The group of workers with more ideas participates in a raffle to receive a prize.
<SARCASM>Oooh! A raffle for a prize! I might get a stuffed animal! I hope it's a kitty...<SARCASM>
The federal government can award an employee 10% of money saved for a money saving idea (up to a limit). If your company's incentive program is worse than the government's, it's time to polish up the resume.
But really, recognizing your smart employees and having enough respect to listen to them and actually consider what they say, and then giving them the resources they need to pursue their idea is the best incentive you can give. Promoting the clueless is the worst.
The OP's scenario makes me think the whole thing is management's idea of morale boosting and they don't really care what anybody suggests.
The news coverage and analysis by armchair security experts thus far has failed to focus on the real threat: attacks against President Obama's location privacy, and the potential physical security risks that come with someone knowing the president's real-time physical location.
I hate to break it to you, but somebody knows where the president is at all times anyway. The big ass plane with the unique paint job, the helicopters with the presidential seal, the convoy of black Escalades, all those are kinda big giveaways. Also, his schedule is pretty much public.
A cellphone can't pinpoint you anyway, unless it has GPS and you're too dumb to figure out how to snip off the GPS antenna. And turning it off also solves the problem of being tracked. I'm sure the Secret Service knows how to make a cell phone switched off stop radiating.
And you can always do the old shell game - 100 phones linked to the same account and every day he gets handed one at random while the others are driven on alternate routes.
Above please find a list of news organizations that have never written an article about the RIAA's legal abuses, thus keeping the whole thing out of most mass media. This thing deserves to get more widespread publication than Boing Boing, Slashdot, and Ars, but unless you have drunk celebrities or dead people, mass media could care less.
Z-80 assembly manuals were standard stock at all Radio Shack stores that carried TRS-80 computers. Every store that had Apple II's had 6502 assembly manuals, and computer stores that carried C-64's had that manual, also (K-Mart like stores didn't).
OK, so if you like the downloader, fine. And I know it does have certain advantages. People aren't criticizing the downloader, they are criticizing being forced to use it. Forcing people to use it which forces the use of certain browsers on a certain OS is a bad decision, and is exactly the kind of thing that MS has gotten in trouble for in the past. A better option would be to say "Hey, this thing will make your life easier downloading the 3.5GB file, but if you can't or don't want to use it, here's a link." Or simply saying "We're making you use this downloader because it can dynamically level the load on our servers, which will give you a better chance of getting a clean download" would be good. But not saying anything a word about it and having the download fail to initiate without warning and the user has to guess that it's because of the browser or the OS is not good design. Neither is letting users get through the whole process before finding out you can't download it on a Mac when a simple browser check could have been done at the start of the process.
Christ, you see MS bashing where MS isn't even mentioned. You might want to talk to a professional about that.
And while you're there, you want to discuss your obsession with this downloader. It's got you all over this thread jumping all over people who merely said they didn't think the downloader was necessary. If it's not money that's got you behaving this way, then whatever it is can't be healthy.
If that's what it was, it wouldn't be public, and you'd have to be a paid-up developer to get it. Betas go public because the companies want to drum up publicity.
And you're not following me - it's an example of how Microsoft doesn't think at all about the user experience. You think it's just me h8n. Are you arguing that the procedure above is reasonable for anybody distributing a anything?
Are you counting the clicks to sign up for MSDN? Or Live? And to confirm the download of the ActiveX plug-in? To scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the download link?
From the link in the article, which is the main entry point for non-developers...
Click download Scroll down Click to select language Click go Click to sign up for Live
Fill out 4 text fields
Dropdown to choose question
Do Captcha
Click to read terms
Click to read policy
Click accept Enter personal information
3 text boxes, including your e-mail again, which was already done at the Live sign-up
3 drop downs
click to not get spam
click continue Switch to e-mail Wait for e-mail to arrive Click to open e-mail Click verification link Click back to e-mail Click to delete e-mail Click continue Click download Click download
(If not using IE, download fails at this point, without any option to not use the downloader. Browser should have been detected at step 1.) Install ActiveX component
Yeah, looks like 3 clicks to me.
