text:
David Prentice, a senior fellow with the Family Research Council, appeared before a Senate committee this fall to share some good news about stem cells.
Around the world scientists are pouring into the field, because human embryonic stem cells have the power to become any cell in the body, offering the promise of dramatic scientific and medical advances. The work, however, requires destroying days-old human embryos, which critics say is tantamount to taking lives. Whether the government should fund this research has become the focus of a bitter political standoff, and a key issue in the presidential campaign.
Yet when Prentice went before the senators, he offered a dramatic solution to the dilemma. There have been ''a wealth of scientific papers published over the last few years" showing that adult stem cells, which can be obtained without destroying an embryo, have virtually the same qualities as embryonic stem cells, he testified. The important science can go forward, he said, but without the need for either embryonic stem cells or the controversy.
This has become a key assertion -- in editorials, in debates, on antiabortion websites -- of opponents of embryo research, but most stem cell specialists say it is simply wrong. A wave of recent experiments has cast grave doubts on the ability of adult stem cells to become a wide range of cells.
The most impressive and often-cited example is a set of adult stem cell experiments conducted in Minnesota that are surrounded by questions because, two years later, other scientists have not been able to replicate the work. The scientist who did that work, Dr. Catherine Verfaillie of the University of Minnesota, said she has not found a replacement for embryonic stem cells and is frustrated with the increasing politicization of the issue.
''My research is being misused depending on the point someone wants to get across," Verfaillie said. ''They have put words in my mouth."
Her experiment is perhaps the starkest example, but in the national stem cell debate, both sides have distorted the science. Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry has repeatedly assailed President Bush for a ban on stem cell research, even though the president supports stem cell research and his restrictions apply only to federal money for one type of cell, human embryonic stem cells, and only those created after August 9, 2001. Kerry supports expanding federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research and opposes limiting the research to old batches of the cells.
The distortions are fueled, in part, by the sheer complexity of the topic. Yet scientists say that the deepest source of public confusion is the fact that the political debate is being waged long before scientists know the answers to many of the most basic questions in stem cell biology, much less which avenues will result in actual treatments.
The great promise of stem cell research is that it will lead to cures for degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's or juvenile diabetes, that affect many millions of Americans. Yet the science is just too new to say what diseases might be helped more by adult or embryonic stem cell research or by neither.
For decades, doctors have been transplanting bone marrow, which contains adult stem cells that form the cells in the blood, to treat certain cancers and other immune and blood-related diseases, such as sickle cell anemia. But scientists are far from showing that adult stem cells can treat a wide range of other diseases.
Embryonic stem cells, by contrast, have the natural ability to become any type of cell in the body and offer a unique tool for understanding human development. But scientists have only just begun to experiment with human embryonic stem cells, which were discovered in 1998. Embryonic stem cells are not currently used to treat anything, and there are many fundamental technical hurdles that lie between today's science and the potential medicine of tomorrow.
Prentice, a former biology professor at Indiana State University, defended his Senate testimony, saying that he was delivering facts about research that has been obscured by the attention given to embryonic stem cells. And most stem cell specialists agree that adult stem cells are a vital area of research, underappreciated by the public, that could lead to a wealth of new treatments.
''We need both" kinds of research, said Dr. Leonard Zon, a researcher at Children's Hospital Boston and president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. ''Advances in one field help the other."
The public, understandably, wants to hear about cures for the scourge of degenerative diseases. Scientists would like nothing more than to find these cures. But, Zon and other scientists said, the history of medical research is very clear on one point: Nobody can say today whether any particular advance is the first step toward revolutionary treatments or an alluring dead end.
Hope, then frustrationVerfaillie can remember the thrill that came over her in her laboratory as she realized that she might have a spectacular discovery on her hands, the kind of huge, surprising leap forward that can lead to a Nobel Prize.
It was 1998, and Verfaillie's research team had apparently stumbled across an entirely unexpected kind of stem cell. Taken from bone marrow, in the soft core of bones, it was an adult stem cell that seemed to hold the potential to develop into virtually any tissue in the body, a power that scientists previously believed could be found only in stem cells harvested from human embryos.
In 2002, when the results became public, they caused a sensation. If verified, these new cells might give doctors the ability to repair a wide variety of tissues without the ethical questions that bedevil embryonic work. Other scientists have since made similar assertions, but Verfaillie's work is the most scientifically established.
What has amazed researchers about Verfaillie's stem cells, which she has dubbed the multipotent adult progenitor cell, is that they seem to contradict longstanding principles of developmental biology. Beginning with a batch of stem cells thought to make only tissues such as bone, cartilage, and fat, Verfaillie was able to coax some of the cells, the MAPCs, into becoming surprising tissues, such as brain and liver.
Scientists believe that the cells of the body form a kind of family tree, with the embryonic stem cell at the trunk and most of the multitude of cells that make up the body at the tips of the branches. In the very beginning, when a human embryo is just days old, the body begins its development as a formless mass of cells that are called pluripotent, because they have the potential to become any cell. When these cells are removed from an embyro and grown in a laboratory dish, they are referred to as embryonic stem cells.
Then, as the embryo develops, different cells start to travel down different branches in the family of cells, becoming more specialized, and less flexible, in a process called commitment. Stem cells that are partway down one of these branches are called adult stem cells, because they are destined to become specific types of tissue in the adult and are thought to have lost the full potential of embryonic stem cells.
Thus, there are many kinds of adult stem cells, each capable of repairing only the tissue they are destined to become. However, researchers have isolated only a limited number of types of adult stem cells, and some organs may lose all of their adult stem cells by the time they have finished developing, meaning that adult stem cells could not be used to treat those organs.
Around the time that Verfaillie was doing her initial research, other scientists began publishing papers that challenged this paradigm, arguing instead that seemingly committed adult stem cells could naturally transform themselves into types of cells in distant parts of the cellular family tree, giving the body a hitherto unrecognized power to regenerate.
But more recent experiments, in some cases by the same scientists, have reversed most of these findings. In 2001, for example, a stunning paper in the journal Nature indicated that bone marrow cells could transform into heart muscle, offering hope for treating heart disease. But this spring, two papers in the same journal suggested that the original research was wrong. Similar claims for bone marrow cells transforming into brain cells, liver cells, and others have also been reversed.
''To be frank, I really wanted it to be true," said Dr. Irving Weissman of Stanford University, one of the founding fathers of stem-cell science and cofounder of two companies that work with adult stem cells. ''But everywhere we have looked, [the claims] just fell apart."
Verfaillie's work is different from many of these claims, however, because she heavily processes her cells for many weeks before she does her experiments. She begins with cells from the bone marrow, but then puts them in lab dishes where the cells can grow and multiply. Then, for more than a month, she repeatedly transfers the cells from one lab dish to another to prevent the cells from growing too densely.
This process seems to slowly kill off most kinds of cells, but leaves behind a population of the special cells she wants, something like burning down a haystack to find the needle. Yet, even in the hands of her team, Verfaillie said, the method works less than half of the time.
Only a handful of other laboratories have been able to get the method to work and only after intensive consultation with Verfaillie, including lengthy onsite visits. And no outside laboratory has been able to replicate one of the most impressive experiments she described in 2002, in which one of the cells was injected into a mouse embryo and then was shown to have yielded cells in many of the animal's tissues. Weissman and other scientists said that Verfaillie's research could be very important and may even lead to new medical cures, but that the failure of other laboratories to replicate the work raises questions, and makes it difficult to understand what the cells are, and what they are capable of.
Verfaillie said that she shares these concerns, and she has been working hard to help other laboratories with the cells. Weissman's lab has been trying to replicate the work, so far without success.
Although Verfaillie's work has received more attention, there are other sources of adult stem cells that some scientists suspect may have more potential to form a variety of cells than previously thought, such as blood from a newborn's umbilical cord, or even stem cells from a fetus that circulate in the mother's body, which were identified by Dr. Diana Bianchi, who is the vice chairwoman for pediatric research at the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts-New England Medical Center.
None of these cells has been shown to be as versatile or as easy to work with in a laboratory as embryonic stem cells, and none has been shown to make all types of tissue, whereas 20 years of research in mice has proved this is true for embryonic stem cells, according to Dr. George Q. Daley, who is the author of several prominent scientific papers on stem cell research and is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital.
But in the pitched battle over the future of embryonic stem cell research, these distinctions are blurred.
Before the President's Council on
''You could read this chapter and have no idea why scientists are making such a fuss" about human embryonic stem cells, said Blackburn, a professor at the University of California at San Francisco, who said many of her suggestions to clarify the text were ignored.
Last month, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops launched a nationwide, two-week print ad campaign promoting adult stem cell research over embryonic stem cell research, which the organization opposes on moral grounds. One of the ads declares that ''adult stem cells have helped thousands of people, including patients with Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, sickle-cell anemia, heart damage and many other conditions."
Scientists interviewed by the Globe said this statement is misleading because it implies that adult stem cells are proven treatments for all of these conditions. Initial studies in humans have shown some promise with using bone marrow to treat the heart and its circulation. But, while there is potential for the future, there have been no published, controlled human studies showing bone marrow or any adult stem cell can help with Parkinson's, spinal cord injury, or any other neurological disorders, said Dr. Jeffrey D. Macklis, an adult stem cell researcher who is the director of the Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Medical School Center for Nervous System Repair.
Richard Doerflinger, deputy director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the ad is not misleading and refers to one Parkinson's patient treated in California and a limited number of spinal cord injury patients treated in Portugal.
But Dr. Michel Levesque, a neurosurgeon based at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles who treated the Parkinson's patient referred to by Doerflinger, said that though his solitary patient has improved, the ad is misleading because he is only now putting together a comprehensive study of the procedure and has not proven it is an effective treatment.
Both sides of the debate have tried to earn political advantage by implying that research is closer to generating cures than it is. Proponents of embryonic stem cell research often say that 100 million or more Americans might be helped, though nobody can say what the work will yield or when.
For Verfaillie and many other scientists, it has been a difficult spectacle to behold. Embryonic stem cell research raises deep ethical questions, but on purely scientific grounds most researchers agree that both adult and embryonic stem cell research are promising, and they cringe to see one played off against the other.
Sitting in her 14th-floor office with a view of the Minnesota Metrodome in the distance, Verfaillie said that the last several years have been both exhilarating and maddening. Her lab has doubled in size, with federal funding, and she has found fascinating new biological territory to explore.
''I have also learned," said Verfaillie, ''that politics can't be influenced by scientific facts very much."
Gareth Cook can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. More stem cell coverage is available at www.boston.com/news/science/.


