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davidg109

179 karma · joined December 13, 2011

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davidg109··on Canada now 'at war' with United States over trade, Prime Minister says
I’m good with US keeping their soldiers to themselves. Along with their goods. Many of us Canadians are ready to finalize a divorce to the US. This isn’t a Trump issue either. Someone got him into office.
davidg109··on Apple terminates Epic Games developer account, calling it a 'threat' to iOS
Apple makes incredible products, but their teenage angst corporate temper tantrums are vomit inducing. Might be time to vote with my dollar on other tech.
davidg109··on Ask HN: What are the best articles on managing people?
^ THIS. Where I’ve worked, there has been a severe degradation over time of actual leaders, and an increase in managers who have no clue how to lead or inspire.

One thing I have oriented myself to doing is being a servant leader. As I told one team I led, “I’m your bitch. Tell me where your rocks are and I’ll move them out of the way so you can get your work done.” And then I do exactly that. I’ve had to work miracles sometimes but I can usually clear the path.

I detest micro management in every conceivable way, but I do believe in accountability and ensuring the work is done on time by the team with no surprises. This has worked well for me.

Been some time since I read about this stuff but Five Dysfunctions of a Team I recall being descent. Summary article here: https://www.runn.io/blog/5-dysfunctions-of-a-team-summary

davidg109··on Scrooge McDuck: The first image on the first Macintosh (1980)
Have to agree. I miss my 90s internet.
davidg109··on Ask HN: How do you use AI to get things done faster?
Lecture prep. Much of my teaching I have to convey accurate definitions of terminologies and give real world examples. ChatGPT etc speeds this process up.
davidg109··on Is Encryption at Rest a Scam?
Click bait. Author says you should still enable encryption at rest.
davidg109··on Sag-AFTRA votes unanimously to expand its strike to include the games industry
Sounds desperate on behalf of SAG-AFTRA. I call bullshit.
davidg109··on Google kills two-year “Pixel Pass” subscription after just 22 months
I have no faith in any of Google’s endeavours lasting. When you sign up for any Google service, you’re essentially a human lab rat with the odds being the service will be unceremoniously cancelled. I’ve developed the “anything but Google” mentality with this in mind.
davidg109··on 200k users abandon Netflix after crackdown backfires
Only reason I currently pay on the lowest ad-supported tier is for language learning purposes. The overall content is lacklustre and I have absolutely no loyalty to Netflix. Completely disposable.
davidg109··on Skiplagging: The travel hack hated by airlines is now the subject of a lawsuit
I have absolutely no sympathy for the airlines. As I write this, I’m in the process of suing a well-known Canadian airline for lying about conditions leading to a flight cancellation. Unfortunately this is not a rare occurrence based on the forum I participate in.

Point being, they can shove their terms and conditions. They can start by following the law.

davidg109··on Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?
Completely disagree. I recall within the first few chapters using the line “How am I supposed to do that?” on a crazy exec I worked with, which had them reflect on their ridiculous ask of me. They thought about the task some more and dropped it… like magic. Very practical book.
davidg109··on Wearable device that records your voice for legal defense
I’ve done HIPAA assessments. That nurse should stick to her day job.
davidg109··on Reflect – App for recording and connecting notes, ideas and contacts
Agreed. And tired of them being hacked into, deciding to change their pricing model, retiring the product, etc. no replacement for good old note taking and using your noggin’.
davidg109··on Epic’s new motion-capture animation tech
We’re getting there. Pair ChatGPT with this kind of technology, and you have a very impressive AI assistant.
davidg109··on ChatGPT sends shockwaves across college campuses
I’ve learned to embrace the technology as a prof. Even though in its current state it can be spotty, it’s a given it’s going to continuously improve.

AI “detectors” are not going to work in the long run. Students can easily use tech to rewrite.

Graded work will need to change. I believe a shift towards oral defense of a research topic is going to be needed, or in-person testing, or hands-on assignments where permitted.

