The boss I had at my old job seemed to be the only person in the palce who *didn't* understand that. This was probably part of the reason why I was frequently tempted to ground a tesla coil to his office chair.
Most of his problem, however, was that he had a massive inferiority complex and felt the need to constantly "assert his autority". This generally led to a drop in productivity and morale, not to mention homocidal tendancies from the other managers (who were normally extremely nice and laid back).
The big problem with this is that it is a process that requires the group to be steadfast in their actions and convictions. It also requires the stomach for grinding your opponant under your heel if it is necessary.
Most people in this country don't have the stomach for this. They've grown up being told that violence is bad and that they should always turn the other cheek. This tends to be especially prevelant in the population which has gone through higher education because they seem to develop the notion that everything can be reasoned out and diplomacy will always prevail.
I can deal with problems either diplomatically or violently as the situation may dictate (in fact, I tend to be quite good at both) and not feel remorse over being violent. I, however, am not an example of the "average" american.
You don't really need nukes. Guerilla tactics work wonderfully with even low-tech devices. And let's face it - weapons, most explosives, etc are fairly trivial to make and use.
But then I had a strange childhood (my father is an ex marine, I grew up around several others including one who was in recon, my great grandfather was a demolitions man and taught me the joy of things that go boom at a young age, etc)
I'd have to say pong or pac man. I grew up with an atari and lived over a game room for several years (I played for free because the person who owned it was a friend of the family. There was much pac-man, dig-dug, pinball, and pool in my early childhood)
I'm still a pool freak though I rarely get a chance to play anymore. I miss shooting pool with my profs before going out with my friends on friday nights.
Why bother using it for client side? Because for some tasks it is the right tool for the job.
Languages are tools. They aren't religions. Use a hammer on all of your problems and the only ones you will deal with effectively will be nails (or creating things out of red hot metal, but I digress).
C/C++ are nice because they are closer to the metal.
Java is nice because there's so much crap I don't have to worry about and it will run pretty much anywhere as long as I don't have to deal with things that take a boatload of memory.
Perl is great for automating stuff on my *nix boxes.
This list could go on for quite a while.
If you're REALLY worried about speed, stop bitching and write in assembly.
Friend of mine still tops me for "most interesting way to come to".
He was at a party on a reservation (native american) and came to the next day wearing his boots, his hat, no pants, leading a horse, and carrying a spare tire and a road cone.
Lots of hard work between my job, classes, and homework (70-80 hours average) and playing hard when I had the chance (fencing, parties, etc)
It was a great experience. Not all of it was good, but nothing ever is.
As far as getting into those situations, the way it works is to not really be overly worried about the result. If you're worried about getting shot down, you'll be less inclined to even try. Look at it this way, if you get shot down 9 times out of 10, that's still one chance you wouldn't have had otherwise.
Who really cares about hearing the word "no" unless it's someone you have real feelings for. You just accept it and move on. A sense of humor also really helps. That alone used to get me phone numbers on occasion.
Here's a tip: as a geek, chances are that you're at least fairly intelligent. This is an advantage if you play it right. Smart and funny is better. Add charming to the mix and things become really interesting.
The reality of the view was nice. The fact that one of them propositioned me, i made the joking comment that it was all of them or nothing, and they said they were game for that was just insane lol
For some reason, I seem to get into these sort of situations on occasion heh
*smirks* If they became the BSD poster girls, the number of people who use BSD would go through the roof. To say they were hot would have been an understatement. They also weren't very inhibited heh
This is what I get for going to the block party dressed in period clothing - black pants, white swordsman's shirt, black and gold jerkin belted at the waist and knee-high black suede boots.
I lost count of the number of times my ass was grabbed after about 40 during the first half hour:P
I miss campus too. Looking forward to the possibility of living fairly close to there. I miss my friends there, not to mention the *ahem* "scenery"
As far as video goes, I'm glad that my friends *didn't* get some of the things that happened on video. Though getting footage of me getting herded around by the ten girls dressed as demons with pitchforks could have been interesting heh
I always thought it was fun being propositioned by the girls from aerobics (they were just down the hall from the salle). Having your own fan club is a hilarious thing.
