Yeah! What DID we do before disposable containers? I mean, go back to drinking out of coconuts and shoes?! Or just our hands?!?!
And my disposable fast food containers.....
Paper.
Paper food containers work just fine....
Milk cartons, paper cups and paper food containers are made liquid-resistant by coating them with (can you guess?) plastic. While not IMPOSSIBLE to recycle, recycling is more difficult/expensive (and not all locales may have the necessary machinery/processes in place). They do not compost. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic-coated_paper.
Screenshots do have their place, but when trying to figure out bugs, there are a couple of things that makes them problematic:
* Can't copy text from them to paste into your search box, SQL editor, etc.
* Users only snipping what they think is important, not other on-screen info ("this field does not work!!!!one")
* Some people reduce the size of the image (for e-mailing), making the text unreadable.
* And it doesn't show steps the user took to get to the error point.
Hopefully someday someone will come up with a better app to help users and testers with bug reports... (and user training material).
For interest's sake: are there any other uses for screenshots?
Both the EFF (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/new-backdoor-around-fourth-amendment-cloud-act) and the ACLU (https://www.aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/consumer-privacy/proposed-cloud-act-would-let-bad-foreign-governments-demand) think the CLOUD act is a bad idea.
But haven't you seen all the glowingly positive language in the summary alone? Surely this is a win for EVERYBODY and the EFF and ACLU are mistaken!
</sarcasm>
Professing to do something* is not the same as actually doing it (let alone being even halfway decent at doing it).
Entities saying they do something often lack in the actually doing it (well enough) part.
* = replace with e.g.: Disrupting, Agile, Quality Assurance, No Evil... and the list goes on and on.
1. The first obvious problem with companies looking for "top talent" is that they often are not able to recognize them when they see them (mainly because of caving in and hiring what comes along, due to project pressures, who then get to think they are "top talent" and hire others like them). I know because I've been employed by 2 or 3 of these.
2. A lot of interviews/tests focus on technical skills. But I find that people skills, time management skills (uhmmm, I'm on/. while I should work...) etc. make up a good proportion of the skills needed in the modern workplace. No use if you could code circles around the next guy if you can't negotiate with your client around what's feasible, or get along with your BOFH team lead to work around ambiguities.
3. So you want to hire rockstar programmers? Where's the groupies and drugs?
The more realistic view IMHO is that most companies do not absolutely need top talent for all their job functions. It's more realistic to develop (and retain) the talent inhouse. Talent is overrated. Talent can be learned up to a level that is sufficient for operational needs. But you need to keep your people for those 10000* hours and keep challenging them (* I mention the figure just as a nod to Gladwell's book, although I do not necessarily agree with the exact figure or some of his points.).
I've once read somewhere that the problem with sugar is not so much that it feeds bacteria that cause cavities, but that it leaches minerals from bones (including teeth). So even if a sugar-lover brushes religiously, he may still experience caries. Not sure how scientifically tested that is...
Nussmus = perhaps nut butter (similar to peanut butter) or nut paste?
Luckily one can download his tome and see for one's self. The criticism may not be completely wrong but is not absolutely truthful either. (He goes on and on about facial bone structure, associating this with nutritional status during development and growth), and also looks at longevity among other factors.)
Same here. The slides are also uploaded somewhere afterwards for interested parties to look at.
At the moment, I do the presentation in Libre Office, then export it to PDF. So no fancy effects, but looks OK and is portable to whatever your computer runs.
I have a 6 year old Android phone. Due to a period on a tight budget (self-employed), I did not upgrade the device to the newest and shiniest. It still does all the things I want (even web browsing and e-mail), so I figured no need. Then I locked the screen with a PIN that I memorized incorrectly. Did a factory reset to clear that.
While I kept the software fairly up to date before the reset, the OS was not updated. After the reset, all those incremental updates were not available any more and I could not even access the Google Play store. I could get some apps from F-Droid or APKs directly from the developers (I have simple needs).
So this year I entered the employee market again, an lo and behold, already 2 clients wanted to add my number to their special project Whatsapp group. On a device and connectivity that I pay for out of my own pocket, that I have no contractual obligation to possess or to provide the number for to them. So imagine the looks and snide remarks I got when telling them: I don't want to install Whatsapp, and even if I wanted to, I am unable to install it on my device.
