This quote from TFA gives a glimpse into why I find this sort of thing facinating:
"Marine radio operator John McLellan said ships in the area should have been given accurate information about the icebergs much earlier."
The picture in the article shows quite an impressive slice of glacier, and picturing one of those just appearing out of nowhere...oh, man, I could see how advance notice would have been helpful.
"OMIGOD! Ninja Iceberg!"
The freezer would be a new Zone of Terror, and I've already got too many of those.
Or, maybe, this guy knows a bit more about our corporate and economic realities than most and has given an excellent quick summary of the situation.
Count your blessings and be glad you're (apparently) unfamiliar with the facts you dismissed so quickly, and I hope you're able to keep your sunny view of how things work here for as long as possible. You're not the rule - you're the exception. That's definitely something to be grateful for.
I worked at M$ for about 5yrs, and the whole "you get to have a life" thing really depends upon the group/team you're in, the relative competency of group and team management (historically incompetent as a whole, but folks sometimes get lucky), and how important the group/team goals are to top brass.
It can be really lovely if you luck out and get into a good group/team - good pay, great benefits, and those free sodas everyone seems to be so starstruck by. It can be really horrible if you end up in a group/team like most at M$ - required to work crazy amounts of hours, poorly planned cycles that require massive pushes with little to no applicability to overall vision, random power plays by people who never wanted to be managers but were moved into the role because of "seniority", and all kinds of other drek that makes working more painful than it really needs to be. The overall corporate culture of Microsoft has a lot of bad features, but, like I said, some folks get lucky and have the occasional fabulous exception to the management rule or got into a group/team that really "gets it" and makes it possible for them to succeed as employees and as individuals.
I know far more people who hate working at Microsoft(or who left because they decided to do something other than fume at lack of support, ethics, and respect on a daily basis) than people who enjoy working there. The few I know who really love their jobs work in hardware, games, and one online content team.
I have friends who work for Google and the only thing they really (!!!) dislike is living in the Bay Area and paying a premium for everything, no matter how ludicrous. The environment itself seems to make them quite happy - one of these friends used to work at M$ and feels the differences make for a much happier life, overall.
Whatever you choose, keep in mind that you can always move on to greener pastures if the one you pick doesn't end up floating your boat.
Re:I think we all owe a debt of gratitude to this
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The Man Behind MySpace
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We all thought that about AOL, too, back in the day.
But then they got antsy in that corral and started leaking out in larger and larger numbers into the general 'net environs.
There was much gnashing of teeth, but they were eventually absorbed. They still make their own goofy sites with too many geegaws and still send emails with poisoned forwards, because they never wanted to learn constraint or finesse and so never have.
The MySpace kidlets will do the same thing, I'll bet you a dollar.
This comment isn't meant to cover all AOL users, as I know there are folks who started out there and became valuable contributors to the 'net over time as they got more comfortable and learned a few things. It's for those who are uncomfortable with computers in so many other ways and just want the web to be wrapped in a giant cosy to make everything softer and inexplicably blinky.
The last MMORPG I played? CoH. That's what made me decide that the value wasn't there for me.
I confess I'm not sure what the bulk of your comment was intended to accomplish...I mean, if that's what makes shelling out worth it for you, go right ahead. It's not worth it for me.
Personally, I'm in favour of a "docking fee" to store my character/stats/etc. and "$X = Xhrs", where the hours don't expire until I use them. They still make the ducats and there's a less grating payment option for the hyperextended market segment.
Absolutely agree with you, Insightful Anonymous Coward, 100%.
The reason I don't "invest" in MMORPGs anymore is that I've got a fairly active and randomly scheduled life...to reap the benefit if a subscription, I'd have to give up on too many other things I want - and need - to do.
At some point, subscription-based gaming experiences should offer a "punchcard" option for those who don't want to waste money on time that doesn't get used.
Bravo. Very well said. The whole thing. Thank you.
"This bill would do absolutely nothing to protect children. [...] If you live in Michael Fitzpatrick's Congressional district, please write to him and explain that fact."
I think that's the thing most people are missing when they get disturbed by things like this: the next step is to notify government representatives of the real opinions of their constinuency, not just wailing and moaning about how it hurts our feelings.
Oh...and voting for people who won't agree to stupid things like this bill. That's kind of important, too, I suppose.
Slashdot Mirror
Makes me wonder what P.K. Dick would have said about all this...
