| ||||||||
RefBan
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Top Stories from the last 24 hours
Advice I Wish Someone Had Given Me for My First Job
February 21st, 2013Top StoryAdvice I Wish Someone Had Given Me for My First JobBy Thorin Klosowski
Everyone's workplace is a little different, but when it boils down to it, we all face the same set of challenges at a new job. You'll probably need to start at the bottom of the totem pole even if you're an experienced worker, and integrating yourself into the company culture is a lot harder than you think. Keeping your expectations in check is a good place to start. Accept Your Newbie Status and the Work that Comes with It
It might sound like simply "paying your dues," but it's easy to get a little full of yourself when you first start a job. In a recent episode of Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project, the podcast crew detail why work ethic is insanely important when you're faced with work you don't want to do:
Their advice? Revel in working hard no matter what the job is. You might be smart and clever, but a solid work ethic is the main thing that'll separate you from all the other viable candidates. You may start with a bunch of grunt work, but you can't be an oversensetive employee. If you're not learning anything, it's time to look at yourself and figure out what actually sucks: the job or you. Photo by Leigh Marriner. Stay Organized and Never Miss a Deadline
In a lot of careers, your boss isn't really going to notice you at first unless you're doing something horribly wrong. Being on time every day, keeping your desk clean, and doing your job ensure they won't single you out right away as being unproductive. You can worry about standing out later. At first you just need to get your work done as efficiently as possible. If you need some tools to help keep track of everything, our Lifehacker Packs have everything you need to stay organized, productive, and on time. It might seem like a minor thing, but showing you can reliably get things done goes a long way. Photo by Blake Patterson. Pay Attention to the Company Culture
You don't need to literally eat lunch with everyone. The goal is make a good impression with various people around the company, and learn as much as you can. Making friends is the easiest way to do that. When you're constantly seeking a broader knowledge of the company as a whole, it makes you look good. It also helps you figure out what really matters at a company, and you can change your own behavior slightly if needed. Photo by Jere Keys. Ask Questions
You want to ask questions when you need to, but don't overdo it. Wanting to learn is an excellent quality, but so is initiative. If you understand the basics and what's expected of you, don't be afraid to find your own shortcuts to get the job done, and don't pester your boss for help with every small decision. The next best question you can ask is: "What should I do next?" Pretty much every boss on the planet loves to hear that you're done with a project and ready for more work (or even better, just find something that needs to get done and do it). While it's important not to stretch yourself and take on too much work, one of the best qualities of a new hire is the "run not walk" attitude that keeps you busy. You'll have time to relax once you've settled in at the company, but now is not that time. Even when you ask a lot of questions, you're also going to make mistakes, and that's perfectly okay as long as you don't repeat them. Unless you start a fire in the office your boss will likely let your first few mistakes slide. Just be honest about it, ask what you should have done, and make sure you learned something from it. Photo by Gavin Bobo. Watch for Burnout (and Deal with It the Right Way)
It's a fine balance between maintaining a consistent work ethic, being reliable, and still giving yourself the time off you need to survive. Your first job is not only about showing that you can get the job done, it's also about forming connections and learning as many tricks of the trade as possible. This likely won't be your last job, and the more you can take away from it the better. Title image remixed from Viorel Sima (Shutterstock).  |
|
Stealing Found Coats, Tattling on a Bridal Shop of Horrors, and Other Questionable Advice
February 21st, 2013Top StoryStealing Found Coats, Tattling on a Bridal Shop of Horrors, and Other Questionable AdviceBy Caity Weaver
While leaving a function at our synagogue the other night, my wife revealed that she's had her eye on a "vintage" coat that's been hanging in the synagogue coatroom for the last three months. She feels that, after all this time, it should be considered abandoned and that it's OK for her to take it home. But I think that would be wrong. First, the coat clearly belongs to someone else. Second, the coat is in a synagogue of all places, and you just can't take something that isn't yours from a House of God. Plus, what if the true owner recognizes the coat when my wife wears it out to dinner or in the supermarket, etc? My wife even mentioned asking the rabbi for his blessing to take the coat, but I think that's wrong too – he'll always look at her as "the coat-stealer". But she seems determined to take it. Is that okay? Thatz not okay. Here is the conversation your wife is setting herself up for: "Cute coat! Where did you get it?" "This? I just fuckin' found it and stole it. I take what I want. It's called livin' off the land. I like your coat too. I'm going to take it because I want it." Just so we're clear, your wife is proposing that she go to your temple's rabbi and ask him specifically to approve an act that is not only immoral but also illegal because she would like a coat for free? I think she should do this. As a test of your rabbi. If your rabbi gives his blessing to an act of calculated theft, you should find a new temple because your current one plays fast and loose with laws of both God and the state. Under what circumstances would your rabbi ever give your wife his blessing to steal a coat from