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Comment You're Only as Valuable ... (Score 1) 3

by SkydiverFL (#36956566) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Working from home?

... as you claim you are. Never work for free unless you are somehow benefitting from it; either financially, from a unique experience, or to take part in something you believe in (charity work, an open source project, etc.). It is a known fact that people associate your quality and value with the rate you demand. Granted, some people are simply delusional with the thought that they are better than what they are. However, in the end, if you work for free then that must be what you're worth.

If your work product is good enough that your boss wants you on it, then he should be willing to pay for it. I would simply send him a polite email explaining your change of heart with the reasons behind it. As long as you are willing to stay onboard, offer to continue for your normal rate... or even a slightly higher rate if you are working without benefits or a guarantee that it will last. Make sure to copy your personal email account so that you have some type of documentation showing that you didn't simply leave him high and dry.

Comment His Job Hunt (Score 1) 275

by SkydiverFL (#35372380) Attached to: 'Spam King' Released From Prison, Now Lives In Seattle

I can see it now...

New message from "Robert Soloway" ... subject "Resume.doc"
New message from "Robert Soloway" ... subject "Resume.doc"
New message from "Robert Soloway" ... subject "Resume.doc"
[snip x 1,000]
New message from "Robert Soloway" ... subject "Resume.doc"

I wonder if he DOES apply for a job, if he'll even THINK of using an automated resume distribution system. Hell, I wouldn't even click the "send" button if I were him.

Comment Denormalize Work Around (Score 2, Funny) 510

by SkydiverFL (#31982186) Attached to: Mass. Data Security Law Says "Thou Shalt Encrypt"

Hmmm... just a thought... NOT a recommendation...

Since "personal information" is the "first name and last name" IN COMBINATION WITH any of the other items, could you just denormalize the tables to get around this? Stick the SSN or CC info in a second or third table. Since that data is not stored WITH (same table) the name of the card holder or account owner, then... well... you see where this is going.

I guess it call comes down to what the meaning of "is" is. ;-)

Comment Nobody Ever Claimed Cross-Platform (Score 1) 307

by SkydiverFL (#31894188) Attached to: Cross With the Platform

I suggest that you watch the very first dev video on beginning development for iPhone and Mac OS X and continue on from there. At no point does ANY of Apple's materials ever mention that you can write once and compile for both platforms. All they claim is that the tools and syntax and the same (XCode, Interface Builder, Objective-C, etc.). I've been programming for a few decades now and specialize in .NET. And, although I hated the experience of going from comfy C# to Objective-C, that's really the only pain. If you really look at how UIKit differs from AppKit, you may actually realize that it's the right tool for the job. Although Microsoft has paid the bills for quite some time now, I can honestly say that writing for Windows Mobile SUCKS... not because of syntax or compatibility issues, but because of the bloat and limitations of the mobile environment (Compact Framework on Windows Mobile). At least Apple got it right by accepting that the iPhone platform really IS a different animal, compared to a MacBook or Mac Pro, and built a more appropriate framework.

Comment Comfort (Score 1) 511

by SkydiverFL (#31559306) Attached to: What Is Holding Back the Paperless Office?

It's kinda like wiping or eating with your other hand. For our office, it boils down to comfort. We spend our entire lives reading books, flipping through newspapers, preparing reports and homework, signing contracts, etc., etc., etc. We are conditioned to have something tangible in our hands. So, when it comes to reading a 50-page document on an LCD screen, it feels unnatural. We can do it if we had to, but our brain simply feels awkward accepting it.

Comment Ain't Gonna Happen (Score 3, Interesting) 325

by SkydiverFL (#30799606) Attached to: Google Phone Could Drive Apple Into Allegiance With Microsoft

Apple has shown a clear desire to not remain glued to Microsoft. This is evident with the release of iWork and the dead-end path of the Office products on the Apple platform.

Because of my position, I have almost every handheld and PDA device that hits the market. As a seasoned .NET developer, I am biased towards Microsoft. However, that being said, the Windows Mobile platform is horrible. Even on devices like Samsung's Omnia, it is sluggish and cumbersome at best. Memory management is a nightmare.

The only realistic path is for the Windows Mobile platform to die off or be revamped from scratch. At most they may build a mobile version of Office for iPhone and Android but even that is a stretch.

Comment Uuuh... WTF!?!?! (Score 0, Offtopic) 450

by SkydiverFL (#30648350) Attached to: INTERPOL Granted Diplomatic Immunity In the US

So, basically, we trust foreign agents more than our own? HOLY CRAP! Exit stage left, already!

As for foreign officials having similar rights, that's more for political courtesy and to keep the whole cultural difference thing out of our courts. That's somewhat understood. However, there is a CLEAR difference from some over-the-hill politician getting pulled over for speeding compared to an amped-up INTERPOL cop on the verge of a conviction. The mindset, purpose, emotions... hell, the whole scenario... is completely different.

