While I would pretty much agree, I'd also point out that there's a ton of government bureaucracy that those companies have to deal with too, as well as a lot of legacy cruft. So, nothing's ever simple. Even the smallest, most basic tasks can get bogged down because of issues in the environment that are outside of the control of the contractor, such as management turf wars, or lack of management, or whatever.
Sure, they could probably do things to increase adoption, but does it matter? I'm not really sure how you effectively monetize something like Twitter. If you can't make money off of it, you can't really continue it, and more users only bring more heartache and infrastructure costs. My guess is that twitter is not exactly cheap to run.
I agree. I just went from a PPC-6700 to the Q9c and it's been soooo much nicer. The 6700 was just ridiculous; the battery life was so bad that I could take it off of the charger and a 30 minute call would end it. The Q9c is worlds better. I sort of wish I'd gone with the iPhone, but my contract with Sprint is $35 for more than you get on the $60 AT&T contract, and my phone has a GPS, EV-DO, Wi-Fi if I want it, a mini-SD slot, and more. We'll see what happens in a year or two. Maybe android will save us all.
No lie, my co-worker literally wore two different shoes this morning. I don't even mean two different model brown shoes either. I mean one black shoe, and one brown shoe. Apparently, it was quite dark in his room when he got dressed this morning. Of course, that immediately invalidates any potential belt matching that could occur. Let's just say I'm pretty positive that he won't even get to look at a key to the executive washroom, much less touch one.
Yeah, sure. Apple will come up with a viable solution.... Fabulous thought, but wake me up when I can use f*ing iTunes from my Linux laptop. Apple could give a sh*t about Linux. If you're using Linux then you should know this. If you're using Mac, welcome to the Island of Misfit toys....
Where are you getting the data about the other companies? I think that's got to be your starting point. Obviously, if there's not data to be had to compare against you're dealing with an impossible task, and I can't imagine that many companies really publicize that type of stuff. Benchmarking your own team against itself is obviously quite easy as you should have some firm requirements/service level agreements/whatever.
It's amazing to imagine how much something like the laser rifle would change the military. Sniper school spends a lot of time on the details of a bullet's behavior over time with the obvious affects of gravity and the wind, especially when you're dealing with a moving target. To be able to shoot a laser without really any of those constraints, that travels at the speed of light... A sniper's job will become a whole lot easier... unless you want to get into the fact that the majority of a sniper's job is about getting in and then hopefully back out.
"Err... Captain, are you *sure* that's a wormhole and not just a blackhole?"
"Shush! If there's one thing I learned at Starfleet Academy it's the difference between a wormhole and a
It's a very cool demo, but if you were going to avoid doing the really hard work of coming up with a new way to look at how to organize our computer workspaces, why wouldn't you at least settle for a bookshelf metaphor instead of a desktop... again? I mean, wouldn't that be a better match for the use than just a desktop? My desk doesn't have anything on it but my phone and computer. My bookshelf, however, has all of the references, software, and even pictures. The only folks I know that really do have stuff on their physical desktop are mostly untidy and need some help with organization anyways.
Speaking as a self-taught techie without a degree, I wonder where my place would be in your perfect world. It seems as if you don't value anything less than an individual who's spent the last decade drinking beer on daddy's dime. I've been in technology the past 7 years, and the military the 7 years before that. I'm a Senior Unix Admin, and most recently the tech lead for a new identity management initiative, as well as being under consideration to lead a new R&D group. I work circles around everyone that I have any technical contact with, but I suppose you'd never hire me?
I suppose my point is that education isn't everything -- not nearly. I work with a number of educated people. They're probably not as educated as you suggest they be, but still, they're more educated than I am. Yet, they honestly can't hold a candle to my skill. I'm not trying to be arrogant with that statement, it's simply a fact.
My biggest issue with the job market right now is that everything requires a bachelor's degree. Well, after seeing some of the folks that colleges are graduating, I just don't have that much respect for a degree anymore. You can't fake real interest in technology. You can't fake real intelligence. You can't fake true talent. Work ethic means everything. You can certainly fake your way through a 4 year degree. Put your stock in the person; evaluate them in the areas that I've mentioned and you'll eventually end up with some seriously skilled workers, regardless of the position, and regardless of a piece of paper that they may or may not have.
Slashdot Mirror
...followed by: "Well, how the hell do you know there's a river?"
