tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post3083664898156412040..comments2024-03-27T20:42:17.293-07:00Comments on LLNL - The True Story -: Bike helmetsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-5246852152887076992013-04-22T16:50:52.974-07:002013-04-22T16:50:52.974-07:00While simultaneously talking all the time about WF...While simultaneously talking all the time about WFO, spending tons of overhead (OSO!) on getting WFO, etc.<br /><br />If that's their plan, they could have done it far cheaper...<br /><br />April 22, 2013 at 2:20 PM<br /><br />Whatever the "plan" WFO has taken a steep dive since Wallace took over GS at LANL. If he has a plan, it is lost on the rest of the Lab.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-20819242470199581402013-04-22T14:20:14.676-07:002013-04-22T14:20:14.676-07:00While simultaneously talking all the time about WF...While simultaneously talking all the time about WFO, spending tons of overhead (OSO!) on getting WFO, etc.<br /><br />If that's their plan, they could have done it far cheaper...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-85732190821448619072013-04-22T10:44:20.393-07:002013-04-22T10:44:20.393-07:00I would say the opposite and that is why we lost s...I would say the opposite and that is why we lost so much WFO over time.<br /><br />April 22, 2013 at 5:55 AM<br /><br />Nope. Conscious decision by the LLCs to discourage WFO and by Sandia to aggressively seek to expand it. You didn't "lose" WFO, it was taken from you with the blessings of your management.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-48477543573001900252013-04-22T05:55:31.113-07:002013-04-22T05:55:31.113-07:00"Few and far between."
I would say the ...<br />"Few and far between."<br /><br />I would say the opposite and that is why we lost so much WFO over time. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-55240182677426118582013-04-21T20:30:16.243-07:002013-04-21T20:30:16.243-07:00Or a defense contractor.
Lab has a limited number...Or a defense contractor.<br /><br />Lab has a limited number of capability/infrastructure advantages left.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-74988869299606499902013-04-21T19:26:25.556-07:002013-04-21T19:26:25.556-07:00If you bring in solid funding and have solid spons... If you bring in solid funding and have solid sponsor relationships, you can take them elsewhere.<br /><br />April 21, 2013 at 4:47 PM<br /><br />Only if the place that you "take them" to 1) is willing to accept funding from that sponsor; 2) has the capabilities and infrastructure to carry out the research; 3) operates on the same "sponsor funding" model. That obviously means another national lab or a research university that doesn't turn its nose up at national security-related funding. Few and far between. Good luck shopping that around. You might want to do a little marketing research (on yourself) beforehand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-32547357798229103942013-04-21T16:47:52.967-07:002013-04-21T16:47:52.967-07:00I'm neither of those two previous guys.
But t...I'm neither of those two previous guys.<br /><br />But the poster is correct. If you bring in solid funding and have solid sponsor relationships, you can take them elsewhere.<br /><br />That fact that current lab management doesn't get that, pretty much guarantees that we won't be able to pull out of the current death spiral we're in. <br /><br />As I see it, most of the egocentricity and delusion is on the side of lab management at this point.<br /><br />They just keep turning up the overhead knobs, making poor decisions, and driving moneymakers and top technical talent out of the lab.<br /><br />They're hollowing out the core, and picking up the pace.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-40366201276441216612013-04-21T08:34:35.588-07:002013-04-21T08:34:35.588-07:00"We've learned in recent years that loner..."We've learned in recent years that loners with your attitude sometimes wind up shooting up schools and theaters. I hope you get help."<br /><br />I am not the previous poster but I had to respond to this. Your point here is a logical fallacy. (1) It is not true that people who shoot places up are simply loners, they had a lot of other problems. (2) You have no reason to believe the previous poster is loner. (3) His opinion is about LLNL management not the whole world. It is not an unreasonable point to make that in some sense that at the labs the management is not really the boss as it is in traditional sense, we are simply not that kind of institute. <br /><br />Your attack is of the lowest form and makes little sense...lets see how you like it. You come across as a sniveling yes man and recent history in Iraq, Libya, and Syria has shown that people just like you are the ones most willing to commit brutal atrocities therefore you opinion on lab management is invalid. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-71846361502460051022013-04-20T22:38:28.752-07:002013-04-20T22:38:28.752-07:00I am firing Laboratory management. I win. They los...I am firing Laboratory management. I win. They lose. I am their boss. Almost any employee of even modest ability can do the same.<br /><br />April 20, 2013 at 7:26 PM<br /><br />You are insane and if you dare to make you opinions known to your employers, you will be fired, over and over again. Guess you have no dependents to worry about supporting. Given your insanity and egocentricity, I'm not surprised about that. We've learned in recent years that loners with your attitude sometimes wind up shooting up schools and theaters. I hope you get help.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-22272287218976095162013-04-20T19:26:35.431-07:002013-04-20T19:26:35.431-07:00News flash - they're not your "leaders&qu...