The Refresh Orlando Heirs

The IT and IS community is huge. There are many different fields
in the IT and IS communities just like a state has different
cities. Since IT and IS are vast, there are many different job
titles, not all of them make sense and this is what makes it
confusing as to what type of job to apply for and who to hire.

I will attempt to give the Human Resource (HR) folks tips on
hiring IT and IS personnel, what HR should not assume, why HR
should not think that a certification is a deciding factor in
hiring someone, and bring to light some of the unrealistic
qualifications I have seen on job boards.

First thing is to ask an existing Information Technology (IT) or
Information Systems (IS) employee to review the resume! They
have a better understanding on whether or not the applicant can
perform the job. If you have no IT or IS employees, find a
consultant in one of the two communities - try a company that
has an IT or IS department.

Try to remember these simple tips:

-Ask which field within IT or IS the applicant is experienced or
interested in

-Most object-oriented programmers can pick up another
object-oriented programming language in no time - just like
assembly language programmers can pick up another assembly
language in no time

-Most graphic designers can learn another graphic software in no
time

-Don’t assume that a network technician can design or develop
your website (or want to)

-Don’t assume that a web designer or web developer can also take
on network technician duties

-Don’t assume that a web designer is a web developer and vice
versa - although it happens often

Just because an applicant has a certification does not mean a
hill of beans. A lot of time, all this means is that the
applicant could afford to take the test. There are many people
out there who can do the job you have available. To hire someone
just because of the certification is not only decreasing your
chances of finding the right applicant, but you are excluding
quite a number of people who can accomplish your mission. Don’t
get me wrong about certifications though, these people have more
than likely studied hard to get them, but still, it should not
be your deciding factor in hiring someone. How many of you have
hired someone because the applicant had a certification only to
wish you had not done so?

I’ve noticed that a great deal of companies are looking for
SENIORS in every field. Well, you can’t go on forever getting
SENIORS if you don’t start hiring some ENTRY LEVEL folks. Pretty
soon, these SENIORS will have to retire, which will leave your
company in a world of trouble later down the road. Don’t assume
that just because the applicant does not have commercial
experience or just graduated from college, they do not have
potential. Looking at some of the job postings, some companies
are not paying enough to employ SENIORS anyway!

If someone is self-taught, why do you feel they are less likely
to accomplish your company’s mission? Think about it: these
people have motivation and determination to reach their goals.
Isn’t this what you really want, someone with determination and
motivation? Think about it.

Another thing, do you think you will find someone with 10 years
of XP Professional experience? NOT!!! XP Pro has not existed
this long!!! Do you really think that you will find someone with
“no more than 2 years” of programming experience, but can
program in 15 different programming languages? Whaaaa? I think
you get my point. Be realistic in your qualifications - you may
find more potential or qualified candidates for your open jobs.

In a nutshell, do your homework and think a bit deeper before
you “don’t” place that call for an interview or close the door
in someone’s face because they have experience, but no
certification. Think about how you felt when you graduated.
Think realistically before you write unrealistic job
descriptions or job postings. I guarantee that if HR will keep
this article in mind, it will make their jobs much easier and
help some hard working unemployed folks out too.

“Atari has selected StarForce to protect their brand-new game called Race Driver 2″, a supervisor from StarForce has stated today.

“Race Driver 2″ is produced by Codemasters and distributed by Atari. It was released in Taiwan in July 2004. The game is designed for both PC and Microsoft Xbox platforms. The product is distributed on DVD discs protected by StarForce.

Atari is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive entertainment for both gaming enthusiasts and the mass-market audience. The company’s products are based on internally created intellectual properties or products licensed from third parties, and include most recognizable names in popular entertainment industry.

This is the second case of Atari’s cooperation with StarForce. Earlier they used StarForce to secure their hit game “Desert Rats VS Afrika Korps”.

Both titles are protected using the StarForce Professional 3.0 solution. StarForce Professional 3.0 utilizes latest copy protection know-how and provides a high level of security yet being a very usable solution for end users. StarForce Professional is designed to assist software developers and publishers to suppress high-volume industrial piracy as well as illegal copying by end users. The protection technologies implementation doesn’t require publishers to use any special tools for a licensed disc production, quality control, or other procedures.

Pleased with the quality of StarForce service and proven effectiveness of the company’s technologies, Atari is planning to continue its cooperation with StarForce in the nearest future.

About StarForce (www.star-force.com)

StarForce is a leading provider of software protection solutions designed to fight piracy and assist software developers and publishers to effectively protect their intellectual property and safeguard their revenues. The company is well-known among industry professionals for its state of the art software-and-hardware-level encryption technologies. StarForce provides a broad range of high-quality and cost-effective protection and licensing solutions for business, educational, and entertainment applications

Not every one needs to know that fluorine will violently ignite
many substances, that silane burns on contact with air, or that
ammonia will decompose thermally into twice its volume. But if
you work with specialty
gases, this information is essential. Safety must always
be a primary goal when working with specialty gases -safety and
knowledge go hand-in-hand.

