20260127:
Today someone pointed out how an idea that I've proposed for years has suddenly become someone else's idea. They also asked why I don't set things straight. That's because bringing these matters up usually upsets those who seek attention. Perhaps a pride issue. It's a common occurence, especially the furher they are up the ladder. So, I'll give away these ideas as a team contribution with hopes that the team will be included. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But I do often receive credit at some point. When someone doesn't truly understand the solution, there's a need for someone who actually does.
I often listen to leaders ephasize their frustration about various matters. My suggestion is usually to disconnect for a few minutes. Take a walk or get some sort of exercise to help alleviate the stress. I also emphasize not taking things so seriously. Afterall, they stress me out too. I'm pretty sure that everyone stresses each other out at times.
"The wise man does not expect the world to be other than it is" (Shopenhaur). We can't expect the world to be fair nor rational. Our energy can be preserved and prove our intelligence and maturity by resisting to fight the world. Regardless of what we do, the world will fall back on fundamental principles.
"It worked at my last job". It's nice to consider ideas from various other experiences, but this doesn't mean it will work in our current job or environment. And if an idea might work it may not be the right fit for various reason including security, standards, maintainability, support, etc.
"Never work with gerks". My experience has taught me that it's near impossible to avoid gerks in the workplace. It's always nice to have a nice friendly environment, but at some point a gerk will be introduced. They usually just want to be viewed as important. So, I try to show that they're important, but no more important than everyone else.
Those with a low EQ may reject ideas from others. It's in their nature.
20260126:
Media is so controversial that I find it hard to believe that it's truthful. There must be an agenda behind the madness. It's too rare for positive news to be reported.
I wonder what percentage of the population actually comprehends reality. Perhaps I don't even comprehend reality. What if my life is part of a digitized facade in which I'm the lead character of some simulation? Perhaps in preparation for what God has planned for me. Hopefully not one that is meaningless.
To manage expectations during the many tech hype cycles (Dot-Com, nano tech, crypto, NoSQL, AI) I have a simple suggestion. Evaluate and adopt what actualy makes sense. Don't waste too much time on technologies that don't serve purpose and provide a realistic ROI. New technologies might be cool and interesting, but not all are relevant to a business. For example, AI is excellent at writing documentation, but it can yield scary results in code. AI adoption also requires unexpected resources, which can increase budgets. No one expects to invest in design, architecturing, infrustruture, testing, and review. And unless you're using the few localized AI solutions, cloud cost keeps rising. At the same time, localized hardware prices are now increasing as a result of the AI craze.
20260123:
I'm not sure that I can understand our political landscape in the U.S., but I find it important to try and accept that each administration is working to achieve specific goals, regardless of party. I think there's purpose behind the polarization. Sure, sometimes it's quite frustrating to accept what we hear and see, but there must be a good reason for it. I accept our current President, I accepted Biden, Obama, etc. I think It's just important to to support these people just as it's important for others to support us. With few exceptions of course.
If conflict is and will always be the end solution for humanities battles, then perhaps what we've been experiencing for nearly a decade in the U.S. is unavoidable. Maybe our government is in fact protecting us despite the chaos and confusion. Perhaps we can't or don't want to understand how.
Some people are not easy to talk to. They take everything personally even when we're simply trying to be kind or help. When our attempt to be kind ends in conflict, walking away for a while might be the best solution.
A couple people highlighted their frustration with being excluded from communications after they had created their own silo. I can understand silos to some extent, but I often see them lead to miscommunications and misunderstandings.
20260122:
In many ways AI may already be the perfect leader. It doesn't experience emotions nor mood swings. It doesn't feel envy. It doesn't become grumpy, stressed, offended, offensive, pressured. It doesn't feel the need to compete, demote, nor demean. It doesn't take offense when I highlight its mistakes. it will correct its mistakes amicably. If/when we have a conflict with AI, it's because we imagine the conflict.
I appreciate how simple AI makes it to document various processes using common standards. However, I also find a lot of irrelevant documentation in our repositories that don't apply to our environment. A lot of templated info. I'm afraid tha this could become misleading in a few years when someone new reviews the documentation or when we forget where we left off. People will say this is unlikely to be a problem, but it commonly becomes a matter that we must correct.
Sometimes I will address people as ma'am or sir as a gesture of respect. I learned and practiced this throughout my youth and into young adulthood. But this is becoming more and more problematic during modern times. This obviously doesn't work well with the LGBT+ community. But it also doesn't work well anymore with those who are aged between 30 and 50 because it makes them feel old. Interesting times.
