Ars is hiring a senior editor and two technology reporters/reviewers

Passionate about technology and love to write about it? We'd like to talk to you.

Read the whole story

 

[Deleted member 174040]

thomsirveaux[/url]":3g2i8m78]

RockDaMan[/url]":3g2i8m78]

Pokrface[/url]":3g2i8m78]

Swashy[/url]":3g2i8m78]What about another open source writer? Why did that writer and column ever go away??

Because Ryan left to take a full-time position at Xamarin.

...and also because they are already covering it very well:

Linux’s small but relatively huge gain from 1.56% to 1.73% is probably more interesting than the moves made by Windows 8/8.1. According to NetMarketShare, Linux has been floating around the 1% mark for a long time — until the last few months, where it has fairly rapidly progressed to 1.73%. Sadly, we can only guess at the reason. As we recently reported, NetMarketShare doesn’t break out Chrome OS, so it’s possible that it’s being counted as Linux. Ubuntu and Mint continue to grow in popularity, and Valve’s investment in Steam for Linux is probably helping too.

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/17 ... ps-decline

Also: Andrew has been bellyaching about a Linux review he's working on all week.

Hey, I reserve the right to bellyache about whatever I want!

I believe it to be a Linux initiation rite.

 

[skippy10110]

I beg of you, please put your new hire in contact with one of the core bitcoin developers for some learnin. ;-)

 

[FrankM]

pmlyon[/url]":s5nju1f9]I beg of you, please put your new hire in contact with one of the core bitcoin developers for some learnin. ;-)

Hey, Ars could pay the new writers in Bitcoin... disposable Learjets one week, subsisting on Ramen the next.

 

[Wheels Of Confusion]

FrankM[/url]":am72pxr4]

pmlyon[/url]":am72pxr4]I beg of you, please put your new hire in contact with one of the core bitcoin developers for some learnin. ;-)

Hey, Ars could pay the new writers in Bitcoin... disposable Learjets one week, subsisting on Ramen the next.

Since the Law of Averages and The Ironclad Middle Ground are in effect, it's perfectly reasonable to expect to keep 1 non-disposable Learjet if you commit to a diet of ramen, regardless of market fluctuations.
Yup.

 

[LimeJuice]

Pretty sure that specifying the required experience in terms of time is potentially discriminatory. If you were in the UK/EU you could be on shaky ground there.

As I understand it it's ok to specify what someone should be able to do, but not how long they took to learn how to do it. It's effectively age discrimination because you're arbitrarily ruling out people who might (for whatever reason) have the ability to do the job perfectly well, but are too young to have taken your specified number of years to acquire that ability.

Don't get me wrong, I'm only really mentioning this sort of as a curious side-effect of employment rules etc. But it's just something you might want to consider...

 

[Jeremy2013]

LimeJuice[/url]":1wjsz7iu]Pretty sure that specifying the required experience in terms of time is potentially discriminatory. If you were in the UK/EU you could be on shaky ground there.

As I understand it it's ok to specify what someone should be able to do, but not how long they took to learn how to do it. It's effectively age discrimination because you're arbitrarily ruling out people who might (for whatever reason) have the ability to do the job perfectly well, but are too young to have taken your specified number of years to acquire that ability.

Don't get me wrong, I'm only really mentioning this sort of as a curious side-effect of employment rules etc. But it's just something you might want to consider...

Sorry but a reasonable requirement for "five years experience" cannot be satisfied with having a summer internship. Come back when you can shave!

 

[LimeJuice]

Jeremy2013[/url]":fu3qc0wt]
Sorry but a reasonable requirement for "five years experience" cannot be satisfied with having a summer internship. Come back when you can shave!

But my point was that "five years experience" isn't a reasonable requirement. One person might do a job for five years and learn almost nothing, but someone else might do it for just 2 years and be a natural born genius at it.

So you need to specify experience in terms of abilities, not in terms of time, otherwise it's unfair on fast learners and/or people with a strong natural aptitude for the job -- ironically the people you probably most want to hire.

Unfortunately my light, semi-jocular conversational tone is not translating well into words here... hence why I shall not be applying for the job

 

[Wheels Of Confusion]

Experience requirements often aren't just about knowing the raw material, it's also about knowing somebody can stay at a job for a while and that they'll be exposed to a broader variety of situations (technical and inter-personal).

