All of my friends from uni are currently applying for next year's graduate positions, and one in particular was offered a job at a particularly large maker of… tobacco products, in sales/marketing and an above-average salary.
My first reaction to this was "no way", on the basis that he would be selling and marketing products that *ahem* cause the deaths of many, many people around the world. Additionally, any "increases" in sales performance are, in reality, hurting people. A 25% increase in sales year-over-year means 25% more people are likely to die of lung cancer from the product being sold.
So my question is, should ethics be involved in choosing an employer? Personally, ethics definitely should play a part in the choice, but is that an approach that every person should take?
Obviously, this is an extreme case, but I think the example can be extended to companies that aren't socially responsible. Are you selling out by taking the money and working for a company whose values you don't agree with?
Lucy just pointed out to me that my post on diabetes followed one proclaiming how great Connoisseur Cookies & Cream ice cream is.
*hangs head in shame*
I find myself spending a long time trying to figure out a particular problem (without much success), but I've noticed that I'm often most productive (or creative?) when I least expect it:
- Walking home across the Bridge
- Standing on the train (I must get some weird looks, as my eyes tend to dart about)
- In the shower
- When trying to sleep, when I have to be up early the next day (usually before an exam)
- When bored in a lecture
In these situations, an idea pops into my head, my mind starts racing - it's like a fog has been lifted away - and the solutions to the problem just "appear", one after the other. Perhaps it's because (unlike every other second of the day), I'm not thinking/worrying about anything, and I'm able to really think about the problems (without interruptions and other worries). It's an interesting feeling, anyway.
(Here ends my, er… philosophical quota for the month.)
As Mat mentioned, we're making the trek from Sydney to San Francisco to attend WWDC this year. I'm really looking forward to it! 
There have been a lot of complaints about MacBook Pros "humming", "hissing" or "buzzing" periodically - and mine is one of them. It doesn't happen always, and the volume seems to fluctuate, but it's still there.
It seems to be tied somehow to the brightness of the display, as setting the brightness to full or nothing (black screen) stops the sound.
Opening iChat, Photo Booth or the Mirror Widget don't seem to fix it, either.
Slightly annoying, but bearable - the speed on this thing is amazing!
The New York Times has a great article on how diabetes (both Type 1 and 2) are on the rise in New York: "Diabetes and Its Awful Toll Quietly Emerge as a Crisis"
The article warns about the many problems that people face with diabetes, and how more and more children are developing Type 2 diabetes (previously thought to only affect "older" people). It seems that the disease can also be inherited, which is worrying, since a cousin on my father's side has Type 1, and an aunt on my mother's side has Type 2.
I don't know how they do it, but this is the best Cookies & Cream ice cream I've ever had… It's so good, I've devoured the whole thing over the course of three nights. I bet I could do it in one, though.
I am such a pig.
I'd like to extend a big, warm welcome to William, who recently joined the "people-talented-enough-to-get-kicked-out-of-their-own-21st-party" club!
(Excuse the grainy picture - despite being a decent phone, the camera on the Sony-Ericsson V600i is crap.)
It's a pleasure having you in the club, Will. 
Goodbye Powerbook!
Hello MacBook Pro!
Goodbye crappy old CRT!
Hello 20″ Cinema Display!
I shall call thee… Janus.
Sweeet… I transferred everything from the 12″ Powerbook using the migration assistant with no problems (very slick). This machine is FAST. Much snappier than my old machine (granted, it was 3 years old).
I'm currently compiling the "svn-client-ssl" Fink package. Half an hour so far. We'll see how long it takes. 1 1/2 hours from compile start to finish. Not too shabby. (It took a few hours, at least, on the 12″.)
The screen is also significantly brighter. I would say 1/3 brightness on the MacBook Pro is equivalent to the full brightness of the 12″ Powerbook, which is crazy.
