October 24, 2003

Badgy fiddlers, funambulists & qwylwryghtes
Posted by dwong@bostonworks.com">Dean Wong at 9:39 AM -

Had you been alive 200 years ago, you might have heard yourself telling the local Belhoste (tavern keeper) between quaffs of mead, that you earn your keep as one of these antiquated names for occupations.

Via Metafilter.

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Take back your time
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 9:04 AM -

Today is national "Take Back Your Time" day.

TAKE BACK YOUR TIME DAY is a nationwide initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, our families and relationships, our communities and our environment.

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October 23, 2003

Are we there yet?
Posted by noseworthy@bostonworks.com">Nicole Noseworthy at 3:02 PM -

There is some interesting economic/job market news in the Oct. 27, 2003 issue of BusinessWeek. While we've been hearing for several months that the market has hit bottom and we should be in a job market upswing, many have been asking "so where are the jobs?" The BusinessWeek article "Jobs: The Turning Point is Here" examines the discrepancy between the growing economy numbers and the weak job market:

Economists predict the Commerce Dept. will announce on Oct. 30 that gross domestic product grew in the third quarter.... Job growth, however, has been the missing link. Although the U.S. economy created a modest 57,000 jobs in September, it lost jobs in the third quarter as a whole. In fact, the third quarter was a spectacular anomaly: the only time in at least 40 years in which the economy actually shed jobs while growing at a rate of 5.5% or better.

The article indicates that the strength of the job market recovery will be dependent not only on a strong increase in demand for new supplies but also innovation resulting in new industries:

How strong will the job recovery be? It's hard to tell, because more than ever before, employment growth comes from the creation of brand-new jobs. Creating work from scratch takes considerably longer than rehiring people to old ones.... Employment won't really go gangbusters until innovation spawns new industries.

Additional pieces of interest linked to this article are:
A Bit More for the Coffers
Commentary: All the World's a Call Center

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The Case for Coolie Labor
Posted by awhig@yahoo.com">Richard Cook at 10:13 AM -

More comments on tech outsourcing and the pressures companies face to be competitive.

"'We need to focus on long-term strategies and not short-term protectionism,' said Chris Israel, deputy assistant secretary of commerce for technology policy. 'Companies need to be competitive, strong and growing -- at the end of the day, these are the most important issues.'"

Wired News: The Case for Coolie Labor

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How to get a job making video games
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 9:32 AM -

Here's a review from the Globe of a new book titled Break Into the Game Industry: How to get a Job Making Video Games. The book is written by game industry veteran Ernest Adams:

Q. Who did you write the book for?

A. I'm not a career counselor; I'm a game developer. It's definitely not written for the veteran. It's for newbies. It's for people who just think video games are incredibly cool. You play games and it just makes people want to make them. It's for people who have that dream.

For more on the video game industry and its Boston roots, read Scott Kirsner's latest "At Large"column.

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Job fits no description
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 9:21 AM -

I'm having a hard time letting this one go - and I'm betting a few others are, too. So here's a little more on being a manager in big league baseball, and specifically being the manager of the Old Towne Team:

I can't remember the last time anyone in New England examined the role of a big-league manager. Can you?

Oh, have a little fun. It's a joke

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That's the beauty of the job. If you're lucky enough to get it, one thing you have to accept -- depending on the market -- is that you're going to be studied and questioned and doubted. The observation is going to be constant and it's not always going to be fair or informed.

Want some more? Here you go from today's Globe - the latest from Grady on job security and his thoughts about his future with the Red Sox.

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How towns react to job losses
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 9:01 AM -

Here's an interesting article from this morning's Globe about how different towns react to factory-job losses.

Over time, it is possible to replace the lost jobs and create a successful new economy. But as the experience of Pittsfield demonstrates, not everyone or every place will be able to make the leap. Between 1980 and 2000, when the latest downturn began, Massachusetts shed 236,000 manufacturing jobs, but still ended the period with 669,000 more jobs. The new jobs were not all low-paying service positions. In the Boston area, in particular, good new jobs were added in high technology, healthcare, finance, and a range of professional services, from consulting to law.

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October 22, 2003

Barrett slams California leadership from News.com
Posted by awhig@yahoo.com">Richard Cook at 10:48 AM -

Intel CEO Craig Barrett blames 20 years of mismanaged government in California for forcing Intel and other high tech companies to leave California. He goes on to question how the U.S. will compete with the 250-500 million highly educated workers in India, China and Russia.

"All this talk of offshoring (moving high-tech jobs to lower-wage countries) is interesting, but it's a microcosm of the larger issue of how the U.S. will compete" in a global economy, Barrett told an audience of 6,000 corporate technology buyers.

Barrett slams California leadership

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Fearing the brain drain
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 10:43 AM -

The Boston Globe discusses a report from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce on how 50% of those who graduate from area institutions leave the state.

The report concluded 20 percent of the graduates -- 2,100 were polled -- would have left anyway. But the other 80 percent might have stayed if the Boston area offered more job opportunities, rents and home prices that are more affordable, and a more diverse and vibrant atmosphere, the study said.

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October 20, 2003

Low moments in employment history
Posted by dwong@bostonworks.com">Dean Wong at 10:53 AM -

Blatant disclaimer: Hi. My name's Dean and I'm a Sox fan (All: "Hi, Dean, welcome to Soxaholics Anonymous") and I am in no way an apologist for Grady's appalling Game 7 decision. So please spare me the flames when I say that I find some merit in Globe Sports writer Michael Holley's assessment that calls for Grady's ouster may be jumping the shark.

By this I'm saying who among us -- who do our jobs and do them flawlessly, often beyond expectation 98.5 percent of the time -- can honesty say they never, ever made at least one embarassing or costly mistake on the job? We are human, ergo, we are designed specifically to make stupid decisions that result in disasterous consequences especially, when it counts the most.

The Globe's reporting that a decision on Grady's job won't happen until after the World Series.

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Better living through chemistry
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 9:44 AM -

Evolutionary biologist Zack Lynch predicts that mental health is the ultimate competitive advantage, and that to compete in the 21st century, job-seekers may need a little outside help.

As more people live longer and global competition intensifies, many people will turn to regulated neuroceuticals as the next set of tools they will adopt to help them survive and succeed. Using cogniceuticals to increase memory retention, emoticeuticals to decrease stress and sensoceuticals to add a meaningful pleasure gradient, neuroceuticals will allow people to compete without being constrained by their neurochemistry.

I may be ahead of the curve; after Game Seven last week, I drank me a case of them regulated neuroceuticals.

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