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User: einar2

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  1. Re:It always amazed me on Origins of Blarney Stone Revealed · · Score: 1

    You can shrug off the stranger there to help you. Although I have helped to get the archetypical American tourist back to safety. He was too heavy for the helper alone to haul him back in.
    The view from up there, while you are hanging out of the castle battlement, is terrific!

  2. Pure invention on Why San Francisco Is the New Renaissance Florence · · Score: 1

    Sounds like the chamber of commerce of a city managed to place another ad.

    There are surveys about life quality in cities: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
    Oh, SF does not appear in the top ten. And in my personal opinion, when we use big words like a "new renaissance", former super powers struggling with their decline are not the candidates I associate with a renewal of art and science...

  3. Looked again at beta, now searching alternative on Slashdot Tries Something New; Audience Responds! · · Score: 1

    While I remember having had a look at the beta, after opting out I never tried again. Due to your "post" I looked again.
    Yes, I still hate the wasted real estate of my screen. The useless pictures (helpful picture of pills for an article about the pharma industry) annoy me. I do not see why the right 30% of my browser window stay pristine white when reading comments.

    Now I seriously started to look around for other sites with a similar content like /.

  4. Tax fraud heaven? on Swiss Government Backs Privacy Oriented ISP · · Score: 1

    I am surprised how many bought the simple "tax fraud heaven" formula their leaders were feeding them. Imagine, there is a country where the tax authority does not automatically know how much you make and how much you own. You have to declare it. And with in some limits, the tax authority must trust you. There are checks to make sure everybody plays fair. However, per default, the state does not assume that you are a cheating liar. Can you say the same about your country?

    And although this system can be abused, the business model is not primarily to attract money from foreigners. The natives have sufficient control over the government to create a comfortable system for themselves. We are extending this luxury to foreigners as well.

    And believe it or not. There were instances in the past when foreigners were glad to be able to hide their money from a dictatorship...


    (declaration of bias: Swiss, working at a Swiss bank, actually a bit proud to live in a democracy)

  5. cross-jurisdiction mess on How One Drunk Driver Sent My Company To the Cloud · · Score: 1

    Sometimes HA and DR is accomplished by having your data mirrored to various data centers. Worst case, you do not even know in which jurisdiction the data centers are. Suddenly, your data is governed by the law of another country. If you live in a police state, this might not frighten you. For some of us, the result is not normal.

  6. Re:Bullies and thugs ... on Bolivian President's Plane 'Rerouted Over Snowden Suspicions' · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sorry, I take offense on this. It is always you the people! There is nobody else you can hand over the responsibility to. This is your government, this is your country. And you profit from its actions. You are in for it.

  7. Re:In other news... on Cuban Video Game Recreates Revolutionary History · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So... you doubt the propaganda of other countries but you believe the one fed to you by your leaders.

    Hint: My working colleagues did not leave the US because it was so great to live there...

  8. Time to market is not always the metric on Ask Slashdot: How Often Do You Push To Production? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It depends on your business which metric is meaningful. E.g. for a global bank, quality is more important than time to market. Make sure that your business really gains something by playing release time against quality.

  9. Another American outstanding in chemistry on American Scientists Win Nobel Prize In Chemistry · · Score: 1

    Well, there was another American mentioned these days for his advanced knowledge of chemistry...

  10. Prior art on Sarah Palin Seeks To Trademark Her Name · · Score: 0

    Would not the principle of prior art still permit you to speak about "failin Palin"?


    Disclaimer: Swiss and therefore neutral about US politics :-)

  11. Re:Hit them back on Wikileaks To Name Swiss Bank Tax Evaders · · Score: 1

    Interesting, thank you!
    German is a much more precise language. The German word "Filiale" hints by its Latin root towards an office which is not the main seat of the company.

  12. Re:Outing criminals is one thing . . . . on Wikileaks To Name Swiss Bank Tax Evaders · · Score: 1

    While in theory, I agree with you, economic efficiency asks for pooling.
    In my country most of these services are no federal issue. They are offered by the community and are paid by --- community taxes.

  13. Re:The Swiss dirty public secert. on Wikileaks To Name Swiss Bank Tax Evaders · · Score: 1

    I do not know your cultural background. However, you seem to extend your ideas of right and wrong on other cultures. Often, this is neither fair nor wise.
    Why do you believe that your government (or any government) should look into the wallet of its citizen? The Swiss do not consider this a good idea. And yes, this might be abused to break other countries' laws. On the other hand, it also helps people to protect their property. Which is in most cultures (not in all) a basic right.

