Yeah, how dare they not take a complete stranger's word alone that this credit card is legitimately theirs when trying to make a high-dollar purchase. Damn the man!
I think your defeatist attitude is what causes these people to think their behavior is acceptable. If we can send a strong message to them that fraud will not be tolerated then they will go away overnight.
I think its funny that you think you've found the magic bullet that will fix what has persisted for nearly the entirety of human history.
Indeed, however they do get a cut of the Extended Warranty (as do most salesfolks on the retail level) profit, which is why they push them so aggressively (aside from Frank beating them).
Where I work, when I get handed an infected machine, I have a set time limit that I will spend trying to disinfect it. Generally, if I can't get it totally clean in 2 hours or so, I pull off the data and re-image the laptop and I'm back up and giving it back in another 2 hours.
Came to that conclusion after years of working where sometimes I'd luck out and in an hour it'd be back in their hands, sometimes it would take days.
While in general I agree that people are convinced to buy things they don't need, store-warranties are useful *depending on the store* if they will do equivalent-same-day replacements, and not just facilitate your shipping it to the manuf (Guitar Center is a good example of this, where they'll swap out a piece of equipment on the spot if you have their "performance guarantee" for many years after the manuf warranty is expired, *and* you get it that day instead of having to ship it out to wherever). Also, never hurts to have a surge suppressor. And finally, if you're wanting to watch programming that isn't OTA and want to actually *use* an HD for HDTV, Comcast HD isn't a bad choice (though DirectTV is probably a better choice).
Seems that electrical engineers aren't particularly good at sorting through consumer electronics choices, either.
Having installed XP over Linux a few times, several versions of the XP installer do not deal well with an MBR that is not Windows-centric. This stopped being an issue with Windows 2003, but definitely happened with slipstreamed XP, sp1, and sp2 (what I'd do was pull out a Windows 2003 install CD, repartition using that, then swap out the CDs and be on may way).
It doesn't surprise me at all that the Geek Squad didn't know that.
Yes, I am generalizing and I know sound bitter, but I've lived in several different words (IT, academia, construction work, beach bum, etc.) and I've rarely seen a group that is more self-aggrandizing...well maybe artists.
Most of the self-aggrandizing comes from the knowledge that even though IT workers ensure enable most of the modern world continues to operate on a day-to-day basis, the amount of benefit and recognition they receive as a result is very small.
Except that the actual "IT" (not developers) work being performed by H1-Bs is often trivial (not that they do it well, but it's often trivial), and I'd wager most of the self-identified "IT" workers who are unemployed either 1) have an overinflated sense of how much they are worth in the current market and/or, 2) aren't much better than the H1-Bs.
Project Managers really aren't IT workers. You can (in theory, in fact this doesn't work much of the time) drop them into any project in any field, because they're responsible for scheduling and herding cats, not anything hands-on.
This is somewhat true, though it seems to me that much of the "problem" with IT these days stems from the continued inability for non-technical colleagues and management to understand exactly what the purpose of IT is.
It used to be that IT was much less micromanaged. "They do that computer stuff, and it seems to work most of the time, and when it isn't working we lose money, so it's good they keep it working." Now-a-days with folks being so metric-obsessed, it's harder to "just do your job". You gotta make sure to keep up with all your tickets, make extra tickets for everything from someone stopping by your desk, to peeing, so that the metric-OCDs can account for everything you do.
There's still some places where tech people can be tech people, but with a lot of companies going through the (seemingly) perpetual cycle of: "Our IT doesn't work, get us a dedicated IT staff" to "Man, those IT folks look overworked, they must be hard workers!" to (after the systems have been fixed and streamlined) "Those IT people never seem to be doing anything, let's lay them off and save some money" and back to "our IT doesn't work..." it can be hard to find a position where you *can* be a technology person without having to watch your back all the time.
Though (to continue the rant), I will agree that, in general, technology is in a bit of a boring slump, where "advances" are often simply marketing re-definitions of existing technology that's been "suped up". It's not like the late-80's through the 90's where interesting things were happening all around and there was always something neat coming out. These days tech is about evolution not revolution.
Also keep in mind, though, that the longer you're in IT, the more things will seem "old hat" to you. I think this is what the OP (and I) seem to be experiencing these days.
And, finally, most school districts have very savvy IT departments. This might seem counterintuitive given the number of "my school did something foolish with computers" articles you see on slashdot and elsewhere, but if you've ever been an admin you know that the only time you're ever noticed is when things go wrong. A handful (or even a hundred) of negative reports should tell you that there are thousands and thousands of well run shops ticking away out there.
No, it just means they're only competent enough to stay out of the news. There are a lot of incompetent behaviors that can cause huge headaches but don't result in a news articles being deployed.
Anyone with the smarts (and motivation) can "make bad stuff" that requires additional computing power just by creating a cluster (or arranging to use a cluster) out of COTS parts, frankly.
