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Submission + - Worker rights in the internet era

An anonymous reader writes: Can an employeer take you off from your cubicle and make you work from inside a closet? certanly not. (right?)
Can the employeer make you operate Windows 7 out of a Pentium 4 with 256 MB of RAM?
Work on a remote environmnet with a very low bandwidth connection that would make you wait between screens more than 30 seconds making something that with a good connection would take 1 sec, and baby sit a process for two hours that could be done in 2 min with the correct connection?
Sixteen years ago, I was punished to work on a 486 while the rest of the team was on pentiums cause of me messing with the boxes. It hurts as hell.
Two years later I was baby sitting remote processes over PCAnywere out of a 28k modem connection. Ouch.
Today I am being asked to work on a remote UNIX server, through a VPN, X forwarding through ssh,...
Can I refuse to work under those conditions? I feel that I would end brain dead working so slow.
Google

Submission + - Little boy lost finds his mother using Google Earth (bbc.co.uk)

alerteye writes: An Indian boy who lost his mother in 1986 has found her 25 years later from his new home in Tasmania — using Google Earth. Saroo was only five years old when he got lost. He was travelling with his older brother, working as a sweeper on India's trains.

Comment Re:Missing option (Score 2) 267

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing

Used in oil and gas industry.....to create breaks in the formation down hole. To make extraction/flow of oil/gas better/easier.

I think its not just hydraulic but also using explosives...but not too sure.....or maybe they did a combination of fracking and explosives that led me to believe that they might be the same.

Fracking..can also cause breaks/fractures in areas unintended possibly allowing chemicals using in the process to seep into the water table.

Hence this pole.. IMHO.

Comment Re:Who are all these people who need 4G? (Score 1) 146

"Real" 4G has not only to do with increase bandwidth but also with lower latency, standardization, simpler network architecture for operators, will eventually be all IP based, failover to older gens may be feasable, etc.

From the user POV - Speed, Bandwidth, Rich Applications, Increase in opportunity to make new apps.
From Op POV - Speed, Bandwidth, Better Network Architecture, Simpler Network Management, Increase in opportunity to make new apps, new revenue streams, etc.

The "Real" 4G standard requires 1 gbps for stationary mobile devices, as in when you are not moving.
It requires 100 mbps for moving mobile devices, as in when you are on the move, even at speeds of over 350 kmph. (maybe mph, can't quite remember)
3G cannot deliver that.

So yes, we do need 4G.

Forget 4G, 5G is already being discussed.

Comment Re:O RLY (Score 1) 227

FTA: "And from the outside you just like you are tapping your window as none of the graphics can be seen". So what your viewing is safe from prying eyes....but they can see you like they would be with a normal window....I wonder if they should/will make the other side to show blinds/curtains as well....so when I want my window shut----to the outside world...i just "turn on" the blinds/curtains.....on the other side too...

Comment Re:I've noticed this too (Score 3, Insightful) 601

Email is still highly useful - the problem these people have is no discipline in how to handle email - first, turn off all notifications. Second, only check a couple of times a day. Email is not instant, so don't treat it like it is. Do the same for IM. This removes the disruption of your daily tasks. If it's really important, someone will call....

Ha....your right.....unfortunately people want email to be instant.......

In most mid sized companies 25-100......email is used a lot for collaborating with each other....sending files....sending requests.....updates...etc.
They send you an email.....call you 5 mins later...did you receive my email? Its urgent.......can you please do it now?
Of course, if its someone important in the company....you can't say...oh its not time to check my email yet...so I will get to it......plus it might actually be urgent.....

So yes..people now expect email to be instant.....like a task listing....new tasks come in......you check.....except...you can do a lot of other non-useful things with email.

Yes.....all the above this is because of poor planning probably....no scheduling....task management....proper systems...policies...etc.....but the problem can be solved by good Business Flow/Task Flow systems. But cost is prohibitively high for smaller companies to have good business flow control systems that can replace email.

Also....many times...such systems are very complex and harder to use as well......so the benefit of not using email might be lost.....

Email can be replaced if
1) The whole business has an excellent business process flow control system that encompasses all processes where by all task are entered, tracked and traced.
2) Such system is scalable
3) Such system is easy to use

If we have the above...email use can be limited...and possibly eliminated......with use of other technologies....
Client communications would then just be a task in the process chain.....

Now....who can make such systems for businesses.....easy..simple...cheap...bug free.....no downtime.....

Utopia.

Comment Re:brick-and-mortar seems counterproductive (Score 3, Interesting) 92

I think money for buildings should be spent on creating more content.

KA's biggest strength is that it is online, ie, easily accessible, content easily creatable, no barriers to entry accept internet. Videos should be downloadable....and this will solve that issue.

I don't mind his teaching methods but some of his language may be too advanced for for younger kids....so money should be spent on creating more suitable content for a wider range of topics. Not just for the reason I mentioned but there is only so much he can do....and he has surely done a lot......

Open it up for anyone to be able to create...pay people not to create but to moderate other creations....this way...you allow anyone to use the skills to create and moderators can make sure it is appropriate and passes QA.

Schools should use KA and integrate it into their curriculum instead of KA starting their own school
Summers camps can he held anywhere using KA.

I agree with the other expenses, ie CMS, etc since making content creation and management easy is a big deal and will allow for other content creators to upload and mange content properly. I would go with integrating an elearning system with it for all the courses. They already have something for some but not all courses.
Teachers form anywhere should be able to integrate with the elearning system and keep track of students activities, thsi way you are empowering many teachers as opposed to only KA teachers/students.

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