This, also, is true. Many of the smiths that I know (and I know several. I'm an apprentice myself, though I haven't been able to be in the forge for a couple of seasons) make functional works of art. Very pretty, rather useful, and not exactly cheap.
High quality, unique pieces. One of the people that comes to mind is Norman Wendell. Great guy. Nigh unto god's gunsmith. The man makes hand-forged Kentucky long riffles. He even has pieces in the Smithsonian. His work isn't cheap, and he is able to pick and choose who he makes it for. While this is not always the case, with the master smiths, it's relatively common.
My master started out as a specialized ferrier (corrective shoeing. He could make horses that most people would put down walk again). Just to get him to come out and look at a horse would cost about 500. He later moved to where I am now and became a very talented, well-paid tech (not to mention being an old school hacker).
Me, I started because I always wanted to make my own weaponry (I grew up studying martial arts and always bemoaned the availibility of really good equipment). For me, it's a hobby and a stress-relieving sort of thing.
On the profit side, though, just puttering around the forge one day trying to learn to make ivy leaves, I ended up making a pendant. One of the kids that came to visit the historic village I volunteer in thought it was neat. I like kids - they have this effect of making me smile, so I finished it and gave it to him after it cooled.
Within about 15 minutes of giving this silly little project to a now rather happy kid, I had about 20 requests for them. I figured that, since they were fairly simple, I wouldn't charge much for them. I ended up walking out of the shop that day with about $80 after I donated 10-15% back to the shop to cover the materials that I used. I also ended up with the phone number of a rather attractive young woman who was interested in me for things other than my metalworking skills.
Not bad for what was literally about 2 hours work at something I was doing for nothing in order to learn shaping at a place I volunteer at to blow off steam.
That works really well in theory. The problem is when management looks at you and tells you to do it the way they said anyway because they're in charge and you aren't. I've run into that a few times in the past. The fact that the IT manager was an idiot and thought he was an authority on the subject because his wife was a programmer didn't help.
Honestly? Okay, here is the short list, as far as I am concerned (I could add a lot more, but won't because most of it has to be experienced)
It's very stress relieving. It's artistic. It embodies both the act of creation and destruction (I did my work in a historical 17th or 18th century village. No electricity, just people power.). It's one heck of an upper body workout. It provides focus. It introduces you to fellow, sometimes tech, but often not, geeks (geek is a mindset, remember?). It grants a sense of accomplishment to hold something solid in your hands which you made out of raw materials. and it's different than what I do for a living.
On the next to the last point, I should also mention that I have been known to carve wood, have built two buildings with my father (who was a carpenter for quite a while), and do various other things along that vein.
I should also mention that I was able to work with two extremely talented master blacksmiths (one of whom has pieces in the Smithsonian) as well as many other interesting people who did everything from smithing to candlemaking, carving, lace making (bobbin lace, if you wondered), and flint knapping.
Oh, and on building the forge, I reccomend a book - "Art of the Blacksmith." However, you don't need to build one per-se. You can find portable (tinker) forges at a reasonable price.
Knowing me, I'd probably occasionally work on tech projects, but would spend most of my time traveling, training, blacksmithing (I'm an apprentice. Just haven't been able to be in the forge for a few seasons), and generally enjoying my life with people I like the company of.
Then again, I always did just look at programming as something I enjoy which I get paid for.
Okay, I have to bite. Keep in mind that this is largely satire, but it does have a semi-serious side...
Given their track record for providing "Quality, low cost solutions", I'm not sure I'd want to use what evolved from the program.
For some reason, I get this mental image of mission control being outsourced to Bangalore.
space vehicle:*static* "Bangalore, we have a problem. We are rapidly loosing oxygen. Repeat, we are rapidly loosing oxygen."
mission control: "Have you got the power turned on? It is a common mistake"
After all, everyone thought sending tech support there would be a good idea to save money, and that's not an area where people's lives are generally in danger. Would you really want to trust your life to the same sort of people? =]
Re:Joe Sixpack is looking for "useful life"
on
Less Might Be More
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· Score: 1
As someone who has drooled over that type of monitor from my days in the labs on campus, I hate you heh.
