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Vlad!
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« Reply #40 on: November 18, 2008, 02:52:48 PM » |
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Wait, computer programmers can make 100 grand a year? What the hell am I doing wrong?
Working for the wrong company, apparently (I don't make a hundred grand a year, but I know the starting salary and the average annual raise and how long this guy has been working here, so basic math tells me that he does). |
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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murlough23
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« Reply #41 on: November 18, 2008, 03:20:34 PM » |
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Working for the wrong company, apparently (I don't make a hundred grand a year, but I know the starting salary and the average annual raise and how long this guy has been working here, so basic math tells me that he does).
It may depend on the type of programming or the level of seniority - I don't know what my project leads or my managers make. In any event, I've got the kind of job security that a lot of dot-coms probably don't. I've been doing this for nine years and I've never once felt worried about whether my department would have to make cutbacks or whatever. Our problem is actually that we often feel understaffed and can afford to hire more people, we just can't find 'em very easily. |
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Vlad!
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« Reply #42 on: November 18, 2008, 03:35:45 PM » |
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Our problem is actually that we often feel understaffed and can afford to hire more people, we just can't find 'em very easily.
That should probably change in the near future. We aren't going through any layoffs, but as you might expect we're not exactly hiring as rapaciously as we used to. There are a lot of really bright kids looking for jobs and not finding anything right about now. I don't want to sound elitist, but I think web developers make less than systems-level developers just because there are more of them. Having been an interviewer at a major college myself, I know that it's a lot easier to find someone who knows web programming than someone who can churn out C code. |
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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murlough23
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« Reply #43 on: November 18, 2008, 04:09:15 PM » |
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That should probably change in the near future. We aren't going through any layoffs, but as you might expect we're not exactly hiring as rapaciously as we used to. There are a lot of really bright kids looking for jobs and not finding anything right about now. That's really unfortunate. It must be a depressing time to graduate from college. Job searching was hard enough for me back when the market was really good. I don't want to sound elitist, but I think web developers make less than systems-level developers just because there are more of them. Having been an interviewer at a major college myself, I know that it's a lot easier to find someone who knows web programming than someone who can churn out C code. No elitism there - I think what you said is pretty accurate. As tricky as my job can get, I can only imagine what systems-level developers have to go through. There may also be other avenues such as software programming, particularly in the video game design area, that are more lucrative. It's cool. I really enjoy what I do, which means more to me than how much I make doing it. NP: "Jigorous", Ceili Rain |
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Vlad!
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« Reply #44 on: November 18, 2008, 04:51:10 PM » |
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That's really unfortunate. It must be a depressing time to graduate from college. Job searching was hard enough for me back when the market was really good. I was talking to a co-worker about this today. I'm guessing that grad school applications are going through the roof right now. There may also be other avenues such as software programming, particularly in the video game design area, that are more lucrative. A recruiter for EA (probably the biggest video game publisher/developer out there) came to Virginia Tech while I was there as an undergrad and gave a talk. Apparently their pay scale is based partly off the entertainment industry, so though they pay fairly well by those standards, compared to the money you'd get at Google or Sun or Apple or any other tech company in that geographic location you'd be making a lot less. I think you really have to love video games to take that sort of job. It's cool. I really enjoy what I do, which means more to me than how much I make doing it. Yep, that's really what's important. I took the job I'm in because the interviews were fun due to the coolness of the people and the job I'd be doing sounded interesting. The offer was also the highest one I got and I won't say that wasn't a factor, but the reason I'm still here isn't because they pay me in fat sacks of cash but because I really enjoy coming in to work. |
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murlough23
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« Reply #45 on: November 18, 2008, 04:59:21 PM » |