It isn't a new idea. Making processing clusters out of easily obtainable videogame consoles is a fairly old idea.
Plus, I'd imagine its easier to pay for / steal WMD creation documentation/instructions than it is to make them from scratch at this point.
Do not sell it at me at a loss and then bitch and moan I am stealing your crap by not responding to the hundreds of ads trying to get more money out of me after the fact I already paid your (first) chosen price.
If you are purchasing access to a service, you are paying the agreed upon price and subject to the agreed upon terms of use. You are, of course, free to not use that service at all, but to complain that you payed "x" and the company spent (x+y) which they make up for by "y" amount of advertising revenue is silly.
I'm assuming that you read no magazines, newspapers, and watch no commercial media at all with your philosophy as presented. Right?
As noted in many other posts here, the real cost is the content creation. Economy of scale makes transport the same, but making good content will still cost a lot.
Meatspace newspaper delivery for the NYT runs ~$50 for a year for me. I'd expect it prolly to be right around there for an unlimited online subscription, too.
I constantly see people advocating for an "all you can eat" music download model (the more I say that phrase, the more I realize it's past lunchtime). How would the newspaper be doing wrong by going to that model?
If the content is subsidized with advertisements I'm not going to pay for it.
this seems to presume that you believe that if the content production cost is not wholly covered by advertising revenue, that the news organization should just eat the difference.
there's a great deal of important news that doesn't get a lot of eyeballs, after all
That's where "reputation" comes in. I still read the NYT, even though it's not a perfect publication in terms of "being something I will always find useful". As do many people, for a variety of reasons.
Perception of quality over time for newspapers is what drives people to continue paying for their output (or not paying for their output, in some cases, ala USA Today)
If the prices are what I remember they were back in 2002-2003, though, he's gonna need a lot of lube to absorb the premium he's gonna pay for the hardware.
Sure, but in many many groups "admin" and "operator" overlap, if they're not actually just synonymous terms.
Then again, I may be overestimating how easy it would be for your generic IT worker to develop good work habits and a good knowledge base of their environment. So, you may be correct in your estimation.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, how dare they not take a complete stranger's word alone that this credit card is legitimately theirs when trying to make a high-dollar purchase. Damn the man!
I think your defeatist attitude is what causes these people to think their behavior is acceptable. If we can send a strong message to them that fraud will not be tolerated then they will go away overnight.
I think its funny that you think you've found the magic bullet that will fix what has persisted for nearly the entirety of human history.
Indeed, however they do get a cut of the Extended Warranty (as do most salesfolks on the retail level) profit, which is why they push them so aggressively (aside from Frank beating them).
Where I work, when I get handed an infected machine, I have a set time limit that I will spend trying to disinfect it. Generally, if I can't get it totally clean in 2 hours or so, I pull off the data and re-image the laptop and I'm back up and giving it back in another 2 hours.
Came to that conclusion after years of working where sometimes I'd luck out and in an hour it'd be back in their hands, sometimes it would take days.
While in general I agree that people are convinced to buy things they don't need, store-warranties are useful *depending on the store* if they will do equivalent-same-day replacements, and not just facilitate your shipping it to the manuf (Guitar Center is a good example of this, where they'll swap out a piece of equipment on the spot if you have their "performance guarantee" for many years after the manuf warranty is expired, *and* you get it that day instead of having to ship it out to wherever). Also, never hurts to have a surge suppressor. And finally, if you're wanting to watch programming that isn't OTA and want to actually *use* an HD for HDTV, Comcast HD isn't a bad choice (though DirectTV is probably a better choice).
Seems that electrical engineers aren't particularly good at sorting through consumer electronics choices, either.
Having installed XP over Linux a few times, several versions of the XP installer do not deal well with an MBR that is not Windows-centric. This stopped being an issue with Windows 2003, but definitely happened with slipstreamed XP, sp1, and sp2 (what I'd do was pull out a Windows 2003 install CD, repartition using that, then swap out the CDs and be on may way).
It doesn't surprise me at all that the Geek Squad didn't know that.
Yes, I am generalizing and I know sound bitter, but I've lived in several different words (IT, academia, construction work, beach bum, etc.) and I've rarely seen a group that is more self-aggrandizing...well maybe artists.
Most of the self-aggrandizing comes from the knowledge that even though IT workers ensure enable most of the modern world continues to operate on a day-to-day basis, the amount of benefit and recognition they receive as a result is very small.
Except that the actual "IT" (not developers) work being performed by H1-Bs is often trivial (not that they do it well, but it's often trivial), and I'd wager most of the self-identified "IT" workers who are unemployed either 1) have an overinflated sense of how much they are worth in the current market and/or, 2) aren't much better than the H1-Bs.
