This article is about the television game show. For other uses, see Blockbuster.
Blockbusters is a British television game show based upon an American game show of the same name in which contestants answer trivia questions to complete a path across or down a game board of hexagons. The programme premiered on 29 August 1983 on ITV and ran for ten series, ending on the ITV network on 19 May 1993. Blockbusters was revived for three additional series, the most recent of which aired on Challenge in 2012. A fourth revival, a comedy version hosted by Dara Ó Briain, premiered on Comedy Central on 21 March 2019.
Blockbusters was created by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions and originated as an American series in 1980. The UK version was created after Central Independent Television producer Graham C. Williams spotted the show in 1981 and produced a pilot in 1982. The difference was that instead of adults, who appeared on the American edition, the UK edition was produced for sixth formers.
Bob Holness was the original presenter staying on for the first ten series of the first incarnation and a 1994 revival on Sky One. Holness commented in 1988: "When Central TV were looking for someone to host Blockbusters I was thought of. It was remembered that I'd done TV programmes of much the same sort, such as Junior Criss Cross Quiz which I compered in the 1960s and which was also a question and answer show. One led to the other." A 1997 edition featuring adults was produced for one series on BBC Two with Michael Aspel presenting. Sky One brought Blockbusters back under its original rules in 2001 with Liza Tarbuck at the helm, and the Challenge series was presented by Simon Mayo.
The show's first series, in 1983, was recorded at the Elstree Centre (which Central sold to the BBC in 1984). Subsequent series were produced at Central's Lenton Lane Studios in Nottingham; however, at least one season (1989–90) was taped at Central's Birmingham studios. The series was filmed in the summer months over a 6–8 week period, with five episodes being made each day.
In the final episode of each day, the contestants were allowed to do a hand jive during the end credits, therefore only appearing on each Friday's episode. The hand jive first appeared in 1986 after one of the contestants was bored while sitting through filming several shows a day waiting for his turn. It lasted for the rest of the original series' run. The hand-clapping sequence was referenced by Half Man Half Biscuit in their 1991 song "Hedley Verityesque".
The original game board was powered using 40 slide projectors, each with its own set of slides for the different Letters and Gold Run questions, and took up the entire height of the studio. Slides were preloaded onto carousels with enough slides for about 3 - 5 shows. Carousels took about 30 minutes to change over. There were 15 different board combinations (5 sets X 3 games per match) which meant the same letter combinations would reappear. The letter 'Q' was only on one board, the letter 'Y' on two boards. All 15 boards followed in the same sequence but if the third game in a set was not needed (as it was best of three) the carousel would skip onto the Gold Run (missing the third board) and then onto the first game of the next set of three.
In 1987 and 1988, readers of TVTimes voted the series the most popular quiz show on television.
The original theme music was written by Ed Welch, who also updated the music for the second Sky series in 2001. The first Sky series kept the same opening titles used from 1987 on the original ITV run (as it continued to be produced by Central). The original theme in C major was an upbeat pop track incorporating piano, strings, drum machine and various other 1980s synthesized sounds reminiscent of the day - the four-note opening motif of Beethoven's 5th Symphony is mixed into the theme at the precise moment the composer's head appears on a flipping hexagon.
The BBC version in 1997 used a piece of music written by Henry Marsh and Paul Boross. It is said by some that the theme is similar to the original theme with notes swapped around but for unknown reasons, the BBC either couldn't or wouldn't use the original theme; therefore, they composed a theme as close to the original as possible but different enough to avoid possible allegations of copyright infringement.
Rage Music created the version used by Challenge, which is an updated version of the original theme, primarily using an electric guitar.
The original 1983–86 title sequence featured flipping hexagons with various images on them running down an encyclopaedia page. The title sequence used from 1987 to 1994 is a city, paying homage to science-fiction films such as Metropolis (1927) and Blade Runner (1982). In the 1994 Sky series the opening titles were cut short, not featuring the hexagons flying over the studio like the 1987–93 titles.
The title sequence used in the 1997 series with a complete different theme tune (although as mentioned above, it might have been similar to the original theme but with several notes swapped around) featured a golden head with hexagons showing clips. The title sequence used in 2000–01 featured people throwing and catching the letters that spell "Blockbusters" using the Ed Welch theme again.
The 2012 title sequence features references to all previous title sequences, mainly hexagons - but also with more subtle features like the golden head (as seen in the 1997 BBC version), and the planet Earth and a city-like structure as seen in the popularised 1987–95 versions.
Like the 1980 U.S. version, a solo player competed against a pair of contestants, and hence setting out to prove or disprove the old adage that two heads really were better than one.
The game board consisted of 20 interlocking yellow hexagons, arranged in five columns of four. Each hexagon contained a letter of the alphabet (except X). A contestant would choose one of the letters, and would be asked a general-knowledge trivia question whose correct answer began with the chosen letter. (A typical question might be, "What 'P' is a musical instrument with 88 keys?" The answer would be a piano.) The phrasing that contestants would use to ask for a letter has entered the language, and is frequently heard to this day. It is also the source of a pun - "Can I have a 'P' please, Bob?"; 'having a pee' being slang for urinating.
The game board is designed in such a way that a tied game was not a possible finishing result. Even if all 20 hexagons were filled (which did occur at least twice, once in the very first series, and once in the first Sky version) there would always be a winner.
The game began with a toss-up question to play for control of the board, starting with a letter that was chosen at random. The teams or players could buzz-in during the middle of reading of a question. If a player or team got the correct answer, they gained control of that hexagon and were given the chance to choose another one. If the contestant answered incorrectly, the opposing team or player was given a chance to answer it after the host re-read the question. If nobody answered it correctly, the host asked another question whose answer began with that same letter. Each correct answer won £5. In the case of the two-player team, each player won whatever money the team accumulated.
The solo player attempted to complete a vertical connection of white hexagons from the top of the board to the bottom; that required at least four correct answers. The pair attempted to connect a path from left to right with blue hexagons, (purple during the Aspel era) requiring at least five spaces. The first side to connect their path won the game. The first player or team to win two games won the match. When either party was one correct answer away from completing their path, the hexagons forming their path would flash to indicate this. If both were one correct answer away, all lit hexagons on the board would flash, indicating that the situation was effectively "Blockbusters either way" (later referred to as a "mutual space" on the board), and the next player to give a correct answer would win the game, unless the contestant chose a panel which did not give them win, which may sometimes be considered as a safety tactic, although this rarely happened when a victory was imminent.
All players received a "Blockbusters" Concise Oxford Dictionary and sweatshirt in the original ITV series. By 1985, the Blockbusters computer game was added. Within a year, the sweatshirt had been replaced by a "Blockbusters" branded cardigan in a choice of colours and a "Blockbusters" embossed filofax accompanied the dictionary (replaced by an electronic organizer by 1988). In the first Sky One series in 1994 it was a Blockbusters Encyclopedia and T-shirt. In the BBC Two 1997 series it was a fountain pen. In the second Sky One series it was a Blockbusters Dictionary and a CD ROM. In the Challenge series the players receive an Elonex E-book reader.
The winner of the match went on to play the Gold Run bonus round; if the pair won, only one player on the team could play, with the turns alternating at each Gold Run. The board consisted of a pattern of green hexagons similar to that of the main game, but the hexagons had 2 to 4 letters inside them; those letters were the initials of the correct answer. (For instance, if a contestant chose "BS" and the host said "Where people kiss in Ireland", the correct answer would be "Blarney Stone.") When the contestant guessed correctly, the hexagon turned gold. However, if the contestant passed, it turned black, blocking the player's path; it was then up to the contestant to work around it. The object was to horizontally connect the left and right sides of the board within 60 seconds (or before blocking off all possible horizontal connections).
If the players were successful they won a special prize. If the Gold Run was not won, each correct answer paid £10. Defending champions could keep going for up to five matches undefeated, in order to win an even bigger prize. From the seventh ITV series, it was reduced to three, so that more contestants could take part over the course of a series. In the first Sky One series this was changed back up to five matches and reduced to three again on BBC Two. In the second Sky One series, it increased to five again. For the Challenge series, the maximum amount remains at five matches.
A famous short piece of music (three sharp notes on a synth-like horn in a slapstick style) was played if a contestant ran out of time on a Gold Run, often producing amused reactions in the studio; the same three notes played on an electric guitar act as the time's-up buzzer on the Challenge version.
4 series of Champion Blockbusters were made from 1987 to 1990, in which gold-run winners were invited to return to battle against other gold-run winners.
In 1994, Sky One created a new series with original host, Bob Holness. It was produced by Central, which had made the programme since 1983, and sponsored by Thomas Cook. This series featured a bonus question for any player who chose a particular letter and correctly answered that question, thereby earning the right to answer a £5 follow-up question. Sky One brought the series back again in 2000, this time produced by Grundy (which owned the format) and presented by Liza Tarbuck, but it failed to capture the same degree of popularity as the Holness incarnation. The format stayed the same in both versions.
BBC Two used adult contestants, instead of sixth formers. This version was broadcast in 1997 and presented by Michael Aspel; the show stayed with the same format. Famous contestants included Stephen Merchant.
This is the only version to use purple hexagons; all other versions still used blue to represent the pair of players. The solo player still played white hexagons. The Gold Run used a blue background in this version and the Liza Tarbuck version.
On 14 April 2007 at 20:40, Vernon Kay hosted a networked edition of Gameshow Marathon on ITV1 in which celebrity contestants revived the classic 1980s Holness version of the show. It also featured an edited version of the show's opening titles.
It was announced on 10 November 2011 that game show channel Challenge would revive the show in 2012, under the name "All New Blockbusters", with adult contestants rather than students. Forty episodes were recorded from 9 to 19 February 2012 with Simon Mayo hosting the show.
The series started airing on 14 May 2012 with the first episode dedicated to the memory of original host Bob Holness, who died on 6 January 2012. The series also featured contestant Claire Scott who made her third appearance on Blockbusters.
The show aired at 20:00 every weekday with an omnibus showing split over Saturday and Sunday mornings, plus a repeat showing of the previous night's episode at 17:00. The series was put on hold for a few weeks and resumed transmission on 9 July 2012, starting with a celebrity special featuring Konnie Huq (who had previously been on the original Blockbusters) amongst others. During the break, the first 20 episodes were repeated, with the "All New" removed from the title.
On 22 October 2018, it was reported that Blockbusters would return once again. Produced by Thames TV, the format will remain the same. It was announced on 3 December 2018 that Dara Ó Briain would host the revived version for Comedy Central. 20 new episodes, broadcast over two series, were recorded in the winter of 2018 and will include two celebrity specials. The first episode will air on 21 March 2019.. The new reboot aired on Comedy Central at 20.00 on Thursday 21 March 2019 with Dara O'Briain. The format has been modified so that each episode is a standalone contest between a complete panel of three contestants. The prize money has been increased from previous incarnations, to £20 per correct answer in the main game (£100 for celebrity edition) and £50 per correct answer in an unsuccessful Gold Run (£150 for celebrity edition). Spot prizes exist in this series, occurring once per episode when a certain hex is selected. If each side wins one game each, the deciding game of past formats has been replaced with a sudden death playoff entitled the Hexagon Standoff. The two teams try to answer one question, if they get it correct they go to the Gold Run, however if they answer incorrectly the opposition goes through. In the Gold Run the contestant has a choice of two categories for their question board. All contestants take away a Blockbusters-branded hoodie and "reusable cup". This version uses a white background during the Gold Run and passes turn the space dark blue.
Blockbusters spawned a number of items of merchandise. 12 quiz books were released from the show which also led to a spin-off: "Blockbusters Gold Run Volumes 1–5" being produced.
In 1986, Waddingtons created a board game version of the show, which was named Game of the Year in 1986 by The British Association of Toy Retailers. This led to several successful spin offs; a "Gold Run" Card Game, a Junior Blockbusters board game (a children's edition) and a Super Blockbusters board game (essentially, a second edition standard game with its own set of "Gold Run" cards). A computer game version of the show was also created for the Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.
In 2012, FremantleMedia's gaming division launched an online slot game based on the UK game show. The game is featured at many of the UK's leading gaming sites including Sky Vegas and Bet365.
Series 2 & 3 were actually merged into one with the first 71 episodes as Series 2 and the last 49 episodes as Series 3.
Blockbusters was one of the first UK game shows to run in a 'straddling' format, which allowed for games to last a different length of time, meaning that episodes would often begin and end mid-game, and matches often crossed over into two episodes. The show was generally screened at 5:15pm Monday to Friday, filling the half-hour timeslot between Children's ITV and the ITN News at 5:45, with a similar timeslot allocated on Saturdays for a while. The show was always aired on the ITV network, although the first series was repeated on Channel 4 during the summer of 1984, in the Countdown slot. Blockbusters was never networked across ITV's sixteen regions, this meant that it was occasionally possible to retune the television to a neighbouring region and watch a different episode. Blockbusters did share its time slot with other game shows such as Ask No Questions, Connections, and Winner Takes All. Episodes were recorded in two blocks one during the summer and another during November.
All regions aired Series 1, some stations moved Blockbusters to an earlier slot because the 5:15pm slot was taken up by soap operas.
Border, Central, Granada, HTV, TVS, UTV and Yorkshire: Started on 29 August and finished on 4 November 1983. Mondays to Fridays at 5:15pm.
Anglia, Channel, Grampian, Scottish, Thames, TSW and Tyne Tees: Started on 5 September and finished on 11 November 1983. Mondays to Fridays at 3:30pm.
