My life does NOT fucking belong to you, you miserable fucking cretinous pile of fucking garbage. I don't fucking care if you pay me a pittance for spending most of my life at "your" workplace, but hey, you assholes were never noted for gratitude.
I think the parent post demonstrates why excessive monitoring is counterproductive. If an employer creates a work atmosphere in which employees feel repressed by management - morale, motivation, and productivity are going to fall. No matter how much the "I pay you, you do what I say" line is repeated, people are just not that simple. They want to feel appreciated - such feelings lead to dedication - dedication leads to high productivity (in general, there are always exceptions).
When I think about my worst job experience, it was management that made it that way. Quitting that job was an absolute blast. I came in, 2nd in command asks me why I look so happy. I said "Today's my last day!" (big smiles) and then asked if I could leave early. She eventually just told me to go home right then - which made me happier still. This is in a context where the rules were in daily flux, people were terminated on management whim, and our pay-checks were bouncing. I got a little speach about "employee loyalty" - my retort - "what about employer loyalty?" Thinking back to that day always makes me smile - it was just so fun to walk in and show the bastards they had no power over me and I wasn't going to put up with the BS. Why did I feel that way? Because the employees were shown complete disrespect every second of the workday.
So, while so many have the "I pay - you work" sentiment - remember that treating your workers like shit means they'll treat you back in the same manner and love every second of it. Treat your employees with respect, and by and large, they'll be highly loyal.
Wow, a high-tech solution to a low-tech problem. Tourist areas all over the world manage this without PDAs. By having signs in a second language, using the latin alphabet. And where restaurants have cards in multiple languages.
What a waste of electrons.
This statement is amazingly arrogant. It makes sense in high traffic areas to have signs in multiple languages - airports for example. But get out of the big city and there is no good reason to go to the extra expense of additional languages. I've been to Japan 3x, never to Tokyo. Each time I took a complement of dictionaries as well as my Palm device. I, as a visitor to that country, should expect to adapt as best I can. Expecting a little shop in the middle of nowhere to have multilingual capabilities is no more realistic than expecting a 200 person community in the wild's of N. Dakota to have multilingual capabilities. If you are a visitor - YOU adapt.
As for the PDA - it was smaller than a book, easy to fit in a pocket, and made a handy reference source when I needed it but didn't want to lug around a library. A GPS enabled device with mapping would be really cool for getting to a specific address. Road maps are pretty easy to figure out in any language from a city to city vantage point. Getting down to a specific street address level though, that can be tricky.
Oh, and the "latin alpabet" remark. I'm no expert in reading or writing Japanese, but there is one thing even a novice like myself can see - written communication can be incredibly dense. An entire concept can be communicated in a single mark. Not that Japanese doesn't have it's crazy complexities - but English isn't a model of systematic usage either. What would you, Mr. AC, think about "someone who said to you, replace your alphabet with mine - I'm more used to it so it is better?" You'd probably think he was some lazy, arrogant, idiot.
Anyway, I hope the AC never travels and keeps his whole "the world needs to convert to English" attitude to himself.
Actually Bellevue is a small suburb to Gothenburg. And probably a small suburb to any major city. The name is so widely used.
Considering he worked for a long time at Handford (In WA state), I had assumed that the "Bellevue" mentioned is the one near Seattle - a very well-to-do area. I've done no research past my assumption however.
The whole Bellevue reference reminds me of a joke, probably understandable without explanation only to those of us in the Pacific Northwest:
Q: What is a Bellvue woman's favorite position in bed?
Just because you are arrested doesn't prove you are actually guilty of anything. That's what we have courts for.
This reminds me of something I heard once. If you see a guy riding in the back of a police car, do you think: A) "I wonder he did?" or B) "I wonder why that presumably innocent person is in the back of the police car?" I completely agree with you - that being arrested is not proof of guilt. Yet when I see a person in the back of a cop car, I immediately think "A" and then have to remind myself of "B". It's hard work to not jump to conclusion.
That's the point of switching cards - then the purchases look like they track to a single person but in fact, track to someone else. In this way, the data is poisoned because a supermarket assumes the data belongs to one person, not a series of random people.
I've often thought about a website devoted to courtesy card havoc.
