Yes and we should all be fitted with hormone/adrenaline inhibitors and have our interactions recorded 24/7 too. Would that also make you happy? You purport to be about democracy and freedom of speech, and look what it comes down to.
"using emotive tactics in a dangerous situation, which posits its premises as fact but without a shred of evidence or counter-testimony"?
Sounds like the reasons the U.S. invaded in the first place.
Read this before getting all self-righteous about your so-called "war on terror". There's only one organization terrorizing and killing thousands of people at the moment: the Coalition of the Willing.
That's exactly the sort of response I would expect. Although there's no mention of the list being of exclusively Arabic-sounding names, YOUR immediate assumption is that that's what it is. Or insert-whatever-the-TV-says-the-current-world-evil -is sounding names.
... there'll always be the pointy-haired boss who wants that icon in "powder-blue". Believe me, I've worked for enough of them to know that I'll never be out of a job.
Again, I agree with the sentiments of this post, but the specific case I'm talking about can be expressed as a mathematical formula instead of something like "apply loading and commissions here", especially when the people writing the spec are fully aware that I'm a newbie to the industry-speak. Of course there are situations where it is required that you have an detailed understanding of the business to correctly interpret the business requirements, but this is not one of them. Systems I've worked on in the past have required long hours of poring over and clarifying requirements before work commences, and I always leave adequate user and developer documentation. So far I'm averaging two callbacks per project (over the last four years) to fix bugs and provide additional information, which by anyone's standards is a good hit rate. So spare me the "thou art the source of all evil" speech.
Normally, I would agree with you, but being informed on actuarial terms is not my business. My business is providing design, implementation and maintenance on software projects, usually over short periods of time (3-6 months) and in varying industries. In the past four years I've designed and implemented software in the clinical sciences, health sciences, construction, telecommunications and insurance industries (successfully I might add), so forgive me if I don't run out and do a six month course on each.
Hey there AC,
I don't think it's that clear cut. For example, I currently consult to a large insurance company, and part of my job is to take complicated mathematical specifications from our actuarial department and implement them in our calculations engine. Even now, after having to clarify the previous specification with them in endless meetings over the last three months, I received a new one this morning with the exact same problems - vaguely defined arguments in pages of calculations that assume I am familiar with abstract actuarial concepts (not to mention the annoying contradictory footnotes).
Yes if it's basic program requirements you're talking about (i.e. I want to be able to search through users by name etc.) then it is the software engineers function to hone these requirements until they are sufficiently defined, unambiguous and clearly understood by both the developer and the user. That's a given. But in the case that you are implementing complex software modules in an industry requiring specialized knowledge, a certain amount of the responsibility lies with the users.
After working in the industry as a consultant for nearly 10 years, I can honestly say that none of the following has ever occurred:
* I've received a specification for a new project that accurately tells me what the program should do, and doesn't assume prior knowledge of the entire business;
* I've read the original specification for an existing project that matches the way it's actually been implemented;
* Management have believed me when I've informed them that either of these conditions are occurring and are preventing me from doing my job in a timely, effective fashion;
The lesson to be learned here is that there is no tried-and-true methodology that works across the board in IT, and thus there is no established framework for non IT people devising specifications for IT people. The problem is always going to be that each person in a business is so far down their own specializing holes that they forget how much people in other departments know or don't know. I liken it to teaching someone how to drive a car after you've driven for many years - after a while these things become ingrained in you, to the point you forget that your pupil doesn't know to hit the clutch before changing gears. CRUNCH!
Microsoft guy: "And... and... stop creating tools that people actually find USEFUL and giving them out for FREE, goddamnit! And... and... ummm... Google is a stupid name... and... ummm..."
The good ol U.S. of A. foreign policy is responsible for FAR MORE DEATH than Hussein ever committed. Read some history books, you ignoramus.
Installation of cruel dictators who kill thousands of their own people - check.
Sale of the weapons to them and others so that they go about it in the most "efficient" manner - check.
Killing thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians (who exist in a televised fantasy land that doesn't actually exist in the minds of most Americans because they've never been outside their own borders) just so Puff Daddy can drive another SUV - check.
Coincidentally, I was lying in bed thinking about this last night (too much information I know) as I was wondering whether I should be wasting so much of my life in front of the computer screen (currently totally addicted to FIFA 07, and working my way through Morrowind and KOTOR I).
My lightbulb moment revealed this to me: I think the reason that we all get into these games is because we live in a world where rampant population growth and potential/current global crises (warming, Iraq war, Darfur, oil spills) can leave us feeling impotent as individual to affect any change. The gaming world (usually) gives us a situation where we do have the power to change the world by our actions, where there are clear set goals and clear steps towards how these goals can be achieved.
