"Andy Asberry" wrote in message
. ..
I once worked for a fellow who wouldn't hire anyone until he had taken
them to lunch. His hiring decision hinged on whether a candidate
seasoned their food before taking the first bite to see if it needed
seasoning.


So, perhaps some of the best employees in the world may have been passed by
for putting Tabasco in their chili?

I would thank the putz for NOT hiring me. Sounds like he would be
inflexible on other matters as well, and not a good person to work for.

Is he still in business?

Steve

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...

I'd think it would tranlate to a guy who took a cut on the lathe
prior to miking the piece.

We all know it's "Measurement first, condiment second, IF needed."

As a metaphor for living, for sure. But what special insights might you draw
by watching a man eat his meal? Enough to measure the man? What if I told
you I can measure a bar of steel by just eyeballing and wrapping my fingers
around it, to better than 10 thou? (Yup. You betcha I'm bull****ting.)

On 28 Sep 2005 18:54:25 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote:

On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 18:42:00 GMT, Emmo wrote:
Not only dogs - there is a remarkable film of the electrocution of an
elephant that he tried to use to scare the gullible public about the dangers
of AC...

I've also heard, but cannot provide a cite for, claims that Edison
actually pushed for executions to take place in AC-powered electric
chairs, and referred to those so executed as being "Westinghoused".
Actually, if about.com is a credible source, check this:
http://inventors.about.com/od/hstart...tric_Chair.htm

This has been covered extensively on The History Channel - Edison
tried to buy a Westinghouse AC Generator set to use it for the
demonstrations of "How Dangerous AC Current Is" but for some unknown
reason they wouldn't sell one to him. (Gee, wonder why?) Edison
had to have a shill buyer purchase a used generator.

Joke was on Edison - Westinghouse had a better system, and they both
knew it. DC can't be transmitted for long distances efficiently, and
until the advent of modern solid state electronics you couldn't boost
the voltage for transmission or drop it back to a convenient
distribution voltage efficiently.

Even now, it's a PITA to work with HV DC - they have the 500KV DC
"Pacific Intertie" transmission line that has one end in Sylmar, CA.,
but it's only real advantage is in that the AC power grids at each end
don't have to be in lock-step phase with each other - they can each
establish their own system frequency independently.

-- Bruce --

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

Wow, I didn't think my comment would stir up so much commentary! My opinion of
Edison used to be that he was a great inventor, until I read some books about him
(that weren't published by the Edison Society - or whatever).

"Tesla - Man Before His Time" is a really good read, BTW.

Joe

SteveB wrote:

"Andy Asberry" wrote in message
...


I once worked for a fellow who wouldn't hire anyone until he had taken
them to lunch. His hiring decision hinged on whether a candidate
seasoned their food before taking the first bite to see if it needed
seasoning.



So, perhaps some of the best employees in the world may have been passed by
for putting Tabasco in their chili?

I would thank the putz for NOT hiring me. Sounds like he would be
inflexible on other matters as well, and not a good person to work for.

Is he still in business?

Steve




The only reason to take an applicant to lunch is to see whether you can
stand the guy/girl or not. It's a little like going on a date...It
doesn't tell you whether it will work out in the long run but it can
shure tell you when it won't. Of course this all assumes that the
person interviewing actually has to work closely with the applicant.
Someone who can't get through a lunch without boring you to death or
saying something stupid and offensive may be the most skilled, but you
probably won't be able to stand working closely with them.

As to the seasoning issue...that's just stupid hype. It tells you
nothing except that they have learned they like their food with more
pepper or salt. Would you expect someone to taste their coffee before
adding the sugar they know they like in coffee?

Koz

"Koz" wrote

The only reason to take an applicant to lunch is to see whether you can
stand the guy/girl or not. It's a little like going on a date...It
doesn't tell you whether it will work out in the long run but it can shure
tell you when it won't. Of course this all assumes that the person
interviewing actually has to work closely with the applicant. Someone who
can't get through a lunch without boring you to death or saying something
stupid and offensive may be the most skilled, but you probably won't be
able to stand working closely with them.