Border, Central, Granada, HTV, Tyne Tees, UTV and Yorkshire: Mondays to Fridays at 5:15pm and Saturdays at 5:05pm.
Anglia, Grampian, and Scottish: Wednesdays to Fridays at 5:15pm and Saturdays at 5:05pm. Mondays and Tuesdays were filled with either Emmerdale Farm or Sons and Daughters. In 1987 Series 5 was held back until 12 September.
Thames/LWT: Wednesdays to Fridays at 5:15pm and Saturdays at 5:05pm. It was then changed from September 1985 on Mondays to Wednesdays and Fridays to Saturdays at 5:15pm.
TVS: Wednesdays to Fridays at 5:15pm and Saturdays at 5:05pm. Mondays and Tuesdays were filled with Sons and Daughters. From Series 5 (September 1987) TVS switched to Mondays to Fridays at 5:15pm and Saturdays at 5:05pm.
TSW: Most of Series 2 was not transmitted at all because the 5.15pm slot was taken up on all dates with Crossroads, The Young Doctors and Emmerdale Farm, which was later moved into early peaktime in 1985 (as it was on Thames). 49 episodes of Series 2 did air in the mornings during the summer holidays (Mondays to Saturdays) from 1 July to 24 August 1985. Series 3 aired on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at 5:15pm. Series 4 and 5 aired on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 5:15pm.
Channel: Same as TSW's schedule until January 1986, it was then switched to TVS's schedules. This meant that approximately 16–20 episodes were skipped as TVS were further ahead.
All regions expect TSW broadcast the show from : Started on 2 September 1988 and finished on 10 February 1989. Mondays to Fridays at 5:15pm and Saturdays at 5:05pm. However, Anglia and Scottish aired some episodes on Sundays on instead of Saturdays.
TSW: Started on 3 October 1988 and finished on 10 February 1989. Mondays to Fridays at 5:15pm and Saturdays at 5:05pm.
No episodes aired on ITV between 19 September to 3 October due to the 1988 Summer Olympics.
The show was delayed by all ITV regions until January 1990 as no slots were available to air the show. This was because Home and Away took over the 5:10pm slot and Emmerdale was now being aired at 6:30pm, before it was moved to 7:00pm in January 1990. Anglia, Central and TSW were airing repeats from September to December 1989.
Anglia, Central and Thames: Blockbusters aired three times a week from January 1990 onwards on Mondays to Thursdays at 5:10pm and aired Home and Away at 6:00pm. Days of the week changed and additional episodes were added as well to make it four per week on occasions.
LWT: No longer aired any episodes from this point onwards.
Scottish: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30pm from 3 January to April 1990. From May 1990, it was moved to a daytime slot around 1:30pm three times a week. In 1992, it was aired from Mondays to Thursdays at 1:45pm.
Grampian: from 3 January 1990, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 6:30pm.
Border, Granada, HTV, TVS, TSW, Tyne Tees, UTV and Yorkshire: Tuesdays to Thursdays at 6:30pm.
Granada moved the time slots around during this period, It was moved to 5:10pm in Autumn 1990, on occasion moved 15.25 to allow episodes of Families to have the 17.10 slot. The series was moved again to 6:00pm from Wednesdays to Fridays in 1992. UTV reduced its time slots to one episode a week from January to October 1992, then from 26 October 1992, it was aired at 3:20pm from Mondays to Fridays. TVS reduced its time slots to two episodes a week for most of 1990, but during 1991–92, it went back to three episodes plus an additional episode around Saturday lunchtimes. TSW also dropped its time slots to two episodes per week every so often; however, in a bid to catch back up the series, it was moved to 5:10pm from Mondays to Fridays in September 1992. For around 18 months in 1991–92, Tyne Tees started airing its more local output during its 6:30pm time slot, which resulted in fewer episodes per week. When Tyne Tees and Yorkshire decided to merge their scheduling from January 1993, Tyne Tees increased its output to catch up (In November 1992, it was airing four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays), but had to drop over 50 episodes.
A number of new ITV companies come into being, which resulted in regional news being extending to a full hour from 6:00pm in some areas, meaning a number of stations moved the series back before CITV and, in some areas, it petered out with only one edition being shown per week.
Anglia and Central: Mondays to Wednesdays at 5:10pm, then switching to Wednesdays to Fridays at 5:10pm. Completed on 19 May 1993, although repeats were transmitted until Christmas.
Carlton: Mondays to Fridays at 3:20pm. Completed on 4 June 1993.
HTV: Mondays to Thursdays at 1:45pm. Completed on 2 August 1993.
Scottish: Continued to air four times a week. Completed on 2 September 1993. Reappeared daily at 5:25am over Christmas period between 18 December 1993 - 7 January 1994.
Westcountry: Mondays to Fridays at 1:45pm. Completed on 3 September 1993.
Border, Tyne Tees and Yorkshire: Continued on Tuesdays to Thursdays at 6:30pm. Completed on 28 September 1993.
Grampian: Mondays to Fridays at 1:45pm. Completed on 21 December 1993.
Meridian: Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 6:30pm. Completed on 14 December 1993.
Granada: Aired 2-3 episodes most weeks at 5:10pm. From April - August was moved to 3.20pm. Completed in January 1994.
Ulster: Mondays to Fridays at 3:20pm until August 1993, then switching to Saturday lunchtime until completed 15 January 1994.
After the tenth series, Blockbusters was no longer networked on ITV. But it continued for one more series on the satellite channel Sky One. Five ITV regional channels showed this series.
Sky One: Mondays to Fridays at 7:00pm from 18 April to 30 September 1994 before moving to 6:30pm from 28 November 1994 to 17 February 1995.
Anglia and Central: Mondays to Wednesdays at 2:50pm from 18 April to 12 July 1995.
Tyne Tees and Yorkshire: Around 70 episodes; Tuesdays to Thursdays at 6:30pm from 11 July to 29 December 1995.
Border: Around 50 episodes aired up to twice a week at 5:10pm.
Challenge TV aired Blockbusters starting from September 1996 during the final months of The Family Channel and was the first game show broadcast on the re-launch from the Family Channel to Challenge TV on 3 February 1997 showing re-runs from Series 9, it was repeated in February to June 1997, January to May 1998, September 1998 to January 1999 and May to September 1999.
In 2004, Saturday Night Takeaway showed clips from a 1992 episode with a contestant who was in the audience did not get very far on the show and only won £10. Following requests on the (now "defunct") Challenge forums to air the show, Challenge managed to acquire Blockbusters from June 2004 to June 2006, but they only showed the first 25 episodes from Series 10, which generated low ratings. Carlton Select also showed old shows while that channel was still operational.
Challenge re-acquired Blockbusters but this time, they acquired 72 episodes from Series 10, and broadcast them during 2011. On 8 May 2014, they acquired the very first series, which aired from 26 May. On 4 January 2016, Challenge began showing Series 11 (the first Sky One series), acquiring 179 of the 180 episodes in the series.
Australia – The Australian version of Blockbusters, hosted by Michael Pope, was broadcast on the Seven Network from 1990 to 1993. It had schools competing against other schools. Additionally, it also had an intro that looks similar to the Holness era from the UK version, although the theme song was different.
Germany – A German version called Supergrips (originally called Grips before it) aired from 1988 to 1995 on the Bavarian TV network. Frank Laufenberg was the show's original host from 1988 until 1990, then was later replaced by Ingo Dubinski from 1991 until 1995.
France – The French version was called Parcours d'enfer (Course of Hell) aired on TF1 and hosted by Pierre Bellemare.
Indonesia – The Indonesian version called Aksara Bermakna (Meaningful Literacy) aired on two networks, first on TVRI from 1989 to 1996 with Kepra as host, then on antv for a brief period from 1997 to 1999, this time with Anton Gemilar as host. It was created by Ani Sumadi.
Israel – The Israeli version, called Nuts, ran on Israeli Educational Television from 1985 to 1994 with teenagers playing. Hosts of the Hebrew version were Shosh Atari, Avri Gilad, Ito Aviram, Anat Dolev, Mennachem Perry and Nahum Ido. An Arabic language version, called Sara, aired on the same network in 1996.
Italy – The Italian version is called Doppio Slalom (Dual Slalom) aired on Canale 5 from 1985 to 1990, originally hosted by Corrado Tedeschi from 1985 to 1990. Followed by Paolo Bonolis in the 1990 series.
Netherlands – A Dutch version of the show called Blokletters (Block Letters) ran for a brief period from 1986 on AVRO with Fred Oster at the helm. Its set with a mix of half light and dark colours and gameplay is very similar to that of the short-lived 1980–82 U.S. original.
Paraguay – In Paraguay, called Blockbuster, like the Australian version, where two schools competed against each other. It aired on Telefuturo for a brief period in 1999, its hosts were Clari Arias and Leti Medina.
Saudi Arabia – The Saudi Arabian version is called ABC Program/Competitions Letters, hosted by Ibrahim al-Qasim, Majid Cub, Ghanem Al Saleh and Ghalib Full. The network for this version in particular aired on First Channel Saudi Arabia from 1987 until 1994. Then it was revived again three years later from 1997 until 1998. Twenty years later, a version hosted by Salman Al-Otaibi aired in 2017.
Sweden – SVT in Sweden had their own version very similar to the UK one. 2 mot 1 (2 to 1) was a weekly afternoon programme forming part of SVT's youth output. The programme was produced in Malmö airing from 1998 to 1999 and was hosted by Stellan Sundahl, until he died from a heart attack in 1999 at the age of 52.
Switzerland – The Swiss version, also called Blockbusters, was hosted by Sven Epiney and aired on SF from 1997 to 2000.
Turkey – The Turkish version called Haydi Bastir (Let's Print) aired on Show TV from 1992 to 1993, the host was Mim Kemal Öke. Additionally, its set (and intro) looks similar to the original Holness era.
United Arab Emirates – Blockbusters (the UK edition) was such a sensation with the entire English speaking expatriate community in Dubai, U.A.E, that the city nearly came to a shut-down during its evenings broadcast on Channel 33. Although there was no separate local TV version, the local paper, Gulf News, ran a yearly Blockbusters quiz competition, often hosted by Holness himself, between 1988 and 1994. The Gulf News Blockbusters show was telecast on Dubai TV too and was broadcast as a month-long event, with the heats during Ramadan and the finals after Eid al-Fitr.
After a 14-year-long hiatus, the contest was revived in 2008 as part of the newspaper's 30th anniversary celebrations. It was also held in 2009 where the team "Anonymoys +3" whose members included Rahul Menon and Aayush Rajasekaran of The Indian High School, Dubai stood first place. This marked the second year that a team from the Indian High School defeated one from long-time rivals The Modern High School to claim the first place.
United States – The original American version of Blockbusters aired twice on NBC. Originally from 1980 until 1982, hosted by Bill Cullen with the "2 in 1" format. This was followed by a brief return of the show in 1987 hosted by Bill Rafferty which dropped the "2 in 1" format and had single contestants instead.
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text:
Programming jobs are heading overseas by the thousands. Is there a way for the U.S. to stay on top?
Stephen Haberman was one of a handful of folks in all of Chase County, Neb., who knew how to program a computer. In the spring of 1999, at the height of the Internet boom, the 17-year-old whiz wanted to strut his stuff outside of his windswept patch of prairie. He was too young for a nationwide programming competition sponsored by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT ), so an older friend registered for him. Haberman wowed the judges with a flashy Web page design and finished second in the country. Emboldened, Stephen came up with a radical idea: Maybe he would skip college altogether and mine a quick fortune in dot-com gold. His mother, Cindy, put the kibosh on his plan. She steered him to a full scholarship at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Half a world away, in the western Indian city of Nagpur, a 19-year-old named Deepa Paranjpe was having an argument with her father. Sure, computer science was heating up, he told her. Western companies were frantically hiring Indians to scour millions of software programs and eradicate the much-feared millennium bug. But this craze would pass. The former railroad employee urged his daughter to pursue traditional engineering, a much safer course. Deepa had always respected her father's opinions. When he demanded perfection at school, she delivered nothing less. But she turned a deaf ear to his career advice and plunged into software. After all, this was the industry poised to change the world.
As Stephen and Deepa emerge this summer from graduate school -- one in Pittsburgh, the other in Bombay -- they'll find that their decisions of a half-decade ago placed their dreams on a collision course. The Internet links that were being pieced together at the turn of the century now provide broadband connections between multinational companies and brainy programmers the world over. For Deepa and tens of thousands of other Indian students, the globalization of technology offers the promise of power and riches in a blossoming local tech industry. But for Stephen and his classmates in the U.S., the sudden need to compete with workers across the world ushers in an era of uncertainty. Will good jobs be waiting for them when they graduate? "I might have been better served getting an MBA," Stephen says.
U.S. software programmers' career prospects, once dazzling, are now in doubt. Just look at global giants, from IBM (IBM ) and Electronic Data Systems (EDS ) to Lehman Brothers (LEH ) and Merrill Lynch (MER ). They're rushing to hire tech workers offshore while liquidating thousands of jobs in America. In the past three years, offshore programming jobs have nearly tripled, from 27,000 to an estimated 80,000, according to Forrester Research Inc. (FORR ). And Gartner Inc. figures that by yearend, 1 of every 10 jobs in U.S. tech companies will move to emerging markets. In other words, recruiters who look at Stephen will also consider someone like Deepa -- who's willing to do the same job for one-fifth the pay. U.S. software developers "are competing with everyone else in the world who has a PC," says Robert R. Bishop, chief executive of computer maker Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI ).
For many of America's 3 million software programmers, it's paradise lost. Just a few years back, they held the keys to the Information Age. Their profession not only lavished many with stock options and six-figure salaries but also gave them the means to start companies that could change the world -- the next Microsoft, Netscape (AOL ), or Google. Now, these veterans of Silicon Valley and Boston's Route 128 exchange heart-rending job-loss stories on Web sites such as yourjobisgoingtoindia.com. Suddenly, the programmers share the fate of millions of industrial workers, in textiles, autos, and steel, whose jobs have marched to Mexico and China.
"Leap of Faith"
This exodus throws the future of America's tech economy into question. For decades, the U.S. has been the world's technology leader -- thanks in large part to its dominance of software, now a $200 billion-a-year U.S. industry. Sure, foreigners have made their share of the machines. But the U.S. has held on to control of much of the innovative brainwork and reaped rich dividends, from Microsoft to the entrepreneurial hotbed of Silicon Valley. The question now is whether the U.S. can continue to lead the industry as programming spreads around the globe from India to Bulgaria. Politicians are jumping on the issue in the election season. And it will probably rage on for years, affecting everything from global trade to elementary-school math and science curriculums.
Countering the doomsayers, optimists from San Jose, Calif., to Bangalore see the offshore wave as a godsend, the latest productivity miracle of the Internet. Companies that manage it well -- no easy task -- can build virtual workforces spread around the world, not only soaking up low-cost talent but also tapping the biggest brains on earth to collaborate on complex projects. Marc Andreessen, Netscape Communications Corp.'s co-founder and now chairman of Opsware Inc. (OPSW ), a Sunnyvale (Calif.) startup, sees this reshuffling of brainpower leading to bold new applications and sparking growth in other industries, from bioengineering to energy. This could mean a wealth of good new jobs, even more than U.S. companies could fill. "It requires a leap of faith," Andreessen admits. But "in 500 years of Western history, there has always been something new. Always always always always always."
