Have you seen Peter Packet yet?

From the University of Washington’s CSE Colloquium - it’s a Windows Media presentation of Behind the scenes at Google.

I accepted the product manager position at 11:00 today. Whenever my current group lets me leave (3-6 weeks I’m guessing) I’ll be a Senior Product Development Manager - Security Products. Whatever that means.

Democracy, n.:
A government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meeting or any other form of direct expression. Results in mobocracy. Attitude toward property is communistic… negating property rights. Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate, whether it is based upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences.

Result is demagogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy.
— U. S. Army Training Manual No. 2000-25 (1928-1932), since withdrawn.

An eighty-year-old woman is rocking away the afternoon on her porch when she sees an old, tarnished lamp sitting near the steps. She picks it up, rubs it gently, and lo and behold a genie appears! The genie tells the woman the he will grant her any three wishes her heart desires.

After a bit of thought, she says, “I wish I were young and beautiful!” And POOF! In a cloud of smoke she becomes a young, beautiful, voluptuous woman.

After a little more thought, she says, “I would like to be rich for the rest of my life.” And POOF! When the smoke clears, there are stacks and stacks of money lying on the porch.

The genie then says, “Now, madam, what is your final wish?”
“Well,” says the woman, “I would like for you to transform my faithful old cat, whom I have loved dearly for fifteen years, into a young handsome prince!”
And with another billow of smoke the cat is changed into a tall, handsome, young man, with dark hair, dressed in a dashing uniform.
As they gaze at each other in adoration, the prince leans over to the woman and whispers into her ear, “Now, aren’t you sorry you had me fixed?”