I'm finally home from my weekend travels to eastern Washington state and northern Idaho, and I noticed that I haven't posted in almost a week (BAD ZILL!). So let see what we can screen scrape that doesn't have to do with the death of Anna Nicole Smith or murderous psychotic episodes or Jennifer Aniston's boobs.
Well, Lets start with a cheerful list of 32 Reasons Why Geeks are Severly Underpaid, which is actually pointers on IT salary negotiations. There is some really valuable advice here, especially for those just entering the hi-tech workforce.
I came across a couple of intriguing articles from New York Magazine.
The first - "How Not to Talk to Your Kids" puts forth that too much praise for young children reinforces the child's learned behavior to choose tasks that they know they succeed at, therefore never learning or ignoring the much needed skills of persistance needed when handling challenges where they may fail. "You are so smart at math" gets internalized, and morphs into variations of "I'm not good at science" or "I'm not good at sports". This seems fits in well with teaching children about the "big picture", meaning not everyone can be good at everything.
The second - "Say Everything" looks at the phenomenon of today's younger generation living out their lives online. With confidence and a dismissal of the lack of privacy on the Internet, young people (wow, I sound old saying that!) are clearly being raised on computers instead of televsions, and therefore are aware of the possible oppurtunities for even "B" level celebrity status. Fueled by blogs and the like, some of those young people think that having 300 or more "virtual" friends or "fans" resembles and replaces actual tangible freindships. With bravado (or bravada), many are digitally screaming to the world "Take me as I am", completely fearless and adorned with thick skins, not easily discouraged by even the most brazen negative criticism, nor intimidated by the possible reprocussions later in life. I hesitate to scream back "More power to you", thinking that possibly the Internet is simply a tool, and while a very productive tool in the right hands, it can also revert a simple vanity mirror in the wrong hands.
Of course, this has to been seen to be believed, a skydiver crashes to the ground after both his reserve and regular parachutes fail.
And another unspoken price of the war in Iraq, and before.
Joseph A. Palermo thinks that GWB and New York Times reporter Michael Gordon are "tipping their hands", with regarding to military action against Iran. Though I'm not sure that the New York Times exactly sees it that way. DaimlerChrysler is pulling out of Iran, as well.
A fascinating look at demolition as art, with some pictures of the progress of the the mountain sculpture dedicated to Crazy Horse.
Drew Carey's 101 "My dick is so big jokes".