A couple of things that you might try are taking classes and volunteering.
There are lots of various classes that you can take. You've already identified dance classes, but any sort of class in something that you have some vague interest would be a good way to meet people. I've met some really nice people in pottery and cooking classes. In Houston, there's an outfit called Leisure Learning that serves as a clearing house for some classes on various topics. There may be something similar wherever you are going.
I'd stay away from the distance learning stuff mainly because you don't actually get out and meet people that way.
Another option is to find some volunteer work todo. For example, volunteer at a local hospital or shelter. You'll feel better going out, meeting people, and helping others. Seems like there are more women than men who volunteer anway, so if you're a guy who wants to meet women, that's a good avenue. For example, the most recent orientation class at the animal shelter where I volunteer had about 40 or so new female volunteers and one new male volunteer.
I've seen this sort of lecture discussion during conference sessions using Hydra (a collaborative editor available for Mac OS X). A group of us ended up having a parallel discussion about the conference topic while the session was ongoing and at the same time the session moderator used Hydra to take notes.
The process was quite interesting and helpful for me since it allowed me to interact with other participants and gain new perspectives on the session topic.
I could see how a lecturer might not appreciate Hydra, blogging or anything else like it since it could basically be a way to silently pass notes, chat, and otherwise not pay attention to the lecture. But, there isn't much the lecturer can really do other than making it important to listen and pay attention.
Ummm... About the ideas using swamp coolers, regular ice or some other scheme that will end up increasing the humidity in the room.
Won't condensation be a problem if the humidity of the room gets too high? I would imagine that having the water vapor condense on the rack mounted equipment won't be a good thing!
The key thing, as others have identified, is to use color + something. Or, put another way, something + color.
The something can be things like line weight, line pattern, object/symbol shape, position, and/or font style.
A good example is that links are typically in a different color *and* they are underlined.
For a row of status "lights", you might have a lower and an upper set of "lights" (really, round icons) where the lower one is green and the upper one is red. To make things really clear, add labels to the left of each row.
I've been in a couple of merger situations. Though none quite so lopsided.
Be prepared to accept changes in how you work, what you work on, and that you won't be an independent group any more. Some of these changes will be positive, others will be decidedly less so. Only fight the changes that really matter since fighting them all will be futile and frustrating. And, keep in mind that one of the changes may be that you are out on your own again (voluntarily or otherwise).
But, in any case, having the right attitude can really help. Having a positive and helpful attitude will make the difference between being miserable and thriving.
There are plenty of old planes without a fly by wire system or even significant electronics but can still carry a large load. So, a terrorist could just acquire a DC-3, DC-6, or even early jets (707, early 737s, 727's), and load them up with explosives of choice and defeat the system.
But, why bother with planes? Sure, planes are flashy, and they were destructive without adding explosives. But, what about taking over tanker trucks full of gasoline or dangerous chemicals and crashing those into soft targets? Or, if you have the explosives, do the old car bomb trick, but with a very large truck. Seems like that has been done before in Oklahoma. The point is that they don't need to bother with planes.
Just a comment about the "Funny, they don't seem to always know where to deliver so-called first-class mail..." remark.
Have I had mail lost? Yes. Is it annoying? Yes.
But, think about how amazing it is about what the USPS does right. It moves billions of pieces of mail every day, and almost all of it (percentage wise) gets to where it should be going in spite of the fact that not every piece of mail can be automatically routed and multiple people end up looking at it at one point or another. And, in spite of the price increases, I can still send a letter anywhere in the US for 37c and it'll usually get there within a 2-3 days.
Sure, dealling with the post office is a pain occasionally, and they do lose some mail. But, when I think about the scope and scale of what they do right, it does boggle my mind.
Given that the G5's probably won't ship until late August or September anyway, I don't think that shipping will be an issue. Also, you might very well be able to get an educational discount if you by from the university's computer store when you get there.
But, save the computer box and foam inserts when you need to return for the summer. It'll be a slight pain to save in the dorms, but the original box and foam inserts will be the best shipping materials that you can use short of the heavy duty shipping containers.
