Absolutely right! We should all keep in mind that everybody does what they do for a reason; if I got fired, there was a reason (no matter if I agreed with it or not). The people I worked with, and worked for, are just people, and doing the best they know how. Don't burn bridges, and don't slam doors behind you! There are graceful ways of declining invitations to come back to work and if it's not work you want to return to, then by all means, decline... but do it gracefully. One of the things I've noticed over the last 35 years or so, is that every job I have lost was a door opening to a better situation. There is no need for anger or resentment... thank your ex-boss for all that he's done, shake his hand, and move on into a better life. And if you can be of some assistance to your former employer, go for it!
But take the opportunity to show him how much MORE you're worth NOW than you were worth when he shitcanned you. }:~)
"...just because the entire world of 6 billion people is motivated by money, it doesn't mean that the few thousand of us here at Slashdot have to be as well."
I beg to differ. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being motivated by money; the problem occurs when money becomes one's only (or even primary) motivation.
I have been in such situations before, and I dealt with them differently, depending upon the situation. A guy I'd painted signs for, and done sign layouts and screen prints for, called me and asked me if I'd come back to work for him so he could go into a treatment center (for alcoholism). I kindly, politely refused. He had never once paid me what he'd promised to pay while I worked for him, so I saw no reason to believe that he'd do things differently now.
Another job I had (and lost) asked me to come back in and do some inventory work. That small, family business had always treated me fairly, and done exactly as they said they would do. I didn't work for free, but I was happy to have the work and honored to be working among these fine people again. If they called me tomorrow and I could work it into my schedule, I'd be delighted to work there again for relatively low pay, because they're just damned fine folks.
But for FREE? Sorry, folks, but I just don't have the time. Be assured of this: if YOU don't place some value on your time, nobody else will, either.
Neurostar, I totally agree. The thing is, here in the USA our Constitution is (or damn well better be) our government's bible. One might make the case that our founding fathers were a bit paranoid of government run rampant, but they were right to be... they had just fought a terrible war to free themselves from just such a government. To the extent that we USAians cherish freedom, we will hold our leaders firmly to the letter and spirit of the Constitution. And I don't recall having seen mention of "national ID cards" anywhere in that document.
Slightly off-topic but still, perhaps, on point: our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms was not intended so that we could defend our homes from burglers, or hunt rabbits and deer; its purpose was to enable us to defend ourselves against the threat of a possible future government that might become so oppressive as to require an overthrow... by We, The People.
Hey, SystematicPsycho, I don't know where you live, but if you can go out every night and see a meteorite, damned if I wouldn't MOVE! Meteorites are what meteors become if they make it to the Earth's surface. I'd find it extremely disconcerting if they started showing up in my neighborhood on a regular basis. }:~)
"The masses will be browsing Microsoft's network, not the internet".
I don't think so... I think Microsoft has already killed itself with a slow-acting poison. Nobody knows it's dead yet because it's still up and about, and still eating... but it looks pretty dead to me. Consumers will always draw the line somewhere, and MS has crossed the line, believing itself to be invulnerable. I expect consumers, Worldwide, to prove it wrong. At some point there's going to be a sort of "Redmond Tea Party" and the revolution will have officially begun. Sort of like the "No taxation without representation" slogan of the American Revolution (US Version), we need an appropriate slogan. Any good ones out there?
A fetching cat? I must say, that is amazing! I had a cat for years who loved to catch wadded-up cigarette packs. I'd keep a couple of large grocery bags full of them in the den, and throw them high over her head. She could almost always catch them, but obviously bringing them back was beneith her dignity. So she trained ME to fetch... after the bags were empty, she'd sit and stare and, sometimes, verbally interrogate me, until I got up and refilled the bags. I was, after all, HER human; keeping those bags full was MY responsibility. I always wondered if she had a Union contract stashed somewhere that I didn't know about.
I've always found it difficult to respect most dogs; they seem geared to being their owner's slaves. I've seen some exceptions, of course, but most dogs seem to lack any concept of dignity or self-respect. For example, it is possible to OWN a dog.
