I am just amazed at the number of people posting "That's what you want in an exec." or "That is how companies need to run to return value." Are we really that misguided as a society? Do the 71% of Americans who claim to go to church actually listen? (Or maybe they do not really attend). Not that church is a requirement for morality, but at least it should be a standard we can claim a measure against.
The problem is becoming more clear as I read the replies and see what is happening daily. We want ethical treatment but if the other person is acting unethical then heck, I should too. To those who would claim I am misguided, I would say they are. That it is just the way things work in the real world is because of people who go quietly into the dark, seeking nothing but protection for themselves at the expense of others.
That is what some of the executive who went to prison missed. They made a lot of people a lot of money, and most of them were probably not asking about the details. (For example, most of the get tough laws promised and passed by Congress were never enacted.) However, ethics is not something you do, it is something you are and it is binary choice. You cannot be "sort of" unethical or immoral. That is not to say you cannot make mistakes, humans do. However, to excuse behavior as a long series of mistakes makes you an accessory, not an observer. Part of the problem.
Regardless of what the original poster thought, she does not supply neutral advice. If anything, what I see here is an attempt to appear neutral, but throwing in veiled threats.
Windows commands 65 to 70 percent of the server operating system market, while the Linux share stands at 15 to 20 percent What market? What segments? What percentage of computing power? When you say MS runs 65% of the market you imply (and this is where Laura also gets here reputation) that everything else is a marginalized entity.
The high-level findings show that there is no universal clear-cut TCO basis to compel the corporate masses to do a wholesale switch from Windows to Linux Gee, one machine, operating system, language, et. el. does not meet all needs. And this was insight? To whom? If anything this should be more concerning to MS, but it is also a plug for MS (as the owners of the market). But she follows it up with: The majority of wholesale defections to Linux continues to come at the expense of midrange Unix installations...
The we see her drive home the MS competes with its own products (because they are just so good you need not upgrade), while Linux competes with its poorly defined systems, lack of support and array of distributions. But, contrary to what the headlines would have us believe, the biggest threat to Microsoft's continued dominance, at present, is not Linux. It is older versions of Windows. The biggest threat to Linux is not Microsoft, but rather integration and interoperability issues among the various Linux and open-source distributions and applications. The lack of enterprise-level application support and documentation for the aforementioned software packages also is an issue.
Sorry but this is typical DiDio, with some enhanced editing to ensure it give the appearance of being unbiased. But she hit all the MS talking points.
Here is my short list based on real life experiences:
*Read Been There, Done that above. *If your system is geographically dispersed there is no night time. If you can handle the transactions at night, then handle them "near realtime" by sending the transactions into a queue to be processed when bandwidth, CPU, etc. are available. *Assume the Central database will not respond for three days (a tornado, etc. at the site) and see what your model will do versus what the business wants. *Unplug the network during a transfer to the Central site. What do you expect it to do, when an admin pulls the cable for a second to clean behind the server. *Identify units of work. Those transactions the business believes must occur together. These are often different than DB units of work. *Expect bad data. People will tell you that it does not happen, but if you send transactions via a secondary process, it will. A record that was good on the remote box will be unusable on the Central or vise versa. Now what should happen? *Compress all transactions being sent to/fro. While some will be tiny and hardly seem worth it, a consistent approach makes life at 3:00 a.m. a lot easier. * XML is your best friend and worst enemy. If you choose to use it, know why it is good for your application. *Avoid any product, template, approach or design built for the future. If you are not going to use it in the initial production roll-out. Stay away. If you are that good at reading the future, by lottery tickets. Unless this is a very small/fast project your options twelve months from now will be very different and you will have spent the time/money/energy building a solution without a use. *Consider what areas are most likely to change, based on past business experience, and make them easy to change. (No, this does not conflict with the previous bullet *New tools and additional bodies will not help when you are late. Add more people early and your life will be much easier. Rapid Development by S. McConnell is still the bible for PM. *Create a lab where you connect the Centeral DB to a set of remote servers (also in the lab). They should be blazing fast as they are connected locally, and give you the ability to create "what if" cases in-house. *Create a step by step process for rebuilding a server from scratch. From the time the hardware is turned on, to the time the server can be released. This is a painful experience and will take a week or better full time, but will make every additional site easy to implement. Have a standard for what is dynamic based on the server. (i.e. Step 26: Change ##siteName## to local host name) so people type "www.abcCompany.com" instead of siteName. Then have someone not involved in the documentation try it.
While I see a lot of congradulatory comments, I seem to recall a news story about the WTO and copyrights. Is one of the requirements for WTO acceptance that you enforce copyright law of the host country? If so, this would seem meaningless as most of the EU is part of the WTO. (Anyone know for sure?)
