Obviously, it depends on the scale of the organization. I worked for an Internet company of ~50 employees that hired a CEO that came from the entertainment industry. Despite following 8 of the 9 points you mention (he loved having employees fawn over him and kiss his ass), he wasn't a good CEO.
Why? He wasn't a good leader. He could manage> well enough, but he didn't know enough about the tech industry to actually lead the development effort.
Granted, he never went so far as suggesting we use Access (he understood his limitations in that area), but he just didn't know how developers think and that makes all the difference in the world.
Reading this made me think back to my first order from Amazon. It was April 4, 1997 and was a used copy of The Spear of Mars edited by Reginald Bretnor.
Interestingly enough, it wasn't until Sep. 6, 1998 that the book shipped.
Anyone else care to share what/when you ordered first?
Re:Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
on
Blink, Take 2
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
This is actually related to the Zen concept of Mushin - the state of No Mind. Power flows from instinctive wisdom.
"Literally "no mind". A state of cognitive awareness characterized by the absence of discursive thought. A state of mind in which the mind acts/reacts without hypostatization of concepts. MUSHIN is often erroneously taken to be a state of mere spontaneity. Although spontaneity is a feature of MUSHIN, it is not straightforwardly identical with it. It might be said that when in a state of MUSHIN, one is free to use concepts and distinctions without being used by them."
True...that is ONE definition of "gadget." However, accordning to Dictionary.com, the primary definition is "A small specialized mechanical or electronic device; a contrivance." Synonyms listed are "applicance, contraption, contrivance, convenience, gizmo, gismo, widget."
Now, while I don't agree with all of the synonyms, I think the definition is fairly accurate, especially when you add "contrivance" which, by the way, is "something contrived, as a mechanical device or a clever plan."
This essay strikes me as having a very Eastern (particularly Zen and Taoist) angle. Graham acknowledges that students should be concerned not with what might happen in the future, but what can be done now.
His ideas of staying upwind smacks of Taoism and the idea that we should "go with the flow" instead of trying to fight against the current.
And, in particular, his thoughts on how work and play can actually be alike if it weren't for the fact that certain institutions like to drive those thoughts out of our heads, is very close to what Alan Watts was teaching in the 50s and 60s.
I'd say I bounced back. I went into Mass Communications (Public Relations). But now I have an MBA in Tech Management and have been a programmer for over 15 years.
I also calculate positions of asteroids as a hobby...so I'd say I licked that math problem.:)
I came from a mostly liberal-arts type prep school. The path was Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, College Algebra. If you were allowed to take Algebra and Geometry your Freshman year, you took Pre Calculus your Senior year.
Of course, there was also 4 years of Latin, Ancient and Medieval History, British History and all of the other classes sifted around here and there.
Agreed. However, would you not agree that someone with grounding in those disciplines would be better suited to pursue higher learning?
I would think that your example is closer to the truth than saying "I did really well in physics during high school, so I was certain I'd do great as a Medieval History major in university."
The only difference is that, though I thought I did really well in math, I really didn't learn anything.
It sounds funny, but it isn't. I wish I'd known that my math teachers through High School were PE majors and math minors. Going to a small private school in the mid-south, they were all coach/teachers (sometimes in that order).
After I got an A in College Algebra my senior year, I was sure I was ready for the CS curriculum in college. That first week of Calculus proved me wrong. What I learned later was that, despite my grades, I really didn't know math all that well.
That was 22 years ago. I've since picked up higher-level math on my own, but it would have been a lot easier if I'd been given the groundwork ahead of time.
Why is it that all of IBM's activities sound like someone contemplating suicide? First they sell off their "stuff" (the PC division), now they're giving things away.
Next thing, they'll be going around apologizing to everyone for their past transgressions.
The standing rocket at the Visitor Center is not a Saturn V but a Saturn 1B (I think). The model at the center is not as tall or as massive as the Saturn V at the Rocket Center.
Don't forget that the "retail" price of Robosapien was ~ US $129.99. The typical price on the shelf is US $99.99. I bought two as gifts from KMart for US $79.99.
At those prices, you can expect V2 to be found for around US $119.99 on sale.
What is it, Leftenant Sebastian? I'm arranging matches.
"It's the Ecobot II, sir. It's here."
"My God, man! Does it want tea?"
"No, I think it's after something more than that, sir. But I have noticed that all of the flies and apples are gone."
Slashdot Mirror
With all of the RTFM and RTFA retorts around here, I think the best solution to a boring wait is to RTF whatever. Better still, read a book.
Are we getting so wired that we can't just sit still with a bound book and read for half an hour?
Windex...it's good for what ails 'ya.
Obviously, it depends on the scale of the organization. I worked for an Internet company of ~50 employees that hired a CEO that came from the entertainment industry. Despite following 8 of the 9 points you mention (he loved having employees fawn over him and kiss his ass), he wasn't a good CEO.
