Is "Obama is a lawyer!" the only crack you can give in reply?
No, I merely mentioned it in contrast to McCain having a science and engineering background. Nothing more.
However, I will reply to your notion that the people he surrounds himself with are good indicators of future actions. Personally, I think they are not. First, as a lawyer Obama's core skill is to manipulate perception to advance a particular agenda. That it essentially what a lawyer does in front of a jury, negotiating a deal, etc. The truth is a secondary concern. As much as he claims to be a different type of politician, the truth is that he is not. He is merely a world class salesman. The real indicator of future actions is not what he says, it is what he has done. His voting record, not his campaign promises, not his attempts to frame issues or create an image. I am not trying to convince any to not vote for him, but for god's sake do so based on a record not the promises and spin of a campaign.
I whined about him stealing Florida thanks to badly designed ballots
Given that a democrat designed the ballot and that a democratic election board approved the ballot I think it would be far more accurate to say that the democrats gave away Florida.
This is somewhat of a tangent but you should realize that the "stole the election" theme is a political strategy of the democrats, not a historical fact. To be fair, the republicans would have done the exact same thing had the situation been reversed. However according to PBS, a somewhat left leaning organization:
"In the first full study of Florida's ballots since the election ended, The Miami Herald and USA Today reported George W. Bush would have widened his 537-vote victory to a 1,665-vote margin if the recount ordered by the Florida Supreme Court would have been allowed to continue, using standards that would have allowed even faintly dimpled "undervotes" -- ballots the voter has noticeably indented but had not punched all the way through -- to be counted." http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/media_watch/jan-june01/recount_4-3.html
I doubt either one of these guys has the background or passion for tech to really have well thought out, firm ideas on any tech issues.
McCain was a graduate of the US Naval Academy so he has a bit of an engineering background. Also, as a Naval Aviator (pilot) math, science and engineering were a part of his day to day life, not in a distant sense but in a practical usage sense.
Further, there is a BIG difference between a top-school and so-so or bottom-rung MBA programs. You're more likely to find geeks in the top programs...
I have to confess that one of the things that helped break the stereotypes that I had previously held, stereotypes similar to those I am challenging in this thread, is the backgrounds of many of the professors in fields such as marketing, fields I formerly held in disdain. With a computer science background I always assumed marketing people were fratboy partiers who got that easy business degree, yet my marketing professors had engineering backgrounds. Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and had worked in their fields for many years. The classes were also far more quantitative than I ever imagined. I used more advanced math in marketing classes than I ever did computer science undergraduate and graduate.
Most of the MBAs I've run across are interested in one thing: getting rich as soon as possible. Their main strategy is to make a change at their company that increases the short-term bottom line, then use that to get some new company to hire them away at more money before the long-term effects of what they did become apparent. Lather, rinse, repeat as needed.
Well I am finishing an MBA program at a well regarded school and your anecdotes do not match what I see in 120+ classmates and it does not match what we are taught. I admit that in my ignorant days locked away in caves banging out code I used to hold ill-informed opinions such as your. Since then reality has intruded and I have learned that the TV/movie stereotype of business that you hold is about as accurate as the TV/movie stereotype of geekdom.
We are taught that strategies like the one you describe is most likely to fail. The higher the position the more a candidate's background is researched. Creating a mess someone else will have to clean up is often career limiting, as are unethical practices. Hopping companies does not hide such practices for long. One professor who enjoyed a lot of success in business before retiring to teach tells us that the best decision he ever made was to turn down his first job offer after graduating. His potential boss bragged in the interview how he saved the division's bottom line by reducing a bottle's contents by 1/2 ounce, changing the label, but keeping the same sized bottle. Betting that few customers would notice the change. The professor told us that this sort of person eventually develops a reputation and that even working for such a person can taint you.
Are there scoundrels in business, yes, just as their are scoundrels who are banging out code. Keep in mind that it is generally only the scoundrels that you see on TV and this distorts perception.
