I was a programmer, then manager, then programmer
on
Geeks in Management?
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· Score: 4, Informative
1) be secure enough in yourself that you aren't threatened by your underlings. It is perfectly fine that people under you are right or know more than you. Accept it and treat them with respect.
I was a teacher at a University and I was also a student in the 4th year. I taught first year students. They never challenged me and I was a great teacher (or so I like to think). I also taught 3rd year students. These students challenged me in every way they could. They tried to ask me questions to show that they knew more than me. In this scenario I was a terrible teacher (until I realised what I was doing) because I would either, if I knew the answer, react by putting them down or if I didn't know the answer, I reacted defensively.
2) Don't base your self esteem on knowing more than everyone else about technology. You have to accept that you now are expected to be good on something else.
I am a geek and was promoted to a manager. And I really love the technical side. I was secure in myself but after a while there were inevitably situations where people knew more about the parts of the system that we were building, and the technology we used. I started loosing the platform from where I had previously gotten my self esteem. This can be a bit painful.
3) Don't be a detail fascist, unless you really have to. You'll have people under you which are good. Don't lean over their shoulder and tell them how to do things. You should however oversee that interfaces between people work well (unless you have a guy that is responsible for that).
If you are a fascist about details, then you will have to be one forever. Noone else will step up and take responsibility for good designs.
4) Management by walking around.
There are different ways of managing people. I don't know which one is best, but I know what I prefer, both to use as a manager, and for my manager to use. Make a habit of walking around and have little informal talks with people. Talk about the NY Yankees or some interesting problem, or an actual management issue that you need to discuss with this person. The upshot with this is that you'll always stay very aware what is going on and if someone is brooding over something they will let you know before it becomes a big issue.
Well, that's what I can think of straight off the bat. Good luck. And if I had to summarize all of the above and give you one advice, then don't let your insecurity lead you to react defensively.
Oooh, I just figured it out using my calculator
on
Decrypting Kryptos
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· Score: 4, Funny
A priest, a doctor, and an engineer are playing a round of golf. They get behind a pair that is playing amazingly slow. After some time they realize that these two men are blind. "What a sad way to spend one's life," said the priest. "I will say a prayer for them." "I have a good friend that is an eye surgeon," said the doctor, "maybe I could get them some help." The engineer thought for a second, "Why don't these guys play at night?"
I envisioned reusing it by of course not starting at the same place and by possibly skipping ahead using some tricky and unknown algorithm, possibly using large tables with random data, that is available on the same CD.
I guess SETI might not be completely random. I was just trying to make a point. Someone suggested geiger counters.
If you want to be absolutely definitely sure that no one can intercept your communication with someone then here's what you do.
1) Get 600MB of random noise data from listening for extra terrestrials from for instance SETI. 2) Burn two CD's, give one to your friend. Keep the other. 3) Encrypt your message by superimposing it on that noise at a given location. 4) send the message as well as the location with the random location that you started copying the noise from (from the CD).
This message can _not_ be deciphered if you make sure that you never reuse the same random noise. Even if you reuse it it is hard.
In addition, if you at some point expect that someone is on to you, just burn the two CD's.
At that point those messages can _never_ be deciphered. Even if you try for a billion years.
There was an interview with someone from Sun and he was asked if he thought that 128 bits (the address space of ZFS) was enough and he answered (paraphrasing):
We are pretty comfortable with that. We could not store that much information on an earthbound media without boiling the oceans.
Isn't it entirely possible that they asked an external firm to put together a few sounds to be used? And then Microsoft bought the sound bites from them?
The aircraft flew so fast and so high that if the pilot detected that a surface-to-air missile had been launched, the standard process of evasive action was, simply, "accelerate". No SR-71 aircraft are known to have been shot down.
Slashdot Mirror
1) be secure enough in yourself that you aren't threatened by your underlings. It is perfectly fine that people under you are right or know more than you. Accept it and treat them with respect.
I was a teacher at a University and I was also a student in the 4th year. I taught first year students. They never challenged me and I was a great teacher (or so I like to think). I also taught 3rd year students. These students challenged me in every way they could. They tried to ask me questions to show that they knew more than me. In this scenario I was a terrible teacher (until I realised what I was doing) because I would either, if I knew the answer, react by putting them down or if I didn't know the answer, I reacted defensively.
2) Don't base your self esteem on knowing more than everyone else about technology. You have to accept that you now are expected to be good on something else.
I am a geek and was promoted to a manager. And I really love the technical side. I was secure in myself but after a while there were inevitably situations where people knew more about the parts of the system that we were building, and the technology we used. I started loosing the platform from where I had previously gotten my self esteem. This can be a bit painful.
3) Don't be a detail fascist, unless you really have to. You'll have people under you which are good. Don't lean over their shoulder and tell them how to do things. You should however oversee that interfaces between people work well (unless you have a guy that is responsible for that).
If you are a fascist about details, then you will have to be one forever. Noone else will step up and take responsibility for good designs.
4) Management by walking around.
