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Comment The absolute end of surface privacy (Score 1) 83

by smkndrkn (#63107164) Attached to: SpaceX Unveils 'Starshield,' a Military Variation of Starlink Satellites

I was a beta tester for Starlink and just canceled my service after about 18 months due to quality of service. I love the idea of sat internet for the world but it's real purpose is 100% military. Providing internet to to war zones, and you and I, are a nice side-effect of that purpose.

Submission + - From Google to Yahoo, Tech Grapples With White Male Discontent (bloomberg.com)

Submitted by joshtops
joshtops writes: Google isn’t the only Silicon Valley employer being accused of hostility to white men. Yahoo! Inc. and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. were already fighting discrimination lawsuits brought by white men before Google engineer James Damore ignited a firestorm — and got himself fired — with an internal memo criticizing the company’s diversity efforts and claiming women are biologically less suited than men to be engineers. The Yahoo case began last year when two men sued, claiming they’d been unfairly fired after managers allegedly manipulated performance evaluations to favor women. They claim Marissa Mayer approved the review process and was involved in their terminations, and last month a judge ordered the former chief executive be deposed. TCS, meanwhile, is fighting three men who claim the Mumbai-based firm discriminates against non-Indians at its U.S. offices. A growing backlash against diversity advocates has gained momentum with the election of Donald Trump and his embrace of right-wing media figures including Steve Bannon, who ran Breitbart News until joining Trump’s presidential campaign. Trump has ordered a review of affirmative action policies in higher education, proposed banning transgender people in the military and advocated curbing immigration of non-English speakers to the delight of conservatives who say they’ve been muzzled by liberals.

Comment Re:I have one (Score 1) 300

by smkndrkn (#54057867) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: What Is Your Horrible IT Boss Story?

I took a week off to purchase a house about 6-7 months prior and that was all. I also used vacation time for my friend's funeral.

There are a lot of stories just from this particular gentleman so this was the final straw.

My job just previous was Manager of Operations for a company purchased by IBM. I managed a team of 7 folks and we kicked ass as a group. I don't consider myself a bad employee and have never been terminated for any reason and get pretty good reviews.

Sometimes you just get stuck with a prick and the best thing to do is hit the eject button and work for someone who respects you and appreciates your hard work.

Comment I have one (Score 1) 300

by smkndrkn (#54057743) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: What Is Your Horrible IT Boss Story?

I have a ton of these stories after being in the industry for 21 years but I'll share a recent one from a few years ago.

I left a large organization after my retention ran out and joined a Startup based out of southern New Hampshire. About 8-9 months into my job my best friend was hit by a car and killed. When I say my best friend, I'm talking about a guy that came over my house 3-4 days a week after work to hang out. I loved this guy as much as family.

I informed my boss that I needed to take a few days off to help get his "matters" in order and help plan the funeral. He gave me the time off. After two days I realized I was going to need some more time to help finalize everything and asked for a couple more days off. He never responded to my email or phone call. I took the time off. When I returned to work after 4-5 business days off. His comment to me was: "OH! you finally decided to show up"

I set up a meeting with the CEO and quit on the spot and informed that I had no job lined up and would continue until I found one, or I could walk right then. They kept me on for about 3 weeks while I found a new job.

I hear he re-retired about a year after I left.

Submission + - Comcast Raises Controversial 'Broadcast TV' and 'Sports' Fees $48 Per Year (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Comcast's latest price hikes include a significant increase in the company's widely despised "Broadcast TV" and "Regional Sports Network" fees. The Broadcast TV fee is moving from $5 a month to $7 a month, while the Regional Sports Network fee is rising from $3 a month to $5 a month, according to notices sent to customers in several cities. Combined, that's a change from $8 to $12 a month, giving Comcast an extra $48 a year from each customer that has to pay the fees. Comcast began charging these fees a few years ago, which have risen quickly. Just over a year ago, Comcast raised the Broadcast TV fee from $3 to $5 and the Regional Sports fee from $1 to $3. The two fees have thus gone from $4 to $12, combined, in little more than a year. Comcast customers recently sued the company, saying that Comcast falsely advertises lower-than-actual prices and then raises rates by tacking on these two fees. Comcast falsely portrays these fees as being required by the government, the proposed class action lawsuit said. Charter is facing a similar lawsuit. Comcast says the fees recover a portion of the price it pays broadcast networks and regional sports networks to air their content. But paying for programming is simply part of the cost of doing business as a cable TV provider, and programming costs have always been passed on to consumers in their cable TV bills. By charging fees separately from basic rates, "Comcast has found a way to secretly and repeatedly increase the monthly price it charges for its channel packages" even when customers are supposed to be getting a flat rate during a contract term, the lawsuit said. The Broadcast TV fee was introduced in 2014, initially as $1.50 a month, and the Regional Sports fee was added in 2015 at $1 a month. Comcast charges the sports fee even though it owns many of the regional sports networks that broadcast sporting events in local markets. The price increases were reported by TVPredictions and DSLReports, and customers have been posting letters they received from Comcast detailing the price changes.

Comment Re: Clintons have killed tons of people (Score 2, Insightful) 706

by smkndrkn (#52681465) Attached to: Assange Implies Murdered DNC Staffer Was WikiLeaks' Source

What's wrong with attacking the messenger? Are we supposed to believe every moron that comes along just because the moron is a "messenger"? If a conspiracy theorist comes along and claims the moon landing was a hoax then you attack both the message and messenger.

So they're a moron for linking a website and mentioning a very popular theory? Not sure how this gets voted insightful. The idea that powerful people, especially this particular pair, might be wrapped up in murders is certainly not moronic. You sir are a cunt.

Comment Good luck fellas (Score 1) 558

by smkndrkn (#43863143) Attached to: 'Smart Gun' Firm Wants You To Fund Its Prototype

I won't be contributing.

All this will do is add a piece of technology that is more prone to breakage than the gun itself. One purpose of the weapon is to defend yourself, almost always, quickly. The last damned thing I want on my gun is another locking mechanism that could fail when I need it most.

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