To improve your chances of preventing hazardous accidents,
follow these Top 10 Tips for safely handling and using gas
cylinders:

1. Appropriate firefighting, personnel safety and first aid
equipment should always be available in case of emergencies.
Ensure adequate personnel are trained in the use of this
equipment.

2. Obtain a copy of the MSDS for the gases being used. Read the
MSDS thoroughly and become familiar with the gas properties and
hazards prior to use.

3. Follow all federal, state and local regulations concerning
the storage of compressed gas cylinders. Store gas cylinders in
a ventilated and well lit area away from combustible materials.
Separate gases by type and store in assigned locations that can
be readily identified. Store cylinders containing flammable
gases separately from oxygen cylinders and other oxidants by a
fire-resistant barrier (having a fire-resistance rating of at
least 30 minutes) or locate them at least 20 feet apart from
each other. Store poison, cryogenic and inert gases separately.
If a cylinder’s contents are not clearly identified by the
proper cylinder markings labels, do NOT accept for use.

4. Storage areas should be located away from sources of excess
heat, open flame or ignition, and not located in closed or
sub-surface areas. The area should be dry, cool and well
ventilated. Outdoor storage should be above grade, dry and
protected from the extremes of weather. While in storage,
cylinder valve protection caps MUST be firmly in place.

5. Arrange the cylinder storage area so that old stock is used
first. Empty cylinders should be stored separately and
identified with clear markings. Return empty cylinders promptly.
Some pressure should be left in a depleted cylinder to prevent
air suck-back that would allow moisture and contaminants to
enter the cylinder

6. Do not apply any heating device that will heat any part of a
cylinder above 125F (52C). Overheating can cause the cylinder
to rupture. Neither steel nor aluminum cylinder temperatures
should be permitted to exceed 125F (52C).

7. Safety glasses, gloves and safety shoes should be worn at all
times when handling cylinders. Always move cylinders by hand
trucks or carts that are designed for this purpose. During
transportation, keep both hands on the cylinder cart and secure
cylinders properly to prevent them from falling, dropping or
striking each other. Never use a cylinder cart without a chain
or transport a gas cylinder without its valve protection cap
firmly in place.

8. To begin service from a cylinder, first secure the cylinder
and then remove the valve protection cap. Inspect the cylinder
valve for damaged threads, dirt, oil or grease. Remove any dust
or dirt with a clean cloth. If oil or grease is present on the
valve of a cylinder which contains oxygen or another oxidant, do
NOT attempt to use it. Such combustible substances in contact
with an oxidant are explosive. Always disconnect equipment from
the cylinder when not in use and return the cylinder valve
protection cap to the cylinder.

9. Be sure all fittings and connection threads meet properly -
never force. Dedicate your regulator to a single valve
connection even if it is designed for different gases. NEVER
cross thread or use adapters between non-mating equipment and
cylinders. Use washers only if indicated. Never use pipe dope on
pipe threads, turn the threads the wrong way, or use Teflon®
tape on the valve threads to prevent leaking

10. When a cylinder is in use, it must be secured with some form
of fastener. Floor or wall brackets are ideal for stationary
use. Portable bench brackets are recommended for when a cylinder
must be moved around. Smaller stands function well for lecture
bottle use.

For more information on Gas Handling and Safety, and to download
a comprehensive free Design & Safety Handbook, visit http://www.scottgas.com.
Scott Specialty Gases (http://www.scottgas.com) is an
international producer and supplier of specialty gas products
and equipment for all types of scientific, industrial and
medical applications.

This article is provided by Scott Specialty Gases. Scott
Specialty Gases, a leading global manufacturer of specialty
gases located in Plumsteadville, PA. More information on the
company can be found at http://www.scottgas.com.

This article is copyrighted by Scott Gases. It may not be
reproduced in whole or in part and may not be posted on other
websites, without the express written permission of the author
who may be contacted via email at
scottgas@digitalbrandexpressions.com.

www.Pokernews.info is gathering the most amusing jokes about poker. Jokes are grouped in topics: Poker Dogs, Women, Blondes, Casinos, Children, Religious, Wild West, and Short - just a few words to sum up the funny side of gambling.

More jokes will be added regularly, as readers contribute.

www.Pokernews.info provides information to beginners as well as professionals; it covers poker rules and variants, there is a poker dictionary of more than 800 terms. Visitors are encouraged to contribute expanding this dictionary, with the aim of making it the most exhaustive and informative of all online poker glossaries.