As most copyright holders (or enforcers) would have an office in the US, would it not make sense for them to just offically copyright it in the US and then seek WTO enforcement?
It would appear that the World Bank, WTO, and similar "organizations" are the problem we are going to face in the next few decades. They operate as "organizations" and thus can set any "regulations" they desire, regardless of what the countries actually vote on.
Kim Komando has a reference to several companies that do what you ask.
Dear Kim: I bought my son a laptop. Is there a way it can be tracked if it is stolen?
Dear Reader:Yes. There is software that works over the Internet to report the location of a stolen laptop. When a thief connects the laptop to the Internet, the software reports its location to a special Web site. CyberAngel (www.sentryinc.com, $60 annually), CompuTracePlus (www.computrace. com, $50 annually) and zTrace (www. ztrace.com, $50 annually) are three companies that offer laptop locator software and services.
For MACs you might also try LapCop which emails you when the computer "disappears."
In addition, as literally anything could be on the drive, encrypt it. The translation slowdown will be barely noticeable and will save you if your child decided to put your VISA card in plain text files. Also, while a hardware password may seem like a great idea, if someone does steal the machine, it will never call home because they cannot get past the password.
I would then add a real easy to use laptop lock. If it is hard to use, it will not be used. No one wants to try and grab eight books from the library while lugging around their laptop. So they set it down for "just a minute."
Finally, for the "team her to be responsible" crowd: a college is about the least secure environment to which we will ever expose ourselves. People are free to come and go in most dorms, doors are secure as your least responsible roommate. College is also where more growing up occurs. Lighten up.
This case has the potential to not only open the Cable networks to competition, but also prevent the Telco's from further attempts on limiting DSL options."
Or, it could allow the Court to redress what it may see as a fact no longer in existence. They could decide that equal access is unenforceable regardless, in which case the telcos would be allow to prevent competitors from using their equipment.
You can never tell in these cases because the SC can be thinking anything. But I do agree, it will have an impact.
Actually, I run a small consulting business and purchases fall into business expenses or non-business expenses. As I pay by Credit Card, it is even easier as at the end of the month I review the bill and highlight accordingly.
Nothing magical that requires accounting. Just tracking expenses.
While I do not want to pay sales tax on out of state items, each year on my state tax return there is the box to make my own claim. Each year I make my contribution so I can legally sign that I have represented all taxes owed.
In a way, people have abused the ignorance of the system. If you live in a state, like mine, that requires you pay and you do not, don't complain when they catch you. You committed tax fraud. If you don't like it, have the law changed.
People who complain about this amuse me. Would you complain if the police pulled you over for doing 70 mph through a school zone? But no one gets hurt when I don't pay you say. I disagree that money was planned for allocation somewhere and someone else will be making it up in raised taxes elsewhere.
But please don't get me started about useless spending of our tax dollars. I could not agree more.
taxpayers should not be forced to finance risky projects that benefit only a fraction of the population
I am currently paying for roads I don't use, fire equipment I never call, and the police who merely stop me from speeding. Every day we are forced to pay for services that do not benefit us directly, but as a society we value. Opponents have two options - 1. Convince their government this is a bad course of action or 2 - move.
municipalities enjoy unfair competitive advantages resulting from their ability to raise lowinterest, tax-free and government-backed capital; from their exemption from income taxes; from their control over rights-of-way; and from the fact they charge franchise fees to incumbent providers;
Where is the capitalistic spirit we always have waved in our faces, when we say we don't want Walmart or Starbucks? If corporations with billions cannot compete against a local city, it is not unfair advantage. It is the company wants to provide substandard service and this will prevent them.
municipalities have a conflict of interest as they become both competitor and regulator;
With few exceptions, this is federally regulated, so this is just applying the minority to the entire and claiming it as fact.
public provision is not economically efficient, and distorts the market and competition;
See my point about competition above.
telecommunications is an industry rife with technical change and competition, posing risks that municipalities are not equipped to withstand. The unexpected need for upgrades, market penetration and price competition from private providers and the threat of new technologies puts the taxpayer or municipal ratepayer at risk.
Risk is in every bridge, building and roadway allowed in the city. Public parks put the city at liability risk. As for the need to upgrade, this can actually occur on citizen demand, as opposed to the two years we waited for Comcast broadband to make it to the state capital. It also has the advantage of negating the cost of the last mile.
Sorry but this is a puff piece made to sound like research.
"If you want it, you pay for it. Don't force anyone else to pay who doesn't want to. "
Amazing, why does this continue to be a response to anything government funded? Here are services I have never used:
- The fire department
- The police department
- Roads beyond the 1/2 mile to the interstate and around friends and family
Using your logic, we should just charge people who want the service. Need the fire department? Well, they are currently billing at $85/hour/firefighter plus equipment and supplies.