Koz


I prefer to base it on performance, experience, and ability. I have worked
with many people I did not like. I worked in the Gulf of Mexico and
overseas with people I did not like. And I had to sleep in the same room
with them, eat with them, work with them, and be confined with them 24 hours
a day. You learn to cope and deal with it. Good managers know how to get
the most out of their people, and liking someone is way down the list on
criteria.

Steve

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 09:45:08 -0400, Joe wrote:
Wow, I didn't think my comment would stir up so much commentary! My opinion of
Edison used to be that he was a great inventor, until I read some books about him
(that weren't published by the Edison Society - or whatever).

"Tesla - Man Before His Time" is a really good read, BTW.

"man out of time", I think. Yup, I just sent it to Iggy this morning.
If his stack of "I should read this" is like mine, I'm looking forward
to hearing his impressions in a year or three...

Dave

On 29 Sep 2005 18:25:15 GMT, the renowned Dave Hinz
wrote:

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 09:45:08 -0400, Joe wrote:
Wow, I didn't think my comment would stir up so much commentary! My opinion of
Edison used to be that he was a great inventor, until I read some books about him
(that weren't published by the Edison Society - or whatever).

"Tesla - Man Before His Time" is a really good read, BTW.

"man out of time", I think. Yup, I just sent it to Iggy this morning.
If his stack of "I should read this" is like mine, I'm looking forward
to hearing his impressions in a year or three...

Dave

Just got an e-mail from an old University buddy, in which he mentioned
he still has my textbook book on ion propulsion. That's a 26 year
loan. I bet that's not the record here. ;-)

The really sick thing is that I was just looking for it a few weeks
ago. ;-)


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 15:19:24 -0400, Spehro Pefhany wrote:

Just got an e-mail from an old University buddy, in which he mentioned
he still has my textbook book on ion propulsion. That's a 26 year
loan. I bet that's not the record here. ;-)

Beats any of mine, but I did once return a book very late to a library
with the excuse of "Sorry, the car it was in has been in storage" which
was such a novel excuse to the person behind the counter, that she
waived the late fee (which exceeded the value of the book, which hadn't
been checked out for 10 years before I borrowed it).

The really sick thing is that I was just looking for it a few weeks
ago. ;-)

I understand, completely.

"Koz" wrote in message
...
pepper or salt. Would you expect someone to taste their coffee before
adding the sugar they know they like in coffee?

And then you had to go and bring *that* up. Why *DO* people spend good money
on good Arrabica and then dump sugar in it???? Sometimes it's my good
money...

On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 14:17:58 -0700, "SteveB"
wrote:

"Andy Asberry" wrote in message
...
I once worked for a fellow who wouldn't hire anyone until he had taken
them to lunch. His hiring decision hinged on whether a candidate
seasoned their food before taking the first bite to see if it needed
seasoning.


So, perhaps some of the best employees in the world may have been passed by
for putting Tabasco in their chili?

I would thank the putz for NOT hiring me. Sounds like he would be
inflexible on other matters as well, and not a good person to work for.

Is he still in business?

Steve


No. He is dead now. He had a lot of unorthodox ideas about business.
He was uneducated and therefore didn't know he was doing it all wrong.
He was for forty years the top seller for many vendors. Winning trips
and prizes. Most of which he gave to employees. We would walk through
fire for him.

I found some dressy slacks and a button shirt and wore that to my
interview this afternoon. I would have felt very funny dressing down
and showing up for an interview.

Half way through the interview I was offered a position. 25K a year to
start - which is not bad considering I am not schooled in this area and
will be a trainee. I start there tomorrow.

Thanks

"mr electron" wrote in message
oups.com...
I found some dressy slacks and a button shirt and wore that to my
interview this afternoon. I would have felt very funny dressing down
and showing up for an interview.

Half way through the interview I was offered a position. 25K a year to
start - which is not bad considering I am not schooled in this area and
will be a trainee. I start there tomorrow.

But you were schooled... by us. Congrats.

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
Smart man, that Tom guy.


He was also known for outsmarting himself. He got mad that his engineers
were pilfering from his cigar box on his desk so he had his tobacconist make
up some real nasty stogies with bits of string etc.

Evidently the word got around pretty quick because the story goes that
Edison ended up smoking most of them himself before he realized that the
cigars he had been smoking were the nasty ones he had ordered.

