Posts by Jim 59

"quite sure all they pilot are camels and carpets."

Arab countries less tehno than the West but generally better at handling life. Eg. they don't have our alcoholism, obesety, family breakdown, crime and general misery. Perhaps we should pay more attention to their 7000 years of civilised experience. They were eating off marble tables while we were still painting our faces blue.

"Oh Dear, that is typical of the attitude of superiority that leads to very embarrassing consequences - Twin Towers anyone ? Never underestimate your enemy."

AQ was not an enemy of the USA before TT, and therefore not treated as such.

Alan Quartermain

Nice sub heading with an idea borrowed from the second edition of King Solomon's mines. In the first edition it was a solar eclipse but Haggard changed it to be more astronomically plausable. I don't get invited to many parties.

Is Genius an excuse to be allowed to break the law with impunity?

No, obviously not, even if the law is unjust. Turing did not break the law with impunity, and nobody in this forum has suggested that he should have that right.

It's a little depressing that AC was marked down 32 points just for posing this rhetorical question. He was promting discussion with question, not saying he wanted to personally castrate Turing. It seems that our less intelligent commentators want to castrate AC just for speaking, while at the same time making attractive remarks about freedom of speech and democracy.

@Dave 15

Cruise control worsens economy ? It is difficult to imagine how that might be so. My annecdotal experience is the opposite. The biggest fuel hogs are accelleration and braking (because it wastes momentum and demands subsequent accelleration).

Re pointy front ends - these are now disallowed by European pedestrian safety regulations. Bummer.

Lady

Forget it sonny, she likes only helicopter pilots.

Public / Private sector

"... starting salaries of £50k+ in the private sector ...pay rises and the ability to get salary band increases..."

Anyone who thinks this has not read a newspaper since 1984.

"a Public Sector job, therefore subject to wage freezes, pension hammerings etc. and you can see that it is far from appealing."

Historically, the public sector offered an excellent pension and job security, but lower pay. The private sector offered a reasonable pension, no job security but the highest pay.

The world economy changed. Private sector pensions dissappeared around 1997 to 1999. Wages dropped as labour was globalized. For well over a decade now, the public sector has held all 3 trump cards: higher average pay, lifelong job security and a guaranteed subsidized pension. Public sector workers are thus a privileged part of society and they want to protect that privilege. I don't blame them but their argument doesn't have a leg to stand on. And we just can't afford it, now or in the future.

Awesome

Go back 35 years for the most awesome TT ever - TANKS. The best tank was the one with the giant bridge welded on top. And no branding tat.

(by tradition)

Oh please. See the little words in brakets ?

Regardless of the last 10 years' debacle, Nokia is by long tradition and adaptable and mercurial organisation. As any Finn will tell you, they started off making tyres and bog roll, then changed to mobile phones almost overnight. They need that "quick change" quality right now and no mistake. If there is any of the old spirit left, they might do it. I learned this working for Nokia in Finland. Can I go under my rock again now ?

Man walked into a bar

"I've walked into a bar with an axe"

Wow. If you did that in the UK, you would be descended upon by the doormen yapping into their pockets, the local police, fire brigade, coastguard, SAS etc etc.

Punishment

"This guy was bang-to-rights and deserved all he got.".

No, he didn't. He deserved to be treated exactly the same as all other offenders caught doing the same thing (phone, drunk driving in HGV). However, his punishment was many times worse than theirs. On what legal basis ? Note that "because I hate him so much", while understandable, is not a counter argument.

Personally I would like to see mobile phone usage punished as severly as drunk driving, and even "hands free" kits should be illegal. I was terrified by an oncoming CRANE driver on Monday morning wandering into my lane while looking at his mobile on a narrow stretch of the A509.

Broken Window Theory

It's a subjective judgement as to whether loud swearing in the street can intimidate or alarm bystanders. In my judgement it can. As for the cops, I would disagree with the judge's assessment that the intimidating effect of having swear words shouted at you is removed if you have heard the words before.

The right balance is for the cop to put up with a modicum of swearing, to warn the guy he may be arrested under Section 5 if he keeps swearing, then do so if he does.

A seperate reason to punish loud swearing in public is that the law must be seen to react to it, both by the perpetrato and other members of the public.

Big up Scotland Engineering

Right on. (I'm English). Sometimes I think everyone in Scotland must be an Engineer or mathematician. They don't f**k about up there.

Job Market

@Pete 2. It depends on the state of the job market. Your post might apply in a jobseeker's market, ie. where there are more vacancies than candidates. But when the reverse is true, I would advise treating the prospective employer like royalty, rather than as "your potential new provider of money". In fact I would approach all interviews like that. First get the job offer, then scrutinize the employer and the terms.

I agree strongly with the point about admitting frankly to not knowing something. If needs be you can politely add that you know where to find the answer.

@lotus49

Not necessarily true. As I was surprised to learsn recently, some parents can feel imprisoned and suffer from depression, even where the family life is outwardly happy, functional and prosperous.

IMO children should be seen as an extra, a cause for celebration, an add-on, but not a right, or a magic key to personal "completeness". And saying "no person can be complete unless they are like me" is narcisistic Horlicks.

The problem with Eccleston...

...is that the Doctor is supposed to be an eccentric, not a hipster. An odd Doctor is more satisfying and believable than one who dresses, talks and behaves fashionably. Eccleston should have been a little less Die Hard and a bit more Ford Prefect.

Pertwee had the intelligence/authority thing off to a tee, and was a little bit frightening himself perhaps, at least to children. Baker, he had that voice.

"This must have been the most irritating article I've ever read on on here."

Good advice is often irritating. To preserve your pride, one approach is to (a) ridicule the advisor and then (b) secretly follow his advice anyway. To the letter.

And my advice to recruiters is: please stop beginning your candidate search by spamming 100,000 people about that IC design job in Basingtoke. Narrow it down a little. I don't want your email simply becuase I live in Silicon Close, or my name is Bob Asic, OK?