If you think you own a cat, you don't understand the relationship at all. The cat owns YOU, but doesn't much care. You will be taken for granted, as we people often take old shoes or cold beer (or dogs) for granted. Most cats only notice you if (a)they want something.. food, petting, cleaning out their litter box... or (b) if you happen to leave without their permission. From the cat's standpoint, you are its slave; your home and its contents are the cat's possessions.
If you neglect a dog, its feelings will be hurt. If you neglect a cat, it will be blindly infuriated by your damned insubordination.
If you call a dog, it will likely come to you.
Call a cat and it'll take a message and get back to you. But one of the greatest differences, and perhaps the main reason I prefer cats over dogs, is this: I have NEVER had a cat sneak up behind me, while I was trying to set a tiny jumper or solder a delicate electronic part, and BARK! There is probably nothing so annoying as having one's peace and tranquility shattered by that sound. I think if cats barked, I'd probably hate most of them too.
Alex, I'm sure you're right... but it's a damn sorry comment on the state of affairs in this country. If the most expedient (if not the only) way to get our legislators to act in the best interests of the US public and the US Constitution is to pay them off, it's time to abolish the whole sorry lobbying system. What happened to the oath of office those lawmakers took when they were sworn in? Doesn't mean shit to most of them, now does it?
It's about time to turn the boat over, just to see which ones make it to shore and which ones are pulled under by the weight of their gold.
"*This is the first time I have ever floated this idea to anyone...."
Man! That's a great idea! Why are you posting it here? Quick... patent that son of a bitch!
No, AC, The REAL issue in this case is the Constitution of the United States. That grand document is really pretty straightforward; even we ignorant non-lawyers can understand most of it. The phrase "limited time" means exactly that. A time limit that is flexible based upon the whims of Congress (even if its members *weren't* bought by special interests) is, in effect, no limit at all. And if the Supreme Court fails to see this and strike down this legal abortion, they might as well hang the Constitution in the outhouse, right nest to the Sears "wish-book".
"Perhaps they'll serve as an inspiration to other countries."-
Yes, perhaps they will. I'm a citizen of the USA and I love my country. One of the things I love is that when our government screws up (as all governments sometimes will), we citizens can stand up and say, "Hey! Uncle Sam, you SCREWED UP!". We can also identify the political supporters of the asinine legislation and vote their sorry asses out of office.
The US takes a lot of unwarranted flak regarding all sorts of issues, but this is not such an issue. The law is just plain stupid; it should never have been passed HERE. The very idea that we should persuade/cajole/bribe/threaten
other countries into adopting this same bit of insanity into their own laws is, to me, outrageous.
"...so you need double taxation, one for consumable ethanol, the other for fuel."
Your post sort of danced around my greatest concern: that the increase in demand for ethanol as fuel will diminish available supplies for humans, causing the price of good booze to go through the roof. If this happens, a lot of people will "fill up" at their local service stations... hell, I'll be the only way they can afford a drink!
Hey, Passion, that moonbase thing might be a great idea! Or even better, maybe an orbiting space station. Seems I read a few years ago that damn near perfect ball bearings could be produced in a weightless environment, but as far as I know nobody has tried that with CDs. That's a cool project for NASA to look into! And if the RIAA could produce CDs like that, they'd probably be able to get a couple hundred bucks for them, so they'd be happy too (until the pirates can steal some spacecraft).
Osty, I don't know where you live, but here in the USA if there's a six-car pileup and five drivers were speeding and the other one was drinking, the accident was alcohol related, by default. And the driver who had been drinking, depending on blood alcohol level and where this wreck occured, will most likely be prosecuted as having caused the accident.
The fact is, most accidents are caused by Driving Under the Influence of Stupidity, and there are probably as many MADD mothers guilty of that as there are moderate drinkers... perhaps more, because moderate drinkers here know they are potential scapegoats and drive even more carefully after a nip or two.
be-fan, it's not bad to be smart. It's GREAT to be smart.
It's bad to THINK that you're smarter than the US Constitution, get elected President, and then go about the business of circumventing the wisdom and the will of our Founding Fathers.