There are different ways of managing people. I don't know which one is best, but I know what I prefer, both to use as a manager, and for my manager to use. Make a habit of walking around and have little informal talks with people. Talk about the NY Yankees or some interesting problem, or an actual management issue that you need to discuss with this person. The upshot with this is that you'll always stay very aware what is going on and if someone is brooding over something they will let you know before it becomes a big issue.
Well, that's what I can think of straight off the bat. Good luck. And if I had to summarize all of the above and give you one advice, then don't let your insecurity lead you to react defensively.
BSD!
A priest, a doctor, and an engineer are playing a round of golf. They get behind a pair that is playing amazingly slow. After some time they realize that these two men are blind. "What a sad way to spend one's life," said the priest. "I will say a prayer for them." "I have a good friend that is an eye surgeon," said the doctor, "maybe I could get them some help." The engineer thought for a second, "Why don't these guys play at night?"
I don't get it though.
It just wasn't a priority.
#11 Profit
Yet, everyone I know that has an H1B is aiming for permanent residence and I have yet to hear of anyone not getting it.
What in my post lead you to believe that I'm arguing that H1B is bad?
I'm not even a U.S. citizen. I was just correcting an error in my parent post.
The H1B visas are granted for 6 years. But if you aren't an idiot you will end up with permanent residence.
So immigrant workers aren't only the ones that currently hold H1B visas, but also those that got permanent residence through H1B's.
Man,
I need one of these engines for my SAAB.
I'd be happy if I could communicate with women. Why don't they work on that first?
I envisioned reusing it by of course not starting at the same place and by possibly skipping ahead using some tricky and unknown algorithm, possibly using large tables with random data, that is available on the same CD.
I guess SETI might not be completely random. I was just trying to make a point. Someone suggested geiger counters.
I agree that it isn't completely safe. But you didn't break the encryption. You stole the key.
If you want to be absolutely definitely sure that no one can intercept your communication with someone then here's what you do.
1) Get 600MB of random noise data from listening for extra terrestrials from for instance SETI.
2) Burn two CD's, give one to your friend. Keep the other.
3) Encrypt your message by superimposing it on that noise at a given location.
4) send the message as well as the location with the random location that you started copying the noise from (from the CD).
This message can _not_ be deciphered if you make sure that you never reuse the same random noise. Even if you reuse it it is hard.
In addition, if you at some point expect that someone is on to you, just burn the two CD's.
At that point those messages can _never_ be deciphered. Even if you try for a billion years.
Simple.
Unbreakable.
Thanks! Very interesting.
There was an interview with someone from Sun and he was asked if he thought that 128 bits (the address space of ZFS) was enough and he answered (paraphrasing):
We are pretty comfortable with that. We could not store that much information on an earthbound media without boiling the oceans.
Sure there is room. In hand held devices such as phones.
On PC's and Mac's? Forget it.
Isn't it entirely possible that they asked an external firm to put together a few sounds to be used? And then Microsoft bought the sound bites from them?
I remember a collegue that got one of those. They were soo cool.
And in retrospect, I wonder if the Mac that was a clear plastic cube was based off of that?
Steve Jobs was running NeXT when the NeXT cube came out and he was in charge of apple when the plastic cube Mac came out?
Coincidence? Probably not.
Tin foil hats on!
Umm... wait a minute. It isn't really a conspiracy.
Tin foil hats off.
Where was I? Oh yeah. The NeXT cube. Sexy.
I had a friend at the University that made a postscript program that would print a mandelbrot set.
He sent the file to be printed to the laser printer in the mac lab (the original apple laser writer).
And then nothing.
And then nothing.
13 hours later it printed a mandelbrot picture at the very highest resolution.
Pretty cool.
What I want to know about VOIP is, how do you pronounce it?
Vojp? VeeOhhEyePee?
(Oh, and a gold star to whoever can tell me where this quote is from "I P Freeley". Want a hint? It is phone related.)
The aircraft flew so fast and so high that if the pilot detected that a surface-to-air missile had been launched, the standard process of evasive action was, simply, "accelerate". No SR-71 aircraft are known to have been shot down.
Hahaha.... I love it!
Screw those inventions. What I want is potato chips with negative calories.
The U.S. Blackbird spy plane was _really_ fast when it came out. It is still probably one of the fastest aircrafts out there. Maybe still the fastest.
The Swedish fighter jet, Viggen (which is built by SAAB) was the first fighter plane to ever get a "lock" on the blackbird.
The Swedish radar systems got it on radar. The Viggen flew to intercept it with after burners on the whole time.
It got a lock on it and then had to turn back because it was out of fuel. There was of course never any intention of firing a missile, but still.
The black bird crew sent a box of chocolate to the Swedish air base and said "Congratulations!".
At least, this is what I heard. Whether it really is true, I couldn't tell you for sure.
What is more likely?
1) The new color iPod does not have video because the hardware can't support it.
2) Apple does not have a way to sell movies and videos on iTunes.
So, what name do you favor for the combined fork and spoon utensil?
Spork or foon?