Workplace

An article published today by The New York Times is the latest to argue that computer science as a career these days requires more than coding chops.

The story coins a new phrase to describe the way college students in technology today must blend computer savvy with knowledge in another arena: they must become "renaissance geeks."

From the story: "They have to understand computing, but they also typically need deep knowledge of some other field, from biology to business, Wall Street to Hollywood. And they tend to focus less on the tools of technology than on how … Read more

Should Microsoft win its lawsuit against Google and Kai-Fu Lee, it seems Lee could find himself dangling from two sets of employer strings.

Google hired Lee away from Micrsoft in July, saying he would head the search giant's Chinese operations. Microsoft promptly sued, claiming Lee was violating a one-year noncompete clause in his contract by accepting the Google job.

A court document unsealed this week suggests that if Lee is barred from working at Google, he could enter a professional limbo constrained by both companies. The document, provided by Microsoft, apparently is part of an employment agreement between Google … Read more

Job search Web site Simply Hired on Monday launched a new site for workers who have been fired or laid off. The site, called Simply Fired, will have stories and personal anecdotes from people who have lost their jobs, including Mark Jen, who was fired by Google over his blogging earlier this year.

The site is also running a contest in which the winner of the most compelling story will win a Caribbean cruise with people fired from Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" reality TV show. Among contest judges will be Jen, who is currently employed by Plaxo, … Read more

Among the interesting tidbits in the case pitting Microsoft against Google and former Microsoft exec Kai-Fu Lee is this nugget: Lee says he went searching for employment at Google.

Apparently seeking to dispel any notion that Google actively poached the former well-paid Microsoft vice president, Lee said this in court documents filed this week:

"I approached Google regarding possible employment in May of 2005 as I understood that Google was interested in establishing a presence in China. That contact ultimately led to an offer of employment which I accepted on July 19, 2005. At no time did Google recruit … Read more

It was one thing when people got in trouble for writing naughty thoughts in e-mail--who, absent a few subpoenas, wouldn't be susceptible to the medium's seductive, false sense of impermanence?

But the latest trend, getting in trouble for blogs posted to a global audience, is a little harder to understand. Take Michael Gee, a former Boston Herald columnist who, according to an Editor & Publisher report (which credited Boston Sports Media Watch), wrote the following about his summer gig teaching journalism at Boston University:

"Of my six students, one (the smartest, wouldn't you know it?) … Read more

It's easy to understand why Microsoft might be a tad worried by Kai-Fu Lee's decision to join search king Google.

Lee, a former corporate vice president of Microsoft's Interactive Services Division, was hired by Google to open a China research and development center, the company said on Tuesday.

The problem is, Lee had been working on speech recognition technology for Windows, and specifically, for Longhorn, the oft-delayed next version of the operating system. Microsoft on Tuesday filed a lawsuit claiming that Lee breached Microsoft's employee confidentiality and non-compete agreement.

Lee joined Microsoft in Asia back in … Read more

Supervisors can get into trouble when their love lives mix with their management roles, according to a court ruling described by the Associated Press on Tuesday.

The story said the California Supreme Court ruled that a manager who has affairs with subordinates can create a work climate that amounts to sexual harassment even for uninvolved employees.

In the court case, former employees at the Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla complained about then-warden Lewis Kuykendall, who was sexually involved with at least three women at the same time, according to the AP.

An isolated instance of favoritism would not … Read more

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates admitted Monday that he has fallen a bit behind the times, when it comes to the Harry Potter phenomenon.

The world's richest Muggle said his family read the first two books, but stopped after his daughter found they were getting too scary.

"But now I understand even adults are supposed to read them," Gates said during a speech with Princeton University engineering school dean Maria Klawe.

Klawe expressed her hope that Potter compatriot Hermione Granger would elect a career in computer science.

"I think that would really turn around our problem, especially … Read more

Stressed-out high-tech workers in India are looking to put a little peace and quiet into their hectic workdays (and nights).

In ever-bustling Bangalore, for instance, software coders and call center operators are turning to an ever-increasing number of yoga centers and spas, according to the Independent Online, a South African news outlet. Among the businesses that have sprung up to cater to the demand, the newspaper singles out an international nonprofit organization, the Art of Living Foundation, which has 20 centers across Bangalore and which says that more than 400 code writers enroll every month to learn meditation.

"The … Read more