To reiterate some problems I have with this application:
* Owned by Facebook
* Uploads address book to their servers to do whatever with
* Users (and their contacts) being commoditized
* Closed garden ecosystem
* What if I prefer Telegram/Yabber/xxx? No interoperability
* No separation between social, work, and other domains
So far, quite happy to steer away from this particular "technology" and similar, even at the cost of some head-bumping with employers.
Commenters whose posts I've read seem to think that this will ring in the demise of the "flat" UI and be a proof of how detrimental it is.
I say: to the contrary.
From the article:
and so spend more time on a page
... which is exactly what out ad-fueled, metrics-driven brave new internet thrives on. People that spend more time on you site.
Sadly, it has not dawned on the marketing morons yet that perhaps, just perhaps, getting people frustrated by your web app/page detracts from the wares you pander. Oh wouldn't it be great if marketing actually depended on the merits of the product in question? Would you rather buy a product that you really wanted and needed and would be good at its purpose - or one that tries to insinuate itself into your life with all sorts of shady tricks?
You already have to give permission to the app to read your address book.
Would be better if you could give permission for it ("it" being probably through settings or ad-hoc permissions in you address book app) to only read certain addresses, or groups of addresses, and not even be aware that others exist.
Almost entirely just like Whatsapp, Facebook, Telegram, etc. etc. etc.
In fact, I do have something to hide: my contacts' privacy.
Is there any address book alternative out there that hides data to apps that request access and want to suck it, but makes contacts available to apps with a legitimate need?
The Air Force should focus on more important things like developing anti-teleportation technology
Already done. Version 2016 of [the] technology is about as anti-teleportation as you would want.
Can't vouch for future versions though. Like MS did with Word and Mozilla does with Firefox, this feature may be dropped from a future edition. (I'm actually hoping that will happen before my retirement age, because my commute is slowly draining all the life out of me.)
What kind of Software Development Work on Laptops?
I've been writing software for the last around 18 years for various employers, who all provided the machines. For the first 4 years or so did I have a desktop (Windows 3.1 then NT, MSVC, those cluncky CRT monitors... - mostly C, with 4GL and database clients), then also for a short stint at a European subsidiary that had a fairly locked-down environment. But for the rest I've worked mostly for contracting houses that wanted their workforce to be mobile - even if based at the same client's office for years. For the last 3 months or so I'm working at a big banking client that just issues everyone a (fairly heavily locked-down) laptop (seems easier to obtain than a parking spot or logins to the Dev servers); I don't even take the thing home. This business also have Agilified their office environment with a lot of first-come-first-serve desks, open-plan stretches with lots of whiteboards on wheels, etc. - not that conducive to a fixed workstation (or concentration or avoiding getting the flu every other week - but I'm digressing).
I'm sure it depends on the type of application being worked on, but my impression is that the more high-end modern laptops (given enough RAM) are quite capable of running all the usual FOSS as well as commercial suspects like Eclipse/Rational platform/Netbeans, MySQL/MariaDB/Oracle/DB2, Glassfish/Firefly/Webspere AS, etc. etc. locally without too much of a performance issue. (And I'm guessing a lot of the Linux crowd would be in the FOSS, LAMP etc. type space) I've never worked on a project that really needed some server hardware for dev-level compiling and running - production of course being a different matter.
The only issue I've ever had with laptops is screen real estate. Even taking into account that I started in the 80x25 terminal world, modern IDEs do want that extra. I do see the benefit of the "see as much as possible code on one screen" principle and format Java code to 120 columns minimum these days, but find that a 1920x1080 screen is fairly sufficient (as a minimum). Yes, a multi-head setup may be nice, but through years of not being available I've become accustomed to the Alt-Tab window switch - hardly even use multiple desktops were they are available. At some workplaces second (plug-in) screens are available, but I have found that I hardly use it. It shows a lot less activity than the primary. Maybe I'd have the e-mail client open on it or a spec (IF available...).
So in summary, there are all sorts of setups that can work and that people are used to, one is not really more "proper" than another:-) It depends and everyone's mileage can vary.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, but that robot is going to put a lot of people producing shitty modern art out of work. Maybe they can paint your porch.
Hence, I predict that "robo-tard" (as opposed to the spelling in the article) will be come a word soon after.
Panache (probably)
Yeah! What DID we do before disposable containers? I mean, go back to drinking out of coconuts and shoes?! Or just our hands?!?!
And my disposable fast food containers.....
Paper.
Paper food containers work just fine....