Kingmaker is a 1970's era board game from what was Avalon Hill. Here is a link to an article on the board game version: http://www.diplomacy-archive.com/resources/other_g ames/kingmaker.htm
The computer version came out in 1994 (http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?name=Kingma ker). Given the Avalon Hill died, I wonder if the source code even exists any more.:-(
Airlines operate on incredibly slim operating margins (2-8% of revenue). A fleet of planes that costs 25% less to run could result in a huge increase in profits.
Similarly, just implementing a good revenue management system could result in a 4-8% increase in revenue which could make the difference between profit and loss. Revenue management systems are the reason that ticket prices are so crazy sometimes.
Of course, if the personnel costs are too high (like United), nothing will help.
I've been in a similar situation (though not quite as bad when I left). The client was insisting on at least 50 hrs a week billable (+ travel), and there was no real incentive for my employer to refuse since anything above 40 hrs a week was pure profit for them. A couple of months after we moved to 50 hrs a week billable (+ travel), I quit, and the two other original consultants quit a little while later (when the number of hours was increased again).
I'd recommend that you remember that you are in a marathon (and not a sprint) and try to pace yourself. The time that you're working 12/7 will be >6 weeks (if things go like usual), and you won't be properly compensated for the time invested (no matter what perks). But, given the current job market, I'd recommend sticking with the current job until you find a new one.
Start looking for that new job and pace yourself for now.
What if the government admitted that they had been covering up the fact that they have an intact alien spaceship?
Well, the conspiracy theorists would say, "Aha! I knew it!"
But, they'd also add, "And the government is covering up the fact that they have more than one spaceship. And that they have this... And that they did that... And that..."
It's a no win situation. Nothing will be enough for the diehard conspiracy theorists. Even if the report admitted *everything* including some damning items, the conspiracy theorists would claim that there was more being hidden.
Looks like typing speed will be pretty slow and the poor thumb will get too much of a work out (typing thumb?). I'd be really concerned about the increased chance for repetitive stress injuries for the thumb and palm.
I've been in a couple of situations where we were all pretty unhappy. But, both times, most of us found new positions (in different companies) before quitting so we ended up quitting in succession rather than all at once.
In the current environment, I'd suggest finding a landing spot before jumping. I quit my last job without having a landing spot secured, but that was 3 years ago, and it was only 2 weeks before I found a new position.
I've seen a variant of this where the company replaces the development team every 12-24 months and each successive team says the "man this is a mess. I can't see why they used this design, we need to start over." At last note, the company still doesn't have a working product or a firm customer...
The story probably is propoganda by the South Koreans, *BUT* there is a marked difference between what the miliary gets and what civilians get. The ruling party and the military apparently get an amazingly high percentage of the resources in the country. So, while the rest of the country starves in the dark, the military eats well and probably has the lights on all the time. So, if the military wants to have a hacker school, they probably can afford to devote the resources to it. So what if a few hundred thousand peasants need to shiver in the dark!
There was a very interesting documentary special on Cinemax last month about a visit to North Korea. Sounds like quite a surreal place.
There are many games which probably sounded good on paper at a rough or even a detailed level, but end up being very poorly received because they just aren't fun or they just don't work.
For example, Pool of Radiance (the neweest version) probably sounded great on paper. Existing setting, new (at the time) technology, good initial game design concept. But, the execution fell flat and the game flopped because the quality wasn't there and the game just wasn't much fun.
Having a really detailed game design probably would help improve the really, really, small chances, but just having a small, back of the envelope concept probably isn't enough to get a company to risk hundreds of thousands (small team) to millions (larger team) unless they have more to go on.
Of course, the above doesn't explain some of the games that you just have to wonder what the grand poobahs were smoking when they approved making the game....
Slashdot Mirror
A couple of things that you might try are taking classes and volunteering.