Ah. Then perhaps the icebergs should be more worried about roving gangs of Kiwis with iceberg vendettas.
Heh.
This quote from TFA gives a glimpse into why I find this sort of thing facinating: "Marine radio operator John McLellan said ships in the area should have been given accurate information about the icebergs much earlier."
The picture in the article shows quite an impressive slice of glacier, and picturing one of those just appearing out of nowhere...oh, man, I could see how advance notice would have been helpful.
"OMIGOD! Ninja Iceberg!"
The freezer would be a new Zone of Terror, and I've already got too many of those.
Or, maybe, this guy knows a bit more about our corporate and economic realities than most and has given an excellent quick summary of the situation. Count your blessings and be glad you're (apparently) unfamiliar with the facts you dismissed so quickly, and I hope you're able to keep your sunny view of how things work here for as long as possible. You're not the rule - you're the exception. That's definitely something to be grateful for.
I worked at M$ for about 5yrs, and the whole "you get to have a life" thing really depends upon the group/team you're in, the relative competency of group and team management (historically incompetent as a whole, but folks sometimes get lucky), and how important the group/team goals are to top brass.
It can be really lovely if you luck out and get into a good group/team - good pay, great benefits, and those free sodas everyone seems to be so starstruck by. It can be really horrible if you end up in a group/team like most at M$ - required to work crazy amounts of hours, poorly planned cycles that require massive pushes with little to no applicability to overall vision, random power plays by people who never wanted to be managers but were moved into the role because of "seniority", and all kinds of other drek that makes working more painful than it really needs to be. The overall corporate culture of Microsoft has a lot of bad features, but, like I said, some folks get lucky and have the occasional fabulous exception to the management rule or got into a group/team that really "gets it" and makes it possible for them to succeed as employees and as individuals.
I know far more people who hate working at Microsoft(or who left because they decided to do something other than fume at lack of support, ethics, and respect on a daily basis) than people who enjoy working there. The few I know who really love their jobs work in hardware, games, and one online content team.
I have friends who work for Google and the only thing they really (!!!) dislike is living in the Bay Area and paying a premium for everything, no matter how ludicrous. The environment itself seems to make them quite happy - one of these friends used to work at M$ and feels the differences make for a much happier life, overall.
Whatever you choose, keep in mind that you can always move on to greener pastures if the one you pick doesn't end up floating your boat.
We all thought that about AOL, too, back in the day. But then they got antsy in that corral and started leaking out in larger and larger numbers into the general 'net environs. There was much gnashing of teeth, but they were eventually absorbed. They still make their own goofy sites with too many geegaws and still send emails with poisoned forwards, because they never wanted to learn constraint or finesse and so never have. The MySpace kidlets will do the same thing, I'll bet you a dollar. This comment isn't meant to cover all AOL users, as I know there are folks who started out there and became valuable contributors to the 'net over time as they got more comfortable and learned a few things. It's for those who are uncomfortable with computers in so many other ways and just want the web to be wrapped in a giant cosy to make everything softer and inexplicably blinky.
Ha. Nice. I'd noticed it, too, but not nearly so amusingly.
The last MMORPG I played? CoH. That's what made me decide that the value wasn't there for me. I confess I'm not sure what the bulk of your comment was intended to accomplish...I mean, if that's what makes shelling out worth it for you, go right ahead. It's not worth it for me. Personally, I'm in favour of a "docking fee" to store my character/stats/etc. and "$X = Xhrs", where the hours don't expire until I use them. They still make the ducats and there's a less grating payment option for the hyperextended market segment.
Absolutely agree with you, Insightful Anonymous Coward, 100%.
The reason I don't "invest" in MMORPGs anymore is that I've got a fairly active and randomly scheduled life...to reap the benefit if a subscription, I'd have to give up on too many other things I want - and need - to do.
At some point, subscription-based gaming experiences should offer a "punchcard" option for those who don't want to waste money on time that doesn't get used.
Bravo. Very well said. The whole thing. Thank you.
"This bill would do absolutely nothing to protect children. [...] If you live in Michael Fitzpatrick's Congressional district, please write to him and explain that fact."
I think that's the thing most people are missing when they get disturbed by things like this: the next step is to notify government representatives of the real opinions of their constinuency, not just wailing and moaning about how it hurts our feelings.
Oh...and voting for people who won't agree to stupid things like this bill. That's kind of important, too, I suppose.