I would second this. Many companies are able and willing to donate. I too have raised money (for underprivileged areas in Texas) and found the response to be staggering. Also, don't count out small companies. The single largest donation I received was from a small company with 30 employees.
I would also second the effort to go through a pre-existing non-profit as that will save you all sorts of headaches.
Um, that isn't the issue here. The issue is that a company can be sued for negligent hiring practices if they don't run background checks. If a company is found guilty, they are also liable for punitive damages that are uncapped (think millions upon millions of dollars). If an employee goes postal in the office and for some reason their background was not checked and it turns out that he plead guilty to a aggravated assault charge 20 years ago, this will most certainly bring out every trial lawyer who wants a nice payday.
So yeah, you worry about the initial cost to the company, and I'll worry about the multi-million dollar lawsuit.
I'm diabetic, and while I'm hopeful that someday there will be some great breakthroughs, I'm convinced that Big Pharma won't let it happen. Case in point, my hospital has a fairly large diabetes cure research group. However, in the past three years, every single doctor has gone to work for a pharmaceutical company to develop ways to "help survive cancer." Oh, and they doubled their income in the process.
It's a multibillion dollar growing industry filled with hypochondriac baby boomers that could disappear in heartbeat, and Pharma is trying to protect that market.
Here's my extension list with the compatible first. As you can see, the important stuff is compatible and the somewhat trivial ones aren't.
Adblock Filterset.G Updater
Adblock Plus
BugMeNot
CustomizeGoogle
Download Statusbar
FireFTP
Forecastfox Enhanced
IE Tab
MinimizeToTray
Mouse Gestures
Searchbar Autosizer
Stylish
And those not compatible:
BetterSearch
Paste and Go
Tab Mix Plus
Update Notifier
I completely agree. I've been saying the same thing.
However, here's what I think would be cool. Blur the lines between movies and TV. While TV shows are on break during the summer, make a movie that explores some element of it. Or start off a TV show with a big summer blockbuster. Get people hooked on a movie and then add "and you can watch it all year on ABC..."
Taking your logic to the extreme, I don't want my children to spray grafitti on bridges or buildings. Is the answer to petition Congress to forbid Wal-Mart from selling paint to minors?
While I know you were trying to use an extreme example, here in Texas (I'm not sure if it's in other parts of the country) spray paint cannot be sold to minors.
Actually, the beauty of the internet is that it _isn't_ as strong as it's weakest link. The idea is that there are many links that create a...web, so if the weakest one fails another link can be established.
The problem is not that there is a weakest link, it is that none of the links are terribly strong and are vulnerable in their current state.
I'm with parent on this one. My fiance is incredible at NES and SNES but never made the jump to PS/Xbox, etc. like I did. We were talking about Nintendo's new console and she was really interested in it -- she's now a 24-year-old accountant making good money and when it comes out, she'll get one. I kind of scoffed at the whole idea, but recently had a few friends over to play not xbox, not ps2, but GameCube -- better party games.
I think Nintendo is a little smarter than we're giving them credit for. The name appeals do a different crowd -- one that doesn't require them to be in a battle over specs.
I'm sure you don't have time -- but there are several of us that do! I know that if you opened it up to a redesign of the complete iconpack, there would be a lot of _good_ redesigns.
I thought the exact same thing. The icons would be first to go -- requiring a white background is pretty archaic. Second, screw the whole left-curve thing -- we're talking a complete redesign, not just a sprucing up.
I dunno, I'd be interested in seeing ones that don't necessarily follow these guidelines.
Wow, mod parent up please. This is exactly what's going on here. Facebook is about finding out about every little detail about every student at any school in the nation. This is why it's more than just ad-based services -- it's about customers telling every little detail about themselves willfully. If you're a marketer, this is your wet dream.
Wow. If I were you, I wouldn't be proud of your education. Generally, my profs hate regurgitation and instead want us to critically think and analyze what they're saying. Debate and evidence is primarily what occurs in our classtimes, not lecture.
Look em up: Baylor University.
My fiance likes co-op, third-person games. Her favorite game so far has been LOTR: Return of the King. She likes the idea of upgrades, it doesn't take a lot of time, and it's something we do together in the same room. To me, this has more than made up my investment in an Xbox.
Revelations is a perfect specemin of apocalyptic literature. Here's a good definition of such literature: Hermeneutics.
It's written to warn and to use descriptive language to explain what the future holds. The idea of head and right hand are frequently used to depict what we think (head) and what we do (hand). As such, in this particular instance, the warning is not when we have implants in our heads or hands, it's when we think and do evil things.
Interpreting apocalyptic literature as truth verbatim is not only stupid, it's dangerous.
I just wanted to add that this is utterly fascinating. I'm a senior Human Resources major, and it's incredible to see the various forces at work showing each persons' own ideas. Well, anyways, here's my 2 cents...
I'm pretty sure you can't change how your current company does it's work (ie introducing OpenOffice is not a viable option) so to use your CS degree while staying in your current job gives you option 1: Stay, but take up an OS project off-hours to hone your skills. Option 2 is pretty evident: take the lower paying job and be mentally satisfied.
