ACSD, another acronym for failure.

One of the worst aspects of dealing with government is the total failure of any sort of management, accountability, performance, efficiency, and the combined inability to prove ANYTHING because the system is designed to DEFLECT responsibility.

LIFE long government employees are some of the worst people on Earth, not just ineffective and officious, but self-aggrandizing, power hungry, pious, malicious, and mule-stubborn. That's not even mentioning the techno-fear, and aversion to both change and accountability. The last thing any of these white-collar managers want is a system that actually tracks their performance because then people would find out how bad they are at their jobs.

Government employees who stay in for life are bad for two obvious reasons: First, the pay is terrible. A masters degree will barely earn survivable wages in the US Government, just over 50K a year. If you have kids and a mortgage, that wage would put you below the poverty line. Any master's degree-holding employee can get close to six figures in almost any line of work outside the government. Second, government employees are legendary for their self-righteousness, and this is because the actual job requirements include little tid-bits like 'Community Service' - a euphemism for Church membership, 'Project Management' - a euphemism for nepotism and cronyism, and finally we come to the worst of the worst, the acronyms. People with experience in lots of systems that have acronyms look good on a resume, regardless of how flawed, nonexistent, or broken those systems are. Oh, you've used BSD? That's great! Is that a payroll system? ... Yeah, sure.

There are three non-obvious reasons why government employees in the good old USA suck dirt: First, good people leave as rapidly as possible. Why would anyone who LIKES to be productive willingly remain buried in an invisible system that is designed not to work? It's hell! I hate it. I can't wait for my rapidly-approaching end date, and I'm considering just QUITTING before it gets here and forfeiting my unemployment! Why? IT SUCKS. I hate never being able to do anything effectively because every avenue that leads to production is blocked. All I can do is circulate paperwork and try to feel like I'm not a hypocrite for working here.

Second, the system promotes not merely MEDIOCRITY, but actually promotes people who are dangerously incompetent. How does that work? TWO WORDS: SARAH PALIN. How did such a monumental idiot make Governor? Easy, she works in a system that promotes idiots. The dumber you are, the higher you go. Excessive and inappropriate religion, patriotism, and posturing will get you further in the government than a PhD.

Finally, the worst problem of US government, and it's not the idiots, it's not the bankers - and they're slimy idiots, and it's not the military - the brass leadership of which is absolutely neanderthal. No, the worst aspect of the US government is CONGRESS. It's congress which approves of all this stupidity, and in fact writes laws requiring most of it.

The dumbest people on the face of the Earth are also the most powerful: Senators. People who believe in flat Earth, made in six days, also are responsible for anything and everything that happens in America.

Is it any wonder that I want to leave?

America might be guilty of Assassination

America may have been directly involved in an Assassination plot of foreign leaders. The captured assassin Rigi has stated unequivocably that either or both Israel and the United States were paying for "hits."

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=126963§ionid=351020101

Internet Awards

There are a few types, the validity of which I'll leave up to you. Of course, the high-profile and highly visible "award" sites are commercially driven corporate efforts - as most Awards are, even the Oscars. Other, more specific awards, are driven by standards, performance, and achievements in the genre. The truest awards, in my not so humble opinion, is the cash award handed out by an anonymous individual, which is based upon a published criteria.

With that in mind, perhaps the greatest award with the highest transparency is "The Beacon". However, upon a quick read of that site one notices the very limited audience and participation. This is more of a "my home town" award.

The COOLEST award with any transparency at all, and with the HIGHEST participation of the public is The FWA.
http://www.thefwa.com/

After all, how many award sites would prominently display websites with F-bombs on them? This site is chock-full of humor, and on-target criticism of websites in general, and there are no sacred cows.

I've yet to see a better award site, even from commercial and wealthy sponsors, than the FWA. RECOMMENDED.




RE: (a sampling of random internet awards based on google ranking.)

Webby Awards are closed-source private-tallying awards handed out by a commercial entity.
http://www.webbyawards.com

The SXSW is an obvious commercial award site I'd never even heard of:
http://www.sxsw.com

Britain has its own Webby:
http://www.ispaawards.org.uk

Advertising Awards:
http://www.advertisingcompetition.org

Ethics of Climate Science - Reporting

It is ironic that papers and persons reviewing science and scientists do not hold themselves to the same standards of transparency that they demand from same. The Economist uses several "hot button" terms, words which were NOT used in the report, to damn and to inflame emotion regarding the 'climate data' fiasco.