:) (ironically not on slashdot, since it doesn't accept empty bodies, I guess)
I'm a cattle breeder, and my specialty is artificial insemination. I also am a broker for thoroughbred stud services.
It's important to have a job that makes a difference, boys. That's why I manually masturbate caged animals for artificial insemination.
Project Managers really aren't IT workers. You can (in theory, in fact this doesn't work much of the time) drop them into any project in any field, because they're responsible for scheduling and herding cats, not anything hands-on.
This x1,000,000.
This is somewhat true, though it seems to me that much of the "problem" with IT these days stems from the continued inability for non-technical colleagues and management to understand exactly what the purpose of IT is.
It used to be that IT was much less micromanaged. "They do that computer stuff, and it seems to work most of the time, and when it isn't working we lose money, so it's good they keep it working." Now-a-days with folks being so metric-obsessed, it's harder to "just do your job". You gotta make sure to keep up with all your tickets, make extra tickets for everything from someone stopping by your desk, to peeing, so that the metric-OCDs can account for everything you do.
There's still some places where tech people can be tech people, but with a lot of companies going through the (seemingly) perpetual cycle of: "Our IT doesn't work, get us a dedicated IT staff" to "Man, those IT folks look overworked, they must be hard workers!" to (after the systems have been fixed and streamlined) "Those IT people never seem to be doing anything, let's lay them off and save some money" and back to "our IT doesn't work..." it can be hard to find a position where you *can* be a technology person without having to watch your back all the time.
Though (to continue the rant), I will agree that, in general, technology is in a bit of a boring slump, where "advances" are often simply marketing re-definitions of existing technology that's been "suped up". It's not like the late-80's through the 90's where interesting things were happening all around and there was always something neat coming out. These days tech is about evolution not revolution.
Also keep in mind, though, that the longer you're in IT, the more things will seem "old hat" to you. I think this is what the OP (and I) seem to be experiencing these days.
And, finally, most school districts have very savvy IT departments. This might seem counterintuitive given the number of "my school did something foolish with computers" articles you see on slashdot and elsewhere, but if you've ever been an admin you know that the only time you're ever noticed is when things go wrong. A handful (or even a hundred) of negative reports should tell you that there are thousands and thousands of well run shops ticking away out there.
No, it just means they're only competent enough to stay out of the news. There are a lot of incompetent behaviors that can cause huge headaches but don't result in a news articles being deployed.
The post that appeared right above yours seems to imply that it's only Office competitors that are restricted from using the ribbon interface.
Anyone with the smarts (and motivation) can "make bad stuff" that requires additional computing power just by creating a cluster (or arranging to use a cluster) out of COTS parts, frankly.
It isn't a new idea. Making processing clusters out of easily obtainable videogame consoles is a fairly old idea.
Plus, I'd imagine its easier to pay for / steal WMD creation documentation/instructions than it is to make them from scratch at this point.
Do not sell it at me at a loss and then bitch and moan I am stealing your crap by not responding to the hundreds of ads trying to get more money out of me after the fact I already paid your (first) chosen price.
If you are purchasing access to a service, you are paying the agreed upon price and subject to the agreed upon terms of use. You are, of course, free to not use that service at all, but to complain that you payed "x" and the company spent (x+y) which they make up for by "y" amount of advertising revenue is silly.
I'm assuming that you read no magazines, newspapers, and watch no commercial media at all with your philosophy as presented. Right?
As noted in many other posts here, the real cost is the content creation. Economy of scale makes transport the same, but making good content will still cost a lot.
Meatspace newspaper delivery for the NYT runs ~$50 for a year for me. I'd expect it prolly to be right around there for an unlimited online subscription, too.
"All you can eat for $100 a year!"
I constantly see people advocating for an "all you can eat" music download model (the more I say that phrase, the more I realize it's past lunchtime). How would the newspaper be doing wrong by going to that model?
If the content is subsidized with advertisements I'm not going to pay for it.
this seems to presume that you believe that if the content production cost is not wholly covered by advertising revenue, that the news organization should just eat the difference.
there's a great deal of important news that doesn't get a lot of eyeballs, after all
That's where "reputation" comes in. I still read the NYT, even though it's not a perfect publication in terms of "being something I will always find useful". As do many people, for a variety of reasons.
Perception of quality over time for newspapers is what drives people to continue paying for their output (or not paying for their output, in some cases, ala USA Today)
Sure, but if you want an actual set of server-class hardware, expect to pay more.
If the prices are what I remember they were back in 2002-2003, though, he's gonna need a lot of lube to absorb the premium he's gonna pay for the hardware.
that's enough out of you, superq!
Sure, but in many many groups "admin" and "operator" overlap, if they're not actually just synonymous terms.
Then again, I may be overestimating how easy it would be for your generic IT worker to develop good work habits and a good knowledge base of their environment. So, you may be correct in your estimation.