Whenever there is a notable layoff in the tech sector, c|net keeps track and adds it to the pile of listings. The rate of job losses seems to be abating, but according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, unemployment for EE’s is now at a record 8.6%.
On another serious topic, the death of Robert McNamara brings to mind memories of 40 years ago. The distinct impression I had as a kid was that Viet Nam was all about the body count. It seemed that night after night, the news emphasized how many more North Vietnamese than Americans were being killed. Yet we never seemed to be winning, and our involvement dragged on and on, until my brother reached draft age, and then I was approaching draft age. At my high school job I worked with a guy who left to attend McGill University in Canada to avoid the draft.
A relative of mine, an economist who worked for Robert McNamara at the World Bank, sums him up with, “In the end, he was a tragic figure. Like a lot of brilliant people who excel in math and physics, his social skills and understanding of people were limited. But his brilliance fed an ego that over-reached: hubris, leading to a fall.” She recommends this assessment of McNamara by sociologist Norman Birnbaum.
Continue reading Numbers and more numbers