Milk cartons, paper cups and paper food containers are made liquid-resistant by coating them with (can you guess?) plastic. While not IMPOSSIBLE to recycle, recycling is more difficult/expensive (and not all locales may have the necessary machinery/processes in place). They do not compost. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic-coated_paper.
Screenshots do have their place, but when trying to figure out bugs, there are a couple of things that makes them problematic:
* Can't copy text from them to paste into your search box, SQL editor, etc.
* Users only snipping what they think is important, not other on-screen info ("this field does not work!!!!one")
* Some people reduce the size of the image (for e-mailing), making the text unreadable.
* And it doesn't show steps the user took to get to the error point.
Hopefully someday someone will come up with a better app to help users and testers with bug reports... (and user training material).
For interest's sake: are there any other uses for screenshots?
Until government serves them with a subpoena...
That's why it is also spelled with a G.
Repeat after me: "encryption BAD, because of the Donald".
And you have the word of a self-admitted insane person for it.
Both the EFF (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/new-backdoor-around-fourth-amendment-cloud-act) and the ACLU (https://www.aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/consumer-privacy/proposed-cloud-act-would-let-bad-foreign-governments-demand) think the CLOUD act is a bad idea.
But haven't you seen all the glowingly positive language in the summary alone? Surely this is a win for EVERYBODY and the EFF and ACLU are mistaken! </sarcasm>
We all look like white people; we all look about 30ish years old; we do not wear clothes.
You forgot to include that we are also quite athletic and not obese, and do not have pubic hair.
Citation Needed.
Just as mystified by this. Does one get mistresses in other genders too? (Not that I would know, but one can try to learn from the basement...)
Clearly, the real story here is that Lake Superior and the State of Maine are interchangeable units of measuring area. Who Knew?
Well, I for one prefer the lake as a unit of measurement because obviously it is .... Superior!
Permanently and For Life should be in air quotes.
Professing to do something* is not the same as actually doing it (let alone being even halfway decent at doing it).
Entities saying they do something often lack in the actually doing it (well enough) part. * = replace with e.g.: Disrupting, Agile, Quality Assurance, No Evil ... and the list goes on and on.
Agreed. And I am proud for my contribution to make my employer's business less risky ;-)
1. The first obvious problem with companies looking for "top talent" is that they often are not able to recognize them when they see them (mainly because of caving in and hiring what comes along, due to project pressures, who then get to think they are "top talent" and hire others like them). I know because I've been employed by 2 or 3 of these.
2. A lot of interviews/tests focus on technical skills. But I find that people skills, time management skills (uhmmm, I'm on /. while I should work...) etc. make up a good proportion of the skills needed in the modern workplace. No use if you could code circles around the next guy if you can't negotiate with your client around what's feasible, or get along with your BOFH team lead to work around ambiguities.
3. So you want to hire rockstar programmers? Where's the groupies and drugs?
The more realistic view IMHO is that most companies do not absolutely need top talent for all their job functions. It's more realistic to develop (and retain) the talent inhouse. Talent is overrated. Talent can be learned up to a level that is sufficient for operational needs. But you need to keep your people for those 10000* hours and keep challenging them (* I mention the figure just as a nod to Gladwell's book, although I do not necessarily agree with the exact figure or some of his points.).
Used to buy a gun with Xylitol that warned of possible laxative side effects. Turns out, the warning was not in vain either....
I've once read somewhere that the problem with sugar is not so much that it feeds bacteria that cause cavities, but that it leaches minerals from bones (including teeth). So even if a sugar-lover brushes religiously, he may still experience caries. Not sure how scientifically tested that is...
Nussmus = perhaps nut butter (similar to peanut butter) or nut paste?
Luckily one can download his tome and see for one's self. The criticism may not be completely wrong but is not absolutely truthful either. (He goes on and on about facial bone structure, associating this with nutritional status during development and growth), and also looks at longevity among other factors.)
At the moment, I do the presentation in Libre Office, then export it to PDF. So no fancy effects, but looks OK and is portable to whatever your computer runs.
Then again, I'm not a Linux evangelist.
This is my longish anecdote about Whatsapp.
I have a 6 year old Android phone. Due to a period on a tight budget (self-employed), I did not upgrade the device to the newest and shiniest. It still does all the things I want (even web browsing and e-mail), so I figured no need. Then I locked the screen with a PIN that I memorized incorrectly. Did a factory reset to clear that.