I made it a point in high school to read all the biographies of all the
great inventors. Here is a link to a free e-book that is real good. It is
the biography of several movers and shakers in England's industrial
revolution.
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/404

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 21:56:04 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Roger Shoaf" quickly quoth:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
.. .
Smart man, that Tom guy.

He was also known for outsmarting himself. He got mad that his engineers
were pilfering from his cigar box on his desk so he had his tobacconist make
up some real nasty stogies with bits of string etc.

Evidently the word got around pretty quick because the story goes that
Edison ended up smoking most of them himself before he realized that the
cigars he had been smoking were the nasty ones he had ordered.

ROTFLMAO!


I made it a point in high school to read all the biographies of all the
great inventors. Here is a link to a free e-book that is real good. It is
the biography of several movers and shakers in England's industrial
revolution.
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/404

Ancient History ca. 1863, eh? Excellent! Thanks, Roger.

The online book thing is a great idea, making entire libraries
available to the public everywhere. Now if it weren't so bloody
hard to read an entire book onscreen... Praise goes to the gods
for the ability to raise the size of screen text in browsers!

--
"Simplicity of life, even the barest, is not misery but
the very foundation of refinement." --William Morris
-----------------------------------
www.diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...

Ancient History ca. 1863, eh? Excellent! Thanks, Roger.


It was not too long ago when I might have agreed with you on that, but the
more I have aged, the closer these things get. I find it real interesting
to read history now that I am out of school and I read it to understand
rather than to answer the odd numbered questions at the back of the chapter.

--
Roger Shoaf

If knowledge is power, and power corrupts, what does this say about the
Congress?

Let the record show that it was written back on Mon, 26 Sep 2005 13:28:42
GMT in rec.crafts.metalworking :

Make sure that you remember all employment dates, otherwise you might
appear that you are lying on your resume, even though in fact you may
just be forgetful.

I keep a small notebook, several sheets of paper stapled together
pamphlet style. Names, dates, addresses, wages, phone numbers,
supervisor's name, kind of work. Fits in a pocket, and I don't have to
try and remember everything. (Working through temp agencies for a couple
years, there were a lot of jobs, and I needed to know what I was doing when
just for my own sake.)
I also have a copy of a background investigation form, where I list all
my jobs, and everyplace I've lived. (Plus mother's maiden name, Father's
military service, and other esoterica.) This does two things, keeps my
records straight, and makes it "easy" if I ever have to fill out another
one. What the heck, They(tm) have a dossier on you, you might as well keep
your own file. :-)

tschus
pyotr


--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

Let the record show that "Nottingham" wrote
back on Mon, 26 Sep 2005 19:27:56 -0400 in rec.crafts.metalworking :
I used to hire co-op students from the local college.

The one that still stands out in my mind is the guy who showed up in a
sweatshirt that looked like a tuxedo complete with flower picture in the
fake lapel.

I couldn't stop laughing. And I hired him!

I recall the story of "Joe", Wrote out his resume on a yellow pad, in
pencil. Shows up for the interview in tee shirt and jeans, with an
articulated "Day of the Dead" Skeleton earring, in a day before men wearing
earrings was acceptable.
They hired him, at some enormous salary. OF course, they were
headhunting _him_, they wanted him, the job was his if he wanted it.
Another case of "I get to play with all these neat toys, and you pay me
too?"

It is one thing to do something to stand out, but once you have Their
attention, you better be able to produce.

Which is why I stick with "clean, neat, prepared and conversant with
the biz." When Bill took note of the long commute, and asked "What are
your plans to take care of that?" I said "move."

tschus
pyotr

--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

Let the record show that Gunner wrote back on
Wed, 28 Sep 2005 04:16:44 GMT in rec.crafts.metalworking :
On Wed, 28 Sep 2005 01:03:38 GMT, (~Roy)
wrote:

shoes or boots that
required polish, nor ever get another hair cut.......and wear nothing
but blue jeans and T shirts........and sneakers.........I have held up
that statement since retiring, and dropped in and applied for the
job,, just for the hell of it. I also had my ears repierced since
retiring as well, so in I go with my earings, long hair about to the
middle of my back in a pony tail, a Black T shirt and blue jeans and
Nikes, and desperately in need of a shave as well.