Tony G (Antanas Guoga), one of the game’s leading players, is behind the site. He says: “We aim to give regular players the most detailed resource; teach new players to play; find all the news of poker, and give advice. And explain all poker terms. As for jokes, we see these as a new kind of folklore in poker players community.”

More new features will be added soon. There will be a poker interactive tournament calendar and online poker information with strategy, history and reviews.

www.Pokernews.info is a website of poker player Tony G. (Antanas Guoga). Website features include poker news, game reviews, home poker games locations, poker rules and variants, poker books and video poker game links. Players can ask and answer questions in a poker forum. www.Pokernews.info is well on the way to achieving its goal of becoming the leading online poker community.

About the Author

None

We have all heard the wonderfully romantic stories of pen pals
that wrote to each other for years without meeting because they
lived hundreds or even thousands of miles apart. Some friend of
a friend set them up as pen pals or she decided to write to some
unknown soldier away at war. They exchanged a few pictures and
spent countless hours drafting letters back and forth, baring
their hearts and souls to each other. Without ever dating, they
fell in love. When one could eventually travel across the
distance to finally meet the other, they both knew immediately
that this was indeed the one they’d spend the rest of their life
with. The physical attraction was every bit as strong as the
emotional attraction they had felt for each other. It’s a
classic story that’s existed as long as there’s been a postal
system for delivering the letters between would be lovers.

Today we have an Internet version of the same thing. People go
to these dating sites to find love. It seemed a bit weird at
first like most things that are new and different, but
eventually we became used to the idea. Is it really any
different than meeting in any other manner? You still have to
weed through the riffraff. You still have people presenting
themselves as something other than what they really are. You
still have crooks and cheats, predators. And you still have
honest real folks looking for true love. You still have single
parents worried that people won’t accept their kids as part of a
package deal. You still have married folks looking for a way to
cheat on their partners. The only real difference is how fast
the system works. You can weed through a heck of a lot of less
than desirable matches really fast and you don’t even have to
waste time or money on dinner and movies, or on babysitters and
a new dress.

It’s my hope that you would take your time with the ones who do
seem promising. When you find a profile that seems interesting,
don’t rush through the process. Sure, a lot of people say that
the eyes are the windows to the soul and that you need to meet
in person to get a real feel for each other. And there is a lot
of truth to that. Ultimately you do have to meet in person to
determine if there’s any type of chemistry between you or not.
It’s not something that can be logically determined. You feel it
or you don’t and you won’t know until you meet them face to
face. But what about those old pen pal stories? They fell in
love without it being about sexual attraction. When we meet face
to face with someone that we are physically attracted to, it’s
human nature to want to speed up the process so that we can get
to the really good stuff! I’m thinking that if we took more time
in the passing notes back and forth portion before actually
meeting face to face, then we’d be more inclined to fall for the
person inside rather than for the physical beauty that can be so
blinding to the truth about people. We all know someone who’s
been completely consumed by a hot passionate attraction for
someone who was so incredibly wrong for them. It takes forever
for them to open their eyes and see the sexy person for what
they really are. Please don’t think that I’m saying that all
good looking people are bad relationships waiting to happen. I
just don’t want you to confuse sexual attraction with real
intimacy.

If you’re just looking to get laid, then by all means disregard
this article! It’s not written for you. If you’re looking to
find that once in a lifetime incredible love, then why not take
the extra time to do it right? Why not agree to write emails
back and forth for a while before meeting in person? Chances are
you’ve already seen their picture on the matchmaker’s web site.
Make up fun questionnaires for each other to fill out. Ask them
all sorts of interesting questions about themselves like ‘if you
could invite four people to dinner regardless of what time in
history they lived or died, who would it be and why?’ Ask them
what their number one biggest regret is in life. Ask them what
their number one most embarrassing moment in life is. Ask them
what their number one best shining moment was. Ask them if they
felt loved as a child. Ask them if they have felt loved as an
adult. What is their next wild adventure in life going to be?
Have fun really getting to know each other before you meet in
person. Have a real bond based on more than the fact that you
both like moonlit walks on the beach and want to someday have
children. When you do finally meet, you won’t suffer those
uncomfortable silences either, you’ll have shared laughs and
have plenty to talk about. You’ll already be real friends.

So many people put in their profiles that they only want to meet
people that are close to home, 50 miles, 100 miles, etc. Why not
reach out across the globe. Why not find new pen pals to write
to? Even if you never fall in love, you’ve gained a new friend
and the experience of feeling connected to others. Who knows
maybe your soulmate is just across the ocean. Perhaps they’re
waiting for a note from you in their inbox. Perhaps you’ll
become one of those wonderful love stories worth telling your
grandchildren about. “Yep, your grandmother and I wrote back and
forth for a year before I finally saved up enough money to fly
over and meet her. And let me tell you, the first time I laid
eyes on her I knew that she was the only one for me. She was
well worth the wait!”

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow’s Edge