To An Aspiring Programmer
If you asked me what advice I would give to a young person who is planning to spend their career in a technology-related field, here is what I would offer:Take initiative.Make things.To elaborate on these two points a little: put yourself out there. You have no idea what you are capable of until you do. Start things. Persist in them even when they get difficult.Sure, that is not all you need to do in order to...
Limits
In the movie Solaris, psychologist Chris Kelvin is sent to a space station orbiting a distant planet to investigate an odd phenomenon: deceased loved ones of the crew members are appearing on the ship. So, the planet they're orbiting reads Kelvin's mind, learns everything it can about his late wife, and replicates her. What makes this story really interesting is that the replicants are not complete recreations; they are based merely on the memories of those...
"I Am Determined to Make this Work"
There are two different flavors of creativity. The first is the one with which most of us are both intuitively and empirically familiar: the "aha" moment. It is the spark that comes from talking to a bunch of strangers in an evening with varying interests. It is no secret that cross-germination of ideas between people with different professions is a good way to generate ideas. And we are delighted when something shiny and new arrives...
When Business Ain't Great
In attending meetup groups and business mixers, you meet a lot of people. I'm fortunate enough to meet the kinds of people who have upped and started their own small businesses, whether they're full-time or just a hobby on the side. I learn a lot from these people. The tone of these conversations is generally extremely positive, but sometimes, you will meet someone who is complaining about how tough it is out there. It might...
Unbottled Water
Bottled water, as an idea and as a reality, is ridiculous. I know this. So does everyone else.And yet, there are several empty and full plastic bottles of water in my home and the place where I work.There is a lot of controversy surrounding the bottled water industry, which seems to be insanely profitable despite the fact that they're packaging something that any of us could get for free. So where's the value added? Why...
Looking For Validation
Make no mistake: validation is what almost everyone is looking for with almost every action they take.If someone shares an opinion with you, more likely than not, they're looking for confirmation that you agree with them. Or that you think they're smart. Or, at the very least, they're asking you to hear them out and acknowledge that you've at least considered their point of view.You can read any number of "How to Make Other People...
The Death of Trivial Pursuit
The name "Trivial Pursuit" was likely coined to be tongue-in-cheek. No doubt they were playing to the fact that "trivial" contains the word "trivia", but someone at Hasbro must have intended the self-deprecating connotation. Namely, that pursuing victory in a board game with random trivia questions isn't an achievement with any real substance.In an era when most of us have a computer in our pocket, capable of looking up the answers to any of these...
Hesitation
Here's an old Gallup Poll I came across today which asks of people: Do you believe in the theory of evolution? First off, here's the exact question that was posed to those polled: "Do you, personally, believe in the theory of evolution, do you not believe in evolution, or don't you have an opinion either way?" So, we're not talking about evolution vs. Creationism here. That's a different discussion that has no bearing on the...
The Manager's Dilemma
The origins of management hierarchy in large organizations probably have their roots in ego. At some point, someone pointed at someone else and said, "He needs a manager. He needs to be controlled, kept in line, instructed...and I'm just the guy to do it!" That's not to decry organizational hierarchy. To say it's born of self-importance, whether reasonable or not, is only to say it's quintessentially human. These hierarchies, while they have some major drawbacks,...
Your Best Years
Your best years are ahead of you.
I may not know you, or have a clue how old you are, but I know I'm right. Yesterday, the day before, and the expanse of days that stretch into the past belong to the ages. Mourn them if you must, but they are history's property now.
But today? And tomorrow? Those belong to you.