 

[LimeJuice]

Again, exposure to a broader variety of situations is not necessarily a function of time. Someone could easily work for however many years and not get that kind of exposure.

Knowing that they'll stay in a job for a certain amount of time is a double-edged sword: would you really want to hire people who'll stay in a bad job, perhaps miserable and unproductive, just to put a couple more years on the clock? I wouldn't.

And again, if someone isn't old enough to have ever stayed at a job for your arbitrary amount of time, you're effectively discriminating against them just because of their age. I'm not making this up, there are laws against this kind of thing! (ok, so maybe not in the US, I don't know...)

Hypothetical analogy: suppose black people were statistically more likely to be loyal to their employer. Are you really going to say "black people only!" on your job advert? It's basically the same issue: race and age are both things over which no-one has any control, and neither of them are any determinant of ability, or loyalty, or anything else that you as an employer should actually care about.

 

[Wheels Of Confusion]

:facepalm:

 

[Quiet Desperation]

Pantagruel[/url]":2x3ukvzi]

precambrian[/url]":2x3ukvzi]

Helmore[/url]":2x3ukvzi]What about anyone living in Europe? ...

No, it's well established that you have to be able to write tech articles in Imperial units.

No amount of money will convince me to use Fahrenheit.

Now who would down vote this down? It's funny, even it is by one of those skeevy Celsius hipsters.

 

[LimeJuice]

Yeah, I know it sounds nuts at first, but it does actually make some sense. That's kinda why I mentioned it in the first place. It's a brave new world of political correctness we live in!

btw perfect smiley

 

[LimeJuice]

oops didn't quote Wheels of Confusion

 

[zarmanto]

LimeJuice[/url]":1k6iorui]Pretty sure that specifying the required experience in terms of time is potentially discriminatory. If you were in the UK/EU you could be on shaky ground there. ...

You pretty much nailed the answer to your first question in your own follow-up post:

LimeJuice[/url]":1k6iorui]
... (ok, so maybe not in the US, I don't know...) ...

In the US job market, it's pretty standard to state "requirements" for applicants to any job in terms of years in the job and/or a particular level of education. So to my knowledge, there is no particular law against such requirements... however, it's been my experience that in practice, both of those can be flexed if the applicant can demonstrably show a capability beyond that which their experience and education could suggest. (I wouldn't have the job I'm in now, otherwise, as I only have an Associates degree in my field.)

 

[Tundro Walker]

Wanted: Ars Writer

Must be willing to withstand scathing scrutiny of site demographic that will tear you apart over anything misspelled, mis-worded or vaugely going against the research they've done into ... anything ... ever.

Ability to pour water on pants while standing in shower, not vomiting while flying in jet plane, and guinea pigging lackluster hardware for review while under deadlines a plus.

 

[Tundro Walker]

Quiet Desperation[/url]":3asmmwt1]

Pantagruel[/url]":3asmmwt1]

precambrian[/url]":3asmmwt1]

Helmore[/url]":3asmmwt1]What about anyone living in Europe? ...

No, it's well established that you have to be able to write tech articles in Imperial units.

No amount of money will convince me to use Fahrenheit.

Now who would down vote this down? It's funny, even it is by one of those skeevy Celsius hipsters.

(Euro Writer) "Thus, the GPU stays a cool 52-54C due to robust cooling. (Or, (52C × 9/5) + 32 to (54 × 9/5) + 32 for you yankee bastards.)"

Tech-savvy, and with a snarky sense of humor. YOU'RE HIRED!

 

[Tijger]

Its not against any rule either in the UK or the EU to specify a number of years experience with a position.

 

[Callias]

motytrah[/url]":14ynky7o]I really enjoy the expanded law coverage, but wish there was someone to authoritatively explain strategy and what things mean big picture wise.

I work with lawyers daily and I don't think you want lawyers for "authoritatively explaining strategy." You know the old adage, two lawyers in room will give you as many opinions as necessary....

 

[Bertie Wooster]

LimeJuice[/url]":376zkq4z]Pretty sure that specifying the required experience in terms of time is potentially discriminatory. If you were in the UK/EU you could be on shaky ground there.

