What is the most exciting thing on desired area?
It would just be called "The Split Banana", and all of our ice cream would be frozen in the mold of a penis. A small mold would be 6 inch, Medium = 9 inch, and Large/Monster = a 12 inch mold.
And the ice cream flavors would also have really inappropriate but funny names. Suggestions would be appreciated as I haven't done much work there.
I shall reward you with some flavor ideas/inspiration:
- Big Nuts, Little Nuts, Smashed Nuts, Nutted, Instanut, Bananuts, Walnuts, PeePeanuts
- Smartits (play on Smarties)
- V for Vanilla
- Strawbra
- Buttercrotch Ripple
- Sexpresso
- Good root (root beer flavor, root is an inappropriate aussie slang)
- Double Pistaschio (instead of double you know what)
- Big Black Cherries
- Nice Watermelons/Lemons
- Big Banana
- Rolover ("Rolo" flavor)
- Cherry Pop
- Creampie (oh boy)
- Quickie Cookies
- Chocolate Chicks
- Almonds To Mouth, Amateur Almonds
- POV, pomegranate vanilla
- Kinky Kiwi
- Rough Toffee
- Chocolate Mousse Knuckle
- Caramel Toe
I had a bit too much fun with it trying to be creative. Don't take seriously.
I'm actively trying to do exactly that - pivot from IT into something more meaningful.
Currently, I'm exploring two areas which were of big interest for me as a hobby: space technology and biotech. My goal is to spend this year exploring options, getting the "lay of the land" and forming a plan of learning new skills, in order to ultimately get a job in one of those industries before 2020.
Rationale: both are some of the most potentially impactful fields on the future of humanity.
Space Tech: Because I've been dreaming about space exploration since my earliest days on this planet. Because - with the recent accomplishments of the private industry - the time is ripe now to work on bootstrapping an industry in space. I mean manufacturing, asteroid mining, etc. There's lots of work to be done, the momentum is there, and frankly, we're long overdue for all of that.
Biotech: because I feel that mastery over molecular nanotechnology would solve half of the issues humanity faces, and biotech seems like the best way to incrementally get there. As I'm fond of saying, nature is advanced molecular nanotech which we didn't design and can't control yet.
All of that comes from the desire to work on something actually beneficial to humans (with a good effort/effect ratio), as opposed to cranking out code driving money towards marginally useful businesses.
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For a long time I've been reluctant to talk about it, as it is with desires for grand endeavours. But I am committed now, so if anyone can help me find my bearings around those two spaces, or have some experiences of pivoting there from pure software, I would very appreciate it.
Have you thought about that much? Any ideas?
Best of luck with your endeavours, because it sounds awesome! Endeavour, like the space shuttle of course ;)
Thanks for the kind words :). Though I would like my career to be more successful than that of the Space Shuttle ;).
I am sure that the space industry has a wide range of needs, and maybe some of those needs are "less expensive/lower barrier to entry" to work on if they are related to something where the operating environment is controlled, well-understood or known.
Depending on what you mean by the term "IT", you could mean just computer/networking technology, or you might mean everything related, information systems too. If you mean everything related, we have to consider what remains after we remove that from the set of candidate work. To some extent, I am not sure how one can "get out of IT" and work in space (or any other industry) since IT/IS is the backbone of almost everything these days.
What remains? Well, maybe things like: mechanical/structural/electrical engineering, architecture, healthcare, science, research, operations, processes and standards, agriculture, a wide variety of arts/crafting...
I'm not trying to be disparaging - anything if that (I have been asking myself how to get into space too) - but I'm trying to figure out, what is there to do in space that isn't related to IT/IS in some way.
Could you be a pilot or astronaut (operations)? Could you be a biologist, chemist, etc.? That might combine your interests in biotech with your interests in space. Maybe you could go do research on synthetic biology in space, for example (and be the first to "invent" new extraterrestrial life forms!).
I am sure you'll figure it out, and good on you for trying! I still haven't figured out where to start to get into space, myself. But I also have a ton of diverse interests which make it hard to focus on any one (especially with a day job).
I didn't mean dropping anything related to programming - it would be a waste of all the skills I developed over the years. But I don't want to be stuck forever doing pure software projects that are only meant to help the rich get richer, and don't contribute anything of actual use to society - which is what I feel the tech industry is mostly about these days.
My strategy is definitely to try and leverage my software skills in the new field - but ultimately, I would like to learn something else than just how to write code.
Could I be an astronaut? With my health and experience, there's no way. Sadly. But I dream that if the industry develops fast enough, maybe I'll live long enough to get the chance to get as high as LEO.
I'm with you about getting stuck, I have felt frustrated with the same. I work in an aerospace related manufacturing company, but it is not an area of the business that is furthering society, like space exploration would. We always say, "we do cool stuff", but I can tell you, the niche I work in is... well.. "around" the cool stuff, but it's not the stuff that benefits humanity/society/really moves us forward in a big or meaningful/beneficial way.
I think your question is the same that I have - how can I use the skills that I already have, but applied to something more meaningful/beneficial, in a field or job that I would enjoy as well and would be intellectually stimulating to me - maybe even - gasp - a little bit fun.
