Here's a new "business model" for historians and academics: wait for a popular novel which addresses some of the material from your professional life, see if it sells well, then sue the author for "plagiarism".

We didn't used to call these kinds of ploys "business models". We used to call them "shakedowns".

A historian accuses The Da Vinci Code author of plagiarism, days after a similar claim was rejected.

(link) [BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition]

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 23:00 /Copywrongs | 0 writebacks | permanent link

Welcome back from your coma!

Some were sent away for being too profane, others for making snide comments at inopportune times. Now the greeting cards that never made it to the stores hang solemnly on a wall at Hallmark Cards Inc.

(link) [CNN]

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 23:00 /Humor | 0 writebacks | permanent link

Hilarious look at a problem common to males in Western culture: do you look like you've got hip tumors?

Portable gadgets are tons of fun, but hauling all those gizmos poses a style and comfort conundrum. Luckily, some contraptions let real men tote their gear without jeopardizing their masculinity. Commentary by Lore Sjöberg.

(link) [Wired News: Top Stories]

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 23:00 /Humor | 4 writebacks | permanent link

No doubt: you can stay up all night, night after night, trying to meet impossible deadlines set by clueless marketing people. You get to work 80 or 90 hours a week during "Death Marches", but of course, you're on salary, so your pay remains constant. It is good pay, usually, but you end up with very little time to enjoy it.

Oh, and did I mention the constant, unspoken threat to off shore your gig unless you perform "to standards"? In a field where there are none? And don't forget the restrictive "non-compete" and "non-disclosure" agreements that make you a virtual slave to the company.

Telecommuting? That means you get no boundaries at all between your work and your life: and you'd better like living your life indoors in front of a terminal.

I'm making a little less than a third of what I made as a prima donna software guru. But I'm three times happier.

CNNMoney and Salary.com have ranked the title of Software Engineer the best job in America. Computer IT Analyst also ranks 7th on the list, placing both technology positions in the top 10. From the article: "Designing, developing and testing computer programs requires some pretty advanced math skills and creative problem-solving ability. If you've got them, though, you can work and live where you want: Telecommuting is quickly becoming widespread."

(link) [Slashdot]

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 23:00 /Technology | 0 writebacks | permanent link