text:
My oldest son at 4 and again at 18 (He turns 20 next week): Thank you for taking the time to look!
Designer Digitals
Katie Pertiet
Chandra Solids Paper Pack
Pocket Cards: Vintage No. 02
Simple Collage Frames No. 02
Yesteryear Add-On Lace
Time Clusters No. 03
Gingerbread Runaway Kit
Clock Parts No. 02: Clock Face Collection
Carte Post Kit
Family Time Chat Freebie
Ali Edwards
Handdrawn Arrows Brushes and Stamps
Time Flies Brushes and Stamps

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sales quotas may seem like a good idea until 'sandbagging' starts
Every job has or should have an identified set of objectives, some measurement by which an associate's effectiveness can be gauged to be unacceptable, acceptable or superior.
A Major League Baseball hitter is superior if he hits above a 300 average. A basketball player scoring over 20 points a game is a standout. A winning percentage of less than 50 percent over time will likely cause a coach to find a new job.
In sales, the most common objective is meeting or exceeding quota. But quota setting is an elusive art. Finding the balance that supports company objectives and a salesperson's market opportunity requires knowledge and participation at multiple points by multiple parties.
The company must be in tune with its market growth potential and be able to translate it to various regional and local levels. Sales management must be familiar with its resources and their capabilities. Mismatching opportunity and quota expectation can drive negative behavior or allow excessive rewards.
It's rare that a bottom-up view from the sales organizations equals or exceeds the growth objectives of management. Management wisely stretches the objectives while depending on the forecast of the sales force. It's a check-and-balance system that when properly used can provide the best results for all involved. Every company has marketplace growth targets that require performance or the health of the business may be put in jeopardy.
Rather than take ownership of a challenging goal, some salespeople essentially despair when they receive a quota that they regard as clearly unattainable. They may try to game the sales objective system by sandbagging, a practice whereby a sales person manipulates the forecast or the sales process to artificially improve their attainment for the present or future sales period.
For instance, I worked with a colleague, Larry, who received a quota he didn't believe was realistic. He briefly pleaded his case with the sales manager, but when the manager outlined how he could make the number and reinforced that the quota was not negotiable, Larry started scheming. He didn't believe he could make this year's number, but knew that he would need to make next year's quota for job security.
Larry delayed his sales process and proposals to move the close into next year expecting that quota attainment circumstance would change. Alternatively, rather than provide his best projection for sales, he held back some information to hopefully drive a lower quota. Larry thought he had set up the perfect sandbag.
Missing quota this year was unavoidable because the goal was "unattainable" but next year he was set with a pre-prepped sales pipeline that would make for a monstrous first quarter and a quota that was more manageable. That first quarter would guarantee he met quota the following year. The trouble with these tactics is such delays or manipulation can cause a sale to be lost.
While Larry's sandbagging produced a good first quarter, it wasn't the windfall he was expecting. He rapidly tried to make up the lost ground, but ended up missing quota for a second year.
When Larry's evaluation came up, it showed an abysmal performance followed by a mediocre showing. Any plans Larry had for sandbagging the following year went unfulfilled as he was let go.
Matt Neuberger is the president of Neuberger & Co. and is an authorized Sandler Training licensee in Pikesville. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Have you ever seen a painting completed to a musical tune in 10 minutes? John Gowdy, renowned artist, will demonstrate this skill on Tuesday, July 31, between 4 and 6 p.m. at Gavin's Ace Hardware, 16025 San Carlos Blvd., Fort Myers.
The event is part of the hardware store's 25th anniversary celebration of doing business in the Fort Myers.
The public is invited to the free event to watch the artist and master sand sculptor as he creates his paintings. He is a performance artist and does his art work before an audience, using a spinning canvas, with music in the background. An example of his performance can be seen on You Tube at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNXObBbg25A&feature=related.
Gowdy will be a sand sculptor at the November American Sand Sculpting Championship on Fort Myers Beach. Additional information about Gowdy and the event may be obtained by contacting John Cavada, Gavin's Ace Hardware, at 466-7777.
Gavin's Ace Hardware is a member of the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the industry. Every Ace Hardware store is independently owned and operated; Gavin's started in Fort Myers in 1987 by Larry, Rita and Ron Gavin. The location at the corner of San Carlos Blvd. and Kelly Road in the Iona/McGregor area of Fort Myers offers 28,000 square feet of hardware and home repair items. They are an authorized service center for brands like Hoover, Weber, Toro, Snapper, Echo, as well as other brands. Gavins's specializes in offering personalized customer service and expert advice by a team of well-trained and knowledgeable employees. Their web site, www.shopatace.com offers the latest Ace Hardware coupons as well as complete information on store location, hours, and services.
--submitted by Jody Van Cooney