We are a society, if as a society, a city decides it is in their best interest to buy WIFI, and you do not, either: a-vote out the officials or b-move to another city.
Think about it from a purely capitalistic view. What has the US ever done to China for trade violations of any kind? Nothing. Sure, we cry about deficits, slave labor, prison camps, and product dumping, but we do nothing.
Let's take a simple look at the problem:
We have a trade deficit with them.
We need products they make, because we no longer make them.
We have been convinced by groups like the Chamber of Commerce that MFN status would provide China an incentive to open trade.
China is currently on a course to make it the largest trading partner in the world.
This is not like isolating Cuba. We cannot afford to force any real sanctions. What little they do purchase from the US they will buy from the EU or US companies operating as EU companies. Even MS walks softly in China.
This is a pure puff piece meant to make Americans feel like their government is doing something. Why? Because we have become so narcissistically capitalistic, we would not dream of forcing HP or Intel or IBM to stop trading with China to enforce anything. Otherwise, they may force us to stop trading when something turns against them.
You are joking right? The H1-B has been so bastardized it is a joke. Explain to me how a programmer can come to the US on an H1B while programmer unemployment in the US is reaching 10%. It can because it is crooked. They bring in people willing to work for $25/hr, then bill the company $95/hour. And before you start with "It's American's benefiting." It is not. It is Indian owned companies, cutting their own people to display American workers.
In India, you cannot even get the visa, until you have done the proof work first. IBM, HP, etc. can because they are global. The average American company has little chance and this is first hand experience talking about the buracratic nightmare created to prevent foreigners from owning or doing business in India.
Those unwilling to step up and say, "we made a mistake with manufacturing, but it ends here. We will not be the serfs of the next generation."
It was "just" manufacturing jobs, and no one wanted those anyway right? So when those men and women lost their jobs people did nothing. They looked at the short term and said it is someone else's problems.
Just because we made mistakes in the past, it does not obligate us to repeat them.
"Note that I am talking about sales offices, not ODCs."
Exactly. And, in order to have a sales office your employees must be Indian, unless you can show that no Indian exists in the country (not locally) with the skills required and further your company will not displace Indian workers.
In essence, the result is an American company in India, with a product or service that is unavailable in India without them. This is the most extreme protectionism you can get.
The displacement clause alone makes certain there is no competition.
My neighbor went to the hospital with a broken foot. The xray was read by a radiologist in India. When you call the hospital after 6 p.m. it is answered by a call center in India. Insurance companies are looking at saving costs by having common but expensive surgery (such as bypass) done overseas. They also eliminate the risk of malpractice further reducing costs.
The engineer up the street works for the State, he now oversees a team of engineers who approve and revise drawings submitted to the state, in India. The state is looking at outsourcing its accounting and auditing review to India and Russia. The company has a nice American name with a headquarters in the state, but the workers are all overseas.
This is all a factor of "free trade" except it lacks fair trade. India is a perfect example of a country willing to take advantage of our laws (an Indian company bidding on state contracts gets a minority owned business score enhancement) while preventing any US company from doing the same in their country. We then have the "free traders" telling us that India will come around. Why should they? They will have the jobs and no incentive to change their business practices. Meanwhile we will have lost most jobs requiring a college degree. We will become the serfs of those with the money, the few elite left in the US and their foreign owners. And they will be owners for once they have the jobs and the money, buying the company makes sense as they will then gain all the profits.
Gloom and doom? Yes. But it is far less naive then the people who say things like "you always have to look out for yourself." It is this mindset that allows foreign companies and workers to take advantage of the cowards. Those unwilling to step up and say, "we made a mistake with manufacturing, but it ends here. We will not be the serfs of the next generation."
It's not a courage I see in this generation. It is far easier to blame the worker than to accept responsibility for how your government cares for other countries at your expense.
Billions of tax dollars shouldn't be blown on a project of little scientific validity just because "it's cool."
True. However, history has shown that as a species we are not very good at science for knowledge sake. We do far better with a goal. The moon landing was not about going to the moon, at least not from a science perspective. It was about beating the Russians to the moon. Then it was about making hard decisions that impacted life (real astronaut lives). We had to put men into a vacuum for weeks, send them to another planet, which at the time was nearly unknown, and then let them get out walk around and when done come home.
Those were all technical challenges that did not justify being done, until someone set the mission. The side effect of all that science has impacted us in ways we easily forget, from dialysis to lasik surgery. From cleaner air to water purification.
Did you notice that the people who finally speak out for/against a policy generally wait until they are no longer impacted by it?
Today the globalization hounds must beat the drum that globalization is good. Innovaton is lost and companies cannot figure out how to make a product or service more valuable so they make the cost of providing it cheaper.