Is the graded essay dead? Possibly.

davidg109··on Mice grow ‘mini-antlers’ thanks to deers’ speedy stem cells
I’m officially evicting my hamster to make room for one of these, cute as a button, antler rodents.
davidg109··on OWASP Juice Shop
This been around a while, but I used it with success teaching students all about pesky web app vulns. There's one thing reading about them in a book, it's a whole other level getting students to find them.
davidg109··on Shopify tells employees to just say no to meetings
Meetings absolutely need to be more scrutinized. In every last organization I’ve worked for, I’ve endured countless meetings wasting my time and others time with no agenda, endless fodder about staffs’ kids hockey games, etc. which could have been used for productive time. Kudos to Shopify for recognizing this and hopefully instituting a sea change.
davidg109··on Ask HN: Starting a Cybersecurity Career in 2022
Lots of great advise here. Only thing I’d add is look at the junior positions that you might not associate as security, but definitely do touch on it: helpdesk, deskside support, etc. Often they’re thankless jobs, but it’s a great foot in the door. Get in there, make it known you want to be the security dude, and take on as many security-related projects/tasks as you can. Offer to help out with security awareness and training initiatives (employees often suck at security). Work on some junior certs simultaneously.
davidg109··on Twitter has fired more software engineers
Elon begone. I am so over this megalomaniac and his pompous, man-child behaviour.
davidg109··on Remote work changed their lives. They’re not going back to the office
Was just told to start prepping for work travel for our “special” clients who want to see us in person. No thanks. Getting ready to search elsewhere.

Working remotely works, I’m going by my own outcomes not some scientific study. I’m not going back, ever.

davidg109··on Ask HN: How do you justify your existence?
My moral framework is be happy and do no harm, and that extends to preserving others from receiving harm.

I’m the guy who will rescue ants from drowning in the pool (do no harm) and make life decisions that equate to increased happiness. I manage my own time and never let those take it from me.

I believe that others should be free to be happy as well. I also will go out of my way to take on bullies, legally of course. Everyone deserves to be happy and that’s what makes me happy.

The end. :-)

davidg109··on Man overcharged 20 rupees for India train ticket wins 22-year legal battle
Love this story. The sheer level of stubbornness by some companies and and then the energy they spend fighting back, when they are clearly in the wrong, is mind-blowing. I’ve had my own battles, and it’s this kind of story that reminds me sometimes the energy is worth it.
davidg109··on Visa changes chargeback dispute program
As a customer who has had to go through the chargeback process (against a well known furniture company), the company provided what they felt was “proof” of the charge being valid.

Fortunately, I had counter-proof that the proof they supplied was invalid. I won the dispute in the end.

Under this new policy, it seems my chargeback would have been denied without coming back to comment … am I reading this correctly? If so, then this is one major reason now for me not to use Visa in future.

davidg109··on Ask HN: Has Marvel got out of hand?
It’s become formulaic, and Marvel seems very self-aware of this… which is why they seem to be doing their damn best to serve something different each time. It seems almost desperate? But the underlying tones remain the same.

I’m getting bored, and this is coming from a former avid comic book fan (as a kid) who went f’ing ape shit went it became “real” via movies. First time I saw Iron Man I completely geeked out.

And that’s the problem. 15 years later, I’m bored. Other movies outside of the marvel universe continue to excite me. This very much feels like a stale relationship… it’s me, not Marvel? But then I saw this post and realized others may feel the same way.

I couldn’t even begin to suggest what they should try next.

davidg109··on Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as Facebook COO
Likely alluding that this was a major factor to her resignation.
davidg109··on Pedal Me bans staff riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons
Do drivers take greater risks from wearing a seatbelt? Where’s the data to substantiate their claims?
davidg109··on Should Freelancers Offer Free Trials?
Awful advice. Do plumbers/electricians/barbers offer a “free trial” to see if you like their work?

I’m not a freelancer, but I’d hang my head in shame if I ever paid zero for someone’s work, even if I hated it. I value their time.

davidg109··on Durham, NC, Refuses to Pay $6MM Awarded to Man Wrongfully Imprisoned for Decades
Sheer stupidity and stubbornness. Hoping this lands right back in court and he walks away with $12MM… and that the city counsel is dismissed.
davidg109··on Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days
Agreed. I’m back in the market and for a MacBook myself. They simply work far better.
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