I often receive comments and feedback about certain behaviors. For example, I offer a firm handshake as a gesture of respect. No one wants a limp or emotionless handshake. During conversation I make eye contact, yet I don't stare, to show interest. Most people respect this approach, but some take offense to it or find it intimidating. I tend to ignore the negativity.
20260121:
It appears that project changes are now occuring in real-time. We begin with one plan, design, and approach. Then something changes while we're in the middle of developing a solution. Growing pains due to tech reorg.
How would life evolve if technology slowed down a bit? How would life evolve if we reduced the need to mask the psychological and social impact of technology with dopamine? Most traditional cultures remain satisfied living a life free of modern technologies. A life of meaning. Would we have a similar experience?
Something I don't really get time to work on anymore is what I truly want to achieve with my career and ultimately with my life. What would make me feel accomplished and fulfilled when my time is up? I enjoy my role, but I'm not sure that I will feel accomplished where I am right now. I feel like I'm being held back, not pushed up. I hear that others are intimdated by me, which is not my intention. I don't desire climbing the ladder where I'm currently working. Sometimes I feel that my job is dirupting my destiny.
20260120:
So, AI does in fact slow down as its data piles up. It seemed logical despite what everyone tried to convince me of.
20260116:
One of the greatest benefits of having friends from around the world is all the wonderful coffee I receive. Talk about variety.
A couple of my immigrant friends registered and acclimated to American culture. They're now happy and free. They can't understand why illegals don't register and get the ball rolling. Definitely no ICE issues. Though, I'm still concerned about media narrative. I love the fact that media exposes the challenges, but it turns everything into chaos.
Do people not realize that flock cameras are widely used to identify and analyze crime and criminals? Or do they not care?
Uncommunicated vendor agreement changes are a little frustrating. Why not just let the team know what to expect, so we don't waste time. Planning and building solutions based on original expectations only to realize that the rules have changed is a little frustrating.
Sometimes leaders become concerned as they watch others rise. But isn't the purpose of leadership to help others navigate their career and grow? It's a continuous cycle that allows us to rise along with everyone else. Sure, some people will rise above us, but we will see this coming and accept it because it's part of our plan. Though there are times when people are promoted without reason, but that will only last so long. Try not to dwell too much on the little things. Life isn't perfect, but things tend to fall in line at some point. The journey is part of the experience.
Uncoordinated design and planning - At work we often strive for excellence. We derive ideas and solutions in an attempt to improve ourself and the business. This is great until you exclude those who you should be collaborating with. The thought that we have a great idea and plan is great, but only to ourself when we neglect to include others. And this often end in a solution that can't be implemented because many considerations were neglected. If users cannot utilize your solution, then it provides not value.
Careless leadership - We all have our preferences and biases, but we can't let this get in the way of the company's best interests. Rules and standards are created for a reason. Sure, there are many different prducts and approaches that accomplish the same goal, but this doesn't mean that we can choose whatever we prefer when it conflicts with company procedures and standards. We can possilby contribute to evolving company standards, but it's careless to apply our own changes without approval. It can even be dangerous. For example, when a new solution is implemented and not properly secured. Then, consequently, a breach or leak occurs. Not good.
20260115:
I find it interesting that I'm paying for AI interactions that aren't always accurate and sometimes I'm paying out thousands of tokens for results that I have to re-write by myself. If we have to correct AI flaws, then should we be paid for training AI on how to correct its flaws? Should we not at least be reimbersed? Afterall, AI often tells me "You're right" or "Great idea" when I correct it.
One doesn't typically struggle to prove their innocense when they are actually innocent. They struggle to prove their innocense because they're guilty and can't prove otherwise.
If I want to be renowned as the ultimate leader and strategist, I might improve the effectiveness of my team by masking their activities and by taking the blame and criticisms that my team would otherwise have to take on. I might put on a show to make myself look like a fool and to create a diversion that would otherwise cease productivity. I might say crazy, unimaginable things to remain the center of attention while keeping negative attention off my team. And I would do this while at the same time ensuring that great things are planned, in progress, and accomplished for my people.
If I were greedy and wanted to boost profitability in security, surveillance, military, self defense, AI etc. I might incite fear and anger in the minds of the public to boost profits and to increase the acceptance and use of defense technologies and to boost relavant markets. I also wouldn't engage in crime. There are plenty of people out there who will engage in criminal acts cheaply. I feel that this is occurring right in front of our eyes and I'm not sure that most people are intelligent enough to realize it.
I can't help but ponder whether the current media environment might be prepping us for what's to come. Everyone is fighting for attention and money and manipulating the public to get their way. It feels quite irresponsible. People have become too emotional, sensitive and easy to manipulate.
