One thing that detracts from the true 'business' functionality of the Internet is the unreliability of the mail system.
In the real world, we have 'regular' post, which may or may not arrive. We have 'registered' or 'certified' mail, which requires the recipient to acknowledge receipt. We have 'express' services like DHL, Fedex, etc. which give faster delivery plus detailed tracking of where the object is at any point in time.
Why would it be unreasonable for businesses to expect the same from email?
For business (as opposed to personal purposes), there is nothing wrong with having the ability to guarantee delivery, confirm if and when the message was read, and tell whether the message was forwarded to someone else. That's EXACTLY what some of these 'bugs' do.
The problem we have today is exactly BECAUSE the SMTP systm does nothing to confirm the identity of the sender or offer any confirmation or guarantee of receipt. eMail is also totally out of control once it leaves the hands of the sender. It can be hoarded, copied, forwarded to people who should not receive it -- and of course, with the ability to send anonymously -- gives spammers and psychos an easy way to abuse billions of recipients every day.
Maybe we need two mail systems -- one, with PKI, mutual authentication, message confirmation and tracking -- and another system for personal use?
I'd be more woried about idiot American losing my personal data than any foreigner.
Check out the most recent thefts of credit card and personal information -- including all personal details about just about every military serviceman that some dork left on his home computer which was stolen.
Are Americans so blind as to not see what is happening?
"The Pres" keeps coming up with these 'threats' and y'all buy it hook, line and sinker.
Gee, all these terrorists and illegal workers running around the USA better get everyone RFID-implanted, DNA'd and fingerprinted and while you're at it -- RFID the passports and start installing cameras at every street corner.
Naw, the government would NEVER do that as a means of controlling and subjugating the good citizens -- right?
Think it ain't happenin? Hope you aren't discussing anything private on the phone, by email or even VoIP phone -- because you KNOW who's listening... (and watching, and recording...)
How much freedom and privacy are you willing to give up to protect yourself from all these 'threats'.
Funny thing -- there WERE NO weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and I rather doubt there are many terrorists running around the USA at the moment -- otherwise why the hell wouldn't they just climb a pole with an automatic rifle and a few thousand rounds of ammunition (available at any hardware store) and start picking people off.
Why wouldn't these terrorists running around all over the place poison the water supply or do any of a few thousand nasty little things they COULD be doing IF they were actually there...
One must start wondering when people will wake up and smell the coffee -- or must you all be cataloged and tagged like some dog first...
The Government already has the "Patriot Act" which opened the pandora's box to lies, deceit and whatever crimes the government decides to perpetrate in the name of "your protection" AKA "national security".
Even posting here could get you declared as an 'enemy combattant' -- or certainly someone worth spying on. Just watch your step or you may be hussled off to Cuba so fast you'll think you're on the Concorde.
And don't worry about any pesky lawyers -- you won't have access to one for many years to come. In fact, you'll be lucky to see ANYONE you know for many years to come.
Of course, it's all for your convenience and safety.;)
Salary and employability are directly related to what VALUE you OFFER the client. Why should I pay $51K for someone fresh out of college with no real-world skills or experience? (When I can have a software developer in India with 5 or 6 years of senior-level experience for $15 to $20 per hour?)
On a second point, "for pennies on the dollar" is pure BS. There are NO developers ANYWHERE who work for pennies on the dollar these days -- I state this from the experience of having contracted out dozens of projects through rentacoder and other similar services.
Even Orwell couldn't DREAM of all the goodies the US Government has in store for you!
Entering the country now requires passport, retina scan and thumb print. Leaving the country could be more difficult.
RFID tags in passports, universal ID card, face recognition software, cameras everywhere -- what the hell more convincing do people NEED?
Rights? Freedom? Who needs that? Don't worry! The government will 'protect' you from terrorists hiding behind every bush (pun intended).
Don't worry about the surveilance or wire taps -- you have nothing to worry about if you aren't doing anything wrong -- right?
Don't worry about the gulag in Q-bay or Poland -- they are only for 'enemy combattants' -- but of course, ANYONE can be declared an enemy combattant with the stroke of a pen -- enjoy the trip -- your friends and family won't be hearing from you for a VERY LONG TIME...:(
9/11 gave the government all the excuses they need to take away every right or freedom you currently enjoy.
This is only one small example of what big brother is up to.
Most people have NO CLUE what all is going on that they DO NOT hear about.
Whether it is fingerprints or retina scans or mandatory ID cards at the airports -- or neo-nazi bank employees sniffing around your transactions -- America is becoming a pretty hostile place to live.