For comparison to get Ubuntu, starting at the home page
Click download Drop-down to select server Click go (download starts automatically)
Or for the Ubuntu beta, starting at the beta home page...
Click link for Ubuntu Right-click/save-as to download
I doesn't matter how big the guide is or how many steps it has - what matters is that they took right-click-save-as and turned it into a procedure complex enough that they felt compelled to write a guide. The best approach is the simplest, but Redmond can't seem to grasp that.
For comparison, I just went to Ubunto to start the download and it was 3 clicks from home page loaded to download begins and no personal information required. With the 7 beta it was several dozen clicks and it took me at least 5 minutes to get it started. There's just a broken mindset at Microsoft.
You also have to be downloading on a windows machine. You can't do it on a Mac. Apparently Microsoft thinks Macs still can't burn DVDs.
You also have to have a live account, so Microsoft can run up their member count with people who will never use it, increasing ad revenue.
You also have to have a lot of patience with bad website design. Primary link at the bottom and not the top? Check! Creating a new account sends you to MSN instead of back to the download page? Check! Needlessly requiring a download of a 3rd party program to do something the browser is inherently capable of? Check! Browser specific? Check! Pushing proprietary plug-in technology? Check!
They're probably going to spam me, too.
In one fell swoop, Microsoft reminds everybody who ditched windows exactly why they did it and has them pledging they will never go back.
Slashdot Mirror
Suggest adding a "Change!" tag for articles demonstrating that Democrat politicians are no different than Republican politicians.
<SARCASM>Oooh! A raffle for a prize! I might get a stuffed animal! I hope it's a kitty...<SARCASM>
The federal government can award an employee 10% of money saved for a money saving idea (up to a limit). If your company's incentive program is worse than the government's, it's time to polish up the resume.
But really, recognizing your smart employees and having enough respect to listen to them and actually consider what they say, and then giving them the resources they need to pursue their idea is the best incentive you can give. Promoting the clueless is the worst.
The OP's scenario makes me think the whole thing is management's idea of morale boosting and they don't really care what anybody suggests.
Which phone?
Are you talking to the guy with the implants or the original poster?
I hate to break it to you, but somebody knows where the president is at all times anyway. The big ass plane with the unique paint job, the helicopters with the presidential seal, the convoy of black Escalades, all those are kinda big giveaways. Also, his schedule is pretty much public.
A cellphone can't pinpoint you anyway, unless it has GPS and you're too dumb to figure out how to snip off the GPS antenna. And turning it off also solves the problem of being tracked. I'm sure the Secret Service knows how to make a cell phone switched off stop radiating.
And you can always do the old shell game - 100 phones linked to the same account and every day he gets handed one at random while the others are driven on alternate routes.
Maybe putting it in a univerally accepted video format would help get more customers.
Engadget has confirmed it with Microsoft. Link
Above please find a list of news organizations that have never written an article about the RIAA's legal abuses, thus keeping the whole thing out of most mass media. This thing deserves to get more widespread publication than Boing Boing, Slashdot, and Ars, but unless you have drunk celebrities or dead people, mass media could care less.
Free porn? SWEET!
I'm going into the crappy old car scrapping business. Find some old LTD somewhere for $200, get it running long enough to turn it in, collect $2,500.
Z-80 assembly manuals were standard stock at all Radio Shack stores that carried TRS-80 computers. Every store that had Apple II's had 6502 assembly manuals, and computer stores that carried C-64's had that manual, also (K-Mart like stores didn't).
And thus became the first victim of failing to RTFM. "Back in the day" almost any book on machine language had these routines in them.