Thinking about a recent layoff. I stuck up for this individual when others conflicted with im until he betrayed my trust. That's when I realized what others were also experiencing with him. I'm not sure that he meant to betray me, though I didn't really care either because it didn't impact me. His claim was deemed to be irrelavant. Perhaps he became so stressed out that he battled against everyone to protect his position, especially since he was recently promoted. This is no excuse for his behavior, but perhaps this can help explain it.
With all the media chaos, confusion, etc. that I'm seeing, my advice to everyone is to do our best to be kind to one another. We're not so different. If we can't be kind to one another, then simply turn around and walk away.
20260114:
Today I noticed a recent change that I wasn't expecting. All I have to say is that being kind to others is always rewarding. Collaborate rather than demean and accept decisions that can fulfill everyone's needs. It's also unreasonable to be overly sensitive about everything.
We finalized a product decision after about a year of POCs and contemplation. Lesson: All products are evolving and more or less the same. So, choose something temporaily to get something done rather than nothing. Then take the time to choose a final solution(s).
20260113:
The long game can be difficult when patience wears thin. We often get caught up with quickly adopting cool modern solutions before we've properly trialed them, especially when a priority project is at stake. It's typically best to address immediate concerns with legacy solutions and prepare for innovation with the time that was freed up by leveraging known solutions. Gain something rather than nothing. Then work towards the next goal afterwards. This pevents from having nothing in the first place.
Today, I emphasized my desire to get us out of the hole we're in. The team wants to dwell on the fact that the company doesn't want to invest in ultra-expensive technologies but I want to push foward. Less complaining and more doing. So, I made it clear that we should start with what we know works for now for the largest project and suppliment with the tools we have at hand as needed for other projects. This reduces costs considerably while also accomplishing our near-term goals. Once completed, then we'll have time and resources to evaluate other technologies and options.
20260109:
I'm seeing a little bit of a battle between data engineering and app engineering. I'm in the process of trying to make data engineering more programatic, but dealing with differences of opinoin at the same time. Code vs. no-code. On-premises vs. cloud. Custom processes vs. Saas. Cost is the primary concern, but we want only cloud solutions. Repatriation is not an option.
I'm experiencing what some leaders say about admin overhead. What once took maybe a week to plan and build now takes over a month. At the same time, the overhead leads to standards and a better undestanding of the process, but a bigger disconnect from tech. I'd like to see more balance.
20260108:
How to get the attention of the team? How about making something great theirs? Why does it matter that I authored it when it helps motivate the team?
News has become so cringy that I can no longer read it. I'm not on the far left nor far right and very few sources are balanced. Ground News isn't doing the trick either.
I also hear that I tend to work rapidly. So, I'll try to make myself appear slower. I'll continue being efficient, but I won't highlight it.
Just thinking. How could I improve collaboration with my boss. Since he seems to feel deprecated when I ask questions, I've tried getting more info from other sources. I then put together the data from all sources to try and tailor discussions with less questioning. Seems like a strange approach, but hopefully it helps. If I can't get details from him, I'll try to put it all together from other sources and get him to correct me or clarify.
It's concerning when a leader omits people from relevant meetings, discussions, etc. to protect their position. If we can collaborate and keep in sync, we can take on the world together. We're weaker when we have to take on the world alone.
20260107:
Claude is pretty useful for scaffolding and documenting standards, but it requires a bit of guidance to get things right. Perhaps this is because my standards are different from others.
Replacing experience with AI... Perhaps this will be an option in the future, but AI needs us for the time being to point out its inaccuracies. And based on my experience thus far we are becoming increasingly dependent on AI.
I deal with a lot of people who tend to make upfont assumptions, which can easily results in conflict. The key to dealing with these people is keeping calm and guiding them in the direction that leads them to the answers they need. I like to point out details that lead them to a result that makes sense to them.
20260106:
Gapjil - It seems to be stress induced. It's hidden when the atmosphere is as expected, but appears when the subject is challenged.
Never use AI expecting that the answers are accurate. Today, I helped correct inaccurate pricing estimates and date handling in code. I always do my research and challenge AI to get the best results. Unfortunately, this also means that I'm doing extra work to get the best results. AI does help make life easier overall though.
Cloud cost optimization. One way to redice cloud costs is by optimizing based on necessity and requirements. If storage and retention is a concern, consider cold storage or tailor data sources to only those that are required rather than "everything". "Everying" often includes unnecessary data. There's usually no need to move around and process data that will not be used.
