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Unicorns are out, cockroaches are in http://uk.businessinsider.com/cockroach-tech-startups-unicorns-venture-capital-2016-4 quote:Last year was the year of the "unicorn" — private technology-driven startups that reached a valuation of $1 billion or more. Sounds like a great space for some creative accounting.
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Apr 4, 2016 07:09
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Party Boat posted:Unicorns are out, cockroaches are in Eh, cockroaches aren't sexy. It sounds like bears shining up their blue chips again. As long as shareholder value is the thing, they will try something else to milk.
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Apr 4, 2016 07:40
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Huh, looks like I'm working for a cockroach then.
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Apr 4, 2016 09:14
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I work for a cockroach. I call it a "real business".
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Apr 4, 2016 09:16
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Party Boat posted:Unicorns are out, cockroaches are in Sounds like the perfect description of a company that won't go anywhere because it's afraid to spend money on anything. I've worked with some "cockroaches". CEOs got burnt in the past, playing it hyper-safe. Their general fate is to amount to nothing and slowly fizzle out due to never doing anything that interests anyone. It's a terrible business model because it's a kneejerk rejection of everything that makes a unicorn. Lucy Heartfilia posted:Huh, looks like I'm working for a cockroach then. Nude Bog Lurker posted:I work for a cockroach. I call it a "real business". I doubt it. What they're describing isn't a business, it's a tarpit for VC money. It doesn't go away fast like a unicorn, but it still slowly goes down the drain.
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Apr 4, 2016 09:18
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asdf32 posted:The idea that a fart app can't be engineered because its a fart app is obviously stupid. Engineering is a discipline, not a specific medium, and clearly applies to a range of things including many stupid startup ideas. Here's what texas thought of that idea last time silicon valley tried to float it there back at the tail end of the last bubble quote:
yes yes you can use the verb "engineer" to mean many things but real engineers perform work designing the built world that directly impacts public safety which confers actual professional liability - this is a legal definition btw see also software development's adoption of the term "architect"
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Apr 4, 2016 09:23
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I just don't understand people who claim software can't "directly impacts public safety".
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Apr 4, 2016 09:37
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I'm a sanitation engineer
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Apr 4, 2016 10:17
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The Real Foogla posted:I just don't understand people who claim software can't "directly impacts public safety". more that software "engineers" are wholly untrained and unprepared for such responsibility
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Apr 4, 2016 10:56
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Software developers could theoretically have the same standards as real engineers, but they don't. The tech industry is a singularity of priviliged wealthy white manchildren, without even a shred of the public duty or discipline associated with traditional engineering fields. OG engineers were part of the army for fucks sake, remember? Can you imagine the average 26 year old tech bro working at a Silicon Valley startup in the army?
icantfindaname fucked around with this message at 11:03 on Apr 4, 2016 |
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Apr 4, 2016 11:01
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Harik posted:I doubt it. What they're describing isn't a business, it's a tarpit for VC money. It doesn't go away fast like a unicorn, but it still slowly goes down the drain.
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Apr 4, 2016 11:03
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icantfindaname posted:Software developers could theoretically have the same standards as real engineers, but they don't. The tech industry is a singularity of priviliged wealthy white manchildren, without even a shred of the public duty or discipline associated with traditional engineering fields. OG engineers were part of the army for fucks sake, remember? Can you imagine the average 26 year old tech bro working at a Silicon Valley startup in the army? Not sure why being in the army should be a yard stick for public duty considering the war crimes American soldiers and engineers commit but OK. Maybe drone operators? And I don't think I can imagine the average 26 yo in the army.
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Apr 4, 2016 11:05
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You know what we need? An app where people can vote on their favorite term for a person who specializes in the development of software. The first vote is free, but each subsequent vote requires a micro-transaction. This way the market can decide whose right! The idea can is an incredibly sound and versatile way to generate profit. No one else is doing it, and it can be applied to other linguistic debates. I'll just need a 75k kickstarter and another 1.5 million in venture capital.
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Apr 4, 2016 11:22
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RandomPauI posted:You know what we need? An app where people can vote on their favorite term for a person who specializes in the development of software. The first vote is free, but each subsequent vote requires a micro-transaction. This way the market can decide whose right! The idea can is an incredibly sound and versatile way to generate profit. No one else is doing it, and it can be applied to other linguistic debates. 
