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kewp
ParticipantI think there can be a middle ground.
I live in Hillcrest, take a free shuttle to UCSD (for work) and walk most places. I still have a car for errands and road trips. A tank of gas lasts me about six to eight weeks.
Looking towards the future I think I could manage a long commute with one of these babies…
February 17, 2007 at 11:24 AM in reply to: How will the IT community handle the coming housing crash/recession? #45697ParticipantJust a comment re: a CompSci education.
I’ll advice against it unless you love math and have an extremely solid work/study ethic. Especially if you go to UCSD, it is a *brutal* program. If I went back to school now full time I’m not sure I would be able to complete it, even with 10+ years experience under my belt.
Something to consider is to get one of the lighter weight degrees, or major is something you like (art, music, history) and get the compsci minor. Its better to finish with something than to not finish at all. Take advantage of the extra free time and work on some side projects.
Participant“Why would you dismiss evidence disproving AGW? You and I shouldn’t be the ones to have to convince each other (although it’s noble to try). What society needs are truly impartial scientists, funded fairly, who *haven’t* staked their reputations on the outcome. Science over superstition is always a good thing.”
Boggle.
I’ve worked at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, where a fair amount AGW research is done. The funding comes from a multitude of different sources, both public and private. The scientists have no vested interest, one way or the other, in the outcome of their work. In fact, it would be historic if anyone can conclusively prove that AGW is a farce.
Unfortunately for us, the best current scientific evidence does not indicate this.
Anyways, I have a question for you, futureSDperson. Do you consider offering $10K cash awards to anyone that will dismiss scientifically determined results a good method to discover the truth? Discuss.
Scientists offered cash to dispute climate study
Ian Sample, science correspondent
Friday February 2, 2007
The GuardianScientists and economists have been offered $10,000 each by a lobby group funded by one of the world’s largest oil companies to undermine a major climate change report due to be published today.
Letters sent by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), an ExxonMobil-funded thinktank with close links to the Bush administration, offered the payments for articles that emphasise the shortcomings of a report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
ParticipantUm, no? When a renter moves, they don’t have to find someone else to buy their lease!
ParticipantThe Causes of 20th Century Warming
Francis W. Zwiers and Andrew J. WeaverGlobal air surface temperatures increased by about 0.6°C during the 20th century, but as Zwiers and Weaver discuss in their Perspective, the warming was not continuous. Two distinct periods of warming, from 1910 to 1945 and since 1976, were separated by a period of very gradual cooling. The authors highlight the work by Stott et al., who have performed the most comprehensive simulation of 20th century climate to date. The agreement between observed and simulated temperature variations strongly suggests that forcing from anthropogenic activities, moderated by variations in solar and volcanic forcing, has been the main driver of climate change during the past century.
Science 15 December 2000:
Vol. 290. no. 5499, pp. 2081 – 2083
DOI: 10.1126/science.290.5499.2081ParticipantCsr, great post!
sdnativeson:
“Kewp, was it you who brought up quantum chromodynamics? For a simple person (me), will you explain how that impacts global warming?”
If you want to get beyond mere experimental verification that carbon dioxide is a green house gas (check for yourself), then you need to get into quantum physics. It comes down to photons and baryons interacting, after all.
If you are interested in experimental evidence of the GHG potential of carbon dioxide, here is a secondary school type experiment to get you pointed in the right direction:
http://www.chemsoc.org/networks/LearnNet/jesei/co2green/home.htm
ParticipantHey why don’t you throw this out?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2004399,00.html
An Exxon-Mobil funded think tank offers $10K to any scientist or economist that will challenge the IPCC’s latest report.
Why don’t they just come up with better science, instead of resorting to bribes?
February 16, 2007 at 6:34 PM in reply to: How will the IT community handle the coming housing crash/recession? #45661Participant“umm…yes. I work in IT for a Fortune 200. Our entire security framework was developed in India. We layed off a bunch of US developers last year and hiring more in India.”
Thanks for proving my point about perception! I’m in the public sector and out-sourcing is a non-issue. But who knows, maybe in the future american universities will just be lecture halls with screens showing canned content from cheap overseas faculty!
