If the clause is as ridiculous as you depict, why not treat it as a pre-employment qualifications test? Strike it from the contract, sign, then congratulate them on coming up with such a novel way to separate the valuable/intelligent applicants from the idiots. After all, only an idiot would sign the contract with that clause intact, right? So congratulate yourself, in their presence, on having passed their test.
At best, they'll be caught offguard and let it by. At worst, they'll re-affirm that they're serious, in which case you can congratulate them on *really* getting their money's worth from this gambit. Then you proceed to show them how sharp your are and how valuable you would be to the company by opening negotiations over just how much they're going to pay you for all the work you've done since you first touched a computer.
In truth, I think they'll then show you the door. That would be a good thing. Haven't you read broadly enough to know that selling your soul to the Devil is *always* a bad deal?
When in whatever country it is you are in you are subject to their laws.
Right so far.
One of the only exceptions for US citizens is it is not illegal to go abroad for the purpose of having sex with underage children.
I'm going to assume you included that "not" by mistake. If upon further review, however, you stand by this erroneous statement, write back and I'll find cites for you.
As a result of ridiculously shortsighted budgets for the last couple of decades, the IRS is bleeding institutional knowledge at a crippling rate as oldsters retire before they can pass on their knowledge to newbies. Nevertheless, the turnover is nowhere near 35% in 4 years. The IRS hasn't hired nearly that many folks over that period.
That's exactly my point. The IRS placed a large order for Zenith 171 computers with 8-line by 80-character LCD screens before such screens existed. Zenith said "Place the order and we'll find a way to produce bigger screens." So the IRS took delivery of the computers with the largest screens then extant, 4 X 66, until a new fab could get online and up to speed. Then Zenith did free upgrades for everything already deployed.
At the time, the industrial press went on and on about what a bold move it was for the IRS to trust so much in the advancement of technology and place the order that kickstarted the "large" LCD panel industry.
Note - My memory isn't perfect. The screen size numbers above are for illustrative purposes only but I think they're pretty close to what actually happened.
A few notes from someone who works at the subject TLA.
...the typical IRS employee has probably only had a computer for 6 months.
Flat wrong. Essentially every IRS employee gets a computer when they come on board.
...it is probably a crippled 386.
Wrong. All the 386s have been gone for years. The slowest machines in common use are 800Mhz Dell C600s and they're being replaced this year.
The IRS has NEVER been at the forefront of technology.
Demonstrably wrong. Look at the history of LCD fabs for one example. Specifically, IRS demand for larger LCDs drove much of the that industrys momentum a couple of decades ago. Look up the screen specs for the old Zenith 171 lunchbox computer.
You want more current examples? Linux deployment, our VPN implementations, and plenty of other things we do have been at the leading edge of what's workable for a long time.
...it is a well kept secret that their use of technology is very limited.
Where in the hell did you get that idea? Holy smoke, our work processes are so tied to technology it's ridiculous. That's why people freak out when computers don't work and they're willing to do anything, even, sometimes, give out their passwords, to get things working again. I really don't know where you're getting this crap.
...the caliber of people that will actually work for the IRS is not exactly the highest in the world.
Ad hominem and not worth responding to. Wrong, to boot.
...It is mostly Civil Service work.
The Civil Service system is almost dead. If you didn't get on board over 20 years ago, you're probably not even a member. Almost everyone is a Federal Employee Retirement System member now, so the old "stay there a lifetime and ossify in your chair because you're bound to the retirement system" motivation no longer exists. As for the more general use of the term, as in "Civil Service protections," they've been under unrelenting attack for so long there's little left. Yes, it's different from private industry but the old image of "Civil Service," which is what you're evoking, is simply no longer anywhere close to accurate.
...before you jump up my ass with flames about not being fair, I am being fair. I didn't say Civil Service was bad, it just doesn't attract the finest we have to offer.
I would never flame someone for ignorance. Ignorance is curable.
Try training them.
Finally, something insightful. Thank you. The IRS dedication to computer training is pitiful and if that condition were corrected, much of these problems would go away.