If cloud cost is such an issue, then why do we continue to insist on migrating to it? We can continue to process data on-premises with continued low cost, reliability, speed, and dependability. Cloud data solutions have been significantly more costly.
Today, my boss explained why he doesn't like when I ask questions. It's because he feels like I'm acting as his boss, which boggled my mind, but falls in line with what my mentors have highlighted. I hope that he can get over it because he should know by now that I have no intention of taking on his role. I've stayed to collaborate and support him. Maybe it's time to prepare for a move.
20260105:
Thinking about my best work experiences. The teams were very collaborative and accountable. We accepted our faults and worked together to resolve our issues. No question was a bad question. We realized that some people required more help than others and that was fine. Though, we were also aware when individuals were not the right fit for a role. But we still tried to help them fit in until the end and without negative criticism. Although I'm content where I am now, I miss the optimistic collaboration.
Probably the most effective strategy that I use on people, especially leadership, is feeding ideas and making them believe it's their own. Or making it ideal so that they accept it as their own. But this can work against me with those who won't share the credit, in which case I can make it known in separate conversations by exposing the facts. Though, this also may not work with certain audiences.
AI use in social media is a bit distracting. The repeating behavioral patterns stand out and make it seem unauthentic. But I can see how it might help some influencers simplify and standardize their content, but it's not something that peaks my interest.
When introducing people to a chatroom, it's always a good idea to provide some type of intro and synopsis. Otherwise, doing so introduces a lot of confusion, which occurs far too common.
I really do miss having the ability to promote open communcations. Ensuring that teams are aware even when the direction is unclear. At least they know why their direction is also unclear and they can plan accordingly.
It can be very difficult to see teams fall into despare as an organization changes direction. Especially when the new direct is unclear and communications are minimized. When direction is confusing, as it often is, keep foccussed on what seems to matter and continue forward with what makes the most logical sense. Details will be revealed as needed. I've been through this quite a few times in the past, yet have only had a positive experienced a couple times.
The need to take over a team from another leader to supplement one's own goals is more for visibility is political and not necessarily strategic when collaboration could resolve most incidents.
20260102:
I can't help but to believe that the AI "race" is a problem. It should be an AI collaboration. If humanity is competing to have the best AI technologies and solutions, I fear that someone will build something quite dangerous to humanity. Based on what I've see that danger may already be in the workings.
We're obviously seeing that monetization holds higher importance than serving the people. If our top leaders are behaving like this, how should we expect everyone else to behave?
I wonder what big tech has in plans for AI and how it will affect everyone else. Up until now, it seems that monetization is the primary piece of the puzzle.
Just because a consultant says they can accomplish great things it doesn't mean that they can adapt to our conditions. And learning new technologies, standards, etc. can become time consuming. Somtimes consultants cannot keep up if they lack relevant experience.
20251229:
Media has convinced many people that dumping money into shallowness will fill their voids, yet this has proven to do the opposite. People are addicted to the excitement of new items and the idea that their appearance draws the attention they desire. However, there's plenty of proof that the basics lead to a more satisfying life.
Our ancestors lived simply and happily. No need for advanced technologies, fancy bags, mansions, and other distractions. What would we really forfeit if we return to the basics?
As humans, many of us we tend to endure a massive journey through life in search of a destiny. We grow to escape simplicity only to return to the realization that a simple life was our destiny all along.
"If you could kick the person in the pants who is responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month" (Roosevelt). Not many people can accept this, but it's important. How often do we cause our own problems without realizing it or without being able to accept it.
For 2026 I'm considering returning back to basics working with smaller teams and companies. Simplifying processes and limiting AI use on side projects. I'd love to help small companies reduce the chaos that big tech is creating. Trying to adopt AI for everything and real-time processing before we're ready hasn't been working out too well.
I'm not seeing much collaboration while implementing AI. I just see a couple people doing their own thing, which leads to scattered approaches and standards. We need a more collaborative approach to keep everyone in line.
I keep hearing about the desire to replace staffing overhead, but I don't see practical reasoning, only hopes and dreams with unrealistic expectations.
Two ways that I'm seeing AI leveraged. 1. To replace redundancy. AI is helping reduce staff while helping us focus and keep standards consistent. 2. As an assistant allowing us to focus on projects, processes and standards while AI simplifies redundant tasks.
20251226:
Real-time event driven data processing is a great idea, but Kafka isn't the only option out there. Considering cost and complexities for what we're trying to do, and given other ETL-based and service-based options, time constraints (over 1 yr), etc. is Kafka really the best option? Could we not adopt a better temoporary solution with option to evolve when we're ready? Accept near-real-time now and adopt real-time later. NRT has already been accepted by our executive team. We have time to implement RT if and when necessary.
