http://www.a1articles.com en-us editorial@articlealley.com Mention H-1B visas to a group of American engineers or programmers and you're likely to hear a cry of outrage. H-1B visa holders, it is commonly said, have taken thousands of jobs away from hardworking American high-tech workers. In addition, disgruntled... http://www.a1articles.com/are-h1b-workers-paid-much-less-than-us-workers-495879.html 26th March 2008 Creativity. A lot of companies say that they want it, but not all of them do a good job of fostering it. It's not hard to see why. Creativity often appears unproductive. It can require dissociating one's self from one's normal work, and it frequentl... http://www.a1articles.com/the-challenge-of-fostering-a-creative-culture-in-the-workplace-486789.html 07th March 2008 Back in the 1990s, most Americans would have agreed that the USA needed more engineers and programmers. The country needed high-tech workers in order to maintain its worldwide edge in technology, and common wisdom dictated that there jus weren't enough of... http://www.a1articles.com/the-hightech-manpower-shortage-real-or-mythical-485470.html 04th March 2008 I remember the shock that I received after the first winter gas bill for my house had arrived. I knew that I had to take drastic action to reduce my heating costs. I also knew that I had precious little time to spare, thanks to work pressures, my exerci... http://www.a1articles.com/five-timesaving-ways-to-reduce-winter-heating-costs-483812.html 29th February 2008 Pair programming: People love it or they hate it. The concept of pair programming first became popular thanks to "extreme programming" or XP—a set of practices that supposedly allows companies to develop software in a more efficient, more "agile" man... http://www.a1articles.com/the-pitfalls-and-perils-of-pair-programming-108452.html 27th November 2006 On a couple of recent occasions, I found myself discussing the issue of false teaching within Christian churches. To my shock, on both occasions, some believers chimed in by saying, "Hey, don't complain about false teaching! Instead, rejoice! After all, d... http://www.a1articles.com/rejoicing-in-pretense-99143.html 15th November 2006 It's an all-too-common pitfall. Programmers who attempt to write object-oriented code decide to make all of their data variables private, while creating public get() and set() function pairs for each one. "See?" they declare, as they pat themselves on t... http://www.a1articles.com/using-get-and-set-might-be-something-youll-regret-77097.html 26th July 2006 A couple of years ago, I experienced the misfortune of having two laptop computers break down within a single week. One laptop was less than eight months old; the other had failed five times in less than two years. As you can imagine, I was extremely di... http://www.a1articles.com/a-comparative-study-in-customer-service-76155.html 25th July 2006 In the course of my career, I've had to deal with a lot of vendors—software companies, sensor manufacturers, electronics distributors and more. Some of them have left lasting impressions on me, whereas others have been eminently forgettable. I'd like to... http://www.a1articles.com/a-quick-and-simple-tip-for-gaining-new-customers-76153.html 25th July 2006 Does speaking in public leave you tongue-tied? Do you stumble over your words? Do you want to learn how to speak more eloquently in front of a crowed? Here's a simple tip for getting started: Talk about something that you're passionate about. Hav... http://www.a1articles.com/a-quick-tip-for-delivering-a-great-speech-76151.html 25th July 2006 Let's say that you have a software project that's under severe time pressure. Let's say that this deadline is so tight that you already know it will involve many late nights of black coffee and frenetic programming. What can you do to make this process ... http://www.a1articles.com/a-timesaving-programming-tactic-that-doesnt-work-76150.html 25th July 2006 Internal documentation. It's one of the most frequent casualties in software development. It's not hard to see why. For most companies, time is money, and they frequently find themselves scrambling to release a product. It can therefore be tempting ... http://www.a1articles.com/dont-forget-the-internal-software-documentation-76148.html 25th July 2006 If you're looking for an unusual, eye-catching pet, it's hard to go wrong with a snake. They're exotic enough to catch people's interest, yet hardy enough to require minimal care. Nevertheless, uninformed first-time owners tend to make some basic mistak... http://www.a1articles.com/five-snake-care-tips-for-beginners-76147.html 25th July 2006 It seems obvious, but it's often ignored. A good user interface design can spell the difference between acceptance of a software product and its failure in the marketplace. If the end-users find the software to be too cumbersome or difficult to understan... http://www.a1articles.com/on-the-importance-of-good-user-interface-design-76146.html 25th July 