As I understand it it's ok to specify what someone should be able to do, but not how long they took to learn how to do it. It's effectively age discrimination because you're arbitrarily ruling out people who might (for whatever reason) have the ability to do the job perfectly well, but are too young to have taken your specified number of years to acquire that ability.

Don't get me wrong, I'm only really mentioning this sort of as a curious side-effect of employment rules etc. But it's just something you might want to consider...

Did you ever apply to a job in the EU? Did you ever see a job ad in the EU? Because you are so wrong. Most jobs specify how many years are required with experience in the skills they require. That said, if you have evidence of equivalence (through accomplishments and such), I am certain a smart recruiter would not care if the number of years don't quite match.

 

[caseyjohnston]

Tundro Walker[/url]":27ddue5o]
Ability to pour water on pants while standing in shower... a plus.

It's more willingness than ability that we need.

 

[Andrew Norton]

ok, well, if I submit my application (escorted by notable figures, such as jim Beam and Benjamin Franklin) we can assume the position filled?

 

[Tundro Walker]

caseyjohnston[/url]":200f8rxu]

Tundro Walker[/url]":200f8rxu]
Ability to pour water on pants while standing in shower... a plus.

It's more willingness than ability that we need.

True. Anyone can pour water on their pants while standing in the shower. Few will actually take the plunge and do it for the sake of water-boarding their pants live demonstration. I ride a motorcycle year-round, and wet pants do indeed suck. However, nothing makes you a more alert driver on the road like frigidly-cold, wet underwear bunching up on your nether regions.

 

[Andrew Norton]

Tundro Walker[/url]":2uokktyt]

caseyjohnston[/url]":2uokktyt]

Tundro Walker[/url]":2uokktyt]
Ability to pour water on pants while standing in shower... a plus.

It's more willingness than ability that we need.

True. Anyone can pour water on their pants while standing in the shower. Few will actually take the plunge and do it for the sake of water-boarding their pants live demonstration. I ride a motorcycle year-round, and wet pants do indeed suck. However, nothing makes you a more alert driver on the road like frigidly-cold, wet underwear bunching up on your nether regions.

Oh so true.
I used to go kayaking every weekend in the River Mersey (well, one of Liverpool's many docks, rather than the river itself) and getting wet was dreaded, especially November-April when it was icy. I had forgotten just how bad it was until a few days ago, when I had to replace a pipe that had busted in the big freeze here in Georgia last week (9F, in Georgia! unpossible!) and having to squat and crawl in freezing conditions while being soaked by the draining water system was hellish (yes, I do my own home repairs)

 

[SogiYa]

On the issue of "experience" ... what counts?

Are you guys mostly looking to head hunt writers from other sites or does "I have had a reasonably active personal blog for over a year" count?

(not that I would qualify either way, just curious)

 

[FrankM]

SogiYa[/url]":2113huwe]On the issue of "experience" ... what counts?

Are you guys mostly looking to head hunt writers from other sites or does "I have had a reasonably active personal blog for over a year" count?

(not that I would qualify either way, just curious)

My entirely uninformed opinion is that if your blog has "Ars-quality articles" then it'd probably count, especially if there was a decent back-and-forth with the readership.

 

[luckyone]

I'd love to be a part of Ars, but my only writing examples are my 4 year old thesis and a rejected article. Not exactly writing for mass consumption.

 

[Decade]

That "minimum of one year experience" is completely bogus.

One year of what?

One year of professional work? That's blatant discrimination.

One year of writing technology reviews full-time? That severely limits your candidate pool. Besides the chronically homeless or the insomniac, who can possibly write full-time for a year without already having a job in technology journalism?

One year of time since the first written review? Does the occasional Amazon product review count?

Or would you count student journalists writing for a publication that not more than 10 people will ever read?

It's much too vague to guide action.

 

[Evolution]

SogiYa wrote:
On the issue of "experience" ... what counts?

Are you guys mostly looking to head hunt writers from other sites or does "I have had a reasonably active personal blog for over a year" count?

If you turn in a one year old personal blog instead of 3 recently written new articles that only tells Ars you don't follow by company's rules and regulations. The 3 "Ars-quality articles" is your first rule and regulation set by Ars and Ars wants to see if you follow through company's rules and regulations. If you tried to ignore its first rule on you, it shows them you are not much of a team player. No company and no hire manager willing to gamble on a person who don't follow the company's rules.

