On mySimon: ABS Illusion Yoke Sequin Shift Dress
BNET Business Network:
BNET
TechRepublic
ZDNet
TalkBack 36 of 38:
Next »
« Previous
Excellent Post
One problem with US education is commercialization. Students are taught loyalty to a brand rather than critical thinking. We in the IT industry can help by encouraging that all brands be supported on campus, and that even benchmark studies on which is best be performed. There is harm in allowing Coke or Pepsi "control of the fountain" when that business model is applied to technology - which it has been. Usually donations come with strings. Free Microsoft anything has to be viewed that way.

For example, in Seattle the Gates foundation donated money to the schools. The schools got use to having the money. Later, the Gates foundation decided that the schools were no longer worthy of future grants. Half a dozen schools had to be closed. The superintendent was forced to resign.

The message was clear to everyone who lives in the city. You make the Gates family happy (by supporting Gates family businesses like Microsoft) or you risk future funding, and your job if you are a decision maker.

Bill Gates likes to say the funding was withdrawn because of poor performance but no one I know really is buying into that. The Gates family has never been well recieved within city limits. All you need to know is that Microsoft cheated Seattle Micro out of DOS to understand why Microsoft is a Redmond company and not a Seattle company. It is also useful to know that Bill Gates is into managing the four seasons hotel chain, which benefits from a tunnel no one else wants in the state because the Seattle above ground viaduct is the poor man's million dollar view. At the end of the year the Governor of the State of Washington needs to decide if a tunnel is to be allowed. Her decision is also a decision regarding the commercialization of government itself.
Posted by: mighetto   Posted on: 12/13/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
Reply to Story Reply to Message

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

MIT should be embarassed about taking this money, It is like churches  DonnieBoy | 12/12/06
Speaking of drugs...  John Zern | 12/12/06
Insults only show that you do not have an argument.  DonnieBoy | 12/12/06
First since you seem to have trouble ...  ShadeTree | 12/12/06
Yes, they were found to be a monopoly, without that the other charges would  DonnieBoy | 12/12/06
Yes they were  voska | 12/12/06
Probably too late to save education  __howard__ | 12/12/06
This is obviously not illegal, only an embarassment for MIT.  DonnieBoy | 12/12/06
So, you're saying the antitrust settlement  Boot_Agnostic | 12/12/06
Man, this is NOT illegal, only an example of a moral lapse on the part of  DonnieBoy | 12/12/06
Listen to yourself sometime, LooneyBoy  John Zern | 12/12/06
Sorry, replied to the story, not the message, see below:  DonnieBoy | 12/12/06
Here's my argument  John Zern | 12/12/06
My only point is that it was poor judgement for MIT to accept the money.  DonnieBoy | 12/12/06
You are a OSS bigot.  osreinstall | 12/12/06
You do not get it, they still show no remorse. Just because they  DonnieBoy | 12/12/06
Who cares Donnieboy?  osreinstall | 12/12/06
So, we should treat companies that break the law and whow no remorse like  DonnieBoy | 12/12/06
No, just treat them as companies.  osreinstall | 12/12/06
That makes me sick - they all do it, so just look the other way. No, we  DonnieBoy | 12/12/06
Get used to being sick.  osreinstall | 12/12/06
It does not matter if other companies did something worse, MS broke the law  DonnieBoy | 12/13/06
Yes it does if you want to determine fairness.  osreinstall | 12/13/06
You can NOT say that ALL crimes are acceptable because others did worse, or  DonnieBoy | 12/13/06
I didn't say that, you did.  osreinstall | 12/13/06
They still show no remorse and have not apologized. They are also still  DonnieBoy | 12/13/06
I don't care. It is a free country.  osreinstall | 12/13/06
European Model?  __howard__ | 12/12/06
Not the problem  voska | 12/12/06
Education is a minor part of the problem  Patrick Jones | 12/12/06
wages and job security are there  voska | 12/12/06
US accredited Liberal Arts degree more valuable  mighetto | 12/13/06
MS broke the law and was found guilty by a 7 judge panel - UNANAMOUSLY.  DonnieBoy | 12/12/06
My opinion of improving schools  CobraA1 | 12/12/06
I could not agree more. They should kick Coke, Pepsi, and Microsoft off of  DonnieBoy | 12/12/06
Excellent Post  mighetto | 12/13/06
Was showing remorse a part of the settlement?  Boot_Agnostic | 12/13/06
Nope, only part of being forgiven. Companies can do many things that are  DonnieBoy | 12/13/06

What do you think?

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

advertisement
advertisement

SmartPlanet

Click Here