emontero1

I watched the ad a couple of days ago and couldn't help but wonder: what in the world is wrong with Microsoft?! For a company with vast financial resources available (in 2008, cash reserves, short-term investments and cash equivalents totaled $20 billion), MS has been fumbling royally with their ad campaigns recently. Seinfeld, anyone? Unbelievable.

As with most things in life, too much of anything is generally a bad thing. If one constantly lives in the moment, forsaking entirely the idea of a future and its implications, then the chances of amounting to anything in life are greatly reduced, since the ability to look forward and hope for a better reality are tightly entwined with the concept of planning. How can one develop both personally and professionally without looking ahead? On the other hand, if one concentrates exclusively on the future, neglecting the minutiae of everyday life, one will, invariably, miss life altogether. I think it's just a matter of perspective. Balance is key.

I agree. Mr LaRusso confirmed so himself. The current ill-conceived system deserves more attention than Jobs.

If anything, this just reinforces the iPhone's popularity. Let's think about it. What are copycats and cheap knockoffs really doing to Apple's brand? They're paying homage. That's all they're doing.

As someone who's worked closely with Indian developers for the past 3 years, I can corroborate several of the statements above. My teammates and I were usually spellbound by the acronym-laden resumes of some Indian developers. "Wow, this guy must be really good! Look at his credentials, dude!", I used to say frequently. Reality, however, sinks in rather quickly. More often than not, the "super star" ended up turning in subpar code, working a bazillion hours a week and, still, missing deadlines and estimates by ample marks. It was all very confusing at first. I understand fully now.

I'm not saying there aren't excellent Indian developers. I've also met a few of those. Alas, those are not the majority.

I'm not sure if this would qualify as my first job, but here I go: I used to run errands for my cousin at his car shop when I was 10-11 years old. I did a bit of everything: cleaning, moving/relocating car parts, and even painting at times. I used to get a tad more than $1 dollar a day, sometimes even less.

My first (second?) "real" job, however, was vastly more suitable for what would later become my passion in life: non-linear editor (yes, that was the official title). I was 18 when I landed the position. I was basically editing the news for a local TV channel in Dominican Republic. I was using a digital, Leitch editing panel attached to a PC running Windows NT. The paid was roughly $100 dollars a month. I've never wanted to work in anything that does not involve a computer ever since.

As a foreigner in the US about to finish a MS degree in IT and travel back home, I find Friedman's words apropos. The limitation on H-1B visas does more harm than good. I've met many young, intelligent knowledge workers about to get their advanced degrees who, unfortunately, find themselves unable to stay in this country because of visa restrictions. Sending those brains back home is a mistake. A new approach is required if the US veritably wants to foster innovation and entrepreneurship.

Thanks, bavcyc! I'm also looking a bit at Steve Jobs (presentation skills) and Obama (diction, tone and speed). Good stuff!

Thank you so much, fburnaby!