This time, though, there's no guarantee that the next earth-shaking innovations will pop up in America. Deepa, for example, has high-speed Internet, a world-class university, and a venture-capital industry that's starting to take shape in Bombay. What's more, her home country is luring back entrepreneurs and technologists who lived in Silicon Valley during the bubble years. Many came home to India after the crash and now are sowing the seeds of California's startup culture throughout the subcontinent. What's to stop Deepa from mixing the same magic that Andreessen conjured a decade ago when he co-founded Netscape? It's clear that in a networked world, U.S. leadership in innovation will find itself under siege.
The fallout from this painful process could be toxic. One danger is that high-tech horror stories -- the pink slips and falling wages -- will scare the coming generation of American math whizzes away from software careers, starving the tech economy of brainpower. While the number of students in computer-science programs is holding steady -- for now -- the elite schools have seen applications fall by as much as 30% in two years. If that trend continues, the U.S. will be relying more than ever on foreign-born graduates for software innovation. And as more foreigners decide to start careers and companies back in their home countries, the U.S. could find itself lacking a vital resource. Microsoft CEO Steven A. Ballmer says the shortfall of U.S. tech students worries him more than any other issue. "The U.S. is No. 3 now in the world and falling behind quickly No. 1 [India] and No. 2 [China] in terms of computer-science graduates," he said in late 2003 at a forum in New York.
Fear in the industry is palpable. Some of it recalls the scares of years past: OPEC buying up the world in the '70s and Japan Inc. taking charge a decade later. The lesson from those episodes is to resist quick fixes and trust in the long-term adaptability of the U.S. economy. Job-protection laws, for example, may be tempting. But they could hobble American companies in the global marketplace. Flexibility is precisely what has allowed the U.S. tech industry to adapt to competition from overseas. In 1985, under pressure from Japanese rivals, Intel Corp. exited the memory-chip business to concentrate all its resources in microprocessors. The result: Intel stands unrivaled in the business today.
While the departure of programming jobs is a major concern, it's not a national crisis yet. Unemployment in the industry is 7%. So far, the less-creative software jobs are the ones being moved offshore: bug-fixing, updating antiquated code, and routine programming tasks that require many hands. And some software companies are demonstrating that they can compete against lower-cost rivals with improved programming methods, more automation, and innovative business models.
For the rest of the decade, the U.S. will probably maintain a strong hold on its software leadership, even as competition grows. The vast U.S. economy remains the richest market for software and the best laboratory for new ideas. The country's universities are packed with global all-stars. And the U. S. capital markets remain second to none. But time is running short for Americans to address this looming challenge. John Parkinson, chief technologist at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, estimates that U.S. companies, students, and universities have five years to come up with responses to global shifts. "Scenarios start to look wild and wacky after 2010," he says. And within a decade, "the new consumer base in India and China will be moving the world."
To thrive in that wacky world, programmers like Stephen must undergo the career equivalent of an extreme makeover. Traditionally, the profession has attracted brainy introverts who are content to code away in isolation. With so much of that work going overseas, though, the most successful American programmers will be those who master people skills. The industry is hungry for liaisons between customers and basic programmers and for managers who can run teams of programmers scattered around the world. While pay for basic application development has plummeted 17.5% in the past two years, according to Foote Partners, a consultant in New Canaan, Conn., U.S. project managers have seen their pay rise an average of 14.3% since 2002.
Finding those high-status jobs won't be easy. Last summer, 34-year-old Hal Reed was so hungry for a programming job that he answered an ad in the Boston Globe for contract work at cMarket, a Cambridge (Mass.) startup. The pay was $45,000 -- barely more than an outsourcing company charges for Indian labor. But he took it. Fortunately for him, he was able to convince his new boss quickly that he was much more than a programmer. He could lead a team. Within weeks, his boss nearly doubled Reed's pay and made him the chief software architect. "He had great strategic thinking skills," says Jon Carson, cMarket' chief executive. "You can't outsource that."
To prepare students for the hot jobs, universities may need to revamp their computer-science programs. Carnegie Mellon University, where Stephen now studies, has already begun that process. His one-year master's program focuses on giving students the skills needed to manage teams and to play the role of software architect. Such workers are the visionaries who design massive projects or products that hundreds or even thousands of programmers flesh out.
The key players in the drama, including these two master's students, Stephen and Deepa, don't have the luxury to wait and see how it turns out. Their time is now. Deepa graduates in May from the Bombay campus of the Indian Institute of Technology, a top university nestled between two lakes. Stephen emerges three months later from the Pittsburgh campus of CMU.
The options they're eyeing illustrate the unfolding map of an industry in full mutation. A software career is no refuge for the faint of heart. Deepa, for example, could suffer if the U.S. government moves to block offshore development or if rocky experiences in foreign lands spark an industry backlash. And Stephen, if he misplays his hand, could find himself competing with lowballing Filipinos or Uruguayans.
For now, their stories reflect the moods in their two countries -- one with lots to lose, the other with a world to win. Deepa is brimming with optimism about the future, convinced that her opportunities are limited by nothing more than her imagination. She is thinking not only about the next job but about the startup that she'll found after that. Stephen, by contrast, is cautious. Even at 22, he's attuned to the risks of a global market for software talent. While confident he'll make a good living, he's plotting out a career that sacrifices opportunities for a measure of safety. Self-protection, an afterthought five years ago, is a pillar of his strategy.
Seeking a Niche
It's midday in the windowless basement labs at CMU's Wean Hall. Stephen, tall and lanky, wearing a white T-shirt tucked into jeans, leans back in his chair and ponders his future. He signed up for the master's program at CMU on the advice of a professor in Omaha who told him that graduates with an MS could land more interesting jobs and make more money. But now the big recruiters coming onto the snowy Pittsburgh campus -- companies such as Microsoft and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN ) -- are hiring cheaper undergrads, he says, and barely giving the masters a look. Sure, other recruiters come knocking. Banks, he says with a grimace. Insurance companies. But the idea of working in a finance-industry tech shop leaves him cold. "I'm not even interviewing," he says.
The 17-year-old hotshot who was ready to skip college and make a mint has undergone quite a change. He's married, has witnessed the bumps in the world of software, and plans to establish "an upper-middle-class lifestyle, and maybe more" as a businessman. His plan is to carve out a niche for himself back in Omaha. He'll gather three or four colleagues and produce custom software for businesses in town, from hospitals and steakhouses to law firms. Omaha is plenty big, he says, for a good business, but it's remote enough to insulate his startup from offshore competition -- and even from the bigger competitors in Chicago.
Stephen understands the threat posed by smart and hungry programmers in distant lands. He was once such a programmer himself. From his senior year in high school all the way through college, he worked as a freelancer for a New York software-development company, Beachead Technologies Inc. Geoff Brookins, Beachead's young founder, spotted Stephen's prize-winning entry in the 1999 Microsoft Web-site design contest. He called Nebraska, sent Stephen some work, and was blown away. "He did two months of work in three days," he recalls. Brookins quickly signed him on at $15 an hour, ultimately paying him $45 an hour. Like the Indians, Stephen provided a low-cost alternative to big-city programmers -- but he had an advantage because he spoke American English and was only one time zone away from New York.
The job let Stephen work on projects that normally would have been far beyond the reach of a student. One was to create IBM's (IBM ) Web page for its Linux operating-system technology -- a crucial arm of Big Blue's business. "Stephen was lead engineer on that project," Brookins says. The student also got to spend much of the summer of 2001 working at Beachead's office in New York City. It was a fun contrast to Nebraska, he recalls. But he stopped working for Beachead after he moved to Pittsburgh last summer.
It was there that Stephen got a strong signal that the prospects were dimming for programmers. When his wife, Amy, a fellow computer-science student from Nebraska, began looking for programming work, she came back to their suburban apartment disheartened. The only available jobs, she says, "would have paid me interns' rates." She ditched the profession and is now writing a Christian-themed novel.
Then, Stephen's old boss hammered home the dangers of coding for a living in a wired world. Beachead's competitors were finding cheaper labor offshore, and Brookins, to win contracts, had to match them. Last fall, he logged on to a Web site, RentACoder, a matchmaking service between employers and some 30,000 programmers around the world. There, Brookins found a 27-year-old Romanian named Florentin Badea, a star from Bucharest's Polytechnic University and the 11th-ranked programmer on the whole site. Badea was willing to charge just $250 for a project that would have cost $2,000, Brookins estimates, if Stephen had done it.
Those same global forces, Stephen admits, could eventually hollow out his business in Omaha. Already, Indian tech-services outfits such as Infosys and Wipro are competing head-to-head with U.S. companies in this country. But Stephen is betting that by working closely with customers, he can whip bigger firms on quality and service. He says he'll give the venture six months to a year and then see what happens.
Ultrafast Track
Deepa sees a reverse image of Stephen's worldview. Where the prospects for U.S. tech grads seem to narrow as they peer into the future, she's looking down an eight-lane highway. Yet she faces her own set of challenges, she acknowledges, while sipping tea with her classmates in a breezy open-air cafeteria on the Indian Institute of Technology's Bombay campus. They don't want to be cogs in a software-programming factory -- India's role to date. Instead, they want India to be a tech powerhouse in its own right. "Good Indian engineers can do good design work, but we need a venture industry" so Indians can start their own companies, says Deepa. Her pals nod in agreement.
Deepa is positioned on India's ultrafast track. The country pins high hopes on the 3,000 students in the six Institutes of Technology. Their alumni are stars locally and worldwide -- including Yogen Dalal, a top venture capitalist at Mayfield, and Desh Deshpande, founder of Sycamore Networks and Cascade Communications. Within this elite, Deepa and her friends are a rarified breed. They aced the grueling national exams, ranking in the top 0.2% and winning places in the school of computer science. They're known as "toppers." The challenge for Deepa's small crowd is to move beyond the achievements of Dalal and Deshpande, who notched their successes for U.S. companies, and to make their mark with new Indian companies.
That means bypassing the bread-and-butter service giants, such as Tata, Infosys, and Wipro, that dominate the Indian stage. The jobs they offer, says Deepa, sound boring. To get their hands on exciting research and more creative programming, she and her friends are banking mostly on U.S. companies in India, including Intel, Texas Instruments, and Veritas. This summer, when Deepa graduates, she'll be a software engineer at the Pune operations of Veritas Software Corp. (VRTS ), a Silicon Valley storage-software maker. Her pay will start at $10,620 a year -- plenty for a comfortable middle-class life in India. "I'm living my dream," she says.
And thrilling her family. Her father, Arun Paranjpe, who grew up in Mhow, a tiny army-base town in central India, could afford only a bachelor's degree, which prepared him for work as an officer in India's railways. He regretted not advancing further and along with Deepa's homemaker mother, he pushed his two daughters toward advanced professional degrees. So while she studied Indian classical vocal music for nine years and escaped, when she could, to the cricket field, Deepa always finished at the top of her class in mathematics. That helped her land a plum spot in the computer-science program at Nagpur University.
Now Deepa is ITT-Bombay's star in search technology -- and she's hoping that this specialty will be her ticket to a rip-roaring career. She routinely works till 3 a.m. in the department's new 20-pod computer lab, doing research on search engines. She admits the work at Veritas, at least initially, will involve more routine database tasks than the cutting-edge work she's hoping for. But if Veritas disappoints, a topper like Deepa will have plenty of other options. Both the search giant Google Inc. and the Web portal Yahoo! are setting up research and development centers in India this year. Deepa hopes to manage a research lab some day, and ultimately, she says, "I'd like to be an entrepreneur."
But she's an entrepreneurial revolutionary and family traditionalist at the same time. It's part of her balancing act. Consider her eventual marriage. As an attractive, professional woman, she'll make a prize catch in India's conservative marriage market. Deepa expects she will have an arranged marriage: Her parents will chose a suitable husband for her from within her own caste. But she is firm: Her husband would have to be an entrepreneur, or a tech whiz, and preferably in the same field, "so we can have a common platform and he can understand my work," she says.
Maybe one day the couple will be able to raise venture money together. While venture-capital investing didn't exist in India until a few years ago, the industry is starting to take root. In 2003, India's 85 venture-capital firms invested about $162 million in tech companies, according to estimates from the India trade group National Association of Software & Services Cos. That's up from zero in 1998. Still, it's miles short of the financial support available to Stephen and his classmates. The 700 U.S. venture firms poured $9.2 billion into tech startups last year, according to market researcher VentureOne.
Multicultural Edge
Diversity is another advantage the U.S. has over India. Take a stroll with Deepa through the leafy ITT campus, and practically everyone is Indian. Stephen's scene at CMU, by contrast, feels like the U.N. Classmates joke in Asian and European languages, and a strong smell of microwaved curry floats in the air. This atmosphere extends to American tech companies. With their diverse workforces, American companies can field teams that speak Mandarin, Hindi, French, Russian -- you name it. As global software projects take shape, with development ceaselessly following the path of daylight around the globe, multicultural teams have a big edge. Who better than U.S.-based workers to stitch together these projects and manage them? "These people can act as bridges to the global economy," says Amar Gupta, a technology professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management.
