toad in silicon valley

so i kinda like it here in the bay: it oozes variety, vibe, food, and culture. i love how little italy is across the street from chinatown (coffee and cake followed by yum cha?), and that even though the public transport is quite efficient and effective, bikes zip in and out of traffic. riders are duly respected: there is ample bike parking around the place, on buses, and on the trains. the people are just so friendly it throws me off a little, from the bus/tram drivers to shop assistants and locals on the street. i'm not used to courtesy.

off to silicon valley today to see what the mothership is up to, and on the morning commute in, you can tell that most work in the valley of si: there's a certain look and feel that seems to come hand in hand. after getting lost amongst the sandwiches of tech corp buildings, the mothership looks fun and pretty on the surface; but scratch the epidermis and it might bleed. i ask about the changing culture and it is indeed an growing hierarchy. but perhaps if it's fun enough it won't matter? gadgets and gidgets galore; the (unnervingly) happy people mingle in with the laundry, swimming pool, gym, cafes of free food, volleyball court, and soccer field. as nice as the folks are, it's an insular family. keep them comfortable to keep them in? people walk around with laptops as one would walk a pet dog...

i visit stanford to have a look see and am very impressed with their vibe (love the bikes!), and blown away by a book of > 200 pages of lecture notes on the fourier transform. delivered for a 2nd year subject, i doubt our 4th years could understand the depth of material; some of it is beyond me too. i can see what a difference a good institution can make: it's not just about how smart you are. tertiary education taught properly, combined with the innovative attitude of the folks on the mothership, is really refreshing and uplifting. on the mothership, to be allowed and encouraged to voice random ideas amongst intelligent people without automatically waiting for the 'lack of funding' or 'it's too hard' or 'i don't care' response, was an experience that occurs far too rarely for me. it's far too stagnant at home, intellectually and otherwise. that's extremely clear to me now.

back in the bay, i've been here less than 60 hours and i can hear that i sound different; i might actually be hearing my own accent! i've had to pick up a local accent so the locals can understand what i'm saying. hopefully the accent doesn't stick...

cattle branding

how and when did a tech company become a brand? why is it such a novelty, commanding girly shrieks of joy and a flurry of photos, to see big logos, t-shirts, pens, notebooks, or anything stamped with said brand? "oh it's so cool!" is the catchphrase that even i feel forced to emit just to maintain a semblance of (fake) enthusiasm for group inclusion (shame on me). but in reality, i'm unimpressed, uninspired, and even aghast: are you really this easily bought?

i'm here for the ideals, philosophy, and activism, not for the kudos and cute gadgets. i refuse to be branded. i refuse to participate in branding. people offered me a branded shirt for the photos: thanks but no thanks. is this not free advertising with not-so-subtle sales pitches thrown in? good intentions, yes, lovely people, yes, but i have to question the (corporate) kickbacks. do we return home as glorified salespeople unwittingly masqueraded as 'ambassadors'? very clever and cheap marketing, say my pessimism and cynicism.

if this were really about tech, we wouldn't just be discussing computers, and within that realm, only software. it's not all about programming! some people see this, some adamantly don't. the biggest chasm i see is a complete ignorance of hardware: without hardware, software does not exist. these mentalities and narrow-minded, boxed attitudes of some are what keeps our industry and its members dry and boring. how big is your world, really?

it's all about perspective: whilst you orgasm over the free food and games, the rest of the world continues to crash and burn. it is a big bubble here, where all creature comforts are provided for. the bubble sucks people in and keeps them comfortably engaged; no need to think too hard about about what they do (in a philosophical sense) versus what they could be doing with their intelligence and skills. the company culture attracts a certain type of person, which is probably why everyone seems to get along so well superficially (like the happy christians).

i feel more determined than ever to continue being an impractical idealist living in the big bad world; you cannot buy nor put blinders on me. but, maybe i'm analysing and thinking too much and i've just forgotten how to have fun. or maybe this isn't fun, maybe it's the price paid for selling my soul.

laptop $$$

i'd really like to understand how dell derive their pricing schedules:

inspirons in .au:


inspirons in .us:

15" products are comparably priced, and au doesn't even get the 14" model, but the latest inspirons in 9"and 13" form, are almost twice the price in au compared to the us! will the new inspirons drop in price over time in au i wonder...

update: this is what i have been looking for!
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ports/releases/hardy/release/

oh i am a happy nerd right now - why do they hide such things?!

seven or nine?

um, who the fuck cares about this kid's tantys?

shame on you fairfax, for emulating the daily telegraph. did you surreptitiously replace some decent journos (whilst on strike) with scabs pinched from seven and/or nine's trashy mags?

and, what is the mca up to these days? heads up? mine will stay down in the books, methinks.

i see red

oh why wasn't the red report my bedtime story two months ago?! looks good, but i find it all very contrary, to be honest: some high-ups at my institution are very involved in the reports and yet, it's notably difficult, from the bottom up perspective, to actually get accurate numbers of and information about casual academics at my institution.

it's encouraging and interesting that such a report has been commissioned at this time (in relation to enterprise bargaining) and even more intriguing that higher ed institutions are partaking in such studies but steadfastly refusing to actually do anything about the effects of increasingly casualised tertiary teaching. at street level it is very much hush-hush, with conditions and employment subject to the whims of each faculty, and the entire process is generally swept under the table (financially and otherwise).

this disparity between the clouds and the dirt was present before, during and continues after the report: i had a hand in reviewing my institution's draft casual academic policy late last year, and it was so ambiguous that it left us all ripe for abuse (most decisions were left at faculty level with no provision for policing!) . but at least they have a (voluntarily introduced) policy, and today my school passed it's own policy completely on the initiative of one staff member! so maybe things are looking up?

perhaps, but unfortunately, at the end of the day, it's the numbers, not policies (nor numbers of policies!) that do the talking. so until we get our hands on some numerical evidence it may prove difficult to change my institution's attitude towards and treatment of casual academics. maybe the statistical hardships are a 'feature' and perhaps a 'privilege' of my being at said institution but hey, i like a challenge. a thorn i shall continue to be...

recycled paper

just to get published at a local conference organised by the latest ass he has decided to pucker up to, my supervisor asked me to write up a quick paper today, and it doesn't even have to be remotely reasonable! in fact, he suggested that i just rehash one of my rejected papers, all of which i have mentally locked away in a cupboard and thrown away the key because they are fundamentally flawed in some way. and, this all happened in the staff tea room, for all and sundry to witness and hear; these whisperings are not clandestine!

fuck. i need get out of here. the phrase blatantly unethical comes to mind but i can't be bothered fighting weak (black) sheep.