It creates a class of speculative schemers.

Jamás pensé encontrar un texto tan interesante en un libro técnico, ni tanto sentido común en una corte suprema:

“It was never the object of patent laws to grant a monopoly for every trifling device, every shadow of a shade of an idea, which would naturally and spontaneously occur to any skilled mechanic or operator in the ordinary progress of manufactures,” the Supreme Court ruled in an 1882 case (Atlantic Works vs. Brady). “Such an indiscriminate creation of exclusive privileges tends rather to obstruct than to stimulate invention. It creates a class of speculative schemers who make it their business to watch the advancing wave of improvements, and gather its foam in the form of patented monopolies, which enable them to lay a heavy tax on the industry of the country, without contributing anything to the real advancement of the arts.”

¿Será cuestión de remontar el tiempo a contracorriente? No lo creo, pues no cabe duda de que este discurso viene del futuro-mejor.

I am very sorry to say this...

En la diapositiva hay un calendario de un periodo de cuatro meses durante el cual "se va a decidir" a quién se echa, con un medianamente jugoso paquete. Dicen que treinta o cuarenta personas.

ALEMAN.-- I am very sorry to say this. I am a Human Resources guy and I hate to lay off people...
YANQUI.-- This has nothing to do with your performance, your quality, or your tenacity, you have done a very good job and this is a very difficult decission for us to take...
CURRITA.-- How many people will be affected?
YANQUI.-- Worst case is thirty or forty. But we are still working on relocations so we still don't know for sure.
JEFECILLO.-- Let's say somebody has a job offering outside the company, will that person count as one of the layoffs and get a compensation package?
ALEMAN.-- No, that's impossible. If you get a new job you just leave.
CURRITA.-- So... If I don't get fired now, how do I know that it won't happen six months later?
YANQUI.-- (Sonriendo.) No, I don't think that will happen... But I could be wrong!
CURRITO.-- Will there be an opportunity for people wanting to leave the company to volunteer?
ALEMAN.-- No, this is not a call for volunteers, people will be selected by their managers according to their skillsets...
CURRITO.-- How in earth can one's skills be useful to the company if he wants to leave but he is not offered the chance?
BIGOTES.-- (Sonriendo.) Of course we'll take that in consideration...
OTRO CURRITO.-- Will there be an ERE? (Expediente de Regulación de Empleo)
RRHH.-- No, no, esto va a ser un proceso muy transparente y democrático desde el principio, vosotros elegiréis tres representantes...

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Después de un año y medio de espera comienza el ansiado desenlace. ¿Seguirán el camino que les marcan? La respuesta dirá algo de este grupo de quemados ingenieros...

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Nota: Inserté unas cuantas líneas el 16 de marzo.