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I was talking to a co-worker about this today. I'm guessing that grad school applications are going through the roof right now. Heh. I only went to grad school because I was tired of being in school. Given my line of work and the quickly changing nature of the Internet, I'd say I've pick up quite a few new skills on the job - it's kind of like being paid to learn stuff. A recruiter for EA (probably the biggest video game publisher/developer out there) came to Virginia Tech while I was there as an undergrad and gave a talk. Apparently their pay scale is based partly off the entertainment industry, so though they pay fairly well by those standards, compared to the money you'd get at Google or Sun or Apple or any other tech company in that geographic location you'd be making a lot less. I think you really have to love video games to take that sort of job. That's what I thought I wanted to do when I was a kid, but then I realized everything was getting all complicated and 3-D in video games by the time I graduated from college, and I could no longer figure out how to play the games, let alone have a clue how they were made. (I'm from the SNES generation - N64 baffled me.) Hence, I have a lot of respect for people who can understand this stuff and figure out how to program it (it probably requires a lot of artistic skill and 3-D modeling as well). Yep, that's really what's important. I took the job I'm in because the interviews were fun due to the coolness of the people and the job I'd be doing sounded interesting. The offer was also the highest one I got and I won't say that wasn't a factor, but the reason I'm still here isn't because they pay me in fat sacks of cash but because I really enjoy coming in to work. Well, a guy's gotta pay the bills. (Or at the very least, chip in a bit to help his parents pay them.) So I won't fault anyone for wanting to make money. It's one of those things that may not be the absolute #1 priority, but it's still a necessity. But yeah, I think a lot of people underestimate either the value, or the likelihood, of having a job they actually enjoy doing. I feel like that's one of those things that everyone should eventually be able to find. Sorry for taking this way off-topic, but I thought the subject was interesting enough to warrant it. (I've been banned from a certain other message board - no, not that one - for less.) |
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Vlad!
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« Reply #46 on: November 18, 2008, 05:54:56 PM » |
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Sorry for taking this way off-topic, but I thought the subject was interesting enough to warrant it. (I've been banned from a certain other message board - no, not that one - for less.)
Yeah, I thought about splitting the topic, but didn't really see any need to. As you well know, we're pretty chill around here when it comes to veering off topic (and heck, I think that this discussion is far more worthwhile than any amusing quotations I've thrown out up til now). That's what I thought I wanted to do when I was a kid, but then I realized everything was getting all complicated and 3-D in video games by the time I graduated from college, and I could no longer figure out how to play the games, let alone have a clue how they were made. (I'm from the SNES generation - N64 baffled me.) Hence, I have a lot of respect for people who can understand this stuff and figure out how to program it (it probably requires a lot of artistic skill and 3-D modeling as well). Writing a modern video game is a lot like writing a small operating system, actually. They usually have their own userspace threads, their own scheduler, their own memory manager, and if you're developing for the console then sometimes you even have to write your own drivers. I talked with one of the lead engineers for Microsoft Flight Simulator once and he explained to me how complex the internals were. Made me wonder if he wouldn't be better-suited for the Windows Kernel team  |
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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Vlad!
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« Reply #47 on: November 23, 2008, 10:40:11 AM » |
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Amusing/informative writer and sometime personal hero of mine Daniel Rutter wrote: "...computer and car salesmen differ only in that the latter know when they are lying." This is very true, and one of the many reasons why I have never bought and will never buy a computer from a physical store. |
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Vlad!
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« Reply #48 on: December 19, 2008, 04:24:04 PM » |
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* I shoot Bob[1] with a Nerf dart *
Bob: I don't understand. What just happened?
Me: Bob, are you intoxicated?
Bob, with a huge grin, laughing drunkenly: Yeah.
Me: Are you going to check code in to the kernel now?
Bob: You betcha.
Me: And they wonder why computer programs crash...
[1] Name changed to protect what shreds of dignity he has left
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murlough23
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« Reply #49 on: December 19, 2008, 04:31:07 PM » |
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One of my patented quips from the other day:
"I wanted to fly to Paris, but I didn't have de Gaulle."