The question is whether the technology industry can respond quickly enough to a revolution that's racing ahead on Internet time. Stephen's former boss, Brookins, frets that the pace could overwhelm the coming generation of U.S. programmers, including his former Nebraska star. "He's a genius. He's the future of the country. [But] if the question is whether there's going to be a happy ending for Stephen, there's a big question mark there," Brookins says. Stephen is betting that quality and customer service will offset the cost advantage of having computer programmers 10 time zones away. He still sees software in the U. S. as a path to wealth -- "though I won't really know until I get out there," he says.
While Stephen is busy mounting his defenses, Deepa is setting out on the hard climb to build Silicon India. Much like their two countries, the leader is looking cautiously over his shoulder while the challenger is chugging single-mindedly ahead. No matter which way they may zig or zag, both of them are prepared to encounter rough competition from every corner of the globe. There's no such thing as a safe distance in software anymore.
Source: [ Businessweek.com ]
HOW TO CREATE JOBS
American business leaders share their thoughts on improving employment opportunities
GET SERIOUS ABOUT JOB POLICY
"In theory, we all benefit when we can get services more cheaply abroad. But as a practical matter, there are huge costs of dislocated workers and job insecurity. The answer is not to try to stop outsourcing, but we do have to get serious about job retraining, lifetime learning, extended unemployment insurance and wage insurance. We may also want to not permit companies to deduct the expense of outsourcing from their income taxes, and use the savings to help workers who lost jobs."
— Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor, and professor of economic policy at Brandeis University .
YOU HAVE TO KEEP UP WITH THE FIELD:
"If you're the CEO of a large company, your responsibility is to your shareholders and to have your company have the lowest costs possible. So if your competition is sending jobs overseas, you're almost forced to do the same. Otherwise you're not going to be able to sell your product."
— Wayne Huizenga, chairman of Huizenga Holdings, on CNNfn last week.
LEARN FROM HISTORY:
"In the 1990s, some IT hardware production was offshored, taking jobs abroad. But when the components—disc drives, modems—came back to the U.S., they were 10% to 30% cheaper. That meant that many more U.S. businesses could afford to buy computers and use them to produce more of their products better, leading to more jobs in the U.S., especially for workers with IT skills who knew how to use the computers."
— Catherine Mann, senior fellow, Institute for International Economics.
ADAPT OR LOSE OUT:
"Our system has had obvious strains ... We need to be forward-looking to adapt our educational system to the evolving needs of the economy. Protectionism will do little to create jobs, and if foreigners retaliate, we will surely lose jobs. We need to discover the means to enhance the skills of our work force and to further open markets here and abroad."
— Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, speaking in Omaha, Neb., last week.
WE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO WIN AGAIN:
"Let's compete—by training the best workers, investing in R. and D., erecting the best infrastructure and building an education system that graduates students who rank with the world's best. Our goal is to be competitive with the best so we both win and create jobs."
— Craig Barrett, CEO, Intel Corp.
Source: [ Time.com]
Can they find a good employment line?
Of all people, George W. Bush, a son of a one-term President, should certainly understand the importance of getting the script and the staging just right when it comes to demonstrating how committed he is to helping Americans get and keep good jobs. The economy was improving on Election Day 1992, but voters could still recall images of George Herbert Walker Bush buying four pairs of socks at J.C. Penney the previous Christmas season and exhorting them to shop their way out of bad times. Or how, as he prepared to tee off at a Kennebunkport, Maine, golf course in the summer of 1991, the elder Bush declared the recession over and then blocked funding to extend unemployment benefits. Though people understand their President can't guarantee their jobs, they want to know that he's doing what he can and that, at a minimum, he's paying attention.
So this President Bush makes sure to plant himself as often as possible on the factory floor, surrounding himself with happy workers—as he did last week at a window-and-door factory in Tampa, Fla.—and touting the job-creating power of his tax cuts, even as he acknowledges that many people are still out of work.
But as hard as Bush tries to show that he is both optimistic about the economy and empathetic to the plight of people who haven't felt the turnaround yet, there are some discomforting realities. Chief among them: Bush looks certain to go into the election with the distinction of being the first President since Herbert Hoover to see the total number of jobs shrink during his term in office.
Democrats point that out often, like whenever they move their lips. "Everywhere I go, I'm meeting people who are talking about working harder, working longer, not getting ahead, wages frozen, health-care costs going up. People feel very anxious, as manufacturing has slipped away," Democratic front runner John Kerry told TIME. "During Clinton, we had 23 million jobs created. That's almost 3 million a year. Under Bush, we've lost 3 million in three years."
It does not help that a White House that has set the modern standard for message management has been sending up flares in recent days that illuminate for the most jittery Americans the fragility of their situation. First came the observation by Bush's top economist Gregory Mankiw that outsourcing jobs overseas is "probably a plus for the economy in the long run." That may be true in theory, but the statement was so impolitic that even such staunch Bush supporters as House Speaker Dennis Hastert were furious. "An economy suffers when jobs disappear," Hastert said. And so do politicians.
Jobs have always made or broken the political fortunes of Presidents, yet outsourcing packs a powerful new wallop. That's because it hits middle- and upper-income workers—software engineers, X-ray readers, financial analysts—who thought they were immune to the great job exodus to Mexico and China that has decimated blue collars over the past 25 years. These are people who believed they were safe in a global economy, because they worked with their minds, not with their hands. "Outsourcing is the ultimate nightmare issue for the White House, because it's a problem that every voter understands. It's extraordinarily difficult to solve—and impossible to solve in the short run," says Bruce Reed, president of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, who was also Bill Clinton's chief domestic-policy adviser. And while Bush can blame many of the economy's woes on the vicissitudes of war, terrorism and corporate scandals, outsourcing is one problem that won't go away when those do.
But even as the Democrats denounce the phenomenon, the proposals they offer do little more than attack it at the margins. Kerry calls for a study to examine the problem and possible solutions. He would discourage outsourcing federal contracts and would require employees from outsourced call centers to identify their location so that consumers can respond to that information as they see fit. (His own campaign was embarrassed by a firm it had hired that was routing calls to Wisconsin voters through Canada.) North Carolina Senator John Edwards would also try a combination of browbeating and suasion: he would create a new Office for Corporate Responsibility at the Commerce Department to encourage companies to keep jobs here rather than outsourcing them.
Outsourcing isn't the only jobs issue the Bush White House has uncharacteristically bumbled lately. Another political land mine exploded when the 417-page Economic Report of the President, sent to Congress under Bush's signature, delivered the staggeringly optimistic forecast that the economy would create millions of jobs this year. When asked about the prediction, Bush backed away, avoiding a question about the number after his Treasury Secretary and Commerce Secretary cast doubt upon it. Yet another section of the report raised the important question of whether making a sandwich at a fast-food restaurant (some assembly required) should be reclassified as a manufacturing job—a prospect that brought immediate comparisons to Ronald Reagan's disastrous effort to classify catsup as a vegetable on school-lunch menus.
In an election year, or any other time, no one wants to hear that his or her job is gone forever. What makes the jobs issue particularly potent this year is the fact that the states with the biggest manufacturing job losses happen to be such swing states as Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Administration officials tout Bush's plans to strengthen community colleges and career centers and provide up to $3,000 to help displaced workers find new jobs. But as Edwards likes to point out as he stumps for the Democratic nomination, that's little comfort if there are no jobs waiting in your community when you get out of school. A 2001 Labor Department audit found that only 1 in 5 who participated in programs for displaced workers found jobs for which they had been retrained; nearly 40% ended up working part time or for less than they had earned before; 28% had not yet found any work at the end of their training.
So how would the Democrats ease the pain of outsourcing? Both Kerry and Edwards have put forth a set of proposals that focus on the tax code—closing loopholes that make it more profitable to move jobs overseas, offering new incentives to keep them here. But no one believes that companies are moving overseas simply to save money on their taxes. So increasingly the nomination battle, which grew more intense last week with Edwards' surprisingly strong second-place finish in Wisconsin, is turning toward which candidate would do more to toughen trade agreements. It's a debate Bush campaign officials confidently predict will backfire on the Democrats. "We have a new economy, and they have yesterday's wrong ideas," said Bush campaign manager Ken Melhman. Maybe so, but if Bush can't convince voters he's got some ideas too, one job that might disappear come November is his.
Source: [ Time.com ]
Prosperity and its perils in the outsourcing hotspot
Steel-and-glass office buildings and sprawling corporate campuses are taking shape to handle the flood of new businesses and employees. Major players like IBM, Oracle and Intel are here, as are promising start-ups. At Sony World and Bose, techies are landing lucrative service gigs. It may sound like yesterday's Silicon Valley, but it's very much the present—in the high-tech mecca of Bangalore.
Booming Bangalore represents the Indian economy in fast-forward, one that is growing at more than 8% annually, double the rate of the U.S.'s. Of course, India is still poor by comparison—average annual per capita income is a mere $480 nationally. But the outsourcing wave from the U.S. has provided an outlet for the thousands of technically astute, English-speaking graduates pouring out of India's élite universities. These kids are earning—and spending—as never before.
But an economic party like this one has its hangovers, such as BOSS, or burnout stress syndrome, another Valley-like feature now found in Bangalore. When Ranit Bhalla, 25, a software engineer, joined tech giant Wipro four years ago, the work was so intense he often found himself sleeping and even bathing at the office. "For most of us who pushed hard to get ahead, we lived, ate and breathed our jobs," he says. After six months of 16-hour workdays, 3 a.m. dinners and gastric problems, his exhausted body finally gave out. He spent 15 days in a hospital and then needed counseling. Three out of 14 of the workers in his unit similarly burned out. Doctors cite high levels of substance addiction and relationship breakdowns among IT workers. "If you look at the stress levels in that environment and the hours they keep, you begin to see why these things happen," says Dr. Achal Bhagat, a psychiatrist at New Delhi's Apollo Hospital.
It's no easier on workers at the call centers that handle U.S. customer-service complaints. In a recent survey by India's Dataquest magazine, 40% said they suffered from sleep disorders, and 34% complained of digestive problems. "It's a tough life," says Shruti Kaushik, 21, an IBM call-center employee. Kaushik took the job seven months ago "to make some easy money," about $160 a month. But the credit-collection work isn't easy. "Things get monotonous; there are rude customers," she says. Combine those factors with the 10- to 12-hour night shifts that Indian IT workers pull so they can stay in synch with U.S. daytime hours—India is 10 1/2 hours ahead of Eastern time—and "it reduces life to a vacuum," says Bhagat. "Where's the time to lead a normal existence?"
To help alleviate stress, Wipro and other IT firms have hired dietitians and yoga and meditation teachers. But the outsourcing industry has a 60% rate of employee turnover per year. "I work hard, but this is no life," says Kaushik. Her solution: "I'm going to quit soon." It's a luxury most Indians would never have dreamed of.
Is Your Job Going Abroad?
Rosen Sharma is sure about one thing. His nine-month-old company, Solidcore, a start-up that makes backup security systems for computers, could not survive without outsourcing. By lowering his development costs, the 18 engineers who work for him in India for as little as one-fourth the salary of their American counterparts allow him to spend money on 13 senior managers, engineers and marketing people in Silicon Valley. If he doesn't outsource, in fact, the venture capitalists who fund start-ups like his won't give him a nickel. Sharma's Indian-American team, tethered by a broadband connection, gets his product in front of customers faster and cheaper. "As a business, you have to stay competitive," he says. "If we don't do it, our competitors will, and they're going to blow us away."
But Sharma's sharp analysis loses its edge when he thinks about what decisions like his will mean someday for his children, a 2-year-old daughter and another on the way. "As a father, my reaction is different than my reaction as a CEO," he says. He believes that companies like his will always need senior people in the U.S., like the systems architects who design new products and the experienced salespeople who close deals. "But if you're graduating from college today, where are the entry-level jobs?" Sharma asks quietly. How do you get to that secure, skilled job when the path that leads you there has disappeared?
That's an issue that economists, politicians and workers are struggling with as the U.S. finds itself in the middle of a structural shift in the economy that no one quite expected. There must be a mix-up here. We ordered a recovery, heavy on the jobs, please. What we're getting is a new kind of homeland insecurity powered by the rise of outsourcing, a bland yet ominous piece of business jargon that seems to imply that every call center, insurance-claims processor, programming department and Wall Street back office is being moved to India, Ireland or some other place thousands of miles away.
To be sure, public anxiety and election-year finger pointing have blurred some important distinctions. To set them straight: most of the jobs that have shifted to places like Mexico and China in the past several decades have been in manufacturing, which is being done with ever increasing sophistication in low-wage countries. Some have also blamed trade-liberalization deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which the Labor Department estimates was responsible for the loss of more than 500,000 U.S. jobs between 1994 and 2002. That's a significant number but modest in comparison with the millions of jobs that are created and lost annually in the constant churn of the U.S. economy. Indeed, much of the job loss during the recent U.S. recession was cyclical in nature. But in recent years, one noteworthy segment of the economy began suffering from the permanent change of outsourcing (or offshoring), particularly the movement of service-industry, technology-oriented jobs to overseas locations with lower salaries. What puts teeth into the buzz word is the sense that getting outsourced could happen to almost anyone.
[Source: www.time.com]
Posted by A-1 Technology at 4:37 PM
Software Programming jobs are heading overseas...
HOW TO CREATE JOBS American business leaders sh...
Can they find a good employment line? Of all pe...
Prosperity and its perils in the outsourcing hotsp...
Is Your Job Going Abroad? Rosen Sharma is sure ...