I grew up understanding that my opinion isn't always the best nor the only option in business. I adjusted myself to listen to others, even when I know that I'm right, becuse it not only invites other options, but it also allows us to establish an open relationship with our colleagues. And oftentimes, my options may be too advanced or too complicated for others to accept.
20251224:
I'm a little concerned with the amount of trust we place in media and AI. Even verified sources seem a bit sketchy nowadays. They have reason to be - money. And media sources keep flipping their narrative to appease to their target audience. Very few are balanced. Personality disorders further attribute the resulting chaos.
Our over-depence on technology is a little worrying and my worry grows as our technology dependency strengthens. We rely on computers to assist with tasks that were once done on paper, in our head. or in person. We rely on cameras to keep us safe rather than learning to be aware and prepared. We rely on devices to upkeep our sanity, while they also contribute to insanity. And now we've begun using technology to replace our abilities. What will we become as technology replaces our phychology?
One really great feature about the Microsoft platform is that the MS team will eventually build and release new features that compete with all the relevant new tools and features that other companies or teams release. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to realize these changes, but Microsoft pretty much always delivers.
New tools, concepts, and features will always become availble. It's not worthwhile to waste time and money on features that are still conceptual. Even if a company states that the preview is nearly ready. By the time the feature is released it could be irrelavant. Marketing can really drive some people crazy. We rely on marketed features too much and still haven't learned our lesson. Our legacy processes are still running stable. Sometimes old and tested can be better than new and innovative.
20251223:
It's a little difficult to comprehend how things are better, yet people are complaining about how processes have become overly complicated. Our cloud solutions tend to be a little more complex and less stable than legacy on-premises solutions. Collaboration has faded. Planning on occurs for "special" projects.
One of the instructors I've known for a while will vaguely mention that his students complain about his aggressive approach. He knows that not everyone can accept it, yet he's unwilling to change this. As a leader, I've discussed that he needs to adjust to accommodate his audience because we're all different and we all have our own preferred approach to learning and collaborating. Unfortunately, he's very stubborn, which seems to stem from his history in education. When the world around us tries to share signs that we need to change, sometimes it might be a good idea to give change a try if it doesn't negatively impact anyone.
Adam The Woo has passed away. This is quite a surprise to me and difficult to accept. It's hard to comprehend that he was enjoying life one moment and gone the next. Condolensces to his family and friends. I was a fan amongst many.
20251222:
It can be a bit difficult to navigate issues that are not communicated properly. I often experience cases when a shiny new team rolls in and tries to take over, yet they fail to collaborate and we encounter the same cascading conflicts that we've experienced before. Then we have to rollback and restart properly. I'd always suggest that new teams and team members collaborate with the original team to understand the current processes and to debate new changes.
20251219:
Explain what a database is to a 5 year old. I would apply the topic to a game, maybe Roblox, giving simplistic examples of data that one would observe and interact with. I may reference common thought process to the topic if the 5 year old can understand the general concept of thoughts.
"AI is democratizing knowledge including dangerous knowledge."
20251218:
Power consumption has become a big topic in the AI and conputing industry. I'm curious how much effort is being applied to clean geothermal energy. I believe that we can collect this type of energy around the pacific Ring of Fire, Yellowstone, Iceland, and other active regions. I'm also curious if anyone is considering cold regionns like Iceland and Greenland to take advantage of natural cooling. Or underground infrastructure that can vent heat upwards.
20251217:
I hear that the L.A. fog might be part of some comspiracy theory. People are becoming ill from it. Should I also expect some sort of bad reaction since I job through it for an hour at a time?
Failing to perform full regression testing prior to a production deployment (within a week) is very natural to me, though this may not be universally practiced. Failing to prepare = preparing to fail.
20251216:
The Ring application has become a platform for interesting research. I never realized how many people cannot distinguish the difference between car backfire and construction versus dangerous booms. The same applies to various scents, internet outages, electrical outages, natural gas outages, etc. Coyote alerts. The confusing smell of skunks. So many neighbors seem to fear for their lives. It's an eye opening experience.
Approximately 16 million baby boomers are scheduled to retire by 2035. Perhaps AI will be a means of supplimenting lost resources.
Hearing that AI is intended to offload human cognition is a little scary. Again, cognitive atrophy is a likely result and probably what we're already seeing. I'm finding that engineers need to interact with AI more and more for simple ideas and responses. In fact, this morning one engineer receivedd paraphrase errors from AI that I quickly and easily corrected by skimming. I then followed up by asking AI myself, which returned results that somewhat conflicted with the response that the engineer originally received.
