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Comment: Takeover 101 (Score 1) 154

by dcollins (#43775945) Attached to: Yahoo Pinkie-Swears It Won't Ruin Tumblr

Standard operating practice in any takeover is to say "We love what you do, won't change a thing, carry on and we won't interfere." This prevents immediate hemorrhaging of both customers and knowledge-work employees (who in reality should flee as soon as possible). But it's fundamentally a lie or, at to be as charitable as one can be, a temporary measure. I did believe it the first time I heard it, when I was young at working at my first job; but not after that.

Comment: Re:Also (Score 4, Informative) 367

by dcollins (#43762397) Attached to: Bloomberg To HS Grads: Be a Plumber

The primary thing that worked for Bloomberg is making billions of dollars on Wall Street. (For example, he was laid off from his first job at Solomon Brothers with a $10 million severance package for starters.) With that money he's been able to bend and break a lot of the rules about becoming and staying NYC mayor -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bloomberg

Comment: Is Facebook a Toxic Brand? (Score 5, Interesting) 192

by dcollins (#43713829) Attached to: Facebook Home Flagship Phone, HTC First, May Be Discontinued

The Facebook phone flops like few phones have ever flopped. Zuckerberg's lobbying group is collapsing like few lobbying groups have ever collapsed (http://techcrunch.com/2013/05/12/why-zuckerbergs-lobby-fwd-is-collapsing-like-a-house-of-cards-outside-of-dc/).

Many of us are stuck with Facebook due its powerful networking effects (much like AT&T in the old days). But still the FB brand is renowned as being member-abusive, terrible about privacy, cavalier about interface changes and wiping out settings, etc. Perhaps this is a sign that few people are interested in letting FB expand its grip on their lives.

Comment: Re:If your group is (Score 1) 716

by dcollins (#43706763) Attached to: IRS Admits Targeting Conservative Groups During 2012 Election

They were not planning any such thing. Their original raw plans were to set off some smoke and take down some signs, until the FBI plant got involved. This is the Associated Press (http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-5-men-arrested-wanted-blow-ohio-bridge-143112191.html):

"Baxter, Wright and Hayne considered different plots over time, including distracting law enforcement with smoke grenades while trying to bring down financial institution signs in downtown Cleveland."

Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/08/fbi-occupy-wall-street-occupy-cleveland_n_2435224.html):

"Shaquille Azir, ex-con, bank robber, forger, passer of bad checks, and FBI informant, first visited Occupy Cleveland the night the activists were evicted from their camp. The young men were homeless, looking for a cause and a paycheck. At best they were failed gutter punks. It took months of convincing by Azir to get the plot in motion. After the camp folded, Azir gave the penniless Occupy activists construction jobs, and plied them with beer while they worked. He sent them home, according to a Rolling Stone magazine account, with more beer, weed and prescription drugs. At first, the activists rebuffed Azir's arms-dealer friend, who was an FBI agent. Azir continued to press them."

In-depth article at Rolling Stone on this and other recent FBI procedures -- http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/how-fbi-entrapment-is-inventing-terrorists-and-letting-bad-guys-off-the-hook-20120515

Comment: Re:If your group is (Score 1, Insightful) 716

by dcollins (#43692585) Attached to: IRS Admits Targeting Conservative Groups During 2012 Election

"After all, they've actually tried to blow up bridges(Ohio)..."

You mean that totally made-up thing where an FBI plant persuaded people to do this ridiculous thing, gave them fake material, directed them where to put it, and then arrested them? Like they do routinely to convince people their doing anti-terror stuff? Looks like you fell for it.

Comment: You Have to Leave (Score 0) 332

by dcollins (#43623651) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: How To Handle a Colleague's Sloppy Work?

I had this issue at both of the programming jobs I held before leaving the industry. One was epically bad -- I could have written the OP in just the same words myself.

The problem is that this senior coder comes off as a hero and superman to the higher management. From where they sit, it looks like this guy just ships code and solves all their problems -- regardless of how much it holds the rest of the software staff back in the process (his bad code hygiene is effectively invisible to managers). Also, since he's been there longer he's likely also good buddies with managers on a personal basis. Also, he's just senior staff and so has that ahead of you as well.

There is no way you can change his slash-and-burn work process, and all the rest of the institution will be actively encouraging him for more of the same. You cannot win this one except by leaving some day. This could possibly be switching to a different project, or changing jobs to a different company. Get what you can out of this job and start look for a switch.

Be sociable. Speak to the person next to you in the unemployment line tomorrow.

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