Reuters/Wired says my employer is the best company for workplace privacy. This is pretty cool, as I'd been worrying about that sort of thing. There's a Slashdot article too.
Last week I saw Mandelbrot in the cafeteria. (And again in the hallway today at lunch!)
Finally, you have to watch The Prodigy, the crazy 90-second TV ad they've been running during the U.S. Open (Reuters). This 9-year-old little boy is supposed to represent Linux, so obviously a bunch of people like Shirley from "Laverne and Shirley", Harvard prof Henry Lewis Gates, and Muhammad Ali have to teach him about the world. All the boy has to remember is that there is no spoon, and he's the One, right? "Linux. The future is open." It's pretty funny/amazing/ridiculous, but it's still cool that they're pushing Linux so hard.
I saw this comment on slashdot:
Remember when IBM was The Man? Not as in "You The Man", but as in "You've sold out to The Man, man!" The Evil Empire? Big, corporate, bad guys? Now, they love Linux, they don't snoop on employees, they fight SCO-style crap, and so on? When did they get all nice-nice?
Does this mean I can stop saying "I work for the Man" now?
Posted by cce at September 9, 2003 12:21 PM | TrackBackibm is definitely still "the man," for all intents and purposes. some of the company's work may benefit causes that seem academic or incidental to its profits, but as with any public company, ibm's primary responsibility is to its shareholders. they're not e.g. supporting linux out of the goodness of their own hearts; they're doing it because it will eventually help their bottom line (albeit in very baroque ways).
plus, the obvious reason #2 that ibm is "the man": they own your ideas. which is quite a breach of privacy...
[p.s. the st andrew's page about mandelbrot leads to this not-to-be-missed page on julia (of "julia set" fame).]
Posted by: ben at September 9, 2003 02:31 PMUmm, no, you work for the man. Not working for the man means starting your own business or living with a Maori tribe somewhere.
Instead of saying, "I work for the man," I prefer to say that NBC is the man, and I am him.
Werd.
Oh yeah, and your music sucks, man.
Posted by: manning at September 10, 2003 03:15 PMDo I work for "The Man" or "The People." I'm very confused. I wish I were working for "The Road."
Posted by: Mike at September 10, 2003 06:16 PMOh yeah... and speaking of privacy, every time I log on to a computer here, I get this message:
WARNING! This is a US Government computer system. This system is for the use of authorized users only. By accessing and using the computer system you are consenting to system monitoring, including the monitoring of keystrokes. Unauthorized use of, or access to, this computer system may subject you to disciplinary action and criminal prosecution.
Hmm...
I resent your gender bias. I would much rather more people said, "I work for the lady". But, failing that, maybe I could encourage you to adopt the gender-neutral "I work for the person".
Which brings a whole other set of cultural implications into play, since "person" is an old-fashioned word for "penis" in England.
Posted by: sophie at September 11, 2003 12:22 AM