<i>News flash - they're not your "leaders" - they're your bosses. You are incredibly naive. You work for a corporation whose parent companies are large, mostly multinational, and completely immune to your feelings. You sound very young and inexperienced. Be prepared to be stepped on repeatedly throughout your career, until you learn to anticipate it.</i><br /><br />Laboratory managers are not my bosses. My bosses are the DOE and WFO sponsors who fund my work. I and others write proposals that bring money into the Laboratory. Among other things, this money is used to pay the salaries of Laboratory managers. My efforts pay their salaries. They work for me. I do not work for them. It is the job of Laboratory management to make my life as an employee more productive. It is not my job to help them.<br /><br />Companies, including large multinationals, that follow the basic principle that management works for its employees most often succeed. Those that don't eventually die. <br /><br />Laboratory management has failed. The bike helmet policy is symbolic of a greater problem that continues to grow. Laboratory management continues to impede the productivity of employees. Laboratory management is the problem, not the solution.<br /><br />Because Laboratory management has failed, I am taking my business elsewhere. This includes well over two decades of domain knowledge and sponsor support. Sponsors are more than willing to pay less when they can get equivalent services at other organizations.<br /><br />I am firing Laboratory management. I win. They lose. I am their boss. Almost any employee of even modest ability can do the same.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-62869992931453893952013-04-20T18:02:11.603-07:002013-04-20T18:02:11.603-07:00Just how many people get injured at LLNL every yea...Just how many people get injured at LLNL every year due to bicycles?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-89378056764573318202013-04-19T11:32:48.633-07:002013-04-19T11:32:48.633-07:00Egads people! Does anybody have any idea just how ...Egads people! Does anybody have any idea just how many people get injured at LLNL every year due to bicycles?! <br /><br />Parney should be congratulated for having the balls to actually make what he knew was certainly going to be an unpopular decision. He put employee safety over being popular. Few managers at LLNL have such courage.<br />April 17, 2013 at 9:34 AM<br /><br />Oh god, this decision took a lot of courage and "balls" to make. It's unfortunate that we have such low expectations in our leaders in demonstrating their courage and "ball".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-50206850732502683822013-04-19T10:24:39.637-07:002013-04-19T10:24:39.637-07:00Laboratory managers are not my bosses. They work f...Laboratory managers are not my bosses. They work for me. I do not work for them. <br /><br />April 19, 2013 at 9:39 AM<br /><br />I'm sure your egocentric, upside-down view of the nature of the employer-employee relationship will endear you to your new bosses. Good luck with that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-34130653563320026142013-04-18T21:28:32.759-07:002013-04-18T21:28:32.759-07:00The most important quality of any leader is honest...The most important quality of any leader is honesty. That's Leadership 101. <br />April 18, 2013 at 3:32 PM<br /><br />News flash - they're not your "leaders" - they're your bosses. You are incredibly naive. You work for a corporation whose parent companies are large, mostly multinational, and completely immune to your feelings. You sound very young and inexperienced. Be prepared to be stepped on repeatedly throughout your career, until you learn to anticipate it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-89918319025374081302013-04-18T20:52:36.402-07:002013-04-18T20:52:36.402-07:00The next rule for our safety will involve the cafe...The next rule for our safety will involve the cafeterias. They are going to put a scale in front of the entrance. If you are overweight, the door will not open. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-39313441081862073032013-04-18T15:32:05.732-07:002013-04-18T15:32:05.732-07:00Well, you obviously understand the reality, but ar...<i>Well, you obviously understand the reality, but are upset that lab management won't admit it? Your ability to "tolerate" the policy depends not on the policy itself but on what the lab says about it? Sheesh.</i><br /><br />For the most part, yes. I despise hypocrisy. While I still wouldn't like the policy, I would respect Lab management if they were honest with employees about the true motivation for the policy (i.e., liability vs concern/altruism). The most important quality of any leader is honesty. That's Leadership 101. In fact, honesty is pretty much the most important quality in any relationship. Don't hide behind motherhood statements and feel good claims. Tell me the truth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-21223230973569783632013-04-18T14:53:38.177-07:002013-04-18T14:53:38.177-07:00Show us a cost-benefit analysis instead of treatin...Show us a cost-benefit analysis instead of treating us like Big Brother and rule by unsupported fiat...treat us with the kind of intellectually honest respect that we deserve. <br /><br />April 18, 2013 at 12:56 PM<br /><br />There is no "cost benefit analysis." The rules, in this case, are made by corporate lawyers, not scientists. And lawyers respect NOBODY, except judges they are standing in front of.