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KeepTalking

1,206 karma · joined February 20, 2010

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KeepTalking··on I quit my job
A refreshing write up.

I have seen that happen to myself. The motivation, the desire to pick yourself up and get to work drops.

The largest factor IMO is the people you work with ie Your boss, your teammates etc. This can make it or break it. Everything else comes and goes in time slices. I do not expect work to be interesting all the time but with great co-workers I at least expect an interesting hallway conversation or the spark to a new idea.

For me it was the Sr/Jr Engineer thing that killed my desire. I found that somehow my age/years of work experience came in the way by a highly regimented old world overlord. I figured it was an unhealthy environment that cared 2 hoots about what was happening in the world outside. Most of them had come from a school that thought sticking faster CPU more memory and larger disks was innovation while it was just evolution. Packed my bags and hopefully will never miss a thing :)

Good luck !

KeepTalking··on Forgotten Employee (2002)
I have seen employees at a large high tech firm do something similar.

Basically the person "X" was told don't bother applying for time off if its less than 10 days. Well "X" has done travels around the world without ever taking any vacation time off.

KeepTalking··on Foreign Student Dependence
As far as I know and observed applications to TA positions are fairly democratic. I know of a recent instance where the professor had to accept the only TA application he received because no one else applied. If you still have a problem there are many readdress systems in colleges to challenge such situations.

It would be more constructive to provide proof to your claim.

KeepTalking··on Why we don't hire programmers based on puzzles and tricks
Coming up with good questions to ask in an interview is an effort that the hiring team needs to invest in. This involves a top down reflection of the job along with a vision for the job. It requires to ask him/her self before hand "What sort of tasks is this hire going to be doing" , " What language skills does he need" , " Does he need to reinvent a sorting algorithm to get this job " .

Well this rarely happens , to start of folks (generally) tasked with the hiring process are not the right "vision" folks. They are highly task oriented individuals aka MS Project specialists.

A real test would have to encompass among many things. - Do they are ask the right questions ? - Are they capable of picking up new languages, ideas , technologies while defending or questioning changes in an articulate yet respectable demeanor. - how they handle things when they get to a wall.

KeepTalking··on Elon Musk offers to help get the grounded Boeing 787 Dreamliner back in the air
I highly doubt if Boeing would be interested, considering Elon and his band of engineers at Space X are competitors to Boeing's rocket business. It is amazing to see how both Boeing and Elon are pushing the envelope on the development of battery technology.
KeepTalking··on Why is Learning to Code So Hard?
Coding requires effort, which is acquired like any other skill such as reading/comprehension. Many people try to run before they even learn to walk and this is when the sudden leap in difficulty is encountered. It took me years( read - coding time and effort) to move from novice to an intermediate programmer and this occurs each time you want to move up on your skill level. You need to commit effort, and no doubt you are going to fail before you succeed. Pair programming, code reviews , mentoring etc ...appropriate to your own individual learning ability is paramount for success.

I personally found: 1. Code imitation - coupled with understanding 2. Code reviews - of a next level programmer 3. Blogging/Q & A(Stackoverflow sort) 4. CONFIDENCE as important in becoming a better programmer.

KeepTalking··on Staggering $150,000 salary for IIT graudate questions national value of IIT.
http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/ndtv-special-ndtv-24x7/iit-...
KeepTalking··on Want To Be Rich? Be Lucky, Know The Right People
This is the next part in the series. It is very interesting to listen to what people attribute to their success.

http://www.npr.org/2012/10/30/163895118/paid-in-america-the-...

KeepTalking··on Ask HN: How do you find time for pet projects?
This has worked for me. By dropping cable for netflix and hulu....I end up spending more time usefully.
KeepTalking··on 8 companies that nail Customer Service
I recently had fabulous customer service at the home improvement retailer Crate and Barrel.

The experience was completely outstanding: - The sales person was never forceful and carried a sense of desire to help us pick the best furniture for our apartment. - The delivery was precise on the clock to the minute on the day and time specified. - The fabric had a very very minor thumb print when it was unpacked. All I had to do was to mention to the sales lady on our next visit. She knew my contact details, setup the exchange and made sure the furniture was out of this world. - Granted C&B charge premium rates but it is this sort of service that blows my mind.

KeepTalking··on Raspberry Pi - Upcoming board revision
Update from Allied: They are currently 10 weeks backlogged.
KeepTalking··on How Tesla is Circumventing Dealerships
About a year ago the new GM (post bail out) had talked about a partnership via ebay. The basic premise being dealers can bid for your business. Not much has been spoken since and I have never seen GM market the this concept actively.