I personally looked into jobs at the companies/orgs I thought were on the edge (SpaceX, BlueOrigin, NASA, JPL and others) and I think with a solid software developer or IT skillset that you can get in. My issue was, these companies were all too far away from where I live, and I couldn't relocate for family reasons, even if I did get an opportunity. I think you really have to go to where these jobs are to be a part of it.
Also, don't expect that you can totally get away from the politics of "business", because I know for a fact they follow you around, even at the more exciting places.
If you're able to move to get closer to the job or niche you want, then if I were you, I would apply to all of the companies or organizations that move your heart and does what matters to you, and then lend the skill you have to that. If it means moving, well, then do it. There's a reason that aspiring country artists move to Tennessee, for example!
Also, if you're like me, and have not much in the way of experience that would get you into such a place, other than your dev/tech skills.. I would start finding out as many ways that I can get involved in those communities so I could start learning. Go to JPL open house day in Pasadena... go to space related meetup groups.. start one if you can't find it... anything and everything until I was able to find my way into a place I fit.
EDIT: One more idea, that I have had as well - make your own thing if you can't find it. Start your own "space research" or something org or company, and go to the companies in these areas and see if they have extra projects that need worked on, maybe it's a way to pick up some of the extra work they couldn't do in house.. ...no idea if this would work though :)
Best wishes, and maybe someday I'll see you in LEO too ;)
Yeah, I guess most of the work in cool fields is "niche work around the cool stuff", but that's still a step up from niche work around boring and ultimately useless[0] endeavours.
> I think your question is the same that I have - how can I use the skills that I already have, but applied to something more meaningful/beneficial, in a field or job that I would enjoy as well and would be intellectually stimulating to me - maybe even - gasp - a little bit fun.
Almost. I think I have enough mental capacity to pick up one or two additional skillsets beyond just coding, and I'd love to do just that.
The way I see it, most people with good programming skills tend to stay in the pure-programming companies (that's where the easy and very well paid work is today, after all), and other fields lack people who have strong coding background.
> If you're able to move to get closer to the job or niche you want, then if I were you, I would apply to all of the companies or organizations that move your heart and does what matters to you, and then lend the skill you have to that. If it means moving, well, then do it. There's a reason that aspiring country artists move to Tennessee, for example!
It's something I'm considering, but I decided to spend some time now getting the "lay of the land" and brushing up appropriate skills, instead of trying to jump into anything in the field and random and hoping for the best. I am aware of potential relocation needs; in fact, I've already been compiling a list of possible destinations, and got a preliminary agreement from my SO that we will relocate to a different town or country if there will be a need.
> Also, don't expect that you can totally get away from the politics of "business", because I know for a fact they follow you around, even at the more exciting places.
I find it sad, but I came to the same conclusion.
> Also, if you're like me, and have not much in the way of experience that would get you into such a place, other than your dev/tech skills.. I would start finding out as many ways that I can get involved in those communities so I could start learning. Go to JPL open house day in Pasadena... go to space related meetup groups.. start one if you can't find it... anything and everything until I was able to find my way into a place I fit.
That's the one big thing I want to spend 2018 on doing seriously.
Also a caveat of my situation: I'm from Poland, which means I'll be trying to take the European angle - ITAR & stuff is limiting possible involvement with US companies.
> One more idea, that I have had as well - make your own thing if you can't find it. Start your own "space research" or something org or company
For that I have a name and a logo already made when I was in high school :). "Technology...high, on the leading edge of life"[1] was my dream for a long time now.
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[0] - useless at best; sometimes it might actually be socially detrimental
* Open a place that's a juice bar by day, and a regular bar by night. Focus on using fresh, seasonal ingredients for all drinks.
* Experiment with using fruits other than grapes for wine-making. Some fruits, like blueberries, have many of the same properties as grapes, so it would be interesting to see what sort of beverages you could make by fermenting them.
* Same thing with distilled spirits: There is so much untapped territory here because most distilleries use ancient, traditional methods, with maybe only one or two variations from the norm. I would experiment with everything from ingredients to techniques, including using different types of wood than oak for aging, and pressurized aging to accelerate the process.
People with IT/IS backgrounds are usually quite broadly capable people, generally speaking.
Actually, I think enabling and giving all kinds of people space, support and ability to explore pivots and opportunities sounds kind of awesome.
In all seriousness, if I ever get to this goal, I will follow up with you.
I find the genesis of storytelling, religion and how we conceptualize the world fascinating, even (especially?) where it comes in tiny fragments. Things that are so deep-rooted now that we take them for granted, like perceiving the world through discrete objects, language, social reward structures.
As the evolutionary rat-race accelerates and niches get obsoleted more and more quickly, there seems to be an increasing business opportunity in digging deeper into what makes us human, what defines our sense of "self". Facebook, Zynga & co already exploit that. Understanding these patterns has tremendous business value, even if only to better protect ourselves.
What tunes do we dance to? How were these rivers historically formed, what is their inertia, future direction? How much of ourselves is cargo-culting on by-gone fitness landscapes? Humanity is the collector's luxury item of the future.
