(IANAL)
Patents give you the right to exclude others -- except the federal government. So, just because the government produces some code which exercises a patent, that doesn't necessarily protect the rest of us...
In the GIMP developer's defense, most/all of the CMYK process is patent protected.
What's rocket science about CMYK? Are the lookup tables patented? This has been around since the '50s.
It's not quite the same extreme as say, airline pilots, who invariably were trained in the military. Lots of plain old engineering types (the "blue jeans" army) are out there. The biggest thing is to get that first gig where a company can put you to work doing something useful while the investigators are out there making sure you're who you say you are, haven't trained in Afghanistan, etc...
1. Learn *everything* you can about a real technical domain area that has nothing to do with computers. People don't care whether you can program -- they care whether you can program WHAT THEY NEED.
2. If you are a US Citizen, haven't sold (or consumed) pounds of cocaine, and believe that honest people on the inside of the system can make a difference, GET HIGH LEVEL CLEARANCES. There is a serious shortage of talented pepole (or untalented warm bodies, for that matter) in this area.
3. Present yourself, not as a computer professional, but as a business professional.
Supplementary info:
1. Seriously, who cares whether you know the latest object-oriented, distributed, web-based, googlephonic technology. What people REALLY want is someone who can bring those talents to bear on actual applications that they care about.
I have been a software engineer for a bunch of years, but the best projects I've worked on (and where I have been most valued) were ones where I had to actually learn something about what it was I was writing programs about. When I went back to graduate school in CS to get a Master's degree, I ended up working with people in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, working on algorithms for DNA and protein sequence comparison. Since then, I have spent *much* more time reading and learning biology than software.
2. Before I went back to grad school, I worked on military projects involving imagery compression and algorithm optimization. While checking the assembly code generated by the compiler was important, it was every bit as important to understand fundamental aspects of the imaging system involved, from the point of view of optics, error correction, and end-user (imagery analyst) needs. This was cool work, and important for our guys on the ground in the middle of nowhere.
There is currently an **extreme** shortage of dedicated, knowledgeable people with clearances in areas of national importance. Acquire these clearances, and you will never want for employment. Plus: CAN'T BE OUTSOURCED TO FOREIGNERS.
3. Somewhat along the same theme, be a provider of valuable services, not just a computer guy (gal). Right now, I have a contract with the Natinal Institutes of Health, doing research into diseases that affect millions of people. The reason I got this gig is not because I am a sharp systems engineer (which I am), but because I can *communicate* with the biologists and MDs who have very real and difficult biological and medical problems which can only be solved through an understanding of the problems and the shrewd application of computer technology.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah -- "Shiny Happy People". But it's more like "Glowing, Unhappy People"
From this slashdot a few weeks ago: http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/08/2 3/0258209&tid=160
The first thing I noticed is that North Korea is
basically *missing* -- especially next to South Korea... No wonder you can't find anything.
You have an AT machine? You need to upgrade to a 486, dude...
I was just trying to figure out how to stop the whole slashdot effect/responsible posting flamewar again... Maybe he should upgrade to Adm. taco...
(IANAL) Patents give you the right to exclude others -- except the federal government. So, just because the government produces some code which exercises a patent, that doesn't necessarily protect the rest of us...
See subject,
No bad on you. On the mook that modded me down
as offtopic, perhaps putting it below your threshold -- I thought that was what happened anyway.
And, I might add, implicitly rating your post as offtopic, too, which it's NOT.
Peace.
Sigh... Wish I'd thought of that.
Offtopic my ass.
Achilles' heel? Gimp?
Get a clue before modding down.
In the GIMP developer's defense, most/all of the CMYK process is patent protected. What's rocket science about CMYK? Are the lookup tables patented? This has been around since the '50s.
Or Achilles!
Wait, nevermind...
It's not quite the same extreme as say, airline pilots, who invariably were trained in the military. Lots of plain old engineering types (the "blue jeans" army) are out there. The biggest thing is to get that first gig where a company can put you to work doing something useful while the investigators are out there making sure you're who you say you are, haven't trained in Afghanistan, etc...
Several pieces of advice:
1. Learn *everything* you can about a real technical domain area that has nothing to do with computers. People don't care whether you can program -- they care whether you can program WHAT THEY NEED.
2. If you are a US Citizen, haven't sold (or consumed) pounds of cocaine, and believe that honest people on the inside of the system can make a difference, GET HIGH LEVEL CLEARANCES. There is a serious shortage of talented pepole (or untalented warm bodies, for that matter) in this area.
3. Present yourself, not as a computer professional, but as a business professional.
Supplementary info:
1. Seriously, who cares whether you know the latest object-oriented, distributed, web-based, googlephonic technology. What people REALLY want is someone who can bring those talents to bear on actual applications that they care about.
I have been a software engineer for a bunch of years, but the best projects I've worked on (and where I have been most valued) were ones where I had to actually learn something about what it was I was writing programs about. When I went back to graduate school in CS to get a Master's degree, I ended up working with people in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, working on algorithms for DNA and protein sequence comparison. Since then, I have spent *much* more time reading and learning biology than software.
2. Before I went back to grad school, I worked on military projects involving imagery compression and algorithm optimization. While checking the assembly code generated by the compiler was important, it was every bit as important to understand fundamental aspects of the imaging system involved, from the point of view of optics, error correction, and end-user (imagery analyst) needs. This was cool work, and important for our guys on the ground in the middle of nowhere.
There is currently an **extreme** shortage of dedicated, knowledgeable people with clearances in areas of national importance. Acquire these clearances, and you will never want for employment. Plus: CAN'T BE OUTSOURCED TO FOREIGNERS.
3. Somewhat along the same theme, be a provider of valuable services, not just a computer guy (gal). Right now, I have a contract with the Natinal Institutes of Health, doing research into diseases that affect millions of people. The reason I got this gig is not because I am a sharp systems engineer (which I am), but because I can *communicate* with the biologists and MDs who have very real and difficult biological and medical problems which can only be solved through an understanding of the problems and the shrewd application of computer technology.