As an aside, the IRS was on the verge of making huge inroads on this in 2001. We had set up a new-hire training model that shipped all new employees to a central location for training. The advantages were absolutely huge. This successfully addressed complaints from tax professionals about disparate enforcement of tax law in different jurisidictions because everyone was going to be trained to do things the same way. In addition, since everyone was in one place at the same time, the IT folks had managed to get time slots to provide real, quality training to everyone. Things were good.
We were in class on 9/11. We dealt with getting people home during the full ground stop. We dealt with people who saw massive numbers of their coworkers dying on television and simply collapsed under the emotional assault. (Not our people, but some of the folks working in the same facility were HQ'd in the WTC.) We dealt with people having an unreasonable fear of flying for a long time. (I spent a half day printing maps and plotting routes for shaky employees who had chosen to rent cars and drive home, even if that drive was a thousand miles.)
The bottom line, though, was that centralized (read: high quality, consistent) training was then deemed too cumbersome and the program canceled. Big mistake. I hope we find a better way to do things before I retire.
You may be just guessing, but, take it from an insider, that's the most insightful thing that's been posted here. Well, except for my own anon postings to this article.:-)
which was hen I got an email from Google inviting me to sign up. I had filled out that "Yes, I'm interested" form back when GMail first became public knowledge and I assumed this contact by Google was a result of that registration.
That would mean the GMail has been public for nearly a month. Which would mean that Slashdot has been tardy reporting something. Say it isn't so!!!
If you're a government employee, you are compelled to file your income taxes each year or you'll get fired.
If you work for the Internal Revenue Service, it's even worse. IRS employees who file even one day late, even if they're getting a refund(!), are automatically fired.
This comes up most often for drug dealers. If you report a lot of self employment income and list your job is drug dealer, they cannot get you on the easier charge to prove: tax evasion.
The last time this came up with an officer I personally know (I wasn't directly involved with the case) the drug dealer under indictment for distribution decided to stave off the tax charges by filing a John Doe return. His attorney showed up at the office with a completed tax return and, I kid you not, a briefcase full of money.
It was only a partially successful ploy. The tax charges were avoided, but the drug-sniffing dogs went bonkers on the briefcase. Man, was that lawyer pissed that his client had given him such a contaminated pile of bills.
Placing a religious icon representing a particular faith's beliefs about laws and judgment in a supposedly secular
house of law and judgment certainly creates a hostile environment for members of other faiths or of no faith, and goes
a long way toward "respecting an establishment of religion" in that courthouse,
Interesting how the first part of the text I've quoted is so wrong and the last part so right. Understanding the difference is key to understanding why such displays are OK in some places and not in others.
As a document related to the history of law, the 10 Commandments are pretty obviously useful pieces of decorative and educational art in public places. Simply displaying them in such a context isn't wrong, immoral, or unamerican; cannot reasonably be expected to be offensive to anyone; and certainly doesn't create an hostile environment for anyone who isn't ridiculously, outrageously brittle in their sensitivities.
The problem with Moore is that he didn't display them in an educational or even, really, a decorative context. The design and placement of the rock was clearly calculated to send a message that "THIS is the LAW!" It was that design and placement that went over the line much too closely approaching a proscribed establishment. If it had simply been in a side corridor or accompanied by a number of other educational displays like the Code of Hammurabi, then it would have been fine.
The devil's in the details. And so is the idiocy of one over-reaching judge.
I have the original Maxpedition Fatboy Versipack. Until you've tried one, you can't imagine how wonderful they are. The main pocket is the perfect size for an inch (plus) thick CD wallet. The other pockets and clips can hold 98 percent of everything a tech like me needs to do their job. The other 2 percent sits in the trunk of my car and doesn't get touched for weeks at a time.
It's not good for paperwork but otherwise I love the thing. Seriously, if you've ever thought about carrying all your stuff in some sort of bag or pouch, this is THE way to go.
Of any sort? That's an oversight. Sure, there's too many to choose from - the Maxim (reliable automatic fire changed warfare forever and brought profound changes to the social structure of Europe by marginalizing the notion of a gentleman class making civilized war) the 1911 Colt (arguably the best and certainly the most long-lived design for a personal defense firearm), the Peacemaker (Sam Colt making us all equal, you know), the Garand (the pinnacle of quality battle rifles), the AK (the pinnacle of mass-produced battle rifles), and a few others - but you'd think that at least one would make the list.