It was at Ohio University in Athens. Graduated in March, so I'm not there anymore. However, I may end up back in that general area before long.
As for being built like a gorilla, I'm 6' tall, wear a 54 suit jacket, and several of the asian girls on campus were, for some weird reason, obsessed with my arms. It's really funny when a Japanese grad student asks if she can feel your arms (basically completely out of the blue).
I can agree with the statement that some of the college kids thought they knew it all (I was in college at the time, but I started training in kung fu when I was about six, picked up japanese and european sword arts later, and even trained for a while in muay thai).
I was the person that the maestro sent the problem people to - the shy ones, the ones with agression problems on both ends (too much and too little), etc. This was largely because of my background, teaching style, the fact that he'd known me before I ever started fencing with them (he invited me to come play with them after my engagement ended to sort of get me back on track with things), and the amusing fact that most of the new people thought I was the teacher to begin with.
Loved working with the kids I taught martial arts to (only taught one or two of them fencing. most of them learned open handed techniques), and really enjoyed working with *most* of the college students. There were a couple, however, that I had to *ahem* escort out of the salle and tell to not come back.
For the most part, the college students listened pretty well, but the fact that I was 6' tall, built like a gorilla, not a slow man, and extremely accurate with my weapon might have had a *little* to do with that.
I think I would have liked having you there while I was working support (The lead programmer would have loved to have me on his team, but I was a little too busy running the network. Just taking a vacation led to problems at times. The directors agreed that I needed time off, and even told me I was to take a few days off and not come in, but were ready to hug me when I got back because things could finally be resolved.).
We had one of the programmers there make a web form for trouble reporting. Nothing all that complex, really - basically just ASP and database stuff. I had to keep going back to him every time he "finished" because he completely neglected X (which was specified as a requirement) or because Y just did not work at all. It was tempting to toss him out the door and do it myself, but I didn't have the time to do it myself or the autority to get rid of him.
Unfortunately, I've known a lot of them who never had to do support. Most of those ones have no idea where to place things for the sake of ease of use.
Same basic thing as you here. I spent four years as a network analyst and tech for one of the larger non-profit orgs (200+ users) on campus. Talk about an interesting cross section of people (not all of them were college students, just so I head those comments off at the pass) with vastly different user mindsets.
I get to send software to some of them to hammer on for a week or so and give me feedback. It amused me that they actually volunteered to be test subjects when they heard about things I was working on.
Experience, insane schedules (70-80+ hours a week just counting the essentials), and meeting really interesting people (for various definitions of "interesting") - this is what I get for having worked my way through college heh
I've taught martial arts to little kids, fencing to college kids (many of whom show kindergarten-like tendancies), and have helped my little cousins with math and reading. Does that count? =]
Must be nice. My mother hates linux because it's "different", but this is the woman who kept asking me to teach her how to do more with a computer but then decides 5 minutes into it that she doesn't care. She screws up the computer and then whines to me.
Note that this approach doesn't really work anymore. I showed her how to run the restore cd and told her that unless she stopped doing the things I told her were not good to do, I wouldn't fix the computer anymore.
It's not impossible to use windows without a two button mouse (with the exception of some games). The menu key on "windows" keyboards brings up the right click menu and lets me use most things on windows without touching the mouse at all...
I'm a keyboard freak. It comes largely from using DOS for years as a kid and using Unix and Linux when I started programming in college. I usually do most things in windows without touching the mouse. My former boss on the other hand hated anything that didn't have a GUI.
Slashdot Mirror
boot to the head *whack*
The boss I had at my old job seemed to be the only person in the palce who *didn't* understand that. This was probably part of the reason why I was frequently tempted to ground a tesla coil to his office chair.
Most of his problem, however, was that he had a massive inferiority complex and felt the need to constantly "assert his autority". This generally led to a drop in productivity and morale, not to mention homocidal tendancies from the other managers (who were normally extremely nice and laid back).