I don't know. I had a job for four years as a network analyst and admin to pay my bills as well as doing some freelance software development all while I was in college, and I'm having a tough time getting nibbles for jobs. Most places that I see want people with 3-5 years experience for even an entry level job here. It's a little annoying, to say the least.
Unfortunately, a lot of what they are asking for is insane. I've seen positions posted as being "entry level" where they want people with 3-5 years of experience. That may just be here, but it's making me want to break out the greatsword and play saracen head with some PHB's.
Stop giving the tax cuts to buisnesses that outsource their workforce to other countries. That would take away a lot of the incentive for some companies to ship off jobs.
"Law enforcement agencies and personnel have no duty to protect individuals from the criminal acts of others; instead their duty is to preserve the peace and arrest law breakers for the protection of the general public." ~ Lynch v. NC Department of Justice
I've noticed that most people here seem fixated on guns, when they hear the word 'arms'. Everything is a weapon (wether offensive or defensive), and can be used in the cause of defeating one's opponent.
When facing a superior force, you take advantage of your ability to be covert in order chip away at your opponent with the tools at your disposal, causing them to be demoralized if not totally decimated (explosives are rather simple to create, after all).
If, in the case of a civil war, you face your own countrymen, you also try to win more of them over to your cause by making them see that they are threatned by the same force which you face.
Not all conflict is between armies trading shot for shot. Ideally, you should force them to fight on your terms instead of fighting on theirs. To paraphraze Sun-tzu, the enemy can not be strong everywhere.
I'm in OH, not WI so YMMV, but I haven't been out of there all that long. I graduated in 1998 and the last strike i saw was my senior year. In fact, I got to see a whole lot of what was going on for that one, because my father was the AFL-CIO president for the area at the time. In all probability, it varies from state to state since that sort of thing is run by the state board of education.
Part of the problem is that a lot of the companies who do outsource jobs are still getting tax breaks from the government. Take away the tax breaks if they outsource, and you'd find that the production costs would likely be about the same as if they kept the work here.
Miami is such a fun place. J Crew U probably thought that the 2.4ghz phones didn't look preppy enough. (note: I'm an OU alum, this could help explain the dislike of Miami heh)
I can agree with your point about "liberal arts" largely being a means to be more interesting in the eyes of most people. However, it does have its uses.
Education, like everything else should have balance. Being too science oriented leads to many problems as well (which I see on a regular basis). My personal opinion is that education at a lifelong level should make you not only functional in your chosen trade but interesting and capable of thought.
My personal field of study in college was computer science, but I also have a background in more liberal arts disciplines (philosophy, history, strategy, literature, and music) and more physical pursuits (martial arts, blacksmithing, etc). It leads to perspectives that other people in my field don't tend to have.
It also leads to my being able to hold intelligent, and even interesting (there is a difference), conversations with people of different backgrounds. Occasionally it even leads to people in the other areas of the places that I work coming to me with questions unrelated to my job, as well as the accusations of my being the company's Renaissance man.
I didn't get to do all of these things because my family is wealthy (My parents didn't start out with a great deal and worked their way up to middle class). I worked my way though most of my pursuits. Along the way, I've met a diverse array of people, had an interesting, though not always easy, time, and have always been mildly amused at the places my attitude and background leads.
Ever have to make modifications to your own code several months later? I have. Trying to figure out where you need to make the changes in code made in the way you describe is a bloody nightmare.
I find it kind of sad that this is close to being spot on, truth wise, and it gets modded funny. I also find it sad that, in the abstract sense, it *is* funny.
I'd say it's sort of like the whole fish/fishes thing. If you are talking about a general group of fish or a group of the same type of fish, then it is fish. If you are refering to fish of different species (trout, bass, etc), then it is fishes.
Slashdot Mirror
I had no idea that miles were so small.
1 mile 6 feet?
In that case, my car gets *really* great gas mileage...
This, also, is true. Many of the smiths that I know (and I know several. I'm an apprentice myself, though I haven't been able to be in the forge for a couple of seasons) make functional works of art. Very pretty, rather useful, and not exactly cheap.
High quality, unique pieces. One of the people that comes to mind is Norman Wendell. Great guy. Nigh unto god's gunsmith. The man makes hand-forged Kentucky long riffles. He even has pieces in the Smithsonian. His work isn't cheap, and he is able to pick and choose who he makes it for. While this is not always the case, with the master smiths, it's relatively common.