Brilliant! I've had a similar idea but I think yours is easier and more effective (multiple numbers in use at once) than mine was (mail card with SASE to volunteer who takes your card and replaces it with the same "brand" from some other sender). Changing the bar code to a single number everyone uses is way better and much simpler.
Of course, how long before the cease and desist letter was mailed?
Host in China or Tuvalu or something like that. Couldn't be very pricey - just instructions for printing a bar code onto a label with pre-fab b&W jpeg.
I don't think most people care their information is being sold away. It's really not that big of a deal.
I care.
That's why I trade supermarket "coupon" cards whenever I get a chance. It is better than avoiding the cards because trading has the potential to poison the data collection. If I simply refuse, they have a valid data set on those who use the cards (most people). But poisoned data can be dangerous if used as the basis for financial decisions. I'd love it if people made card trading a regular process.
And don't give me any lip about "improving customer service by stocking the right items". Stores have been able to track their stock - what sells and what doesn't for ages. There really is no valid reason for the store to know exactly what I purchase individually. They can get the stock right by looking at things on a storewide level.
All I get is alphaone starting, then complaining it lacks maps etc. How does this install in linux? It's making feel like an idiot. The only help I can find is in ages old versions, and the current one seems only to have any install info if you DL the source from sourcforge. Of course, it says to do a "./configure, make, make install"... except there is no configure file. You have to run automake first (no mention of this anywhere), but unfortunately, it fails to generate a config file. Oh, and all you can get from the main site seems to be an RPM, which installs fine, but won't run without the maps, sounds, etc. So I DL those, except, there is absolutely no clue whatsoever as to where to stick these. In the old versions, the default was/usr/local/share/AlephOne/.... tried that, no go. In the OSX version you have to put the maps etc. in the same directory as the game engine, so I tried doing that on my linux box and run it from that directory - no go. I'm just at a loss as to how to run this despite googling for help. Now, someone please explain to me that I'm an idiot and all I have to do is A, B, and C.
I don't like it how people see the books as the ultimate truth of how to tell the story
If a book comes before a movie - it is the ultimate truth of how to tell a story (and vice versa). The plot in LOTR is a common one - strong bad guys defeated by underdog good guys through war, cunning, and luck. However, it is the details of the story which are all important. LOTR plot is very similar to Star Wars, but would it still be Tolkein's LOTR if Jackson gave Frodo a light saber? It glows blue like Sting - what difference does it make?
I can't forgive Jackson for the unnecessary changes to the book. If Jackson had made his movie as a Tolkein-esque epic, without pretending to try to tell the story of LOTR, I could have enjoyed the movies. But as it was, I went in expecting LOTR, and walked out with a feeling somewhat akin to hangover - confused, dazed, and bitter.
I wanted to like it. I tried to like it. In the end, it was too different to be called LOTR, and too close to be considered an interesting but different story.
I don't think he would understand the question. He seemed to be having a tough time at it.
This is humorous on one level. Let me comment on the serious level though. I think RMS was simply trying to avoid any confusion. I'm a lawyer, and before a witness testifies, I make certain they understand one thing very clearly - never answer a question you don't fully understand. 100% of the time, it is a mistake to give an answer to what you think or guess the question was driving at. The risk of being misunderstood, then later being branded a "liar" (and people do love to be vicious) far outweighs the risks associated with asking for clarification. It is the questioner's job to ask a clear question and if there is any part that is not understood - there is only one correct answer: "I don't understand the question." I'm also aware that interviewers/reporters for media of various kinds, practically always get facts wrong/misquote etc. My guess, RMS has been bitten in the past answering a question he thought was about X, when the questioner thought it was about Y. So, I don't hold it against him that he asked for clarification - it was the only thing he could do to ensure that his ideas were communicated clearly.
How do the looks of this thing outdo Apple's?
This thing is just a black box with a handle and a color LCD display. Compare that to the current and previous iMacs.