2006 I once wrote an article in which I offered the following tip on how to speak eloquently in public: Talk about something that you're passionate about. When we speak about matters that are dear to our hearts, we often find wellsprings of eloquence from whi... http://www.a1articles.com/how-to-get-started-on-writing-killer-articles-76145.html 25th July 2006 It's cliché, but true—a picture does paint a thousand words. This is an important message to remember when writing any sort of user documentation, such as an installation guide or an instruction manual. A document that makes judicious use of images and ... http://www.a1articles.com/the-value-of-adding-images-to-technical-documentation-76144.html 25th July 2006 We all know what it's like when a meeting doesn't go smoothly. Discussions get derailed, tempers start to fray, and things are seldom resolved to everyone's satisfaction. In such situation, the problem is often the result of poor communication—and poor c... http://www.a1articles.com/listening-techniques-for-more-effective-meetings-part-i-76143.html 25th July 2006 In Part I of this article, we discussed the importance of active listening, and how it is important for smooth and effective meetings. In the process, we touched on the topic of reflective listening. Reflective listening is a valuable means of ensuring ... http://www.a1articles.com/listening-techniques-for-more-effective-meetings-part-ii-76141.html 25th July 2006 Over the years, I've paid a lot of attention to how companies recruit computer programmers. During that time, I've noticed how managers frequently make hiring decisions that seem to make sense in the short term, but which result in long-term chaos. I've... http://www.a1articles.com/software-companies-dont-sabotage-your-longterm-success-76132.html 25th July 2006 One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is simply knowing how to get started. If you've unsure of your writing skills, then here are some quick tips to help you get started. 1. Get yourself a thesaurus—or better yet, two of them. ... http://www.a1articles.com/ten-quick-tips-for-inexperienced-writers-76130.html 25th July 2006 I've seen it time and again. One of the most common weaknesses that I've seen in engineering companies—indeed, an almost universal fault—is the lack of proper technical documentation. Some would laugh this off as a minor detail; however, the repercussio... http://www.a1articles.com/the-top-five-mistakes-that-companies-make-with-regard-to-technical-documentation-76129.html 25th July 2006 The title of "software engineer" has got to be among the most highly abused in the corporate high-tech world. It's also one of the most popular. And why not? It sounds a lot better than "computer programmer," and it looks much better on one's busines... http://www.a1articles.com/when-is-a-software-engineer-not-a-software-engineer-76128.html 25th July 2006 About a year ago, I had an opportunity to have dinner with the CEO of an engineering startup company in Pennsylvania. As we discussed engineering design matters over Chinese food, he took a few moments to talk about his business philosophy. "As far as I... http://www.a1articles.com/why-good-enough-isnt-76125.html 25th July 2006 Everybody knows that computer programming is a heavily male-dominated field. I think this is a crying shame. Over the years, I've come to conclude that there is a great deal that women can contribute to this field. Why is computer programming regarde... http://www.a1articles.com/why-more-women-should-consider-a-career-in-computer-programming-76122.html 25th July 2006 A few weeks ago, I was watching a Christian teaching DVD at a church singles group meeting. The preacher on this DVD had a real gift for comedy; I tell you, his sermon was a hilarious, mile-a-minute jokefest! The preacher was a gifted comedian, and he co... http://www.a1articles.com/is-your-pastor-a-standup-comic-or-a-standup-guy-75919.html 25th July 2006 I've seen it time and again. A computer programmer proudly proclaims, "Yeah, my code is object-oriented. See? My data members are all private, and they can only be reached through public member functions. That's what being object-oriented is all about... http://www.a1articles.com/a-common-misconception-about-objectoriented-programming-75441.html 24th July 2006 A few months ago, I had a conversation with a churchgoer who complained about religious intolerance. He said (and I paraphrase), "When it comes to religous beliefs, I really don't like people who think they're the ones that are right." Something about ... http://www.a1articles.com/people-that-think-theyre-right-74928.html 22nd July 2006 Tarantulas can make wonderful pets. They are exotic, fascinating creatures that require much less attention than a dog or a cat, or even a tank of fish. Many species are hardy enough to require minimal care, and they always make great topics of conversa... http://www.a1articles.com/the-top-seven-tarantula-species-for-beginners-73132.html 17th July 2006