For those who work in IT, this is actually the kind of mindset we usually find comforting - where there is a clear road from A to B without having to deal with any of the crap in between (over-documentation, office politics, code-guru-set-in-ways, etc.).
Or maybe that's just me, and I think too much. One or the other.
I guess I figure that an honest f^&kwit is better than a corrupt one, any day of the week. And any sort of f^&kwit is better than the one in the White House.
I understand your point, but I'm still frustrated at the lack of action both at a government and personal level. Until people are hit with the "my country is going to have to house 1 million flood-displaced people" stick, they refuse to take any sort of action. Every single one of us is capable of recycling, driving less, printing less, turning off unused appliances/lights, and encouraging people around us to do the same. If everyone just did a little bit, we would have a much cleaner, less climatically unstable world. The government spend to promote these activities is relatively minimal, and has a huge impact (as personally witnessed in Ireland (heating/electric) and Australia (water conservation)).
I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that no-one in government is gonna do anything about this until high tides start rolling in over coastal capital cities and hundreds of millions of people are displaced.
And BTW - regardless of whether or not global warming is fact or (incredibly unlikely) fiction, why the HELL do we need a reason to reduce carbon emissions, waste-per-person and tree felling? Surely doing any of these is a good thing for us all anyway. Cleaner air and forests for our children to explore should be reason enough.
For me, on weekdays a bowl of muesli (or any other fibrous, non sugary cereal) with a full spoonfuls of good yoghurt (not that shite that resembles a fruit thickshake), followed by two slices of toast spread liberally with Vegemite. For all you non-Aussies, Vegemite (or Marmite if you're a Pommie) is one of the riches sources of vitamin B you can get your hands on outside of a capsule, and believe me, nothing kick starts the old mental engine like a good dose of B vitamins, lemme tell ya!
After that lot, a nice mid morning coffee keeps my engine running all day. And a spot of chocky after lunch.
Hmmm... Apple monopolizing the market while the public ignores an (apparently) superior, more intuitive product from Microsoft?!? That would be a world gone topsy-turvy!!
Does this mean in 10 years time we'll be bemoaning the ever-present SFOD (Screen Freeze Of Death) on the "f%^&ing Apple products", while a select group of hip young artistes get all uppity about their Zune 5.0's?
When oh when oh when are scientists going to find the gene for irrational belief so we can eliminate it?!? What a wonderful world it will be when this irrelevant, outdated doctrine disappears forever.
What the hell is narcacistic? Is that like a cross between sarcastic and narcissistic (if that's a word)? I can just hear the inner conflict...
"Oh yeah, I'm the greatest!"
"I
am
the greatest."
"Look at me, everyone, I'm just the greatest."
"I
I can honestly say that I learnt more in the first six months of working than I did in 4 years of university, but I think the crux of getting a university education is learning how to learn. At my university (RMIT in Melbourne, Australia) we learnt a grand total of 6 languages over the first three years: Ada, C, C++, PERL, Java and LISP. Each student was expected to write a reasonably complex piece of software in each of these languages within 2-3 months of seeing it for the first time, gearing up with harder and harder assignments each month.
While I wouldn't say I came out of the experience with as a guru in any of these languages, I sure knew how to go about learning a new one. I also learnt lots of stuff that can be reapplied to every project you ever work on, i.e. design principles, design patterns, OO programming, defensive coding, etc. With every project I've worked on since then, these general concepts become honed, and you learn lots of neat tricks over the years that cumulatively turn you into someone that can work smarter, not harder.
There is always gonna be stuff that's outside your realm of experience; that you look at and think to yourself, WTF? Don't let it get you down if you have to work up to it. These things take time.
I know it sounds a bit nutty, but while travelling through South America I remember reading a books about a lot of the larger stones at ruins such as Sacsayhuaman above Cuzco were proved to resonate at a certain frequency, and that researchers believed that acoustic levitation may have been the possible method of transportation. I believe I read something similar about the stones of the pyramids (though I can't remember where).
I know it sounds like a bunch of old wank, but maybe there's some truth to this. Exactly how sophisticated does the tech have to be to produce the necessary sound waves? For those of us who've been to these ruins and seen the stones first hand, it's pretty hard to imagine anyone moving them by hand, even with infinite resources and manpower. Thoughts?
Right on, you're absolutely correct. Unfortunately, there is no way that China, India or Australia are going to come to the party on any sort of global environmental policy unless the good ol' U.S of A does first. In the case of China and India, it's simply a case of "we're not going do unless the U.S. does!". Australia has no such excuse, having carbon-per-citizen almost comparable to that of the U.S., but having a prime minister who would jump off the Sydney Harbour Bridge if Dubya did it first (a common phrase heard from Aussie mothers for all you non-Aussies) and so isn't prepared to do anything his idol hasn't sanctioned.