Rights? Freedom? After 9/11 you gave that up to big brother.
Of course... If you aren't doing anything wrong, you don't need privacy -- right?
To play devil's advocate -- what right do foreigners have to facilitate Chinese citizens breaking the laws of their country?
Whether the law is right or wrong is irrelevent -- the law of a soverign nation is the law that their citizens must live within.
How would Americans feel for some foreign nation to develop some technology that allowed US citizens to break US laws indiscriminately?
Technologically, breaking the law of ANY country is EASY -- what is more difficult is balancing both the moral and legal responsibility for the result.
How would YOU feel about Al-Kaida operatives working in the USA receiving help to encrypt and send and receive communications from foreign citizens?
It's a slippery slope when you start interfereing with the laws of other countries -- and one that can quickly have global consequences.
America practices "politics of convenience". Need a gulag and can't set it up on American soil without a big fuss -- no problem, use Cuba, or Afganistan or Russia or the Ukraine. Plenty of countries to hide dirty work. And don't worry about doing business with these 'evil' countries -- at least not if you have 'friends' in the white house -- It's All You Can Eat at that sow-trough.
Today's IT world is a dog-eat-dog world, and unless you work for the Government, or a Union, you can expect to be your own career manager and work bloody hard if you want to get ahead or even KEEP your job.
Long gone are the days when there is such a thing as 'companly loyalty' (either FOR or FROM the company) -- and YOU are expected to deliver VALUE to the company in exchange for your salary. (And if that 'value' means that you work 14 or more hours per day of unpaid overtime, pay for your own education, lunches and whatever -- that's part of the 'package'.)
Just about EVERY company gives 'lip service' to "we value our people above all else" -- well -- they SAY the words, but when it comes down to signing the purchase order to IMPROVE their people, or giving time off even if you want to buy your own upgrading, you'll find that words are about ALL you'll get.
It's a dog-eat-dog world -- and if you aren't ready to work 16 hour days and spend your 'own time' in training and upgrading yourself -- better be prepared to step aside and let younger and more movitated people bulldoze right over top of you.
The IT industry is NOT for people who just want to work 7.5 hours per day, turn off their phone and go home.
It is NOT for people who expect to finish 4 years of college or university and expect to coast along the rest of their working career on whatever they happened to learn in school.
The IT industry is cut-throat, hard, long work. Keep in mind that having a job is a privilege and not a 'right' -- nobody 'owes' you (or anyone else) a living.
You are expected to keep YOURSELF up to date and if you happen to have (or not have) time for a 'life' -- that's your own problem and not something for the company to worry about.
I'm sorry if this is not what a lot of people want to hear -- but as a professional with over 25 years of IT industry experience -- I can say that this is what I've discovered time and time and time again.
If you want someone to blow sunshine up your butt -- better to visit a 'career counsellor' at one of the thousands of 'get an MCSE make a fortune' schools. They won't tell the truth, but they'll have lots of nice words to hear, and free coffee and even provide financing for the program if you sign up right away.:)
As for myself, over the past 8 years, I have passed over 30 certification exams, and even now feel myself falling behind because I haven't had time to do many more in the past year or so to keep up to date.
Where that hurts is in the pocketbook -- because people see that you have let your skills get a little behind -- and there are plenty of competitors for your next job who DO have current skills.
Always remember -- YOU are YOUR OWN CAREER MANAGER -- and it is up to YOU to determine what you want to do with your life, where you want to fit in, and what you need to do to get there.
If you want the 7.5 hours per day, paid training and low (but steady) salary until you retire -- there are plenty of mindless government jobs available.:)
Either that or move to Japan where company loyalty still exists.;)
In Russia, pretty much any government information can be had for a very low price.
In the local CD markets, where you can buy for 60 rubles (about $2) CDs with the latest and often unreleased pirated software, you can buy government tax record database, cell phone user databases (including home telephone and credit card information) and telephone directories with names, addresses and passport information. No big deal.
It seems the US is starting to catch up -- someone on the inside working a deal with a publisher.
In fact, the US was one of the FIRST countries where this kind of thing started happening in a big way -- how do you think the satellite TV decoder EPROMS, codes and hacks have been coming out within days or even hours of being changed?
I've always said that "globalization is the great equalizer", and we are now seeing the tide start to turn.
Anyone who's put jobs through rentacoder or other similar sites has probably already noticed that the rates for the best and most experienced people have probably close to doubled in just the past 1 to 2 years.
On the last two RAC projects I did, I used US developers because their price and experience fit into my budget.