It follows that while many MBAs may be geeks, the MBA subculture is not a geek subculture. The last time I checked, making money had fairly obvious popular appeal.
You research seems quite superficial, more of a TV/movie stereotype than reality. Many in MBA programs are there to learn how to turn their visions into reality rather than to continue implementing other people's visions. The motivations of MBAs are sometimes far closer to the motivations of some in the FOSS community than you seem aware of.
Re:Technical expertise is insufficient ...
on
The Rise of Geekdom
·
· Score: 1
Probably tells something about the aspiration level of the 'text book' or 'case study' (singular ?!).
I think it has more to do with the time frames in which they were written. Far more geeks are familiar with Linux and FOSS today than five years ago. While there is no shortage of geek professors or phd candidates who are helping them research and write, the current mba students often have more recent experience. I've had several professors express the notion that this is one of the reasons they love teaching, it is a two way street. Knowledge is flowing in both directions, professor to student and student to professor. This is especially true in graduate school environments where the students have significant work experience.
Technical expertise is insufficient ...
on
The Rise of Geekdom
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
They've created a new definition of what it means to be cool, a definition that leaves out the talents of the jocks, the M.B.A.-types and the less educated...
What makes you think MBA types are not geeks? I am currently in an MBA program and let me assure you that there are plenty of geeks. When classroom discussions turn to Linux, open source, GPL, etc there is no shortage of students to provide a better overview or definition than the text book or case study is offering. There are even leaders in the FOSS community who have decided to pursue MBAs. Some geeks eventually learn that technical expertise is insufficient to make their dreams occur. That business knowledge may also be required.
This may be true for some other people though, like those of my friends who swear cellphones are made to only last a few months while chucking them around and dipping them in drinks (yes, a friend of mine did this and seemed almost surprised when it stopped working), or who complain that keyboards always get so gunked up with sticky crap that the keys get stuck (hint: stop eating greasy food while typing).
I have several computers. The Apple USB keyboard has had no problem for years, it has been used on a couple different machines as I replaced one Mac with another over the years. The IBM keyboards (model M) I use have literally been in use for over a decade. The Microsoft and Logitech optical USB mice (inexpensive models, half the price of the might mouse) that I use have been in service for many years, moving from one machine to another through various upgrades. Only the mighty mouse was high maintenance and eventually failed. Face it, it is a fragile device despite its premium price.
My Mighty Mouse only has a clit, but it can emulate 4 buttons! After using it for a few months, I prefer this over my MS Mouse now.
In 6 to 12 month when cleaning the roller no longer restores usability you'll go back to Microsoft or Logitech like many other early adopters. In the long run it turns out to be quite a disappointment for the price. It's a cool device out of the box but it has longevity problems.
Notice is for sallies, real men just quit. After all -- do they give you notice when your going to be let go? No.
The one time I was laid off I was told it was effective in six weeks. I spent much of that time documenting and training coworkers on projects that I had worked solo on. My network access and other privileges were not affected. I asked the VP of engineering if I could take some of the source code home for reference so that I could answer questions over the phone or by email after I left. He drafted a letter stating that I was allowed to keep the source for this purpose only and that it remained company IP and could not be disclosed to anyone else. We both signed it.
This was about a 150 person company owned by a large international conglomerate. The VP was originally from the conglomerate's corporate headquarters and joined us two years earlier when we were acquired. The rest of management was local. I had been there about four years. A year after my layoff the situation at the company had improved and I was asked to return.
The moral of the story:
I don't deny that it is common to be immediately cutoff when you resign, but it is not a given.
Don't burn bridges.
It's a waste of money to pay someone who doesn't even want to be working for you. Obviously their output is going to be nill so their pay should be nill.
Myself and at least one other poster have demonstrated diligence training those who will be taking over. I think it is far more of an individual judgement call based on past projects and the individual level of trust.