Ah well, I think we've all dug our own graves, our mass ignorance and refusal to take action will wipe us all out sometime in the near future, and personally, I think the planet will be better for it. Enjoy it while it lasts, kids.
I agree.
A colleague at a previous job said to me once, "The three aspects of a job you can be happy with are 1. money, 2. people, 3. work. If you're satisfied with at least two of these aspects, stick with it." I laughed at him at the time, and have jumped from job to job for the last six years, purely in the pursuit of higher salary every time. Now I've come to realize that he was right - it's pretty darn hard to find a job that has all three, and sometimes it's better the devil you know.
A job is a means to an end, and facilitates the other things in life that you really enjoy. If you're feeling mentally unchallenged, find a hobby that DOES challenge you.
Slashdot Mirror
India.
"using emotive tactics in a dangerous situation, which posits its premises as fact but without a shred of evidence or counter-testimony"?
Sounds like the reasons the U.S. invaded in the first place.
Read this before getting all self-righteous about your so-called "war on terror". There's only one organization terrorizing and killing thousands of people at the moment: the Coalition of the Willing.
That's exactly the sort of response I would expect. Although there's no mention of the list being of exclusively Arabic-sounding names, YOUR immediate assumption is that that's what it is. Or insert-whatever-the-TV-says-the-current-world-evil -is sounding names.
Yep, you Americans live in the "land of the free" alright. Remind me to take anything sounding vaguely non-Anglo-Saxon out of my name if I ever visit.
... there'll always be the pointy-haired boss who wants that icon in "powder-blue". Believe me, I've worked for enough of them to know that I'll never be out of a job.
Again, I agree with the sentiments of this post, but the specific case I'm talking about can be expressed as a mathematical formula instead of something like "apply loading and commissions here", especially when the people writing the spec are fully aware that I'm a newbie to the industry-speak. Of course there are situations where it is required that you have an detailed understanding of the business to correctly interpret the business requirements, but this is not one of them. Systems I've worked on in the past have required long hours of poring over and clarifying requirements before work commences, and I always leave adequate user and developer documentation. So far I'm averaging two callbacks per project (over the last four years) to fix bugs and provide additional information, which by anyone's standards is a good hit rate. So spare me the "thou art the source of all evil" speech.
Normally, I would agree with you, but being informed on actuarial terms is not my business. My business is providing design, implementation and maintenance on software projects, usually over short periods of time (3-6 months) and in varying industries. In the past four years I've designed and implemented software in the clinical sciences, health sciences, construction, telecommunications and insurance industries (successfully I might add), so forgive me if I don't run out and do a six month course on each.
Hey there AC, I don't think it's that clear cut. For example, I currently consult to a large insurance company, and part of my job is to take complicated mathematical specifications from our actuarial department and implement them in our calculations engine. Even now, after having to clarify the previous specification with them in endless meetings over the last three months, I received a new one this morning with the exact same problems - vaguely defined arguments in pages of calculations that assume I am familiar with abstract actuarial concepts (not to mention the annoying contradictory footnotes). Yes if it's basic program requirements you're talking about (i.e. I want to be able to search through users by name etc.) then it is the software engineers function to hone these requirements until they are sufficiently defined, unambiguous and clearly understood by both the developer and the user. That's a given. But in the case that you are implementing complex software modules in an industry requiring specialized knowledge, a certain amount of the responsibility lies with the users.
* I've received a specification for a new project that accurately tells me what the program should do, and doesn't assume prior knowledge of the entire business;
* I've read the original specification for an existing project that matches the way it's actually been implemented;
* Management have believed me when I've informed them that either of these conditions are occurring and are preventing me from doing my job in a timely, effective fashion;
The lesson to be learned here is that there is no tried-and-true methodology that works across the board in IT, and thus there is no established framework for non IT people devising specifications for IT people. The problem is always going to be that each person in a business is so far down their own specializing holes that they forget how much people in other departments know or don't know. I liken it to teaching someone how to drive a car after you've driven for many years - after a while these things become ingrained in you, to the point you forget that your pupil doesn't know to hit the clutch before changing gears. CRUNCH!
Microsoft guy: "And... and... stop creating tools that people actually find USEFUL and giving them out for FREE, goddamnit! And... and... ummm... Google is a stupid name... and... ummm..."
The good ol U.S. of A. foreign policy is responsible for FAR MORE DEATH than Hussein ever committed. Read some history books, you ignoramus.
Installation of cruel dictators who kill thousands of their own people - check.