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enemy anemone
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« Reply #50 on: December 21, 2008, 07:39:16 PM » |
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A [examining photograph]: this is a Halloween photo. the boy is dressed like Harry Potter.
B: oh, is that what that is? I thought he has Down Syndrome. I didn't know why he is dressed like that.
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Vlad!
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« Reply #51 on: December 22, 2008, 05:04:04 PM » |
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Follow up from my above quote, occurring this afternoon:
Me: Yeah, I was the one who shot you last Friday.
Bob: What?
Me: You know, when you were drunk and got hit by a nerf dart?
Bob: I don't remember any of that. It was a good evening, though. I'm not going to lie.
Me: Sigh....
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
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Vlad!
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« Reply #52 on: February 05, 2009, 04:36:19 PM » |
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Another conversation between "Bob" and I:
Bob: What was the name of my noob again?
Me: Come on, noob wrangling 101: don't forget your noob's name.
Me: Or you could just give him a nickname.
Bob: He had no obvious physical deformities I could mock...
Me: He had pretty crazy hair.
Bob: Um....
Me: ...coming from a guy with crazy-er hair, I realize.
Bob: Exactly.
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
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murlough23
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« Reply #53 on: February 05, 2009, 04:45:45 PM » |
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Do you live in a frat house or something?
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Vlad!
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« Reply #54 on: February 05, 2009, 04:49:09 PM » |
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Do you live in a frat house or something?
Hah, no, I just work at one  (Not really, but it seems like that sometimes.) |
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
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murlough23
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« Reply #55 on: February 05, 2009, 04:49:57 PM » |
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Oh, and here's one from my pastor, on the subject of how it can be that most of the country claims "Christian" as their religion on polls, but such a small percentage actually attends church:
"When I was on Sabbatical, I decided to see how most of the rest of the world worships on Sundays. So I went to St. Arbuck's."
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Vlad!
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« Reply #56 on: February 23, 2009, 02:01:53 PM » |
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My co-worker just finished installing 6GB of RAM in his quad-core Mac pro that the company bought him (for a total of 8GB). We had this conversation:
Me: Why do you have a tiny god under your desk and I have an old Pentium 4 that doesn't even support more than 3GB of RAM?
Him: Because I'm louder and more annoying than you.
Me: I'm trying my hardest to be as loud and annoying as possible, in case you hadn't noticed.
Him: And I'm old.
Me: That must be it.
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Vlad!
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« Reply #57 on: March 02, 2009, 03:54:58 PM » |
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[Background: C is a vegetarian]
A: Why are your chips in the fridge?
B: So that C doesn't steal them.
A: Brilliant!
A: Hey, C, there's chips in the fridge!
A: They're not made out of chicken!
Me: Well, why not?
A: That's a good question.
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Vlad!
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« Reply #58 on: March 05, 2009, 05:06:50 PM » |
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<A sets his Jabber status to "Adding bugs as a form of job security"> Me: Nice away message A: Yeah. Me: But isn't your boss on Jabber? A: Wait, I thought I only set that on my personal IM client? Me: Nope. <A sets his Jabber status to "iChat away messages are global!"> |
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murlough23
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« Reply #59 on: March 05, 2009, 05:26:10 PM » |
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The company I work for is called Raytheon. Yesterday, a disgruntled co-worker, expressing sympathy for another who had been laid off, mentioned that she overheard someone else inventing an acronym for the company's name:
"Reorganize All Year, Then Hope Everything Operates Normally."
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Vlad!
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« Reply #60 on: March 06, 2009, 01:09:45 PM » |
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A: We need an analyzer. How much does one cost? B: Like thirty grand. A: Really? A: What's their stock symbol? B: Um, FNSR, it looks like. A: WTF, their market cap is $127 million. Wouldn't it be cheaper for us to just buy them? Then we could get all the analyzers we wanted. B: Send a note to the CEO. [Disclaimer: overheard conversations should not be taken as economic advice. I wouldn't recommend buying Finisar stock on the assumption that anyone else is going to purchase them anytime soon] |
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
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Vlad!