In 1820 transitions occurred over time. To become a "global player" it took literally decades to move an industry to that level. During that time the industry workers transitioned. In current examples, the transition will occur in less than a decade. With Y2k,and the internet we built the infrastructure to make transition nearly immediate.
Now, add countries that would like the US work, but do not share US values. For example, India while more than outsourcing jobs, runs one of the most protectionist regimes in the world. Try, as a non-Indian to start a business and you will be kept out at the government, economic, and even social level.
The idea that we should not protect ourselves against such countries is ludicrous. This is like saying we should not stop terrorists because, by us not being terrorists they can see the benefits and will become outstanding citizens. (What drugs are these people taking?)
In the end, we are replacing 65K+ jobs with 30k+ jobs. Samuelson is correct ""If you don't believe that changes the average wages in America, then you believe in the tooth fairy," It does not take an economist to figure out that with only half the wages, the impact is on the entire economy. Two income families that bought two cars, can only afford one, or certainly not two new cars. Home buyers that had combined incomes of 130k, now have 70k to use as their financial base.
It sounds like your CIO thinks the economy is going to continue to tank. Or worse, is letting you know the company is in such financial straights that $500 month can make or break it.
Update your resume, start looking and when you start getting offers, you can decide if he is right. My bet is you will be wishing him a fond farewell. If you can find an opportunity as a group so much the better.
The ploy of administering guilt to ensure you "join the team" is just another emotional play. It begs the question, why won't he take a $500/month pay cut to keep the troops happy?
This should be fairly simple, especially for those of us not doing it. Offer RFID tags that people on hikes could have. (Ok, charge $1 US). The person could leave the tag id with a trusted friend or even a neutral site. If they go missing the friend could provide the id and tracking could be done.
Any other tracking would then be aggregated. We know that 15 people went past poles 34, 35, and 36. 17 Tags stayed at camp site bravo, etc.
The benefit is that it is completely voluntary, while it can also provide valuable information about the use of facilities and trails. This is how technology can really benefit a situation without being a "big brother".
This is only the first step. Once it is complete, they can easily integrate the modem and Rot13 "encryption" so the DMCA can prevent you illegals from stealing the signal by "breaking" their security.
At that point they control the entire access node. Want to get streaming audio? Sure, just $1.99/month and we will open that port for you...Gaming ports? Sure, $2.99 and they are yours...
Your choice will be that or DSL. The question them becomes when will DSL make the same "offer?"
Most families will think the are getting a bargain. Then when you neighbor decides to do "Video on demand" for LOTRs, suddenly only one computer in you home can get through.
I may not like it, but it is going to be an easy sell to 99% of Americans.
The are preparing for this in their next phase at froogle
At this point, it may be "beta" but that just means they are getting ready to open the can. Once they do, they can dig through the ranks to ensure they can find you the lowest price.
Interesting will be what happens when I am a sponsor and every link is lower than my price.
In reality there is little you can do to help yourself. In many cases the decision to outsource is made before a decision to hire. Hence, a person's destiny was decided before we even knew work existed.
This is not a global economy issue either. People will post "welcome to the global economy" like an "up yours" for the success of America. India for example, has some of the most protectionist laws in the world. They are winning jobs because they outsource from other countries, yet no other country can outsource an Indian position. Very protectionist, and it works because someone in the political/business arena believes if we just keep our economy open, they will learn the benefits. They have, the benefit is to have a closed economy while exploiting open ones.
I don't want to say you are screwed, as much as value is one of those things that is decided before you need it. Like the decision to outsource, you will not get the chance to describe your value after you are a target. Be sure to describe the value to the company you bring at least monthly. Forget "Made sure the TPS reports were delivered on time," "Bob the mail boy" claims that one on his resume. Look at your job and equate it to business revenue. If your position (and all positions like it)were not there what would the company lose. Look at the department, not the individual.
Then, always remember there are certain jobs, even IT jobs, that proximity to the client/end user, are required. Not because the job cannot get done, but because it is done, better, faster, and more completely with you sitting next to the end-user feeding back through requirements. Those are the sure ones.
To summarize the article: For broad hardware support, Windows is still much better than Linux. That's not bias--it's a demonstrable fact.
No that is an opinion The problem today is too many people think their opinion makes it a fact. Consider who would believe this argument: "The gas cap from my 68 Corvette doesn't fit the 2004 Subaru Outback. Imagine that. A cap that fit a car 30+ years ago not supported today."
The problem here is that information week editors considered this news and a scientific experiment. A single unsupported sound card, could not be installed on a linux distribution. Must be a real slow news day.
Slashdot Mirror
I am just amazed at the number of people posting "That's what you want in an exec." or "That is how companies need to run to return value." Are we really that misguided as a society? Do the 71% of Americans who claim to go to church actually listen? (Or maybe they do not really attend). Not that church is a requirement for morality, but at least it should be a standard we can claim a measure against.
