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"Will Code for Green" Contest For Devs

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 6:52 pm
by LiveNate
My name is Nate from the Bing Team (formerly the Live Search Outreach Team) and I wanted to let all you developers out there know about the contest called "Will Code For Green". The goal of “Will Code for Green" is to create a Web application, or mashup in order to a) help people cope with the economy OR b) help people protect the environment.

The top prizes for economy or ecology categories are $10,000 each, with 3 overall runners up receiving $3,000. The prize money for this contest is larger in hopes of promoting the formation of teams. So... if you think you have an idea for an out of this world app and think it can change the world, you can read more details here about how to enter: http://willcodeforgreen.gnomedex.com/

Re: "Will Code for Green" Contest For Devs

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 8:59 pm
by mikemike
Not sure if this is a spam post but your URL is dead:

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Re: "Will Code for Green" Contest For Devs

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 8:47 am
by volomike
It's not spam, but they evidently don't know how to make a website and blew it. I found the cache on MS Live Search and read the article. Here's another link from a different place, and a more reliable place:

http://blogs.msdn.com/livesearch/archiv ... ntest.aspx

My feelings?

- Winning this would be like winning the lottery. Good luck on that.

- I will never take a cent from Microsoft Corporation. Can't stand the company. They lied in court and anyone watching the videotapes can see that. Also, the Halloween docs on Wikipedia are enough to make me not want to deal with them.

Re: "Will Code for Green" Contest For Devs

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 9:00 am
by jack_indigo
This is extremely ironic for me. Here we have the one company which:

- practically invented the call center and web development outsourcing in India, and built massive centers there, sucking jobs away from places where people had stable employment -- the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Brazil, etc.

- when they can't get enough H1B's into the USA, they ship them to Vancouver where the Canadians will take them all in loving arms just as many as they can pack in there

- tried to skirt paying taxes on employees by having "permatemps" and got sued for this a couple times

- tried to skirt tax laws by hiring lawyers to show them how to lobby better in Congress for foreign labor, to expand H1B capability, and to cheat the EEOC by filing fake jobs in USA job searches so that they qualify to bring on H1B workers and claim, "We just can't find skilled labor in the USA", which is complete bull. The reason they can't find skilled labor in the USA is because of our oppressive tax system against USA corporations, not because of our skills.

So the irony is, with all that, they contribute greatly to some form of economic problem in America. Most of our USA, UK, Canadian, Irish, and Brazil technology jobs are outsourced thanks to Microsoft. (There are other countries feeling the hit as well, but I listed the major ones I think.) So why would I want to win some contest with a low payout (comparatively speaking) just so they can look like a darling in the eyes of a future Congressional or Judicial investigation? Besides, as a freelancer, I catch gigs that pay me anywhere from $2K to $15K USD usually. This so-called reward from Microsoft is chump change, and it's like winning the lottery to win it because look at all the odds and competition. Now up it to $1M and we might have something, but even still, I agree with Volomike that Microsoft is unethical and I wouldn't want to deal with them.

Re: "Will Code for Green" Contest For Devs

Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 10:30 pm
by infolock
jack_indigo: I've been saying that for years...

Re: "Will Code for Green" Contest For Devs

Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 9:54 am
by Weirdan
infolock wrote:jack_indigo: I've been saying that for years...
And I would advise you not to get into this argument again.

Re: "Will Code for Green" Contest For Devs

Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 3:48 pm
by mikemike
jack_indigo wrote: - tried to skirt paying taxes on employees by having "permatemps" and got sued for this a couple times
There's nothing wrong with this if done properly (at least in UK law). My company has several people working there, however none of them are employees. They are all self-employed and fill out tax returns once a year. As such the company saves on NI (National Insurance) contributions and employees tax, as well as employee liability insurance, etc. The workers all know this and are more than happy with it as they pay less tax (due to claiming expenses, etc).

Re: "Will Code for Green" Contest For Devs

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 10:42 am
by infolock
Weirdan wrote:
infolock wrote:jack_indigo: I've been saying that for years...
And I would advise you not to get into this argument again.
lol weirdan, is the last thing on my mind mate