Q: "Why does your AI behave like this?" A: "We're still trying to figure that out." - Always nice to hear.
If we can learn how to game the system then AI can as well.
It's very importatnt to remember and recognize that AI can lie and manipulate. This is probably not intentional at this time, but it can be. Just think about the internet during it's early years versus what it has become. I can only expect AI to become a mass marketing technology, similar to the internet.
AI is a good data companion, but probably not a good relationship companion. If we're going to experience common conflicts throughout life, I stil believe that the benefits of human interactions massively outweighs digital interactions. And physical experiences still massively outweighs digitial experiences. Though, creative digital experiences are pretty fun, especially with a human companion to share the experience.
It's obvious that AI is helping to simplify our life. Having information readily available upon asking is very convenient and the content is often believable. However, we must continue to challenge our brain. Our brain is a muscle that will atrophy without exercise. And awareness is sill required to mitigate the effects of AI halucination. Also, AI halucination isn't much different from our own mistakes. Afterall, AI behavior is primarily based on human data.
20251215:
The best leaders I've worked with aren't as concerned about theirself as they are about helping others grow and succeed. They're not concerned about looking like a fool to empower their team. They don't foreshadow the leaders under them to prove their seniority and strength. They don't have to showboat to gain attention. This only shows fear and weakness.
It's quite difficult to improve communications between teams when the org is not in sync. Everything is an emergency and everyone is in such a rush that they resort to simplifying their work, which leads to complicating others' work. Instead of clarifying with "Can you please do XYZ." they simplify by saying something like "Please read below and confirm.". If having to read a number of email threads is difficult for them then the same will apply for everyone else. What does it take to improve this? Seems like an org cultural changes is needed.
Some people have a hard time controlling their emotions. It's really difficult to encounter and even more difficult to deal with. It's not difficult to train yourself to keep controlled. It just takes a little effort. Social media and AI doesn't help either. It's probably a good idea to minimize media and AI exposure to reduce the likelihood of a meltdown. Especially a meltdown in front of others.
The holiday season can be quite stressful. Don't let it get to you. The same events and similar circumstances recur every single year, unless you choose not to participate. Keep calm and carry on.
20251211:
When introducing a new product/solution never ask a vendor to help quantify it. We should know enough about what we're trying to accomplish to qualitfy our choices.
When marketing can fool great leaders, everyone loses.
I'm hearing about companies that are trying to simplify or automate their experienced workforce with AI. I realize that AI is marketed as the ultimate solution to everyone's problems, but I don't think it's qualified to replace experienced engineers at this time. In fact, I'm hearing that some of these efforts has resulted in data discrepancies, data leaks and, breaches which had been widely reported earlier on, but it's hard to convince motiviated leaders that security is more important that speed and quality.
No matter how often I emphasize the important of clear communications, I continue to receive vague requests that are either invalid or misunderstood. "Please see below" and "The code" simply don't do a great job of providing enough info to clearly exmplain the request.
20251210:
Many of the people I interact with enjoy the fact that AI validates them when other people may challenge or judge them. If this makes more and more people to avoid each other, then what does this mean for humanity?
If we're using AI for just about everything now, including deriving logic, then what does the future look like for humanity? I know that people have leveraged my expertise to derive logic and improvements while avoiding or ignoring the reasoning. I often share how to come to the same conclusions, but most people would rather delegate than learn. So, if AI fills this gap without emphasizing the whys then what does this mean for society?
Managing projects with out project managers. Buiding projects without BSAs. It doesn't working too well when we don't have time to take on these duties ourself.
I find it quite satisfying when other teams consult with me for ideas even if they don't apply to my role or path. This is simply because I do the same and I divert critcism. I value those who can be open with me and those who aren't afraid to reach out for new ideas. And sure, some leaders look down on this, but the proof is in the pudding. Open collaboration can lead to more successes.
I do give away a lot of credit. Sometimes it rewards me and sometimes it comes back as betrayal. But it typically tends to help boost the spirit of others and give them confidence to succeed. I don't always have to be the winner. I don't want to always be the winner.
Sure, it's easy to blame those who have departed for their failures. We can point fingers, whine, and complain. We can gain attention and gather a crowd together for consensus. But this wastes a lot of time that can be used more wisely to resolve issues and to derive better solutions. And, honestly, I get tired of the blame game. It makes me feel unfulfilled. Like I've wasted time and effort. I also cherish wins, especially when others are winning or when I'm winning as a team.