Using wireless in an outhouse? Talk about your reception going to shit
The big problem with this is that it is a process that requires the group to be steadfast in their actions and convictions. It also requires the stomach for grinding your opponant under your heel if it is necessary.
Most people in this country don't have the stomach for this. They've grown up being told that violence is bad and that they should always turn the other cheek. This tends to be especially prevelant in the population which has gone through higher education because they seem to develop the notion that everything can be reasoned out and diplomacy will always prevail.
I can deal with problems either diplomatically or violently as the situation may dictate (in fact, I tend to be quite good at both) and not feel remorse over being violent. I, however, am not an example of the "average" american.
You don't really need nukes. Guerilla tactics work wonderfully with even low-tech devices. And let's face it - weapons, most explosives, etc are fairly trivial to make and use.
But then I had a strange childhood (my father is an ex marine, I grew up around several others including one who was in recon, my great grandfather was a demolitions man and taught me the joy of things that go boom at a young age, etc)
That's it. I'm stealing the contents of your basement. Not that I have anywhere to put it right now, but still. =]
I'd have to say pong or pac man. I grew up with an atari and lived over a game room for several years (I played for free because the person who owned it was a friend of the family. There was much pac-man, dig-dug, pinball, and pool in my early childhood)
I'm still a pool freak though I rarely get a chance to play anymore. I miss shooting pool with my profs before going out with my friends on friday nights.
Just wait until you hear "The earliest game I really enjoyed was [Halo2|Doom3]"
I'm only 24 and the wolf3d statement made me feel a bit old heh
Why bother using it for client side? Because for some tasks it is the right tool for the job.
Languages are tools. They aren't religions. Use a hammer on all of your problems and the only ones you will deal with effectively will be nails (or creating things out of red hot metal, but I digress).
C/C++ are nice because they are closer to the metal.
Java is nice because there's so much crap I don't have to worry about and it will run pretty much anywhere as long as I don't have to deal with things that take a boatload of memory.
Perl is great for automating stuff on my *nix boxes.
This list could go on for quite a while.
If you're REALLY worried about speed, stop bitching and write in assembly.
If you build it standing up, it can be built from the ground up - create the feet, attach the legs, then the torso, etc.
Build it lying down and you have to build it from the back up. It's a lot more difficult that way.
Friend of mine still tops me for "most interesting way to come to".
He was at a party on a reservation (native american) and came to the next day wearing his boots, his hat, no pants, leading a horse, and carrying a spare tire and a road cone.
Compared to that, I feel tame...
It's not bad unless you wake up, lying under a desk along with clothing that isn't yours, and don't remember what happened :P
Caution is a good thing in a lot of situations. Others, however, do not allow for hesitation.
Don't worry. You're not making an ass out of yourself.
Lots of hard work between my job, classes, and homework (70-80 hours average) and playing hard when I had the chance (fencing, parties, etc)
It was a great experience. Not all of it was good, but nothing ever is.
As far as getting into those situations, the way it works is to not really be overly worried about the result. If you're worried about getting shot down, you'll be less inclined to even try. Look at it this way, if you get shot down 9 times out of 10, that's still one chance you wouldn't have had otherwise.
Who really cares about hearing the word "no" unless it's someone you have real feelings for. You just accept it and move on. A sense of humor also really helps. That alone used to get me phone numbers on occasion.
Here's a tip: as a geek, chances are that you're at least fairly intelligent. This is an advantage if you play it right. Smart and funny is better. Add charming to the mix and things become really interesting.
Believe it or not, I used to be a wallflower.
The reality of the view was nice. The fact that one of them propositioned me, i made the joking comment that it was all of them or nothing, and they said they were game for that was just insane lol
For some reason, I seem to get into these sort of situations on occasion heh
*smirks* If they became the BSD poster girls, the number of people who use BSD would go through the roof. To say they were hot would have been an understatement. They also weren't very inhibited heh
:P
This is what I get for going to the block party dressed in period clothing - black pants, white swordsman's shirt, black and gold jerkin belted at the waist and knee-high black suede boots.
