en-us http://www.keithwatanabe.net/index.php Keith Watanabe's Website http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/2/17/fbbb1df0645dc5c5c32f848d341e8e01.html Tue, 17 Feb 2004 23:35:29 -0700 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/2/17/fbbb1df0645dc5c5c32f848d341e8e01.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/2/19/55cdb7d5a41e127e0f24186f5b859c52.html Thu, 19 Feb 2004 23:49:31 -0700 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/2/19/55cdb7d5a41e127e0f24186f5b859c52.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/2/21/d4668e0d861ffe68a8fbcf18878ff08a.html Sat, 21 Feb 2004 12:39:09 -0700 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/2/21/d4668e0d861ffe68a8fbcf18878ff08a.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/3/13/06d9587f72c5bb206bc987904d822f5b.html Sat, 13 Mar 2004 02:29:08 -0700 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/3/13/06d9587f72c5bb206bc987904d822f5b.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/4/6/86e57b75b247c960a340959a7cb18d8a.html Tue, 06 Apr 2004 22:48:35 -0600 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inside, i can feel the mental breakdown of all the employees, especially in technology. for myself i have a perpetual chip on my shoulder, waiting for someone to knock it off. i think the people around me are far too scared of the reprocusions so they hide in their little cubicles, repressed.]]> Tue, 03 Jul 2007 08:16:22 -0600 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/3/3d1ed7a8b2ba2475132b34e94695182d.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/4/f13847eac97c81a8d9a55754fd5fd09f.html
naturally, i want to be helpful. but also i'm someone who feels that if people don't do the work themselves, it's just better for me to handle it. that's what happens anyway because i just absorb the crap from other people. so why not just do everything myself and save the wasted time of having other people get involved?

either way, i think my office just needs a cleansing. it's the only real way to survive. well, definitely cleansing the IT department.]]> Wed, 04 Jul 2007 08:30:29 -0600 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/4/f13847eac97c81a8d9a55754fd5fd09f.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/5/fb7b0438787dae468eaa0e1c38b1c205.html Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:16:37 -0600 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/5/fb7b0438787dae468eaa0e1c38b1c205.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/6/6541511793af03b7fb918dfebdfec05a.html
i'm thinking of going to a shrine and praying for a meteor fragment to collide with the building. that would make life much easier.

overall, what can i say? i was reading today an article talking about unions in pro-wrestling. i think they need unions in IT as well. there really hasn't been much protection for workers in IT. i read about stories like Electronic Arts and how they were abusing employees with long hours, until someone blew the whistle on them. the closest thing to a union in IT is a consulting firm. but that's not really a union. there needs to be consistent governance of IT labor so that all employers treat people in IT equally. required governance should include the following:

- a set number of work hours
- required work hours exceeding the set amount would force employers to pay the workers a certain amount over a period
- regulated pay managed by the union. pay must be consistent with experience and industry type. this will prevent employers from underpaying people as well as creating a unified pay structure that prevents one company from easily snatching another just because of things like stock options or better pay (in other words, it works both ways).
- all benefits would be managed through the union
- certain work conditions are required (e.g. allowed breaks every 15 minutes, health checks for things like eye sight)
- continued training and testing to ensure skills can meet demand would be provided by the union, resulting in a higher quality workforce and preventing labor from easily being outsourced overseas
- certain conditions being required before allowing outsourcing; in other words, a legal check list of items approved by the union in a certain district to prevent companies from easily lowering cost and causing local employees from losing their jobs
- the inability for companies to mark with prejudice employees who constantly jump ship; it is up to the employer to constantly provide satisfactory working conditions before demonstrating that a person can be classified as a job hopper. And those working conditions must be periodically approved by the union.
- opportunities for those who choose to move to different industries. for instance, a web developer being allowed to go to gaming. in these instances, the union would provide training to allow the developer to meet demands.
- allowing the union to boycott companies accused of abusing this body. the intent is to penalize/cripple companies who disagree with these terms while ensuring that these companies do not attempt to go around the union by giving under-the-table bribes to people.
- the constant education of potential employers in the realm of IT so that IT is consistently handled among companies.