Agreed. The issue with almost all PC hardware is that it is overpowered by a sort of "mechwarrior" sensibility. And while this might look cool in anime, it doesn't really translate well to real life. I'm typing this on a brand new ibook - the design is very clean. I would like it even better without the apple logo lighting up on the front. On the other hand, the featured case is at best OK - the handle on top looks overdone and would make stacking stuff on it hard - the design is definitely not enhancing function. The multicolored LCD display is gaudy and confusing - like many stereos in the late 80s (and likely newer ones as well - I stopped looking after college). Finally, even Mac has put out some butt ugly junk (round base imacs for example - looks like it is trying too hard to be stylish). Some of the best looking stuff around (and to be fair - some of the worst) is on the mini-itx projects pages.
When I die, I wouldn't want any one to find my pr0n. Someone needs to create encrypted mpeg/divx.
Encryption is intersting unless you want to keep the data secret for all time. Eventually, computers will become so fast that your puny little present day key will fall to a brute force attack in seconds. I'd reccomend automated hardware destruction (time bomb with resettable clock).
I backup in the proprietary format of my e-mail program, but I also export to html.
One thing I like about Kmail is that the emails are simply stored as individual text files. Kmail could dissapear, but the messages are all viewable in the simpelest text viewers, no conversion necessary. That level of simplicity is in actuality, a fantastic feature.
What utter bullshit. They expect us to run to the store, look at the product, run home, read the EULA, then run back to the store to buy it? Yeah, right...
Presumably, one could buy the product, see the EULA url through the clear plastic wrap, go home, read the EULA on the internet without opening the package, and then open the package and use it or decide to return it unopened. Although this is somewhat difficult if the software is an OS and there are no other computers available (knoppix to the rescue?).
Alternatively, stores could put out a net connected computer that customers could use to read the EULA.
As for the EULAs being understandable however as another poster hoped, I would hesitate to place even a penny or two on that bet.
Caffine wakes you up, gives you more energy, speeds up your metabolism, and gives you a headache.
I wish! (except for the headache part). Coffee has no affect on me except in really high doses, and even then, none of the positive ones. So, I can drink a latte then hit the sack, fall asleep in 15 minutes. That part is ok - coffee tastes good. But it doesn't do a thing for me in the morning, it doesn't do a thing for me if I'm trying to stay awake. If I drank 5 or 6 espressos in a row to tru staying up, I'd get shakey hands, then fall asleep.
How quiet is it? Having just got a DLP Samsung (delivery Friday so returning is still a snap) which was a bit more, I'm really curious. How about the LCD grid - is it noticeable? Ok - off to google on this....
Slashdot Mirror
I think the parent post demonstrates why excessive monitoring is counterproductive. If an employer creates a work atmosphere in which employees feel repressed by management - morale, motivation, and productivity are going to fall. No matter how much the "I pay you, you do what I say" line is repeated, people are just not that simple. They want to feel appreciated - such feelings lead to dedication - dedication leads to high productivity (in general, there are always exceptions).
When I think about my worst job experience, it was management that made it that way. Quitting that job was an absolute blast. I came in, 2nd in command asks me why I look so happy. I said "Today's my last day!" (big smiles) and then asked if I could leave early. She eventually just told me to go home right then - which made me happier still. This is in a context where the rules were in daily flux, people were terminated on management whim, and our pay-checks were bouncing. I got a little speach about "employee loyalty" - my retort - "what about employer loyalty?" Thinking back to that day always makes me smile - it was just so fun to walk in and show the bastards they had no power over me and I wasn't going to put up with the BS. Why did I feel that way? Because the employees were shown complete disrespect every second of the workday.
So, while so many have the "I pay - you work" sentiment - remember that treating your workers like shit means they'll treat you back in the same manner and love every second of it. Treat your employees with respect, and by and large, they'll be highly loyal.
What a waste of electrons.
This statement is amazingly arrogant. It makes sense in high traffic areas to have signs in multiple languages - airports for example. But get out of the big city and there is no good reason to go to the extra expense of additional languages. I've been to Japan 3x, never to Tokyo. Each time I took a complement of dictionaries as well as my Palm device. I, as a visitor to that country, should expect to adapt as best I can. Expecting a little shop in the middle of nowhere to have multilingual capabilities is no more realistic than expecting a 200 person community in the wild's of N. Dakota to have multilingual capabilities. If you are a visitor - YOU adapt.