text:
In my state you must have 10+ years in 5+ languages (even if the language is only 5 years old) and start at $8.00 an hour. Oh, and clerical/janitorial experience a plus!
Where I can I send my resume?
Hello there!
Please refer to your opening on job posting site. I, Rajesh Sharma, would like to apply for the job.
I am working as a freelancer from Pune, India. I have over 7 years of experience in IT Industry with
exposure to
1. ASP.NET/C# with SQL Server 2005.
I have experience working with distributed teams around the globe. I am self desciplined and self
motivated who always belives in quality. I have a very good infrastructure with latest Hardware,
Software, Telephone lines, and Broadband connection for communication.
My hourly rates are $ 9 USD. If you are looking for freelancers, please reply with a time to
discuss things over IM.
-actual reply to a craigslist posting in a major US city, looking for a software developer to work on site - received last week.
Just so you know, it's $9 an hour without even shopping around, and that's not a joke.
We all like to pretend this isn't here and it isn't happening, but I would say conservatively half the job market has disappeared in 10 years due to this currency/standard of living imbalance.
Hello there!
Please refer to your opening on job posting site. I, Rajesh Sharma, would like to apply for the job.[...]My hourly rates are $ 9 USD.
We all like to pretend this isn't here and it isn't happening, but I would say conservatively half the job market has disappeared in 10 years due to this currency/standard of living imbalance.
There's another reality: it's really, really hard to manage projects in India. I have tried this for a number of projects, and have learned the following things:
Each and every project, I have had the above things. There are lots of ways around the above, but the main thing is that it's very hard.
Stop hiring Rajesh FFS!
There's another reality: it's really, really hard to manage projects remotely. I have tried this for a number of projects, and have learned the following things:
Not that I disagree entirely that it may be more difficult to manage someone in India, and I've certainly heard horror stories, but come on. These could all be applied to just about any remote contractor who isn't worth their salt. I have worked with/currently work with plenty of Indians who really knew/know their stuff.
There's some differences, though.
1) Yes, you could have most of these same problems with any remote contractor, but you won't have them with an on-site employee. Ergo, if a project is critical, don't rely on remote contractors, rely on actual employees who have a stake in your company.
2) Remote contractors in your own country are also in your timezone, and you can call them up while you're at work to ask quick questions to. Not so with someone on the opposite side of the planet. Waiting a full day for an answer to every single question causes project schedules to slip badly.
3) Remote contractors in your own country can sign contracts with you, and you can take them to court if things fail due to bungling. Good luck filing a lawsuit against a contractor in another country.
Not that I disagree entirely that it may be more difficult to manage someone in India, and I've certainly heard horror stories, but come on. These could all be applied to just about any remote contractor who isn't worth their salt. I have worked with/currently work with plenty of Indians who really knew/know their stuff.
I gotta side with cerberuss on this one. Yes, c'mon all of those can be applied to any remote consultant that is not worth his salt. However, from my experience working with remote teams (India, Brazil, within the US), there is something specific about the consulting industry in India that can really bit you in the ass harder than in other cases.
Now, just like you, I've worked with plenty of Indians who really knew their stuff. In fact, most of the remote projects I've worked that involved teams in India have had a high success ratio. But the few that have failed have done so far more miserably and catastrophically than with other teams on other countries.
This has given me a glimpse to a darker side of Indian offshore consulting, which I've actually talked a lot with several of my Indian colleagues who also agree on this: you can end up with a consulting firm that sells the idea of development guided by a a top-notch architect, and you swallow the tripe. And then the top-notch architect designs a system which looks solid, then he moves to another project. Then the consulting firm gets a whole bunch of sophomore kids from college find ways to replicate GOTO statements in Java to do the implementation. My first encounter with such practices from such a consulting team was when I was working together with an Indian colleague of mine (a really good software developer) in trying to make sense out of the mess. When we looked at the code and the original design, all we could do was say "WTF?".
That's an experience I've had to repeat several times. It's a reality, and it has nothing to do with dissing people from X or Y country. It's an unfortunate reality that cannot be denied or politically correctly sugar coat it.
There are a lot of ways to look at the figures, but only the most skewed ones come up with starting salaries approaching $60,000 annually...
Not if you have a magic time machine back to 1999.
Indeed. I started college in 1999, and I remember in my first semester of Freshman year some guy coming in to talk to our CS 101 class. He was exclaiming how wonderful it was and how he could probably place most of us in a good job ALREADY with just 8-9 weeks of college under our belt.
Fast forward to graduation in 2003. I managed to get a job teaching computer classes at a certificate factory "school" within a month, but only for $10.00 per hour. A few friends from school went on to work in fast food for a while. It took me nearly a year to move from the teaching thing to a "real" job, and now almost 7 years later I've worked my way up to just BARELY $50,000 per year (I'm in South Carolina so cost of living is lower here than in say, California). It's a living - it pays my bills and I have enough money left over to have some fun, but the idea that programming is the easy-street ticket to rolling in gobs of money for almost no work is long gone.
If you have experience, and are willing to lead a team, you can make decent money. Of course, how do you get experience?
The same way you do in every other technical profession: Volunteering, working for yourself on pet projects, internships and companies willing to hire the inexperienced for very little money.
You know where the REAL money is: Dead Programming languages.
You learn how to use Cobol - and then you spend the time searching for the ONE company in your city still using it, you go to him and say "I can keep things running exactly how they used to be."
And bam, you can demand any salary you want.
That they are essentially mechanics? They're just not auto mechanics, they're more or less computer or software mechanics?
That shouldn't be a surprise to any. Especially as we see more about self-fixing computers, the furthering of object oriented programming which is leading to simpler and simpler APIs so you don't even have to be a programmer to make things happen. Or technologies like Sharepoint where you don't even have to have a GED to prop up multiple sites / data sources, etc.
At some publishers I think that's an apt analogy. Some places produce real works of literature and others crank out pulp-fiction.
You get that attitude even amongst programmers... hell especially from some programmers.
I'm no web developers, I know enough web design and development to be sure I'm no web developer and I've seen some fantastical cockups from programmers who've decided they are web developers.
Why is your company hiring people that only know interpreted languages when your company mainly uses "real" languages? That's very strange to me. I also find it odd (and funny) that you that you blame programming languages for your co-workers incompetence, then in the next sentence complain about how your coworkers blame a programming language for their incompetence.
As C++ programmer with 10 years of experience, and about 5 years of C# experience, I can tell you that C#, Java, etc. can be very useful tools for the right type of software. People who know these languages can be very valuable for the right company.
To be honest, if I were a manager I would not hire someone who is so narrow-minded about programing languages. Computer Science is not a static field. Don't expect them to teach the same things they taught 20 years go.
B/c there's any point in developing a real-time embedded Word Processor, or IM, or.... Those languages all have their place, I think it's unfortunate that software professionals balkanize themselves so much by demonizing the other folk who don't live on their software island. What we should focus on is promoting good engineering standards (something which is very possible in Java and C#...less sure about VB), not on the specific language. FWIW, C++ can be much less "predictable" than Java or C# unless yo
Java, C# and VB are real languages (they have and will continue to solve problems for actual customers). You are just hiring the wrong kinds of people, or are hiring them and not training them properly.
A friend of mine went through this as a graphic designer, in the 80's. Once Adobe software showed up on the receptionists' desk, she knew it was time to get out. By not forming a professional group, they let their worth be watered down.
What programmers need to do is form a professional society that has licensing, regular career development, etc. and get employers to sign on and have various levels of gov't require licensed work for public software projects. 'Course, this may be too late. Probably shoulda' been done back in the 90's.
Guess it's time to stop reading Atlas Shrugged, pretending that those above us in the hierarchy are looking out for us, and start forming a union, eh?
Guess it's time to stop reading Atlas Shrugged,
That's good advice for anyone.
(...)and start forming a union, eh?
Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not yet convinced that the unimaginative or unskilled Computer Scientist needs to be leveraged up.
As a native, I can say with authority that a $30K/year pay cut isn't the worst part about living in Cincinnati.
After working in Omaha for 7 years as a Java developer and software architect I managed to work my way up $80k. I moved to DC and as a DoD contractor/consultant I make $125k. The TS-SCI clearance helps.
The bottom line is, if you want a large salary you have to be willing to master your craft. Subject Matter Experts are the ones that are indispensable and can negotiate a better salary. Don't think you will get there writing php websites. If you do Java...really DO Java. Take Sun's Expert lead Performance Tu
The report must be on the low side.
I don't feel comfortable saying exactly what I made, but when I got out of the Marine Corps, with 4 years experience developing software and no degree, I was making more than that report's bottom end. And that was just after the
A developer I worked with while I was in the MC, back in Washington DC was a consultant who's pay rate was $125k a year. Again, this was post
C# and Cb
Goes for programming and infrastructure and all things IT -- you have to move around a lot. Employers in general have no interest in paying you more once you work there. If you want another $15k, you have to move elsewhere. Time at a company is spend padding resumes and earning certifications. Then you move. You might move back to the original company if they make a better offer. Employer logic is "We got the guy for $x, why should we pay him any more once we have him?" Doesn't matter if you complete a second degree while you're there, move from jr. developer to lead designer, take on more responsibilities, you'll get piddle-shit raises.
This kills me. I don't want to be job-hopping. I'd like to build some time with a place, earn some kudos and sweat equity. But those things don't exist. Been at a company a month or twenty years, you are equally expendable. Treat your employer the same way. And die a little inside. People want to think of the office as family because we're social creatures. Few people enjoy living life out as a lesson in Randian objectivism, looking for leverage in the battle of who's screwing whom. We aren't meant to live like that.
Goes for programming and infrastructure and all things IT -- you have to move around a lot. Employers in general have no interest in paying you more once you work there. If you want another $15k, you have to move elsewhere.
That holds up to a point, then you start to find that you've more or less topped out and moves get you little, if anything. At that point, you have two choices to continue increasing your income: Leave the salaried world behind and start taking on contract gigs, where you can pretty easily get significantly higher pay, but no other benefits and no guaranteed income (though if you're good you can keep the contracts coming), or go to a big company where you can settle in and just accept the 3-6% annual raises and then let the years work for you. Eventually you'll get to where you can't move (except into contracting or management) without taking a pay cut. Hopefully you like the job.
and no guaranteed income
You say that like there is a guaranteed income in "full time employment".
I'm totally unclear why you would think that. You are a cost center to your employer. They will lay you off the instant it becomes convenient to do so.
Where exactly is the "guarantee" in that?
Don't be a developer. They will work you 24/7. You will be cuffed to your desk most of the day. Your hair will turn gray and fall out around the edges so you'll have a friar cut. They'll water board you for overtime. They make you buy your own computer, desk, and chair. You aren't allowed outside except for one hour a day of supervised time in the yard. Coworkers will shank you with shivs made from sharpened USB drives. You'll have to gang up to get respect. First thing you'll have to do when you come to work is shank someone, to let them know you mean business! Wages are a lie. You'll be paid in honey buns and cans of tobacco so you can roll your own. If you work hard enough you can get a free day with your spouse, but this depends on company performance.
Overall being a developer is the most horrible job in the world. If I were young and choosing a career I would do something else. Like be a reality star or join the circus.
The problem is, when people start working for the economy instead of the other way around, you get the problem of treating people like so many disposable parts. Unions have helped bring the human component to our work lives, but with their waning influence (and with people so willing to subsume their own interests to please the boss), we are going backwards and workers, even highly skilled, intelligent ones, become little more then means to an end (profit).
Unions are just one more tool for the wealthy to suck money from the working man's pocket. But I'm a senior developer, I don't consider myself a "working man". That's why we need to form a professional cabal like the doctors and the lawyers have. We need to set prices across the board higher. Until that happens, wages in this most important of fields will continue to erode. You aren't competing with the programmer in the next desk for money. You and him (or her) are both on the same side competing aga
That's a critical point. It seems that economists (especially but hardly exclusively) have forgotten that without people, economy doesn't even have a reason to be. The entire point of an economy is to provide for it's participants. It's good or bad is to be measured exclusively in terms of how well it serves it's participants.