If you are going to be involved in managing those family businesses I would suggest a less black and white perspective. Sorry, but management is not easy and such a black and white perspective often indicate the less capable managers or someone in an unforgiving bureaucratic/politicized environment who needs to cover their ass with policy compliance. That said, I agree that it many cases the proper decision is immediate cutoff, immediately issuing a final check, and wishing them well as you walk them out in a friendly manner. My point is merely that in some cases keeping them around for a little while can be beneficial to the company.
I hope you can explain how someone can get (realistically) sued because their employee surfed porn. I'm dying of curiosity here.
You have obviously never had any corporate sexual harassment training.;-) Things visible to coworkers or visitors, even "tame" bikini calendars, can create a "hostile workplace". It is largely a judgment call by the "victim". If he/she says they were uncomfortable, made a report to management, and management failed to take action the company can be sued and more importantly may in fact lose.
We are talking about this from a malware perspective, not a *hacking* perspective.
The two are not unrelated. Sometimes the goal of malware is to compromise the machine in order to use it to further hacking and other activities. Malware does not necessarily damage the compromised machine.
Why would a malware writer write software that will only affect technically elite users? The goal in his eyes, is to damage as many people as possible through the least path of resistance.
That means Linux simply isn't targetted.
This is a stupid question.
You should really refrain from labeling other people's posts as stupid, it can backfire, and it does in your post - big time.
You assumption that Linux users are technically elite is ridiculous. Perhaps that was true 10+ years ago but in recent years any damn fool can install Linux and many do. Remember its the year of Linux and grandma can be browsing and emailing with Linux.:-)
Your assumption regarding the malware authors goal is also naive. One, a *nix based system is highly desirable as it is a more capable platform from which to launch further probes and attacks. Many of the characteristics that make *nix based systems better servers also make them better for malware authors. Second, *nix systems are more likely to have valuable content to steal given their use as servers and in ecommerce. Third, ego is a big motivator for malware authors. Developing a *nix compromise offers far more "fame and glory".
What I still don't get is why things like web surfing etc. are necessarily always seen as bad by companies.
Note that the original poster wrote 'I stopped "special" surfing at the office'. There is a pretty high probability that this is referring to porn. Tolerating employees visiting porn sites is one way a company can get sued. Of course while the solution described in this article is cool and amusing, it is probably another way to get a company sued.
Ever wonder why Google is so successful?...
Inertia mostly. They had a brilliant idea a while ago and have refined it since then to maintain competitiveness. Google has done many cool things since then but they are mostly a drain on success or neutral, some mild successes, but no big successes outside the original domain. Also, it is doubtful Google allows employees to browse porn sites either. With their deep pockets their fears regarding law suits are going to be pretty high.
... Here's a hint: corporate culture and motivation
Clue: "Law of Small Numbers", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasty_generalization.:-) Google pretty much has a dot bomb culture. I think the spectacular success of one instance of a dot bomb culture is distracting you from the many failures. It is premature to say that Google's success is due to anything beyond a brilliant idea at the right time combined with rich angel investors. Their initial success and its continued dividends allows them to afford many inefficiencies, perhaps many elements of their cultures fit into this area. Keep in mind that success can hide inefficiency and that the true causes of success are sometimes erroneously attributed.
Now at least one element of Google culture, allowing employees the time to work on pet projects that many benefit the company, may have a proven track record. 3M allowed this for decades and many useful products emerged. Google may follow 3M's lead, but it is a little early to pass judgement.
And 50c in an internet cafe? Where? All the ones I've seen make you buy time in hourly chunks for about $10 or so.
The GP could have phrased things better but he is essentially correct. In the developing world and the "wealthy" but space constrained world people generally do not own computers, they go to the local cafes which are plentiful and inexpensive. Cafes in the US are expensive because they serve a different demographic. Perhaps too many teenagers who couldn't talk their dads out of buying a celeron with shared memory embedded graphics rather than a $3,000 gaming rig, and not enough who want basic information, email, etc. US demographics also play a role, with cafes in the US being more plentiful in wealthier areas. They neighborhood cafe charges what the neighborhood can afford. Willingness to pay, not expenses plus a small percentage, generally dictates pricing.