anyone, let alone another member of his congregation? Is your wife impoverished? Is she reduced to stealing because she can afford no coat of her own? You know what the rabbi would do in that case? Probably give her the coat off his back. Start a collection for your family. Perhaps organize a temple rummage sale with profits benefitting the needy (your wife.) "Just a reminder, any articles left unclaimed in the coatroom after today's service will be donated to the rummage sale," he will say one Friday evening, and the coat's owner, a quiet old woman, who keeps to herself mostly will pick up the coat on the way out. She can't imagine anyone would have wanted it anyway—it was a gift from her husband, not really in the modern style—but it's of great sentimental value to her. Coats don't have an expiration date. A coat doesn't stop being yours because you've had it for three months. In another twelve years and nine months, that coat will have a bat mitzvah. It will become a woman and then it can choose for itself where it wants to live. Until then, your wife should leave it alone. (By the way, is she sure it's left behind every week and not just hung on the same rack by a woman who always happens to be at temple when she is?) Last night around 9:30, I passed by a well-known national chain bridal store. It was closed for the night, and as I got closer I saw the security guard sitting on one a chair by the front window BAREFOOT & FEET UP on the guest waiting area chairs. His boots and balled up socks were just strewn about on the carpet. Bleeechhhhh!!! What could I do? Other than stand there for a few minutes pretending to text while I actually snapped a picture of his on-the-clock staycation. Part of me wants to email the pic to the company in the interest of public health. Those chairs are there for moms and bridesmaids to sit on and SQUEEE when the bride-to-be emerges from the dressing room. This might not be the type of shop that serves champagne while you browse, but I'm pretty sure no ones expecting a hearty serving of sweaty foot juice either. And who knows what else he does while he's there alone? He saw me standing there for at least 10 minutes and made no moves to kennel his dogs. The other part of me is worried if I drop a dime on this guy, he'll get fired which I don't think really think is warranted. Times are tough, & I assume he needs this job, because overnight security is not a super fun gig. Also, to be fair, he was holding some sort of binder which may have been full of security-guard-work things. And I guess, the store is being protected, because really- who wants to break in and wrassle with a barefoot guy in polyester pants? I'm thinking about sending an email to the corporate address letting them know what I saw, but not including the photo or which store it was. Is that okay? Thatz not okay. I know the posters say "If you see something, say something," but that doesn't mean you should feel compelled to report literally every something you see. I saw…A COMPUTER. All of these fall under the "anything" subheading of something. Another example of anything is a security guard resting with his feet up. Sending an email to corporate to report that you saw a security guard in one of their stores sitting with his feet up is equivalent to calling a police station with the tip "Someone somewhere stole something." What are they supposed to do with that information? Host a shoe-keeping-on training session for all security guards? The gentleman you saw presumably knows that his employer would prefer he did not remove his shoes on the job. That's why he does it at night, when no one's around. Unless you suspect the bridal salon in question is infested with hookworms, someone being barefoot in the store probably does not pose a significant public health risk. You know who else often goes barefoot inside a bridal salon? Brides, when they're trying on dresses. So he's putting his feet on a chair—the throne of the butt. Have you ever sat on a couch? Someone's feet have probably been there. What about on the floor? You may be surprised to learn that many people do not remove their feet before climbing into bed but instead sleep with them there, resting perilously close to rest of their body. And why do you assume he's doing other terrible things in the store just because you saw him with his shoes off once? If someone is a liar are they also a killer? If someone puts his feet in a butt place, does he also put his butt in a mouth place? Did you neglect to mention that you also saw him rubbing his genitals on all the doorknobs? If you saw him doing that, you should definitely report it: to the store, to the company and, most importantly, to tips@gawker.com. Feet on a chair, though, is not as pressing. Maybe mention it on the Yelp page. As for this: He saw me standing there for at least 10 minutes and made no moves to kennel his dogs. Did you really stand there for no fewer and perhaps more than 10 minutes lookin' at him lookin' at you lookin' at him lookin' at you lookin' at him doing his job? That must have been uncomfortable for you. Did you feel awkward at any point? Did you ever step out of your body for even a second of the 10+ minute time freeze to consider that it was slightly odd of you to be lurking on a sidewalk staring into a darkened bridal shop? If I had been that security guard and I had noticed someone staring at me unwaveringly for a full ten minutes, you know what I would have done? Called the cops. If you see something, say something. Submit your "Thatz Not Okay" questions (max: 200 words) here. Source photo from Shutterstock/image by Jim Cooke.  |
|
![Shia LaBeouf Plagiarized His Apology to Alec Baldwin from <em>Esquire</em>'s 'How to Be a Man' [UPDATE]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u1PuPNxL2e9duv0F-bboKaMM9fCAyrm3UtJ4QfSy5TvxbxAVfiL6sL4FO5W7r6hECYXS6fb4jpVA8Q7COLKWIHLwjKhNUBL5oW2vlZMoxnfrk_go7T2dASymdey2N_=s0-d "Shia LaBeouf Plagiarized His Apology to Alec Baldwin from <em>Esquire</em>'s 'How to Be a Man' [UPDATE]")
Sony's Wildest Plans For The PS4: How Likely Are They?