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« Reply #61 on: March 12, 2009, 02:08:25 PM » |
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A friend got a piece of spam today with this in the "random text" segment:
===
A surly cough syrup dies, and a burglar inside a lover ignores a
cyprus mulch over the roller coaster. Any squid can know a snooty
stovepipe, but it takes a real cloud formation to completely sell a
Eurasian tuba player to the cab driver. A tabloid toward a chestnut
brainwashes the lover living with the wedge.
Indeed, another corporation for the movie theater competes with a prime
minister related to some jersey cow. Some bottle of beer has a change
of heart about a pickup truck, but the tabloid tries to seduce a
carpet tack.
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Vlad!
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« Reply #62 on: March 17, 2009, 03:16:34 PM » |
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<A is complaining about team X>
A: It's like they're afraid of code!
A: Just because they're half-assed doesn't mean we're half-assed
Me: We are fully-assed!
A: Damn right!
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murlough23
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« Reply #63 on: March 17, 2009, 03:24:33 PM » |
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<A is complaining about team X>
A: It's like they're afraid of code!
A: Just because they're half-assed doesn't mean we're half-assed
Me: We are fully-assed!
A: Damn right!
I made a similar remark once, except it was at a college fellowship meeting. Someone said something about not wanting to be "half-assed" about their faith, so I remarked, "Yeah, I want to put the whole ass into it." The pastor presiding over this meeting was out of the room at the time. She had returned for the closing prayer, during which someone who liked my remark somehow found a way to incorporate my "whole ass" remark into their prayer.  Thankfully we were all fairly lax about language, and people focused on the intent of the prayer rather than the phrasing. But yeah, maybe using PG-13 language in my smart remarks isn't such a good idea while I'm at church. NP: "I Can't Catch You", Sixpence None the Richer |
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Vlad!
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« Reply #64 on: March 17, 2009, 03:28:49 PM » |
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Heh, "put the whole ass into it" is a lot more of a double entendre. I like it.
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murlough23
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« Reply #65 on: March 17, 2009, 03:43:25 PM » |
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Heh, "put the whole ass into it" is a lot more of a double entendre. I like it.
I think it nicely illustrates how the word "ass" has been twisted into so many different parts of speech that it sort of lacks consistent meaning. Consider the following: An ass is a donkey. Those can be handy to have around, but they are also stubborn. "Ass" is slang for buttocks. You poop out of them. But they can also be considered attractive. If something is "ass", it's bad. If something "kicks ass", it's good. If you get your "ass kicked", that's bad. Getting assassinated is really bad. If you're "assed out", you're broke. "Half-assed" means mediocre, with the implication being that you're only putting in half the effort. (Would "no ass" be better or worse?) If something is "big-ass", its size is simply being augmented or exaggerated. "Badass" is apparently a double negative. You are neither bad nor ass. In fact, you are awesome enough to be feared. "Asinine", which is one of my favorite words, has the same root, since it refers to having donkey-like qualities and it generally means being obnoxious or idiotic, yet this is not regarded as a swear word. Of course, tacking "-hole" onto the end of "ass" is almost universally considered to be an insult (which implies rudeness moreso than stupidity). It's funny how "ass" is acceptable in some circles so long as it isn't followed by the suffix. |
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« Last Edit: March 17, 2009, 03:46:17 PM by murlough23 »
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Vlad!