Here in Russia, an offshore software development company I used to work for added 30 people this year to their staff of 120, and still has 15 positions that are simply impossible to fill with an affordable, experienced person. (These people are working for themselves and doing extremely well.)
Software developers here typically earn $800 to $1,200 per month -- which is a literal fortune compared to the $100 per month earned by the porter or doorman at a five-star foreign-owned hotel here.
Prices of offshoring services in India are no exception -- I was recently quoted $25 per hour for a very small.net job -- a dramatic increase from the $15 per hour last year and the $8 per hour I'd typically have paid the year before.
Many Americans think that Indians work from a grass hut for $.25 per hour, but the reality is nothing like that at all.
Honestly, even in America I can't feel too sorry for people who can't live on $25 per hour. Maybe it won't buy you a beach house on the coast, and a Ferrarri, but certainly it's enough to live comfortably and well. In fact, depending on where you live in the states, that could be considered a damn fine living.
The US has caused many of their own problems through greed and neglect. The educational system in the USA is -- shall we say -- less than adequate to satisfy the needs of the market. Unreasonable expectations by the graduates looking to start at $50K per year while offering absolutely NO real-world experience and only marginal skills also sets the tone of the market.
India was PROACTIVE -- they BUILT the infrastructure, GREW the workforce and now benefits from it. This didn't happen on its own -- it was the result of very hard work by the government, a ton of money and many years of forward-thinking. Where is that kind of forward thinking in the US? (Oh yes, "corporate responsibility" are also two words that are foreign to most CEOs -- it would be nice to see them sponsor at least SOME of the educational system that provides them with their human resources...)
In any case, my view is that if the USA were to get ACTIVE and put in the same kinds of improvements to the educational system as India did, and the same rate of investment into the infrastructure -- especially in the smaller rural communities and smaller cities where the costs of living are more reasonable -- there is nothing to stop the jobs from moving BACK to the US.
Even here in Russia, the educational system is nowhere near where it should be. Only the best and most expensive universities have decent equipment, but that doesn't stop them from cranking out students with exceptional skills. Maybe it also comes from the students who attend typically 6 days per week and more than 8 hours per day PLUS homework and projects.
It will be interesting to see how the pendulum swings -- and it will likely be sooner than anyone expects.
This may very well be what the president calls gathering enough intelligence to facilitate "Connecting the Dots".
He never said exactly which dots he intends to connect. (And even if he did -- you can bet there'd be plenty of wiggle room for 'scope creep'.:)
The president has used 9/11 to sanction and get away with every possible war crime (and civil crime, for that matter) in the book. Murder, torture and humiliation for the 'average' criminal may not be so far away.
All the 'revenuers' need do is call you an 'enemy' and they have the right ship you off to their partner's gulag in some country you've never heard of for some 'softening', 'interrogation' and 're-education'. (Hmmmmm where have I heard that before...)
At the time Google changed their AdWords pricing model, I had over 20,000 words running in a new, and relatively low-spending account (A few thousand $ per month.)
Overnight, tens of thousands of words that I had previously been able to bid $.05 per click and with high enough CTRs that they stayed running INSTANTLY were disabled and demanding anywhere between $.10 to $5.00 per click!
Suddenly, the business went from profitable, to a total LOSS.
As an experiment, I tried the following:
First, I took a list of 1,000 keywords and uploaded them to the new account -- out of the 1,000, at least 915 of the keywords were demanding MORE than $.05 per click to be activated.
Then, I took the exact same list, and pasted into a friend's long-standing and high-monthy-spend account (Over $10,000 per month). Over 900 of the keywords were ACCEPTED at $.05 per click.
How can Google explain this? Certainly nothing on their site says that they give 'preferential' treatment to advertisers with either longer-active or higher-spending accounts. At least if they did that, we'd KNOW the game was rigged and could go elsewhere.
Oh ya, and the bunk about buying keywords for as little as $.01 per click -- that's pretty much a fairy tale. Out of the 20,000 keywords I previously had running, only a handful were accepted at $.01 per click -- and the funny thing was that after they started getting traffic and clickthroughs, the price went UP for those too.:(
Interestingly enough, the FSB (formerly KGB) in Russia have had exactly the same system in placed for at least the past 5 years.
Every ISP (including WiFi ISPs) are required to install (at their own expense) direct lines to the FSB capable of forwarding all, or selected traffic.
Americans ALREADY now enjoy a Police State far beyond the wildest dreams of the KBG.
Politicians took advantage of 9/11 to establish an environment of complete and total fear and panic -- and used it to forward everything from "Homeland Security" with powers most citizens have no comprehension of -- to gulags in Cuba and abroad that make KGB torture cells look like children's play rooms.