As for the PDA - it was smaller than a book, easy to fit in a pocket, and made a handy reference source when I needed it but didn't want to lug around a library. A GPS enabled device with mapping would be really cool for getting to a specific address. Road maps are pretty easy to figure out in any language from a city to city vantage point. Getting down to a specific street address level though, that can be tricky.
Oh, and the "latin alpabet" remark. I'm no expert in reading or writing Japanese, but there is one thing even a novice like myself can see - written communication can be incredibly dense. An entire concept can be communicated in a single mark. Not that Japanese doesn't have it's crazy complexities - but English isn't a model of systematic usage either. What would you, Mr. AC, think about "someone who said to you, replace your alphabet with mine - I'm more used to it so it is better?" You'd probably think he was some lazy, arrogant, idiot.
Anyway, I hope the AC never travels and keeps his whole "the world needs to convert to English" attitude to himself.
Especially if that includes most of Washington, D.C...
It's a joke. Laugh.
If you took out the "It's a joke" part, you'd probably get modded insightful
Considering he worked for a long time at Handford (In WA state), I had assumed that the "Bellevue" mentioned is the one near Seattle - a very well-to-do area. I've done no research past my assumption however.
The whole Bellevue reference reminds me of a joke, probably understandable without explanation only to those of us in the Pacific Northwest:
A: Facing Nordstroms (*).
(*) Nordstroms is a pricey Department store.
This reminds me of something I heard once. If you see a guy riding in the back of a police car, do you think: A) "I wonder he did?" or B) "I wonder why that presumably innocent person is in the back of the police car?" I completely agree with you - that being arrested is not proof of guilt. Yet when I see a person in the back of a cop car, I immediately think "A" and then have to remind myself of "B". It's hard work to not jump to conclusion.
AC post burried - best part (barcode generator)
My present Haggen Card collection is:
4 01700 62701 4
4 01800 02927 5
Free for anyone to use.
That's the point of switching cards - then the purchases look like they track to a single person but in fact, track to someone else. In this way, the data is poisoned because a supermarket assumes the data belongs to one person, not a series of random people.
Brilliant! I've had a similar idea but I think yours is easier and more effective (multiple numbers in use at once) than mine was (mail card with SASE to volunteer who takes your card and replaces it with the same "brand" from some other sender). Changing the bar code to a single number everyone uses is way better and much simpler.
Host in China or Tuvalu or something like that. Couldn't be very pricey - just instructions for printing a bar code onto a label with pre-fab b&W jpeg.
Thank's Brassman! I got it going. Knucklehead move on my part not to read the obviously named "start"!
I care.
That's why I trade supermarket "coupon" cards whenever I get a chance. It is better than avoiding the cards because trading has the potential to poison the data collection. If I simply refuse, they have a valid data set on those who use the cards (most people). But poisoned data can be dangerous if used as the basis for financial decisions. I'd love it if people made card trading a regular process.
And don't give me any lip about "improving customer service by stocking the right items". Stores have been able to track their stock - what sells and what doesn't for ages. There really is no valid reason for the store to know exactly what I purchase individually. They can get the stock right by looking at things on a storewide level.
All I get is alphaone starting, then complaining it lacks maps etc. How does this install in linux? It's making feel like an idiot. The only help I can find is in ages old versions, and the current one seems only to have any install info if you DL the source from sourcforge. Of course, it says to do a "./configure, make, make install" ... except there is no configure file. You have to run automake first (no mention of this anywhere), but unfortunately, it fails to generate a config file. Oh, and all you can get from the main site seems to be an RPM, which installs fine, but won't run without the maps, sounds, etc. So I DL those, except, there is absolutely no clue whatsoever as to where to stick these. In the old versions, the default was /usr/local/share/AlephOne/ .... tried that, no go. In the OSX version you have to put the maps etc. in the same directory as the game engine, so I tried doing that on my linux box and run it from that directory - no go. I'm just at a loss as to how to run this despite googling for help. Now, someone please explain to me that I'm an idiot and all I have to do is A, B, and C.
If a book comes before a movie - it is the ultimate truth of how to tell a story (and vice versa). The plot in LOTR is a common one - strong bad guys defeated by underdog good guys through war, cunning, and luck. However, it is the details of the story which are all important. LOTR plot is very similar to Star Wars, but would it still be Tolkein's LOTR if Jackson gave Frodo a light saber? It glows blue like Sting - what difference does it make?