While I kept the software fairly up to date before the reset, the OS was not updated. After the reset, all those incremental updates were not available any more and I could not even access the Google Play store. I could get some apps from F-Droid or APKs directly from the developers (I have simple needs).
So this year I entered the employee market again, an lo and behold, already 2 clients wanted to add my number to their special project Whatsapp group. On a device and connectivity that I pay for out of my own pocket, that I have no contractual obligation to possess or to provide the number for to them. So imagine the looks and snide remarks I got when telling them: I don't want to install Whatsapp, and even if I wanted to, I am unable to install it on my device.
To reiterate some problems I have with this application:
* Owned by Facebook
* Uploads address book to their servers to do whatever with
* Users (and their contacts) being commoditized
* Closed garden ecosystem
* What if I prefer Telegram/Yabber/xxx? No interoperability
* No separation between social, work, and other domains
So far, quite happy to steer away from this particular "technology" and similar, even at the cost of some head-bumping with employers.
I say: to the contrary.
From the article:
and so spend more time on a page
... which is exactly what out ad-fueled, metrics-driven brave new internet thrives on. People that spend more time on you site.
Sadly, it has not dawned on the marketing morons yet that perhaps, just perhaps, getting people frustrated by your web app/page detracts from the wares you pander. Oh wouldn't it be great if marketing actually depended on the merits of the product in question? Would you rather buy a product that you really wanted and needed and would be good at its purpose - or one that tries to insinuate itself into your life with all sorts of shady tricks?
You already have to give permission to the app to read your address book.
Would be better if you could give permission for it ("it" being probably through settings or ad-hoc permissions in you address book app) to only read certain addresses, or groups of addresses, and not even be aware that others exist.
Almost entirely just like Whatsapp, Facebook, Telegram, etc. etc. etc.
In fact, I do have something to hide: my contacts' privacy.
Is there any address book alternative out there that hides data to apps that request access and want to suck it, but makes contacts available to apps with a legitimate need?
The Air Force should focus on more important things like developing anti-teleportation technology
Already done. Version 2016 of [the] technology is about as anti-teleportation as you would want.
Can't vouch for future versions though. Like MS did with Word and Mozilla does with Firefox, this feature may be dropped from a future edition. (I'm actually hoping that will happen before my retirement age, because my commute is slowly draining all the life out of me.)
What kind of Software Development Work on Laptops?
I've been writing software for the last around 18 years for various employers, who all provided the machines. For the first 4 years or so did I have a desktop (Windows 3.1 then NT, MSVC, those cluncky CRT monitors... - mostly C, with 4GL and database clients), then also for a short stint at a European subsidiary that had a fairly locked-down environment. But for the rest I've worked mostly for contracting houses that wanted their workforce to be mobile - even if based at the same client's office for years. For the last 3 months or so I'm working at a big banking client that just issues everyone a (fairly heavily locked-down) laptop (seems easier to obtain than a parking spot or logins to the Dev servers); I don't even take the thing home. This business also have Agilified their office environment with a lot of first-come-first-serve desks, open-plan stretches with lots of whiteboards on wheels, etc. - not that conducive to a fixed workstation (or concentration or avoiding getting the flu every other week - but I'm digressing).
I'm sure it depends on the type of application being worked on, but my impression is that the more high-end modern laptops (given enough RAM) are quite capable of running all the usual FOSS as well as commercial suspects like Eclipse/Rational platform/Netbeans, MySQL/MariaDB/Oracle/DB2, Glassfish/Firefly/Webspere AS, etc. etc. locally without too much of a performance issue. (And I'm guessing a lot of the Linux crowd would be in the FOSS, LAMP etc. type space) I've never worked on a project that really needed some server hardware for dev-level compiling and running - production of course being a different matter.
The only issue I've ever had with laptops is screen real estate. Even taking into account that I started in the 80x25 terminal world, modern IDEs do want that extra. I do see the benefit of the "see as much as possible code on one screen" principle and format Java code to 120 columns minimum these days, but find that a 1920x1080 screen is fairly sufficient (as a minimum). Yes, a multi-head setup may be nice, but through years of not being available I've become accustomed to the Alt-Tab window switch - hardly even use multiple desktops were they are available. At some workplaces second (plug-in) screens are available, but I have found that I hardly use it. It shows a lot less activity than the primary. Maybe I'd have the e-mail client open on it or a spec (IF available...).
So in summary, there are all sorts of setups that can work and that people are used to, one is not really more "proper" than another :-) It depends and everyone's mileage can vary.