Why? He wasn't a good leader. He could manage> well enough, but he didn't know enough about the tech industry to actually lead the development effort.
Granted, he never went so far as suggesting we use Access (he understood his limitations in that area), but he just didn't know how developers think and that makes all the difference in the world.
Reading this made me think back to my first order from Amazon. It was April 4, 1997 and was a used copy of The Spear of Mars edited by Reginald Bretnor.
Interestingly enough, it wasn't until Sep. 6, 1998 that the book shipped.
Anyone else care to share what/when you ordered first?
This is actually related to the Zen concept of Mushin - the state of No Mind. Power flows from instinctive wisdom.
"Literally "no mind". A state of cognitive awareness characterized by the absence of discursive thought. A state of mind in which the mind acts/reacts without hypostatization of concepts. MUSHIN is often erroneously taken to be a state of mere spontaneity. Although spontaneity is a feature of MUSHIN, it is not straightforwardly identical with it. It might be said that when in a state of MUSHIN, one is free to use concepts and distinctions without being used by them."
True...that is ONE definition of "gadget." However, accordning to Dictionary.com, the primary definition is "A small specialized mechanical or electronic device; a contrivance." Synonyms listed are "applicance, contraption, contrivance, convenience, gizmo, gismo, widget."
Now, while I don't agree with all of the synonyms, I think the definition is fairly accurate, especially when you add "contrivance" which, by the way, is "something contrived, as a mechanical device or a clever plan."
I'd hate to see the build.xml file for an entire magazine!
This essay strikes me as having a very Eastern (particularly Zen and Taoist) angle. Graham acknowledges that students should be concerned not with what might happen in the future, but what can be done now.
His ideas of staying upwind smacks of Taoism and the idea that we should "go with the flow" instead of trying to fight against the current.
And, in particular, his thoughts on how work and play can actually be alike if it weren't for the fact that certain institutions like to drive those thoughts out of our heads, is very close to what Alan Watts was teaching in the 50s and 60s.
I'd say I bounced back. I went into Mass Communications (Public Relations). But now I have an MBA in Tech Management and have been a programmer for over 15 years.
:)
I also calculate positions of asteroids as a hobby...so I'd say I licked that math problem.
I came from a mostly liberal-arts type prep school. The path was Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, College Algebra. If you were allowed to take Algebra and Geometry your Freshman year, you took Pre Calculus your Senior year.
Of course, there was also 4 years of Latin, Ancient and Medieval History, British History and all of the other classes sifted around here and there.
Actually, Einstein and Newton suffered from http://rarediseases.about.com/cs/aspergersyndrome/ a/041003.htmasperger syndrome.
And if anyone can tell me how to include a URL without displaying the whole damn thing, please do.
Agreed. However, would you not agree that someone with grounding in those disciplines would be better suited to pursue higher learning?
I would think that your example is closer to the truth than saying "I did really well in physics during high school, so I was certain I'd do great as a Medieval History major in university."
The only difference is that, though I thought I did really well in math, I really didn't learn anything.
It sounds funny, but it isn't. I wish I'd known that my math teachers through High School were PE majors and math minors. Going to a small private school in the mid-south, they were all coach/teachers (sometimes in that order).
After I got an A in College Algebra my senior year, I was sure I was ready for the CS curriculum in college. That first week of Calculus proved me wrong. What I learned later was that, despite my grades, I really didn't know math all that well.
That was 22 years ago. I've since picked up higher-level math on my own, but it would have been a lot easier if I'd been given the groundwork ahead of time.
Oh great, in addition to the bigger penis spams, we'll start getting "Live Forever" messages.
AND...we'll be getting them much longer. Jeez!
Air Force pilots don't need pecker pills. Most that I've known are Big Dicks anyway.
Why is it that all of IBM's activities sound like someone contemplating suicide? First they sell off their "stuff" (the PC division), now they're giving things away.
Next thing, they'll be going around apologizing to everyone for their past transgressions.
The standing rocket at the Visitor Center is not a Saturn V but a Saturn 1B (I think). The model at the center is not as tall or as massive as the Saturn V at the Rocket Center.
Don't forget that the "retail" price of Robosapien was ~ US $129.99. The typical price on the shelf is US $99.99. I bought two as gifts from KMart for US $79.99.
At those prices, you can expect V2 to be found for around US $119.99 on sale.
Better still, use it to throw out the drunks. He's a little too short to be a greeter.
I thought R2D2 WAS a canister vacuum.
His notes look the same as mine...sort of a stream of consciousness-based conversation with himself.
What's really bad is when you start taking notes from arguments you have inside your head.
Sorry...it's already been done. They're called Dell Computers.
...the Porsche cars that came with my ca. 1975 slot car set.
What is it, Leftenant Sebastian? I'm arranging matches.
"It's the Ecobot II, sir. It's here."
"My God, man! Does it want tea?"
"No, I think it's after something more than that, sir. But I have noticed that all of the flies and apples are gone."