that’s my stapler

It occurred to me that not only is Snapshot by The Art of Noise a cool track, it’s almost like it was made to be a ringtone - released in 1984, decades before downloadable ringtone mania. IMO the first 30 seconds or so work the best, but if your phone allows using the whole track have at it.

Wagoner defends GM’s reliance on SUVs.

In response to analysts’ concerns about GM’s dwindling liquidity in light of the latest slide in demand for its most profitable vehicles and the jump in raw material costs, Wagoner responded that “under any scenario we see, we’re good until the end of the year.”

What an incredible country we live in, where such short-sighted business leadership can survive even that long.  Is six months now considered taking the long view?  Do we want give our execs bonuses and other incentives based on that kind of performance?

Wagoner shouts “Save us!”

Unbelievable.  As far as we know nothing illegal has happened to bring the US auto industry to this precipice, but there’s a level of irresponsibility that matches or exceeds what went on at Enron and Worldcom.  These executive criminals deserve far worse than they’re ever going to get.  I think we should at least arrange for them to be pilloried in downtown Detroit.  The kind of violence being perpetrated against the US by its own corporations calls for retribution in kind.  That these men are getting off scott free ($1 a year salary?  This is sacrifice?) and being allowed to helm our largest corporations onto the rocks defies logic.

Biella,

The article is so drastically tilted, I almost have to believe it’s a joke; seriously, is this copied from The Onion?

I tend to think that treating anyone as a member of a protected class in order to ensure their participation is more divisive than any difference a few members of the group might perceive.  In this case, the article’s overt treatment of women as “the fair sex” implies both diminished mental capacity and an overly “warm and fuzzy” approach to working with others.  As long as we’re going this route, why don’t we insist on “more fair” treatment for people with different skin color than the majority?  You only have to take these kind of practices a step or two further for them to become truly repugnant.

If there are behaviors in a male dominated sphere that drive off women, they’re driving off other men too.  The issue is the behaviors, not what gender is perpetrating them.  There are some good articles about excising poisonous people from your group, be it an OSS project, the workplace or what have you.  This is a big step for some communities who have come to rely on individuals who bring the notion “antisocial” to dire levels.  Look closely at some of the OSS projects that are very small and seem unable to gain contributors, and I bet you’ll find these poison pills.  Some of them are so abrasive they simply work completely alone.  I submit that the main reason this is less prevalent in proprietary software is that companies have HR departments with rules and processes designed both to prevent adding these people to the team, and to get rid of them if necessary.

Lastly, I think if you believe in gaining equality the first step is to truly believe that you are equal and insist on treatment as such.  Accommodating mental and emotional handicaps, as the article seems to suggest, isn’t the way to get there.

Arstechnica has some commentary on why time-based releases aren’t the best way to get your quality on.

Good, fast, cheap - pick two.