However, the third option is to openly communicate with your manager. Explain where you're at, why you're intrigued by the offer, and see if there's something within your current position or company that will allow you to do more. Open, honest communication with a reasonable manager is the best route. Maybe upper management is thinking of developing some of their own applications but don't feel that they have access to the talent to create these apps. There's a hundred ways it could go well, but you'll never know if you don't ask. Your company seems to care for you, and I would bet that they would be sad to see you leave.
Like someone else said, though, what are your life goals? Find someone who does what you think you'd love to do and find out everything you can about that job. What it takes, how to get there, stuff like that. If you find you actually like it, start doing things now to build for it. If not taking the new job, get more education, volunteer for different projects, etc. Life is bigger than your job -- if your goal is to make a difference in the OS community, maybe keeping this job, but working only 35 hours a week would be just as helpful if not moreso.
Also, don't neglect any financial situations that might be coming up. If you are serious with your girlfriend, you may be planning on quite a hefty investment in a shiny, glittering, rock. Maybe you want to trade in your college-mobile and get something with a little more respectability? If you do switch to the low-paying job and start finding yourself in a financial crunch, you will probably start hating your job as many do in financial strain.
This is why IT people are always relegated to the kiddie table in business. IT people need to figure these things out for themselves in order to prove they're useful. Look at the statistics. First, find out what percentage of users will use the different versions of browsers. Set an acceptable percentage of users you are willing to alienate -- say 5%. So, you take the lowest browsers that add up to 5% and disregard them. So instead of asking "the business people" what to do, make some decisions on your own, and mention it in your report as a weakness that you feel is acceptable.
Go to a school that is undergraduate focused. For example, the school I go to, Baylor University, is not MIT or whatever. But our undergrad engineering program is top 20 in the nation. You know why? Because they focus on helping you learn the material -- real professors teach you stuff, not some TA who is just doing it to get his stipend. There's practical inputs from nearby firms that give you a _real_ project that will actually impact people. There's an emphasis on communicating to non-engineering people, even *shock* business terms to help you sell your idea.
Don't go to a school for undergrad if it's got a good name. That's what grad school is for. Do undergrad at a place where you learn the trade and get involved in practical elements. THAT is what will make you successful in life -- no matter what your major is.
Suddenly they get an IPO and they feel they have to mimic the rest of the industry.
They don't mimic, they do what other people have done -- better. To be honest, there really isn't anything revolutionary about what they have built but that is part of the beauty of it. They have made the internet better, not a proprietary lockdown.
You are correct. You have no legal control over the material once you have "given" it to them. This has been upheld in the California Supreme Court (good ol' California judges:-/ ).
There are so many better ways to be a whistleblower and be protected from retaliation. However, before you attack a company (even rightfully so) lawyer up and make sure you have all your ducks in a row so that this type of retaliation doesn't occur. Or use an anonymous source such as ethicspoint.com. While this may seem a coward's path, it in fact can save your job.
There is still hope for the legal system. Title VII, the FLSA, and I believe all state laws have anti-retaliation language that protects you. Go to your local attorney general's office and see what you can do.
However, as others have said, if you do all of the above and management still does nothing -- get out! The best that can happen is you get a small blurb in the WSJ and worst case is that you'll be forever branded a snitch.
Exactly! For all the hoopla we hear about the internet empowering people to have direct access to products, the internet has created more middlemen than anything else. Most (all?) of the "successful" internet companies are nothing but a redefinition of middlemen -- ebay, amazon, google, yahoo -- each of these are simply able to disseminate more sellers, products, ads, and information.
Slashdot Mirror
I would also second the effort to go through a pre-existing non-profit as that will save you all sorts of headaches.
So yeah, you worry about the initial cost to the company, and I'll worry about the multi-million dollar lawsuit.
I'm diabetic, and while I'm hopeful that someday there will be some great breakthroughs, I'm convinced that Big Pharma won't let it happen. Case in point, my hospital has a fairly large diabetes cure research group. However, in the past three years, every single doctor has gone to work for a pharmaceutical company to develop ways to "help survive cancer." Oh, and they doubled their income in the process. It's a multibillion dollar growing industry filled with hypochondriac baby boomers that could disappear in heartbeat, and Pharma is trying to protect that market.
Here's my extension list with the compatible first. As you can see, the important stuff is compatible and the somewhat trivial ones aren't. Adblock Filterset.G Updater Adblock Plus BugMeNot CustomizeGoogle Download Statusbar FireFTP Forecastfox Enhanced IE Tab MinimizeToTray Mouse Gestures Searchbar Autosizer Stylish And those not compatible: BetterSearch Paste and Go Tab Mix Plus Update Notifier
I completely agree. I've been saying the same thing. However, here's what I think would be cool. Blur the lines between movies and TV. While TV shows are on break during the summer, make a movie that explores some element of it. Or start off a TV show with a big summer blockbuster. Get people hooked on a movie and then add "and you can watch it all year on ABC..."
Bingo.
While I know you were trying to use an extreme example, here in Texas (I'm not sure if it's in other parts of the country) spray paint cannot be sold to minors.
Of course it's helped so much...
