Thoughts

So, today was supposed to be my last day at The MathWorks. It is not to be though. In what may end being a poor decision, I decided yet again to accept a job offer for a part time position during school. We’ll see how it works out… I guess I’ll continue with contract and trademark work. The MathWorks is a great company (the company that makes MATLAB and Simulink), I just hope I have enough time for the position to be worthwhile, without sacrificing too much from school.

In other work related news, after 7 years, 9 months, I was laid off by IBM last week.  So ends a very large portion of my life.  That company  was very good to me, but had become stale… and everyone feared being laid off.  That was not a fun environment, towards the end.

No, I haven’t decided to sue the gaming industry for making me kill people, or something of that nature. But every time I sit down to play a game for a few minutes, I look at the clock a bit later and I’ve been playing for 2 hours. Hmm, maybe I can sue the gaming industry for lack of sleep. Or forcing me to neglect my responsibilities.

My latest is Battlefield 2. I decided this past weekend to resurrect my old P4 2.4 system, which is the only system I had that had a graphics card of any note in it (Radeon 9500 Pro 128). Unfortunately, that graphics card was busted. So I stupidly bought a new one (Radeon X1650 512). Bad idea… I then thought since I had a new graphics card, I needed some new games. So now I have Galactic Civilizations II (Decent, but it has a ways to g0. For instance, why is there no battle strategy) and Battlefield 2 (plus 2 expansions for it). It has reminded me how long it has been since I’ve played a game - I suck at BF2.

In an admittedly controversial article & “blog” posting on the New York Times, the author(s) claims that young women in New York City now make more than their male counterparts. Perhaps as much of 117% of mens wages.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/nyregion/03women.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://news.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/for-young-earners-in-big-city-gap-shifts-in-womens-favor/

Commentators are quick to point out that this applies only to young women. After that, there’s many & varied opinions.

Some of my favorites:

• It is important to note that this data is dealing only with young women. Once those women choose to have children, they will face significant discrimination in employment and wages.

  — Posted by Patricia K.

Thanks Patricia. You mean that if you aren’t working, then you come back to the workforce, you aren’t going to be in the same position as someone that has been working the whole time? This doesn’t sound like discrimination to me - it sounds like companies allotting their resources to where they are best used.

New York, Chicago and San Francisco have become so hostile to white men that any rational educated white men will choose to work elsewhere I am sure.

— Posted by Amsterdamsky

While I’m not sure how rational this comment is, it is a good point - but not just for those cities. How often do you hear about how much we need to do to help the woman, the minority, the disabled, the whatever. How often do you hear that we need to help the white man?

Re: David (4),

“Working towards gender equality within the workplace now involves changing the culture of the workplace so that equality of pay is not the only measure of gender equality”

In my office, women get 8 weeks paid vacation if they decide to have a baby. Men can get 1 week. Where is the equality in that?

— Posted by Paula

No comment on this one necessary.

Dirty little secret: Women have enjoyed many advantages from the “old boy network” and in many cases have been the agent most resistant to cracking the “glass ceiling.” After all, if your number 1 priority is to marry a bread winner,live in luxury and not work the rest of your life, the exploited bread winner better be baking. If they now want to make as much or more as men but still have the same expectations re: their eventual life of leisure when they get around to it, then something’s got to, or at least should, give.

— Posted by chris

Very interesting take on it, really. I’ve heard it before, but I think it’s an argument that most people can’t wrap their brains around. I’ll tell you one thing though: my girlfriend would love this argument. And I’m not saying that sarcastically.

And finally, the best comment of them all:

Good.
Now SHE can take ME out for a date.
Now SHE can buy the diamond ring, pay the mortgage, pay for the groceries, and buy the car.

— Posted by Orange