obviously, there are more issues at stake. however, i think this is a good start as a potential charter for an IT union. what has been made clear to me as someone working in the IT industry for 8 years is that IT typically is an abused area. almost every industry requires an IT component these days. however, few really understand how to handle IT; generally these companies that understand IT are older, more experienced companies that have good staff. the newer ones that are not focused around IT but want to utilize it tend to be the ones that have the hardest time grasping the concept of IT because they are more business driven. no matter what the scenario is here, it's necessary for the industry to be regulated by a union for fairness.

when i see so many failed software projects or environments that are strict and prohibitive because of certain regulations, i feel that the responsibility is on the business side because their demands for IT were too high and their understanding for the necessary processes and resources have been inadequate. for instance, i see these people with certifications on PMP who never worked on a single piece of software in their life. however, when given a software project, they never listen to their developers and don't wrap their heads around the IT side. the excuse is, "I'm not technical!" if that's going to be the case, why even allow these people the opportunity for partaking in these projects? while i do agree that software projects are probably some of the hardest to handle due to the ubiquitous nature of software, i find it unsettling that companies continue to allow non-qualified people to handle them. just as unsettling is seeing people who lack proper experience lead groups because of corporate nepotism or unethical favoritism.

i think the software industry in general has been polluted with so many different types of people that it has been hard for companies to correctly judge their qualifications. if the qualifications were certified not just through exams, but through a regulatory body like a union, i feel that this pollution would be lessened. naturally, other industries are impacted such as recruiting.

but thing about software is that it's a peculiar industry. sure, the industry is relatively young compared with others like sales or marketing. however, it's mature enough to start formalizing how companies interact with it. people in IT are especially peculiar. what other industry would someone really care about staring at their screen all day at a bizarre language? there has not been a good way of representing this industry and especially the people.

i think it's time to create a union for IT. without it those of us in IT will be continually abused.]]> Fri, 06 Jul 2007 05:26:45 -0600 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/6/6541511793af03b7fb918dfebdfec05a.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/7/a86b1de6fbf3c24a2cd35bbbb79a43cc.html
i drink occasionally to forget what a crappy week i'd have. and lately i've been having some really crappy weeks. obviously, i can't simply have a beer when i go to work because my asian-ness would be an automatic giveaway for my stupor. however, i can imagine doing something that would not outwardly giveaway my intoxicated state and yet still allow me to escape reality for a small period.

unfortunately, this is not a true solution to the problem. the problem lies in the work environment and how shitty it is. the world isn't pretty so people turn to alternative realities to paint a better picture, or mentally escape from the ugliness around them. there's no such thing as a fast forward button on our lives to make a week or day pass by faster. instead, we have to endure second-by-second each excruciating moment in an unbearable environment just so we can survive.

i kinda feel bad that my father had to go to this level, but i at least somewhat understood why he turned to them. ]]> Sat, 07 Jul 2007 22:33:39 -0600 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/7/a86b1de6fbf3c24a2cd35bbbb79a43cc.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/12/9df2e1cba4f5a1f89b618abd31df0188.html Thu, 12 Jul 2007 08:29:49 -0600 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/12/9df2e1cba4f5a1f89b618abd31df0188.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/14/8f8080632ffe915a259150f3f145b7be.html
"Wrestling should be a great industry. It should put smiles on faces. Hell, 80% of the time I've watched Fit Finlay wrestle this past year has been fun. And to me, who may know the industry a little better, by and large, my opinion is it is filled with sheep, cowards and people who in the end are so afraid of what they deep down know is the truth that they will not-so-gladly sacrifice families. In the end, they are avoiding what they think they are doing, which is actually protecting their business."

