Beta Master - Slashdot User

Submission + - Dutch artist admits faking viral 'human bird wing' video (foxnews.com)

Submitted by Velcroman1 on Thursday March 22, 2012 @05:18PM

Velcroman1 writes: Dutch filmmaker and animator Floris Kaayk in collaboration with media production company Revolver fessed up to creating a “media art project” that took the world by storm in recent days — a video of inventor Jarno Smeets taking flight by flapping his arms. But like the wax melting from Icarus’ wings, the truth is finally emerging. Kaayak admitted that he didn’t expect the media attention his project would generate, with over 8.9 million views across the world. He made the project in collaboration with Revolver and Omroep NTL, sources in the Netherlands who have spoken to the filmmaker said prior to the show. They admitted their hoax Thursday evening on the Dutch television show Wereld Draait Door.

Submission + - Do Women Make Better Bosses?

Submitted by

Hugh Pickens writes

on Thursday March 22, 2012 @05:04PM

Hugh Pickens writes writes: "David Mielach reports that a new study finds that women in management positions lead in a more democratic way, allowing employees to participate in decision-making and establishing interpersonal channels of communication. "In line with known gender differences in individual leadership, we find that in workplaces with more women managers, more individualized employee feedback is carried out,” says study author Eduardo Melero. "Likewise, we can see evidence, although weaker, that in these workplaces decisions are made more democratically and more interpersonal channels of communications are established." The research was based on data from the Workplace Employment Relationships Survey, a survey of workplaces in the United Kingdom. Melero analyzed this data by looking at the number of women in management positions in companies and the leadership tactics employed at those companies where he found increased communication between management and employees in companies with women in management positions led to more well-informed decisions, since employee feedback will be utilized in the decision-making process. "Women managers seem to be more inclined to use these types of practices, individually, as well as promoting them among the rest of the management team." Still correlation does not equal causation. "One might question the direction of the relation: is it women managers who are the behind these policies, or is it that more progressive organizations are more accessible for women leaders than other workplaces?""

Submission + - Is Best Buy Really Going Out of Business Gradually? (forbes.com) 1

Submitted by Cutting_Crew on Thursday February 09, 2012 @05:46PM

Cutting_Crew writes: As we all know brick and mortar stores have been closing left and right recently. We had CompUSA, Borders and Circuit City all close its doors within the last 4 years.

According to what I think is a great a great article on Forbes.com , it is spelled out pretty clearly why Best Buy is next in line to shut its doors for good. Some of the reasons highlighted include a 40% drop is Best Buy stock in 2011, lack of vision regarding their online services, management too concerned with store sales instead of margins and blatant disregard for quality customer service.

The best quote for me over on page 3 regarding the shortage of products for some people who had ordered online for the Christmas holidays highlights the overall issue.

"The situation that Best Buy “encountered” has “affected redemption” of some orders. Best Buy doesn’t fill online orders, it seems. Rather, customers “redeem” them. So it’s the customers, not Best Buy, who have the problem. And those customers haven’t been left hanging; they’ve only been “affected” in efforts to “redeem” their orders. It’s not as if the company did anything wrong, or, indeed, anything at all."

Comment The morality gap (Score 5, Insightful) 210

by Beta Master on Wednesday February 08, 2012 @09:22PM (#38975923) Attached to: The Science Fiction Effect

Throughout history there has been a lag between scientific discovery and the mainstream acceptance of the moral conundrums presented by that discovery, from the Earth is round, to xenotransplantation, to current stem cell research and cloning. Our systems of morality and ethics morph at a much slower rate than does scientific theory.

Science Fiction is a fantastic mechanism for exploring the possibilities presented by new technologies, and their ethical repercussions, to say "This is where our science may take us, and are we okay with that?" It allows us to begin adapting our ethics in advance of the technology becoming available.

Comment Hypocrisy in action (Score 1) 1799

by Beta Master on Monday October 10, 2011 @03:13PM (#37668366) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: How Do You View the Wall Street Protests?

Apple is the largest corporation in the world. The iPhone is notorious for being produced by slave labor (google foxconn suicides). How many of the occupy wall street protesters use Apple products?

If you want to make a difference, vote with your dollars. Demand that the companies you do business with behave ethically. Humane treatment of employees and subcontractors instead of sweat shops. Reasonable CEO compensation with bonuses based on creating value, instead of huge payouts regardless of performance. Holding vendors and subcontractors accountable for their actions, instead of turning a blind eye because the price is right. The 1% has our money BECAUSE WE GAVE IT TO THEM.

I find it ironic that these folks are protesting corporations, to whom we voluntarily give our money in return for products and services, instead of the government who takes it by force.

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