Given the supposed growth in the economy, it SHOULD be possible right now to support a family of 4 with a house and 2 cars on a single 20 hour a week income.
Unfortunately, as long as labor is treated as a market like any other, it is literally impossible for the masses to ever see the benefits of high technology. Ideally, machines work so we don't have to, but when labor is a market, machines work so we don't get jobs (or income) at all. The only way to make things equitable and progressive while even pretending to use market dynamics is to create an artificial labor shortage. Otherwise, all of the benefits of an expanding economy and improving technology will inevitably accrue only at the top.
If you listen to people who don't do tech work talk about techies, you'll quickly realize that a lot of them do in fact put techies on roughly the same level as mechanics or bricklayers. You can think of yourself as a "knowledge worker" all you want, but the fact remains that you are going to be treated like a bricklayer. My most educated guess on why this is true is that techies produce useful products. In most businesses, the act of producing something (rather than selling something or organizing other people to produce something) severely limits your chances for advancement past the equivalent of senior foreman.
There are 3 ways to avoid this fate that I know of:
1. Do some serious and visible work for your company about issues that aren't tech-related. For instance, if you provide intelligent input about pricing, the salespeople will respect you a lot more.
2. Work at a company who's business is technology, which is still run by a techie. Make sure to leave once the suits take over.
3. Start your own company, and watch out that you don't completely become a suit.
"Work at a company who's business is technology, which is still run by a techie. Make sure to leave once the suits take over."
Excellent advice, wish I could mod it up more. Probably the hardest one for a young worker to grok, considering that the very first piece of boilerplate the suits will utter will be, "We don't expect to make any changes here at all!". See, they know the game too, and are playing the other side of it.
If you listen to people who don't do tech work talk about techies, you'll quickly realize that a lot of them do in fact put techies on roughly the same level as mechanics or bricklayers.
Except they have no problems asking tech people to do free work.
"Oh, you're a bricklayer? Hey, can you stop by sometime and replace the bricks on my front sidewalk? I'll give you a beer...."
I agree with that. I have worked with nondegree'ed devs who were fantastic... in fact ALL of them were fantastic.
Which explains why they were employed. In order to make it without a degree one has to be way above the rest. Mediocre developers without a degree soon find themselves either unemployed or in school.
I don't have a degree (in this field, anyway), either, and my income is currently $100k/yr, though I've spent most of the last five years working as an independent contractor, so it can vary quite a bit -- it's usually closer to $60k, so I feel pretty lucky considering the state of the economy right now. All that said, it took me fifteen years to get to this level. My observation of my coworkers is that the degree buys you almost nothing at the outset, but it will let you advance faster. Of course, how much faster will depend on what you actually learned in school, how fast you learn on the job, and particularly on your social skills. I've supervised people far more skilled than I am -- and I'm no slouch -- but who couldn't play the office political game, and I've been supervised by total morons whose lack of constructive skills was more than balanced by their skill at kissing their superiors' asses and taking credit for the work done by the people below them.
The degree helps, but it's not the be-all and end-all that dewy-eyed college kids would like to think it is. The big shock that everyone entering the real world has to adjust to is this: it's not remotely meritocratic. A degree, both as a simple credential and as the knowledge that (sometimes) goes with it, is one tool among many, and it's not necessarily the most important one.
I'll say this, though: I wish I'd gotten the degree. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and the work you don't do in school will have to be done on the job, where the stress and stakes are higher, and it will almost certainly take longer to fill in all of the gaps in your knowledge.
Of course, if I had it to do over, I wouldn't be in this field at all. The same things that interested me about computing in the 80's are still around, but I haven't spent the last fifteen years working on AI, VR, or even games: I've spent it building web apps, billing software, and other mind-numbingly boring crap. Once I've got the kid through college, I think I'm going to go do something else. As the main thread notes, there's not even any prestige left to the field. When I was a kid, computers and programmers were exotic, mysterious things. Now, computers are ubiquitous, and programmers are thought of by non-programmers as digital janitors.
Indistinguishable? Really?
I have yet to meet a non-graduate with who I can discuss a performance problem in terms of time and space complexity. Big O notation? What's that? Some kind of cheerio?
That's not to say that there aren't some very intelligent people without University degrees and some very stupid people with them. I've just found that most people with a passion for their profession are those with degrees. They did have the drive to spend 4 extra years of their lives going to school after all.
writes Laird, 'we're expected to pay for our own tools,
I don't think it's actually common for hired programmers to buy their own tools.
Simply put, there's three factors that determine what you're going to make. Where you work physically (Palo Alto and Austin have significantly different pay rates for the same job), where you work financially (startups pay less than huge companies, state governments pay less than the feds, banks pay less than almost everyone
I had a co-op student once, who obviously had no affinity for programming . . . or, more to the point, no affinity for computers in general. (This was back in the 80's, before PCs were as pervasive as now).
I really couldn't understand why he was torturing himself with a degree program, which he didn't like, so I asked him why he chose computer science. The answer:
"I heard that I will be able to make a lot of money in this field."
Money is not the reason to choose computer programming as a career.
Or any other career for that matter . . . do you want to have your tonsils removed by a surgeon, who is, "in it for the money . . . ?"
Money is not the reason to choose computer programming as a career.
So we're all just supposed to starve to death because we're doing something for a career that we 'enjoy', but pays shit?
While it's great to be studying computer 'science' and all, when the student loan bills come due, YOU NEED TO HAVE A JOB. Four-year universities should focus on giving students marketable skills, not a bunch of useless theory that has no real-world impact.
And cue all the overeducated computer 'scientists' claiming that they use what they learned in their 'theory' classes every day. That's great up in your ivory tower, the rest of us grunts need to be able to write actual code.
Anyone with eyes to see knew the relatively high pay of the last century couldn't last in the face of easy off-shoring and other factors.
We should be thankful for what we had, not complaining about more rational (from a capitalistic perspective) compensation.
On the flip side, most people who make okay-or-better programmers have the brains and basic skills to do a variety of careers with maybe a year or two or less of additional training, and most of us hopefully know it's not wise to put all your career eggs in one basket.
Also, some jobs such as most of those in the defense industry will remain in-country.
So, yes, there may be fewer newly-minted programmers in the Western world in the future, fewer domestic jobs available, and lower pay for the remaining jobs, but it won't be the total disaster it was for say, the steel or textile industries.
From an overall global economic health perspective, I see this as a good thing, even if it hurts me personally and Western economies in general.
I have been principally been a Perl Programmer so that is the market I know, but the salaries I looked at have been all over the place with a good bit of it depending on location.
Recently I was looking at Sr Developer positions in LA, NYC, Nashville, and Austin.
Now I technically have 10+ years of programming experience. If I stayed one place as a programmer (theoretically speaking) I might have gotten to an architect level position and earned 150K. Or you some Chinese super guru out of school, some companies will throw money at you, but that is a rarity.
I had also seen positions where companies wanted you telecommute for 10/hour because they thought that was what they could get from some guy in Russia or India.
Basically, if you become a programmer, you are going to be treated as skilled labor. Skilled but still labor and they will never be interested in paying you more because they will have no way of determining if you are good at your job. At that point, you will need to job boat to get a real raise. Then you need to know how large the market is for a particular technology in your area, otherwise you will end up moving all over the place.
I got into programming because I love building stuff. I don't really care what I get paid as long as I can live in contentment, and I do. I'm very lucky to have found a profession that aligns with my interests. A lot of people got into programming in the 90s because it was lucrative; well, it's not now. Be glad you have a job, Quit bitching. Welcome to reality.
it was the domain of the greatest scientists, engineers, craftsmen, and artists
now its the domain of guys with ass crack showing
all industries go from new and fantastic to mundane and ordinary. IT work is no exception. for some of us in networking, it pretty much IS plumbing
but there's an important caveat here: some plumbers make a shitload of money. reason being, simple economics of supply and demand: if you're a good plumber, and you're willing to mess with a toilet, you're a rarity, and you can charge good money
the same simple economic truths apply to IT work, and always will. just like plumbing's disagreeable facets to the job according to average folk, to average folk, dealing with the technical aspects of a computer is a mindnumbing experience
this means there is and always will be a natural barrier to entry in the field, and so those of us who thrive in the nominally difficult mental arena of dealing with the innards of a computer will therefore always, for generations to come, make good money, just like plumbers today
hopefully we'll show less ass crack though
They wore togas in ancient Rome, so instead of the crack you got to see the whole ass.
I love the job requirements that are literally impossible to meet. Like, 10 years of C# experience. I wonder if they actually do any research or if they're just going the H1B fast track ("Hey, we couldn't find any American workers...but some guy in India says he's been doing C# for 20 years!" "Wow, that's amazing! Let's interview him!")
After 15 years I can say to the younger generation coming in with 100% certainty - go independent.
What does this mean? Well obviously you need experience so getting a job to bootstrap yourself and pay your rent is first priority. But what you do on the side will impact your career greatly.
Things you can do in your spare time:
1. Work on an Open Source project and wrap it into a solution you can sell as a service
2. Create your own shrink-wrapped application and sell it
Either way you are partaking in the foundation of wealth - ownership. Only through ownership can you be truly "free" in the western world. Owners are first class citizens in any country. Everyone else is just a worker bee.
Just to convince you let me break down a little math for you. I currently bill our clients at around $190/hr for my programming services and I'm in an average "enterprise software" development position. But I only get a fraction of that - let's say around $50/hr for argument's sake. Some goes to infrastructure but the majority of that profit goes to the ownership. If you are the owner you get it all. Yes it's more work. But let me ask you this - would you put in 10-20 more hours per week to make 3-4 times as much? And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Some indy developers have really made a name for themselves and a fortune to boot.
And if it all fails, you still have that experience to learn from. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
Is Programming a Lucrative Profession?
No, it is not. And it shouldn't be just because it's "programming"
There is a big difference between modifying JSP/ASP/PHP pages vs low-level programming or programming and architecting highly available e-commerce back ends. There is a big difference between IT support calls where you try to help users how to press the any key vs being a Tier III support Sysadmin/Network guy who knows that kind of shit inside out.
Just as software-related jobs run the spectrum from mundane to highly complex, so the salaries that go with them. That is reality. We got to "thanks" the dot-com brainfartopocalypse and the washing down of undergraduate CS curriculum that we still get new graduates that think they'll make as much as the under qualified prima-donas of the late 90's even if don't know the difference between a pointer and a coconut or don't know the difference between a Vector from an ArrayList in Java or who think C# is the same as C++ or who have never written anything more than a "hello world" program in assembler.
You can tell the difference between the graduate who just went through the bare minimum course curriculum and the one who took far more programming courses and who tried to work at the college labs or tried to get internships somewhere (anywhere!) or who at the very least tried to run Linux at home and played with as many programming classes as possible and who found big-O notation fascinating.
What type of job should each of these two should get? And what salaries should they get? There are people who graduate from MIS and CS now who should have never been able to graduate 10-15 years ago. But they graduate. Schools let them as a response of what the industry need.
And what the IT industry now needs is a gamut of software professionals that can do a variety of jobs, from the mundane to the holy-crap-this-is-hard(10+1)! With more of the former than the later. The drop in salaries is just a reflection of that.
If programmers want more moolah, then they should try to tackle harder jobs that warrant better salaries. That requires specialization of skills: be it embedded programming or system-level programming or becoming a JEE specialist/architect who knows how to write solid back-end systems, or becoming a systems engineer, or a software architect, or work your way to become a team lead, or become a solid gold SysAdmin/DBA, etc, etc.
Being a "computer guy" stopped being a cash cow a long time ago. It can provide for a decent living (just like any other well-done trade or profession). But for those who go to school and graduate thinking they should deserve $70 just because their diplomas read "Computer" somewhere, nope. Graduate and become an specialist that can tackle hard problems. Then earn it. The reality is that salaries are going down, and that's a justified reflection on the fact that the software industry is inundated with mediocre programmers.
An elephant is a mouse with an operating system.