Also, be able to turn out 3 "Ars-quality articles" in such short notice not only to let Ars know you can meet the deadlines and also have the ability to write quickly and think quickly and do research quickly and still turn out a good piece of article.

Lets look at it at another angle: Ken said turn in 3 article. You said: "How about one of my blog I have written last year?" You are trying to make a bargain with a guy who are responsible for your paychecks. Save it.

<sighs> I need a donut.

 

[caseyjohnston]

Andrew Norton[/url]":c9csms3l]

Tundro Walker[/url]":c9csms3l]

caseyjohnston[/url]":c9csms3l]

Tundro Walker[/url]":c9csms3l]
Ability to pour water on pants while standing in shower... a plus.

It's more willingness than ability that we need.

True. Anyone can pour water on their pants while standing in the shower. Few will actually take the plunge and do it for the sake of water-boarding their pants live demonstration. I ride a motorcycle year-round, and wet pants do indeed suck. However, nothing makes you a more alert driver on the road like frigidly-cold, wet underwear bunching up on your nether regions.

Oh so true.
I used to go kayaking every weekend in the River Mersey (well, one of Liverpool's many docks, rather than the river itself) and getting wet was dreaded, especially November-April when it was icy. I had forgotten just how bad it was until a few days ago, when I had to replace a pipe that had busted in the big freeze here in Georgia last week (9F, in Georgia! unpossible!) and having to squat and crawl in freezing conditions while being soaked by the draining water system was hellish (yes, I do my own home repairs)

You guys have way more, way better stories about wet pants. I literally just stood in a shower and poured water on my person.

 

[DrPizza]

LimeJuice[/url]":34ut7ro3]Pretty sure that specifying the required experience in terms of time is potentially discriminatory. If you were in the UK/EU you could be on shaky ground there.

No.

And if you don't believe me, I suggest you look at the EU's own job listings, where many of them demand a certain number of years of professional experience.

 

[FrankM]

I just think it's funny whenever Ars posts an opening, people come out of the woodwork to complain about the requirements. Can you imagine the writing quality on the site if the requirements were really as loose as the complainers seem to want?

1. Can make the cursor move by hitting the keyboard.
2. Can cash a check, perhaps with the help of a parent.
3. Conversational TXT and l33t a plus.

The other variant is that Ars should spend the resources to conduct an in-depth interview with every single applicant regardless of apparent qualifications... and that picking and choosing who to interview based on published criteria is somehow illegal. I'd really like to see a business try to operate that way.

 

[SogiYa]

Evolution[/url]":2azw9sdy]

SogiYa wrote:
On the issue of "experience" ... what counts?

Are you guys mostly looking to head hunt writers from other sites or does "I have had a reasonably active personal blog for over a year" count?

If you turn in a one year old personal blog instead of 3 recently written new articles that only tells Ars you don't follow by company's rules and regulations. The 3 "Ars-quality articles" is your first rule and regulation set by Ars and Ars wants to see if you follow through company's rules and regulations. If you tried to ignore its first rule on you, it shows them you are not much of a team player. No company and no hire manager willing to gamble on a person who don't follow the company's rules.

Also, be able to turn out 3 "Ars-quality articles" in such short notice not only to let Ars know you can meet the deadlines and also have the ability to write quickly and think quickly and do research quickly and still turn out a good piece of article.

Lets look at it at another angle: Ken said turn in 3 article. You said: "How about one of my blog I have written last year?" You are trying to make a bargain with a guy who are responsible for your paychecks. Save it.

<sighs> I need a donut.

I was under the impression that it was "3 articles + a year of experience" ... they just didn't define -what- experience.

 

[FrankM]

SogiYa[/url]":3jp4qmhe]I was under the impression that it was "3 articles + a year of experience" ... they just didn't define -what- experience.

It is a bit ambiguous. One of the nice things about having a year or more of experience is that you learn how to interpret requirements that are a bit ambiguous.

