Steve Jobs to Obama: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency” • Hacker News Board

Re: Steve Jobs to Obama: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency”

#31

Post by AlexandrB » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 3:58 AM UTC

protomyth wrote: post #4

An 11 month school year would be a nightmare and screw up summer activities. Plus, the misalignment of HS and College schedules will hurt advanced students. School going to 6pm in the northland is a non-starter and dangerous. (getting a little sick of the down votes without comment)

Fair enough on the 6pm thing. However, there seems to be evidence [1] that the typical 2 month summer break is hurting student performance - especially for poorer students whose parents can't afford to put them into enrichment activities in the summer. How, exactly, would 11 month school years be a nightmare? Misalignment already exists - Colleges get 4 months off, don't they?

I also recall seeing a talk about this exact topic, but I can't seem to find it at the moment.

[1] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/education/lear...

Re: Steve Jobs to Obama: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency”

#32

Post by dennisgorelik » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 4:00 AM UTC

y3di wrote: post #15

dennisgorelik wrote: post #3

That's interesting to see that Jobs treated Obama like a peer.

Should he have put Obama on a pedestal instead?

Of course not. But many people still would take subordinate position during in a meeting with the US President.

Re: Steve Jobs to Obama: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency”

#33

Post by jonmc12 » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 4:02 AM UTC

Regarding China factory regulations vs US factory regulations, does anyone have a good point of view regarding working conditions at Apple's factories in Asia? ie, http://www.tomshardware.com/news/hexyl-hydride-n-hexane-pois...

Re: Steve Jobs to Obama: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency”

#34

Post by jerf » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 4:06 AM UTC

9999 wrote: post #6

>keep schools open until 6 Sounds great, how do you fund it? >keep school in session 11 months out of the year Ditto. >let principals hire/fire based on merit Seems legit, do we really have to BREAK the unions to do that? The teacher unions have many legitimate reasons for their existence regardless of some of their negative attributes. >relax regulations on building factories Is that really what's holding manufactur…

"Is that really what's holding manufacturing back here?"

While I also have various ideological preconceptions about the source of the economic problems in the US and elsewhere, I would observe that when someone like the CEO of Apple is expressing an opinion about what makes a factory easier to open in China than in the US, someone who has actually been the guy-who-can-say-yes to actual factories for which that decision was actually made, it's probably worth listening to that opinion. Even if you can somehow prove he's objectively wrong on the merits, his perception would still be a useful data point.

On the other hand I wouldn't expect any particular insight into our school problems from him, beyond what any reasonably skilled businessman could present.

Re: Steve Jobs to Obama: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency”

#35

Post by badclient » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 4:11 AM UTC

9999 wrote: post #6

>keep schools open until 6 Sounds great, how do you fund it? >keep school in session 11 months out of the year Ditto. >let principals hire/fire based on merit Seems legit, do we really have to BREAK the unions to do that? The teacher unions have many legitimate reasons for their existence regardless of some of their negative attributes. >relax regulations on building factories Is that really what's holding manufactur…

Sorry, if 7-8 hours of schooling isn't enough couple more hours won't change much.

Re: Steve Jobs to Obama: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency”

#36

Post by wuster » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 4:15 AM UTC

dennisgorelik wrote: post #32

y3di wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should he have put Obama on a pedestal instead?

Of course not. But many people still would take subordinate position during in a meeting with the US President.

It wouldn't surprise me if Obama was more in awe of Jobs than the other way around. After all, Steve's been in the spotlight for 30+ years now, and Obama was an unknown until 2004.

Re: Steve Jobs to Obama: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency”

#37

Post by badclient » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 4:17 AM UTC

Here's what I'm reading: Jobs, like many salesmen, tries to instill fear in Obama then offers to help with his campaign

It's super sad that will never happen. It's crazy imagining what a Jobs final product towards a political campaign may have looked like.

Re: Steve Jobs to Obama: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency”

#38

Post by wuster » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 4:23 AM UTC

badclient wrote: post #37

Here's what I'm reading: Jobs, like many salesmen, tries to instill fear in Obama then offers to help with his campaign It's super sad that will never happen. It's crazy imagining what a Jobs final product towards a political campaign may have looked like.

Re: what it would look like? I am guessing just like a typical Apple ad?

* white or blurred background, putting the focus on product or user * clean graphics and visuals * montage of products in use, in real situations * subtlely snarky towards the competition

Re: Steve Jobs to Obama: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency”

#39

Post by redthrowaway » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 4:29 AM UTC

protomyth wrote: post #4

An 11 month school year would be a nightmare and screw up summer activities. Plus, the misalignment of HS and College schedules will hurt advanced students. School going to 6pm in the northland is a non-starter and dangerous. (getting a little sick of the down votes without comment)

Also, it's a very American attitude to deficiency (just work more/harder) that ignores the far deeper problems. Outside of the Asian countries, who nobody should be emulating, the countries that do education well all have sane school hours. let kids be kids and figure out what you're doing fundamentally wrong. Poverty and a basic lack of respect for education are a good place to start.

Look at the Jews (not the Chinese, they go a bit overboard). They take education and achievement seriously. When my buddy Dave was in grade 11, his father was making him spend an hour a day studying for the SATs. He volunteered in research labs, got great grades, and got into a very good combined college/med school (rpi). He now does medical research, at 25.

Dave's parents placed a lot of emphasis on educational achievement, and it paid off. His brothers are similarly successful, and this attitude pervades Jewish culture in away that can't be said of society as a whole. Now, obviously, this is a value that individual families must hold, and something that Government can't just legislate. Still, there are ways of encouraging this behaviour that don't involve determining funding by standardized test scores. Most of it, however, needs to come from Americans themselves.

Re: Steve Jobs to Obama: “You’re headed for a one-term presidency”

#40

Post by mcantelon » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 4:32 AM UTC

9999 wrote: post #6

>keep schools open until 6 Sounds great, how do you fund it? >keep school in session 11 months out of the year Ditto. >let principals hire/fire based on merit Seems legit, do we really have to BREAK the unions to do that? The teacher unions have many legitimate reasons for their existence regardless of some of their negative attributes. >relax regulations on building factories Is that really what's holding manufactur…

The text "turning Jobs down on making campaign" isn't in the article. It says "he’d become annoyed when Obama’s strategist David Axelrod wasn’t totally deferential" which makes it sound more like Jobs' issues were the barrier to cooperation.