...the best thing to do as an individual is a) bike... , b) keep your house colder than you normally would, and...
Oooooh, yeah. I can do that. Since I live in Houston, Texas, I'm always looking for an excuse to crank the air conditioning and lower the temp when it's 100 degrees and muggy outside. How low should I go? 68? 62?
Blogs are more interactive than Web sites because readers can post their responses for others to see and the bloggers post their own replies in a kind of running conversation.
I used to have a motorcycle. My hip is all healed up now and I can walk fine again. Thanks for the suggestion.:-)
Re:I like the idea of unplanned housing
on
Machine-Grown Housing
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
This design led to very boring drives, and consequently people fell asleep at the wheel.
I disagree. The biggest cause of boredom I encounter are the speed limits on roads that could safely be driven at twice the artificially depressed rates at which traffic is often forced to flow.
Yes, for the math challenged among you, I am saying that you don't have to look far to find 55 mile per hour limits on roads that could safely be driven at 110. As a practical matter, I realize that a somewhat lower limit is needed to prevent idiots with unsafe cars from holding their accelerators to the floor for extended periods. But, sheesh, any stretch of controlled-access, multi-lane highway that stretches straight as an arrow from my windshield out to the horizon that has a speed limit under 85 miles per hour is just a maddening waste of time and a dangerous source of boredom.
You joke, but I've met Ben Dover. I nominated him for his first AVN award a number of years ago, so I believe in his product. And he's a nice guy, to boot.
The problem with stressing physical access is that physical access is the one thing you can't protect if some evil guvment TLA agency gets you in their sights.
The massive encryption key you keep on the flash drive hanging around your neck will be seized when you get hauled in for questioning. The computers you use will be examined, cloned, and examined some more.
What the truly paranoid need is a way to protect data under the assumption that the data storage medium absolutely WILL fall into the wrong hands. It doesn't matter if the data is irretrievably lost, it just needs to stay indecipherable to keep you out of jail.
I'm a diabetic and I correspond extensively via various lists with diabetics all over the world. Almost always, being on the pump means you ask for an out-of-the-normal-flow inspection, it's granted, and you go on. In fact, in many cases just saying you're a diabetic to explain all that weird stuff you're carrying is treated as a free pass. The little light bulb goes off over the head of the searcher-drone, they file away this explanation for what they're seeing, close the bag, and say "Next, please."
If you're actually getting static about being on the pump, I want to know where. Seriously. There are several mailing lists where that sort of specific information would be highly appreciated.
I don't see it in the highest-rated comments and, with the volume of posts, this might be a dupe so I apologize in advance if that's the case, but...
Immortals also die.
Just because your body will never naturally die doesn't mean you'll live forever. There are diseases that act in means outside what we're discussing. There's suicide. There's murder. And (I don't remember where I read it; if someone has a cite, I'd be grateful) actuarial science shows that the rate at which people die in accidents is sufficiently high that even if we never got sick or old we'd still manage to off ourselves by doing something stupid sometime before our 500th birthdays. On average.
People would still die. As individuals, we're just too stupid to live forever, no matter how sturdy our bodies are.
What this gives you is a volume of air in which the index of refraction is constantly changing both in space and time. That, in turn, makes that volume a real mess...optically speaking. If someone is trying to take telephoto shots of something on the far side, then they will be out of luck.
Benchrest shooters call this mirage. On a hot day, looking at a small target 200 yards away through a 36-power riflescope can be a frustrating experience. The target can appear to move from side to side and up and down. Learning to tell what's going on based on how it appears to be moving is something that takes plenty of experience. Generally, though, the way the target moves can reveal which way the wind is blowing at the location of the mirage. Actually determining where the target is (i.e. where to aim) is done by keeping track of where the target appears to snap back to during those times when wind blows the mirage away.
It's a complicated and very real phenomenon. It's a huge PITA to see through during competition. My point is that the original poster may very well be "on target," so to speak. His "optical firewall" could actually work.
On sport firearms, this would be great, because you don't need the reliability you would in a protection scenario.