 

[Andrew Norton]

caseyjohnston[/url]":vxs2pkbp]

Andrew Norton[/url]":vxs2pkbp]

Tundro Walker[/url]":vxs2pkbp]

caseyjohnston[/url]":vxs2pkbp]

Tundro Walker[/url]":vxs2pkbp]
Ability to pour water on pants while standing in shower... a plus.

It's more willingness than ability that we need.

True. Anyone can pour water on their pants while standing in the shower. Few will actually take the plunge and do it for the sake of water-boarding their pants live demonstration. I ride a motorcycle year-round, and wet pants do indeed suck. However, nothing makes you a more alert driver on the road like frigidly-cold, wet underwear bunching up on your nether regions.

Oh so true.
I used to go kayaking every weekend in the River Mersey (well, one of Liverpool's many docks, rather than the river itself) and getting wet was dreaded, especially November-April when it was icy. I had forgotten just how bad it was until a few days ago, when I had to replace a pipe that had busted in the big freeze here in Georgia last week (9F, in Georgia! unpossible!) and having to squat and crawl in freezing conditions while being soaked by the draining water system was hellish (yes, I do my own home repairs)

You guys have way more, way better stories about wet pants. I literally just stood in a shower and poured water on my person.

No, I'm just cheap. kayaking rental+certified instructors are cheap in the winter, when no-one else wants to go (also, I once went camping in December with some friends, then decided to go kayaking - they sit ontop of ice pretty well but are hard to propel), same with plumbers. Why pay a few hundred bucks for one when I can do it myself?
I do draw the line at home electrical work though. US code is NUTS, like 1920's nuts. I'm not afraid of electrocution (I've been electrocuted more times than I care to think), more worried about fires, and/or blowing stuff up later (had both happen in the past 5 years) and the crappy materials we have to use (wire nuts? seriously? No switched, fused outlets? No fused plugs? plug prongs I can BEND? Lights and sockets on the same circuit? etc)

 

[andrmr]

Passionate about technology and love to write about Apple and Microsof? We'd like to talk to you.

Fixed.

 

[dips90]

I would like to see some more science articles, the depth of science coverage covered on Ars is not as good as it used to be. It's a real shame.

 

[sbol]

andrmr[/url]":2jv60y94]Passionate about technology and love to write about Apple and Microsof? We'd like to talk to you.

Fixed.

I would like some of those drugs you're on, please.

Ars does a great job covering Linux and the rest of the open-source world, especially considering the tiny market share (at large) of that OS. I imagine they look at their user-agent stats and cover what they think will interest their readers.

I haven't touched Windows or MacOS in years, but as a tech entrepreneur and enthusiast, I'm vitally interested in what those giant companies are doing, as they have so much influence in the future of computing.

The open-source world doesn't exist in a vacuum either. As much as it blazes its own path, much of the time its direction is a reaction to what's happening in closed-source ecosystems.

 

[pokrface]

caseyjohnston[/url]":3kl05pv6]

Tundro Walker[/url]":3kl05pv6]
Ability to pour water on pants while standing in shower... a plus.

It's more willingness than ability that we need.

Worth noting that the juniormost employee on the reviews team has to review all the things that I don't want to review. So that person should be prepared to pour all kinds of stuff on themselves.

 

[Wheels Of Confusion]

Pokrface[/url]":25pzxq4k]

caseyjohnston[/url]":25pzxq4k]

Tundro Walker[/url]":25pzxq4k]
Ability to pour water on pants while standing in shower... a plus.

It's more willingness than ability that we need.

Worth noting that the juniormost employee on the reviews team has to review all the things that I don't want to review. So that person should be prepared to pour all kinds of stuff on themselves.

Why am I suddenly hoping that Ars will start reviewing depilatories in the near future?

 

[Andrew Norton]

Pokrface[/url]":294wv7wg]

caseyjohnston[/url]":294wv7wg]

Tundro Walker[/url]":294wv7wg]
Ability to pour water on pants while standing in shower... a plus.

It's more willingness than ability that we need.

Worth noting that the juniormost employee on the reviews team has to review all the things that I don't want to review. So that person should be prepared to pour all kinds of stuff on themselves.

s'all in the name of 'science' after all. As long as it's not motor oil - did that once and never again!
depilatory stuff's not a problem either. You don't believe how many razors I've gone through (or were stolen by my teenage daughter)