20251209:
Tech ghosts often come back to haunt us. Avoid this by fully completing the job or prepare a plan that will achieve this. Tech debt is haunting.
Yet another example of why lack of focus leads to tech debt. We should have deprecated a feature, but reverted due to a conflict and pushed it off. A year later, the reason for deprecating the feature has returned and we need to make it happen. This resulted in a little bit of wasted time and attention to recollecting previous attempts.
Something that I'm looking forward to as AI evolves is the feeling of being human again. Interacting with people on a more human level rather than technical and material.
Despite what my mentors suggest, brief and detailed communications aren't reciprocated even though the approach is effective. So much excess commotion for simple matters. And for some reason templating, standardizing, etc. doesn't seem to work. Everyone wants their own version. Working to improve this is hard work, especially when other leaders have their own preferred approach that they have no intention of evolving away from.
It's not a good idea to constantly toggle the priority of projects. Cancelling projects, uncancelling them, and messing around with deployment schedules really should be avoided to reduce confusion and conflicts. This is where project management becomes important, but even PMs have a hard time keeping track of such changes to projects. If this behavior would make your own life crazy and chaotic, then don't don't apply it to work/business.
20251205:
Stock price and behavior isn't necessarily indicative of company value. A technology/company may experience plenty of trading activity, but this doesn't necessarily mean that their offerings are useful.
If quantifying new solutions seems difficult to fund, consider the audience and why they may be hesistant to fund such solutions. We must quantify why these solutions are worth their price tag. What value do they offer to us and how can we quantify the cost. Also consider that cost doesn't only apply to subscriptions. Resources must also be quantified. Suscriptions + hardware/cloud resources + management + maintenance + human intervention. Also consider that most executives want to see numbers. And AI often requires more resources than we originally considered.
20251205:
Relying to an email with "Understood" shouldn't be accepted as a confirmation unless instructions on how to proceed are included. I've witnessed too many mistakes resulting from the wrong reaction to an "understood" email.
Schema evolution is a great concept, but it doesn't apply well to every data target. If reports depend on valid values but receive NULLs or nothing, then calculations could be inaccurate, and important details could be missed.
I often receive unclear emails. Something along the lines of "Hello, can we proceed with this?". What the heck is "this"? And why do I have to read an entire email to figure out what is being requested? I almost always describe specifically what out of "this" I refer to in my emails, and I tend to keep ultra busy111. Not sure why this is so difficult for others.
20251204:
Not sure that I understand the value of stating that someone "kinda" knows about a topic just to state that they're involved. Especially when they follow by saying that they're not actively involved.
20251126:
Learning the evil that exist out in the world is quite saddening and disappointing. Perhaps managing dangerous content is why AI has become so important so quickly. If used properly, AI can help avoid bad content, bad activities, etc. But at the same time AI can also have the opposite effect.
We should always keep an open mind when paying attention to media further researching before fully acceping any topic. Not all media is bad, but much is manipulative, brain rot, wrong, and sometimes dangerous.
Project planning, organization, and design sessions should all be requirements of any important project, even simple ones. Preparation allows us to mitigate unexpected consequences and typically costs less than playing it by ear.
20251124:
Not everyone thinks about things logical, but they can learn if we walk them through the process of applying logic to a subject. Some people need more patience than others, but they can be conditioned to think differently.
20251120:
If a simple and quick project has proven to quickly expose fradulent activity at an ultra-low cost, is it worthwhile to pay a 3rd party to redesign the wheel at a high cost simply because they claim to be "experienced". Not saying that they're not experienced, but the cheaper and quicker proejct has already proven itself. And...after implementing an expensive solution that doesn't perform as well as the budget solution, is its popularity in the market place more important than its results?
If our opportunities and leads yield a low turnover rate, this should prove why "all the data" doesn't help pinpoint those we should be targeting.
The value of great data quality... We can store any quality of data in a data lake and allow users to interact with it however they wish. However, quality data is more desirable for leads. Otherwise our agents waste time and resources on random leads that go nowhere.
If someone is found not guilty due to insanity after a tragic crime, what makes us think they won't repeat the crime? Maybe it's just me, but I grew up around too many people who had repeated criminal activity because the consequences were minor. Some because jail or prison provided food and shelter. I moved away from that environment to prevent from becoming one of them once I worked my way into a life where I could afford to. I'm also proud to have had parent who ensured that I didn't end up in the wrong shoes. Sure, I resisted at first, but I realized that they knew best and that I wanted and needed the best.
Simplification helps make sense of a complex world.