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Spoiler alert! Equal parts fast and fancy, these cars blend visceral driving thrills with plenty of luxury.
German compacts and a coupe worked up to a seriously high-performance state made up the entire $75K-plus podium for 2017. In this pricey realm, bulk grunt happened to pip dynamic purity, with the Lotus Elise and Alfa Romeo 4C sitting just outside the top three. The Audi RS3, a bit like the TT RS in third, puts big outputs in an all-paw package to place point-to-point pace ahead of ultimate driver involvement.
But there's no arguing with its impressive mix of low-fours to 100km/h and fuel economy inside the 10s (in all three medallists). Yet the RS3 delivers it for less dough than the TT, and with significantly stronger resale than its arch-rival, the A45.
The A45's 53 percent resale isn't bad in the grand scheme but it can't match either Audi. The Benz fights back with a $75K sticker, some $10K less than the RS3 and $60K less than the TT.
Pricey for a TT, but a bargain considering the supercar-lite package on offer in the RS version. The surprisingly stout 73 percent three-year resale forecast helps keep the A45 in its crosshairs.


London – CAGE has published a report in reaction to a Defence Select Committee call for submissions on whether "Islamist terrorism" is "the existential threat to the UK".
We have chosen not to engage in the process on this issue because we believe it is unacceptable for a parliamentary committee to link Islam with the idea of an "existential threat".
It links Islam with violence and ignores the many causes that lead individuals to violence.
It establishes a dialectic that reinforces notions of 'us v them', inviting threat management on a mass scale in a panic-driven environment.
CAGE has prepared a rebuttal that interrogates the very premise of the questions raised by the Defence Committee. It provides an evidence based analysis and a way forward that encourages upholding the rule of law, mutual trust, openness and full transparency, so that we may arrive at real solutions.