You're kidding, right? I can easily spend years of my life and multiple thousands of dollars on equipment, training, and travel so I can win some major practical pistol championship. If a last minute firearms substitution mandated by such a stupid law caused me to blow a stage to a firearms malfunction (and in many of these types of contests, real-life scenarios are being mocked-up so no "do-overs" are allowed) and waste all that time, effort and money, I certainly wouldn't say "this would be great."
Firearms law often suffers from the same problems as tech-related law. Namely, the laws are often written by people who don't understand and are sometimes actively hostile toward the subject matter. The result is insanity, just like this NJ law.
Slashdot Mirror
If the clause is as ridiculous as you depict, why not treat it as a pre-employment qualifications test? Strike it from the contract, sign, then congratulate them on coming up with such a novel way to separate the valuable/intelligent applicants from the idiots. After all, only an idiot would sign the contract with that clause intact, right? So congratulate yourself, in their presence, on having passed their test.
At best, they'll be caught offguard and let it by. At worst, they'll re-affirm that they're serious, in which case you can congratulate them on *really* getting their money's worth from this gambit. Then you proceed to show them how sharp your are and how valuable you would be to the company by opening negotiations over just how much they're going to pay you for all the work you've done since you first touched a computer.
In truth, I think they'll then show you the door. That would be a good thing. Haven't you read broadly enough to know that selling your soul to the Devil is *always* a bad deal?
Right so far.
I'm going to assume you included that "not" by mistake. If upon further review, however, you stand by this erroneous statement, write back and I'll find cites for you.
As a result of ridiculously shortsighted budgets for the last couple of decades, the IRS is bleeding institutional knowledge at a crippling rate as oldsters retire before they can pass on their knowledge to newbies. Nevertheless, the turnover is nowhere near 35% in 4 years. The IRS hasn't hired nearly that many folks over that period.
That's exactly my point. The IRS placed a large order for Zenith 171 computers with 8-line by 80-character LCD screens before such screens existed. Zenith said "Place the order and we'll find a way to produce bigger screens." So the IRS took delivery of the computers with the largest screens then extant, 4 X 66, until a new fab could get online and up to speed. Then Zenith did free upgrades for everything already deployed.
At the time, the industrial press went on and on about what a bold move it was for the IRS to trust so much in the advancement of technology and place the order that kickstarted the "large" LCD panel industry.
Note - My memory isn't perfect. The screen size numbers above are for illustrative purposes only but I think they're pretty close to what actually happened.
A few notes from someone who works at the subject TLA.
Flat wrong. Essentially every IRS employee gets a computer when they come on board.
Wrong. All the 386s have been gone for years. The slowest machines in common use are 800Mhz Dell C600s and they're being replaced this year.
Demonstrably wrong. Look at the history of LCD fabs for one example. Specifically, IRS demand for larger LCDs drove much of the that industrys momentum a couple of decades ago. Look up the screen specs for the old Zenith 171 lunchbox computer.
You want more current examples? Linux deployment, our VPN implementations, and plenty of other things we do have been at the leading edge of what's workable for a long time.
Where in the hell did you get that idea? Holy smoke, our work processes are so tied to technology it's ridiculous. That's why people freak out when computers don't work and they're willing to do anything, even, sometimes, give out their passwords, to get things working again. I really don't know where you're getting this crap.
Ad hominem and not worth responding to. Wrong, to boot.
The Civil Service system is almost dead. If you didn't get on board over 20 years ago, you're probably not even a member. Almost everyone is a Federal Employee Retirement System member now, so the old "stay there a lifetime and ossify in your chair because you're bound to the retirement system" motivation no longer exists. As for the more general use of the term, as in "Civil Service protections," they've been under unrelenting attack for so long there's little left. Yes, it's different from private industry but the old image of "Civil Service," which is what you're evoking, is simply no longer anywhere close to accurate.
I would never flame someone for ignorance. Ignorance is curable.
Finally, something insightful. Thank you. The IRS dedication to computer training is pitiful and if that condition were corrected, much of these problems would go away.
As an aside, the IRS was on the verge of making huge inroads on this in 2001. We had set up a new-hire training model that shipped all new employees to a central location for training. The advantages were absolutely huge. This successfully addressed complaints from tax professionals about disparate enforcement of tax law in different jurisidictions because everyone was going to be trained to do things the same way. In addition, since everyone was in one place at the same time, the IT folks had managed to get time slots to provide real, quality training to everyone. Things were good.