The most exciting thing would be getting out of a chair. IT has hurt my body.
I do love creating things, though, so I would ideally be building original creations (I don't want to be a framer or service mechanic). So some kind of craftsman.
More realistically, I would create a business that could create value on-site, but dealt with customers on the internet. So ebay, etsy, etc. I understand building customer bases on the internet far better than I understand it in real life, and I also live in a low population area.
Most specifically, and ignoring income decreases, I would like to do some kind of old-timey craft. Woodwork, leatherwork, blacksmithing. Leatherwork in particular is quiet, relaxing, and doesn't need a particularly large area or set of tools, and I'm totally fascinated with handmade leather products. I would need a standing workbench, though!
I’ve done painting woodworking, soldering circuits , and ‘hacking’ some furniture, it feels great.
I'm not really sure what the best way to follow this dream is, but I'd definitely appreciate any input or advice from anyone out there :)
This is also a great blog that frequently discusses urban planning themes: https://granolashotgun.com/
Thanks for the blog recommendation!
I would slow cook and smoke the finest meats and allow for Europeans to taste the amazingness that is US southern comfort food.
I would make it so delicious that together with low supply of seats I would be able to charge significantly.
So I think you're right, although I suspect it'll be hard to get people to switch to anything new since they already know how to use tools that let them get their work done.
Edit to add: I know a couple folks with backgrounds in statistics. One of them taught a data visualization class using R during his postdoc and is now teaching data science in Python for a code school. The other works for a big established company that does lots of data analysis, and still uses one of the old-school tools you listed, but is always very interested when we chat about the newer tools that are out there. So I think it's a mistake to think most folks are stuck in their ways.
Unfortunately he's patented a lot of his research[1] and I don't really know my way around patent law enough to risk finding out if a company dedicated to applying these technologies could get me sued.
So while not totally out of IT, I've definitely branched into something much more enjoyable. Eating delicious, meeting tons of new people, has been rewarding.
Email is in my profile if you are interested in trading notes.
Your idea reminds me of a company I like in Montreal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trl2eE-kVGM
What it can do, what it's likely to do, and we're only in the first inning of understanding how to utilize it and manipulate it. I believe vaccines are the only medical discovery/creation that will end up being comparable in impact on humanity. CRISPR will enable us to directly, fully seize control over our evolution (we've obviously been subtly affecting that for thousands of years).
It'll take a process spanning decades for the most remarkable applications to be discovered and commercialized (or otherwise made available for the general population), and it'll be worth the wait. We'll gradually strip countless inherited diseases from the entire human race in the span of a few generations. Breast cancer? 99.7% wiped out. Parkinson's inheritance? Gone. Cystic fibrosis? Gone. The age of antibiotic resistant infections? CRISPR will solve that soon as well. And so on. As with vaccinations, there will be numerous CRISPR therapies/cures/applications that will be extraordinarily cheap, pennies per person, and deployed to all persons on earth (as with vaccines, it'll take decades of gradual generic'ization, initially all therapies will be expensive, then many will become common, and then they'll be globally deployed for pennies per person).
And there is still so much that can be done, as digitalization is solving the “dusty archives” problem and neural networks might soon be able to suggest links between material (“this parchment fragment here might be related to that fragment in a museum on the other side of he world, which they’ve even forgot they had”).
Unfortunately the obstacle is always the same: money. There is little or no money to be made digging up old vases, and often plenty to actually forget about the vases altogether and let this or that new building be constructed on top of them (or destroying them).
From a nature standpoint of view, nature does not care about the single individual as long as the species survives. I don't like that behaviour.
Imagine a caveman who lost his arm in a fight with some animal. It just takes more energy to regrow parts and the caveman would be vulnerable all the time so nature decided to take that awesome feature away.
What nature does not realise is, that we now have the time to regrow body parts, there is no danger anymore, somebody who lost a leg can recover in a hospital.
And I'm 99% certain that we will regrow body parts in the next 15-20 years and I'd love to be a part of that revolution.
CRISP is another big thing that has the potential to cure diseases, those we call incurable.
All those facts and the possibilities of extending the human race makes me very excited.
So my niche would be Biochemistry, I choose that field because I think Biochemistry is the C and Assembly language of the human body.
My wife keeps telling me that the stores we've visited are extremely poor at selling to the extend that they are missing obvious upsells.
[... completely ignoring the "possible income decrease" here... :-/]
That being said, I realize the above has 0% of being a commercial success. The market is flooded with affordable plastic-fantastics churned out in factories in nearby lower income countries.
Also, I suppose it's one thing to enjoy working with my hands when I do it for my own enjoyment in my spare time vs. doing it for real work on a deadline.
Sigh.
If I wouldn't care about the meaning and amount of value I produce - screenwriter or standup comedian.
If I would optimize for pure fun - computer graphics and digital art.
Although to be honest, I think being a startup founder is the coolest thing I can imagine being, so I would keep working on startups, except I'd build a startup in a more advanced, hard tech field, instead of SaaS.
My next one would be Watch/Clock making.
failing that, farming/game keeping.
Oh BTW the first one is the F1 team and the second is a firm specializing in Airships
Also, I'd finish my fking novel.