Comments on: The New Class https://habitablezone.com/2012/07/03/the-new-class/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:18:10 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: TB https://habitablezone.com/2012/07/03/the-new-class/#comment-16163 TB Wed, 04 Jul 2012 05:01:41 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17639#comment-16163 <p>The buildings on the east side are still there. I don't know who's in them now.</p> A lot of changes here. Check out my post on Community. The buildings on the east side are still there. I don’t know who’s in them now.

A lot of changes here. Check out my post on Community.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2012/07/03/the-new-class/#comment-16162 ER Wed, 04 Jul 2012 04:01:40 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17639#comment-16162 I can't believe they demolished that building, it was brand new, and gorgeous. I don't recall it as a "big white bubble". What I recall is a glass cathedral. We even had a radar test range and a jogging trail on the premises. I also worked at TRW (it was called ESL in those days) in Sunnyvale. Then Grumman bought them out. I can’t believe they demolished that building, it was brand new, and gorgeous. I don’t recall it as a “big white bubble”. What I recall is a glass cathedral. We even had a radar test range and a jogging trail on the premises. I also worked at TRW (it was called ESL in those days) in Sunnyvale. Then Grumman bought them out.

]]> By: TB https://habitablezone.com/2012/07/03/the-new-class/#comment-16156 TB Wed, 04 Jul 2012 01:54:52 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17639#comment-16156 Was that GTE/Sylvania in Mountain View? The "big white bubble" place? For a good time, check it out on Google Earth and run the "time slider" function. That whole place is little rows of houses now. Our pastor lives there. In fact, you can have a lot of fun with the time slider all over this area. "Creative destruction" is the model around this neck of the woods. Thank God Colonel Lee's is still here. Was that GTE/Sylvania in Mountain View? The “big white bubble” place?

For a good time, check it out on Google Earth and run the “time slider” function. That whole place is little rows of houses now. Our pastor lives there.

In fact, you can have a lot of fun with the time slider all over this area. “Creative destruction” is the model around this neck of the woods. Thank God Colonel Lee’s is still here.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2012/07/03/the-new-class/#comment-16151 ER Tue, 03 Jul 2012 23:55:21 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17639#comment-16151 Mar 1991, actually. Mar 1991, actually.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2012/07/03/the-new-class/#comment-16148 ER Tue, 03 Jul 2012 23:21:07 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17639#comment-16148 But I had no complaints about the place, or any of the other Silicon Valley or Pittsburgh hi-tech outfits I worked for. I made big bucks and had lots of bennies, and even my layoff was due to unpredictable global economic and military conditions which were impossible to prepare for. Of course, it was a seller's market for engineering programmers with spook clearances in those days. After the cold war ended, you couldn;t get a job for love or money in the Valley. I was out of work for 15 months until I got a job with County Government in Port Charlotte Florida, at 40% of the salary I was earning in Mountain View. In fact, I've had pretty good luck with all my private sector jobs, except for my 5 years learning the air-photo mapping industry from a couple of mom-and-pop outfits while I was working my way through grad school. I learned the difference between blue and white collar really well, and I have not forgotten it. But I had no complaints about the place, or any of the other Silicon Valley or Pittsburgh hi-tech outfits I worked for. I made big bucks and had lots of bennies, and even my layoff was due to unpredictable global economic and military conditions which were impossible to prepare for.

Of course, it was a seller’s market for engineering programmers with spook clearances in those days.

After the cold war ended, you couldn;t get a job for love or money in the Valley. I was out of work for 15 months until I got a job with County Government in Port Charlotte Florida, at 40% of the salary I was earning in Mountain View.

In fact, I’ve had pretty good luck with all my private sector jobs, except for my 5 years learning the air-photo mapping industry from a couple of mom-and-pop outfits while I was working my way through grad school.

I learned the difference between blue and white collar really well, and I have not forgotten it.

]]> By: TB https://habitablezone.com/2012/07/03/the-new-class/#comment-16145 TB Tue, 03 Jul 2012 22:13:46 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=17639#comment-16145 When was the last time you worked at a large private company? When was the last time you worked at a large private company?

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