What's even more frightening is this is JUST THE BEGINNING...
Talk about having the balls to take credit for someone else's work -- this time Americans have reached the top. What's next? Some American company going to patent the Universe?
Who else but the USA could have weapons of mass destruction?
The US has cornered the market. Who else on the entire planet can claim the largest stockpile of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons distributed in strategic locations throughout all 50 states?
Everyone in the 'free world' (outside the USA) KNOWS the real purpose of the war on Iraq.
After having spoken with many military people who served there -- I can only suggest that people ask your politicians exactly why it was that the oil fields were 'secured' within the first 15 minutes of the war -- yet the government offices were looted long before anyone arrived to bother to look for any 'secrets' or WMDs?
The priorities were so obvious it is amazing that even CNN chose to ignore them. Hmmmm. Another interesting point...;)
American politicians have proven they can't be trusted to tell the truth -- let alone be trusted with weapons of mass destruction.
Has this first-use scenario been in place just a bit earlier, right now, Bagdad would be a smoking hole of burnt flesh -- uninhabitable for thousands of years. Millions of innocent people dead and dying.
Of course, as was done in this war -- the oil fields would be 'secured' and under US control within the first 10 minutes of the war. Must get our priorities right -- right???
Brainchild of Michael Cowpland to try and glue together 'best of breed' applications. A dismal failure that took the company to the brink of extinction. (Their Linux foray was the second-last nail in the coffin.)
Trying to build a 'solution' by glueing together things that were never made to glue together usually results in the ugliest bastard child you've ever seen.
Microsoft-based solutions snap together like leggo blocks. Windows 2003, IIS, SQL Server,.NET are a cool and powerful solution. NOT the solution for everyone -- as stated, people should do their homework and start with the application (following the developer's recommendations doesn't hurt either), and then build the system and infrastructure to properly support it.
Sounds like they bought some tires they liked, and then went around trying to find a car that fit them.
Homeland Security welcomes you to America -- center of the universe -- and especially microwave cooking!
Bring your friends, bring your relatives and a good supply of weenies to the party! (But don't stand too close together or you may become the next sunday brunch yourself!)
Only Americans could possibly consider it a valid method of dispersing a crowd using microwave radiation.
Of course -- it's much better to cook people alive than allow them to gather in a group that in any way resembles a 'protest' -- isn't it...
Americans must be blind or stupid. Nobody seems to realize the extent to which they are being cataloged and recorded.
RFID tags in passports, national ID card, DNA records, retina and iris scans, fingerprinting -- your complete and total identity being reduced to convenient unique keys for a multitude of government databases. (And don't forget credit cards with all their new innovations for "your convenience and protection")
How many 'privacy-related' stories have you seen in the past few months? Is nobody starting to get a hint at just how far 'homeland security' is going to go?
It is claimed by your friends and protectors in Washington that 9/11 was the result of government agencies not having enough information available to each other -- so they couldn't connect the dots. Well, the dots are being collected and connected very well now!
Ask anyone entering the USA from abroad how they enjoyed being fingerprinted and retina scanned on the way into the 'land of the free'. Don't want to subject yourself to it? No problem -- the return flight is waiting for you!
As a Canadian living in Russia, even the KGB (now FSB) could only DREAM of having the kind of records, tools, technologies that the US government has at their disposal. Soviet Russia never had anything like what the US government has today.
The problem is that crime and freedom are absolute opposites. When you have no freedom, you have no crime. When you DO have freedom, then there WILL be people who abuse it.
SO America, how much freedom are you willing to give up? How far are you willing to trust the government once they have you cataloged so well, they can identify not just YOU, but EVERYTHING you've done, and everywhere you've been for your entire life?
Unfortunately, this is the PRICE of a 'crime-free' society. For me, I'll continue to live in Russia where I carry only a photocopy of my passport and registration card, and 100 rubles (about 3 bucks) for the occasional police stop when I'm driving.
But of course, what do I know -- "big brother" knows what's best for their citizens -- and remember -- homeland security and all the wonderful things your government will know about you is for YOUR CONVENIENCE and PROTECTION -- right?!:)
Slashdot Mirror
I'm going to play devil's advocate here...
One thing that detracts from the true 'business' functionality of the Internet is the unreliability of the mail system.
In the real world, we have 'regular' post, which may or may not arrive. We have 'registered' or 'certified' mail, which requires the recipient to acknowledge receipt. We have 'express' services like DHL, Fedex, etc. which give faster delivery plus detailed tracking of where the object is at any point in time.
Why would it be unreasonable for businesses to expect the same from email?