There are lots of various classes that you can take. You've already identified dance classes, but any sort of class in something that you have some vague interest would be a good way to meet people. I've met some really nice people in pottery and cooking classes. In Houston, there's an outfit called Leisure Learning that serves as a clearing house for some classes on various topics. There may be something similar wherever you are going.
I'd stay away from the distance learning stuff mainly because you don't actually get out and meet people that way.
Another option is to find some volunteer work todo. For example, volunteer at a local hospital or shelter. You'll feel better going out, meeting people, and helping others. Seems like there are more women than men who volunteer anway, so if you're a guy who wants to meet women, that's a good avenue. For example, the most recent orientation class at the animal shelter where I volunteer had about 40 or so new female volunteers and one new male volunteer.
Good luck!
I've seen this sort of lecture discussion during conference sessions using Hydra (a collaborative editor available for Mac OS X). A group of us ended up having a parallel discussion about the conference topic while the session was ongoing and at the same time the session moderator used Hydra to take notes.
The process was quite interesting and helpful for me since it allowed me to interact with other participants and gain new perspectives on the session topic.
I could see how a lecturer might not appreciate Hydra, blogging or anything else like it since it could basically be a way to silently pass notes, chat, and otherwise not pay attention to the lecture. But, there isn't much the lecturer can really do other than making it important to listen and pay attention.
Ummm... About the ideas using swamp coolers, regular ice or some other scheme that will end up increasing the humidity in the room.
Won't condensation be a problem if the humidity of the room gets too high? I would imagine that having the water vapor condense on the rack mounted equipment won't be a good thing!
The key thing, as others have identified, is to use color + something. Or, put another way, something + color.
The something can be things like line weight, line pattern, object/symbol shape, position, and/or font style.
A good example is that links are typically in a different color *and* they are underlined.
For a row of status "lights", you might have a lower and an upper set of "lights" (really, round icons) where the lower one is green and the upper one is red. To make things really clear, add labels to the left of each row.
I've been in a couple of merger situations. Though none quite so lopsided.
Be prepared to accept changes in how you work, what you work on, and that you won't be an independent group any more. Some of these changes will be positive, others will be decidedly less so. Only fight the changes that really matter since fighting them all will be futile and frustrating. And, keep in mind that one of the changes may be that you are out on your own again (voluntarily or otherwise).
But, in any case, having the right attitude can really help. Having a positive and helpful attitude will make the difference between being miserable and thriving.
Good luck!
There are plenty of old planes without a fly by wire system or even significant electronics but can still carry a large load. So, a terrorist could just acquire a DC-3, DC-6, or even early jets (707, early 737s, 727's), and load them up with explosives of choice and defeat the system.
But, why bother with planes? Sure, planes are flashy, and they were destructive without adding explosives. But, what about taking over tanker trucks full of gasoline or dangerous chemicals and crashing those into soft targets? Or, if you have the explosives, do the old car bomb trick, but with a very large truck. Seems like that has been done before in Oklahoma. The point is that they don't need to bother with planes.
Just a comment about the "Funny, they don't seem to always know where to deliver so-called first-class mail ..." remark.
Have I had mail lost? Yes. Is it annoying? Yes.
But, think about how amazing it is about what the USPS does right. It moves billions of pieces of mail every day, and almost all of it (percentage wise) gets to where it should be going in spite of the fact that not every piece of mail can be automatically routed and multiple people end up looking at it at one point or another. And, in spite of the price increases, I can still send a letter anywhere in the US for 37c and it'll usually get there within a 2-3 days.
Sure, dealling with the post office is a pain occasionally, and they do lose some mail. But, when I think about the scope and scale of what they do right, it does boggle my mind.
Given that the G5's probably won't ship until late August or September anyway, I don't think that shipping will be an issue. Also, you might very well be able to get an educational discount if you by from the university's computer store when you get there.
But, save the computer box and foam inserts when you need to return for the summer. It'll be a slight pain to save in the dorms, but the original box and foam inserts will be the best shipping materials that you can use short of the heavy duty shipping containers.
