Hi, I am curious to know how the ongoing recession effects the DSP community of designers/consultants and companies (small/big). How badly they are affected? How long will the recession continue? Fuel prices? Food scarcity? etc. etc. Anyone wants to throw light on this topic is welcome. Also it will be good if people can advise as to what should be done and what to avoid in such times. Though the topic is quite vague and wide but I suppose it will get refined once we start to get some inputs. And I suppose all of us are affected in someway or the other. Regards Bharat Pathak
How DSP folks are affected by the ongoing recession?
Started by ●April 12, 2008
Reply by ●April 12, 20082008-04-12
On 12 Apr, 06:39, "bharat pathak" <bha...@arithos.com> wrote:> � Also it will be good if people can advise as to what should > � be done and what to avoid in such times.Don't know how to avoid such times, but as far as I am concerned, these are the times to start working the clients. The stuff I've been doing for some time now (seismic and sonar data processing) is a demanding task. The seismic community are completely aware of this, and have always been the largest civilian user of computing power and have always known how to utilize that computeing power. The sonar surveying people are now at the stage, what requirements to processing volumes are concerned, where the seimsicians were some 15-20 yeras ago. The difference is that in the early '90s one needed state-of-the-art supercomputers to do the job, whereas now a regular table PC can do it. For some reason people do not seem to know what immense computing powers the PC actually represents, and do not know how to exploit it. Instead, there seems to be a trend to fill projects up with people instead, which very soon becomes counter-productive since people tend to run in each others way. From my point of view now is the time to demonstrate the alternatives, to show how to make the computer work for you. The last couple of days I have sketched a demo which sets up a number of tables in a MSWord document and populate them with items from a database. That's the sort of thing that is done manually in the industry. The last time I ran the test, the document was some 50+ pages in all. It would take a day or more to do that job manually -- and yes, that sort of thing *is* done manually. No kidding! By showing how things can be done automatically, the goal is to generate projects where the clients save personnel costs and get the job done on time. Remember, the companies which intend to survive bad times can not afford to spend more time or charge their clients more $$$ than absolutely necessary. Rune
Reply by ●April 12, 20082008-04-12
On Apr 12, 12:39�am, "bharat pathak" <bha...@arithos.com> wrote:> Hi, > > � I am curious to know how the ongoing recession effects � > � the DSP community of designers/consultants and companies > � (small/big).well, it gives the employer an advantage and the employee some pause if he/she is considering quitting. (not a academic issue for me at the moment.) r b-j
Reply by ●April 12, 20082008-04-12
On Apr 11, 9:39�pm, "bharat pathak" <bha...@arithos.com> wrote:> Hi, > > � I am curious to know how the ongoing recession effects � > � the DSP community of designers/consultants and companies > � (small/big). > > � How badly they are affected? How long will the recession > � continue? Fuel prices? Food scarcity? etc. etc. > > � Anyone wants to throw light on this topic is welcome. > > � Also it will be good if people can advise as to what should > � be done and what to avoid in such times. > > � Though the topic is quite vague and wide but I suppose it > � will get refined once we start to get some inputs. And I > � suppose all of us are affected in someway or the other. > > Regards > Bharat PathakIt's mostly a financial/banking issue driven recession where those companies and companies that have large amounts of assets in finance are affected. Food is scarce? There is nothing special to do or avoid.