For business (as opposed to personal purposes), there is nothing wrong with having the ability to guarantee delivery, confirm if and when the message was read, and tell whether the message was forwarded to someone else. That's EXACTLY what some of these 'bugs' do.
The problem we have today is exactly BECAUSE the SMTP systm does nothing to confirm the identity of the sender or offer any confirmation or guarantee of receipt. eMail is also totally out of control once it leaves the hands of the sender. It can be hoarded, copied, forwarded to people who should not receive it -- and of course, with the ability to send anonymously -- gives spammers and psychos an easy way to abuse billions of recipients every day.
Maybe we need two mail systems -- one, with PKI, mutual authentication, message confirmation and tracking -- and another system for personal use?
I'd be more woried about idiot American losing my personal data than any foreigner.
Check out the most recent thefts of credit card and personal information -- including all personal details about just about every military serviceman that some dork left on his home computer which was stolen.
Are Americans so blind as to not see what is happening?
"The Pres" keeps coming up with these 'threats' and y'all buy it hook, line and sinker.
Gee, all these terrorists and illegal workers running around the USA better get everyone RFID-implanted, DNA'd and fingerprinted and while you're at it -- RFID the passports and start installing cameras at every street corner.
Naw, the government would NEVER do that as a means of controlling and subjugating the good citizens -- right?
Think it ain't happenin? Hope you aren't discussing anything private on the phone, by email or even VoIP phone -- because you KNOW who's listening... (and watching, and recording...)
How much freedom and privacy are you willing to give up to protect yourself from all these 'threats'.
Funny thing -- there WERE NO weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and I rather doubt there are many terrorists running around the USA at the moment -- otherwise why the hell wouldn't they just climb a pole with an automatic rifle and a few thousand rounds of ammunition (available at any hardware store) and start picking people off.
Why wouldn't these terrorists running around all over the place poison the water supply or do any of a few thousand nasty little things they COULD be doing IF they were actually there...
One must start wondering when people will wake up and smell the coffee -- or must you all be cataloged and tagged like some dog first...
The Government already has the "Patriot Act" which opened the pandora's box to lies, deceit and whatever crimes the government decides to perpetrate in the name of "your protection" AKA "national security".
;)
Even posting here could get you declared as an 'enemy combattant' -- or certainly someone worth spying on. Just watch your step or you may be hussled off to Cuba so fast you'll think you're on the Concorde.
And don't worry about any pesky lawyers -- you won't have access to one for many years to come. In fact, you'll be lucky to see ANYONE you know for many years to come.
Of course, it's all for your convenience and safety.
Language needed for software development is English -- most applications in demand and customers to buy them demand it.
In fact, a good knowledge of English is EXACTLY what will put you ON TOP of foreign shops.
The formula for Employability is SIMPLE:
Employability (and Value) = Knowledge * Skills * Experience
Salary and employability are directly related to what VALUE you OFFER the client. Why should I pay $51K for someone fresh out of college with no real-world skills or experience? (When I can have a software developer in India with 5 or 6 years of senior-level experience for $15 to $20 per hour?)
On a second point, "for pennies on the dollar" is pure BS. There are NO developers ANYWHERE who work for pennies on the dollar these days -- I state this from the experience of having contracted out dozens of projects through rentacoder and other similar services.
Shortly to follow... Human testing in the prisons... Mandatory implants at birth for all US citizens or foreigners entering the country...
Even Orwell couldn't DREAM of all the goodies the US Government has in store for you!
:(
Entering the country now requires passport, retina scan and thumb print. Leaving the country could be more difficult.
RFID tags in passports, universal ID card, face recognition software, cameras everywhere -- what the hell more convincing do people NEED?
Rights? Freedom? Who needs that? Don't worry! The government will 'protect' you from terrorists hiding behind every bush (pun intended).
Don't worry about the surveilance or wire taps -- you have nothing to worry about if you aren't doing anything wrong -- right?
Don't worry about the gulag in Q-bay or Poland -- they are only for 'enemy combattants' -- but of course, ANYONE can be declared an enemy combattant with the stroke of a pen -- enjoy the trip -- your friends and family won't be hearing from you for a VERY LONG TIME...
9/11 gave the government all the excuses they need to take away every right or freedom you currently enjoy.
This is only one small example of what big brother is up to.
Most people have NO CLUE what all is going on that they DO NOT hear about.
Whether it is fingerprints or retina scans or mandatory ID cards at the airports -- or neo-nazi bank employees sniffing around your transactions -- America is becoming a pretty hostile place to live.
Rights? Freedom? After 9/11 you gave that up to big brother.