I don't think Meltzer ever had a "real" job where you go to a place on a daily basis, have some crabby manager and a bunch of top level execs whose only interest is the bottom line. I think he ends up oversimplifying how people ought to be in the industry because he only really studies a single industry.

It's so easy to say "rally the troops! We're going to go to war against McMahon!" But the truth is that you don't bite the hand that feeds you. This pretty much applies to any industry and life. One reason why wrestlers try to keep their personal lives private is because you end up exposing things like Benoit's secrets when the shit hits the fan. The end product of wrestling is what you see on TV/the ring when you buy a ticket for a show. That's where our judgment lies.

How the business performs and manages sustainability are totally irrelevant to a degree in my opinion.....at least from a realistic point of view. That means, as a business, it will attempt to do whatever to maximize it's profits. It's that simple.

I've worked in about 10 different companies and several different industries, coming to the realization that businesses in the end have only one goal: money. The employees are irrelevant, the people buying the products are irrelevant, even the product itself can be irrelevant so long as people are stupid enough to continue purchasing the product. If people stop purchasing the product, that implies the business is stupid and needs to tune its operations and product line to once again manipulate people into thinking that it has a service or good that is needed.

Sounds simple? This is just basic business for people who have never held a real job and understand what it means.

That said, the people who work for a company, besides the owners and shareholders, are nothing but pawns that help tune the business. They are irrelevant and can be replaced easily. With that mentality in mind, any employee must do what it takes to preserve their position in a company so long as they wish to keep it.

Now things are more interesting because at this point we have multiple competing agendas.

I work in the finance industry at the moment (annuities) and I'm certain my readers (the few that exist) can enumerate the times I've ranted about how unethical my company is. It's not just my company either but most of the corporate mentality. Do you think that it's really ethical that a company tries to get some dumb, fragile, old person to give up about $20000 in promising them that 5 years later, their return will increase only by 1.5%? Well, that's what my industry does. If you think the product stinks just on those lines, you should enter my office. Here's one of our HR policies:

- Must give notice at least 1 month ahead with the consensus of the manager.

HUH!!??!!?!?!

You're telling me that another person has the CHOICE to decide upon MY life? My career? I'm just a silly programmer working for a company that started only 6 years ago. Why the hell would such a policy need to be imposed on me?

How about the 53 hours that I pulled in one week only to be reprimanded by my project manager that I wasn't being a team player? Or the fact that my manager won't let me take a three week vacation despite the fact that I'm already owed around 18 days of holidays? Or the fact that some people in my company are protecting a vender rather than their employees for the job? Or that the project should be delayed so that we can properly finish things?

This is business Meltzer. No one gives a crap about employees. The only employees that get to have any say are the senior management. That's just how it is.

Business is ugly. That's why it's business and people are "professionals." If people were just "people" working for some place, we could talk back against our bosses, go home whenever we feel like it, delay projects against upper management's wishes, etc. businesses wouldn't last long. I doubt the WWE's roster and company could be sustained with the whole lesser road schedule, lack of pain prescriptions, having bloated people on stage, etc. You're asking for a pipe dream. Do you want to go back to the era where people spent 10 minutes in a headlock? Or the 2 minute squash matches that just showcased some goon doing their five moves? Another competitor would come up, armed with the knowledge of what fans demand now, and provide that level of excitement that the WWE was missing in the 80's.

I'm all for wrestling cleaning up with less deaths (Benoit and Eddie impacted me hard). But to say that the industry is going to be this idealistic thing is just silly. I bet if you walk into any famous people's homes that one idolizes, you could easily dig up bad shit on them. You probably wouldn't want to either because the minute you do, you'll stop idolizing them and their career is dead.