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Posts tagged buying online
How to Start a Sports Card Collection
Jan 11th
Posted by Pheebs888 in Articles Contest
How to Start a Sports Card Collection By Brendan White aka SteakNchop
You have just recently gotten into card collecting and are happy and amazed to see that you can trade, buy and sell online! But when you actually go online, nobody wants to trade for your cards! That's because you don't have very many cards. Rather logical, since you just started collecting so recently. So how will you start your collection? Do you just go to the hobby shop and buy a lot of cards? Or is eBay better? Or should you just buy packs? Read on to find out.
Option More >


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PASD budget: $2.7 million in cuts
PUNXSUTAWNEY — With all the budget cuts predicted from the state education budget, the Punxsutawney Area School District is proposing $2.7 million in cuts for its 2011-12 budget.
The Punxsy district, along with other districts in Pennsylvania, are having to create budgets that deal with a large number of cuts from the state as proposed by Gov. Tom Corbett.
Wednesday, Business Administrator Susan H. Robertson told the school board that the proposed 2011-12 expenses are $38,713,742, a decrease of $2,739,013, which represents a 6.61-percent decrease over last year's budget.
Roberston said that she and Superintendent Dr. Keith Wolfe sought to make cuts without affecting current educational programs.
"We wanted to keep the integrity of the programs that the district has and run them the same" — and that includes full-day kindergarten, she said.
Robertson said Wolfe worked very closely with the administrative staff and came up with $250,000 in line item cuts. Wolfe said he asked individual departments what would be nice to have and what would be must-haves.
"The teachers were great in saying, 'This would be nice, but we understand the situation,' and they were willing to back off on some of their requests," he said.
Robertson said the cuts were across the board — a little bit from everybody.
Approximately 90 percent of the expenses in the budget are fixed costs.
Where does the money go:
• Salaries and benefits — $25,132,873 (65.8 percent).
• Debt service and transfers — $2,373,550 (6.2 percent).
• Pupil transportation — $2,776,500 (7.3 percent).
• Tuition to other local education agencies — $3,509,887 (9.2 percent).
• Supplies, texts and equipment — $1,933,052 (5.1 percent).
• Utilities, repairs — $1,126,305 (2.9 percent).
Roberston said proposed budgeted revenues are $32,862,734, a decrease of $1,957,636 that represents a 5.62-percent decrease over last fiscal year's budgeted revenue. This is primarily due to decreases in state funding.
The district's proposed budget will be balanced using $5,851,008 from the fund balance, she said. Last year's budget proposed the use of $6,632,385 from the fund balance to balance the budget.
Robertson said this would project the district's fund balance June 30, 2012, at $1,666,611, or 4.3 percent of the overall budget.
Of this balance, $1,100,000 is committed to future PSERs expenses.
Robertson said local real estate taxes represent a shift in assessed values due to the end of the Keystone Opportunity Zone program.
A steady collection of Earned Income Tax (EIT) is also anticipated, she said, while a decrease is expected in realty transfer taxes.
Interest income is expected to decrease 51 percent over the previous year's budgeted amount.
Major decreases in state funding include:
• Loss of Accountability Block Grant (ABG) — $449,846.
• Loss of dual enrollment — $83,090.
• Loss of Education Assistance Program (EAP) — $109,446.
• Loss of federal portion of basic education funding — $1,578,390.
• Loss of charter school reimbursement — $92,362.
Robertson said the proposed special education funding will remain relatively the same as 2010-11.
The money comes from:
• Local revenue — $11,340,363 (34.51 percent).
• State revenue — $19,964,755 (60.75 percent).
• Federal revenue — $1,557,616 (4.74 percent).
Jefferson County's tax millage is estimated at 25.497 mills, down from 25.927, while Indiana County's tax millage is estimated at 85.643 mills, up from 82.679.
Robertson said the value of one mill in Jefferson County is equal to $294,845.38, while the value of one mill in Indiana County is equal to $16,242.51.
Wolfe said some of the areas that the community wanted to know about were kindergarten, tutoring and dual enrollment.
"At this time, it's not my recommendation to reduce the amount of time in kindergarten," he said. "It is my belief that we can maintain full-day kindergarten at least for next year. I think that's what is best for the kids, and I think we can still afford to do that for another year."
A familiar idea in terms of reducing costs in the future is reducing the number of elementary buildings, Wolfe said, noting that there are currently four elementary buildings with fewer than 100 students.
Wolfe said administrators were caught off-guard with Corbett's proposed budget.
"We were anticipating cuts, but nothing like the ones that have been proposed," he said.
Robertson said now that the preliminary budget has been submitted to the board, the administration is requesting approval at the May 9 voting meeting.
A 30-day inspection of the budget will then be made available to the public prior to final approval.
Robertson said the final adoption of the 2011-12 district budget will occur at the June 29 voting meeting.


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Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
From the Wires
Largest Federal Employee Union Congratulates President Obama On Reelection
By: PR Newswire
Nov. 6, 2012 11:56 PM
WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox Sr. today issued the following statement in response to the presidential election results:
President Obama's reelection is a victory for the nation and for all working class people.
Under President Obama's leadership, our country rebounded from the brink of economic collapse. Job growth is up, unemployment is down, the housing market has finally turned a corner, and America's prestige in the rest of the world has been restored.
We campaigned vigorously for President Obama's reelection, so obviously we are very pleased that voters gave the president another four years to continue what he's started.
Now that the election is over, we look forward to working with the president and our elected representatives in Congress to pursue a legislative agenda that protects and preserves our vital government services and programs and recognizes the substantial sacrifices that federal employees and agencies already have made toward reducing the deficit.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 670,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.
For the latest AFGE news and information, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees
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Member of Vets family
To the Editor:
As a junior at Warwick Veterans, I cannot begin to express the feelings about the school closing. My teachers and my friends, you can tell they're physically and mentally being affected by this. I am not someone who cries easy, nor am I someone who just slacks off in class.
Lately, I have been so preoccupied by this consolidation "plan." I have never been in a situation like this before, and I just don't like it. What about everything that Vets has been through, not only as a school but as a family? I refuse to be known as anything else but a Hurricane.
I don't want to be a Titan, I don't want to be a Patriot, I've had enough of your charts and statistics about things you probably had already mentioned twice. You can tell me I can get a diploma with "Warwick Veterans Memorial High School" on it, but the school you graduate from, is the school you graduate from and that's that. Like many, I don't have a class ring, I don't have a yearbook, all I have is friends, and if you break us up the way you plan to, we'll have nothing. I can't imagine going anywhere else.
This statistic, this dollar sign, this standardized test score has a name, and it's greed.
Brianna Bier
Warwick Veterans
After reading this letter I believe this student needs a lesson in english grammer. Maybe she should spend less time complaining about a school closing because the enrollment is so low and more time studying.
johnsweet... Your funny look at what you wrote english grammer should be English grammar....
You are funny Norm88.......look at the sentence structure!!!!!


