must read stories, 11-17-09

[deadrats]

here's a bunch of stories i ran across that i thought you guys might enjoy and instead of making a new topic for each one, i figured i would just post them all together.

first up, "Linux Contractor Fired for Using Firefox/Linux"

http://linuxlock.blogspot.com/2009/11/linux-contractor-fired-for-using.html

here's the funny thing about this story, as i was reading it i got an odd feeling of deja vu, for a while i drove a cab at night and i had the opportunity to meet lots of different people and i remember a conversation i had with a lady who worked for Oracle as a project manager. as some of you may be aware, one of my majors was in comp sci when i was in college and still have an interest in all aspects of computer technology, including software development, so when i met her naturally i took the opportunity to "talk shop" with her. what struck me was her lack of general computer knowledge, especially in regards to software development. i remember asking her some technical questions regarding the data base software her team was working on, not any info that was proprietary, just general questions and i remember her responding to many of them as "i don't know" or giving me an answer that didn't really make sense. after a few nonsensical answers, i remember asking her what her degree was in and she answered some kind of business administration, with an emphasis on project management. i recall her telling me that she really didn't know that much about databases or computer software and i asked her how she could possibly lead a team designing software when she wasn't a software developer herself. she got really angry at that question and answered that she didn't really need to know the technical specs of the software in order to run the project, that she could just delegate the various assignments to people she was managing and they would handle the details. i remember commenting to her that in one sentence she had just demonstrated what was wrong with the way software is developed and why there is so much buggy code out there. needless to say she wasn't very pleased by what i had to say.

on a similar note, i once applied for a tech support job with a big isp, and the hiring process was in stages, with the first stage being handled by a hiring agency that would administer a networking test and conduct a preliminary interview. now mind you i have a unix system admin cert from Pace University, i'm not exactly network illiterate. the test was handled on a windows machine, using a piece of software that simulated being in front of a windows machine (i kid you not) and the software would ask a question like "using only 3 mouse clicks, confirm that the network connection is active", a ridiculous question when you consider the differences between various windows editions, i'm supposed to remember the subtle differences between all windows version, especially since at the time i was using win 2k and the test was centered around xp. in another question it would ask a similar "2 click" question, but when you went for the one that most people would think of, it would ask you use a different method.

despite that i passed the test and went for the second part which was a verbal exam administered by an interviewer, in my case this very pretty blond. the test consisted of her showing you a diagram of a clients network and a specific complaint and you had to give the cause of the problem. the test however was absurd, some of the networking diagrams showed networks that must have been wired by a chimp, so obviously the first thing i suggested is that the client wires the network correctly, to which i was told that the client wanted to keep the wiring as it was and that is wasn't the answer. after thinking about it for a while i realized that the dns cache was stale, but on the next question i pretty much lost it. i was shown an ip address and was asked what 3 things i could tell her about the computer it was associated with. i remember being able to think of 2, but couldn't think of a 3rd, so i told her so and asked her what the third thing was. she tells me that "the lease has expired" (it's a networking term) and i remember being beside myself, i told her that there was no way to determine that from the ip addy i was being shown. she tells me that there are people that can and have answered that question and i ask her to explain to me how exactly one goes about determining that from the information presented. she tells me that she doesn't know, all she has are the answers to the questions printed out for her and that she doesn't know anything about networking. i almost have a fit and ask how can she be interviewing someone for a networking tech support position when she herself has zero networking knowledge and i ask her out of curiosity what her education background is in and she tells me she has a bachelors in business. needless to say that the interview was terminated shortly thereafter and sensing that i wasn't going to get the job anyway and since she was a hot blond, i asked her out, i figured since i'm not going to get the job at least maybe i can nail her, make the hours i wasted worth while. unfortunately she wasn't biting, so it was a complete waste of a day.

moral of the story? business people are the worst thing that can happen to a business and always be on the lookout for some quality tail.

continuing:

here's a story about the PS3 being used to catch pedophiles:

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/ps3-linux-child-kiddie-porn,news-5119.html

a story about the russians banning modern warfare 2:

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=16852

a prediction of chrysler's demise by a certain senator:

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=16843

a kid forced to buy a PS3 at gunpoint:

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/teen-kidnapping-playstation-ps3-walmart,news-5121.html

a company taking the pirate bay's logo for it's products:

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Pirate-Bay-Logo-Sandryds-Handel,9085.html

and finally 15 google questions that will make you feel stupid:

http://www.businessinsider.com/15-google-interview-questions-that-will-make-you-feel-stupid-2009-11

one comment about this last one: how arrogant and elitist of google to pretty much exclude from consideration anyone that has a non-ivy league education, as if the knowledge acquired at an ivy league school is somehow superior because it has a prestigious name attached to it.

[lordsmurf]

Reunion Arena in Dallas was demolished today.
http://www.dallasnews.com/video/dallasnews/hp/index.html?nvid=412204