Yeah I don’t get paid as much, but the job security plus bennies is rapidly becoming priceless. If the economy tanks, only moreso.
Lots of high-paying IT security gigs require top secret clearance as well, which isn’t easily available to foreign nationals.
The trick is to either get in a position that *can’t* be outsourced, or get high enough up that you are managing the foreign talent. This is zero-sum game over the long term anyway, as more companies off-shore IT it will drive up the cost of foreign labor.
ParticipantWow, futureSDguy, I am actually impressed.
I’ve never seen more mis-information in one post in my lifetime. You should consider a career with the Bush administration.
“Climate scientists tend to be poor physicists. I could not find any material that shows laboratory demonstrations of CO2 reflection. In fact, electromagnetic radiation of all kinds reflect through colorless materials when there is a phase transition, i.e. gas-to-solid. That’s why clouds (water vapor) act as a green house gas.”
Wow. Just wow.
You have completely contradicted the entire field of quantum chromodynamics. I expect your nobel prize in physics is forthcoming? This is sarcasm, btw.
ParticipantWell, I think this is somewhat on-topic for this board. After all, take a look at New Orleans/Florida and see what environmental catastrophe can to do to real estate!
Heck, look here. Remember the fires of years past? Global warming means longer, drier summers and a higher overall risk of this.
Our coastal development is entirely dependent on the status quo, even a small rise in ocean levels is going to seriously damage many communities.
Something that doesn’t get brought up enough in this debate is our water sources. SD is relies on the Colorado river, which in turn is fed by winter ice pack. Which is declining, year after year.
February 16, 2007 at 3:13 PM in reply to: How will the IT community handle the coming housing crash/recession? #45638ParticipantAh, a subject I can comment on from actual experience!
First of all, everyone in IT’s perception is colored by their environment. I’m sure there are plenty of bitter ex dot-bombers waiting tables in SD, but a bay area googler probably has a diff. perspective.
My personal take is there will *always* be a demand for IT folks that either have a solid formal education or a proven track record, combined with a passion for high technology. A combination of both is golden. This all takes alot of work, however.
The folks that are hurting are the ones that went to some degree mill, got some certs and then wonder why they are first to get let go when there is downturn. The answer is that they are the most expendable, as well as the easiest to replace. I’ve also seen people with good educations that over-specialized get hit. Lotta java programmers for example.
Regarding outsourcing, yeah its an issue, but lots of stuff is going to have to stay domestic. IT Security, for example. You really think companies are going to send that overseas? For many government and related institutions, its not even an option. This is my current gig and I love it, fun, challenging, I can telecommute, choose my own hours and dress like a rockstar. I’m planning on sitting out the downturn under university employ, as its fairly recession proof.
So, in a nutshell, my advice is that if you have a passion for it and/or are planning to get the relevant education, go for it. If you think you can go to Coleman college for 9 months, get a cirt and make six figures, you are going to probably be disappointed.
ParticipantMy advice, don’t go to UCSD (at least not yet), work there!
The UC system is fairly notorious for not paying competitively (UCSD particularly), which you can use to your advantage. They have a hard time attracting the top talent, so often you can get in without the degree/experience that are required in the private sector.
Its a great campus and there are tons of fringe benefits, for example, if you live in/near Hillcrest you can take a free shuttle to upper campus! Thats worth 10k a year to me! Plus they offer flextime, telecommuting, decent vegan food on campus… tons of perks.
Some tips if you are interested…
Salt your resume with keywords from the job posting. The first round of review is automated.
Negotiate the highest salary you can when you come in, as raises are few and far between. Plan on changing jobs instead of promotions.
No need to work overtime, so consider getting a side gig/hobby that can generate some extra revenue.
ParticipantHehe, my personal feelings is that we are going to see sales rise as prices fall.
Once folks figure out the only way to sell is to undercut the competition, the prices are gonna sink like a stone.
ParticipantThere are always going to be buyers, even in a down (and still overpriced) market. As long as one can afford it, who’s to judge how anyone spends their money.
It’s important to keep in mind this ball as just started rolling and the toxic loans still have a long fuse on them.
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