Kingmaker is a 1970's era board game from what was Avalon Hill. Here is a link to an article on the board game version: http://www.diplomacy-archive.com/resources/other_g ames/kingmaker.htm
a ker). Given the Avalon Hill died, I wonder if the source code even exists any more. :-(
The computer version came out in 1994 (http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?name=Kingm
Airlines operate on incredibly slim operating margins (2-8% of revenue). A fleet of planes that costs 25% less to run could result in a huge increase in profits.
Similarly, just implementing a good revenue management system could result in a 4-8% increase in revenue which could make the difference between profit and loss. Revenue management systems are the reason that ticket prices are so crazy sometimes.
Of course, if the personnel costs are too high (like United), nothing will help.
I've been in a similar situation (though not quite as bad when I left). The client was insisting on at least 50 hrs a week billable (+ travel), and there was no real incentive for my employer to refuse since anything above 40 hrs a week was pure profit for them. A couple of months after we moved to 50 hrs a week billable (+ travel), I quit, and the two other original consultants quit a little while later (when the number of hours was increased again).
I'd recommend that you remember that you are in a marathon (and not a sprint) and try to pace yourself. The time that you're working 12/7 will be >6 weeks (if things go like usual), and you won't be properly compensated for the time invested (no matter what perks). But, given the current job market, I'd recommend sticking with the current job until you find a new one.
Start looking for that new job and pace yourself for now.
What if the government admitted that they had been covering up the fact that they have an intact alien spaceship?
Well, the conspiracy theorists would say, "Aha! I knew it!"
But, they'd also add, "And the government is covering up the fact that they have more than one spaceship. And that they have this... And that they did that... And that..."
It's a no win situation. Nothing will be enough for the diehard conspiracy theorists. Even if the report admitted *everything* including some damning items, the conspiracy theorists would claim that there was more being hidden.
The 17" PowerBooks have been shipping for some time. My friend's eldest son has had one since April (ordered from the online Apple Store).
9+ hrs in the same spot? His name should have been "Bladder of Steel"!
Or, [shudder] was there a large puddle at his feet?
Looks like typing speed will be pretty slow and the poor thumb will get too much of a work out (typing thumb?). I'd be really concerned about the increased chance for repetitive stress injuries for the thumb and palm.
I'd love to, but they'd realize that it's been over 12 months and just replace the team again if I did.
I've been in a couple of situations where we were all pretty unhappy. But, both times, most of us found new positions (in different companies) before quitting so we ended up quitting in succession rather than all at once.
In the current environment, I'd suggest finding a landing spot before jumping. I quit my last job without having a landing spot secured, but that was 3 years ago, and it was only 2 weeks before I found a new position.
I've seen a variant of this where the company replaces the development team every 12-24 months and each successive team says the "man this is a mess. I can't see why they used this design, we need to start over." At last note, the company still doesn't have a working product or a firm customer...
The story probably is propoganda by the South Koreans, *BUT* there is a marked difference between what the miliary gets and what civilians get. The ruling party and the military apparently get an amazingly high percentage of the resources in the country. So, while the rest of the country starves in the dark, the military eats well and probably has the lights on all the time. So, if the military wants to have a hacker school, they probably can afford to devote the resources to it. So what if a few hundred thousand peasants need to shiver in the dark!
There was a very interesting documentary special on Cinemax last month about a visit to North Korea. Sounds like quite a surreal place.
There are many games which probably sounded good on paper at a rough or even a detailed level, but end up being very poorly received because they just aren't fun or they just don't work.
For example, Pool of Radiance (the neweest version) probably sounded great on paper. Existing setting, new (at the time) technology, good initial game design concept. But, the execution fell flat and the game flopped because the quality wasn't there and the game just wasn't much fun.
Having a really detailed game design probably would help improve the really, really, small chances, but just having a small, back of the envelope concept probably isn't enough to get a company to risk hundreds of thousands (small team) to millions (larger team) unless they have more to go on.
Of course, the above doesn't explain some of the games that you just have to wonder what the grand poobahs were smoking when they approved making the game....