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Some of you may remember the whole OpenOffice.org / Java hoo-har that erupted earlier in the year. I wasn't all that concerned, because -- at least in OOo 1.1 -- Java added very little. You could do almost everything without it.
Today I try RC1 of OpenOffice.org 2.0. I fire it up, record a macro, and then attempt to play it back.
"Java is required for this feature."
Please, please! People! Such a basic feature requires an entire language, virtual machine, supporting libraries and more?! This is so utterly absurd I think it may be a dream. Yes, I can understand Sun's desire to spread Java, but making it mandatory for such elementary features is comical.
Couple this with memory usage and it's even worse. OOo is hardly the lightest program on the planet, and having to load a whole JVM on top just kills takeup on the tens of millions of mid-spec PCs out there. Many companies would love to ditch MS licensing and run a free alternative -- but when it runs like a dog on their machines, it's not so attractive. There are millions upon millions of machines out there in homes and businesses around the 1 GHz / 128 MB RAM mark. Yet this whole market opportunity is gone.
I'd understand if there were some massive new features that needed to be written in Java to save time -- as I believe is the case with the database app -- but simple stuff like this is scary...
Sorry -- needed that steam-letoffage


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Many people claim to be nutrition "experts." Why should you consider my nutrition advice, or that of any other registered dietitian, over these self-proclaimed nutritionists?
Here are the reasons why:
- Registered Dietitians (RDs) are required to have a Bachelor's Degree with from a program withapproved coursework by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics.
- RDs are required to complete a 1200-hour practical internship in various medical and community settings before taking their registration exam.
- RDs must pass an extensive registration exam that covers clinical and community nutrition, food service management, and education/counseling criteria.
- RDs are required to complete 75 hours of continuing nutrition education per 5-year period to maintain their registration.
So basically, if you need a true nutrition expert, an RD is the one to turn to for questions. To find practicing RDs near you: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association)and click on "Find A Dietitian."


text:
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text:
Dividing hip-hop into the two categories described in the title of Edo G's new album is quite the broad brushstroke, and Boston hip-hop's elder statesman knows that all too well. Ever since his 1991 debut, "Life of a Kid in the Ghetto," the Roxbury native has made a career at the intersection of both, extracting moments of wisdom from his experience as that ghetto kid with a greater sense of purpose that few others have equaled. "Intelligence" honors that legacy well. On "Easy," he speaks urgently and directly to his community: "I love Obama, but he ain't the savior / no love in my community, we don't love thy neighbor." Working almost exclusively with producer Micro-phono, tracks such as "Hold U" and "Can't Wait" find Edo sounding inspired and engaged, both lyrically and musically. His message is more consistent than the album itself, though, which clocks in at a quick 32 minutes. And while adding some levity to the serious proceedings isn't a bad idea, attempting a loopy sexed-up dance track like "Give It to Me" probably is. Imperfect though it might be, "Intelligence" presents Edo as dedicated and determined a voice for the kids in the ghetto as he's ever been.
Martín Caballero
EssentiaL: "Hold U"Martín Caballero can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @_el_caballero.


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Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
Today's Top SOA Links
Cloud Expo
Skyera Inc. Named "Bronze Sponsor" of Cloud Expo New York
Skyera Inc. is an emerging provider of enterprise solid-state storage systems
By: Elizabeth White
Feb. 11, 2013 07:00 AM
Cloud Expo New York $500 Savings here!
SYS-CON Events announced today that Skyera Inc., an emerging provider of enterprise solid-state storage systems, has been named "Bronze Sponsor" of SYS-CON's 12th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 10-13, 2013, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York.
Explore Cloud Expo Sponsorship & Exhibit Opportunities !
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All main layers of the Cloud ecosystem will be represented at the 12th International Cloud Expo - the infrastructure players, the platform providers, and those offering applications, and they'll all be here to speak, sponsor, exhibit and network.
"Cloud Expo was announced on February 24, 2007, the day the term 'cloud computing' was coined," said Fuat Kircaali, founder and chairman of SYS-CON Events, Inc. "Cloud has become synonymous with 'computing' and 'software' in two short years, and this event has become the new PC Expo, Comdex, and InternetWorld of our decade. By 2013, more than 50,000 delegates per year will be attending Cloud Expo."
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Masjid-e-Zeenat-ul-Islam is delighted to launch a new website through which it aims to actively engage all Muslims of Coventry and afar.
The original Masjid was a double house on Stoney Stanton Road, which was established in 1970.
We moved from there to the present Masjid when it was completed in 1989. The Masjid has provided an excellent facility to our attendees for the past 23 years.
Last year we completed a major project in building a 19 classroom Madrassah and two additional prayer halls.
Our objective is to promote and foster the teachings of Islam as shown by our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW (PBUH). We continue to provide five daily prayer facilities for people of all nations. Additionally, we hold regular lectures on Islamic teachings both in English and Urdu.
Our new Madrassah aims to provide a caring, learning environment for pupils and to provide both basic and elementary Islamic education to children irrespective of race, colour, ethnicity, or background. At the Madrassah our intention is to promote teaching which will result in children having knowledge, skills and an understanding that will prepare and facilitate them throughout their life's.
G. Bakawala (President)
Please donate generously to the masjid


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Rug Market America DC Rug collection
Rug Market America DC Rug collection
Incredible Rugs and Decor presents the Rug Market America DC Rug collection. 11 attractive designs make it easy to mix and match pieces through the collection so that each rug can have it's own personality yet coordinate in style and color family with another.
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You are a fan of ecclan ? Come to discover the best forums ecclan on the internet and share your experience with a community fan of ecclan . You can also build a forum ecclan and create your online discussion.
We are a slightly laid back multi-gaming clan, playing what ever we feel like. Our mission: To provide the best environment we can for anyone that enjoys gaming in tight groups.
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Technorati tags: wine food & drink
The smell of wine, oh how much more delicate, cheerful, gratifying, celestial and delicious it is than that of oil. François Rabelais (1495-1553)
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Lucia Pinot Noir: sorry but not my cup of tea
Choosing a wine in a restaurant that is good and affordable at the same time is becoming, I think, more and more challenging. The other day, I was struggling to find a reasonably priced Pinot Noir and I asked the waiter about a wine that had a Sleepy Hollow Vineyard designation and sounded interesting. He seemed to ignore my question and came back with what I guess is one of the restaurant's best selling wines, a Pinot Noir from Lucia Vineyards.
The Lucia Vineyards winery is owned by the Pisoni family and produces wines from the renowned Garys' and Pisoni Vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands. The wine that the waiter poured had a dark color and a nose of vanilla and black cherry. The palate was very rich and unctuous with toasted oak and more vanilla flavors on the finish. I couldn't really say that the wine was bad although I found it overpowering but my friends were all happy with the waiter's choice and we kept the wine. However, was this wine the Pinot that I was looking for? Certainly not.
Technorati tags: wine food & drink
Technorati tags: wine food & drink
1 comment:
I thought you might be interested in this site that features a How to Pair Wines segment. It's called CodeTV - it's pretty interesting!
- September 29, 2006 12:44 PM
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Frankie Gavin vs. David Barnes on September 21st in London, UK
Birmingham star Frankie Gavin will defend his British and Commonwealth Welterweight titles against David Barnes on Saturday 21st September at the Copper Box Arena in London.
Gavin will feature on a multi-title extravaganza alongside British stars Billy Joe Saunders v John Ryder, plus Dereck Chisora, Paul Butler and Liam Walsh v Joe Murray, all live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546).
Undefeated Gavin aims to make the treasured Lonsdale belt his own property with a successful third defence against the Manchester southpaw who has won the British Welterweight title outright, and also won the title at light-welterweight.
The 27-year-old defeated Junior Witter to win the British title and has made two defences against Jason Welborn and Denton Vassell – winning both fights with sensational seventh round stoppages.
The win against Vassell in June was his most impressive to date when he broke Vassell's jaw and took his Commonwealth belt and unbeaten record.
"This is a special night for me at the Copper Box Arena when my dream to own the Lonsdale belt will come true," Said Gavin.
"I'm looking forward to this fight more than any other in my career, Barnes is a tough, tough, kid, he was a British champion at two-weights and deserves respect, but there is no way he's going to beat me on the night, no way at all,"
"I'm producing the best boxing of my career right now, I'm dedicated to my sport and there is tons more to come from me, so to lose it against Barnes is just not going to happen,"
"I took Vassell, who was an undefeated champion, apart in seven rounds and he was supposed to give me my hardest fight, so just imagine what I'm going to do to Barnes."
He added, "I'm taking nothing for granted though, I'm going to torture myself in training and make sure that I'm the fittest, fastest and strongest I've ever been and that everyone is going to see something very special from me on the night."
Tickets for the Copper Box Arena show are priced at:
£40 Upper Concourse
£50 Lower Seating Bowl
£70 Floor
£120 Ringside
And are available now from:
Box Office: 0844 269 1000
*Tickets will be subject to a booking fee.