Of course... If you aren't doing anything wrong, you don't need privacy -- right?
To play devil's advocate -- what right do foreigners have to facilitate Chinese citizens breaking the laws of their country?
Whether the law is right or wrong is irrelevent -- the law of a soverign nation is the law that their citizens must live within.
How would Americans feel for some foreign nation to develop some technology that allowed US citizens to break US laws indiscriminately?
Technologically, breaking the law of ANY country is EASY -- what is more difficult is balancing both the moral and legal responsibility for the result.
How would YOU feel about Al-Kaida operatives working in the USA receiving help to encrypt and send and receive communications from foreign citizens?
It's a slippery slope when you start interfereing with the laws of other countries -- and one that can quickly have global consequences.
America practices "politics of convenience". Need a gulag and can't set it up on American soil without a big fuss -- no problem, use Cuba, or Afganistan or Russia or the Ukraine. Plenty of countries to hide dirty work. And don't worry about doing business with these 'evil' countries -- at least not if you have 'friends' in the white house -- It's All You Can Eat at that sow-trough.
Today's IT world is a dog-eat-dog world, and unless you work for the Government, or a Union, you can expect to be your own career manager and work bloody hard if you want to get ahead or even KEEP your job.
:)
:)
;)
Long gone are the days when there is such a thing as 'companly loyalty' (either FOR or FROM the company) -- and YOU are expected to deliver VALUE to the company in exchange for your salary. (And if that 'value' means that you work 14 or more hours per day of unpaid overtime, pay for your own education, lunches and whatever -- that's part of the 'package'.)
Just about EVERY company gives 'lip service' to "we value our people above all else" -- well -- they SAY the words, but when it comes down to signing the purchase order to IMPROVE their people, or giving time off even if you want to buy your own upgrading, you'll find that words are about ALL you'll get.
It's a dog-eat-dog world -- and if you aren't ready to work 16 hour days and spend your 'own time' in training and upgrading yourself -- better be prepared to step aside and let younger and more movitated people bulldoze right over top of you.
The IT industry is NOT for people who just want to work 7.5 hours per day, turn off their phone and go home.
It is NOT for people who expect to finish 4 years of college or university and expect to coast along the rest of their working career on whatever they happened to learn in school.
The IT industry is cut-throat, hard, long work. Keep in mind that having a job is a privilege and not a 'right' -- nobody 'owes' you (or anyone else) a living.
You are expected to keep YOURSELF up to date and if you happen to have (or not have) time for a 'life' -- that's your own problem and not something for the company to worry about.
I'm sorry if this is not what a lot of people want to hear -- but as a professional with over 25 years of IT industry experience -- I can say that this is what I've discovered time and time and time again.
If you want someone to blow sunshine up your butt -- better to visit a 'career counsellor' at one of the thousands of 'get an MCSE make a fortune' schools. They won't tell the truth, but they'll have lots of nice words to hear, and free coffee and even provide financing for the program if you sign up right away.
As for myself, over the past 8 years, I have passed over 30 certification exams, and even now feel myself falling behind because I haven't had time to do many more in the past year or so to keep up to date.
Where that hurts is in the pocketbook -- because people see that you have let your skills get a little behind -- and there are plenty of competitors for your next job who DO have current skills.
Always remember -- YOU are YOUR OWN CAREER MANAGER -- and it is up to YOU to determine what you want to do with your life, where you want to fit in, and what you need to do to get there.
If you want the 7.5 hours per day, paid training and low (but steady) salary until you retire -- there are plenty of mindless government jobs available.
Either that or move to Japan where company loyalty still exists.
And one must wonder WHO will win the contract to provide the system and components...
;)
Of course, the contract would never be issued to anyone with 'connections' to any politicians pushing the bill -- would it?
Follow the money and you'll find the rats...
In Russia, pretty much any government information can be had for a very low price.
In the local CD markets, where you can buy for 60 rubles (about $2) CDs with the latest and often unreleased pirated software, you can buy government tax record database, cell phone user databases (including home telephone and credit card information) and telephone directories with names, addresses and passport information. No big deal.
It seems the US is starting to catch up -- someone on the inside working a deal with a publisher.
In fact, the US was one of the FIRST countries where this kind of thing started happening in a big way -- how do you think the satellite TV decoder EPROMS, codes and hacks have been coming out within days or even hours of being changed?
I've always said that "globalization is the great equalizer", and we are now seeing the tide start to turn.
.net job -- a dramatic increase from the $15 per hour last year and the $8 per hour I'd typically have paid the year before.