I found a bunch of links that talk about that: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2009/08/why-sell...

I have a hunch a large part of retail sales in the post amazon economy( or after best buy) will transition to this model. Large brands set up stores in malls where you can touch and feel your product. You can then go online and deal with the paper work/ordering.

it also surprises me the legality of forcing you to sell via dealerships has not been challenged.

KeepTalking··on Top 35 Startups in Tech - July 2012
I question the credibility of such lists. The article does not base any sort of criteria apart from "cool" and "purposeful" in judging these firms. Are these compiled in terms of user accounts/web traffic/vc funding levels etc, besides they are overwhelmingly "web" oriented. To keep web 2.0 running we need network 2.0 and infrastructure 2.0 running and innovating. Its sort of sad that very little press is devoted to making web 2.0 possible.
KeepTalking··on Amazing apple recruiting video.
I second your opinion on itunes ! I sometimes wonder if apple sees something in iTunes that most ppl miss !
KeepTalking··on Amazing apple recruiting video.
The level of thought that even marketing teams dont use in their pitch is truly inspiring. My kid brother said he wished he had seen this video before the start of his summer internship.
KeepTalking··on 2012 Submarine Cable Map
It is very interesting to see how much cabling lies off the horn of Africa and around the Arabian peninsula. If ever this was a stable region it might have severed well to these nations.
KeepTalking··on NASDAQ:FB
Is everyone able to access Facebook without any trouble ?
KeepTalking··on New Book Details Jobs’s Fight Against Cancer
"On the first day of 1990, he proposed, and never mentioned it again for months. In September, exasperated, she moved out. The next month, Mr. Isaacson writes, he gave her a diamond engagement ring, and she moved back in."

I found this to be hilarious :D

KeepTalking··on How an arcane statistical law could have prevented the Greek disaster
Radiolabs had a segment dedicated to such analysis. It appears the IRS/accountants use Benford law patterns to audit tax evaders.

http://www.radiolab.org/2009/nov/30/from-benford-to-erdos/

KeepTalking··on Wealth and empathy
Nice Article. Is there research between social networking(fb) and empathy ? Fb and wealth ? I tend to find that social media sites are a trove of people concentrated on the 'self' or is it just my opinion.
KeepTalking··on Ask HN: What podcasts do you watch regularly?
1.This American Life 2.Wait Wait Dont tell me 3. RadioLab 4.Stanford Entrep Videos 5.The moth 6. MarketPlace Money 7.Both sides of the table 8. Freakanomics radio
KeepTalking··on Australian Boy handles bullying the australian way.
http://www.sportsgrid.com/media/video-of-bully-victim-body-s...

:)

KeepTalking··on Bother Me, I'm Thinking
For those who are interested, this months scientific American - mind 's cover is about the relationship between day dreaming, creativity and its understanding from a neurological perspective. It is a very good read, unfortunately behind a pay wall online or free at your local Barnes and nobles ;)
KeepTalking··on Poll: How old are you?
Amazing to see there are 500+ ppl in the 20-30 range.

Curios If i could link a poll of how many are married in the respective agr groups ?

KeepTalking··on [dead]
I do not support this negative opinion about Uncle Sam's economy ,but clearly this guys is very educated and smart.
KeepTalking··on Foreign Entrepreneurs Eye StartUp Visa Act
I think there would be indirect job growth from such small ventures. Think of all the people that make your life happen everyday , so that you go to work - The local gas station, the local grocer, your fav coffee house etc By letting such startups mushroom, you are also creating the seedlings for growth on the wider economy.
KeepTalking··on Steve Jobs' Not-So-Minimalist Home Office
Has any one noticed the amazon shipping box in pic - 5 ??
KeepTalking··on Steve Jobs' Not-So-Minimalist Home Office
After all , he too is human ! Nice to see a human , softer side to Steve. Despite the dizzying heights of AAPL Inc , he seems to be a very modest person privately, compared to his peers.
KeepTalking··on Ask HN: Offer of Employment retracted
Its just awesome to see people randomly offer to help. Speaks volumes of the people here !

Bravo Bravo

KeepTalking··on The Tiger Woods Effect
Ok What happens when the second prize is also upped ? Better performance overall ? People are fighting for the First spot( exempt players) and Second spot ( Non exempt players mostly). Do the Non tigers in the field feel more competitive against the Vijay Singh(s) and Phil Nicolas ?
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