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Web Design Best Practices in Emory DeKalb County
Websites are often the core and foundation of all business marketing strategies. If they're not built well or don't have a pleasing design, you can experience a drop in sales, poor reputation, and even loss in profits. At Atlanta Web Pros, we understand how big an impact website design can have on marketing strategy and make sure all platforms we create are sleek and efficient. We have a list of best practices and guidelines our designers follow in order to ensure your website is efficient and of good quality.
1. The position of the logo
The logo is always clickable and almost always located in the top left corner of a website. Internet users and customers have become accustomed to this design strategy and will click on the logo in order to get back to the homepage. While disrupting the design standards can sometimes be a good thing and make you stand out, changing the location of the logo isn't wise. If your logo is located somewhere else or isn't clickable, the users will be forced to search for it; and that can compromise the user experience.
2. Contact information
The primary contact information line the phone number of email address should be located in a visible location. The most common location is the top right corner of the website and that's also the location your customers will expect to find the contact information. Some websites don't place the contact information above the fold and force customers to scroll down in order to find it. That can hamper the user experience as well and have an impact on the number of clicks and conversions to receive. Our designers will make sure the contact information is located at the top right corner of the website and is clearly visible to all visitors so you don't have to worry about people missing it.
3. The navigation buttons
The navigation buttons that link to different pages on the website should also be located in a visible and easily accessible are on your website page. Most popular and well-received websites place the navigation buttons on the top half of the page and that's where most Internet users expect them to be. This ensures customers don't need to waste time scrolling through the website in order to find relevant pages. Easy navigation increases the likelihood of sales and conversions, which is why the location of the navigation buttons is one of the most important things to consider.
4. Search on the header
Most website visitors would prefer not to browse through all pages in order to find what they need, so a search feature is important. This search feature should be located in a visible and easily accessible area of your website page as well. We usually place it on the header because it's out of the way, doesn't have an impact on the design, and is still visible and accessible. We also make sure the search bar is easy to access regardless of the page the user is on; this helps ensure they don't have to travel back to the homepage when they want to search something on your website.
Website Designs Provided For
- Emory Highlands
- Emory Estates
- Chelsea Heights
- North Decatur
- Turner Village
- Druid Hills
- Clairmont Park
- Decatur
- Virginia Highlands
- Oakhurst
5. Responsive design
Google and other search engines have confirmed that mobile search traffic has surpassed regular desktop traffic so it's essential to ensure your website is responsive and compatible with various mobile platforms. We make sure the website can adjust to all screen sizes, load quickly, and looks great. We'll also make sure all links are clickable on the mobile screen and users don't face much trouble while trying to navigate through the portal.
6. Call to action
If you want your customers to purchase something, subscribe to your website, or want to make your contact us form your primary Call to Action, you need to make sure it's visible and prominent. We place the CTA above the fold and ensure your customers don't have to look for it throughout your website. We A/B test the CTA button to ensure it provides the best level of response before we add it to your website.
All of these factors come together to form an excellent website that functions well and delivers the performance our customers need.
If you want to know more about our web design services, don't hesitate to call us at Atlanta Web Pros on 404 664 5310.


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He plays for another team not the Jets!. What the Heck is going on? Jets should have kept Rhodes over Leonhard especially now the Pats have Gronk. Jets R screwed up everywhere on and off the field!!!
In the words of Jay Cutler, "DOOOOOOOOOOOON'T CAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE".
Jetsinsider thankfully gives me enough escapism, I don't care who they put up there.
Then again Weeb Ewbank should probably be up there ...
Hell, Sean is probably waiting until Rex is canned before replacing the banner
My new banner proposal
Jim Leonard has as many sacks THIS YEAR FOR THE Jets as Bart Scott does!
I say, "Keep him up there!"
As a matter of fact, I believe that I have as many sacks as Bart Scott does this year, so put MY PICTURE up there please!!!
Wish we still had him. Bell has been pretty awful for us. Did you see that effort on the 3rd down draw play from the goal line?
Another brilliant move by Tanny. How do you not bring Leonhard back for peanuts?
It's up there to remind us that we played defense at one point in time.
Tannanbaum is an idiot for not bringing back Leonhard. Eric Smith is a waste of a roster spot.


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St. Marys and Celina play to scoreless tie
CELINA — Both teams seemed on the cusp of breaking through on Saturday night. Instead, the St. Marys and Celina boys soccer teams played to a scoreless tie for the second straight season.
Shots rattled off the crossbar, goalkeepers soared through the air to make vital saves and both St. Marys and Celina — after waiting two extra days to renew their rivalry — ended up waiting all 80 minutes for a goal that never appeared.
"We outshot them, did what we were supposed to, got our chances — we've just got to finish," St. Marys head coach Dave Ring said. "Defensively we did a really good job of keeping them in front of us. In the second half they did a better job getting at us and catching some corners, but we were still okay. We had dangerous opportunities and didn't get any goals. We played hard and that's what I want."
"It was a fun one for the kids to play in," Celina head coach Ryan Jenkins said. "Both teams hit the crossbar a couple times, just no one could break through. But both teams played extremely hard. I'm proud of our guys. This is two years in a row haven't settled the score, but it was a good game."
The 0-0 stalemate means St. Marys stays atop the Western Buckeye League with a 4-0-1 record, but its margin for error to win the league championship has been narrowed. Shawnee is a half game behind at 4-1, Wapakoneta is 3-0-2 and Celina is 3-1-1 in WBL play.
"We didn't get the win, but Celina is still looking up at us in the standings," Ring said.
The game was postponed on Thursday night because of standing water. Ring said he didn't think the muddy field had much effect on the action on Saturday. "Everyone was worried about it, but I think it was fine," Ring said.
St. Marys hosts Defiance on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs are 0-5 in league play and are without a win this season.


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CHICAGO (AP) — The union representing the Chicago Sun-Times photographers who lost their jobs when the entire photography staff was fired this year says the paper's publisher has agreed to rehire four of them.
Chicago Newspaper Guild executive director Craig Rosenbaum also says the agreement is related to the tentative three-year collective bargaining agreement. Employees of the Sun-Times and the Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune ratified the agreement Monday. Sun-Times Media Group's three other newspapers are scheduled to vote Tuesday.
Rosenbaum says Sun-Times Media Group has agreed to pay a $2,000 lump sum to photographers who aren't rehired. Rosenbaum also says the four photographers have to be hired at one of Sun-Times Media Group's five newspapers. They must be rehired within 90 days of final ratification of the contract.
Sun-Times Media Group declined to comment.


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Summer camps continue
Roscoe Elementary Basketball Camp: Mon-day through Thursday, June 25-28, at the Roscoe High School gym from 6-8 p.m. This is for girls and boys entering grades 2-5. All of the participants will receive a camp shirt and awards each day. Pre-registration is preferred, but registration at the door will be available. Cost: $25. Kelly Jo Sexton will be camp facilitator. Fundamental skills, games and basketball concepts will be covered at the camp. Also planned are a 1-on-1 and 3-on-3 tournament, hot shot contest, free throw contest and much more by the Roscoe coaching staff. Mail camp forms to Roscoe High School, P.O. Box 10, Roscoe, TX 79545 or they can be hand delivered to Roscoe school offices at 1301 7th Street. Call Sexton at (254) 784-0991 for more information. Checks should be made payable to Sexton.Mustang Football Camp: Monday through Thursday, July 23-26, at Mustang Bowl from 7:30-10:30 a.m. This is for students who are entering grades 3-9. Cost: $30. All campers will receive individual instruction from the Mustang coaching staff. The camp will place emphasis on skills and drills and have punt, pass and kick instruction and competitions. There will also be refreshments, T-shirts and certificates. Checks should be made payable to Sweetwater High School. Forms should be returned to: Shane Mobley, Sweetwater High School, 1205 Ragland, Sweetwater, Texas 79556. Those with questions should either call the SHS fieldhouse at 235-3455 or call the high school at 235-4371, ext. 860.Jump Rope Camp: Monday through Wednes-day, Aug. 6-8, for students that have completed grades 1-4. Forms are due by Saturday, June 30. Call Rajeania Pittman at 338-4342 for more information.