Sale of the weapons to them and others so that they go about it in the most "efficient" manner - check.
Killing thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians (who exist in a televised fantasy land that doesn't actually exist in the minds of most Americans because they've never been outside their own borders) just so Puff Daddy can drive another SUV - check.
Get a clue.
My lightbulb moment revealed this to me: I think the reason that we all get into these games is because we live in a world where rampant population growth and potential/current global crises (warming, Iraq war, Darfur, oil spills) can leave us feeling impotent as individual to affect any change. The gaming world (usually) gives us a situation where we do have the power to change the world by our actions, where there are clear set goals and clear steps towards how these goals can be achieved.
For those who work in IT, this is actually the kind of mindset we usually find comforting - where there is a clear road from A to B without having to deal with any of the crap in between (over-documentation, office politics, code-guru-set-in-ways, etc.).
Or maybe that's just me, and I think too much. One or the other.
I guess I figure that an honest f^&kwit is better than a corrupt one, any day of the week. And any sort of f^&kwit is better than the one in the White House.
Can someone publish the names and phone numbers of these scientists so I can lobby to get them into top positions in government?
I understand your point, but I'm still frustrated at the lack of action both at a government and personal level. Until people are hit with the "my country is going to have to house 1 million flood-displaced people" stick, they refuse to take any sort of action. Every single one of us is capable of recycling, driving less, printing less, turning off unused appliances/lights, and encouraging people around us to do the same. If everyone just did a little bit, we would have a much cleaner, less climatically unstable world. The government spend to promote these activities is relatively minimal, and has a huge impact (as personally witnessed in Ireland (heating/electric) and Australia (water conservation)).
And BTW - regardless of whether or not global warming is fact or (incredibly unlikely) fiction, why the HELL do we need a reason to reduce carbon emissions, waste-per-person and tree felling? Surely doing any of these is a good thing for us all anyway. Cleaner air and forests for our children to explore should be reason enough.
After that lot, a nice mid morning coffee keeps my engine running all day. And a spot of chocky after lunch.
Does this mean in 10 years time we'll be bemoaning the ever-present SFOD (Screen Freeze Of Death) on the "f%^&ing Apple products", while a select group of hip young artistes get all uppity about their Zune 5.0's?
When oh when oh when are scientists going to find the gene for irrational belief so we can eliminate it?!? What a wonderful world it will be when this irrelevant, outdated doctrine disappears forever.
"Oh yeah, I'm the greatest!"
"I
- am
the greatest.""Look at me, everyone, I'm just the greatest."
"I
- am
the greatest."While I wouldn't say I came out of the experience with as a guru in any of these languages, I sure knew how to go about learning a new one. I also learnt lots of stuff that can be reapplied to every project you ever work on, i.e. design principles, design patterns, OO programming, defensive coding, etc. With every project I've worked on since then, these general concepts become honed, and you learn lots of neat tricks over the years that cumulatively turn you into someone that can work smarter, not harder.
There is always gonna be stuff that's outside your realm of experience; that you look at and think to yourself, WTF? Don't let it get you down if you have to work up to it. These things take time.
I know it sounds like a bunch of old wank, but maybe there's some truth to this. Exactly how sophisticated does the tech have to be to produce the necessary sound waves? For those of us who've been to these ruins and seen the stones first hand, it's pretty hard to imagine anyone moving them by hand, even with infinite resources and manpower. Thoughts?
Right on, you're absolutely correct. Unfortunately, there is no way that China, India or Australia are going to come to the party on any sort of global environmental policy unless the good ol' U.S of A does first. In the case of China and India, it's simply a case of "we're not going do unless the U.S. does!". Australia has no such excuse, having carbon-per-citizen almost comparable to that of the U.S., but having a prime minister who would jump off the Sydney Harbour Bridge if Dubya did it first (a common phrase heard from Aussie mothers for all you non-Aussies) and so isn't prepared to do anything his idol hasn't sanctioned. Ah well, I think we've all dug our own graves, our mass ignorance and refusal to take action will wipe us all out sometime in the near future, and personally, I think the planet will be better for it. Enjoy it while it lasts, kids.
I agree. A colleague at a previous job said to me once, "The three aspects of a job you can be happy with are 1. money, 2. people, 3. work. If you're satisfied with at least two of these aspects, stick with it." I laughed at him at the time, and have jumped from job to job for the last six years, purely in the pursuit of higher salary every time. Now I've come to realize that he was right - it's pretty darn hard to find a job that has all three, and sometimes it's better the devil you know. A job is a means to an end, and facilitates the other things in life that you really enjoy. If you're feeling mentally unchallenged, find a hobby that DOES challenge you.