If all goes well, sometime today you'll see the new site layout and configuration. Please pardon any bumps in the road!
- Steven Savage
February 25, 2012
February 24, 2012
February 23, 2012
U Mad?
“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”
- Howard Beale (Peter Finch) in “Network”
Anger is a misunderstood blessing and a misused tool, and perhaps if we got to know it a little better, we could handle it properly. However, “handling anger properly” usually means either repressing it or channeling it into something separately constructive. That’s not right. At its core, anger is that unpleasant feeling we get when we witness something that’s going wrong. In other words, it’s a warning sign.
February 22, 2012
Geek to Geek: Hardest Interview Question
What’s the hardest question you’ve ever been asked in a job interview and how did you answer it?
Tamara: Mine was actually “Tell me about yourself.” Okay, so that’s not a question; it’s an imperative statement. Anyway, it just seemed so vague. I told them about my education, which was the only thing I had accomplished at that point in time that was relevant to the job. I think that’s the key; to focus on what is most relevant and try not to be caught off-guard. I’m guessing I did alright since I got the job.
Steve: Stupid and strange "puzzle" questions. They're supposed to show how you think, but part of me just can't get over how they seem like gimmicks.
Ellen: I'm usually one of those jerks who always comes up with an answer for anything, and on top of that I haven't had many official interviews for my jobs. But one thing I know I'm super bad at that often comes up in interviews, is discussing what I'm good at. I have the hardest time discerning whether I sound cocky when I discuss my abilities, and am always worried that instead of impressing them, I'm blowing hot hair in their faces. I know that unless I tell them what I can do, they'll never know, but finding a balance between being matter-of-fact and being smug is a process I always complicate and fill with worry. It just came to me that I should practice/find sentences ahead of time that I'm comfortable with, and that have been approved by friends, that also won't short-change me to a prospective employer.
Bonnie: Other than the dreaded "What are your weaknesses," I think the toughest was when the person interviewing me for a management position set up a hypothetical worst case scenario and wanted the answer right away. There was no time to think it through, so I just answered as logically as possible - basically, "handle everything with diplomacy." It must have been what they wanted to hear, because they offered me the job!
Lauren: I applied for a lot of jobs in 2010, many of which I wasn't even interested in, because I knew getting a job would be rough. Probably the worst question I was for an interview to be a social media manager at a banking company, "What do you like most about banking?"
I answered honestly, "Nothing." I tried to tie it into how their customers probably aren't big banking geeks either, and a good social media manager would tie banking into stuff they actually cared about.
Obviously, I didn't get the job. But getting that question was a turning point for me. I decided to get a part time job as a cashier while I narrowed my prospects to jobs that dealt with topics I actually cared about.
Ewen: I think I've reached a point where for me the actual difficult interview questions are just the ones that are going to reveal that the job is a poor fit for my skills. When I was younger and not as able to deal with social stuff in general, all of the above was staggeringly intimidating to me, but thankfully I got past that. There are a lot of cliche interview questions that either have a standard answer (Q: How would you deal with a conflict with a coworker? A: [Something that shows you can deal with conflicts yourself without bugging your boss.]), or that are an opportunity for you to blather and try to make yourself look good (Q: What would you say is your best quality?) that I've got more or less figured out. On the other hand I'm an introvert and not much of a salesman, so I have a hard time giving good and honest answers to for example questions pertaining to customer service, especially the kind of "customer service" that involves extracting more money out of customers.
Scott: All of them? Okay, getting specific...
"Why do you want this job?"
The obvious answer, "Because I need the money," sounds far to mercenary to me, even if it is the most honest. I try to emphasize the learning experience, using what I know in a new manner.
"What's your worst quality?"
Again, the obvious is, "Answering these questions." Far too many exams in high school and university and too many Public Service entrance exams have me looking for the "right" answer. I tend to wing this one with a non-answer. But this question can die in a fire for all I care. It's tough enough trying to project a persona that isn't introverted me long enough to make a decent first impression without having to start denigrating myself. The question is looking for someone who fits into the corporate culture and doesn't really work with social chameleons.
"Why do you want this job?"
The obvious answer, "Because I need the money," sounds far to mercenary to me, even if it is the most honest. I try to emphasize the learning experience, using what I know in a new manner.
"What's your worst quality?"
Again, the obvious is, "Answering these questions." Far too many exams in high school and university and too many Public Service entrance exams have me looking for the "right" answer. I tend to wing this one with a non-answer. But this question can die in a fire for all I care. It's tough enough trying to project a persona that isn't introverted me long enough to make a decent first impression without having to start denigrating myself. The question is looking for someone who fits into the corporate culture and doesn't really work with social chameleons.
February 21, 2012
February 20, 2012
February 19, 2012
February 18, 2012
Lost in Translation - Off Track 1
With trying to keep up on Bills C-30 and C-51 in the Canadian Parliament, I wasn't able to get this week's Lost in Translation ready. Having already missed one week, I figured I should have some extra material set in advance to prevent another occurance. So, why tell you this now?
'Cause this is filler!
*ahem*
Right, so, after *mumble* weeks of looking at various adaptations, reboots, and remakes and trying to determine what worked and what didn't, it's time to look at the overall picture. Not so much why, but what sort of remakes can be done.
There's really two possibilities - remake a successful work or remake an unsuccessful work. Again, success is being treated broadly - a critical success might not be financially successful, and a financial success might not be seen as a good work by fans. It's a difficult target to pin down, really.
Remaking a successful work is a no-brainer, at least when deciding to put the effort into the remake. The work already has an audience - fans who enjoyed the work in the past and people who have at least heard of the work. It's something that execs like to see, an audience who just has to be told the remake is being released. For less work than creating an original setting, creating original characters, and marketing to convince people that the new piece is worth enjoying, the remake uses existing characters in an existing setting. The problem comes when execs, crew, and cast forget that people want to see the original characters and instead use the title as a vehicle for something else. This was the fate of Starsky & Hutch (the remake a Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson comedy vehicle) and Land of the Lost (the remake a vehicle for Will Farrell). If either were remotely closer to the tone of the originals, the movie would have done far better. As it stands, though, a lack of respect* to either the original or the fans of the original lost audiences.
Having a successful remake to a successful original requires a deft touch and some hard work. But, there's another path. Take an unsuccessful original and remake it. The original, which may still have fans, won't have as many as a successful work. Even then, the existing fans may enjoy the new work. However, the risk here is that no one will have heard of the original. Marketing will actually have to work to spread the word. But, a successful remake will be known far more than the original. There is a caveat. Some apparently unsuccessful works may have an audience because of what made them fail. The Ed Wood films are a perfect example - people watch those not because they're good, but because they aren't yet Wood kept trying. Remaking Plan 9 From Outer Space misses the entire reason why the original has an audience.
Next time, back to the family.
* There's that word again.
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