I had one just as they were leaving the retail market. I loved that compact little guy. Trackpoint nub and full-size keyboard, very lightweight for the time, and I was mostly programming in EMACS via a terminal emulator when I wasn't MUDding via terminal emulator or writing specs.
He's making a good point on trust, but, really, doesn't the trust flow both directions? Should the Sr. Engineer rubber stamp or just take a quick glance at Bob's implementation because he's earned his chops, or should the Sr. Engineer apply the same level of review regardless of whether it's Bob, Mary, or Rando Calrissian submitting their work for review?
The Sr. Engineer should definitely give (presumably another Sr. Eng.) Bob's code a quicky review and approve it. If Mary or Rando are Sr. then they should get the same level as well. If anyone is a Jr. they should get a much more in-depth review as it's a teaching opportunity, whereas Sr. on Sr. reviews are done to enforce conventions and to be sure the PR has an audience (people take more care when they know other people will look at it).
Workers are not a liquid, they will not easily flow to where they are needed. There are many reasons for people to not want to move: losing touch with family and/or friends, dealing with finding new schools (if you have kids), the logistics and cost of moving all of your things, selling your home, finding a new home, is the cost of living difference favorable, the logistics of finding new doctor(s), the list goes on and in the end, you might be let go before the moving truck even arrives. This is why we should have national health care, it will ease some of the friction in workers' ability to move freely. But then again, companies want workers to be dependent on that job they currently have.
You are 100% correct! In fact, i will extend that to state that the U.S. should have a better social safety net which would include health care but other resources as well. I know in some circles social safety net is a bad word, but I imagine many workers would more readily move around if they had something to fall back on.