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« Reply #66 on: March 17, 2009, 04:03:32 PM » |
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I don't understand "big-ass" or "long-ass" or the use of ass as a modifier (and yes, I realize we've already discussed this). QTP: Is badass (alternate spelling: bad-ass) simply a special case of the usage given above (this would imply the 80s variant of the word 'bad' (i.e. good), modified by 'ass' to mean 'to a large degree', taking on a meaning of 'totally bad')? |
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murlough23
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« Reply #67 on: March 17, 2009, 04:10:05 PM » |
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I don't understand "big-ass" or "long-ass" or the use of ass as a modifier (and yes, I realize we've already discussed this). It makes no sense syntactically, beyond the fact that any swear word seems to work as a modifier ("Hard as hell", "Stings like a bitch", etc.) I admit to being amused by this usage, though. QTP: Is badass (alternate spelling: bad-ass) simply a special case of the usage given above (this would imply the 80s variant of the word 'bad' (i.e. good), modified by 'ass' to mean 'to a large degree', taking on a meaning of 'totally bad')? I understood it to implement this particular meaning of "bad", but I was just trying to illustrate how absurd it must sound to someone who is aware of neither the alternate meaning of "bad" nor the many meanings of "ass". This discussion is funny in light of my signature. NP: "4:12", Switchfoot |
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Vlad!
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« Reply #68 on: March 19, 2009, 03:06:41 PM » |
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<My phone rings at work. Caller ID shows an outside number I don't recognize>
Me: Hello, this is <company name>
Caller: Hi, is this Lily?
Me: I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong number.
Caller: Oh, I'm sorry.
<I hang up the phone>
Me: Do I *sound* like a Lily?
A: A little bit
B: You look like her
Me: Sigh...
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Aaron
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« Reply #69 on: March 19, 2009, 04:14:33 PM » |
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<My phone rings at work. Caller ID shows an outside number I don't recognize>
Me: Hello, this is <company name>
Caller: Hi, is this Lily?
Me: I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong number.
Caller: Oh, I'm sorry.
<I hang up the phone>
Me: Do I *sound* like a Lily?
A: A little bit
B: You look like her
Me: Sigh...
^Those kind of calls are one of the few things I actually do miss about working at a desk. |
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murlough23
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« Reply #70 on: March 19, 2009, 04:20:08 PM » |
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^Those kind of calls are one of the few things I actually do miss about working at a desk.
Usually when I get wrong number calls at my desk, it goes something like this: Me: Hello? Caller: May I speak to Officer So-and-So? Me: I think you have the wrong number. Caller: Is this 626-555-0123? Me: No, it's 626-555-0 213. Caller: Oh, so this isn't the Pasadena Police Department? Me: No, that's across the street. Caller: So do you know how I can get a hold of... Me: Sorry, I don't. Bye. (I hang up) Me, under my breath: Dumbass. Co-worker in next cube: *snicker* |
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bethany
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« Reply #71 on: March 19, 2009, 04:32:47 PM » |
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I used to work at a university, and I'd semi-regularly get phone calls from people trying to get ahold of someone else at the (very large) university. Inevitably, they would ask me if I knew the number for the random person they were trying to reach, and if I could transfer them. Yes, I have instantaneously mental access to all the thousands of university employees.
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murlough23
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« Reply #72 on: March 19, 2009, 04:39:00 PM » |
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I used to work at a university, and I'd semi-regularly get phone calls from people trying to get ahold of someone else at the (very large) university. Inevitably, they would ask me if I knew the number for the random person they were trying to reach, and if I could transfer them. Yes, I have instantaneously mental access to all the thousands of university employees.
Ah yes, the "This institution is much larger than everyone realizes" phenomenon. I have to remind myself to take my ID badge off when I go out to get lunch; I will invariably get questions from curious fast-food workers that go something like, "You work for JPL? Do you make rockets?" (oh sure, 'cause I'd expect the several thousand people who work there to all do THE EXACT SAME JOB!) or "You work for JPL? Do you know Such-And-Such?" (oh sure, 'cause I'm on a first name basis with several thousand scientists!) I rather enjoy my position as a lowly webmaster with no heavy-hitting rocket scientists on my speed-dial list, thank you very much. NP: "Secret Ambition", Michael W. Smith |
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Vlad!