Most of the tech-savvy people I know don't even have land lines. They use cell phones or things like Skype, which are difficult to survey for various reasons.
How many of these tech savvy people own homes? The advantage to a plain old telephone is that it is self powered. If you lose your electrical service for some reason a plain old telephone will still work. Also having a plain old telephone does not preclude you from using cell phones or skype when there is a cost advantage.
Besides "tech savvy" people there are also posers who want to be perceived as savvy and hi tech by not having a plain old telephone, some think it is a fashion statement to say they are 100% digital.
Let me share a somewhat similar story. SCUBA diving is a hobby. When dive computers were new I was on a boat and the divers were about evenly split between computers and analog gauges. With a couple of hours to kill the conversation naturally turned towards the computers. Various pro and con arguments went back and forth. At some point I asked the computer hardware and software types to raise their hands, there were nearly all analog/mechanical. Today I use a dive computer, others have beta tested it for me;-), but I also carry an analog/mechanical depth gauge and bottom timer. They are a backup.
The truly tech savvy can appreciate analog/mechanical and understand its ongoing time and place.
Software, electronic minaturaisation, battery technology, wireless connectivity - all at reasonable prices... plus convincing user scenarios.
I think the latter was the key. Specifically like the CD-ROM and the internet, pr0n was the key ingredient. For example college students have defeated the mirrors placed in the back of classrooms by going to smaller screens.;-)
Honestly, would you pick your nose after rubbing your finger in someone else's pee?
Honestly, you have probably already done so many times. Assuming of course that your are not suffering from some compulsive disorder and constantly popping out the hand sanitizer after touching every door knob, counter top, chair,... The myth busters did an episode, apparently contamination from the bathroom spreads surprising far in a building just through the air let alone direct contact.
The greasy 70's and sweaty 80's rendered touch screens intolerable after any sort of use. Now, people are much less greasy and sweaty.
I swear no one had AC in the 80's.
If you are on to something here then touch is doomed. The green movement wants to reduce the usage of air conditioning. Furthermore, last night I saw a green public service announcement advising less bathing and shaving. It advised not washing your hair and having women "put their hair up" in some sort of stylish fashion to hide this, and for men to where a baseball cap as their camouflage. Also, the men were advised that the scruffy unshaven look was "in". Sometimes reality is far funnier than what we can dream up.:-)
linux is "almost mainstream" ?
honestly, as much as I'd like that to be true, you gotta be deluding yourself
He is not deluding himself. He is viewing things from the majority frame of reference, Linux is a server operating system, while you are viewing things from the minority frame of reference, Linux is a server and a personal and an embedded operating system. If you were to sit in on business school classes today you would find nearly everyone has heard of Linux and it is synonymous with servers. So much so that specifying server applications would seem redundant. Linux is mainstream in the "public" mind, but only in the domain of servers.
GPS in a military situation has always seemed to me kind of a bad idea to rely on too much.
What makes you think we are overly dependent upon them? Sure they are convenient, and if working why not use them, but do you really think that they have stopped teaching people how to use compasses at West Point and Quantico? I'm pretty sure ground commanders have considered this issue. Hell, in the Marines when recruits were introduced to the K-Bar, a 7 inch combat knife, they were told it was the most reliable weapon they will every carry because it has zero moving parts and zero electronics. I can't imagine this radically changing in the last decade or two. Last I heard that the Navy still plots positions with sextant and mechanical chronometers in addition to using various forms of fancy electronic navigation systems developed over the last 50 years.
Slashdot Mirror
Unicomp also offers keyboards without the windows keys, models with control where caps lock is normally found too.
Is "Obama is a lawyer!" the only crack you can give in reply?