Reply by ●April 12, 20082008-04-12
steve schrieb:> > Food is scarce? >Yes, it is.. check he news and try to understand the recent riots in haiti. I doubt it will get much better in the future.. Nils
Reply by ●April 12, 20082008-04-12
On Apr 12, 12:39 am, "bharat pathak" <bha...@arithos.com> wrote:> Hi, > > I am curious to know how the ongoing recession effects > the DSP community of designers/consultants and companies > (small/big). > > How badly they are affected? How long will the recession > continue? Fuel prices? Food scarcity? etc. etc. > > Anyone wants to throw light on this topic is welcome. > > Also it will be good if people can advise as to what should > be done and what to avoid in such times. > > Though the topic is quite vague and wide but I suppose it > will get refined once we start to get some inputs. And I > suppose all of us are affected in someway or the other. > > Regards > Bharat PathakI live and work in the US, so these comments don't necessarily apply elsewhere. It is hard to imagine anyone in the US that is not impacted by fuel prices. It raises the price of just about all goods and services needed in a household. I don't think the credit problems are a big deal as long as you aren't in foreclosure and can hold onto investments until markets recover, which will be a few years I think. I notice that restaurants are going out of business as people cut back on discretionary spending. I have a friend who owns a piano store and I suspect it isn't the best time to be in that business. But honestly, in the US I still feel very fortunate every day that terms like food scarcity aren't really in the vocabulary. John John
Reply by ●April 12, 20082008-04-12
John wrote:> On Apr 12, 12:39 am, "bharat pathak" <bha...@arithos.com> wrote: >> Hi, >> >> I am curious to know how the ongoing recession effects >> the DSP community of designers/consultants and companies >> (small/big). >> >> How badly they are affected? How long will the recession >> continue? Fuel prices? Food scarcity? etc. etc. >> >> Anyone wants to throw light on this topic is welcome. >> >> Also it will be good if people can advise as to what should >> be done and what to avoid in such times. >> >> Though the topic is quite vague and wide but I suppose it >> will get refined once we start to get some inputs. And I >> suppose all of us are affected in someway or the other. >> >> Regards >> Bharat Pathak > > I live and work in the US, so these comments don't necessarily apply > elsewhere. It is hard to imagine anyone in the US that is not impacted > by fuel prices. It raises the price of just about all goods and > services needed in a household. I don't think the credit problems are > a big deal as long as you aren't in foreclosure and can hold onto > investments until markets recover, which will be a few years I think. > > I notice that restaurants are going out of business as people cut back > on discretionary spending. I have a friend who owns a piano store and > I suspect it isn't the best time to be in that business. But honestly, > in the US I still feel very fortunate every day that terms like food > scarcity aren't really in the vocabulary.You are obviously not in the bottom quartile of per-capita income. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Reply by ●April 12, 20082008-04-12
On Apr 12, 8:59�pm, Jerry Avins <j...@ieee.org> wrote:> John wrote: > > On Apr 12, 12:39 am, "bharat pathak" <bha...@arithos.com> wrote: > >> Hi, > > >> � I am curious to know how the ongoing recession effects > >> � the DSP community of designers/consultants and companies > >> � (small/big). > > >> � How badly they are affected? How long will the recession > >> � continue? Fuel prices? Food scarcity? etc. etc. > > >> � Anyone wants to throw light on this topic is welcome. > > >> � Also it will be good if people can advise as to what should > >> � be done and what to avoid in such times. > > >> � Though the topic is quite vague and wide but I suppose it > >> � will get refined once we start to get some inputs. And I > >> � suppose all of us are affected in someway or the other. > > >> Regards > >> Bharat Pathak > > > I live and work in the US, so these comments don't necessarily apply > > elsewhere. It is hard to imagine anyone in the US that is not impacted > > by fuel prices. It raises the price of just about all goods and > > services needed in a household. I don't think the credit problems are > > a big deal as long as you aren't in foreclosure and can hold onto > > investments until markets recover, which will be a few years I think. > > > I notice that restaurants are going out of business as people cut back > > on discretionary spending. I have a friend who owns a piano store and > > I suspect it isn't the best time to be in that business. But honestly, > > in the US I still feel very fortunate every day that terms like food > > scarcity aren't really in the vocabulary. > > You are obviously not in the bottom quartile of per-capita income.the thing about our fuel prices that pisses me off (and, believe it or not, is something Obama put in an ad) is that it's $3.50 a gallon and it's not because they slapped on (actually, phased in would have been better) a decent gas and fossil fuel tax (like that 