We were in class on 9/11. We dealt with getting people home during the full ground stop. We dealt with people who saw massive numbers of their coworkers dying on television and simply collapsed under the emotional assault. (Not our people, but some of the folks working in the same facility were HQ'd in the WTC.) We dealt with people having an unreasonable fear of flying for a long time. (I spent a half day printing maps and plotting routes for shaky employees who had chosen to rent cars and drive home, even if that drive was a thousand miles.)
The bottom line, though, was that centralized (read: high quality, consistent) training was then deemed too cumbersome and the program canceled. Big mistake. I hope we find a better way to do things before I retire.
You may be just guessing, but, take it from an insider, that's the most insightful thing that's been posted here. Well, except for my own anon postings to this article. :-)
Wish I had mod points for ya.
which was hen I got an email from Google inviting me to sign up. I had filled out that "Yes, I'm interested" form back when GMail first became public knowledge and I assumed this contact by Google was a result of that registration.
That would mean the GMail has been public for nearly a month. Which would mean that Slashdot has been tardy reporting something. Say it isn't so!!!
If you work for the Internal Revenue Service, it's even worse. IRS employees who file even one day late, even if they're getting a refund(!), are automatically fired.
Fun, huh?
I wonder if that's why the Soviets tried to fry the brains of our diplomats?
The last time this came up with an officer I personally know (I wasn't directly involved with the case) the drug dealer under indictment for distribution decided to stave off the tax charges by filing a John Doe return. His attorney showed up at the office with a completed tax return and, I kid you not, a briefcase full of money.
It was only a partially successful ploy. The tax charges were avoided, but the drug-sniffing dogs went bonkers on the briefcase. Man, was that lawyer pissed that his client had given him such a contaminated pile of bills.
Interesting how the first part of the text I've quoted is so wrong and the last part so right. Understanding the difference is key to understanding why such displays are OK in some places and not in others.
As a document related to the history of law, the 10 Commandments are pretty obviously useful pieces of decorative and educational art in public places. Simply displaying them in such a context isn't wrong, immoral, or unamerican; cannot reasonably be expected to be offensive to anyone; and certainly doesn't create an hostile environment for anyone who isn't ridiculously, outrageously brittle in their sensitivities.
The problem with Moore is that he didn't display them in an educational or even, really, a decorative context. The design and placement of the rock was clearly calculated to send a message that "THIS is the LAW!" It was that design and placement that went over the line much too closely approaching a proscribed establishment. If it had simply been in a side corridor or accompanied by a number of other educational displays like the Code of Hammurabi, then it would have been fine.
The devil's in the details. And so is the idiocy of one over-reaching judge.
I have the original Maxpedition Fatboy Versipack. Until you've tried one, you can't imagine how wonderful they are. The main pocket is the perfect size for an inch (plus) thick CD wallet. The other pockets and clips can hold 98 percent of everything a tech like me needs to do their job. The other 2 percent sits in the trunk of my car and doesn't get touched for weeks at a time.
It's not good for paperwork but otherwise I love the thing. Seriously, if you've ever thought about carrying all your stuff in some sort of bag or pouch, this is THE way to go.
Of any sort? That's an oversight. Sure, there's too many to choose from - the Maxim (reliable automatic fire changed warfare forever and brought profound changes to the social structure of Europe by marginalizing the notion of a gentleman class making civilized war) the 1911 Colt (arguably the best and certainly the most long-lived design for a personal defense firearm), the Peacemaker (Sam Colt making us all equal, you know), the Garand (the pinnacle of quality battle rifles), the AK (the pinnacle of mass-produced battle rifles), and a few others - but you'd think that at least one would make the list.
Or did I scan too quickly?
Oooooh, yeah. I can do that. Since I live in Houston, Texas, I'm always looking for an excuse to crank the air conditioning and lower the temp when it's 100 degrees and muggy outside. How low should I go? 68? 62?
Man, my computers are gonna love you.
From TFA:
Kinda like that Usenet thingy that's dying, right?