Submission + - Apple Fails to Deliver on Boot Camp Promise (apple.com)

Submitted by SkydiverFL
SkydiverFL writes: For those fans of Apple's Boot Camp package, it looks like you might be waiting on the next "end of year" to use Windows 7 on your shiny silver boxes. Back in October (2009, of course), Apple published a rather short, but rather affirmative, promise stating quite simply that, "Apple will support Microsoft Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate) with Boot Camp in Mac OS X Snow Leopard before the end of the year. This support will require a software update to Boot Camp." Needless to say that the support page has no updates regarding the new version. Maybe they're waiting for iSlate?
NASA

Submission + - Is This The End Of Mars Rover Spirit? (spacefellowship.com)

Submitted by RobGoldsmith
RobGoldsmith writes: NASA’s Mars rover Spirit will mark six years of unprecedented science exploration and inspiration for the American public on Sunday. However, the upcoming Martian winter could end the roving career of the beloved, scrappy robot.
Nintendo

Submission + - Nintendo Shuts Down Fan-Made Zelda Movie (theherooftime.com)

Submitted by Andorin
Andorin writes: An independently filmed adaptation of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, called The Hero Of Time, has been taken offline by Nintendo as of the end of December. The film's producers write: "We came to an agreement with Nintendo earlier this month to stop distributing the film... We understand Nintendo’s right to protect its characters and trademarks and understand how in order to keep their property unspoiled by fan’s interpretation of the franchise, Nintendo needs to protect itself — even from fan-works with good intentions." Filming for the feature-length, non-profit film began in August 2004 and the movie was completed in 2008. It premiered in various theatres worldwide, including in New York and Los Angeles, and then became available online in the middle of December, before it was targeted by Nintendo's legal team. As both an avid Zelda fan and an appreciator of independent works, I was extremely disappointed in Nintendo's strong-arming of a noncommercial adaptation to the Game of the Year for 1999.
United States

Submission + - Ten Most Ridiculous Uses of Stimulus Funds (theatheistconservative.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Verum Serum lists the ten most ridiculous uses of stimulus funds among which are: a $9.3 million to fund the design and development of a coordinated colony of robotic bees, a $712,883 research grant to develop oemachine-generated humor, and a $427,824 grant to design better video games for senior citizens based on their unique oegame-play needs.
Security

Submission + - Online Services Let Virus Writers Check Their Work (krebsonsecurity.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Former Washington Post Security Fix blogger Brian Krebs has launched a new blog at krebsonsecurity.com, and his first story highlights a pair of underground antivirus scanning services that cater to virus writers. Scanning services like virustotal.com scan submitted files against dozens of antivirus products, and share the results with each of the vendors so that all benefit from learning about threats they don't yet detect. But there are number of budding online services that allow customers to pay per scan, and promise that the results will never get reported back to the antivirus companies. One service even tests how well web site "exploit packs" are detected, while others promise additional layers of protection. From the story: "The service claims that it will soon be rolling out advanced features, such as testing malware against anti-spyware and firewall programs, as well as a test to see whether the malware functions in a virtual machine."
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft Says Goodbye GUI, Hello MUI 3

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: On New Year's Eve, the USPTO revealed that Microsoft is seeking patents for controlling a computer by simply flexing a muscle. Microsoft proposes using Electromyography (EMG) sensors and a wired or wireless human-computer interface to interact with computing systems and attached devices via electrical signals generated by specific movement of the user's muscles. 'It is important to consider mechanisms for acquiring human input that may not necessarily require direct manipulation of a physical implement,' explained the inventors. 'For example, drivers attempting to query their vehicle navigation systems may find it advantageous to be able to do so without removing their hands from the steering wheel, and a person in a meeting may want to unobtrusively communicate with someone outside. Also, since physical computer input devices have been shown to be prone to collecting microbial contamination in sterile environments, techniques that alleviate the need for these implements could be useful in surgical and cleanroom settings.' Any suggestions for how to Ctrl-Alt-Del with a Muscle User Interface (MUI)?
IT

Submission + - The Long Shadow of Y2K

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens
Hugh Pickens writes: "It seems like it was only yesterday when the entire world was abuzz about the looming catastrophe of Y2K that had us both panicked and prepared. Ten Years ago there were doomsday predictions that planes would fall from the sky and electric grids would go black, forced into obsolescence by the inability of computers to recognize the precise moment that 1999 rolled over to 2000 and for many it was a time to feel anxious about getting money out of bank accounts and fuel out of gas pumps. "Nobody really understood what impact it was going to have, when that clock rolled over and those digits went to zero. There was a lot of speculation they would reset back to 1900," says IT professional. Jake DeWoskin. The Y2K bug may have been IT's moment in the sun, but it also cast a long shadow in its wake as the years and months leading up to it were a hard slog for virtually everyone in IT, from project managers to programmers. "People were scared for their jobs and their reputations," says CIO Dick Hudson, Staffers feared that if they were fired for failing to remedy Y2K problems, the stigma would prevent them from ever getting a job in IT again. "Then there was the fear that someone like Computerworld would report it, and it would be on the front page," Hudson adds. Although IT executives across the globe were confident that they had the problem licked, a nagging fear followed them right up until New Year's Eve. While most people were out celebrating the turn of the century, IT executives and their staffs were either monitoring events in the office or standing by at home. Afterwards came the recriminations and backlash as an estimated $100 billion was spent nationwide for problems that turned out to be minimal. Others says the nonevent was evidence the Y2K effort was done right. "It was a no-win situation," says Paul Ingevaldson. "People said, 'You IT guys made this big deal about Y2K, and it was no big deal. You oversold this. You cried wolf.' ""

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