50 cent one when gas was $1.38 or less, that Kerry, in his political courage, tried to play down saying that he voted against it after he voted for it) and it's going to reduce the public debt our kids inherit (or to construct a decent infastructure for us and them or to make for better student financial aid or for their retirement), instead it's going to the oil companies and OPEC. i've already commented on that here (the "How Stupid" rant). so now our kids get to inherit depleted fossil fuel reserves (you think gas, desiel, and airplane fuel is expensive now, you wait 20 years and compare , normalized to the CPI or to some measure of median income, what these commodities cost then), climate change due to anthrogenic CO2, huge public debt per capita, nothing to help them finance college if they're poor, and nothing for retirement from Social Security. that's what our good old American fuel consuming ways have done for the generations following us. Finland paying around $10, we should have taxed it at least to the extent of Canada, and it would be no more expensive today than it already is because it would have motivated this wasteful nation, from bottom (personal choice) to the top (sensible policy and incentive for the vehicle manufacturing industry) to seriously find ways of conserving the finite resource. "why thank you, George, and your partisan associates." i was gratified that the dissenters have finally got to W. the White House would force the local authorities to cordone off a specific place for dissenting demonstrators (they'd like to ban it, but there's a 1st amendment that stands in their way, not that law has stopped them before, regarding outing agents under cover or falsifying information presented to Congress and the public) and this specific area for people with dissenting signs was specifically placed to prevent exposure by the president's motorcade and route. well, the other state religion in the US is baseball, and this was one tradition that W could not avoid (probably didn't see it coming), and when the Abomination went out for the obligatory first pitch, HE WAS HEARTILY BOOED by more than 50% of the crowd. he had a visibly pissed look on his face when he was walking out to the mound and nearly everybody was booing him. sometimes there is just a teeny little bit of justice. i hope Americans learn some kinda lesson from this to, in some manner, redeem these 8 years that we so violated the rest of the world (besides the ruin brought upon the homeland). but i am not too hopeful. someday the Republicans will run another person of so little personal or professional qualification (yeah, it was Bush who was the Rhodes scholar), of so little competence and depth of character ("I will bring dignity and honor back to the Oval Office"), and of such a mendatious and "articulate" communicator. and they'll deceive and pander to enough voting Americans and one of the Bush twins will get enough votes that they'll have a sufficiently narrow margin so that they again steal the election. r b-j
Reply by ●April 13, 20082008-04-13
On Apr 12, 8:59 pm, Jerry Avins <j...@ieee.org> wrote:> John wrote: > > On Apr 12, 12:39 am, "bharat pathak" <bha...@arithos.com> wrote: > >> Hi, > > >> I am curious to know how the ongoing recession effects > >> the DSP community of designers/consultants and companies > >> (small/big). > > >> How badly they are affected? How long will the recession > >> continue? Fuel prices? Food scarcity? etc. etc. > > >> Anyone wants to throw light on this topic is welcome. > > >> Also it will be good if people can advise as to what should > >> be done and what to avoid in such times. > > >> Though the topic is quite vague and wide but I suppose it > >> will get refined once we start to get some inputs. And I > >> suppose all of us are affected in someway or the other. > > >> Regards > >> Bharat Pathak > > > I live and work in the US, so these comments don't necessarily apply > > elsewhere. It is hard to imagine anyone in the US that is not impacted > > by fuel prices. It raises the price of just about all goods and > > services needed in a household. I don't think the credit problems are > > a big deal as long as you aren't in foreclosure and can hold onto > > investments until markets recover, which will be a few years I think. > > > I notice that restaurants are going out of business as people cut back > > on discretionary spending. I have a friend who owns a piano store and > > I suspect it isn't the best time to be in that business. But honestly, > > in the US I still feel very fortunate every day that terms like food > > scarcity aren't really in the vocabulary. > > You are obviously not in the bottom quartile of per-capita income. >Unlike the rest of the DSP community? John
Reply by ●April 13, 20082008-04-13
John wrote:> On Apr 12, 8:59 pm, Jerry Avins <j...@ieee.org> wrote:...>> You are obviously not in the bottom quartile of per-capita income. >> > > Unlike the rest of the DSP community?The rest? We all have it pretty good. Attendance at soup kitchens is rising. Food banks are scrounging as they haven't had to in a long time. A lot of people are going hungry, but it's pleasanter not to notice. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