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Apr 4, 2016 11:28
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You know something, "The idea can" was a proofreading error, but that sounds like a great name for the app. "The Idea Can". And it makes deciding on a logo much easier. Edit: I just checked and that isn't trademarked. The Idea Can can be registered for a scant $150. RandomPauI fucked around with this message at 11:45 on Apr 4, 2016 |
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Apr 4, 2016 11:42
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RandomPauI posted:The Idea Can can be registered for a scant $150.
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Apr 4, 2016 11:55
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I CANNOT EJACULATE WITHOUT SEEING NATIVE AMERICANS BRUTALISED!
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Josh Lyman posted:I've got this great idea for novelty doormats. Our flagship model would be "Jump to conclusions" with different "conclusions" on the mat! Hardie har har har. If you can't read between the lines of what a financial firm is trying to sell, you're gonna get ripped off. Yeah, there may be some slow-growth companies out there that are worth investing in, but they're not being given the nickname "cockroach". There's some great warning signs there too - "ability to pivot" is a jazzed-up way of saying "has no focus or long-term strategy". "Weather nuclear winter" means "we're dumping everything, expecting another financial meltdown shortly."
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Apr 4, 2016 12:33
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H.P. Hovercraft posted:Here's what texas thought of that idea last time silicon valley tried to float it there back at the tail end of the last bubble The US doesn't try to certify all engineers so it's criteria isn't really relevant. It probably should. But it doesn't.
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Apr 4, 2016 13:23
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If we're going to start holding every engineer up to the same certification and vetting standards as the people whose job it is to make sure the chemical plant doesn't explode, then I'd rather we start with "FinTech" or something more likely to actually harm people than a fart app...
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Apr 4, 2016 13:53
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Emacs Headroom posted:If we're going to start holding every engineer up to the same certification and vetting standards as the people whose job it is to make sure the chemical plant doesn't explode, then I'd rather we start with "FinTech" or something more likely to actually harm people than a fart app... You're operating under the mistaken assumption that programmers are engineers. They aren't. Programmers calling themselves engineers is an attempt to co-opt the cachet of someone else's title. No more, no less.
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Apr 4, 2016 14:00
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MaxxBot posted:Lots of engineers are not PEs, I'm an Electrical Engineer and I know a lot of other engineers and none of us are PEs. I'd only have to get it if I were going to work in the power distribution field or something. I agree that the whole PE fetishization thing is stupid, whether or not you're a PE is mostly dependent on what field or subfield you're in. You're talking about the industrial exemption, which will hopefully go away if abused enough.
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Apr 4, 2016 14:03
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Lol at the devs itt melting down about the term engineer. Developers aren't engineers. Code monkey or janitor comes to mind
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Apr 4, 2016 14:04
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I wouldn't say all software jockeys aren't engineers. I've worked alongside software engineers who've developed the code for embedded systems as part of multidiscipline teams. That's definitely closer to engineering than writing a fart app.
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Apr 4, 2016 14:22
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shrike82 posted:Lol at the devs itt melting down about the term engineer. Developers aren't engineers. Code monkey or janitor comes to mind 
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Apr 4, 2016 14:24
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How many disciplines have some sort of legal requirement in order to call yourself an [X]. Engineer, lawyer, Doctor? I'm fairly certain there is no such oversight oversight for fields like chemistry and physics and anybody could call themselves a chemist or physicist if they wanted to. No PE or Bar equivalent for them.