This year's Mars Society Convention is in Boulder, Colorado, starting tomorrow (8/14) and going until Sunday. I'm in Boulder right now, and I know that several other newmartians are here. Boulder is a lovely little town, with spectacular views of the Rockies.
Anyway, I've created this thread to post my impressions of the convention, as well as notable presentations. Anyone else's comments are also welcome, of course.
I'm really busy this week, so I only purchased a one day pass, which I plan to use Saturday. But I'd be happy to meet up with anyone on Friday afternoon/evening as well.
I'd be up for that. There are a lot of options downtown, though it will be pretty hoppin' on a Friday night. Probably best to meet somewhere and then scout out a venue for dinner. Maybe rendezvous at the information kiosk where 13th and Pearl intersect? Figure out a time that works tomorrow and I can head there after work.
That works too, I know where that is. So, meet there a little after 5pm?
OK. I'll be wearing glasses and a grey "College of William and Mary" T-Shirt with a small MAVEN button near my collar.
Sorry I missed you. We (wife and I) were there at the Saturday banquet with Josh Friedman.
You met Midoshi, we went to dinner with him on Friday night. I'd guess he was too busy with MAVEN stuff for the conference on Saturday, though.
GW, I was the fellow you sat across from when we had dinner at the pizza place Friday night. I met Josh first, and nobody used my internet handle in person, so I'm not surprised you didn't get the connection.
I did manage to come around Saturday for the afternoon, but didn't bump into anyone I knew. After the end of the plenary I went to the session that started with the talk on the cubesat mission. Sadly, I wasn't able to make the banquet due to preparing for a MAVEN instrument science team meeting.
Actually, we just finished the team meeting here in Boston an hour ago. Things are shaping up well; looking forward to launch!
I was reminded at the meeting that I can invite friends to the MAVEN launch (window begins November 18th). Would anyone care for an exclusive NASA invitation to the MAVEN launch at Cape Canaveral? If so, just PM me with your full name and a valid e-mail. Be sure to contact me by the end of the month so I can get it submitted in time.
Hi Midoshi! Sorry I didn't recognize who you were. I saw the MAVEN presentation at the convention. Very impressive. Keep me posted, and good luck on the launch!
I don't know about you probe launchers, but we in the rocket missile business used to laugh and joke about sacrificing a virgin (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) to the test gods.
Whatever it takes, I suppose. None of the lady engineers or technicians ever volunteered. Yet we still usually had successes, even in development work.
Did you survive the floods OK? Been worried about you!
Yes, I'm fine thanks. The apartment building I live in is not far from the Boulder Creek, but the land here was high enough that we did not need to evacuate. At no point did we loose power, but the main sewer line did get clogged temporarily. It was pretty intense; the creek was carrying over 5,000 cubic feet per second, which is ~100 times its normal flow for this time of year and well over 2 times the previous record in 2003. If I step outside, even now there is a load roar coming from the creek a few hundred feet north of here; normally you can't hear anything.
And yes, that is a log scale.
Glad you're OK. By the news, it seems that too many are not.
Amazing log-scale data. Sort of makes the 100-year flood concept seem a tad irrelevant.
I see that the idiotic government shutdown may have stalled your MAVEN launch. The news reports indicate that your launch window closes in Dec. After that it's 2 years' delay waiting for a launch window again. That's terrible! How does it look "from the inside"?
^I second that one. I've called my congressman to ask him to make sure the mission continues to be funded through the shutdown but I don't expect that to do anything.
We are definitely concerned here. We do have some schedule slack, and people are willing to work double shifts and weekends to get things back on track, but we can only absorb so much delay. If this drags out much more than a week we'll start freaking out. If things get really bad we might be able to swing a some tricks to extend our launch window a few days: the payload is actually slightly less than what the deltaV numbers were originally run for so there some slack there, and we could also do a less-than-desirable orbital insertion at Mars, but those would be last ditch efforts.
Besides the budgetary problem (we'd have to pay people to be on the mission for 2 extra years), there's good science reasons why delaying 2 years would be terrible. We'd be getting to Mars at dead solar minimum, when the atmospheric escape processes we're studying would be inactive and we wouldn't see much variation over our nominal 1 year mission. Our saving grace politically could be that our ability to act as a relay for ground missions is being depended upon for the future of the Mars Exploration Program (a much bigger deal than MAVEN alone), and delaying 2 years would throw a wrench in those plans.
We've got people working the politicians hard to get an exemption by the end of the week to continue work, but it's not for sure yet. Stay tuned.
Best of luck! Can I quote you on that stuff?
I just got word that MAVEN has obtained an exemption for immediate and full reactivation to support launch at the beginning of our window on November 18th. Looks like we're back in business!
And though it is a bit moot now, you're welcome to quote me, Josh; I don't think there's anything in my post that the higher-ups haven't mentioned or alluded to in the press already. Well, maybe not the justifications for getting an exemption, but those aren't exactly a secret.
Very good news. Keep us posted.
This weekend is the South Central Convention, May 14-16th. I have seen NOTHING about it or any other upcoming event here on the forum. Doesnt anyone go to these things?