That sounds like about 65% of the machinists here in California. Big
companies or little.

Oh, so like, it is almost a uniform, or requirement?

--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

Let the record show that "Mike Young" wrote back
on Wed, 28 Sep 2005 01:14:14 GMT in rec.crafts.metalworking :
"Andy Asberry" wrote in message
.. .
I once worked for a fellow who wouldn't hire anyone until he had taken
them to lunch. His hiring decision hinged on whether a candidate
seasoned their food before taking the first bite to see if it needed
seasoning.

There's probably more to it than you're telling, but he sounds like a bigger
fool than the ones he weeded out.

Not really.

If someone is the sort to add seasoning to something they don't know
the taste of, what other things will they do without checking first? As in
the small things, so in the important things. Is he the sort to turn on a
machine without checking to see if feeds & speeds are correct? Some
lessons are expensive.

tschus
pyotr


--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

Let the record show that "Mike Young" wrote back
on Thu, 29 Sep 2005 03:08:29 GMT in rec.crafts.metalworking :
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
.. .

I'd think it would tranlate to a guy who took a cut on the lathe
prior to miking the piece.

We all know it's "Measurement first, condiment second, IF needed."

As a metaphor for living, for sure. But what special insights might you draw
by watching a man eat his meal? Enough to measure the man? What if I told
you I can measure a bar of steel by just eyeballing and wrapping my fingers
around it, to better than 10 thou? (Yup. You betcha I'm bull****ting.)

I'd hand you a part and say "So, how big is this?". Some can, some
can't. And too often those who can't, say it can't be done.

--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

Let the record show that "mr electron" wrote back
on 29 Sep 2005 16:54:33 -0700 in rec.crafts.metalworking :
I found some dressy slacks and a button shirt and wore that to my
interview this afternoon. I would have felt very funny dressing down
and showing up for an interview.

Half way through the interview I was offered a position. 25K a year to
start - which is not bad considering I am not schooled in this area and
will be a trainee. I start there tomorrow.

Congratulations.

As Is ay a fair amount at work "Beats working. Which is anything
involving heavy lifting, or being out in the weather."

tschus
pyotr

--
pyotr filipivich.
as an explaination for the decline in the US's tech edge, James
Niccol wrote "It used to be that the USA was pretty good at
producing stuff teenaged boys could lose a finger or two playing with."

"pyotr filipivich" wrote in message
...
Let the record show that "Mike Young" wrote back
on Wed, 28 Sep 2005 01:14:14 GMT in rec.crafts.metalworking :
"Andy Asberry" wrote in message
. ..
I once worked for a fellow who wouldn't hire anyone until he had taken
them to lunch. His hiring decision hinged on whether a candidate
seasoned their food before taking the first bite to see if it needed
seasoning.

There's probably more to it than you're telling, but he sounds like a
bigger
fool than the ones he weeded out.

Not really.

If someone is the sort to add seasoning to something they don't know
the taste of, what other things will they do without checking first? As
in
the small things, so in the important things. Is he the sort to turn on a
machine without checking to see if feeds & speeds are correct? Some
lessons are expensive.

Alright, pass that shaker. I need to watch carefully now to see what I'm
inadvertantly saying about myself. Is it one shakes or two that means "I'm
happy and I know it." Does the blonde dog hair mean my lab took over the
furniture? or does it just mean my girlfriend's car needs cleaning? What
exactly does it say if I happen to prefer Thousand Island on Tuesday, but
Wednesday is definitely Russiand dressing?

So, how closely can you palm a bar of cold rolled? (10 thou is nothing;
that's more than 1/32 on the circumference.) More to the point, what
infallible tools do you use to measure a man?

In article ,
Larry Jaques wrote:
:
:I'd think it would tranlate to a guy who took a cut on the lathe
rior to miking the piece.

Mind telling me what I'd gain by miking a piece of raw stock
the probably isn't even particularly round?

--
Bob Nichols AT comcast.net I am "rnichols42"

"Mike Young" wrote in message
...

More to the point, what
infallible tools do you use to measure a man?


His wife, or his ex-wife.

SWMBO made me post this.

--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.