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Apr 4, 2016 14:28
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Here's a really cool article about how fart app "tech" firms that hire "engineers" are going to get in trouble for applying the same creative words they apply to their employee positions, to their financial situation. I can't wait for prison terms to come down. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-11-18/sec-goes-unicorn-hunting-regulator-scrutinize-how-funds-value-tech-startups
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Apr 4, 2016 14:28
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icantfindaname posted:Software developers could theoretically have the same standards as real engineers, but they don't. The tech industry is a singularity of priviliged wealthy white manchildren, without even a shred of the public duty or discipline associated with traditional engineering fields. OG engineers were part of the army for fucks sake, remember? Can you imagine the average 26 year old tech bro working at a Silicon Valley startup in the army? Y'know, this always annoyed me too. I had to branch out from computer science in university because I always understood that software carries a very weighty social context, yet the curriculum seemed completely averse to even considering the idea. We had only one cyber-ethics course offered, but because it lacked any programming or mathematical component, actual computer science students were barred from taking it. ("Bird course," they'd say.) I had to jump between various courses in the liberal arts just to pick up the pieces, and while there are some improvements like surveillance studies gaining traction, all of it still seems to be happening outside of the labs. ... and considering they're part of the humanities now, you can imagine how little sway they're getting. In Canada, engineering schools have a ring bareing ceremony where new university graduates take an engineering equivalent of the Hippocratic Oath. It's a thing born out of 100 years of tradition. Sadly, because computer science is still relatively new, they're still acting like it's the lawless frontier they're departing to. I don't see that changing at this rate, as much as I might wish otherwise. Morroque fucked around with this message at 14:34 on Apr 4, 2016 |
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Apr 4, 2016 14:28
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shrike82 posted:Lol at the devs itt melting down about the term engineer. Developers aren't engineers. Code monkey or janitor comes to mind please, i'm a code esquire you pleb
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Apr 4, 2016 15:07
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H.P. Hovercraft posted:Here's what texas thought of that idea last time silicon valley tried to float it there back at the tail end of the last bubble I'm not totally opposed to the title of "Software Engineer" although it's hard to define what exactly that is, but programmers calling themselves "Computer Engineers" is just dumb. Computer Engineering is an actual thing you can major in and it's basically EE with some supplementary CS classes added in, aiming to give you a full understanding of computers systems and how they work. Your typical Computer Engineer works on things like embedded systems or writing firmware where you typically need more than just high level knowledge of how to write software.
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Apr 4, 2016 15:54
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shrike82 posted:Lol at the devs itt melting down about the term engineer. Developers aren't engineers. Code monkey or janitor comes to mind While we're at it lets rename surgeons and doctors to body mechanics
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Apr 4, 2016 15:57
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Why is it so hard to use the standard bullshit title "expert" anyway?
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Apr 4, 2016 16:30
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Nosfereefer posted:Why is it so hard to use the standard bullshit title "expert" anyway? Because it's already completely meaningless, while "engineer" has yet to reach that point (but soon will if sufficiently diluted).
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Apr 4, 2016 16:33
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To my certain knowledge, people have been calling themselves "software engineers" since the 1980s. That train has not only left the station, but been worn out, scrapped, and recycled into a shiny new Tesla.
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Apr 4, 2016 17:50
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Arsenic Lupin posted:To my certain knowledge, people have been calling themselves "software engineers" since the 1980s. That train has not only left the station, but been worn out, scrapped, and recycled into a shiny new Tesla. There was a software engineering conference sponsored by NATO in the 60s, I think. Maybe early 70s?
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Apr 4, 2016 18:52
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DOOP posted:How many disciplines have some sort of legal requirement in order to call yourself an [X]. Engineer, lawyer, Doctor? The ones typically considered "Professional" careers are those with legal certification. The three you named are the classic and most common examples. The reason why most engineers don't have PEs is what's known as the "industry exemption". Basically the logic is that if you're working for a private company, you're not really affecting public welfare so you don't need a professional certification. The problem with that is that most private enterprises do something that does effect the public (for example, making the car you drive in). That's why for certain jobs, it's actually been mandated that a PE is required. For example, after Deepwater Horizon there's now a law that says the development of that sort of pipeline must be signed off by a PE.
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Apr 4, 2016 18:59
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i have a friend who makes $200k/yr as a "client support engineer" so it's probably time to dehumanize yourself and face to bloodshed
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Apr 4, 2016 19:02
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More talk about Silicon Valley being poo poo, less talk about "I'M DA REAL ENGINEER"
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Apr 4, 2016 19:04
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Radbot posted:More talk about Silicon Valley being poo poo, less talk about "I'M DA REAL ENGINEER" http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/12/the-silicon-valley-suicides/413140/
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Apr 4, 2016 19:08
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Engineering works differently from law and medicine in that every field of engineering is separately certified-or not certified. The US cert structure for engineers is really messy and inconsistent as a result- it's actually a bunch of entirely separate professional systems. The word "engineer" in itself, isn't particularly meaningful and isn't regulated unless it's got a specific term in front of it.
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Apr 4, 2016 19:22
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Aliquid posted:i have a friend who makes $200k/yr as a "client support engineer" so it's probably time to dehumanize yourself and face to bloodshed
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Apr 4, 2016 19:27
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