Agreed with Sibling. If the manager doesn't grasp how it is that IT or programming teams should be run (or at least how they run best), and is unable to get up to speed, then it all goes to shit in no time... people skills be damned.

I've worked for an IT manager that knew approximately bupkis about tech. Her MBA was all the qualification you needed, according to her. She trusted you, and yes she could really wrestle money out of the CFO to get you what you really needed. The problem was that she had a solid-running clique going, where the suck-ups got ahead in spite of their skillset (or rather, lack thereof). I also discovered that she preferred buzzwords over explanation when it came to project reports and proposals.

The worst part was that many of the folks under her were flamingly incompetent at procurement... they would choose technologies based on the geek factor, and few would do any real negotiations or probing with the vendors (and said vendors knew full well that if, say, I didn't give them what they wanted, they could simply go to my non-tech boss, declare that I'm too hard to work with, and *poof* - they got what they wanted from her, usually to the detriment of the budget.)

So, no... having an MBA may make you a competent Sales/HR/Whatever manager, but when it comes to technical teams, it doesn't guarantee jack.

In my case, it was a combination of alcohol and a buddy in the barracks with a tattoo gun. All but one turned out astoundingly well in spite of my dumbassed youthful decision. Mind you, 25 years later I still carry 'em everywhere I go (all of them were fully within USAF regulations, in that all but one hides nicely under my shirt, and a std. shirt collar hides the one on the back of my neck).

Funny thing though - nowadays, kids who get tattoos (esp. amateur ones) can remove them with what's called Wrecking Balm, which is supposed to fade and eventually remove a tattoo over the course of some weeks. (no idea if it fully works or not, though.)

I wonder if the hipster crowd will use that cream in a little circle on their wrist in order to get even more hipster cred...?

...you really should see it in action though. As someone who lives in Portland, OR... I can, even now, hear the distant howls of heart-rending anguish from the many coffeeshops drifting up to my office. You'd think that skinny jeans were banned or something.

Okay, just (half-) joking.

I'm slightly amused at it though - no one really thought it through that if you put colored shit in your dermis** , it will interfere with a device that relies on skin capacitance for some of its features? Really? Are we that damned ignorant (and overly-entitled) as human beings, or is my beard just getting too many gray hairs in it?

** I have four tattoos about my body, incidentally, so all you 'inked' mofos can keep your righteous indignation to yourselves. ;)

The first part of your comment is worth expanding on a little:

You are correct, but define "cheaper". Is the extra time required to complete a project due to language barrier cheaper? Is the $150/hr per head you're paying to hire H1-B contractors making $20/hr "cheaper"? Is the extra liability insurance... well, you get the idea.

It only seems cheaper at first... until the invoices roll in, deadlines slip, and things start getting ugly once the contract agency does... because what are you going to do about it if the contracting firm decides to pull all their guys out at the end of the week? ;)

But anyway... as you were.

Stop it... now you're just teasing. ;)

"We were running low on our 'being an asshole' quota this month. Now be sure to continue to watch as your wives and kids demand and purchase our products, chumps."

Mind you, that was just frustration talking... because seriously, what is anyone going to do about this?

That.... that would be awesome.

There is one sure, fair, and solid way to put a stop to "outrageous executive compensation"... stop buying stock in companies that grant such pay/bonus levels.

While it seems like a stupid move to lavish cash on a CxO who is running a company that is bleeding cash left right, and sideways, it's the perfect right of stock investors to make their own judgements as to how stupid/not-stupid they believe such a thing to be.

The reason why is because there are two ways to buy/sell stock.

The original intent was to own a piece of the company via buying stock, investing in its long-term growth, and reaping the benefits by selling it at some indeterminate point in the future.

The modern method (via shorting and similar tricks) is gambling.

Problem is, in order to eliminate the gambling aspect, the SEC would have to require a minimum 1-2 year holding period between sales of a given share of stock... that is, you buy the stock, but you cannot sell it to anyone else until it has been in your possession for at least 12-24 months or so. Good luck having that happen. :/

...now what percentage of tax revenue is it?

GDP != Tax Revenue.

But, you know... many ideologues (and even folks in government) think that they have access to private citizens' money, so... ;)

*sigh* - go learn the difference between individuals spending money on healthcare, and the US government spending taxpayer money on same. While you're at it, also look up the bureaucratic overhead that a government-run healthcare system would bring (see also the VA Medical System).

Now go back to the kids' table and stop pretending that you know what you're talking about.

Dunno who modded you up, because this bit:

...is crap. We can afford our *current* system, but not a complete socialist-style healthcare system applied to the general population. It will either destroy the federal budget, or the resulting healthcare for individuals will be far worse than what we see now.

Would you like evidence? No problem: Google for "Veterans Administration" if you want an example of what US-government run healthcare looks like.

As someone whose spouse has had to ensure that travesty of an organization, I can tell you first-hand that you most emphatically do not want to go to a government-run hospital or doctor.

If it's the case that latency or QoS is applied to intentionally push lower-tier users to a higher tier, then Verizon is even sleazier than TFA indicates.