I will not use the suffix -gate regarding the climate data leaked emails. That's asinine and not at all the same. "That's not what the word means." Watergate involved the violation of laws, and then a coverup of the violation of laws through yet another illegal act. The destruction of evidence was but the final step for Nixon.

Nothing like that happened here. In fact, more than 90% of the data was already released as public information.

The newspapers have spun this into a very emotion-driven, logically fallacious, and stupidly reported political issue. Why? Because NEWSPAPERS ARE CORPORATIONS, and corporations drive/pay/control politics.

The more scared and angry you are, the more you vote the way they want you to, and the less you complain about having your civil rights dissolved.

Good job America, good job at being suckers.

RE: http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15826384

things slowly go back the way they were...

I have one brief message today. TRY THIS.

http://code.google.com/p/youtube-html5-chrome/

Go to the plugin directory from Chrome and just search html5. Install it. Suddenly, youtube works like it never has before - clean, fast, and well.

I remember shocking the scientist Vince Cerf in the early 00's with my suggestion that he should promote and support HTML5 because I hated the poorly implemented XHTML B.S. and contradictory codes that were being abused by multiple browsers in the market dominance wars. HTML was sucky and still is, but version 5 cleans up a TON of problems. I threatened to release my own version of HTML5. He actually wrote back.

One thing it does is kick MSFT in the A$$. SGML is the patented basis for HTML, and that's something IBM invented in the freaking forties.

FORTIES, man. Think about it. IBM rocks, and never let anyone tell you differently. Best servers around apart from high-end specialty graphics systems by SONY, which partners with IBM by the way. PS3 Cell chip, anyone? Runs the fastest computers on the planet.

Anyway, I finally got flash replaced, since it doesn't even HAVE an installer for 64 bit OSes. No great loss. Viva la HTML5.

Microsoft stumble caught on film. Funny online.

MSFT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8463516.stm

On the same day that the big lawyer company admits to major, systemic, security failures in their flagship product, they turn around and admit that Windows Mobile is terrible. That's not exactly what they said, but it's what everyone heard. When you screw up at work, then blame the secretary for not answering the phone fast enough, everyone immediately knows that you fucked up. We all know what CYA is.

This is microsoft's CYA

http://www.crn.com/software/222301230;jsessionid=BSG522NSG1OQ3QE1GHPSKHWATMY32JVN

Yeah. Linux is behind the android, HTC, nexus one, and everything else important on the market in phones - including the iPhone. Yeah, and Mobile 7 is a year behind or so on the release schedule. So, how is linux falling behind again?

Hiring Film

Since I've started working with people in the movie industry in the 80s, I've seen no end of lies, bullsheep, and outright fraud in and around Hollywood. One of the worst industries is 'the agency' industry, a scam-filled hate festival populated by charlatans on a good day.

I've seen so many friends and acquaintances go to these actor and modelling agencies, be told that they're 'in consideration' for a part, but that they 'recommend' a model or photo class in order to 'be sure' to get the role. After 2000 dollars or more, no further mention of job offers materialize. They make money in only one way and that's by tricking people into paying for classes.

NO ACTOR on Earth has ever been in any film you've seen in any theater, who came from one of these agencies. That's not how it works.

NO actor, NO model, and NO talented staff should ever be required to pay even a penny. The entire point of being a model is that YOU are the one to get paid. REAL agencies take a percentage of your income. They do not require up-front fees, and although they may suggest a class or two - they will point you to a reputable state college. It's unlikely that an agent would accept you as a model AND suggest that you take classes. What the 'take a class' suggestion means is that you don't know what the hell you're doing and you have no natural talent.

DO NOT PAY UP FRONT. DO NOT PAY AT ALL, except as a percentage deducted from your earnings. Agents, scouts, managers, et al get paid on PERCENTAGE unless you're already a megastar. They may then want a salary on TOP of the percentage if you're a 'name actor' or 'name model' who's already been on Vogue or in several movies. That's not likely to be you or me.