February 21st, 2013Top StorySony's Wildest Plans For The PS4: How Likely Are They?By Jason Schreier
Perry, whose cloud-gaming company was purchased by Sony last year, said some very futuristic-sounding things about the next PlayStation. Things that sound interesting. Things that sound wild. But video game press conferences are always full of sizzle and smoke. How realistic are Sony's promises? Let's go through everything Perry said and try to figure out what's likely and what isn't.
Your PS4 will know you. Creepy! It sounds like Sony is building a social network of some sort, but how much faith can we really have in a social network's ability to "enhance future gameplay" with our personal information? While it's certainly reasonable to expect that we'll be able to see what our friends are buying and playing, I don't expect the gameplay of PS4 titles like Killzone or Watch Dogs to change based on my "personal preferences." This seems like marketing talk to me.
OK. So you hop in and start playing. How much do you have to pay? For how long can you play before the console asks you to pay full price? Note that Perry said absolutely nothing about pricing here—and in fact, costs weren't mentioned at all last night. While we didn't expect specifics on the PS4's pricing, we did report earlier this week that most of the PS4's online features will require a premium subscription. My question is: will you be able to pay for access to a wide library of streaming games, or are we just talking about glorified demos? When Perry says you can just press X and start playing, just what does that mean? Let's stay a bit skeptical about this one.
This all sounds pretty reasonable—and really great, although you'll likely have to pay a monthly subscription fee for these features. I love the idea of hanging out online, chatting with friends and passing a virtual controller back and forth as you all watch the same game. While this plan seems like it's going to be an important part of the PS4—and therefore, likely very real—there are still some unanswered questions. How many people can hang out on one stream? What sort of online hub can we use to interact with our PlayStation Network friends? And how much is all of this going to cost?
This certainly sounds realistic, but the possibilities here will be limited to what game developers decide to implement. If the people behind Dark Souls, for example, don't want anyone giving out any help in their next game, this "director-level status" thing may not apply.
This could be a game-changer. I've written before about how the Wii U is perfect for multi-taskers and people who share their living room televisions with friends and family—remote play between the PS4 and Vita could be similarly enticing. A few words of caution, though: 1) They didn't promise that every PS4 title will be playable on Vita: they said it was a "long-term goal." That means it could very well be a pipe dream. Perry did not specify which titles will be playable on Vita, how many of them will be playable on Vita, or even what it takes to get a PS4 game running on Vita via the cloud. 2) If Sony now views the Vita as an extension of the PS4, what does that mean for the Vita's future library of games? This year's lineup of Vita games is already scarily barren: will Sony stop bothering with handheld games if the Vita can play what's on the PS4? The flip side of this news is that if Sony does start bolstering the Vita's library with interesting games, it could turn into one hell of a machine.
A lofty promise, but yet again, there are a lot of unanswered questions here. What's the range on this thing? Can I play PS4 games on my Vita from anywhere? Just in my house? Just a few feet away from my television? Will it really be as smooth an experience as promised? What if my WiFi signal isn't all that great? Right now this seems too good to be true.
PS3 games on my phone? I'll believe it when I see it. I mean, come on. The PS4 won't be backwards compatible, and Sony's solution is to say that they're "exploring" the possibility and that "someday" we'll be able to play—or re-buy—the PlayStation games we've been buying for years? Let's put this one in the "we'll believe it when we see it" category—at least until Sony has more to say than "here's our vision! PS3 games for everyone!"  |
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)