer at lunch...
That said, now get off my lawn!
Mansfield tried to retire in 2012. It's just possible he wanted out again and Tim Cook asked him to stick around and lend his expertise without the management responsibilities. It's the perfect semi-retirement: get rid of the tedious part of the job, work on the fun stuff, and continue to get compensated. I'd jump at an offer like that. Get removed from the management bio page? pfft.
I think every fighter produced starting with the F-4 Phantom II was criticized as having some fatal flaw, and most ended up being liked by their pilots.
Wow. A Stranger in a Strange Land quote. Apropos of everything.
Not at all. My initial thought was that there is a lot to sort out about what Snowden did and ultimately will do, and it's probably not time to rush to judgement on the totality of Snowden's actions yet. A lot has come to light that people have legitimately reacted to, and that is ultimately a good thing. I just haven't sussed out the totality of Snowden's intentions and actions yet, and that's why I'm withholding my final personal judgement, and why I think it's early to award him a Peace Prize. If he's truly deserving, will a year or two matter? Others have waited much longer. Personally, I'd rather receive a carefully considered, even if delayed, approbation.
It's more complex than I have time for here, but...
To the extent that Snowden exposed the overreach of widespread data collection and surveillance of US citizens without probable cause, he may well be a hero.
If he truly has information that could badly damage legitimate U.S. interests (something the Guardian reporter claims, which I think may be overblown), and if he is willing to share that directly (or even indirectly) with foreign governments specifically to inflict that damage, then I have a problem with that.
There is a wide range of legitimate points of view about U.S. foreign policy, legitimacy of various techniques to protect national security, and so on. I respect many people's differing opinions on this. One thing I do think has been helpful is that the current debates have broken across once impenetrable ideological boundaries; people usually on opposite sides of the political divide are finding themselves agreeing with each other. It's forcing people on all sides to focus on the facts and issues rather than cling to ideology. That can't be bad.
I'm still ambivalent about the Snowden case, as I believe many still are. So we're going to compensate the rush to give the award to Obama by rushing to give it to Snowden?
In the words of Valentine Michael Smith, "Waiting is."
The Times Square (attempted) bomb was termed a "weapon of mass destruction" in the charges that were filed. I do think "WMD" is over-kill for those cases.