Letters to the Editor
Herself
Published Letters: 182 Editor's Choice: 17
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Let's Think A Little More About ADA Than AARP
[Read the article: The anti-iPhone]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I went to a tech conference years ago. Some guy was demoing a whizzy device. I forget what it was. I was 31 at the time and asked if they were going to make the device available to blind people. He said, "Why? That's not a big market." Nice.
I don't know what is more appalling, the hateful anti-elder tone of some of the posters here or the fact that we have had cell phone technology for so long and only now have a product that addresses accessibility.
People of all ages have poor eyesight. I still see kids with glasses. Wouldn't it be nice for a myopic kid to be able to make a call when the rain has blurred her glasses? People of all ages have trouble with their hands. I had a friend with ataxic CP. He had a hell of a time with phones.
As for the bragging about needing the features, well, maybe not everyone needs them. One thing I know about machines is that, the more stuff you want to do with it, the more parts you need, and the more parts you have, the more can go wrong with it.
I do agree with the poster who said that this device can go for a lot less money, by the way.
I wish more tech companies would address the unhip market.
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Anonymous: Prejudice is Ugly
[Read the article: When covering up blocks the sun]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Anonymous said:
But you're missing the point. These are cultures that don't really want women to be healthy.
The biggest positive aspect of the burqa for these cultures is not the way it hides sexual attractiveness, but the way it hides bruises from physical abuse.
My understanding from reading, interviews and conversations with, you know, real, life people is that folks who wear burquas wear them to cover themselves from the eyes of strange men.
I don't know where the assumption that they "don't ... want women to be healthy" or "hides bruises..." comes from except, oh, prejudice on your part.
How about thinking of a solution that respects their religion and privacy, yet is, you know, an actual solution?
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Work/Life Balance
[Read the article: What's it like to work at Google? Ask a Microserf]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Google was like all the other startups, only they had money and were lucky. I've bounced around the periphery of their crew for years and years. For the first few years, they seemed to work people 24/7 with a promise of big riches, like everyone else. They were very, very lucky. Lots of those folks did get money. One thing I found disturbing was that, as time went on, the option packages got smaller and the prices got higher. I did some math and calculated someone had to work 24/7 for 5 years to get about 100K. That didn't seem worth it. Another was that a lot of people got chewed up and spit out, like Brian Reid.
I went in to talk to them just before they went public and heard about all of these concierge services and free meals. They also said "no telecommuting" from my home an hour away. I won't talk about how they ran the place or their projects because I may have signed an NDA. So, I only brush on the culture, not the projects. I did not get in and was, quite frankly, relieved. In retrospect, I may have gotten about 60-80K from those options after the requisite years (making guesses on what I heard the offers were at the time.) My own time is worth more than that.
Now, they've wised up and have started offering jobs to people over 40. I get the impression the culture's changed for the better in some ways, but I still think it is way too homogenous and self-congratulatory. I cannot think of the Groucho Marx quote about clubs that would have him as a member, but you get the idea.
I'm very happy to be working in a company that is so diverse as to have people ranging from their late teens to their mid-70s and are very diverse in their outlook on life. I also have a normal work schedule (unless there's a big release), which allows me to do volunteer work to benefit my community.
I view free meals as one of nature's warning signs when it comes to employers. They're compensating for something.
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Plowing the fields
[Read the article: The corn rush]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The only consolation in this is that Americans won't have to eat the GM crap that is being passed off as "corn", which is implicated in obesity and related health problems. Mexicans and South Americans, whose cuisines require corn are going to be screwed.
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Desparate for attention
[Read the article: I work with the most annoying man alive]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This isn't about media saturation. This is about a coworker who is desparate for attention. I think anyone in an office can throw a few media-inspired witticisms into the conversation, but there is the matter of dosage. I have worked with people who do a Mr. Bill "Oh noooo!" or a Homer Simpson "D'oh!" as a part of a conversation. The difference is dosage.
Carefully talk to some other people in your group privately and ask them what they think about it. They may not care or they may like it. If other people don't like it, you may want to work together to put a damper on Romper Room.
I have had to deal with people like this. The key is to shut down on them. Don't laugh, don't react. If the guy comes up and uses a funny accent for conversational purposes, smile and excuse yourself. Is he coming by your cubicle? Pick up your phone, lean over it and pretend to be talking to someone important. If he uses the funny accent in a context where you are required to listen, tell him you don't understand what he is saying and make him repeat it until he speaks normally.
Be distant. Be professional. The minute you get friendly, people like that are all over you like an uncontrolled puppy, desparate for more approval and attention. Don't give it.