eWeek pulled the quote from the IBM exec. It was definitely there before and unless there's something wrong with me, it's definitely not there now. Since there is a (largely unnoticed) post on/. from a "IBM spokesperson", essentially retracting the comments from the article, I assume that IBM made eWeek pull the quote.
Okay, slightly off topic, but my boyfriend has a pretty good method of ferreting out who gives his contact information away - and this is a guy who religiously replies "NO" to the do you want to receive info/updates/ads, etc. questions.
He has his own domain name, so whenever he is asked on a site to give his email address, he gives the sitename@hisdomainname.com. Like, nytimes@hisdomainname.com or hotjobs@hisdomainname.com or whatever. It doesn't stop him from getting the spam, but at least he knows which companies sell his email address and to whom.
AND he lists every salary he's ever been paid, which is nuts, particularly since he wasn't making much money. And he's supposedly sending this around to get consulting gigs!
So, basically, it's like giving a gift certificate tied to a "suggested gift". Seems like if you're going to ruin the fun of opening a present, you might as well just give them the gift certificate in the first place.
It's much better to think of the perfect present for someone and then watch them open it. Or at least imagine them opening it. I got my boyfriend a Jumbo VI Reference Mug (www.everythinglinux.com.au) for Christmas. That went over really well even though it was the cheapest present I got him. (Good exchange rate with Australia) What he liked best about was that I know him well enough to know that he uses the VI editor, even though I don't know jack about programming. Gift certificates are fine if you just don't know the person that well, but in that case why bother to pick out a present.
Anyway, they're just doing it so they don't have to deal with returns. Makes their life easier.
It's one thing for someone who has been around for awhile to go off and do some consulting as an independent contractor, or for someone who has loads of experience to establish a company. But if you're just starting out you need the credibility of working for a company. You need to show that someone else thinks you are valuable enough to hire, you need to establish that you can work with other people in an office environment, and you need to build up a resume - and contacts, and references.
Not to mention the fact that working as an independent contractor stinks. You're responsible for filing your own quarterly taxes, and for paying the 6.2% employer portion of FICA Social Security, which is a complete pain. Your employer CAN'T provide you with benefits, which means you have to go out and get your own medical insurance. Depending on where you live, this could be very expensive - and the insurance is generally pretty bad, with high deductibles and maximum coverate amounts. There's no way to access other benefits like dental insurance or a 401(k) plan. You don't generate any employer loyalty, so you're usually the first to go when things get bad, and no one will bother paying you severence. Most of the same arguments apply to establishing a corporation except that the taxes become even more painful.
One thing that you should absolutely do is focus on finding a couple of decent clients before you really get started, even if it means cutting your rates and doing it virtually for free. Actually having a couple of decent clients that will provide you with a reference - combined with having an office location, stationary, decent marketing material, etc. - will make you look like a real company as opposed to yet another freelance guy. In terms of marketing material and the like, Adobe PDF's work fine, but if you don't already know how, you better learn to sell, quick.
The idea that kids are controlling the internet is more hype than truth. I work with tons of tech companies, and the "kids" who are running things are usually at least in their late twenties and often a whole lot older. Especially this year (vs. pre April 2000). I've never seen a 15 year old CEO running a company - I saw one 18 year old and he was well on his way to going out of business because no one felt like funding him. He was presenting at some conference and everyone kept joking that the one "old" (maybe fifty?) member of his management team was a child molester.
Kids may be technologically savvy, but they aren't people savvy, and the people in power are the people who have learned to manipulate other people. Fifteen year olds are generally capable of manipulating only their parents.
The theory isn't even worth the interest it is generating. She has no evidence - doesn't even claim that she does. In fact, according to her website, her only attempt to tie her lame theory to historical evidence was to:
"[research] how certain Egyptian symbols could in fact be tools. She succesfully demonstrated the ankh as a powerful rope-break - if a line is wound correctly through the ankh, a quick flick of the wrist could stop an unprecedented amount of pull from moving the line. She also demonstrated how a Seth's Head scepter is in fact a perfect pickaxe."
Basically, they are saying that because something COULD (maybe) be done, it WAS done, with NOTHING supporting that conclusion.
