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September 28 Where Your Heart IsIt is fairly useful to see beyond words and figure out where one's heart is. An easy trick is to ignore rethoric. So...
And remember: when asked about body armour tell your soldiers that you go to war with the army you have, not the one you'd like to have. After all money for your buddies does not grow on trees... If you think that universal health is a matter of money, you know where your hearth is. If you think private insurance is cheaper or gives companies a competitive edge please consider who pays for it in the end. And have fun driving your Toyota.
September 27 I Loved Cambridge and the MITThe place is very vibrant, urban without being oppressive and transpires history. Public transportation works very well and the MIT campus is interesting and welcoming to walkers. Just looking at the MIT buildings from the outside you can guess the heavy equipment inside - looked like a huge playground to me. If I ever get rich I'll find a way to complete my PHd. Students ranged from weird kids to very mature, but consistently bright and impressive. They gave me a heck of a hard time questioning the things I was saying, but were very polite and articulate. I loved every second of talking to them and giving a hard time back :) I came back to Seattle with renewed hope for human kind. No joke. September 19 I'm Old...This weekend I'll go to the MIT on a recruiting trip with a colleague. Since I've never been to Boston I was considering taking a city tour Monday morning before the flight back. I was talking about this to my colleague when someone else stopped by and asked if I was planning to party or go to a bar Sunday night.
There is nothing like the contrast between a city tour and bar-hopping to tell you how old you are... (maybe little kids). September 15 SolicitingToday someone woke me up and asked for a donation. I really want to add a "no soliciting" sign to my door, but I think it doesn't cover it properly and may be too harsh. Some solicitors have good intentions, some may even make a living out of it. A lot of them are probably selling scams. But I don't want to be rude, so I figure I could publish a list of justifications on why knocking on my door (or anyone's door for that matter) is useless. So here is my list:
- If you're religious, tell God to come talk to me in person. If you think God cannot do that then go away - you don't have enough faith.
- If you're selling food, go away because I have a very strict diet for medical reasons; that includes cookies.
- If you're selling subscriptions go away because I'm cheap and I'm afraid of commitment. I go to my friend's houses to read their old magazines and subscribing to Time or Newsweek would take away the joy of visiting my doctor or dentist.
- If you're selling bank or financial services... are you freaking kidding me? It happened to me twice. Who would buy financial advice from someone you never met and knocked on your door on a Saturday?
- If you want money to charity go away because I donate my money to the Red Cross. My employer matches my donations so my dime counts double. No, you're not entitled for the same treatment and I won't introduce you to my employer.
When I was younger (note to wife: way younger) I was nicer and as reward I still have Jehovah Witnesses literature somewhere in the house. The Asian girl trying to convert me was so hot that I didn't listen to anything she was saying, but I'm sure the lion in the booklet would eat me regardless.
So, my dear solicitor, please don't be mad. But go away and let me take my nap. September 13 SubtletyLast week, just before the first day of school, the Komo 4 meteorologist said the forecast was rain. This is Seattle, after all. He also said this is what the weather is supposed to be “after all we don’t want them to be distracted”.
I’ve heard similar “logic” from a number of people since I moved to the US, including from one of my superiors. He told me over lunch that no one from tropical countries should ever be hired because “they have no reason to study hard with the sun out there”. Someone else told me this region is attractive to software companies because the weather is bad and there is nothing better to do than work.
As someone from a tropical country I find it amusing. After all, they went there recruit me, and paid all relocation expenses to bring me here (never mind an attractive salary). Three quarters of everyone I work with is foreign, mostly from tropical parts of the planet. Many people think that H1B visas exist to reduce salaries and benefits, but it does mostly because not enough local folks can pass a technical interview. If you think otherwise feel free to forward me your resume.
If you’re wondering where the subtlety is, the Komo 4 meteorologist is African American. September 04 Problem SolvedI wonder how someone proposes something like this: Airline sacrifices goats to appease sky god. American government version: Seattle Wicca: Army: Home owner association: Software company: Star Trek fans: And for an unrelated joke... do you know what the Pirates of the Caribbean initial rating should be? September 02 Bureaucracy“Bureaucracy” is frequently used to describe slow, temperamental organizations that cannot deliver on their goals. In reality bureaucracy is simply another administration theory. Among other principles it prescribes that organizational roles are independent of the people that exercise them. Employees are hired to fit existing, pre-determined positions. The same goes for processes: you don’t create processes based on your reality, you change your reality to conform to your processes. Bureaucracy is very popular among governments and large companies. Governments adopt it because they can and very large companies adopt it trying to regain control, often not on purpose. ISO processes are the pinnacle of what modern bureaucracy looks like, and so are the unavoidable “engineering excellence” efforts that mushroom on large companies. Frequently bureaucracies have rules to reduce costs, and projects rarely receive the exact amount of money asked. Of course project owners overshoot, and also make sure to spend every dime they receive, otherwise any savings are trimmed from next year’s budget. Certain bureaucracies have no option but to work and, when they do, is either because they’re amazingly disciplined (such as the army – any army) or people in them have a lot of creativity. Someone once told me a tale about a lieutenant engineer that was responsible for building a swimming complex for the Brazilian army. Against the advice of everyone he asked for the exact amount necessary and, of course, he got a third of that amount. He build the building, but no pool and asked for the necessary amount to complete the project. He received a third of what he asked, and he built the dressing rooms. He received a verbal punishment (a big deal in the army), but again asked for the right amount to complete the project. His commander increased the ask behind his back and he received half of what he originally asked. He built the visitor center and seats, but still no pool. He received a punishment in writing, but was allowed to complete the project. He yet again asked for the exact amount necessary, his commander tripled his ask and he got exactly what he needed. And he finally did build the swimming pools. He left the army at his own volition and went to become a successful entrepreneur, and he did so without compromising his competency or integrity. To an extent, thanks to his commander. |
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