Re:It follows logically that drinkers would get mo
on
Socializing For The Win?
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· Score: 2, Insightful
I also have no motivation to seek a higher salary based on anything other than job performance. Everything else reeks of ass-kissery.
Nice to know I'm not the only one. If social networking and ass-kissing is what it takes to move up the corporate ladder, then I'll just stay on the ground.
They mean statistics over multiple events. When you bet on a roulette wheel, you make or lose money on one spin. When you bet on fantasy football, you win or lose based on an entire season.
But then, when you bet on a baseball game, there are 9+ innings, etc etc...
Hey, I'm a programmer, not a lawyer. I shouldn't be defending this legal jargon!
Well, technically it's not based on chance, but on the actions of other investors. So it's not actually based on chance... In the same way that spinning a roulette wheel is actually based on velocity, friction, and other miscellaneous laws of physics.
But anyway, I checked again, and there are specific provisions allowing securities and derivatives trading.
I read through the text of the law (Yes, I'm very bored), and it looks like it defines wagers specifically as those that are based on chance (i.e. roulette, cards, etc) or a single competition (i.e. betting on a football game).
It excludes things that are based on statistical returns (They're allowing stuff like fantasy football), and a few other things.
I was about to mention that I mark things as Not Interested when I own them, to avoid being reccommended the rest (Usually because I prefer to buy series I like, and rent actual movies), but then I realized that fits into what you said perfectly.
Just a nitpick... If I mark, say, season 1 of series X as Not Interested, maybe it means I already own it and have no need to rent it, but still might want to see season 2.
Of course, if I marked it as 1-star (Which I assume means "Utter crap"), then as you said, it should shut the hell up about the rest of the series.
I'm not quite sure which side I'm on in this, but the particular things you pointed out might be more relevant than you think. I'm currently enslaved to a Wall Street firm (That shall remain nameless), so let me give you some contrast...
Developers can switch teams and/or projects any time they want, no questions asked; just say the word and the movers will show up the next day to put you in your new office with your new team.
Here, and I suspect in most companies with large IT departments, we have a large number of projects and teams, and every developer is locked into their team until upper-level management decides otherwise. As a result, we have web developers working on heavy client applications, good designers working on mindless bugfixes and support, etc etc. The guy who sits next to me (We have trading desks, not cubicles) is doing the work of six people, because upper-level management has decided not to put anyone else on his projects. He has no support people, so when London has a problem (We're in New York), he gets techs support calls at 3am. A good developer should know when his project no longer needs him, and when his project needs more help. Managers might not, or might not care.
There aren't very many meetings. I'd say an average developer attends perhaps 3 meetings a week.
I agree that three meetings sounds like a huge waste of time, but as someone else pointed out, he might refer to unplanned team discussions as "meetings." If he really means three organized, scheduled meetings a week, then I'm completely in agreement with you on that point.
there aren't Gantt charts or date-task-owner spreadsheets or any other visible project-management artifacts in evidence, not that I've ever seen.
He talked about a task queue system they use. Sounds like they give the developers one giant TODO list, and let the managers worry about the management without bugging the developers. I think all that stuff is going on in the background, but just isn't made apparent to the little guys.
even during the relatively rare crunch periods, people still go get lunch and dinner, which are (famously) always free and tasty, and they don't work insane hours unless they want to.
Here's the reason I made this comment. That's a big deal. Here, anyone who actually eats lunch in the cafeteria (Or... *shudder* OUTSIDE!) is seen as slacking off, because hard workers eat at their desk WHILE WORKING. When people have to work late, they generally order take-out and eat dinner at their desks too. Even when the job forces us to work until midnight, getting reimbursed for something as simple as a pizza takes a ridiculous amount of red tape.
Oh, but of course you're not REQUIRED to work late, but any real-world programmer knows that statement is meaningless.
Now then, since you'll probably assume I'm defending TFA completely, let me make this disclaimer. I don't work at Google or know anyone who works there, but I doubt everything is nearly as utopian as he describes. I'm guessing they just keep some of the paperwork at management level, so as not to distract their programmers. That said, Google NYC might see (And discard) my resume if my current job annoys me too much more.
I didn't know she was fake... I watched her once, for about ten seconds, before I got bored and switched to something else. I don't think she actually said anything coherent.
I have another question... Does anyone actually watch her?
Thank you. I was seeing so many serious responses to what can't possibly be a serious article, that I was starting to lose all respect for the/. community.
