Management
Mismanagement at Planned Parenthood
Is there anyone left who truly believes that Planned Parenthood is a great civic community service? Even if you aren’t prolife and opposed to abortion, you’d have to be a blind follower to keep defending Planned Parenthood in this day and age.
As you may know, in many areas across the country, the gloves have come off in dealing with Planned Parenthood and its misguided minions. Planned Parenthood, like many abortion clinics, is so desperate for profits they have spent a half-century lying and covering up its many illegal and unethical actions.
Dumb Job Ads: Web Developer Job Opportunity
Just when I thought the dumb job ads had maybe disappeared, this little gem appeared in my inbox, courtesy of Mark and Deepa Toomey at Sarastaff Employment Services in Sarasota, Florida.
I almost hate to out someone who’s careless enough to use software to scan profiles and resumes, bombarding email inboxes, but fail to note that I’ve quite clearly indicated no interest in moving across the state of Florida. Yes, I almost hate to do it. But when the job itself is written so, well, dumb, then you just have to share it with everyone.
St. Lucie Clerk of Courts: We ain’t got no internet
It’s 2008. Really. But if you live in St. Lucie County, you might not know that.
I just had to pay a speeding ticket I received sometime ago (thanks FHP!). Apparently, “sometime ago” should not be much longer than 30 days. Else you get a nasty letter from the State of Florida. The patrolman who wrote the ticket was nicer than the letter I got from the Department of Motor Vehicles - and he had a gun.
So, I called today to pay the ticket. Over the phone. Big mistake.
What I Will Do if Microsoft Buys Yahoo
The impending Microsoft hostile takeover of Yahoo is getting under my skin. Not since the HP-Compaq merger has there been such a more useless waste of human energy and money.
What’s difficult for me to swallow is that Yahoo shareholders may eventually vote for this. These are the same sorts of people who are always looking to trade away good players on sports teams for the hope and speculation that some future drafted player will be the savior of the franchise. Rarely do such wishes come true in sports - and even more rarely do they in business. It seems that no one believes in building anymore, in staying the course, in commitment.
Dumb Job Ads: Code Ninja & DBAs Needed at IZEA
Izea, the newly formed “cover” company for Ted Murphy’s controversial PayPerPost posted this little ditty (repeated below) on Craigslist yesterday. The company continues to denigrate the very people that work for them by their use of such terms like “code ninja” and speaking down to them as if they are all GeekSquad, World of Warcraft players in need of some righteous job. Previously, they’ve referred to their workers as “code monkeys”. Apparently, the one thing you can never be at PayPerPost is a “developer” or “software engineer”. Nope. Monkey and Ninja is it. Expect to be paid like a monkey and treated like one, too.
Hertz Survey Flawed
[See March 5, 2008 Update below]
Are companies ever going to “get it”? I like Hertz. But, boy this email I got from Joseph Nothwang, made me really wonder whether they have a clue. He claims to be the “executive vice-president and president of vehicle rental and leasing for the Americas and the Pacific”. Huh? Is that the most ridiculous and overly lofty title you’ve ever heard? How can you be the Executive Vice-President and the President at the same time? I’m not sure I even want to know. What irritated me most about his title is that Hertz apparently dumps the good ol’ U.S. of A. in with all the other “Americas”. What? Is the USA just a mere player in “the Americas”? Hey Hertz! Don’t send me email like this from your stinkin’ globalist department. I’m not part of your one-world NAFTA thinking.
Cnet predicts demise of Circuit City before Best Buy
Earlier this month, I wrote why I think Best Buy will soon follow CompUSA into the retail deadpool. Not even two weeks later, Cnet has written a piece entitled “Is Circuit City in Danger?” The piece makes the excellent argument that, if anyone is going to take the plunge into bankruptcy next, it will be Circuit City over Best Buy.
I don’t retract my prediction, but I fully agree with author Don Reisinger when he says, “Simply put, why shop at Circuit City if you can go to the Best Buy down the street?”.
Why the need for part-time Web developers?
I keep seeing ads here and there for “part-time web developers”. I have to confess my ignorance, but I don’t understand these advertisements. Is there a website to develop or not? If so, isn’t it to the client’s benefit that the website be done as quickly as possible?