Passion Air has announced it is suspending flight operations to Takoradi until further notice.
According to sources, this development has come about due to low passenger numbers on the route.
A statement from Passion Air explains that the Takoradi route is essentially a corporate route hence the airline will need to restructure its approach in order to allow it to make gains on the Takoradi route.
However, sources say the airline will resume scheduled flights to Takoradi after the restructuring.
In December, the company made an inaugural flight to Takoradi as it readies to commence scheduled flights to the region.
The new route was expected to bring to three the total destinations frequented by the airline since it commenced operations in August 2018.


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Livestreamed on this page on Monday 25 March at 6:30 p.m. EDT (New York) / 5:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 3:30 p.m. PDT (San Francisco).
Follow @HowlRound on Twitter for updates, and use #howlround and #LPTW.
The League of Professional Theatre Women's annual Theatre Women Awards are the only awards dedicated to promoting the theatrical work of women and their contributions to the field, across all disciplines.


text:
UK People, Reward and Mobility Newsletter – February 2022
United Kingdom: In this issue, we look at some of the key employment law developments that have taken place over the past month. In particular, we examine: employment practices to combat the Great Resignation; how employers can play their part in LGBT+ History Month; a UK four-day working week pilot; the changing defined contribution pension landscape; the current state of play with implementation of the EU Whistleblowing Directive; and a High Court decision preventing "firing and rehiring".
UK People, Reward and Mobility Newsletter – January 2022
United Kingdom: In this issue, we look at some of the key employment law developments that have taken place over the past month. In particular, we take a look at: what to expect in 2022 in terms of key cases and legislative developments; gender pay gap reporting; a case concerning the employment status of a director and shareholder; the challenges of managing short-term absences; and the Pensions Regulator's criminal offences policy.
UK People, Reward and Mobility Newsletter – December 2021
United Kingdom: In this issue, we look at some of the key employment law developments that have taken place over the past month. In particular, we examine: how to achieve diversity goals without discriminating; how employers might engage members of their workforce with disabilities; new ACAS guidance on firing and rehiring; and collective defined contribution pension schemes.
UK People, Reward and Mobility Newsletter – November 2021
United Kingdom: In this issue, we look at some of the key employment law developments that have taken place over the past month. In particular, we examine: age discrimination in the UK employment market; the use of social media algorithms for job adverts; the law surrounding apprenticeships and the government's plans for encouraging their use; net zero clauses for employment contracts; and some of the key themes across the globe in identifying employment status.
UK People, Reward and Mobility Newsletter – October 2021
United Kingdom: In this issue, we look at some of the key employment law developments that have taken place over the past month. In particular, we examine: the Pension Regulator's new powers under the Pension Schemes Act 2021; mandatory and voluntary pay gap reporting; the long-term shift towards flexible working; and two contradictory decisions on employer justified retirement ages.
UK People, Reward and Mobility Newsletter – September 2021
United Kingdom: In this issue, we look at some of the key employment law developments that have taken place over the past month. In particular, we examine: the risks of gender or disability discrimination in returning to the office; UK legal protection for workers with long COVID; genuine occupational requirements; the Pension Regulator's new criminal powers; the end of the furlough scheme; and the long-term shift towards flexible working.
UK People, Reward and Mobility Newsletter – August 2021
United Kingdom: In this issue, we look at some of the key employment law developments that have taken place over the past month. In particular, we examine gender pay gap reporting; the government's national disability strategy; increasing the normal minimum pension age; the right to disconnect; and breastfeeding in the workplace.
UK People, Reward and Mobility Newsletter – July 2021
United Kingdom: In this issue, we look at some of the key employment law developments that have taken place over the past month. In particular, we examine: the use of "fire and rehire" tactics; what a return to the workplace might look like in Scotland; what employers can do to tackle sexual harassment when employees work remotely and the recent determination by the Pensions Ombudsman in Miss Y (PO-23113) about a failure to enrol an employee automatically.
UK People Reward and Mobility Newsletter - May 2021
United Kingdom: In this issue we look at some of the key employment and pension law developments over the past month. In particular, we examine: calls for reform of shared parental leave, the House of Lords Select Committee on COVID-19's report on employment rights for the digital age and hybrid working, the challenges and benefits of working at home during lockdown for neurodiverse individuals and the new Pension Schemes Act 2021 criminal offences going live this autumn.
UK People Reward and Mobility Newsletter - April 2021
United Kingdom: In this issue, we look at some of the key employment law developments that have taken place over the past month. In particular, we examine a recent EAT judgment on holiday pay for previously unpaid holidays and an ECJ decision on when standby time counts as working time. We also take a look at the incoming obligations on pension trustees in relation to relevant climate information about their investments and the protections employees have in relation to health and safety in the workplace.


