Back in 1998, I was on summer break before going to college. My parents said I had to get a summer job, so I got an entry level PR job at a Web design agency (new media, baby!) in London. Somehow, within a few weeks I was attending recruitment interviews. One totally normal looking guy came in, sat down, and after a quick introduction the CEO asked him what his background was. The guy jumped up, shouted "you can go f!@k yourselves!!" and ran out slamming the door. Never saw him again.
I was only at the agency a month in the end, but just the crazy things I saw there could fill a book. In hindsight, I regret quitting.
He eventually returned from leave and I found out why he was the strange one even in comparison to them: he was over 60 years old, still lived with his mother, had some penchant for buying any food that was on sale (even if he never ate it, and even to the point where he was buying more freezers to store it!) and his recent leave was granted after he set himself on fire in bed. He also had an uncontrollable giggle.
Those were the days!
> set himself on fire in bed
> uncontrollable giggle
I wonder, what could possibly lead to such things?
Less than a week into starting this job, I received an automated message saying that "Ticket 1234 Fred Bloggs has been deleted". At the same time, the guy got up, left and never returned...
like, could he have thought it was a question about his ethnicity, or anything other than career history?
What does that even mean?
http://factoryjoe.s3.amazonaws.com/emoticons/emoticon-0144-n...
I do nod a lot myself as an indication I'm paying attention, and every so often it surprises me when someone doesn't quite understand.
http://jobs.37signals.com/jobs/6958
http://jobs.37signals.com/jobs/7003
All sketchy and heavy on the caps lock.
http://www.google.com/search?q=phenomsolutions1
(Not that it is super relevant)
So, the question here is: why didn't you trust your gut feeling? Why did you value your (simplistic) rationalization more?
Why trust instinct when you can trust fact?
Our anti-fraud systems mostly pick him up now, he's not particularly bright.
Does anyone have a contact at 37Signals that I could provide with details?
Why do people treat internet based communication differently than other, older forms? I've never had a misunderstanding in person, over the phone, or over snail mail devolve into such a vile display of human worthlessness.
Does the mode change people or does the mode bring us into contact with more people who would be likely to respond in this manner? I know I have gotten into more arguments online than in person, but I also know that most of the people I know in person are fairly reasonable people. The relative anonymity of the internet tends to hide details that would lead me to avoid certain types of people long before such an argument appeared.
Maybe in 20 years, when everyone can no longer remember a time before the internet, we will have figured out "etiquette" properly. Ha, that reminds me, I haven't seen a "'netiquette" posting in so long; they used to be so popular 10 years ago. Do we just assume (wrongly) that every gets it?
When you are online everything fits into the same type of frame: Words in a font on a screen. It looks just the same just about everywhere. I think it may be that these people believe they are yelling more at a screen and some text than a real human being on the other side.
after the post (f u ios devs) I felt some regret. but it's one thing if I choose to waste my time (like on HN), it's entirely different when someone else does so.
Look into wire transfers as they're a lot safer and the money goes directly into your account. Sure it might cost a bit of money but if you split the cost with your employer you don't have to go through a middle man then.
edit: (unrelated) Have you brought this to the attention of 37signals? You should send them this story, I feel like they may want to keep unsavoury characters like this away from their board in the future.
Overall, Mr. Gautama might have been a creep but atleast he was decent enough to show his true colors so early in the game.
don't tell me he's scamming people out of web-design labor.
Aside from that, he might just have been getting free design work that he could sell elsewhere.
I wouldn't like to use PayPal either, though.
now I look for reasons to say no.