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« Reply #73 on: March 19, 2009, 05:04:33 PM » |
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I used to work at a university, and I'd semi-regularly get phone calls from people trying to get ahold of someone else at the (very large) university. Inevitably, they would ask me if I knew the number for the random person they were trying to reach, and if I could transfer them. Yes, I have instantaneously mental access to all the thousands of university employees.
At the company I work for, we have a fast and easy directory system, so if someone calls me and asks for the number of someone else, I can actually look it up right quick. I have no idea how to work my phone, so I don't know how to transfer that call, if it's even possible to do so from my lowly computer-programmer-grade phone. Ah yes, the "This institution is much larger than everyone realizes" phenomenon.
Yeah, when I was at VT people would be like "oh, you go to Virginia Tech! Do you know Bob Bobson?" Usually it would turn out that said person was majoring in Beekeeping or whatever so there's a very low chance I would know the person, but sometimes I actually would. Thus, I don't begrudge people who do that just so long as they do it intelligently (asking me of I know someone who lives and works in our silicon valley office is unlikely to be productive). |
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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Vlad!
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« Reply #74 on: March 19, 2009, 05:05:10 PM » |
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^Those kind of calls are one of the few things I actually do miss about working at a desk.
Why do you miss them? Getting wrong numbers is annoying. |
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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Aaron
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« Reply #75 on: March 19, 2009, 05:07:39 PM » |
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Why do you miss them? Getting wrong numbers is annoying.
I worked at a call center. I loved getting calls from dumb inbound reps on the other side of the building or talking with idiotic customers. My coworkers and I would write notes and discuss the low or highlights of the various calls during downtime. |
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murlough23
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« Reply #76 on: March 19, 2009, 05:11:35 PM » |
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If you're really skilled at making stuff up on the fly, you can "reverse prank call" wrong numbers.
it doesn't exactly involve wrong numbers, but there was a phony tech support team (or maybe just a real tech support team that was bored) whose website I stumbled across many years ago, which consisted of links to various recorded calls where the tech support decided to mess with the caller in various ways, such as telling them to chuck their computer out the window, pretending to speak no English, responding to everything the caller said with "Cactus", etc. Obnoxious, but amusing.
NP: "If Only...", Nouveaux
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Vlad!
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« Reply #77 on: April 06, 2009, 02:56:51 PM » |
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<A conversation between my co-worker (A) and I>
A: I don't understand this 'management LIF' stuff in the spec you wrote.
Me: What's confusing you?
A: Well, what is a management LIF?
Me: Um, the logical interface that's marked as a management port? Seems simple enough.
A: Well then why does my entire team keep asking me questions about it?
Me: Probably because they are idiots.
At this point I heard a guffaw behind me and I swirled around, sure that the leader of said team was standing at my cube and I was about to be hoist by my own petard. Fortunately, it was just the guy in the cube across from me.
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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murlough23
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« Reply #78 on: April 06, 2009, 03:04:04 PM » |
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"Hoisted by my own petard" is an amusing quote in and of itself. I'd heard the phrase several times, but never thought to actually look up its meaning until today. Much to my surprise, a "petard" is not an obscure reference to one's keister or another body part by which one could potentially be lifted, thrown, or hung. It seems to mean something closer to an explosive device, thus rendering the phrase as something similar to "being blown up by one's own bomb". ME LEARN!!!
NP: "O Praise Him (All This for a King)", David Crowder Band
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Vlad!
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« Reply #79 on: April 06, 2009, 03:36:28 PM » |
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Heh, so the original Hamlet quote states how it is good sport to see the engineer hoist by his own petard. However, the quote has wound up so corrupted over the years that one often hears things like "hoist on his own petard", confusing the issue even more. My dad thought, for instance, that a petard was a type of spear upon which the unfortunate bearer would be hoist once defeated. A petard is, as you say, an explosive device used to breach walls in battle, so Shakespeare was more likely saying "this engineer accidentally set off his charge too early and blew himself up".
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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