The problem is becoming more clear as I read the replies and see what is happening daily. We want ethical treatment but if the other person is acting unethical then heck, I should too. To those who would claim I am misguided, I would say they are. That it is just the way things work in the real world is because of people who go quietly into the dark, seeking nothing but protection for themselves at the expense of others.
That is what some of the executive who went to prison missed. They made a lot of people a lot of money, and most of them were probably not asking about the details. (For example, most of the get tough laws promised and passed by Congress were never enacted.) However, ethics is not something you do, it is something you are and it is binary choice. You cannot be "sort of" unethical or immoral. That is not to say you cannot make mistakes, humans do. However, to excuse behavior as a long series of mistakes makes you an accessory, not an observer. Part of the problem.
Regardless of what the original poster thought, she does not supply neutral advice. If anything, what I see here is an attempt to appear neutral, but throwing in veiled threats.
Windows commands 65 to 70 percent of the server operating system market, while the Linux share stands at 15 to 20 percent
What market? What segments? What percentage of computing power? When you say MS runs 65% of the market you imply (and this is where Laura also gets here reputation) that everything else is a marginalized entity.
The high-level findings show that there is no universal clear-cut TCO basis to compel the corporate masses to do a wholesale switch from Windows to Linux
Gee, one machine, operating system, language, et. el. does not meet all needs. And this was insight? To whom? If anything this should be more concerning to MS, but it is also a plug for MS (as the owners of the market). But she follows it up with:
The majority of wholesale defections to Linux continues to come at the expense of midrange Unix installations...
The we see her drive home the MS competes with its own products (because they are just so good you need not upgrade), while Linux competes with its poorly defined systems, lack of support and array of distributions.
But, contrary to what the headlines would have us believe, the biggest threat to Microsoft's continued dominance, at present, is not Linux. It is older versions of Windows. The biggest threat to Linux is not Microsoft, but rather integration and interoperability issues among the various Linux and open-source distributions and applications. The lack of enterprise-level application support and documentation for the aforementioned software packages also is an issue.
Sorry but this is typical DiDio, with some enhanced editing to ensure it give the appearance of being unbiased. But she hit all the MS talking points.
Here is my short list based on real life experiences:
*Read Been There, Done that above.
*If your system is geographically dispersed there is no night time. If you can handle the transactions at night, then handle them "near realtime" by sending the transactions into a queue to be processed when bandwidth, CPU, etc. are available.
*Assume the Central database will not respond for three days (a tornado, etc. at the site) and see what your model will do versus what the business wants.
*Unplug the network during a transfer to the Central site. What do you expect it to do, when an admin pulls the cable for a second to clean behind the server.
*Identify units of work. Those transactions the business believes must occur together. These are often different than DB units of work.
*Expect bad data. People will tell you that it does not happen, but if you send transactions via a secondary process, it will. A record that was good on the remote box will be unusable on the Central or vise versa. Now what should happen?
*Compress all transactions being sent to/fro. While some will be tiny and hardly seem worth it, a consistent approach makes life at 3:00 a.m. a lot easier.
* XML is your best friend and worst enemy. If you choose to use it, know why it is good for your application.
*Avoid any product, template, approach or design built for the future. If you are not going to use it in the initial production roll-out. Stay away. If you are that good at reading the future, by lottery tickets. Unless this is a very small/fast project your options twelve months from now will be very different and you will have spent the time/money/energy building a solution without a use.
*Consider what areas are most likely to change, based on past business experience, and make them easy to change. (No, this does not conflict with the previous bullet
*New tools and additional bodies will not help when you are late. Add more people early and your life will be much easier. Rapid Development by S. McConnell is still the bible for PM.
*Create a lab where you connect the Centeral DB to a set of remote servers (also in the lab). They should be blazing fast as they are connected locally, and give you the ability to create "what if" cases in-house.
*Create a step by step process for rebuilding a server from scratch. From the time the hardware is turned on, to the time the server can be released. This is a painful experience and will take a week or better full time, but will make every additional site easy to implement. Have a standard for what is dynamic based on the server. (i.e. Step 26: Change ##siteName## to local host name) so people type "www.abcCompany.com" instead of siteName. Then have someone not involved in the documentation try it.
Hope this helps.
Cheers.
While I see a lot of congradulatory comments, I seem to recall a news story about the WTO and copyrights. Is one of the requirements for WTO acceptance that you enforce copyright law of the host country? If so, this would seem meaningless as most of the EU is part of the WTO. (Anyone know for sure?)
As most copyright holders (or enforcers) would have an office in the US, would it not make sense for them to just offically copyright it in the US and then seek WTO enforcement?