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Q: I thought I had a new job locked up, but my former employer will not verify my employment. There wasn't any trouble in my old job � I just felt like a fish out of water. Twice my old boss simply has not responded to my potential employer's requests to verify employment. It may be too late, but what can I do in a case like this? � M.J.
A: You can prepare a short statement of employment dates and duties, go to see your old boss, make nice and ask him to sign your verification statement.
If this simple corrective strategy doesn't pan out, check with the labor department in your state to determine your recourse by state law. (Search for "state labor offices.")
Your question reminds me to remind readers: When you leave a job, always ask for written reference letter or dates-and-duties verification document before you're out the door.
Q: No one in my department has seen a pay raise for two years. We're hesitant to push it, but several of us are single moms with families to feed. We're thinking about negotiating as a group. Good idea? � C.M.
A: I can't think of anything better. Meet off-site with co-workers to draw up lists of your individual and collective accomplishments. Encourage your department mates to read a couple of books on effective negotiation techniques, and then practice negotiating with each other.
When you're certain your company really is cash-crunched and that you can't jar loose another thin dime, think of alternatives. Examples: extra vacation, one-time bonus and company catered lunches. You may have to consider working a second job; if so, perhaps the company will agree to cut a day from your workweek but still pay you the same money.
Q: How can I determine a potential employer's financial soundness when the company is a small, private business? � C.E.
A: Try these short-cut clues: Search for the business on your city's website pages that deal with taxes to see if you can discover whether the company's tax payments are overdue, and whether the company's tax bill includes charges for unpaid city services.
While there could be legitimate reasons for unpaid taxes, you can explore the issue at a job interview. Having this information arms you with knowledge that can reveal if the interviewer is, at the very least, answering questions truthfully. Trust your radar.
Another easy clue that can provide insight to a prospective employer's financial position is to ask whether the company offers direct deposit for your paychecks. If the company doesn't have a high enough balance in its account(s), the firm can't provide that accommodation.
You can, of course, tap into more formal research methods to validate fiscal stability with a prospective employer, but these two basic tips can save time in a job hunt.
Q: I had three internships during college but none resulted in a job offer. Am I wasting my time applying to those companies now? � M.K.
A: If you believe you left a good impression as an intern, apply right now. You'll probably be high on the list when an appropriate position opens.
For this year's intern crop, Michael Crom, executive vice president of Dale Carnegie Training, offers tips to turn an internship into a full-time position:
REACH OUT: Ask your supervisor or an experienced co-worker to be your mentor. This shows that you are very serious about your role and that you are looking to the future.
ASK QUESTIONS: Gain a thorough understanding of the tasks you've been given and think what purpose they serve in a larger project. Questioning shows your genuine interest in learning about the company and your future in it.
ACT LIKE EMPLOYEE: Think not like a short-termer. Instead, imagine that you are a full-time employee succeeding in the company's culture. Demonstrate that you are capable of handling the workload of a junior executive. Exhibit enthusiasm for the work you're doing. By showing interest in company outcomes, you help others visualize how valuable you could be as a future employee.


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Hurricane Sandy Aftermath
hurricane sandy
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy our house suffered a large amount of damage. Things are really difficult at the moment. Gas is hard to come by and food is so much more expensive after the hurricane.
The extent of the damage to our house is great. Everything on the first floor that survived Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, did not survive Sandy.
All of the furniture is a complete loss, such as the couch and table, the refrigerator which we got this year was tipped onto its back and is currently laying on the new pots and pans we got after Irene. Our stove was about 20 days old, we just got it. It had water in the top of it. The air conditioner which was on top of the table was on the floor. The water made the entire thing float.
This isn't even mentioning the food. All of the food in the house (about two months worth) is garbage. Trash.
That isn't even the worst of it. We are lucky the house didn't explode as we weren't able to turn off the gas to the house. The house has shifted on its foundation by a few inches and there are some major cracks in the foundation. All of this has to be repaired. I'm not even at the worst part yet.
Aleks' grandfather lived next door. His house lifted up with the surge and floated. All of the lawn furniture and even the lawn mower have been crushed by the house. His electric wheelchair is gone. Everything in that house is gone. Everything. He is 83 years old and he lost everything.
The house is so bad that we can't even enter it. The fire department checked it out during the storm and even the local police know about it.
His house is so badly damaged that it was condemned.
There was a boat in the front yard and a paddle boat in the back yard. The entire boat yard floated and is blocking one of the streets. Not to mention the two downed trees on that street. We can't even get trucks down to our road.
Our neighbors have it very bad too. This is how things look all over our street.
The sad thing is, FEMA has been very slow with their response. They were quick with Irene. The Red Cross is apparently here but we haven't seen them at all. Everytime we've seen the national guard… they've just been standing around! This is chaos.
The devastation is really bad and we don't really know what to do. The insurance deductible because it was a Hurricane is $20,000 which is money we don't have. We don't know how much we will get from FEMA nor do we know of other ways to get some help for the costs.
Aleks grandfather's house has to be torn down and we can't afford that. The damage is far too extensive for us this time. Irene we recovered from ourselves. Hurricane Sandy… we cannot recover from.
Sadly, I have to ask for donations to help. This damage is too great and far too bad. Anything would help us. I've opened my paypal for direct donations as the way it looks we might not even see the Red Cross. At this point I don't know how things will turn out. Things feel pretty hopeless right now.
Anything you can give would be a huge help. Anything that would be left over would go towards helping our neighbors recover too.
Please donate to us here.
Thank you all so much for the help.
Joseph Miller / Kohaku
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Rereading your post, your steps are correct. So the only step I think you are missing is (and forgive me if I sound like I'm treating you like a noob) to start up the camera in MOVIE mode.
I can't seem to get the FPS past 31 for 720p. Pity, I was hoping to get some slo-mo going. The latest build (May 16th) allows me to record without dropping frames @ 1080/25p. Can't go any faster with the Lexar 1000x 128,64 and 32 GB cards. Bummer!


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Robocalls result in Arkansas Senate phone jam
By The Associated Press
This article was published February 21, 2014 at 6:51 a.m.
- Comments (2)
- aAFont Size
LITTLE ROCK — Phone lines at the Arkansas Senate were jammed for several days because of a glitch in a computer-dialed political message.
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families hired Eton Inc. to make between 1,000 and 1,500 computer-dialed calls per day, with a recorded message about the private insurance option that's pending before the legislature.
The caller ID on the calls showed up as the Arkansas Senate and gave the chamber's main phone number. The problem began last week and lasted through Wednesday.
Little Rock television station KATV reports many people missed the calls and dialed the Senate to find out what they missed.
Senate director Ann Cornwell says the volume of calls was overwhelming.
Comments on: Robocalls result in Arkansas Senate phone jam
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 total comments
DontDrinkDatKoolAid says... February 21, 2014 at 7:36 a.m.
This is funny.
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FarmBoy says... February 21, 2014 at 10:17 a.m.
I thought the do not call list would help you not to get those calls but it does not work. I think the robo calls should not be allowed here. Probably 95% if the calls to my house are tellamarketer calls and I have a do not call number. Like most goverment projects it does not work or they won't inforce it. Maybe if the robo caller would call the personal phones of the Senators they may check into it.
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Difference between revisions of "Chestertown (Maryland)"
Revision as of 06:30, 21 October 2008
Chestertown is in Maryland's Eastern Shore.
Chestertown, the county seat of Kent, the Eastern Shore of Marylands's oldest county, was founded in 1706 and served as a port of entry during colonial times. A town rich in history, its attractions include a blend of past and present. Its brick sidewalks and attractive antique stores, restaurants and inns beckon visitors and residents alike to wander through the historic district and enjoy homes and places with architecture ranging from the Georgian mansions of wealthy colonial merchants to the elaborate style of the Victorian era. Chestertown is situated on a scenic peninsula where the Chester and Sassafras rivers meander into Chesapeake Bay.
Get in
Get around
Play it Again Sam's (108 South Cross St) is the towns only coffee shop offering fresh brewed coffee, tea, pastries and some hand selected wine for sale by the bottle. You're likely to be in line next to some Washington College students and professors or the regulars around town. Many out of towners consider this a near perfect coffee shop!
Get out


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A Hackensack-based visual communication company announced Friday it had received a $20 million round of financing.
Vidyo, Inc., which develops video conferencing solutions and other products, said in a news release that the funding is coming from current investors. They include Menlo Ventures, Rho Ventures, Sevin Rosen Funds, QuestMark Partners, Saints Capital, Four Rivers Group, ORR Ventures, Triangle Peak Partners and Juniper Networks through its Junos Innovation Fund.
This round of capital will be used for sales and market development for Vidyo's VidyoWorks platform, and brings the total capital raised by the company to $139 million.
EDA approves $260M award for Camden project
Survey: Obamacare shopping leaves a lot to be desired


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55' Homesites From the $310's
4738 Orchard Creek Ln
Sales Office Hours
Tues - Sat: 10 am - 7 pmSun - Mon: Noon - 7 pm
Jenna Zielinski
Kelly Theisen
Return to a simpler era when neighbors relaxed over drinks on the porch and children spent hours watching polliwogs down by the river when you purchase a new Plantation Home in the master-planned community of Pomona, located along the Highway 288 growth corridor in Manvel.
The builder is now pre-selling 11 distinctive designs of four- and five-bedroom homes in this unique 1,000-acre community, which hearkens back to the simpler, laid-back lifestyle found in the charming Gulf Coast communities of the South.
The homes, ranging in size from 2,151 to 3,381 square feet, will feature classic brick exteriors, inviting open-concept living areas, homey kitchens and covered patios. Unique options such as sun and wine rooms add a touch of decadence to the already alluring designs. Prices start in the $300,000s and a model, the 2,501-square-foot Miami III design, will open later this year.
Pomona offers residents plenty of open spaces, miles of trails connecting more than 300 acres of wetlands and many planned amenities, including a large community center along the banks of the Mustang Bayou, which traverses the community. A resort-style pool, sports fields, playgrounds and a fishing pier round out the list of attractions. The growing Brazoria area, Gulf Coast beaches and acres of natural wetlands and prairies in south Brazoria County are within easy reach.
Pomona is located west of Texas 288 between CR 101 and Croix Road CR 58 with convenient access to Pearland Town Center, Medical Center and downtown Houston. Students attend schools in the highly regarded Alvin Independent School District.
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