I can't forgive Jackson for the unnecessary changes to the book. If Jackson had made his movie as a Tolkein-esque epic, without pretending to try to tell the story of LOTR, I could have enjoyed the movies. But as it was, I went in expecting LOTR, and walked out with a feeling somewhat akin to hangover - confused, dazed, and bitter.
I wanted to like it. I tried to like it. In the end, it was too different to be called LOTR, and too close to be considered an interesting but different story.
Darn it! I knew I shoulda used "A" and "B".
This is humorous on one level. Let me comment on the serious level though. I think RMS was simply trying to avoid any confusion. I'm a lawyer, and before a witness testifies, I make certain they understand one thing very clearly - never answer a question you don't fully understand. 100% of the time, it is a mistake to give an answer to what you think or guess the question was driving at. The risk of being misunderstood, then later being branded a "liar" (and people do love to be vicious) far outweighs the risks associated with asking for clarification. It is the questioner's job to ask a clear question and if there is any part that is not understood - there is only one correct answer: "I don't understand the question." I'm also aware that interviewers/reporters for media of various kinds, practically always get facts wrong/misquote etc. My guess, RMS has been bitten in the past answering a question he thought was about X, when the questioner thought it was about Y. So, I don't hold it against him that he asked for clarification - it was the only thing he could do to ensure that his ideas were communicated clearly.
From the summary (the part under the ad):
So apparently, there are no assumptions being made about the other guy being angry.
This is perhaps the most interesting and lucid comment I've ever read on slashdot. My hat's off to you sir.
Agreed. The issue with almost all PC hardware is that it is overpowered by a sort of "mechwarrior" sensibility. And while this might look cool in anime, it doesn't really translate well to real life. I'm typing this on a brand new ibook - the design is very clean. I would like it even better without the apple logo lighting up on the front. On the other hand, the featured case is at best OK - the handle on top looks overdone and would make stacking stuff on it hard - the design is definitely not enhancing function. The multicolored LCD display is gaudy and confusing - like many stereos in the late 80s (and likely newer ones as well - I stopped looking after college). Finally, even Mac has put out some butt ugly junk (round base imacs for example - looks like it is trying too hard to be stylish). Some of the best looking stuff around (and to be fair - some of the worst) is on the mini-itx projects pages.
-
Encryption is intersting unless you want to keep the data secret for all time. Eventually, computers will become so fast that your puny little present day key will fall to a brute force attack in seconds. I'd reccomend automated hardware destruction (time bomb with resettable clock).When I die, I wouldn't want any one to find my pr0n. Someone needs to create encrypted mpeg/divx.
One thing I like about Kmail is that the emails are simply stored as individual text files. Kmail could dissapear, but the messages are all viewable in the simpelest text viewers, no conversion necessary. That level of simplicity is in actuality, a fantastic feature.
I appreciate the info - I'll follow up with your suggestions.
Presumably, one could buy the product, see the EULA url through the clear plastic wrap, go home, read the EULA on the internet without opening the package, and then open the package and use it or decide to return it unopened. Although this is somewhat difficult if the software is an OS and there are no other computers available (knoppix to the rescue?).
Alternatively, stores could put out a net connected computer that customers could use to read the EULA.
As for the EULAs being understandable however as another poster hoped, I would hesitate to place even a penny or two on that bet.
I wish! (except for the headache part). Coffee has no affect on me except in really high doses, and even then, none of the positive ones. So, I can drink a latte then hit the sack, fall asleep in 15 minutes. That part is ok - coffee tastes good. But it doesn't do a thing for me in the morning, it doesn't do a thing for me if I'm trying to stay awake. If I drank 5 or 6 espressos in a row to tru staying up, I'd get shakey hands, then fall asleep.
Caffeine is way overrated.
How quiet is it? Having just got a DLP Samsung (delivery Friday so returning is still a snap) which was a bit more, I'm really curious. How about the LCD grid - is it noticeable? Ok - off to google on this ....
Nice FUD sig. I'm so scared of your references to worms from 3 years ago.