(no subject)

[jinian]

A discussion of the new Euro notes in the office. Watermarks are mentioned, as well as other security features.

Sean: I heard that some guys in China were making copies of Windows 2000 with the holograms and everything.
Kylee, perfectly reasonably: Oh, good for them.

General laughter.

I sometimes forget that I'm not always in an environment in which anti-Microsoft is taken as a given. I get teased for that sometimes.

Comments

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

During my interview for the position I'm in at Microsoft, it was made clear to me that, to put it into my own terms, This Group Is Not As Evil As Everyone Else. As far as I can tell so far, they're right. And I'm certainly not saying that because of the mind-control drugs in the cafeteria food.

[jinian.livejournal.com]

Heh. I don't think it's that the individual employees and departments are evil, anyway, just the overriding structure and some number of the controlling people. With the way the economy is, I understand that some people do have to work for the evil. I have to remind myself of that whenever I hear of someone doing so, though.

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

Microsoft was pretty much the last place I wanted to work - literally, it was the last thing I'd consider before stocking shelves and slinging french fries. A recruiter for Volt busted her ass and found me a few interesting positions, though, and one of them - the one I got - is actually for a pretty cool group (MSN Gaming Zone). Overall, the people tend to be really great; it's the executive staff whom I'd call evil.

[jinian.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know and like plenty of people who have worked there or do still. I tend to respect them more if they didn't have any other good options or if they worked there many years ago. Not exactly something to be proud of, but that's how it is and I can't see changing it.

I see nothing wrong with exploiting the Zone for my personal fun, so it's nice to know that you're working for that piece. :)

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

When I found out I would be working for the people who brought me Bejeweled, I went 'squee!' for five minutes. They also apparently do server/hosting stuff for X-Wing vs TIE Fighter and Quake II, which is interesting.

[marzipan-pig.livejournal.com]

I wonder if there's company-wide meetings on how to word that, how to sell new
people on the idea that We're Not So Bad?

:)

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

Yes. Given that I'm LJing through work servers, though, I think I shouldn't say any more.

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

Well, not company-wide meetings. But the Sales/Marketing folk have a not inconsiderable volume of (mis-)information to give out.

[elynne.livejournal.com]

I never got to go to the company-wide meetings where they gave out handfulls of pills and wore goat-hair leggings, since I was only a lowly blue-badge. But working at M$oft has definite advantages; unlimited Mt. Dew access is an uncontestable perk. And they're pretty decent to their employees, much better than some of the hellholes I've survived. :P

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

I'm not an employee, I'm a prole contractor; my badge is a hideous orange. Luckily it looks like I'm in one of the groups where they don't treat us like complete pariahs. And they put the drugs in the free pop, I'm pretty sure.

[elynne.livejournal.com]

If you ever need to pull an all-nighter, get a couple of packets of the little pink pain pills in the blue and white packets from a medicine cupboard, and wash down like six of them with a couple of Mt. Dews. Dear Smegging Ghott. That's why M$oft has legions of fanatical programmer-slaves - they give you free crack!!

[torquemada.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, sweet, sweet crack. It's too bad that they don't have the flavoured seltzer in the glass bottles anymore - how am I supposed to freebase now?

[lithera.livejournal.com]

I like the Euro.

S'pretty. I have some sitting on my dresser at home.