I used to have a motorcycle. My hip is all healed up now and I can walk fine again. Thanks for the suggestion. :-)
I disagree. The biggest cause of boredom I encounter are the speed limits on roads that could safely be driven at twice the artificially depressed rates at which traffic is often forced to flow.
Yes, for the math challenged among you, I am saying that you don't have to look far to find 55 mile per hour limits on roads that could safely be driven at 110. As a practical matter, I realize that a somewhat lower limit is needed to prevent idiots with unsafe cars from holding their accelerators to the floor for extended periods. But, sheesh, any stretch of controlled-access, multi-lane highway that stretches straight as an arrow from my windshield out to the horizon that has a speed limit under 85 miles per hour is just a maddening waste of time and a dangerous source of boredom.
You joke, but I've met Ben Dover. I nominated him for his first AVN award a number of years ago, so I believe in his product. And he's a nice guy, to boot.
I wonder what you'd have to do to start an offical rifle team (or pistol team, or trap team, or any other Olympic shooting sport team) at that school?
Have high school shooting teams become completely extinct?
The problem with stressing physical access is that physical access is the one thing you can't protect if some evil guvment TLA agency gets you in their sights.
The massive encryption key you keep on the flash drive hanging around your neck will be seized when you get hauled in for questioning. The computers you use will be examined, cloned, and examined some more.
What the truly paranoid need is a way to protect data under the assumption that the data storage medium absolutely WILL fall into the wrong hands. It doesn't matter if the data is irretrievably lost, it just needs to stay indecipherable to keep you out of jail.
Any ideas for operating under those assumptions?
None of them answer the most basic questions facing geeks today:
Screw public keys and I don't care how long a password I have to type: What's the best way to encrypt my network drive dedicated to porn?
How long before some big bad TLA gubmint agency will be able to break that encryption?
When one of these scholarly journals simply and directly answers those two questions, crypto-challenged geeks everywhere will rejoice.
I'm a diabetic and I correspond extensively via various lists with diabetics all over the world. Almost always, being on the pump means you ask for an out-of-the-normal-flow inspection, it's granted, and you go on. In fact, in many cases just saying you're a diabetic to explain all that weird stuff you're carrying is treated as a free pass. The little light bulb goes off over the head of the searcher-drone, they file away this explanation for what they're seeing, close the bag, and say "Next, please."
If you're actually getting static about being on the pump, I want to know where. Seriously. There are several mailing lists where that sort of specific information would be highly appreciated.
I don't see it in the highest-rated comments and, with the volume of posts, this might be a dupe so I apologize in advance if that's the case, but...
Immortals also die.
Just because your body will never naturally die doesn't mean you'll live forever. There are diseases that act in means outside what we're discussing. There's suicide. There's murder. And (I don't remember where I read it; if someone has a cite, I'd be grateful) actuarial science shows that the rate at which people die in accidents is sufficiently high that even if we never got sick or old we'd still manage to off ourselves by doing something stupid sometime before our 500th birthdays. On average.
People would still die. As individuals, we're just too stupid to live forever, no matter how sturdy our bodies are.
Benchrest shooters call this mirage. On a hot day, looking at a small target 200 yards away through a 36-power riflescope can be a frustrating experience. The target can appear to move from side to side and up and down. Learning to tell what's going on based on how it appears to be moving is something that takes plenty of experience. Generally, though, the way the target moves can reveal which way the wind is blowing at the location of the mirage. Actually determining where the target is (i.e. where to aim) is done by keeping track of where the target appears to snap back to during those times when wind blows the mirage away.
It's a complicated and very real phenomenon. It's a huge PITA to see through during competition. My point is that the original poster may very well be "on target," so to speak. His "optical firewall" could actually work.
You're kidding, right? I can easily spend years of my life and multiple thousands of dollars on equipment, training, and travel so I can win some major practical pistol championship. If a last minute firearms substitution mandated by such a stupid law caused me to blow a stage to a firearms malfunction (and in many of these types of contests, real-life scenarios are being mocked-up so no "do-overs" are allowed) and waste all that time, effort and money, I certainly wouldn't say "this would be great."
Firearms law often suffers from the same problems as tech-related law. Namely, the laws are often written by people who don't understand and are sometimes actively hostile toward the subject matter. The result is insanity, just like this NJ law.