Ol' "Slick Willie" might have been smart, but he damn sure wasn't any Jefferson or Washington or Adams, because he applied his intellect toward one purpose only: achieving what he believed best for Bill Clinton, and the rest of the country be damned.
Oh, and one other thought: If he was so smart, how the hell did he wind up married to that witch? Hell, he probably should have held out for Monica, stains and all.
Jucius, I can appreciate your position, and I hope to hell you're right. But from what we've seen lately from China, I doubt that freedom for their people has even crossed their minds.
I'm not questioning the advantages of a Linux-based national standard OS... my point is simply this: to whom do the advantages accrue? You can bet your ass it won't be the citizens of China. If the Communist government of China had any interest in granting their citizens any sort of freedom, they'd have done it when Mao took over.
It just plain didn't happen, and it's not going to happen now.
Yeah, axllent, those same thoughts were crossing my pinpoint mind when it occured to me, Damn! The way to do this is to create a refrigeration system for the CPU and the MB and, hell, the whole case, that operated on nitrogen instead of freon. And build the computer in a large enough box to handle at least a twelve-pack, and keep 'em frosty! I like the idea! I think I'll build my next box along those lines. (Maybe even have some spare bays a little less cool in which to keep a couple of sandwiches or a chunk of cheese or something).
I tried to access that site and got a sort of "can't access site" message, which I often get. I guess everybody is trying to check it out and keeping it busy.
This is a bit off-topic, I know, but if the pop-ups annoy you, just download PopupStopper. It's free and works great!
That the RIAA has the audacity to entertain such notions as this suit is deplorable. The RIAA feeds off US, and not the other way around. Therefore, I think a reasonable goal for consumers to pursue would be to put the RIAA out of business by any means at our disposal.
Regardless of the outcome of this suit, or any of their other legal foolishness, they'll get not one more dime from me. Oh, and The RIAA can kiss my HOA (remember Oscar, remember trig functions).
Slashdot Mirror
Absolutely right! We should all keep in mind that everybody does what they do for a reason; if I got fired, there was a reason (no matter if I agreed with it or not). The people I worked with, and worked for, are just people, and doing the best they know how. Don't burn bridges, and don't slam doors behind you! There are graceful ways of declining invitations to come back to work and if it's not work you want to return to, then by all means, decline... but do it gracefully. One of the things I've noticed over the last 35 years or so, is that every job I have lost was a door opening to a better situation. There is no need for anger or resentment... thank your ex-boss for all that he's done, shake his hand, and move on into a better life. And if you can be of some assistance to your former employer, go for it! But take the opportunity to show him how much MORE you're worth NOW than you were worth when he shitcanned you. }:~)
Hmmm... I'd have gone with I.E.A.E., but we all have our preferences. (That'd be "Ingest Excrement and Expire").
"...just because the entire world of 6 billion people is motivated by money, it doesn't mean that the few thousand of us here at Slashdot have to be as well." I beg to differ. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being motivated by money; the problem occurs when money becomes one's only (or even primary) motivation. I have been in such situations before, and I dealt with them differently, depending upon the situation. A guy I'd painted signs for, and done sign layouts and screen prints for, called me and asked me if I'd come back to work for him so he could go into a treatment center (for alcoholism). I kindly, politely refused. He had never once paid me what he'd promised to pay while I worked for him, so I saw no reason to believe that he'd do things differently now. Another job I had (and lost) asked me to come back in and do some inventory work. That small, family business had always treated me fairly, and done exactly as they said they would do. I didn't work for free, but I was happy to have the work and honored to be working among these fine people again. If they called me tomorrow and I could work it into my schedule, I'd be delighted to work there again for relatively low pay, because they're just damned fine folks. But for FREE? Sorry, folks, but I just don't have the time. Be assured of this: if YOU don't place some value on your time, nobody else will, either.