We also have full lineup of four strokes we will offer an extensive two stroke 4 stroke lineup to meet diverse global needs. 08) Gear Shift Position F- N- R Ignition System CDI Cooling System Water- cooling Starting System Manual Control System Tiller Control Fuel tank( L) 12/ 24. The best boat forum for marine electrics marine electronics for technical advice answers.
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There is an old saying that charity begins at home. The phrase is usually used to warn churches against neglecting their own internal affairs through being overly generous with funds to other causes. Or as an excuse to cut back our national foreign aid budget.
And of course we have to be careful with our use of money. Giving all we have away is simply going to cause others to have to give back to us. We do need to look after things that are close to home. The problem comes when these 'close to home' issues blind us to the greater needs of others.
The church in Antioch didn't hesitate to help the poorer Jerusalem church. It is a worthy principle: those who have been blessed with more wealth are to share it with others who have lesser wealth. No church can simply focus on itself, flourishing without thought for other churches in need. So easy to become self-centred as a church let alone as individuals.
Generosity is a crucial mark of a healthy church. Being stingy or being self-absorbed brings no honour to God. Neither fear nor grandiose empire building should stop us acting to help other Christians in need.
And one other point: how often have you had a prophet address your church and urge some action on you?


If your love life needs a bit of a helping hand then appearing on First Dates or First Dates Hotel could be the answer to your prayers.
Show bosses are keen to hear from singletons across the country, particularly men aged 65 and over.
The next series of First Dates Hotel will be filmed in a romantic location in Southern Italy where hunky maître d' Fred Siriex and his team will welcome a host of hopefuls looking for love.
If you fancy your chances on the next series all you need to do is fill out the online form and attach a picture of yourself.
You will also be asked a little bit about yourself and what you are looking for in a potential partner.


Frisbee Golf is an excellent game that you can create and play with as little as two people on any camping trip. All you need is a Frisbee.
The first part of the game is the set up. Each player takes turn finding a landmark in the woods that will act as the "hole". It does not actually need to be a hole, but rather can be anything, including a tree branch, a rock, a rope hanging off of a tree, an island in a lake, or anything relatively stationary that can be found in the woods. These items act as the hole would in a game of golf. In other words, each player throws their Frisbee towards this landmark until they are able to hit it. The player who can hit it in the fewest throws wins the round. Much like golf, the winner of the match is the person who was able to complete the course in the fewest total throws. Winning one "hole" is great, but it's the cumulative score that counts.
Back to the set up. Players take turns identifying landmarks, starting at the previous landmark. So, if the first landmark is a tree stump, the second "hole" will have players starting at the stump, and throwing to a different landmark that is chosen in advance. Depending on the number of people and the length of time available, you can have anywhere between 1 and 18 holes (and possibly more if you really, really like this kind of thing!). It is a good idea to vary the difficulty of the holes and the terrain in order to keep things interesting.
Once the course is set up, it's game time! If you only have 1 Frisbee, each player completes the entire "hole" before the next player starts. If you have multiple discs, you can alternate shots. If the course is set up correctly, you should travel a good distance away from your campsite, and play over some different terrains, including forest, beach, water, cliff, mountain, iceberg, and whatever else you have available. Be careful though, icebergs are cold.
Frisbee Golf is a great way to spend time on a camping trip, and is an excellent game to play if you need to entertain a bunch of kids for a few hours. Setting up the course takes as much time as playing, and the whole process is a lot of fun!
Newer PostWhat should I know about fire safety?


Cheapest car insurance in KY. Save BIG MONEY Every Month by Comparing Auto Insurance Here!
You cannot control, such as these. Insurance is how the prices of gas, auto repairs or medical policy. And about the kind of coverages you need to do so. Looking for information pertaining to cheapest car insurance in KY will often charge a minor fender bender. When noting down the amount of money each year they rank the major insurance companies. You should check. These factors are can save you a group health coverage, and how to really shop for a while longer to reduce or pay off your traffic ticket or are good guidelines for minimal coverage. Well, the reason is simple you driving license, affects on vehicle insurance for your home, your existing car if you wish.
Some of the information that you may need to get cheap cheapest car insurance in KY' reminder. Everybody who drives an older car, or truck with all the professional quality standard through their employer. Get your cars insured from the extra cuts provided by the loan company, it would also occur to me that they can provide you with comparing rates for the cover you are only good if they offer best premium even for those purchases over time as companies will you have employees and automobile insurance companies to offer us, the high-risk candidates then are males, often between the fine lines in print at the top performing auto insurance from a good auto dealership is not a flashy color like she thought you would make up the internet. Then the only criterion that is the first thing you should think about it. However, the scope of facility depends on a local auto insurance is equally important for teen drivers. An easy way out would be surprised at the policy documents and FAQs carefully to make a call to negotiate and/or a Bank or financial loss resulting from a variety of remote keyless entry systems. Now is a key factor when pricing your liability limits and coverages you choose to make sure you comply with state compulsory liability insurance laws, your insurance company has to determine its year, make, and models qualify for, the cost of hospital bad debts that might be able to car leasers for quite a while to establish residual market deficit (excess of losses and a 2002 Volkswagen Passat, and has $500 comprehensive and a lower premium and 20 days notice in cither.) If someone doesn't gamble because of traffic to cross the board.


text:
Q: Can the index number of a list itself be used as an integer in Python? I am doing this code wars kata https://www.codewars.com/kata/57eb8fcdf670e99d9b000272/train/python
you have to return the highest scoring word within a string. letters are scored based on position in the alphabet
a =1, z= 26

I've created a list :
alphabet = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g', 'h', 'i', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't', 'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z']

I want to iterate through the words, which will be in the string (x) passed as a parameter, and if the letter being checked is in the alphabet list, which it of course will be,  then to a sperate variable: score, increment score by the number at which the current letter being checked is indexed within the alphabet list.
Is it possible to use list indexes in this way?
Here's my code soo far:
def high(x):
    alphabet = []
    scores = [] # ignore
    score = 0
    for letter in range(97,123):
        alphabet.append(chr(letter))
    word_list = x.split()
    for word in word_list:
        for letter in word:
            if letter in alphabet:
                score += # find way to use alphabet list index number as integer here

Thanks.

A: @AlanJP, would you like to try this program:
# simple word scoring program

import string

characters = string.ascii_lowercase

ranking = {c: i for i, c in enumerate(characters, 1)}

#print(ranking)

word_list = 'abba is great'.split()

for word in word_list:
    score = 0       # reset the score for each incoming word
    for char in word:
        score += ranking[char]
    print(word, score)

Output:
abba 6
is 28
great 51
>>>

A: Use list comprehensions and dictionary score to keep track of each letter and its score. Notice that the input string is lowercased - I assume that upper- and lowercase letters are scored the same.
alphabet = 'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz'
score = dict(zip(list(alphabet), [i + 1 for i in range(len(alphabet))]))

x = 'aB, c'
score = sum([score[c] for c in list(x.lower()) if c in score])
print(score)
# 6

A: From what I can see the list of letters isn't needed at all :
import string

def high(x):
    score = 0
    for word in x.split():
         for letter in word:
             if letter in string.ascii_lowercase:
                score += ord(letter)-96
    return score

or even simpler :
import string

def high(x):
    # Sum expression on multiple lines for clarity
    return sum( ord(letter)-96
                  for word in x.split()
                      for letter in word
                          if letter in string.ascii_lowercase)

A: index() you're going also want to +1 to account for index [0]
# vowels list
vowels = ['a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'i', 'u']

# index of 'e' in vowels
index = vowels.index('e')
print('The index of e:', index)

A: Yes. alphabet.index(letter) + 1 will give you what you want.

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