    I am always amazed how even in a forum like slashdot, where privacy is typically highly valued, people just repeat the dogma they are fed by their governments

  14. Re:Outing criminals is one thing . . . . on Wikileaks To Name Swiss Bank Tax Evaders · · Score: 1

    Being without citizenship is rather hard. This happened to a Russian friend of mine living in a Baltic state.
    And besides, as a former US citizen, who would allow you in instead?

  15. Re:Outing criminals is one thing . . . . on Wikileaks To Name Swiss Bank Tax Evaders · · Score: 1

    Roads, police, fire department, school, safety checks on food products, regulation for the standardization of various devices (e.g you are not fried when you plug in a hair dryer), a legal system to settle quarrels...
    In short, a lot of things we like to call civilization.

  16. Re:Oh good lord on Wikileaks To Name Swiss Bank Tax Evaders · · Score: 1

    Not all Swiss banks closed business relations with US customers.
    And yes, some financial products may not be sold to US citizens. This is because of legal agreements with the US government.

  17. Re:What is more damaging to society? on Wikileaks To Name Swiss Bank Tax Evaders · · Score: 1

    Actually, according to OECD reports, the tax burden in Switzerland is lower than in most EU countries (but a bit higher than in the US if I remember correctly),

  18. Re:The Swiss dirty public secert. on Wikileaks To Name Swiss Bank Tax Evaders · · Score: 1

    Swiss banks contribute 11.6% to the GDP of Switzerland.

    Having an inside view of Swiss financial institutions (worked for several insurances and a bank), I got the impression that these institutions take a lot of care to avoid black money. Continuing with my personal opinion, I do think that our "wonderful Swiss lifestyle" has to do with hard work and a dedication to quality. If somebody is better off than you are, he is not necessarily a thief or an evil person...

  19. Re:Hit them back on Wikileaks To Name Swiss Bank Tax Evaders · · Score: 1

    They were entitled to close it. However, it was totally illegal according to Swiss law to reveal the customer relation with Assange!

  20. Re:Hit them back on Wikileaks To Name Swiss Bank Tax Evaders · · Score: 2

    Well, considering that the "informant" of Wikileaks worked years for the Swiss private bank Julius Baer until he was fired because customer information in the filial on the cayman islands disappeared...

  21. keeping customer relation confidential on Jimmy Wales Declares App Store Models a Threat · · Score: 1

    You have a problem if you want to keep customer relation confidential (e.g. online banking for a Swiss bank) but your customers must download the app from the app store which is placed in a different jurisdiction.

  22. Re:Guess what ... on Flat Pay Prompts 1 In 3 In IT To Consider Jump · · Score: 1

    You really think people ever complain about their salary?
    And do you really think a CFO of a working company one day decides "oh, let us create more cost by handing out bigger salaries"?
    So basically, you do think salaries just increase for no apparent reason.

  23. Re:Wait, what? on Flat Pay Prompts 1 In 3 In IT To Consider Jump · · Score: 1

    Every company I have worked for does hire internally. You can apply for any open position and they even consider internal movers first. Because of the network, the specific business experience etc.
    My current employer even has a policy so that my line manager cannot stop me. In this fashion, they do not support bad line managers who fail to provide an interesting enough position for their employees (aka using resources efficiently).
    I would be surprised if your company is different. Ask HR.

  24. yeah, yeah, fight the system, comrades on Flat Pay Prompts 1 In 3 In IT To Consider Jump · · Score: 1
    The semi communistic cliches handed around are really funny.
    Think about it for a second. What would you do if you were the CIO of your company:
    • Good employees are difficult to get. So, you would use reasonable effort to keep them.
    • Very good employees are impossible to get. So, you would use reasonable effort to develop good employees into very good ones.
    • You would only train/support the development of employees once they show themselves initiative. Pumping training money into static people is no receipt for success.
    • You would not promote employees because they still do the same job. You promote employees because they do more (responsibility, scope, talent)
    • Average employees and pure technology knowledge you can hire. Why would you increase the salary for such employees?
  25. Re:Even when the market was "good" this was true. on Flat Pay Prompts 1 In 3 In IT To Consider Jump · · Score: 1

    It is not rocket science. It is supply and demand.

    The emphasis is on a raise you are actually worth. How to decide your market value? Apply for jobs! What company would pay you defines your market value.

    Every time I thought I am underpaid I gave early enough a signal to my line manager. Early enough because getting approval for a salary raise takes long in most companies. So, do not complain and expect them to increase your salary next month. Expect a salary increase at the next opportunity.