Anyone who's put jobs through rentacoder or other similar sites has probably already noticed that the rates for the best and most experienced people have probably close to doubled in just the past 1 to 2 years.
On the last two RAC projects I did, I used US developers because their price and experience fit into my budget.
Here in Russia, an offshore software development company I used to work for added 30 people this year to their staff of 120, and still has 15 positions that are simply impossible to fill with an affordable, experienced person. (These people are working for themselves and doing extremely well.)
Software developers here typically earn $800 to $1,200 per month -- which is a literal fortune compared to the $100 per month earned by the porter or doorman at a five-star foreign-owned hotel here.
Prices of offshoring services in India are no exception -- I was recently quoted $25 per hour for a very small
Many Americans think that Indians work from a grass hut for $.25 per hour, but the reality is nothing like that at all.
Honestly, even in America I can't feel too sorry for people who can't live on $25 per hour. Maybe it won't buy you a beach house on the coast, and a Ferrarri, but certainly it's enough to live comfortably and well. In fact, depending on where you live in the states, that could be considered a damn fine living.
The US has caused many of their own problems through greed and neglect. The educational system in the USA is -- shall we say -- less than adequate to satisfy the needs of the market. Unreasonable expectations by the graduates looking to start at $50K per year while offering absolutely NO real-world experience and only marginal skills also sets the tone of the market.
India was PROACTIVE -- they BUILT the infrastructure, GREW the workforce and now benefits from it. This didn't happen on its own -- it was the result of very hard work by the government, a ton of money and many years of forward-thinking. Where is that kind of forward thinking in the US? (Oh yes, "corporate responsibility" are also two words that are foreign to most CEOs -- it would be nice to see them sponsor at least SOME of the educational system that provides them with their human resources...)
In any case, my view is that if the USA were to get ACTIVE and put in the same kinds of improvements to the educational system as India did, and the same rate of investment into the infrastructure -- especially in the smaller rural communities and smaller cities where the costs of living are more reasonable -- there is nothing to stop the jobs from moving BACK to the US.
Even here in Russia, the educational system is nowhere near where it should be. Only the best and most expensive universities have decent equipment, but that doesn't stop them from cranking out students with exceptional skills. Maybe it also comes from the students who attend typically 6 days per week and more than 8 hours per day PLUS homework and projects.
It will be interesting to see how the pendulum swings -- and it will likely be sooner than anyone expects.
This may very well be what the president calls gathering enough intelligence to facilitate "Connecting the Dots".
:)
He never said exactly which dots he intends to connect. (And even if he did -- you can bet there'd be plenty of wiggle room for 'scope creep'.
The president has used 9/11 to sanction and get away with every possible war crime (and civil crime, for that matter) in the book. Murder, torture and humiliation for the 'average' criminal may not be so far away.
All the 'revenuers' need do is call you an 'enemy' and they have the right ship you off to their partner's gulag in some country you've never heard of for some 'softening', 'interrogation' and 're-education'. (Hmmmmm where have I heard that before...)
At the time Google changed their AdWords pricing model, I had over 20,000 words running in a new, and relatively low-spending account (A few thousand $ per month.)
:(
Overnight, tens of thousands of words that I had previously been able to bid $.05 per click and with high enough CTRs that they stayed running INSTANTLY were disabled and demanding anywhere between $.10 to $5.00 per click!
Suddenly, the business went from profitable, to a total LOSS.
As an experiment, I tried the following:
First, I took a list of 1,000 keywords and uploaded them to the new account -- out of the 1,000, at least 915 of the keywords were demanding MORE than $.05 per click to be activated.
Then, I took the exact same list, and pasted into a friend's long-standing and high-monthy-spend account (Over $10,000 per month). Over 900 of the keywords were ACCEPTED at $.05 per click.
How can Google explain this? Certainly nothing on their site says that they give 'preferential' treatment to advertisers with either longer-active or higher-spending accounts. At least if they did that, we'd KNOW the game was rigged and could go elsewhere.
Oh ya, and the bunk about buying keywords for as little as $.01 per click -- that's pretty much a fairy tale. Out of the 20,000 keywords I previously had running, only a handful were accepted at $.01 per click -- and the funny thing was that after they started getting traffic and clickthroughs, the price went UP for those too.
Interestingly enough, the FSB (formerly KGB) in Russia have had exactly the same system in placed for at least the past 5 years.
Every ISP (including WiFi ISPs) are required to install (at their own expense) direct lines to the FSB capable of forwarding all, or selected traffic.
Americans ALREADY now enjoy a Police State far beyond the wildest dreams of the KBG.
