Job search / Mass-ID mystery / Zip-code mystery / Time mystery / Again a book from…

Job search

Head-hunters are hunting me. I am discussing with several hunters, who try to get my scalp and place me to some companies. I like it, I like outsourcing parts of my job search. I also applied for several jobs in London. I do not need a visa to work there, so it may be much easier to get a job over there. As I will not sell myself cheap, I limited the applications to jobs paying more than 90k pounds. I have heard that London is an expensive place to live.

Mass-ID mystery

Does requiring several identification proofs make any difference? If I can forge a passport, why cannot I forge any number of utility bills, social security cards etc? I came to think about this today, when I tried to get a Massachusetts state ID-card. I had my passport, my social security card, and my phone bill with me. These documents were not enough! They do not prove, that the signature I had to write on the application and also on a touch screen at the counter is really my signature. I tried to use my Finnish driver's license, but it was of no use. Now, I have to go back and show my I-20-form (some kind of residence permit). The clerk said, that if I sign my I-20, it will prove my signature. At some point I got lost in this reasoning. But I will go back with my I-20 and I hope the rules have not got any more complicated before that.

Zip-code mystery

Why do I always have to fill in city (Boston), state (MA), and zip-code (02116)? I assume, that each zip-code in unique within USA. So, why the need to fill in redundant information?

Time mystery

Is time of the rich more valuable than time of the poor? In traffic planning, it is common to translate time savings (due to new highway etc) to money savings using some hourly salary of drivers. If time of the rich is more valuable, then building highways to rich areas makes more sense than to poor areas. However, I would say that time of the poor is more valuable, since their average life is shorter than that of the rich. But, even this does not makes sense. If it would, we would have to deal our prison sentences proportional to wealth. I assume this is not acceptable. So, time of every person, poor or rich, is as valuable.

Again a book from Canongate

I received A short history of the myth by Karen Armstrong from Canongate, with compliments. The book seems to be very interesting treatise of how and why we humans use myths. Kudos to Canongate.

Phones

Not only is voicemail important and much use here, but also fixed phones are still so common. And all call must go through the switching lade/gentleman. This arrangement does remind me of the times I started to work for Nokia Data in 1988. Nice that traditions are well-kept here in USA.

Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs October 2005".