It would appear that the World Bank, WTO, and similar "organizations" are the problem we are going to face in the next few decades. They operate as "organizations" and thus can set any "regulations" they desire, regardless of what the countries actually vote on.
Here she has an update written this month on some other ideas for protecting a mobile machine.
Kim Komando has a reference to several companies that do what you ask.
Dear Kim: I bought my son a laptop. Is there a way it can be tracked if it is stolen?
Dear Reader: Yes. There is software that works over the Internet to report the location of a stolen laptop. When a thief connects the laptop to the Internet, the software reports its location to a special Web site. CyberAngel (www.sentryinc.com, $60 annually), CompuTracePlus (www.computrace. com, $50 annually) and zTrace (www. ztrace.com, $50 annually) are three companies that offer laptop locator software and services.
For MACs you might also try LapCop which emails you when the computer "disappears."
In addition, as literally anything could be on the drive, encrypt it. The translation slowdown will be barely noticeable and will save you if your child decided to put your VISA card in plain text files. Also, while a hardware password may seem like a great idea, if someone does steal the machine, it will never call home because they cannot get past the password.
I would then add a real easy to use laptop lock. If it is hard to use, it will not be used. No one wants to try and grab eight books from the library while lugging around their laptop. So they set it down for "just a minute."
Finally, for the "team her to be responsible" crowd: a college is about the least secure environment to which we will ever expose ourselves. People are free to come and go in most dorms, doors are secure as your least responsible roommate. College is also where more growing up occurs. Lighten up.
This case has the potential to not only open the Cable networks to competition, but also prevent the Telco's from further attempts on limiting DSL options."
Or, it could allow the Court to redress what it may see as a fact no longer in existence. They could decide that equal access is unenforceable regardless, in which case the telcos would be allow to prevent competitors from using their equipment.
You can never tell in these cases because the SC can be thinking anything. But I do agree, it will have an impact.
Actually, I run a small consulting business and purchases fall into business expenses or non-business expenses. As I pay by Credit Card, it is even easier as at the end of the month I review the bill and highlight accordingly.
Nothing magical that requires accounting. Just tracking expenses.
While I do not want to pay sales tax on out of state items, each year on my state tax return there is the box to make my own claim. Each year I make my contribution so I can legally sign that I have represented all taxes owed.
In a way, people have abused the ignorance of the system. If you live in a state, like mine, that requires you pay and you do not, don't complain when they catch you. You committed tax fraud. If you don't like it, have the law changed.
People who complain about this amuse me. Would you complain if the police pulled you over for doing 70 mph through a school zone? But no one gets hurt when I don't pay you say. I disagree that money was planned for allocation somewhere and someone else will be making it up in raised taxes elsewhere.
But please don't get me started about useless spending of our tax dollars. I could not agree more.
Just curious for those investment savvy people out there. If you sell short and they get delisted what happens?
/.
I hope I did not just cause Etrade to be
taxpayers should not be forced to finance risky projects that benefit only a fraction of the
population
I am currently paying for roads I don't use, fire equipment I never call, and the police who merely stop me from speeding. Every day we are forced to pay for services that do not benefit us directly, but as a society we value. Opponents have two options - 1. Convince their government this is a bad course of action or 2 - move.
municipalities enjoy unfair competitive advantages resulting from their ability to raise lowinterest, tax-free and government-backed capital; from their exemption from income taxes;
from their control over rights-of-way; and from the fact they charge franchise fees to
incumbent providers;
Where is the capitalistic spirit we always have waved in our faces, when we say we don't want Walmart or Starbucks? If corporations with billions cannot compete against a local city, it is not unfair advantage. It is the company wants to provide substandard service and this will prevent them.
municipalities have a conflict of interest as they become both competitor and regulator;
With few exceptions, this is federally regulated, so this is just applying the minority to the entire and claiming it as fact.
public provision is not economically efficient, and distorts the market and competition;
See my point about competition above.
telecommunications is an industry rife with technical change and competition, posing risks
that municipalities are not equipped to withstand. The unexpected need for upgrades,
market penetration and price competition from private providers and the threat of new
technologies puts the taxpayer or municipal ratepayer at risk.
Risk is in every bridge, building and roadway allowed in the city. Public parks put the city at liability risk. As for the need to upgrade, this can actually occur on citizen demand, as opposed to the two years we waited for Comcast broadband to make it to the state capital. It also has the advantage of negating the cost of the last mile.
Sorry but this is a puff piece made to sound like research.
"If you want it, you pay for it. Don't force anyone else to pay who doesn't want to. "
Amazing, why does this continue to be a response to anything government funded? Here are services I have never used:
- The fire department
- The police department
- Roads beyond the 1/2 mile to the interstate and around friends and family
Using your logic, we should just charge people who want the service. Need the fire department? Well, they are currently billing at $85/hour/firefighter plus equipment and supplies.