No, I merely mentioned it in contrast to McCain having a science and engineering background. Nothing more.
However, I will reply to your notion that the people he surrounds himself with are good indicators of future actions. Personally, I think they are not. First, as a lawyer Obama's core skill is to manipulate perception to advance a particular agenda. That it essentially what a lawyer does in front of a jury, negotiating a deal, etc. The truth is a secondary concern. As much as he claims to be a different type of politician, the truth is that he is not. He is merely a world class salesman. The real indicator of future actions is not what he says, it is what he has done. His voting record, not his campaign promises, not his attempts to frame issues or create an image. I am not trying to convince any to not vote for him, but for god's sake do so based on a record not the promises and spin of a campaign.
I whined about him stealing Florida thanks to badly designed ballots
Given that a democrat designed the ballot and that a democratic election board approved the ballot I think it would be far more accurate to say that the democrats gave away Florida.
This is somewhat of a tangent but you should realize that the "stole the election" theme is a political strategy of the democrats, not a historical fact. To be fair, the republicans would have done the exact same thing had the situation been reversed. However according to PBS, a somewhat left leaning organization:
"In the first full study of Florida's ballots since the election ended, The Miami Herald and USA Today reported George W. Bush would have widened his 537-vote victory to a 1,665-vote margin if the recount ordered by the Florida Supreme Court would have been allowed to continue, using standards that would have allowed even faintly dimpled "undervotes" -- ballots the voter has noticeably indented but had not punched all the way through -- to be counted."
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/media_watch/jan-june01/recount_4-3.html
I doubt either one of these guys has the background or passion for tech to really have well thought out, firm ideas on any tech issues.
McCain was a graduate of the US Naval Academy so he has a bit of an engineering background. Also, as a Naval Aviator (pilot) math, science and engineering were a part of his day to day life, not in a distant sense but in a practical usage sense.
Obama is a lawyer.
Further, there is a BIG difference between a top-school and so-so or bottom-rung MBA programs. You're more likely to find geeks in the top programs ...
I have to confess that one of the things that helped break the stereotypes that I had previously held, stereotypes similar to those I am challenging in this thread, is the backgrounds of many of the professors in fields such as marketing, fields I formerly held in disdain. With a computer science background I always assumed marketing people were fratboy partiers who got that easy business degree, yet my marketing professors had engineering backgrounds. Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and had worked in their fields for many years. The classes were also far more quantitative than I ever imagined. I used more advanced math in marketing classes than I ever did computer science undergraduate and graduate.
Most of the MBAs I've run across are interested in one thing: getting rich as soon as possible. Their main strategy is to make a change at their company that increases the short-term bottom line, then use that to get some new company to hire them away at more money before the long-term effects of what they did become apparent. Lather, rinse, repeat as needed.
Well I am finishing an MBA program at a well regarded school and your anecdotes do not match what I see in 120+ classmates and it does not match what we are taught. I admit that in my ignorant days locked away in caves banging out code I used to hold ill-informed opinions such as your. Since then reality has intruded and I have learned that the TV/movie stereotype of business that you hold is about as accurate as the TV/movie stereotype of geekdom.
We are taught that strategies like the one you describe is most likely to fail. The higher the position the more a candidate's background is researched. Creating a mess someone else will have to clean up is often career limiting, as are unethical practices. Hopping companies does not hide such practices for long. One professor who enjoyed a lot of success in business before retiring to teach tells us that the best decision he ever made was to turn down his first job offer after graduating. His potential boss bragged in the interview how he saved the division's bottom line by reducing a bottle's contents by 1/2 ounce, changing the label, but keeping the same sized bottle. Betting that few customers would notice the change. The professor told us that this sort of person eventually develops a reputation and that even working for such a person can taint you.
Are there scoundrels in business, yes, just as their are scoundrels who are banging out code. Keep in mind that it is generally only the scoundrels that you see on TV and this distorts perception.
