What is really remarkable here is that we put up with it. I would not at all be surprised to see some sort of revolt...perhaps a forced "open-sourcing" of a companies software by disgruntled employees.
What employers HAVE to realize, and soon, is that as "fun" as you make a work environment, at the end of the day, we are all human beings, not automatons and we you mistreat the body, the mind breaks as well.
An upswing in unionization is coming, for better or for worse. Conditions in some high-tech workplaces are deplorable...workers rights are nearly nonexistent. To make matters worse there is a growing disparity between the haves and the have-nots even in the same companies. The management is getting wealthy, the top few workers have the stock options to hopefully keep themselves fed into retirement, but the helpdesk staff, and non-coders in these companies are crying out for equality.
I'm also noticing a huge trend toward segmented news pages on the internet...no longer is it normal to have one "newspaper" to have 15 or 20 different section, everything from Arts & Lifestyles to Workplace. Rather, places like Slashdot (and self-promotionally, GeekRights are picking a specfic segment of newsworthy items under a single broad (and not-so-broad) topic and delivering all the news they can find regarding it.
On one hand it allows those interested to really have all the news they can on this one topic, on the other, it tends to specialize people, which can be a deathwish in conversations and situations outside of the topic.
Haven't we all seen those people who will talk of nothing other than their one favorite thing?
I believe the person stating this is possible is entirely right, and I've drawn up a quick diagram showing how I mean. Please take a look at http://www.geekrights.org/headconf.jpg
It shows the configuration of 4 heads, each able to reach into the center of the disk.
Slashdot Mirror
What employers HAVE to realize, and soon, is that as "fun" as you make a work environment, at the end of the day, we are all human beings, not automatons and we you mistreat the body, the mind breaks as well.
An upswing in unionization is coming, for better or for worse. Conditions in some high-tech workplaces are deplorable...workers rights are nearly nonexistent. To make matters worse there is a growing disparity between the haves and the have-nots even in the same companies. The management is getting wealthy, the top few workers have the stock options to hopefully keep themselves fed into retirement, but the helpdesk staff, and non-coders in these companies are crying out for equality.
TheGeek
http://www.geekrights.org
I'm also noticing a huge trend toward segmented news pages on the internet...no longer is it normal to have one "newspaper" to have 15 or 20 different section, everything from Arts & Lifestyles to Workplace. Rather, places like Slashdot (and self-promotionally, GeekRights are picking a specfic segment of newsworthy items under a single broad (and not-so-broad) topic and delivering all the news they can find regarding it.
On one hand it allows those interested to really have all the news they can on this one topic, on the other, it tends to specialize people, which can be a deathwish in conversations and situations outside of the topic.
Haven't we all seen those people who will talk of nothing other than their one favorite thing?
TheGeek
http://www.geekrights.org
It shows the configuration of 4 heads, each able to reach into the center of the disk.
TheGeek