and everyone will get a [very short] part whether they want it or not.
I've listened to the idea that Nature will again do something to thin out the human race at some point. Our population is getting out of hand. Humans have managed to infest every corner of the planet and they are eating up all the resources they can find. It has been a long time since we have had a really good die-off. Readers here will be aware that the human race has suffered large population decreases in the past due to diseases and what not. This current Ebola thing isn't going to do it. Gruesome it may be but not going to make a big dent.
So maybe this is the one: deep down we are so amazingly stupid, we will engineer our own demise. Build a bunch of autonomous, learning robots whose sole job it is to kill humans. We've read so many sci-fi novels that the outcome is obvious. But some military genius figures we must "win" at all costs. And the price will be quite high.
At some not-so-far-in-the-future point a person who is [still] self-driving their car is going run over someone else and kill them. There will be public hysteria and the knee-jerk reaction will be to completely outlaw the use of cars that are not auto-driven.
safety at all costs.
-g
In our large, socially disconnected and hurry up society, using a universal method like a credit report as a background check is a great way to mitigate risk.
we have become horribly risk averse. when the only thing being measured is number of failures, the bureaucracy will do everything possible to remove the risk of failure. Thus, if you have the wrong DNA, or the wrong credit number, you are not worth the risk.
er...
You are a little late. The 'layoffs' were announced about a week ago. They are being referred to as voluntary severance (an employee may choose to leave with severance pay) to be followed by layoffs if not enough people choose the voluntary severance. The contractors that become collateral damage in this are just let go. No severance pkg.
[disclosure: I live in Boise and have friends who are employees and 'contractors' for hp]
hp (in Boise) uses a couple of contract places to hire people through, mostly to test printers and printer firmware. The postings on Monster and other places make it look like you will be an employee of hp. But no, you will be hired through a temp agency and given crapy benefits. Then you go to work every day at the hp site and do whatever they tell you to do. They do not hire you for a specific set job, ie - a contract. You are a non-employee being treated like an employee w/o benefits.
I not surprised this is happening. Even though we all know the only one that will see any money from this is the lawyer.
Slashdot Mirror
Why are people assuming this is a true story from the past? Maybe it happens in the future and we are just now hearing about it.
and everyone will get a [very short] part whether they want it or not.
I've listened to the idea that Nature will again do something to thin out the human race at some point. Our population is getting out of hand. Humans have managed to infest every corner of the planet and they are eating up all the resources they can find. It has been a long time since we have had a really good die-off. Readers here will be aware that the human race has suffered large population decreases in the past due to diseases and what not. This current Ebola thing isn't going to do it. Gruesome it may be but not going to make a big dent.
So maybe this is the one: deep down we are so amazingly stupid, we will engineer our own demise. Build a bunch of autonomous, learning robots whose sole job it is to kill humans. We've read so many sci-fi novels that the outcome is obvious. But some military genius figures we must "win" at all costs. And the price will be quite high.
PKD did it best. This story still creeps me out when I think about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Give it a read. Enjoy the nightmares and hope they stay just nightmares...
-g
At some not-so-far-in-the-future point a person who is [still] self-driving their car is going run over someone else and kill them. There will be public hysteria and the knee-jerk reaction will be to completely outlaw the use of cars that are not auto-driven. safety at all costs. -g
This makes perfect sense. At least in the Idiocracy I live in.
My tax dollars are spent adding speed-humps to otherwise perfectly smooth and already expensive roads.
making a silent car noisy would fit right in. Unless it was low enough that it made a nasty scraping noise when it failed to clear the speed humps...
Gattaca will arrive in a much more subtle way than Hollywood's portrayal.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/
In our large, socially disconnected and hurry up society, using a universal method like a credit report as a background check is a great way to mitigate risk.
we have become horribly risk averse. when the only thing being measured is number of failures, the bureaucracy will do everything possible to remove the risk of failure. Thus, if you have the wrong DNA, or the wrong credit number, you are not worth the risk.
No matter what you say.
gak out
This explains why I never did see the duck in the "picture of a duck" that my buddy sent to me.
-gak
Sweet. That's the best job description for someone with ADD that I
----
Well, good luck with that! - Sponge Bob
You are a little late. The 'layoffs' were announced about a week ago. They are being referred to as voluntary severance (an employee may choose to leave with severance pay) to be followed by layoffs if not enough people choose the voluntary severance. The contractors that become collateral damage in this are just let go. No severance pkg.
[disclosure: I live in Boise and have friends who are employees and 'contractors' for hp]
hp (in Boise) uses a couple of contract places to hire people through, mostly to test printers and printer firmware. The postings on Monster and other places make it look like you will be an employee of hp. But no, you will be hired through a temp agency and given crapy benefits. Then you go to work every day at the hp site and do whatever they tell you to do. They do not hire you for a specific set job, ie - a contract. You are a non-employee being treated like an employee w/o benefits.
I not surprised this is happening. Even though we all know the only one that will see any money from this is the lawyer.