OK, so if you like the downloader, fine. And I know it does have certain advantages. People aren't criticizing the downloader, they are criticizing being forced to use it. Forcing people to use it which forces the use of certain browsers on a certain OS is a bad decision, and is exactly the kind of thing that MS has gotten in trouble for in the past. A better option would be to say "Hey, this thing will make your life easier downloading the 3.5GB file, but if you can't or don't want to use it, here's a link." Or simply saying "We're making you use this downloader because it can dynamically level the load on our servers, which will give you a better chance of getting a clean download" would be good. But not saying anything a word about it and having the download fail to initiate without warning and the user has to guess that it's because of the browser or the OS is not good design. Neither is letting users get through the whole process before finding out you can't download it on a Mac when a simple browser check could have been done at the start of the process.
Christ, you see MS bashing where MS isn't even mentioned. You might want to talk to a professional about that.
And while you're there, you want to discuss your obsession with this downloader. It's got you all over this thread jumping all over people who merely said they didn't think the downloader was necessary. If it's not money that's got you behaving this way, then whatever it is can't be healthy.
I'm beginning to sense you love this downloader because it contributes to your paycheck. And I don't particularly care for Linux either.
If that's what it was, it wouldn't be public, and you'd have to be a paid-up developer to get it. Betas go public because the companies want to drum up publicity.
And you're not following me - it's an example of how Microsoft doesn't think at all about the user experience. You think it's just me h8n. Are you arguing that the procedure above is reasonable for anybody distributing a anything?
Are you counting the clicks to sign up for MSDN? Or Live? And to confirm the download of the ActiveX plug-in? To scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the download link?
From the link in the article, which is the main entry point for non-developers...
Click download
Scroll down
Click to select language
Click go
Click to sign up for Live
Fill out 4 text fields
Dropdown to choose question
Do Captcha
Click to read terms
Click to read policy
Click accept
Enter personal information
3 text boxes, including your e-mail again, which was already done at the Live sign-up
3 drop downs
click to not get spam
click continue
Switch to e-mail
Wait for e-mail to arrive
Click to open e-mail
Click verification link
Click back to e-mail
Click to delete e-mail
Click continue
Click download
Click download
(If not using IE, download fails at this point, without any option to not use the downloader. Browser should have been detected at step 1.)
Install ActiveX component
Yeah, looks like 3 clicks to me.
For comparison to get Ubuntu, starting at the home page
Click download
Drop-down to select server
Click go (download starts automatically)
Or for the Ubuntu beta, starting at the beta home page...
Click link for Ubuntu
Right-click/save-as to download
I doesn't matter how big the guide is or how many steps it has - what matters is that they took right-click-save-as and turned it into a procedure complex enough that they felt compelled to write a guide. The best approach is the simplest, but Redmond can't seem to grasp that.
For comparison, I just went to Ubunto to start the download and it was 3 clicks from home page loaded to download begins and no personal information required. With the 7 beta it was several dozen clicks and it took me at least 5 minutes to get it started. There's just a broken mindset at Microsoft.
OK, so I need a guide to download it? That's GREAT user interface!
OK, nobody but you can download it on anything but a windows machine.
(I'd add a smiley to make sure the humor is clear, but I'm pretty sure both smilies and clear humor are not appreciated on Slashdot.)
Above, please find a list of people who can't either can't recognize a joke, or can't take one.
You also have to be downloading on a windows machine. You can't do it on a Mac. Apparently Microsoft thinks Macs still can't burn DVDs.
You also have to have a live account, so Microsoft can run up their member count with people who will never use it, increasing ad revenue.
You also have to have a lot of patience with bad website design. Primary link at the bottom and not the top? Check! Creating a new account sends you to MSN instead of back to the download page? Check! Needlessly requiring a download of a 3rd party program to do something the browser is inherently capable of? Check! Browser specific? Check! Pushing proprietary plug-in technology? Check!
They're probably going to spam me, too.
In one fell swoop, Microsoft reminds everybody who ditched windows exactly why they did it and has them pledging they will never go back.
They seriously need a mindset change in Redmond.
You're new on the internet, aren't you. Maybe the guy got PO'd because his bill was higher than he thought it would be so he decided to get revenge?
Unless Norberg can prove his charges, this is libel, and he should be sued.
Obama's giving us change alright. He buys a new plane, we get to keep the change.