I lost count of the number of times my ass was grabbed after about 40 during the first half hour
I miss campus too. Looking forward to the possibility of living fairly close to there. I miss my friends there, not to mention the *ahem* "scenery"
As far as video goes, I'm glad that my friends *didn't* get some of the things that happened on video. Though getting footage of me getting herded around by the ten girls dressed as demons with pitchforks could have been interesting heh
I always thought it was fun being propositioned by the girls from aerobics (they were just down the hall from the salle). Having your own fan club is a hilarious thing.
It was at Ohio University in Athens. Graduated in March, so I'm not there anymore. However, I may end up back in that general area before long.
As for being built like a gorilla, I'm 6' tall, wear a 54 suit jacket, and several of the asian girls on campus were, for some weird reason, obsessed with my arms. It's really funny when a Japanese grad student asks if she can feel your arms (basically completely out of the blue).
I can agree with the statement that some of the college kids thought they knew it all (I was in college at the time, but I started training in kung fu when I was about six, picked up japanese and european sword arts later, and even trained for a while in muay thai).
I was the person that the maestro sent the problem people to - the shy ones, the ones with agression problems on both ends (too much and too little), etc. This was largely because of my background, teaching style, the fact that he'd known me before I ever started fencing with them (he invited me to come play with them after my engagement ended to sort of get me back on track with things), and the amusing fact that most of the new people thought I was the teacher to begin with.
Loved working with the kids I taught martial arts to (only taught one or two of them fencing. most of them learned open handed techniques), and really enjoyed working with *most* of the college students. There were a couple, however, that I had to *ahem* escort out of the salle and tell to not come back.
For the most part, the college students listened pretty well, but the fact that I was 6' tall, built like a gorilla, not a slow man, and extremely accurate with my weapon might have had a *little* to do with that.
I think I would have liked having you there while I was working support (The lead programmer would have loved to have me on his team, but I was a little too busy running the network. Just taking a vacation led to problems at times. The directors agreed that I needed time off, and even told me I was to take a few days off and not come in, but were ready to hug me when I got back because things could finally be resolved.).
We had one of the programmers there make a web form for trouble reporting. Nothing all that complex, really - basically just ASP and database stuff. I had to keep going back to him every time he "finished" because he completely neglected X (which was specified as a requirement) or because Y just did not work at all. It was tempting to toss him out the door and do it myself, but I didn't have the time to do it myself or the autority to get rid of him.
Unfortunately, I've known a lot of them who never had to do support. Most of those ones have no idea where to place things for the sake of ease of use.
Same basic thing as you here. I spent four years as a network analyst and tech for one of the larger non-profit orgs (200+ users) on campus. Talk about an interesting cross section of people (not all of them were college students, just so I head those comments off at the pass) with vastly different user mindsets.
I get to send software to some of them to hammer on for a week or so and give me feedback. It amused me that they actually volunteered to be test subjects when they heard about things I was working on.
Experience, insane schedules (70-80+ hours a week just counting the essentials), and meeting really interesting people (for various definitions of "interesting") - this is what I get for having worked my way through college heh
I've taught martial arts to little kids, fencing to college kids (many of whom show kindergarten-like tendancies), and have helped my little cousins with math and reading. Does that count? =]
Must be nice. My mother hates linux because it's "different", but this is the woman who kept asking me to teach her how to do more with a computer but then decides 5 minutes into it that she doesn't care. She screws up the computer and then whines to me.
Note that this approach doesn't really work anymore. I showed her how to run the restore cd and told her that unless she stopped doing the things I told her were not good to do, I wouldn't fix the computer anymore.
It's not impossible to use windows without a two button mouse (with the exception of some games). The menu key on "windows" keyboards brings up the right click menu and lets me use most things on windows without touching the mouse at all...
I'm a keyboard freak. It comes largely from using DOS for years as a kid and using Unix and Linux when I started programming in college. I usually do most things in windows without touching the mouse. My former boss on the other hand hated anything that didn't have a GUI.