While I would pretty much agree, I'd also point out that there's a ton of government bureaucracy that those companies have to deal with too, as well as a lot of legacy cruft. So, nothing's ever simple. Even the smallest, most basic tasks can get bogged down because of issues in the environment that are outside of the control of the contractor, such as management turf wars, or lack of management, or whatever.
Sure, they could probably do things to increase adoption, but does it matter? I'm not really sure how you effectively monetize something like Twitter. If you can't make money off of it, you can't really continue it, and more users only bring more heartache and infrastructure costs. My guess is that twitter is not exactly cheap to run.
I agree. I just went from a PPC-6700 to the Q9c and it's been soooo much nicer. The 6700 was just ridiculous; the battery life was so bad that I could take it off of the charger and a 30 minute call would end it. The Q9c is worlds better. I sort of wish I'd gone with the iPhone, but my contract with Sprint is $35 for more than you get on the $60 AT&T contract, and my phone has a GPS, EV-DO, Wi-Fi if I want it, a mini-SD slot, and more. We'll see what happens in a year or two. Maybe android will save us all.
No lie, my co-worker literally wore two different shoes this morning. I don't even mean two different model brown shoes either. I mean one black shoe, and one brown shoe. Apparently, it was quite dark in his room when he got dressed this morning. Of course, that immediately invalidates any potential belt matching that could occur. Let's just say I'm pretty positive that he won't even get to look at a key to the executive washroom, much less touch one.
Yeah, sure. Apple will come up with a viable solution.... Fabulous thought, but wake me up when I can use f*ing iTunes from my Linux laptop. Apple could give a sh*t about Linux. If you're using Linux then you should know this. If you're using Mac, welcome to the Island of Misfit toys....
Call me Homer Simpson, but all I heard was "beer, beer, beer, Mmmmm beeerrrr".
Where are you getting the data about the other companies? I think that's got to be your starting point. Obviously, if there's not data to be had to compare against you're dealing with an impossible task, and I can't imagine that many companies really publicize that type of stuff. Benchmarking your own team against itself is obviously quite easy as you should have some firm requirements/service level agreements/whatever.
It's amazing to imagine how much something like the laser rifle would change the military. Sniper school spends a lot of time on the details of a bullet's behavior over time with the obvious affects of gravity and the wind, especially when you're dealing with a moving target. To be able to shoot a laser without really any of those constraints, that travels at the speed of light... A sniper's job will become a whole lot easier... unless you want to get into the fact that the majority of a sniper's job is about getting in and then hopefully back out.
"Err... Captain, are you *sure* that's a wormhole and not just a blackhole?" "Shush! If there's one thing I learned at Starfleet Academy it's the difference between a wormhole and a
I think they should rename this to One Laptop per 0.57 Child
It's a very cool demo, but if you were going to avoid doing the really hard work of coming up with a new way to look at how to organize our computer workspaces, why wouldn't you at least settle for a bookshelf metaphor instead of a desktop... again? I mean, wouldn't that be a better match for the use than just a desktop? My desk doesn't have anything on it but my phone and computer. My bookshelf, however, has all of the references, software, and even pictures. The only folks I know that really do have stuff on their physical desktop are mostly untidy and need some help with organization anyways.
Speaking as a self-taught techie without a degree, I wonder where my place would be in your perfect world. It seems as if you don't value anything less than an individual who's spent the last decade drinking beer on daddy's dime. I've been in technology the past 7 years, and the military the 7 years before that. I'm a Senior Unix Admin, and most recently the tech lead for a new identity management initiative, as well as being under consideration to lead a new R&D group. I work circles around everyone that I have any technical contact with, but I suppose you'd never hire me?
I suppose my point is that education isn't everything -- not nearly. I work with a number of educated people. They're probably not as educated as you suggest they be, but still, they're more educated than I am. Yet, they honestly can't hold a candle to my skill. I'm not trying to be arrogant with that statement, it's simply a fact.
My biggest issue with the job market right now is that everything requires a bachelor's degree. Well, after seeing some of the folks that colleges are graduating, I just don't have that much respect for a degree anymore. You can't fake real interest in technology. You can't fake real intelligence. You can't fake true talent. Work ethic means everything. You can certainly fake your way through a 4 year degree. Put your stock in the person; evaluate them in the areas that I've mentioned and you'll eventually end up with some seriously skilled workers, regardless of the position, and regardless of a piece of paper that they may or may not have.