Neurostar, I totally agree. The thing is, here in the USA our Constitution is (or damn well better be) our government's bible. One might make the case that our founding fathers were a bit paranoid of government run rampant, but they were right to be... they had just fought a terrible war to free themselves from just such a government. To the extent that we USAians cherish freedom, we will hold our leaders firmly to the letter and spirit of the Constitution. And I don't recall having seen mention of "national ID cards" anywhere in that document. Slightly off-topic but still, perhaps, on point: our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms was not intended so that we could defend our homes from burglers, or hunt rabbits and deer; its purpose was to enable us to defend ourselves against the threat of a possible future government that might become so oppressive as to require an overthrow... by We, The People.
Hey, SystematicPsycho, I don't know where you live, but if you can go out every night and see a meteorite, damned if I wouldn't MOVE! Meteorites are what meteors become if they make it to the Earth's surface. I'd find it extremely disconcerting if they started showing up in my neighborhood on a regular basis. }:~)
"The masses will be browsing Microsoft's network, not the internet". I don't think so... I think Microsoft has already killed itself with a slow-acting poison. Nobody knows it's dead yet because it's still up and about, and still eating... but it looks pretty dead to me. Consumers will always draw the line somewhere, and MS has crossed the line, believing itself to be invulnerable. I expect consumers, Worldwide, to prove it wrong. At some point there's going to be a sort of "Redmond Tea Party" and the revolution will have officially begun. Sort of like the "No taxation without representation" slogan of the American Revolution (US Version), we need an appropriate slogan. Any good ones out there?
A fetching cat? I must say, that is amazing! I had a cat for years who loved to catch wadded-up cigarette packs. I'd keep a couple of large grocery bags full of them in the den, and throw them high over her head. She could almost always catch them, but obviously bringing them back was beneith her dignity. So she trained ME to fetch... after the bags were empty, she'd sit and stare and, sometimes, verbally interrogate me, until I got up and refilled the bags. I was, after all, HER human; keeping those bags full was MY responsibility. I always wondered if she had a Union contract stashed somewhere that I didn't know about.
I've always found it difficult to respect most dogs; they seem geared to being their owner's slaves. I've seen some exceptions, of course, but most dogs seem to lack any concept of dignity or self-respect. For example, it is possible to OWN a dog. If you think you own a cat, you don't understand the relationship at all. The cat owns YOU, but doesn't much care. You will be taken for granted, as we people often take old shoes or cold beer (or dogs) for granted. Most cats only notice you if (a)they want something.. food, petting, cleaning out their litter box... or (b) if you happen to leave without their permission. From the cat's standpoint, you are its slave; your home and its contents are the cat's possessions. If you neglect a dog, its feelings will be hurt. If you neglect a cat, it will be blindly infuriated by your damned insubordination. If you call a dog, it will likely come to you. Call a cat and it'll take a message and get back to you. But one of the greatest differences, and perhaps the main reason I prefer cats over dogs, is this: I have NEVER had a cat sneak up behind me, while I was trying to set a tiny jumper or solder a delicate electronic part, and BARK! There is probably nothing so annoying as having one's peace and tranquility shattered by that sound. I think if cats barked, I'd probably hate most of them too.
Alex, I'm sure you're right... but it's a damn sorry comment on the state of affairs in this country. If the most expedient (if not the only) way to get our legislators to act in the best interests of the US public and the US Constitution is to pay them off, it's time to abolish the whole sorry lobbying system. What happened to the oath of office those lawmakers took when they were sworn in? Doesn't mean shit to most of them, now does it? It's about time to turn the boat over, just to see which ones make it to shore and which ones are pulled under by the weight of their gold.
"*This is the first time I have ever floated this idea to anyone...." Man! That's a great idea! Why are you posting it here? Quick... patent that son of a bitch!
No, AC, The REAL issue in this case is the Constitution of the United States. That grand document is really pretty straightforward; even we ignorant non-lawyers can understand most of it. The phrase "limited time" means exactly that. A time limit that is flexible based upon the whims of Congress (even if its members *weren't* bought by special interests) is, in effect, no limit at all. And if the Supreme Court fails to see this and strike down this legal abortion, they might as well hang the Constitution in the outhouse, right nest to the Sears "wish-book".