It follows that while many MBAs may be geeks, the MBA subculture is not a geek subculture. The last time I checked, making money had fairly obvious popular appeal.
You research seems quite superficial, more of a TV/movie stereotype than reality. Many in MBA programs are there to learn how to turn their visions into reality rather than to continue implementing other people's visions. The motivations of MBAs are sometimes far closer to the motivations of some in the FOSS community than you seem aware of.
Probably tells something about the aspiration level of the 'text book' or 'case study' (singular ?!).
I think it has more to do with the time frames in which they were written. Far more geeks are familiar with Linux and FOSS today than five years ago. While there is no shortage of geek professors or phd candidates who are helping them research and write, the current mba students often have more recent experience. I've had several professors express the notion that this is one of the reasons they love teaching, it is a two way street. Knowledge is flowing in both directions, professor to student and student to professor. This is especially true in graduate school environments where the students have significant work experience.
They've created a new definition of what it means to be cool, a definition that leaves out the talents of the jocks, the M.B.A.-types and the less educated...
What makes you think MBA types are not geeks? I am currently in an MBA program and let me assure you that there are plenty of geeks. When classroom discussions turn to Linux, open source, GPL, etc there is no shortage of students to provide a better overview or definition than the text book or case study is offering. There are even leaders in the FOSS community who have decided to pursue MBAs. Some geeks eventually learn that technical expertise is insufficient to make their dreams occur. That business knowledge may also be required.
This may be true for some other people though, like those of my friends who swear cellphones are made to only last a few months while chucking them around and dipping them in drinks (yes, a friend of mine did this and seemed almost surprised when it stopped working), or who complain that keyboards always get so gunked up with sticky crap that the keys get stuck (hint: stop eating greasy food while typing).
I have several computers. The Apple USB keyboard has had no problem for years, it has been used on a couple different machines as I replaced one Mac with another over the years. The IBM keyboards (model M) I use have literally been in use for over a decade. The Microsoft and Logitech optical USB mice (inexpensive models, half the price of the might mouse) that I use have been in service for many years, moving from one machine to another through various upgrades. Only the mighty mouse was high maintenance and eventually failed. Face it, it is a fragile device despite its premium price.
My Mighty Mouse only has a clit, but it can emulate 4 buttons! After using it for a few months, I prefer this over my MS Mouse now.
In 6 to 12 month when cleaning the roller no longer restores usability you'll go back to Microsoft or Logitech like many other early adopters. In the long run it turns out to be quite a disappointment for the price. It's a cool device out of the box but it has longevity problems.
Shouldn't this be tagged, "Mutant 59"? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kit_Pedler
;-)
I'd go with "Ringworld Civilization Collapse Explained", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringworld.
Notice is for sallies, real men just quit. After all -- do they give you notice when your going to be let go? No.
The one time I was laid off I was told it was effective in six weeks. I spent much of that time documenting and training coworkers on projects that I had worked solo on. My network access and other privileges were not affected. I asked the VP of engineering if I could take some of the source code home for reference so that I could answer questions over the phone or by email after I left. He drafted a letter stating that I was allowed to keep the source for this purpose only and that it remained company IP and could not be disclosed to anyone else. We both signed it.
This was about a 150 person company owned by a large international conglomerate. The VP was originally from the conglomerate's corporate headquarters and joined us two years earlier when we were acquired. The rest of management was local. I had been there about four years. A year after my layoff the situation at the company had improved and I was asked to return.
The moral of the story:
I don't deny that it is common to be immediately cutoff when you resign, but it is not a given.
Don't burn bridges.
It's a waste of money to pay someone who doesn't even want to be working for you. Obviously their output is going to be nill so their pay should be nill.
Myself and at least one other poster have demonstrated diligence training those who will be taking over. I think it is far more of an individual judgement call based on past projects and the individual level of trust.
