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Geek Culture / Questions About the UK

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Dazzag
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Joined: 26th Aug 2002
Location: Cyprus
Posted: 30th May 2007 15:54
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Nah, it's just limp wristed shandy drinking southerners that say such things (although I lived there for over a decade). Although saying that where I grew up it is still 1988 I believe.

Cheers

I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
Current fave quote : "She was like a candle in the wind.... unreliable...."
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Raven
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Joined: 23rd Mar 2005
Location: Hertfordshire, England
Posted: 30th May 2007 16:44
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I wouldn't say the north is in the past so much as, they seem to have found a time period they're happy with and keep with it for modern day living.

There's still business' up north where you join after school and are there for the rest of your life. Such a thing down here, it's just crazy talk. heh

The parts of the country tend to echo the lifestyles too. In the south-bound area where most business' seem to revolve around, the lifestyles are very 24hr living orientated. Up north, they're happy putting things off until it's needed; here if we want it, then it's got to be available there and then.

Makes living down here more stressful, but at the same time much easier. Bit of a bizare combination, only to me feels normal cause I've lived around big cities most of my life; without the whole 24hr culture thing, it feels really weird. No peaceful, more quiet.. eerily so.

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Dazzag
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Posted: 30th May 2007 16:49
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Quote: "There's still business' up north where you join after school and are there for the rest of your life. Such a thing down here, it's just crazy talk. heh"
I've only ever had one job (that includes anything like paperboy) and I've done it since 1995. Originally was near Ascot (so pretty southern) then we moved to Slough. Now sort of moved out to Cyprus on a contract, but is still the same job. I just do (much) less of the managerial stuff now. Less stressful though, and no more M4 to worry about

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I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
Current fave quote : "She was like a candle in the wind.... unreliable...."
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Raven
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Joined: 23rd Mar 2005
Location: Hertfordshire, England
Posted: 30th May 2007 17:05
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A good example of when I kinda ment was, my friend started work at a job that his dad has same company that his dad had done all of his life, and his dad before him.

If it wasn't for his back problems he'd still be doing it. More along the lines of what I ment.

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Dazzag
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Posted: 30th May 2007 17:23
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Nah, I know what you mean. My originally company near Ascot was almost like family. The core people were pretty much there for life. I mean I'm almost 35 now and I started the same job when I was 22 God, that didn't feel as good as I thought....

Anyhows, when we were took over (911 was the main cause) and carried on doing the same job in Slough (aaarrrrggggghhhh!!!!) then about 50% of the original 250 staff were booted out within a year. Most people in the new place don't last longer than a year or two before moving on. Even managers. It's not the same. It may be a bigger company but still (is all about the money, not the staff).... We went from having about 60 people between the main technical support and development departments to having 1 in support and 2 in development now (with about 2.5 in Helpdesk support) for our product (the whole business then became one of many products). Very sad...

Cheers

I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
Current fave quote : "She was like a candle in the wind.... unreliable...."
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Dazzag
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Posted: 30th May 2007 17:24 Edited at: 30th May 2007 17:25
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Quote: "his dad had done all of his life, and his dad before him"
Before my dad (RAF) the men in his family were nearly all coal miners (heh, my dad's family graveyard has the men massively dying under the age of about 30 and women all living well into their 80's on average). And sheep farmers. Good olde Wales. Oh yeah, and publicans

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I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
Current fave quote : "She was like a candle in the wind.... unreliable...."
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Oraculaca
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Location: Scotland
Posted: 30th May 2007 17:27 Edited at: 30th May 2007 17:28
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You don't get many people having the opportunity to work in companies for life because too many people want to make a quick buck by selling up or moving production to areas of cheap labour or they get taken over by larger companies who then lay off half the workforce. Whilst the twats in the boardroom pocket millions.

@Dazzag , you confirmed my feelings whilst I typed

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Dazzag
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Posted: 30th May 2007 17:42
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Quote: "pocket millions"
Yep, if I used the ballpark/quote sheets on our system (which I won't as I have finished for the day ) then you would find we charge about £1500-£2000 for every days work we do. I may do alright, but not that alright. Plus that is a pretty good rate. If you wanted our next generation system (travel systems are a bit old fashion - they have just started winding down on those systems that are based on TeleText - so don't expect too much...) then expect to pay millions (for an existing product). Think they work out to about £5000 a day for development. Niiiccceeee... And even that is pretty good.

One job we did for a MIS solution had us doing about 10 days work for about £20k and a third party company doing a simple frontend (they didn't want us to do it for some reason - probably the eye candy at a guess) for £70k. Suffice it to say a programmer normally knows when something does not require that much code. And they certainly required a lot less work than us. People pay for pretty pictures. Plus we got hardly anything back in support payments because it pretty much worked with no problems out of the box, and the only support we got paid for was forwarding all the problems that came from the 3rd party company ("No, that would be them. Again. We will forward the problem...."). Grrr...

Cheers

I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
Current fave quote : "She was like a candle in the wind.... unreliable...."
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Chris K
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Joined: 7th Oct 2003
Location: Lake Hylia
Posted: 3rd Jun 2007 02:41
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Quote: "Nah, it's just limp wristed shandy drinking southerners that say such things"


*raises shandy glass*

To croquet!

-= Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals =-
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Dazzag
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Posted: 3rd Jun 2007 22:07
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Quote: "*raises shandy glass*"
I bet it is a half too...

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I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
Current fave quote : "She was like a candle in the wind.... unreliable...."
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Chris K
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Posted: 5th Jun 2007 06:30
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They make full pint glasses?!?

-= Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals =-
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Dazzag
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Posted: 5th Jun 2007 09:14
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Not in the south...

Cheers

I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
Current fave quote : "She was like a candle in the wind.... unreliable...."
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