If you want to change things, talk about changing and regulating corporations as a whole. Change society. Social engineering. Make it so that people can rise up against organizations and not be cowards and give more rights to employees in general. I don't see wrestlers as special except that they can do a few physical things I'll never be able to do. But as employees, they are not different than me. Why treat them as anything special unless I can receive similar benefits? My life isn't so glorious. I don't get to see the world. I don't get this huge paycheck, my name in magazines, a ton of girls and invitations to parties with special celebrities. I work equally hard in sacrificing myself just to get a shit benefits package at the end of the day. My employer abuses me too, making me work long hours, no recognition, no bonus, constants threats, a low moral work environment. What makes a wrestler so goddamn special that they ought to get the lifetime million bucks package? Why can't I get the same thing? Hey, my dad is in a fucking nursing home. Did his company provide him with anything? Did the government? No, he was just a shit employee that the company canned because they thought he was old and useless. So these goddamn wrestlers think they deserve all this continual star treatment when they retire. Get a fucking IRA and save your money or buy some annuities rather than snorting your life away. I don't see why I should feel any ounce of pity for the choices they make if they go down the wrong path and suddenly end up in the grave. They have millions of fans who love them. My poor dad doesn't even get one visitor and he's probably done more than these self pitying shitbags. You sold your soul to the devil (McMahons) and you wanted the glory. This is how the business is, this is what the fans want, this is what you get. Don't glorify it, don't expect more. If you do want more, save your coins, invest in your own company or cause and promote it heavily.

And if you want sympathy from me, you do something directly for my dad like fix his paralysis, get him a nursing home close to my home, or make me famous and rich so that I can help my family. I know most of you don't give a shit about anything outside of the range of what goes in your arm or nose in reality, so don't expect respect from me when you're old and crippled and whining about how an industry should still give you money and glory for your service. That's life, get used to it.

And Meltzer should get a real job rather than leeching off of others. That way, he understands the pain of being an employee and why us "cowards" can't do a lot.]]> Sat, 14 Jul 2007 21:58:53 -0600 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/14/8f8080632ffe915a259150f3f145b7be.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/15/5fd57180eb04ae0f312d4331e5429b39.html
So why continue? I see this as something that might progress a part of society but isn't overly useful. Some may argue that removing one day would hurt global productivity. I thought it might improve things. Let's see:

- Reduce mental and physical fatigue, ensuring that people's attendance will improve
- Improve morale as people would have that extra day to do other personal business
- Possibly allow for companies to increase their workforce by attempting to fill in the gaps that a person on leave takes
- Change the mentality of companies from simple 9-5 shops to 24/7 support spots (this applies to large organizations that can afford such a thing)
- Doubling the knowledge of an organization by providing duplicate representatives on key areas. That is, to fill in for the extra day (or three if we want to change things), we could use one day as a knowledge transfer day between the counterparts in order to proceed with certain tasks
- Improve the support models for companies in all areas
- Increase the job market and usher in a new era of competitiveness

One concern that might come up is pay. How can a company compensate for this situation for individuals? Also, would a person in this loop be deducted from pay, thus reducing their ability to afford things? My response to this is the following:

- Companies can reduce the overall wages of people on such a program, but should receive some for of tax reduction initially to compensate from the government (there are more jobs, thus more taxes that a company will payout, so the government ought to provide some help there).
- There needs to be a kind of deflation for affordability. Things like cars, rent, etc. ought to be reduced. I can see huge problems in places like California. But these are the places that also require this type of system since the commuting and type of work tend to be more intense.

At any rate, I think society has progressed to the point where we need a new system of employment to help in improving the quality of life for people.]]> Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:50:25 -0600 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/15/5fd57180eb04ae0f312d4331e5429b39.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/17/8021fd3619587fa338cc1cb9d941bd07.html Tue, 17 Jul 2007 04:20:12 -0600 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/17/8021fd3619587fa338cc1cb9d941bd07.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/19/d6b6d754335b06502c5e768261b6d771.html Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:52:31 -0600 http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/19/d6b6d754335b06502c5e768261b6d771.html http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2007/7/20/26f97535be106f745af6a5eef4afdb71.html Fri, 20 Jul 2007 22:00