My master started out as a specialized ferrier (corrective shoeing. He could make horses that most people would put down walk again). Just to get him to come out and look at a horse would cost about 500. He later moved to where I am now and became a very talented, well-paid tech (not to mention being an old school hacker).
Me, I started because I always wanted to make my own weaponry (I grew up studying martial arts and always bemoaned the availibility of really good equipment). For me, it's a hobby and a stress-relieving sort of thing.
On the profit side, though, just puttering around the forge one day trying to learn to make ivy leaves, I ended up making a pendant. One of the kids that came to visit the historic village I volunteer in thought it was neat. I like kids - they have this effect of making me smile, so I finished it and gave it to him after it cooled.
Within about 15 minutes of giving this silly little project to a now rather happy kid, I had about 20 requests for them. I figured that, since they were fairly simple, I wouldn't charge much for them. I ended up walking out of the shop that day with about $80 after I donated 10-15% back to the shop to cover the materials that I used. I also ended up with the phone number of a rather attractive young woman who was interested in me for things other than my metalworking skills.
Not bad for what was literally about 2 hours work at something I was doing for nothing in order to learn shaping at a place I volunteer at to blow off steam.
There are a few things that you have to consider:
1) The lawsuit was filed in a town where Kodak was one of the major employers, so the jury would almost certainly be biased.
2) Because of #1, there was a decent chance that Sun would have lost and been forced to pay the $1bn (which is considerably more than 92 million).
3) If sun faught it, lost, appealed, etc, the cost to them in legal fees and PR would have likely been more than the 92 million that they pain.
summary? They took the (relatively) cheap option.
That works really well in theory. The problem is when management looks at you and tells you to do it the way they said anyway because they're in charge and you aren't. I've run into that a few times in the past. The fact that the IT manager was an idiot and thought he was an authority on the subject because his wife was a programmer didn't help.
Honestly? Okay, here is the short list, as far as I am concerned (I could add a lot more, but won't because most of it has to be experienced)
It's very stress relieving.
It's artistic.
It embodies both the act of creation and destruction (I did my work in a historical 17th or 18th century village. No electricity, just people power.).
It's one heck of an upper body workout.
It provides focus.
It introduces you to fellow, sometimes tech, but often not, geeks (geek is a mindset, remember?).
It grants a sense of accomplishment to hold something solid in your hands which you made out of raw materials.
and it's different than what I do for a living.
On the next to the last point, I should also mention that I have been known to carve wood, have built two buildings with my father (who was a carpenter for quite a while), and do various other things along that vein.
I should also mention that I was able to work with two extremely talented master blacksmiths (one of whom has pieces in the Smithsonian) as well as many other interesting people who did everything from smithing to candlemaking, carving, lace making (bobbin lace, if you wondered), and flint knapping.
Oh, and on building the forge, I reccomend a book - "Art of the Blacksmith." However, you don't need to build one per-se. You can find portable (tinker) forges at a reasonable price.
Knowing me, I'd probably occasionally work on tech projects, but would spend most of my time traveling, training, blacksmithing (I'm an apprentice. Just haven't been able to be in the forge for a few seasons), and generally enjoying my life with people I like the company of.
Then again, I always did just look at programming as something I enjoy which I get paid for.
Okay, I have to bite. Keep in mind that this is largely satire, but it does have a semi-serious side...
Given their track record for providing "Quality, low cost solutions", I'm not sure I'd want to use what evolved from the program.
For some reason, I get this mental image of mission control being outsourced to Bangalore.
space vehicle:*static* "Bangalore, we have a problem. We are rapidly loosing oxygen. Repeat, we are rapidly loosing oxygen."
mission control: "Have you got the power turned on? It is a common mistake"
After all, everyone thought sending tech support there would be a good idea to save money, and that's not an area where people's lives are generally in danger. Would you really want to trust your life to the same sort of people? =]
As someone who has drooled over that type of monitor from my days in the labs on campus, I hate you heh.
I think I need to increase my Soma intake. You people talking about using old things is making me nervous...
I don't know. I had a job for four years as a network analyst and admin to pay my bills as well as doing some freelance software development all while I was in college, and I'm having a tough time getting nibbles for jobs. Most places that I see want people with 3-5 years experience for even an entry level job here. It's a little annoying, to say the least.