We are a society, if as a society, a city decides it is in their best interest to buy WIFI, and you do not, either: a-vote out the officials or b-move to another city.
I have one simple question: "Why should they?"
Think about it from a purely capitalistic view. What has the US ever done to China for trade violations of any kind? Nothing. Sure, we cry about deficits, slave labor, prison camps, and product dumping, but we do nothing.
Let's take a simple look at the problem:
We have a trade deficit with them.
We need products they make, because we no longer make them.
We have been convinced by groups like the Chamber of Commerce that MFN status would provide China an incentive to open trade.
China is currently on a course to make it the largest trading partner in the world.
This is not like isolating Cuba. We cannot afford to force any real sanctions. What little they do purchase from the US they will buy from the EU or US companies operating as EU companies. Even MS walks softly in China.
This is a pure puff piece meant to make Americans feel like their government is doing something. Why? Because we have become so narcissistically capitalistic, we would not dream of forcing HP or Intel or IBM to stop trading with China to enforce anything. Otherwise, they may force us to stop trading when something turns against them.
"That's also the US rule for H1 visas."
You are joking right? The H1-B has been so bastardized it is a joke. Explain to me how a programmer can come to the US on an H1B while programmer unemployment in the US is reaching 10%. It can because it is crooked. They bring in people willing to work for $25/hr, then bill the company $95/hour. And before you start with "It's American's benefiting." It is not. It is Indian owned companies, cutting their own people to display American workers.
In India, you cannot even get the visa, until you have done the proof work first. IBM, HP, etc. can because they are global. The average American company has little chance and this is first hand experience talking about the buracratic nightmare created to prevent foreigners from owning or doing business in India.
Absolutely. And the reason for that?
Those unwilling to step up and say, "we made a mistake with manufacturing, but it ends here. We will not be the serfs of the next generation."
It was "just" manufacturing jobs, and no one wanted those anyway right? So when those men and women lost their jobs people did nothing. They looked at the short term and said it is someone else's problems.
Just because we made mistakes in the past, it does not obligate us to repeat them.
"Note that I am talking about sales offices, not ODCs."
Exactly. And, in order to have a sales office your employees must be Indian, unless you can show that no Indian exists in the country (not locally) with the skills required and further your company will not displace Indian workers.
In essence, the result is an American company in India, with a product or service that is unavailable in India without them. This is the most extreme protectionism you can get.
The displacement clause alone makes certain there is no competition.
My neighbor went to the hospital with a broken foot. The xray was read by a radiologist in India. When you call the hospital after 6 p.m. it is answered by a call center in India. Insurance companies are looking at saving costs by having common but expensive surgery (such as bypass) done overseas. They also eliminate the risk of malpractice further reducing costs.
The engineer up the street works for the State, he now oversees a team of engineers who approve and revise drawings submitted to the state, in India. The state is looking at outsourcing its accounting and auditing review to India and Russia. The company has a nice American name with a headquarters in the state, but the workers are all overseas.
This is all a factor of "free trade" except it lacks fair trade. India is a perfect example of a country willing to take advantage of our laws (an Indian company bidding on state contracts gets a minority owned business score enhancement) while preventing any US company from doing the same in their country. We then have the "free traders" telling us that India will come around. Why should they? They will have the jobs and no incentive to change their business practices. Meanwhile we will have lost most jobs requiring a college degree. We will become the serfs of those with the money, the few elite left in the US and their foreign owners. And they will be owners for once they have the jobs and the money, buying the company makes sense as they will then gain all the profits.
Gloom and doom? Yes. But it is far less naive then the people who say things like "you always have to look out for yourself." It is this mindset that allows foreign companies and workers to take advantage of the cowards. Those unwilling to step up and say, "we made a mistake with manufacturing, but it ends here. We will not be the serfs of the next generation."
It's not a courage I see in this generation. It is far easier to blame the worker than to accept responsibility for how your government cares for other countries at your expense.
Billions of tax dollars shouldn't be blown on a project of little scientific validity just because "it's cool."
True. However, history has shown that as a species we are not very good at science for knowledge sake. We do far better with a goal. The moon landing was not about going to the moon, at least not from a science perspective. It was about beating the Russians to the moon. Then it was about making hard decisions that impacted life (real astronaut lives). We had to put men into a vacuum for weeks, send them to another planet, which at the time was nearly unknown, and then let them get out walk around and when done come home.
Those were all technical challenges that did not justify being done, until someone set the mission. The side effect of all that science has impacted us in ways we easily forget, from dialysis to lasik surgery. From cleaner air to water purification.
Did you notice that the people who finally speak out for/against a policy generally wait until they are no longer impacted by it?