I mean, come on... Guys... The article looks like a cross between Monty Python's Flying Circus, Godfather, and Clerks.
The popular term for the farmers is "CGF", which stands for Chinese Gold Farmer (The term comes from the supposed fact that a large portion of them are based in China). Unfortunately, people have begun to equate "Chinese" with "Farmer," making it difficult for anyone speaking that language from getting in a group.
I'm actually on the fence with that one though. I've adjusted my mental radar, so to speak, so I watch for the factors that make them a farmer (ex. If a good, sellable item drops, farmers will usually DEMAND a chance at it, even if someone in the group can personally use it), not just the language. On the other hand, anyone who can't communicate effectively with the rest of the group can't cooperate as effectively, and dungeon runs are all about teamwork.
So, at the risk of sounding racist, I prefer not to group with non-English-speaking players, farmer or not.
Don't get me started... I consider VB.NET my current favorite language, and I could tell so many horror stories about badly-written VB code. People SHOULD learn the concepts, not the language, but some people just don't get it. So few people can really appreciate a beautiful design nowadays...
Granted, there are Chinese players who play the game just for the fun of it, and do so on English-speaking servers because they joined before the Chinese servers were started. If I had any sympathy to give, they'd have a small piece of it. But here's why most high-level players do as the article describes (Yes, it's true):
Gold Farmers, aka Chinese Gold Farmers, aka CGFs (Racist, perhaps, but it's the name everyone uses) are, for those of you not familiar with the game, people who play the game professionally (The stereotype used to be a sweat-shop environment), being paid to gather large amounts of in-game items and currency, to be sold on the Internet for real-life currency, violating Blizzard's terms of service.
The "Chinese" part of this at least began from facts, since originally (I don't know if it's changed since then), an overwhelming percentage of these farmers were doing so from China (I don't speak the language, so I can't say for sure).
So you might ask what the problem is, besides the TOS violations...
1) They have a large effect on the game economy, introducing more gold into the in-game market than would normally be there. In accordance with good old supply-and-demand, the market inflates and prices rise (Blizzard has put mechanisms in the game to prevent this, known as "gold sinks"). I'm a programmer, not an economist, so I can't really predict the full effect of their actions.
2) Since there are many items that can only be obtained in dungeons, with the assistance of a group, these CGFs often join dungeon groups/raids in order to get them. This leads to several problems:
3) Most of them don't speak English, or rather they speak JUST enough to carry out a business transaction ("WTS [Linked Item] 5g", where "WTS" = "Want to Sell"). This means the group can't properly communicate with them to plan battle tactics or organize. Without teamwork, well, bad things happen.
4) Assuming (2a) doesn't get everyone killed, they're often overly-greedy when it comes time to distribute the loot ("loot" = Items dropped from enemies). They'll often say they desperately need an item, when they only intend to sell it for some quick cash (Players who need an item as an upgrade to their current character are given priority over those who just want to sell it). This means less rewards for other players.
5) Sometimes, they are just joining a dungeon raid to get one particular item. In that case, they'll just abandon the group as soon as they get it, leaving the others shorthanded. If a dungeon is designed to be completed by a 5-player group, 4-players will have a harder time, and may not be able to complete it at all.
So these players really do disrupt gameplay, and can ruin it for those of us who play for fun instead of profit. I admit, I've done some of what the article says, booting players who are unable to communicate (I don't care if they're fluent or use proper grammar - Hell, even my grandparents have started saying the hated "lol" online, but communication is vital), and I will continue to do so.
An analogy for those of you who haven't fallen into MMORPG addictions... Take a football team, any team, and replace the quarterback with someone who doesn't speak the same language as the rest of the players. He can play just by watching his teammates and going along with them, but he can't follow the plays and is therefore ineffective. Same thing.
It's alright... It takes time to get used to the slang... I use some of the abbreviations, and avoid others... Here's the primer...
AH = Auction House = Kinda like E-Bay in-game, using in-game money for in-game items (No real-world currency)
Org = Orgrimmar = The Orc capital (Orcs = one of the many races. Kinda like the Orcs in Lord of the Rings)
UBRS = Upper Blackrock Spire = A high-level dungeon, designed for 10-person groups (Though most people go with 15)
"greeded it" = Loot is often distributed using a Need/Greed system. If an item is a clear upgrade for your character, you roll Need. Otherwise, you roll Greed. First, everyone who rolled Need automatically "rolls" some imaginary dice to determine who wins it (High roll wins), then, if no one picked "Need", all the "Greed" people roll for it.