Slashdot Mirror
eWeek pulled the quote from the IBM exec. It was definitely there before and unless there's something wrong with me, it's definitely not there now. Since there is a (largely unnoticed) post on /. from a "IBM spokesperson", essentially retracting the comments from the article, I assume that IBM made eWeek pull the quote.
Okay, slightly off topic, but my boyfriend has a pretty good method of ferreting out who gives his contact information away - and this is a guy who religiously replies "NO" to the do you want to receive info/updates/ads, etc. questions.
He has his own domain name, so whenever he is asked on a site to give his email address, he gives the sitename@hisdomainname.com. Like, nytimes@hisdomainname.com or hotjobs@hisdomainname.com or whatever. It doesn't stop him from getting the spam, but at least he knows which companies sell his email address and to whom.
AND he lists every salary he's ever been paid, which is nuts, particularly since he wasn't making much money. And he's supposedly sending this around to get consulting gigs!
So, basically, it's like giving a gift certificate tied to a "suggested gift". Seems like if you're going to ruin the fun of opening a present, you might as well just give them the gift certificate in the first place.
It's much better to think of the perfect present for someone and then watch them open it. Or at least imagine them opening it. I got my boyfriend a Jumbo VI Reference Mug (www.everythinglinux.com.au) for Christmas. That went over really well even though it was the cheapest present I got him. (Good exchange rate with Australia) What he liked best about was that I know him well enough to know that he uses the VI editor, even though I don't know jack about programming. Gift certificates are fine if you just don't know the person that well, but in that case why bother to pick out a present.
Anyway, they're just doing it so they don't have to deal with returns. Makes their life easier.
It's one thing for someone who has been around for awhile to go off and do some consulting as an independent contractor, or for someone who has loads of experience to establish a company. But if you're just starting out you need the credibility of working for a company. You need to show that someone else thinks you are valuable enough to hire, you need to establish that you can work with other people in an office environment, and you need to build up a resume - and contacts, and references.
Not to mention the fact that working as an independent contractor stinks. You're responsible for filing your own quarterly taxes, and for paying the 6.2% employer portion of FICA Social Security, which is a complete pain. Your employer CAN'T provide you with benefits, which means you have to go out and get your own medical insurance. Depending on where you live, this could be very expensive - and the insurance is generally pretty bad, with high deductibles and maximum coverate amounts. There's no way to access other benefits like dental insurance or a 401(k) plan. You don't generate any employer loyalty, so you're usually the first to go when things get bad, and no one will bother paying you severence. Most of the same arguments apply to establishing a corporation except that the taxes become even more painful.
One thing that you should absolutely do is focus on finding a couple of decent clients before you really get started, even if it means cutting your rates and doing it virtually for free. Actually having a couple of decent clients that will provide you with a reference - combined with having an office location, stationary, decent marketing material, etc. - will make you look like a real company as opposed to yet another freelance guy. In terms of marketing material and the like, Adobe PDF's work fine, but if you don't already know how, you better learn to sell, quick.
The idea that kids are controlling the internet is more hype than truth. I work with tons of tech companies, and the "kids" who are running things are usually at least in their late twenties and often a whole lot older. Especially this year (vs. pre April 2000). I've never seen a 15 year old CEO running a company - I saw one 18 year old and he was well on his way to going out of business because no one felt like funding him. He was presenting at some conference and everyone kept joking that the one "old" (maybe fifty?) member of his management team was a child molester.
Kids may be technologically savvy, but they aren't people savvy, and the people in power are the people who have learned to manipulate other people. Fifteen year olds are generally capable of manipulating only their parents.
The theory isn't even worth the interest it is generating. She has no evidence - doesn't even claim that she does. In fact, according to her website, her only attempt to tie her lame theory to historical evidence was to:
"[research] how certain Egyptian symbols could in fact be tools. She succesfully demonstrated the ankh as a powerful rope-break - if a line is wound correctly through the ankh, a quick flick of the wrist could stop an unprecedented amount of pull from moving the line. She also demonstrated how a Seth's Head scepter is in fact a perfect pickaxe."
Basically, they are saying that because something COULD (maybe) be done, it WAS done, with NOTHING supporting that conclusion.