The problem is not that there is a weakest link, it is that none of the links are terribly strong and are vulnerable in their current state.
I think Nintendo is a little smarter than we're giving them credit for. The name appeals do a different crowd -- one that doesn't require them to be in a battle over specs.
I'm sure you don't have time -- but there are several of us that do! I know that if you opened it up to a redesign of the complete iconpack, there would be a lot of _good_ redesigns.
I thought the exact same thing. The icons would be first to go -- requiring a white background is pretty archaic. Second, screw the whole left-curve thing -- we're talking a complete redesign, not just a sprucing up. I dunno, I'd be interested in seeing ones that don't necessarily follow these guidelines.
Wow, mod parent up please. This is exactly what's going on here. Facebook is about finding out about every little detail about every student at any school in the nation. This is why it's more than just ad-based services -- it's about customers telling every little detail about themselves willfully. If you're a marketer, this is your wet dream.
Wow. If I were you, I wouldn't be proud of your education. Generally, my profs hate regurgitation and instead want us to critically think and analyze what they're saying. Debate and evidence is primarily what occurs in our classtimes, not lecture. Look em up: Baylor University.
My fiance likes co-op, third-person games. Her favorite game so far has been LOTR: Return of the King. She likes the idea of upgrades, it doesn't take a lot of time, and it's something we do together in the same room. To me, this has more than made up my investment in an Xbox.
In case anyone starts blasting me, that was me stabbing the 0 and 1 keys several times in no specific order.
Revelations is a perfect specemin of apocalyptic literature. Here's a good definition of such literature: Hermeneutics.
It's written to warn and to use descriptive language to explain what the future holds. The idea of head and right hand are frequently used to depict what we think (head) and what we do (hand). As such, in this particular instance, the warning is not when we have implants in our heads or hands, it's when we think and do evil things.
Interpreting apocalyptic literature as truth verbatim is not only stupid, it's dangerous.
I'm pretty sure you can't change how your current company does it's work (ie introducing OpenOffice is not a viable option) so to use your CS degree while staying in your current job gives you option 1: Stay, but take up an OS project off-hours to hone your skills. Option 2 is pretty evident: take the lower paying job and be mentally satisfied.
However, the third option is to openly communicate with your manager. Explain where you're at, why you're intrigued by the offer, and see if there's something within your current position or company that will allow you to do more. Open, honest communication with a reasonable manager is the best route. Maybe upper management is thinking of developing some of their own applications but don't feel that they have access to the talent to create these apps. There's a hundred ways it could go well, but you'll never know if you don't ask. Your company seems to care for you, and I would bet that they would be sad to see you leave.
Like someone else said, though, what are your life goals? Find someone who does what you think you'd love to do and find out everything you can about that job. What it takes, how to get there, stuff like that. If you find you actually like it, start doing things now to build for it. If not taking the new job, get more education, volunteer for different projects, etc. Life is bigger than your job -- if your goal is to make a difference in the OS community, maybe keeping this job, but working only 35 hours a week would be just as helpful if not moreso.
Also, don't neglect any financial situations that might be coming up. If you are serious with your girlfriend, you may be planning on quite a hefty investment in a shiny, glittering, rock. Maybe you want to trade in your college-mobile and get something with a little more respectability? If you do switch to the low-paying job and start finding yourself in a financial crunch, you will probably start hating your job as many do in financial strain.
Ok, I'm off my soapbox, and good luck!
This is why IT people are always relegated to the kiddie table in business. IT people need to figure these things out for themselves in order to prove they're useful. Look at the statistics. First, find out what percentage of users will use the different versions of browsers. Set an acceptable percentage of users you are willing to alienate -- say 5%. So, you take the lowest browsers that add up to 5% and disregard them. So instead of asking "the business people" what to do, make some decisions on your own, and mention it in your report as a weakness that you feel is acceptable.
Don't go to a school for undergrad if it's got a good name. That's what grad school is for. Do undergrad at a place where you learn the trade and get involved in practical elements. THAT is what will make you successful in life -- no matter what your major is.
A better extension is Customize Google. This extension will add several functions to make Google even more powerful.
The only thing I want out of that is adblock. I've gotten so used to no ads, that it's hard to look at anything with stupid banner ads and stuff.
They don't mimic, they do what other people have done -- better. To be honest, there really isn't anything revolutionary about what they have built but that is part of the beauty of it. They have made the internet better, not a proprietary lockdown.
You are correct. You have no legal control over the material once you have "given" it to them. This has been upheld in the California Supreme Court (good ol' California judges :-/ ).
There is still hope for the legal system. Title VII, the FLSA, and I believe all state laws have anti-retaliation language that protects you. Go to your local attorney general's office and see what you can do.
However, as others have said, if you do all of the above and management still does nothing -- get out! The best that can happen is you get a small blurb in the WSJ and worst case is that you'll be forever branded a snitch.
Exactly! For all the hoopla we hear about the internet empowering people to have direct access to products, the internet has created more middlemen than anything else. Most (all?) of the "successful" internet companies are nothing but a redefinition of middlemen -- ebay, amazon, google, yahoo -- each of these are simply able to disseminate more sellers, products, ads, and information.