"LPed" = Lockpicked = Rogues have a lockpicking skill that lets them open locked boxes, which they have to practice to improve.
Ninja Gold Farmers = People who play professionally, doing nothing but collecting items/gold and selling them on the net for real-life currency (Violation of the game's terms of service).
See? It's just as pointless when you DO understand it. (And I can say that, because I've been a Warcraft addict since beta)
Agreed. I've done this as well, particularly when a player is non-responsive or speaks in nothing but acronyms. If they can't communicate, what's the point of having them along anyway? The game is about teamwork, and that requires communication.
Well, keep in mind that those accounts were likely being played 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The subscription fees are likely based on some kind of budget where they figure out the average playtime, and hence the average number of players online at a time, and hence the number of servers needed.
So if my guesses are correct, anyone who plays 24/7 is actually costing them more in bandwidth and servers than a normal player, and therefore isn't nearly as valuable to them as someone who only plays a few hours a day tops.
The point he was trying to make was that the ice currently on land will be the ONLY ice that affects global warming. The ice already free-floating will have no effect on the ocean level.
I can confirm that the northeast is nearly as bad as the southeast. Last time I had to put my resume online, I was getting spammed by headhunters within a day.
All you need is one good gem on your resume, to let everyone know that you're actually a developer, as opposed to someone limited to MSOffice macros and WYSIWYG web design software.
Of course, you'll also likely end up using obselete technology in most places. *cough* VB6 *cough*
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I also have no motivation to seek a higher salary based on anything other than job performance. Everything else reeks of ass-kissery.
Nice to know I'm not the only one. If social networking and ass-kissing is what it takes to move up the corporate ladder, then I'll just stay on the ground.
They mean statistics over multiple events. When you bet on a roulette wheel, you make or lose money on one spin. When you bet on fantasy football, you win or lose based on an entire season.
But then, when you bet on a baseball game, there are 9+ innings, etc etc...
Hey, I'm a programmer, not a lawyer. I shouldn't be defending this legal jargon!
Well, technically it's not based on chance, but on the actions of other investors. So it's not actually based on chance... In the same way that spinning a roulette wheel is actually based on velocity, friction, and other miscellaneous laws of physics.
But anyway, I checked again, and there are specific provisions allowing securities and derivatives trading.
I read through the text of the law (Yes, I'm very bored), and it looks like it defines wagers specifically as those that are based on chance (i.e. roulette, cards, etc) or a single competition (i.e. betting on a football game).
It excludes things that are based on statistical returns (They're allowing stuff like fantasy football), and a few other things.
So I don't think it covers the stock markets.
Hmm, I see your point.
I was about to mention that I mark things as Not Interested when I own them, to avoid being reccommended the rest (Usually because I prefer to buy series I like, and rent actual movies), but then I realized that fits into what you said perfectly.
Point conceded.
Just a nitpick... If I mark, say, season 1 of series X as Not Interested, maybe it means I already own it and have no need to rent it, but still might want to see season 2.
Of course, if I marked it as 1-star (Which I assume means "Utter crap"), then as you said, it should shut the hell up about the rest of the series.
I'm not quite sure which side I'm on in this, but the particular things you pointed out might be more relevant than you think. I'm currently enslaved to a Wall Street firm (That shall remain nameless), so let me give you some contrast...
Developers can switch teams and/or projects any time they want, no questions asked; just say the word and the movers will show up the next day to put you in your new office with your new team.
Here, and I suspect in most companies with large IT departments, we have a large number of projects and teams, and every developer is locked into their team until upper-level management decides otherwise. As a result, we have web developers working on heavy client applications, good designers working on mindless bugfixes and support, etc etc. The guy who sits next to me (We have trading desks, not cubicles) is doing the work of six people, because upper-level management has decided not to put anyone else on his projects. He has no support people, so when London has a problem (We're in New York), he gets techs support calls at 3am. A good developer should know when his project no longer needs him, and when his project needs more help. Managers might not, or might not care.
There aren't very many meetings. I'd say an average developer attends perhaps 3 meetings a week.