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-24872240501060611632013-04-18T12:56:01.704-07:002013-04-18T12:56:01.704-07:00LLNL is a super intelligent workplace where we use...LLNL is a super intelligent workplace where we use and find numbers that mean things. So, if you make a rule that clearly upsets common practice, then how about giving us the numbers which show why the rule is necessary: Show us a cost-benefit analysis instead of treating us like Big Brother and rule by unsupported fiat.I mean, why is it so hard to treat us with the kind of intellectually honest respect that we deserve. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-46471942404307508322013-04-18T11:43:04.506-07:002013-04-18T11:43:04.506-07:00What bothers me the most about the helmet policy a...What bothers me the most about the helmet policy are the claims that the Lab is doing it out of an altruistic concern for my personal safety. The policy would be much more tolerable if the Lab said, "We don't really care about you. We care about liability issues. That is the reason for the new policy."<br /><br />April 18, 2013 at 10:01 AM<br /><br />Well, you obviously understand the reality, but are upset that lab management won't admit it? Your ability to "tolerate" the policy depends not on the policy itself but on what the lab says about it? Sheesh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-31690191302893337622013-04-18T10:01:32.176-07:002013-04-18T10:01:32.176-07:00Are you glad that Lab management is looking out fo...<i>Are you glad that Lab management is looking out for your future and requiring the use of bicycle helmets?</i><br /><br />Twenty years ago, the Lab had a pool, softball fields, par course, a periodic fitness publication (Fit Notes), etc. The Lab sponsored a "centipede" in the Bay to Breakers. Employees received comprehensive physical examinations every three years. Employees could go to medical services for routine needs. There was the "mole patrol."<br /><br />Two years ago I felt some sort of growth on my back. I went to medical hoping that someone could simply look at it since I couldn't see it. Nope. I had to take 3 hours off work to go to my regular doctor.<br /><br />Clearly, the current Lab management doesn't care about my future or health. Yes, we get free flu shots and bicycle helmets. And that's great. But that's nothing compared to how the Lab previously treated it's employees, and it is nothing compared to how many large businesses treat their employees.<br /><br />The Lab is a workplace. It has no specific responsibility to provide me with fitness and medical opportunities. There is no explicit reason I shouldn't be entirely responsible for my own health and well-being. But by the same token, if I am responsible for having a growth on my back evaluated by my private physician, then I should be responsible for the decision to wear or not wear a bicycle helmet on site (especially when riding my own bike). Skin cancer is far more dangerous than bicycle accidents.<br /><br />What bothers me the most about the helmet policy are the claims that the Lab is doing it out of an altruistic concern for my personal safety. The policy would be much more tolerable if the Lab said, "We don't really care about you. We care about liability issues. That is the reason for the new policy."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-35138645379329585572013-04-17T15:52:54.166-07:002013-04-17T15:52:54.166-07:00Of all the problems we have, bicycle helmets shoul...Of all the problems we have, bicycle helmets should be low on the priority list.<br /><br />Safety is an issue, but shouldn't we work on the more important issues first?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-79637827300410533502013-04-17T15:28:01.939-07:002013-04-17T15:28:01.939-07:00Egads people! Does anybody have any idea just how ...<i>Egads people! Does anybody have any idea just how many people get injured at LLNL every year due to bicycles?!</i><br /><br />No. Suppose you tell us. <br /><br />Bicycle injuries are likely to be significantly reduced, but not for the right reasons. <br /><br />The most likely outcome of this new policy is that the Laboratory will be a less safe place to work. Fewer people will ride bicycles and more people will drive. The Laboratory certainly will be a less healthy place to work. Unintended consequences.<br /><br />There is a lot of controversy on the subject, but mandatory helmet laws have not been shown to be beneficial (e.g., fewer people ride bicycles under mandatory laws; those who do and wear helmets take more risks). I've even seen one study arguing that the cost of mandatory helmet laws (e.g., less healthy population) was 20 time worse than any benefit.<br /><br />Those interested can do a simple web search on the subject. There are vastly differing opinions. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-59652750454065695882013-04-17T09:34:51.199-07:002013-04-17T09:34:51.199-07:00Egads people! Does anybody have any idea just how...Egads people! Does anybody have any idea just how many people get injured at LLNL every year due to bicycles?! <br /><br />Parney should be congratulated for having the balls to actually make what he knew was certainly going to be an unpopular decision. He put employee safety over being popular. Few managers at LLNL have such courage.<br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-48880709647987840032013-04-17T08:59:51.266-07:002013-04-17T08:59:51.266-07:00Nope, I was their every school day and some summer... Nope, I was their every school day and some summers, to<br /><br /> April 17, 2013 at 8:35 AM<br /><br />"their" = "there"<br />"to" = "too"<br />Guess all that school time didn't help.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5936951073896589340.post-86074192340992121362013-04-17T08:35:47.633-07:002013-04-17T08:35:47.633-07:00Nope, I was their every school day and some summer...Nope, I was their every school day and some summers, toAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com