Today the globalization hounds must beat the drum that globalization is good. Innovaton is lost and companies cannot figure out how to make a product or service more valuable so they make the cost of providing it cheaper.
In 1820 transitions occurred over time. To become a "global player" it took literally decades to move an industry to that level. During that time the industry workers transitioned. In current examples, the transition will occur in less than a decade. With Y2k,and the internet we built the infrastructure to make transition nearly immediate.
Now, add countries that would like the US work, but do not share US values. For example, India while more than outsourcing jobs, runs one of the most protectionist regimes in the world. Try, as a non-Indian to start a business and you will be kept out at the government, economic, and even social level.
The idea that we should not protect ourselves against such countries is ludicrous. This is like saying we should not stop terrorists because, by us not being terrorists they can see the benefits and will become outstanding citizens. (What drugs are these people taking?)
In the end, we are replacing 65K+ jobs with 30k+ jobs. Samuelson is correct ""If you don't believe that changes the average wages in America, then you believe in the tooth fairy," It does not take an economist to figure out that with only half the wages, the impact is on the entire economy. Two income families that bought two cars, can only afford one, or certainly not two new cars. Home buyers that had combined incomes of 130k, now have 70k to use as their financial base.
It sounds like your CIO thinks the economy is going to continue to tank. Or worse, is letting you know the company is in such financial straights that $500 month can make or break it.
Update your resume, start looking and when you start getting offers, you can decide if he is right. My bet is you will be wishing him a fond farewell. If you can find an opportunity as a group so much the better.
The ploy of administering guilt to ensure you "join the team" is just another emotional play. It begs the question, why won't he take a $500/month pay cut to keep the troops happy?
Move on soldier business is business.
This should be fairly simple, especially for those of us not doing it. Offer RFID tags that people on hikes could have. (Ok, charge $1 US). The person could leave the tag id with a trusted friend or even a neutral site. If they go missing the friend could provide the id and tracking could be done.
Any other tracking would then be aggregated. We know that 15 people went past poles 34, 35, and 36. 17 Tags stayed at camp site bravo, etc.
The benefit is that it is completely voluntary, while it can also provide valuable information about the use of facilities and trails. This is how technology can really benefit a situation without being a "big brother".
This is only the first step. Once it is complete, they can easily integrate the modem and Rot13 "encryption" so the DMCA can prevent you illegals from stealing the signal by "breaking" their security.
At that point they control the entire access node. Want to get streaming audio? Sure, just $1.99/month and we will open that port for you...Gaming ports? Sure, $2.99 and they are yours...
Your choice will be that or DSL. The question them becomes when will DSL make the same "offer?"
Most families will think the are getting a bargain. Then when you neighbor decides to do "Video on demand" for LOTRs, suddenly only one computer in you home can get through.
I may not like it, but it is going to be an easy sell to 99% of Americans.
The are preparing for this in their next phase at froogle
At this point, it may be "beta" but that just means they are getting ready to open the can. Once they do, they can dig through the ranks to ensure they can find you the lowest price.
Interesting will be what happens when I am a sponsor and every link is lower than my price.
In reality there is little you can do to help yourself. In many cases the decision to outsource is made before a decision to hire. Hence, a person's destiny was decided before we even knew work existed.
This is not a global economy issue either. People will post "welcome to the global economy" like an "up yours" for the success of America. India for example, has some of the most protectionist laws in the world. They are winning jobs because they outsource from other countries, yet no other country can outsource an Indian position. Very protectionist, and it works because someone in the political/business arena believes if we just keep our economy open, they will learn the benefits. They have, the benefit is to have a closed economy while exploiting open ones.
I don't want to say you are screwed, as much as value is one of those things that is decided before you need it. Like the decision to outsource, you will not get the chance to describe your value after you are a target. Be sure to describe the value to the company you bring at least monthly. Forget "Made sure the TPS reports were delivered on time," "Bob the mail boy" claims that one on his resume. Look at your job and equate it to business revenue. If your position (and all positions like it)were not there what would the company lose. Look at the department, not the individual.
Then, always remember there are certain jobs, even IT jobs, that proximity to the client/end user, are required. Not because the job cannot get done, but because it is done, better, faster, and more completely with you sitting next to the end-user feeding back through requirements. Those are the sure ones.
To summarize the article:
For broad hardware support, Windows is still much better than Linux. That's not bias--it's a demonstrable fact.
No that is an opinion The problem today is too many people think their opinion makes it a fact. Consider who would believe this argument:
"The gas cap from my 68 Corvette doesn't fit the 2004 Subaru Outback. Imagine that. A cap that fit a car 30+ years ago not supported today."
The problem here is that information week editors considered this news and a scientific experiment. A single unsupported sound card, could not be installed on a linux distribution. Must be a real slow news day.