I agree that three meetings sounds like a huge waste of time, but as someone else pointed out, he might refer to unplanned team discussions as "meetings." If he really means three organized, scheduled meetings a week, then I'm completely in agreement with you on that point.
there aren't Gantt charts or date-task-owner spreadsheets or any other visible project-management artifacts in evidence, not that I've ever seen.
He talked about a task queue system they use. Sounds like they give the developers one giant TODO list, and let the managers worry about the management without bugging the developers. I think all that stuff is going on in the background, but just isn't made apparent to the little guys.
even during the relatively rare crunch periods, people still go get lunch and dinner, which are (famously) always free and tasty, and they don't work insane hours unless they want to.
Here's the reason I made this comment. That's a big deal. Here, anyone who actually eats lunch in the cafeteria (Or... *shudder* OUTSIDE!) is seen as slacking off, because hard workers eat at their desk WHILE WORKING. When people have to work late, they generally order take-out and eat dinner at their desks too. Even when the job forces us to work until midnight, getting reimbursed for something as simple as a pizza takes a ridiculous amount of red tape.
Oh, but of course you're not REQUIRED to work late, but any real-world programmer knows that statement is meaningless.
Now then, since you'll probably assume I'm defending TFA completely, let me make this disclaimer. I don't work at Google or know anyone who works there, but I doubt everything is nearly as utopian as he describes. I'm guessing they just keep some of the paperwork at management level, so as not to distract their programmers. That said, Google NYC might see (And discard) my resume if my current job annoys me too much more.
I didn't know she was fake... I watched her once, for about ten seconds, before I got bored and switched to something else. I don't think she actually said anything coherent.
I have another question... Does anyone actually watch her?
Tsk tsk... The solo is after the SECOND verse.
Thank you. I was seeing so many serious responses to what can't possibly be a serious article, that I was starting to lose all respect for the /. community.
I mean, come on... Guys... The article looks like a cross between Monty Python's Flying Circus, Godfather, and Clerks.
This is actually an important point...
The popular term for the farmers is "CGF", which stands for Chinese Gold Farmer (The term comes from the supposed fact that a large portion of them are based in China). Unfortunately, people have begun to equate "Chinese" with "Farmer," making it difficult for anyone speaking that language from getting in a group.
I'm actually on the fence with that one though. I've adjusted my mental radar, so to speak, so I watch for the factors that make them a farmer (ex. If a good, sellable item drops, farmers will usually DEMAND a chance at it, even if someone in the group can personally use it), not just the language. On the other hand, anyone who can't communicate effectively with the rest of the group can't cooperate as effectively, and dungeon runs are all about teamwork.
So, at the risk of sounding racist, I prefer not to group with non-English-speaking players, farmer or not.
+1 Funny for the subtle Office Space joke.
Is it just me, or did the ending of the blurb remind anyone else of the text at the beginning of Star Wars?
I started humming the empire music...
It's at http://www.freeallegiance.org/
Actually that little bit of dialogue was originally between Arthur Dent and Mr. Prosser, not Zaphod Beeblebrox... But still, +5 funny :)
Yes. Yes you can, and yes I do. I'm a total WoW addict, and I work for a major Wall Street firm (Which I won't embarass by naming here)...
Argent Dawn (RP):
Orp - 60 Gnome Rogue
Rikket - 55 Human Paladin
Caab - 49 Night Elf Druid
Cyari - 33 Undead Warrior
Nwerp - 32 Gnome Mage
Relvar - 31 Human Warlock
Tychen - 24 Dwarf Hunter
Belryn - 24 Night Elf Priest
Taksal - 16 Troll Shaman
Don't get me started... I consider VB.NET my current favorite language, and I could tell so many horror stories about badly-written VB code. People SHOULD learn the concepts, not the language, but some people just don't get it. So few people can really appreciate a beautiful design nowadays...
+0.5 Offtopic, but Insightful
Granted, there are Chinese players who play the game just for the fun of it, and do so on English-speaking servers because they joined before the Chinese servers were started. If I had any sympathy to give, they'd have a small piece of it. But here's why most high-level players do as the article describes (Yes, it's true):
Gold Farmers, aka Chinese Gold Farmers, aka CGFs (Racist, perhaps, but it's the name everyone uses) are, for those of you not familiar with the game, people who play the game professionally (The stereotype used to be a sweat-shop environment), being paid to gather large amounts of in-game items and currency, to be sold on the Internet for real-life currency, violating Blizzard's terms of service.
