As a college student in Tennessee and witness to tax fiasco, and the recent GUTTING of the higher education budget(i.e. majors being totally eliminated; of course, athletics surives relatively unscathed, and we're in the OVC conference, stupid), I do protest. We, in fact, are striving to be the next Mexico, home to a large, cheap, undereducated labour force. Unfortunately, I don't they realize that small-third world countries have annhilated the competition for this.
Don't get me wrong, I love my state and the South, but really, most of our powerful people have their ideas about what's important. Of course, less than 20% of the people in this state have a bachelors degree or higher(and I'll be one of them May 10th, unless I fail a class:).
Xerox PARC is not the most friendly place.
on
Dealers of Lightning
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· Score: 1, Interesting
I hiked around the U.S. last summer, and found myself in Palo Alto, and thought I would just go see the place for myself. After some kind bus drivers helped me out, I walked up to the front door and walked in. I explained that I was college student, majoring in Engineering, and had read and heard about all the wonderful things that had come out of the place, and that I just wanted to see it and wanted to know if they did tours.
They blew me off totally. She said that they don't do things like that, they are a business and people there Important Things To Do, and treated me like I was either an idiot or industrial spy. That was just the receptionist. She sent email to someone who worked there and they called my cell phone and explained to me why I would be wasting there time, and that time is money, and while many cool things were done there, I should just go away.
In my opinion, if the spirit of scientific inquiry is so boxed up there, they may have been productive in the past but they can't be doing anything now.
For what its worth, I spent the rest of that day on Stanford's campus, and had a much better time, and found lots of friendly people doing cool things.
Slashdot Mirror
As a college student in Tennessee and witness to tax fiasco, and the recent GUTTING of the higher education budget(i.e. majors being totally eliminated; of course, athletics surives relatively unscathed, and we're in the OVC conference, stupid), I do protest. We, in fact, are striving to be the next Mexico, home to a large, cheap, undereducated labour force. Unfortunately, I don't they realize that small-third world countries have annhilated the competition for this.
:).
Don't get me wrong, I love my state and the South, but really, most of our powerful people have their ideas about what's important. Of course, less than 20% of the people in this state have a bachelors degree or higher(and I'll be one of them May 10th, unless I fail a class
I hiked around the U.S. last summer, and found myself in Palo Alto, and thought I would just go see the place for myself. After some kind bus drivers helped me out, I walked up to the front door and walked in. I explained that I was college student, majoring in Engineering, and had read and heard about all the wonderful things that had come out of the place, and that I just wanted to see it and wanted to know if they did tours.
They blew me off totally. She said that they don't do things like that, they are a business and people there Important Things To Do, and treated me like I was either an idiot or industrial spy. That was just the receptionist. She sent email to someone who worked there and they called my cell phone and explained to me why I would be wasting there time, and that time is money, and while many cool things were done there, I should just go away.
In my opinion, if the spirit of scientific inquiry is so boxed up there, they may have been productive in the past but they can't be doing anything now.
For what its worth, I spent the rest of that day on Stanford's campus, and had a much better time, and found lots of friendly people doing cool things.