Unfortunately, a lot of what they are asking for is insane. I've seen positions posted as being "entry level" where they want people with 3-5 years of experience. That may just be here, but it's making me want to break out the greatsword and play saracen head with some PHB's.
The bad thing is that i'm not exagerating at all.
The relatively simple answer?
Stop giving the tax cuts to buisnesses that outsource their workforce to other countries. That would take away a lot of the incentive for some companies to ship off jobs.
Yet another case for you -
"Law enforcement agencies and personnel have no duty to protect individuals from the criminal acts of others; instead their duty is to preserve the peace and arrest law breakers for the protection of the general public."
~ Lynch v. NC Department of Justice
I've noticed that most people here seem fixated on guns, when they hear the word 'arms'. Everything is a weapon (wether offensive or defensive), and can be used in the cause of defeating one's opponent.
When facing a superior force, you take advantage of your ability to be covert in order chip away at your opponent with the tools at your disposal, causing them to be demoralized if not totally decimated (explosives are rather simple to create, after all).
If, in the case of a civil war, you face your own countrymen, you also try to win more of them over to your cause by making them see that they are threatned by the same force which you face.
Not all conflict is between armies trading shot for shot. Ideally, you should force them to fight on your terms instead of fighting on theirs. To paraphraze Sun-tzu, the enemy can not be strong everywhere.
I'm in OH, not WI so YMMV, but I haven't been out of there all that long. I graduated in 1998 and the last strike i saw was my senior year. In fact, I got to see a whole lot of what was going on for that one, because my father was the AFL-CIO president for the area at the time. In all probability, it varies from state to state since that sort of thing is run by the state board of education.
Funny, I've seen it happen with teachers several times in the school system that I grew up in.
Part of the problem is that a lot of the companies who do outsource jobs are still getting tax breaks from the government. Take away the tax breaks if they outsource, and you'd find that the production costs would likely be about the same as if they kept the work here.
Miami is such a fun place. J Crew U probably thought that the 2.4ghz phones didn't look preppy enough. (note: I'm an OU alum, this could help explain the dislike of Miami heh)
I can agree with your point about "liberal arts" largely being a means to be more interesting in the eyes of most people. However, it does have its uses.
Education, like everything else should have balance. Being too science oriented leads to many problems as well (which I see on a regular basis). My personal opinion is that education at a lifelong level should make you not only functional in your chosen trade but interesting and capable of thought.
My personal field of study in college was computer science, but I also have a background in more liberal arts disciplines (philosophy, history, strategy, literature, and music) and more physical pursuits (martial arts, blacksmithing, etc). It leads to perspectives that other people in my field don't tend to have.
It also leads to my being able to hold intelligent, and even interesting (there is a difference), conversations with people of different backgrounds. Occasionally it even leads to people in the other areas of the places that I work coming to me with questions unrelated to my job, as well as the accusations of my being the company's Renaissance man.
I didn't get to do all of these things because my family is wealthy (My parents didn't start out with a great deal and worked their way up to middle class). I worked my way though most of my pursuits. Along the way, I've met a diverse array of people, had an interesting, though not always easy, time, and have always been mildly amused at the places my attitude and background leads.
Sounds like you're talking about Pitfall 2.
Great old game. So was the origional Pitfall.
I can say you're right about the DJ thing. Been there, done that, and I'm not giving details past saying that I wasn't bored or alone. *wicked laugh*
But I also get that sort of thing because of the swordfighting and when I used to do blacksmithing (yes, I'm a strange geek).
Ever have to make modifications to your own code several months later? I have. Trying to figure out where you need to make the changes in code made in the way you describe is a bloody nightmare.
Are you kidding? That combination would make sibling rivalry (and bullying) a real pain in the arse (literally if he has you tossed in the jail)
I find it kind of sad that this is close to being spot on, truth wise, and it gets modded funny. I also find it sad that, in the abstract sense, it *is* funny.
I'd say it's sort of like the whole fish/fishes thing. If you are talking about a general group of fish or a group of the same type of fish, then it is fish. If you are refering to fish of different species (trout, bass, etc), then it is fishes.
But that's just an educated guess