The "Chinese" part of this at least began from facts, since originally (I don't know if it's changed since then), an overwhelming percentage of these farmers were doing so from China (I don't speak the language, so I can't say for sure).
So you might ask what the problem is, besides the TOS violations...
1) They have a large effect on the game economy, introducing more gold into the in-game market than would normally be there. In accordance with good old supply-and-demand, the market inflates and prices rise (Blizzard has put mechanisms in the game to prevent this, known as "gold sinks"). I'm a programmer, not an economist, so I can't really predict the full effect of their actions.
2) Since there are many items that can only be obtained in dungeons, with the assistance of a group, these CGFs often join dungeon groups/raids in order to get them. This leads to several problems:
3) Most of them don't speak English, or rather they speak JUST enough to carry out a business transaction ("WTS [Linked Item] 5g", where "WTS" = "Want to Sell"). This means the group can't properly communicate with them to plan battle tactics or organize. Without teamwork, well, bad things happen.
4) Assuming (2a) doesn't get everyone killed, they're often overly-greedy when it comes time to distribute the loot ("loot" = Items dropped from enemies). They'll often say they desperately need an item, when they only intend to sell it for some quick cash (Players who need an item as an upgrade to their current character are given priority over those who just want to sell it). This means less rewards for other players.
5) Sometimes, they are just joining a dungeon raid to get one particular item. In that case, they'll just abandon the group as soon as they get it, leaving the others shorthanded. If a dungeon is designed to be completed by a 5-player group, 4-players will have a harder time, and may not be able to complete it at all.
So these players really do disrupt gameplay, and can ruin it for those of us who play for fun instead of profit. I admit, I've done some of what the article says, booting players who are unable to communicate (I don't care if they're fluent or use proper grammar - Hell, even my grandparents have started saying the hated "lol" online, but communication is vital), and I will continue to do so.
An analogy for those of you who haven't fallen into MMORPG addictions... Take a football team, any team, and replace the quarterback with someone who doesn't speak the same language as the rest of the players. He can play just by watching his teammates and going along with them, but he can't follow the plays and is therefore ineffective. Same thing.
Ok, I'll stop ranting now.
It's alright... It takes time to get used to the slang... I use some of the abbreviations, and avoid others... Here's the primer...
AH = Auction House = Kinda like E-Bay in-game, using in-game money for in-game items (No real-world currency)
Org = Orgrimmar = The Orc capital (Orcs = one of the many races. Kinda like the Orcs in Lord of the Rings)
UBRS = Upper Blackrock Spire = A high-level dungeon, designed for 10-person groups (Though most people go with 15)
"greeded it" = Loot is often distributed using a Need/Greed system. If an item is a clear upgrade for your character, you roll Need. Otherwise, you roll Greed. First, everyone who rolled Need automatically "rolls" some imaginary dice to determine who wins it (High roll wins), then, if no one picked "Need", all the "Greed" people roll for it.
"LPed" = Lockpicked = Rogues have a lockpicking skill that lets them open locked boxes, which they have to practice to improve.
Ninja Gold Farmers = People who play professionally, doing nothing but collecting items/gold and selling them on the net for real-life currency (Violation of the game's terms of service).
See? It's just as pointless when you DO understand it. (And I can say that, because I've been a Warcraft addict since beta)
Agreed. I've done this as well, particularly when a player is non-responsive or speaks in nothing but acronyms. If they can't communicate, what's the point of having them along anyway? The game is about teamwork, and that requires communication.
You may be right.
Guess it must just be that extra 18k * $30-50 from new box sales.
Well, keep in mind that those accounts were likely being played 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The subscription fees are likely based on some kind of budget where they figure out the average playtime, and hence the average number of players online at a time, and hence the number of servers needed.
So if my guesses are correct, anyone who plays 24/7 is actually costing them more in bandwidth and servers than a normal player, and therefore isn't nearly as valuable to them as someone who only plays a few hours a day tops.
The point he was trying to make was that the ice currently on land will be the ONLY ice that affects global warming. The ice already free-floating will have no effect on the ocean level.
I can confirm that the northeast is nearly as bad as the southeast. Last time I had to put my resume online, I was getting spammed by headhunters within a day.
All you need is one good gem on your resume, to let everyone know that you're actually a developer, as opposed to someone limited to MSOffice macros and WYSIWYG web design software.
Of course, you'll also likely end up using obselete technology in most places. *cough* VB6 *cough*