Politicians took advantage of 9/11 to establish an environment of complete and total fear and panic -- and used it to forward everything from "Homeland Security" with powers most citizens have no comprehension of -- to gulags in Cuba and abroad that make KGB torture cells look like children's play rooms.
What's even more frightening is this is JUST THE BEGINNING...
Talk about having the balls to take credit for someone else's work -- this time Americans have reached the top. What's next? Some American company going to patent the Universe?
Isn't the first ammendment the right to "Free Speech"?
I recall nowhere where it says ANYTHING about anonymous speech.
Maybe I missed something?
US Military credo, "Kill 'em all -- let god sort 'em out."
Who else but the USA could have weapons of mass destruction?
;)
The US has cornered the market. Who else on the entire planet can claim the largest stockpile of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons distributed in strategic locations throughout all 50 states?
Everyone in the 'free world' (outside the USA) KNOWS the real purpose of the war on Iraq.
After having spoken with many military people who served there -- I can only suggest that people ask your politicians exactly why it was that the oil fields were 'secured' within the first 15 minutes of the war -- yet the government offices were looted long before anyone arrived to bother to look for any 'secrets' or WMDs?
The priorities were so obvious it is amazing that even CNN chose to ignore them. Hmmmm. Another interesting point...
American politicians have proven they can't be trusted to tell the truth -- let alone be trusted with weapons of mass destruction.
Has this first-use scenario been in place just a bit earlier, right now, Bagdad would be a smoking hole of burnt flesh -- uninhabitable for thousands of years. Millions of innocent people dead and dying.
Of course, as was done in this war -- the oil fields would be 'secured' and under US control within the first 10 minutes of the war. Must get our priorities right -- right???
Anyone remember Corel Office Suite? Killer bees?
.NET are a cool and powerful solution. NOT the solution for everyone -- as stated, people should do their homework and start with the application (following the developer's recommendations doesn't hurt either), and then build the system and infrastructure to properly support it.
Brainchild of Michael Cowpland to try and glue together 'best of breed' applications. A dismal failure that took the company to the brink of extinction. (Their Linux foray was the second-last nail in the coffin.)
Trying to build a 'solution' by glueing together things that were never made to glue together usually results in the ugliest bastard child you've ever seen.
Microsoft-based solutions snap together like leggo blocks. Windows 2003, IIS, SQL Server,
Sounds like they bought some tires they liked, and then went around trying to find a car that fit them.
Homeland Security welcomes you to America -- center of the universe -- and especially microwave cooking!
Bring your friends, bring your relatives and a good supply of weenies to the party! (But don't stand too close together or you may become the next sunday brunch yourself!)
Only Americans could possibly consider it a valid method of dispersing a crowd using microwave radiation.
Of course -- it's much better to cook people alive than allow them to gather in a group that in any way resembles a 'protest' -- isn't it...
Coming soon to a gathering near YOU!
Americans must be blind or stupid. Nobody seems to realize the extent to which they are being cataloged and recorded.
:)
RFID tags in passports, national ID card, DNA records, retina and iris scans, fingerprinting -- your complete and total identity being reduced to convenient unique keys for a multitude of government databases. (And don't forget credit cards with all their new innovations for "your convenience and protection")
How many 'privacy-related' stories have you seen in the past few months? Is nobody starting to get a hint at just how far 'homeland security' is going to go?
It is claimed by your friends and protectors in Washington that 9/11 was the result of government agencies not having enough information available to each other -- so they couldn't connect the dots. Well, the dots are being collected and connected very well now!
Ask anyone entering the USA from abroad how they enjoyed being fingerprinted and retina scanned on the way into the 'land of the free'. Don't want to subject yourself to it? No problem -- the return flight is waiting for you!
As a Canadian living in Russia, even the KGB (now FSB) could only DREAM of having the kind of records, tools, technologies that the US government has at their disposal. Soviet Russia never had anything like what the US government has today.
The problem is that crime and freedom are absolute opposites. When you have no freedom, you have no crime. When you DO have freedom, then there WILL be people who abuse it.
SO America, how much freedom are you willing to give up? How far are you willing to trust the government once they have you cataloged so well, they can identify not just YOU, but EVERYTHING you've done, and everywhere you've been for your entire life?
Unfortunately, this is the PRICE of a 'crime-free' society. For me, I'll continue to live in Russia where I carry only a photocopy of my passport and registration card, and 100 rubles (about 3 bucks) for the occasional police stop when I'm driving.
But of course, what do I know -- "big brother" knows what's best for their citizens -- and remember -- homeland security and all the wonderful things your government will know about you is for YOUR CONVENIENCE and PROTECTION -- right?!