If a website were a building construction project, what would you think about everyone being asked to work part-time? In the end, the project will still cost the same (since everyone is paid hourly), but it will just take a lot longer now.
Prediction: Blockbuster Bites the Dust
I’m not a member of NetFlix. Nor Amazon, Walmart, or any other online video rental service. In fact, I’m technically still a Blockbuster member. But only the in-store membership. And yet, I’m convinced that 2008 could be the last year Blockbuster survives.
Already, Blockbuster is toying with kiosk ideas, trying to figure out its way, and some analysts point to Netflix’s success as directly creating some of Blockbuster’s misery.
But I don’t think so. Here’s why Blockbuster will leave the country littered with vacant video stores.
Dumb Job Ads: Graphics/Dreamweaver/Programmer 17-40 $/hr
I almost find this one impossible to believe. Do the people who wrote this ad have any contact with humans? Do they meet people, listen to their opinions, or wonder how this job ad might be taken by actual people in the real world? I’m thinking…. no.
Valve company in Florida is actively seeking a graphics designer. Qualified candidates should have 3-5 years experience developing corporate marketing collateral, web page content, web ads, multimedia demos and sales presentations. Required experience in Flash design, HTML, PHP, and Apex. Previous experience using Fox Pro a plus but not required. Company offers a competitive salary, excellent benefits including a cafeteria plan. Salary listed is an approximation, so all eligible candidates are encouraged to apply.
Questions you will be asked:
Best Buy will probably follow CompUSA into Outer Darkness
Much hullabaloo has been made of the supposed ’shocking’ news that CompUSA was closing all its stores and officially going out of business. To quote Jane’s Addiction, “Nothing’s Shocking”.
I wrote a complaint letter to CompUSA several years ago before they closed their Melbourne store (along with dozens of others) to let them know about the shenanigans going on at that store. In it, I discussed nearly every pitfall and problem that the store had, and what they needed to do to turn it around. I wish, for the life of me, I could find that letter, but I think it was on a laptop whose hard drive I since reformatted. I had virtually predicted its inevitable decline and, yes, I would like credit for that now that they have been crushed under the weight of their stupidity.
Dumb Job Ads: Two Crazy Craigslist Ads
Craigslist is so full of bad ads that I’m trying to avoid using them as fodder for my little series on Dumb Job Ads.
But today, two of them struck at once. It was like being confronted by that dual lightsaber thing that Darth Maul use: I couldn’t go left, I couldn’t go right. Stuck.
Here’s the first one:
Internet Hacker/ web promoter needed
I need a person that is very good with driving traffic to website. I am not so much concerned about how my websites look, but about it making money.
Will work out deal depending on your capabilities.
Dumb Job Ads: Web Deigner (short internship)
Yes, the spelling of designer as “deigner” should be a head’s up. Along with the spelling of candidates as “candidadates”.
I don’t know when America is going to get serious about allowing anyone, even a freelancer, to work for free. It should be illegal. Some companies in California are now conducting two and three day “trial” work periods. Candidates don’t get paid, but they do work. While I’d argue that phony interviews due to failed pre-screenings and unprepared interviewers should be compensated, I certainly think that once an employee (or “candidate”) begins any actual work that in any way benefits the company, they should be compensated accordingly.
Dumb Job Ads: Web Developer!
Hold on to your punctuation hats and watch out for flying exclamation points. You’re sure to be excited by this dumb job ad:
TRIAD Personnel is currently seeking a creative web developer to join a great company in the Melbourne area! We are looking for someone with multimedia web software knowledge (Macromedia and Adobe applications). Candidate must also have strong knowledge of ASP and PHP as well as in a .NET environment including ASP/VB, JavaScript, XML, MySQL and database design principles. Candidate will be a liaison between IT and Marketing departments and other teams to ensure web content and design is effective. If you meet this qualifications and want to work with a great team, please send us your resume for IMMEDIATE consideration. Thank you!
Dumb Job Ads: .NET Web Developer / Foosball Champion
I’m not making this up. And I’m not seeking these out as much as you might think for three in four days. A friend sent this to me when he stumbled upon it on the Miami Craigslist here. It is a doozy, so be sure you have taken your proper dose of medication before reading it.
ichameleon/group/ develops innovative, high profile websites and applications that fuse video, audio and flash media for our clients. At least that’s our cover. We’re really secret foosball junkies.