If you are going to be involved in managing those family businesses I would suggest a less black and white perspective. Sorry, but management is not easy and such a black and white perspective often indicate the less capable managers or someone in an unforgiving bureaucratic/politicized environment who needs to cover their ass with policy compliance. That said, I agree that it many cases the proper decision is immediate cutoff, immediately issuing a final check, and wishing them well as you walk them out in a friendly manner. My point is merely that in some cases keeping them around for a little while can be beneficial to the company.
I hope you can explain how someone can get (realistically) sued because their employee surfed porn. I'm dying of curiosity here.
;-) Things visible to coworkers or visitors, even "tame" bikini calendars, can create a "hostile workplace". It is largely a judgment call by the "victim". If he/she says they were uncomfortable, made a report to management, and management failed to take action the company can be sued and more importantly may in fact lose.
You have obviously never had any corporate sexual harassment training.
We are talking about this from a malware perspective, not a *hacking* perspective.
The two are not unrelated. Sometimes the goal of malware is to compromise the machine in order to use it to further hacking and other activities. Malware does not necessarily damage the compromised machine.
Why would a malware writer write software that will only affect technically elite users? The goal in his eyes, is to damage as many people as possible through the least path of resistance. That means Linux simply isn't targetted. This is a stupid question.
:-)
You should really refrain from labeling other people's posts as stupid, it can backfire, and it does in your post - big time.
You assumption that Linux users are technically elite is ridiculous. Perhaps that was true 10+ years ago but in recent years any damn fool can install Linux and many do. Remember its the year of Linux and grandma can be browsing and emailing with Linux.
Your assumption regarding the malware authors goal is also naive. One, a *nix based system is highly desirable as it is a more capable platform from which to launch further probes and attacks. Many of the characteristics that make *nix based systems better servers also make them better for malware authors. Second, *nix systems are more likely to have valuable content to steal given their use as servers and in ecommerce. Third, ego is a big motivator for malware authors. Developing a *nix compromise offers far more "fame and glory".
What I still don't get is why things like web surfing etc. are necessarily always seen as bad by companies.
...
... Here's a hint: corporate culture and motivation
:-) Google pretty much has a dot bomb culture. I think the spectacular success of one instance of a dot bomb culture is distracting you from the many failures. It is premature to say that Google's success is due to anything beyond a brilliant idea at the right time combined with rich angel investors. Their initial success and its continued dividends allows them to afford many inefficiencies, perhaps many elements of their cultures fit into this area. Keep in mind that success can hide inefficiency and that the true causes of success are sometimes erroneously attributed.
Note that the original poster wrote 'I stopped "special" surfing at the office'. There is a pretty high probability that this is referring to porn. Tolerating employees visiting porn sites is one way a company can get sued. Of course while the solution described in this article is cool and amusing, it is probably another way to get a company sued.
Ever wonder why Google is so successful?
Inertia mostly. They had a brilliant idea a while ago and have refined it since then to maintain competitiveness. Google has done many cool things since then but they are mostly a drain on success or neutral, some mild successes, but no big successes outside the original domain. Also, it is doubtful Google allows employees to browse porn sites either. With their deep pockets their fears regarding law suits are going to be pretty high.
Clue: "Law of Small Numbers", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasty_generalization.
Now at least one element of Google culture, allowing employees the time to work on pet projects that many benefit the company, may have a proven track record. 3M allowed this for decades and many useful products emerged. Google may follow 3M's lead, but it is a little early to pass judgement.
Was DOS ready for the desktop? By many definitions, people would say no, but that's exactly what started Microsoft's dominance of the OS market.
MS-DOS was fine for its day, 1980s give or take. Hell, it even beat unix. Microsoft tried to sell OEMs on unix with their xenix product.
And 50c in an internet cafe? Where? All the ones I've seen make you buy time in hourly chunks for about $10 or so.