"Perhaps they'll serve as an inspiration to other countries."- Yes, perhaps they will. I'm a citizen of the USA and I love my country. One of the things I love is that when our government screws up (as all governments sometimes will), we citizens can stand up and say, "Hey! Uncle Sam, you SCREWED UP!". We can also identify the political supporters of the asinine legislation and vote their sorry asses out of office. The US takes a lot of unwarranted flak regarding all sorts of issues, but this is not such an issue. The law is just plain stupid; it should never have been passed HERE. The very idea that we should persuade/cajole/bribe/threaten other countries into adopting this same bit of insanity into their own laws is, to me, outrageous.
"...so you need double taxation, one for consumable ethanol, the other for fuel." Your post sort of danced around my greatest concern: that the increase in demand for ethanol as fuel will diminish available supplies for humans, causing the price of good booze to go through the roof. If this happens, a lot of people will "fill up" at their local service stations... hell, I'll be the only way they can afford a drink!
Hey, Passion, that moonbase thing might be a great idea! Or even better, maybe an orbiting space station. Seems I read a few years ago that damn near perfect ball bearings could be produced in a weightless environment, but as far as I know nobody has tried that with CDs. That's a cool project for NASA to look into! And if the RIAA could produce CDs like that, they'd probably be able to get a couple hundred bucks for them, so they'd be happy too (until the pirates can steal some spacecraft).
Osty, I don't know where you live, but here in the USA if there's a six-car pileup and five drivers were speeding and the other one was drinking, the accident was alcohol related, by default. And the driver who had been drinking, depending on blood alcohol level and where this wreck occured, will most likely be prosecuted as having caused the accident. The fact is, most accidents are caused by Driving Under the Influence of Stupidity, and there are probably as many MADD mothers guilty of that as there are moderate drinkers... perhaps more, because moderate drinkers here know they are potential scapegoats and drive even more carefully after a nip or two.
be-fan, it's not bad to be smart. It's GREAT to be smart. It's bad to THINK that you're smarter than the US Constitution, get elected President, and then go about the business of circumventing the wisdom and the will of our Founding Fathers. Ol' "Slick Willie" might have been smart, but he damn sure wasn't any Jefferson or Washington or Adams, because he applied his intellect toward one purpose only: achieving what he believed best for Bill Clinton, and the rest of the country be damned. Oh, and one other thought: If he was so smart, how the hell did he wind up married to that witch? Hell, he probably should have held out for Monica, stains and all.
It would "help a little" if you'd learn how to spell, and then find a subject about which you know enough to write.
Jucius, I can appreciate your position, and I hope to hell you're right. But from what we've seen lately from China, I doubt that freedom for their people has even crossed their minds. I'm not questioning the advantages of a Linux-based national standard OS... my point is simply this: to whom do the advantages accrue? You can bet your ass it won't be the citizens of China. If the Communist government of China had any interest in granting their citizens any sort of freedom, they'd have done it when Mao took over. It just plain didn't happen, and it's not going to happen now.
Yeah, axllent, those same thoughts were crossing my pinpoint mind when it occured to me, Damn! The way to do this is to create a refrigeration system for the CPU and the MB and, hell, the whole case, that operated on nitrogen instead of freon. And build the computer in a large enough box to handle at least a twelve-pack, and keep 'em frosty! I like the idea! I think I'll build my next box along those lines. (Maybe even have some spare bays a little less cool in which to keep a couple of sandwiches or a chunk of cheese or something).
I tried to access that site and got a sort of "can't access site" message, which I often get. I guess everybody is trying to check it out and keeping it busy. This is a bit off-topic, I know, but if the pop-ups annoy you, just download PopupStopper. It's free and works great!
That the RIAA has the audacity to entertain such notions as this suit is deplorable. The RIAA feeds off US, and not the other way around. Therefore, I think a reasonable goal for consumers to pursue would be to put the RIAA out of business by any means at our disposal. Regardless of the outcome of this suit, or any of their other legal foolishness, they'll get not one more dime from me. Oh, and The RIAA can kiss my HOA (remember Oscar, remember trig functions).