The GP could have phrased things better but he is essentially correct. In the developing world and the "wealthy" but space constrained world people generally do not own computers, they go to the local cafes which are plentiful and inexpensive. Cafes in the US are expensive because they serve a different demographic. Perhaps too many teenagers who couldn't talk their dads out of buying a celeron with shared memory embedded graphics rather than a $3,000 gaming rig, and not enough who want basic information, email, etc. US demographics also play a role, with cafes in the US being more plentiful in wealthier areas. They neighborhood cafe charges what the neighborhood can afford. Willingness to pay, not expenses plus a small percentage, generally dictates pricing.
Most of the tech-savvy people I know don't even have land lines. They use cell phones or things like Skype, which are difficult to survey for various reasons.
;-), but I also carry an analog/mechanical depth gauge and bottom timer. They are a backup.
How many of these tech savvy people own homes? The advantage to a plain old telephone is that it is self powered. If you lose your electrical service for some reason a plain old telephone will still work. Also having a plain old telephone does not preclude you from using cell phones or skype when there is a cost advantage.
Besides "tech savvy" people there are also posers who want to be perceived as savvy and hi tech by not having a plain old telephone, some think it is a fashion statement to say they are 100% digital.
Let me share a somewhat similar story. SCUBA diving is a hobby. When dive computers were new I was on a boat and the divers were about evenly split between computers and analog gauges. With a couple of hours to kill the conversation naturally turned towards the computers. Various pro and con arguments went back and forth. At some point I asked the computer hardware and software types to raise their hands, there were nearly all analog/mechanical. Today I use a dive computer, others have beta tested it for me
The truly tech savvy can appreciate analog/mechanical and understand its ongoing time and place.
Software, electronic minaturaisation, battery technology, wireless connectivity - all at reasonable prices... plus convincing user scenarios.
;-)
I think the latter was the key. Specifically like the CD-ROM and the internet, pr0n was the key ingredient. For example college students have defeated the mirrors placed in the back of classrooms by going to smaller screens.
Honestly, would you pick your nose after rubbing your finger in someone else's pee?
... The myth busters did an episode, apparently contamination from the bathroom spreads surprising far in a building just through the air let alone direct contact.
Honestly, you have probably already done so many times. Assuming of course that your are not suffering from some compulsive disorder and constantly popping out the hand sanitizer after touching every door knob, counter top, chair,
The greasy 70's and sweaty 80's rendered touch screens intolerable after any sort of use. Now, people are much less greasy and sweaty. I swear no one had AC in the 80's.
:-)
If you are on to something here then touch is doomed. The green movement wants to reduce the usage of air conditioning. Furthermore, last night I saw a green public service announcement advising less bathing and shaving. It advised not washing your hair and having women "put their hair up" in some sort of stylish fashion to hide this, and for men to where a baseball cap as their camouflage. Also, the men were advised that the scruffy unshaven look was "in". Sometimes reality is far funnier than what we can dream up.
linux is "almost mainstream" ? honestly, as much as I'd like that to be true, you gotta be deluding yourself
He is not deluding himself. He is viewing things from the majority frame of reference, Linux is a server operating system, while you are viewing things from the minority frame of reference, Linux is a server and a personal and an embedded operating system. If you were to sit in on business school classes today you would find nearly everyone has heard of Linux and it is synonymous with servers. So much so that specifying server applications would seem redundant. Linux is mainstream in the "public" mind, but only in the domain of servers.
GPS in a military situation has always seemed to me kind of a bad idea to rely on too much.
What makes you think we are overly dependent upon them? Sure they are convenient, and if working why not use them, but do you really think that they have stopped teaching people how to use compasses at West Point and Quantico? I'm pretty sure ground commanders have considered this issue. Hell, in the Marines when recruits were introduced to the K-Bar, a 7 inch combat knife, they were told it was the most reliable weapon they will every carry because it has zero moving parts and zero electronics. I can't imagine this radically changing in the last decade or two. Last I heard that the Navy still plots positions with sextant and mechanical chronometers in addition to using various forms of fancy electronic navigation systems developed over the last 50 years.