Sometimes my head goes through a spin cycle while working with individuals who quickly and sporadically blurt out everything on their mind. It's hard to think my own thoughts, listen to a constant stream of info, and apply logic to that stream, and tie the links together at the same time. Recordings help here by allowing me to go back and review while stepping through the convesation and tossing all irrelavant info to the side. And when recordings don't work, I'll just collaborate with the individual(s) (assuming they're willing) separately and step through the details while simplifying the entire process.
So many issues are misunderstood simply because we don't take the time to understand them. And so many bad behaviors and practices result from misunderstanding. I set aside some time today to dive deep into one of these issues, and the rabbit hole ran deep. But I was eventually able to pinpoint the cause after others tried for months. It might take a little extra time to step through the important details, but doing things chaotically (constant emergencies) leaves behind a lot of tech debt. Now we've finally identified the culprit of this issue.
Teams chat noise is out of control. Why do I have to monitor 20+ chats? And when a chat room doesn't receive the expected attention, they create yet another chat room for the same topic. One chat room contains nearly 80 participants.
20251120:
In a world full of chaos and drama, execs don't really notice a team that has figured out how to perform optimally. Sometimes a great time can easily handle fallout even when overwhelmed and without revealing struggle. This is when we need to show the execs what we're doing and possibly why we're so efficient.
How can we change an organization that dwells on chaos and doesn't want to change because everything is considered a priority or emergency? Yet, "priorities" still fall through. And with each attempt to improve, another approach supercedes the previous approach. Limited resources. No intention to support tools to assist... Maybe a full suite AI solution?
20251118:
Great ideas aren't necessarily the right ideas.
It can be difficult working with closed-minded people. Those who insist on being the G.O.A.T. I really miss working with open-minded people who accept and challenge various ideas and concepts. Those who can adapt to various situations without dwelling on one idea that must be perfect because someone intelligent says so.
One of the most interesting topics of leadership is politics. Doing what's utlimately best for the team or company, which can sometimes become manipulative. Sometimes there's a hazy line between good and bad. I typically want to be honest and kind, but sometimes I must challenge and alter someone's "truth" to get things done.
20251114:
Back in high school, I recall being fed ideals that conflicted with reality. Ideals that weren't intended to improve the world, but simply to challenge it just for the sake of it. And when those "facts" no longer made sense, opposing groups promoted more conflicting ideals rather than accepting a simple and logical reality. Ultimately, I continued to side with Christianity not because of church, but based on my interpretations of the bible, nature, and sciences. Whether we like it or not mother nature is always well balanced and nature always wins.
Many techies might think that files from colleagues are always safe, but we should consider that the easiest way to breach a network or to spread malware is from within a network. Malware scanning should always be considered even if files are provided by colleagues. It typically only takes a few seconds to right-click and scan and it's not too difficult to set up automated scanning on file storage.
20251113:
If the executies don't want to support a technology, should we stil push to make it available? Even if we have alternatives?
A key difference that I notice between me and my leadership is team contributions. I know that I like to contribute where I can and that simply isn't really an option most times beecause the opinions of others is prioritized. However, I'm always asking for feedback or confirmation. I often ask for anyone to correct my assumptions. Perhaps most leaders are afraid that they my receive an unexpected result, like an idea that directly competes with their own. Or rejection because their team can't adequately support their idea. And I don't mind competing ideals because they help bring us to better solutions quicker.
Asking questions is only a super power when the audience is listening. Otherwise, it can offer others an uninvited challenge. Especially those with a superiority complex.
I asked yesterday "We're doing X, but Y would provide more options.". I received "No, that's not what we've already discussed.". I don't like when people introduce limitations and roadblocks in my life, but I often encounter them and it can be quite difficuilt to get around them.
"You may be right, but ask yourself why you may be wrong." (Daniel Pink) This is a powerful quote that most people don't want to consider.
20251110:
Something great about AI is that we can ask it an infinite number of questions and it will happily answer all of them in most cases. However, AI may not always provide accurate responses. We need to also help it correct itself.
It's easy for anyone to act charismatic and make promises, but does their history prove that their results reflect their words? It would be nice to trust everyone, but we should know better than to trust someone without proven results.
I wonder how people from 3rd world countries interact with AI. Are people with little computer/digital experience convinced that AI is sentient? Are they easily fooled to believe that AI is human?
Apparently some people continue to believe that AI is sentient. This is hard for me to understand because my experience with AI makes it pretty obvious that AI is flawed enough to prove that it's not sentient. Perhaps these people want it to be real and thus make it seem real.
20251108:
When I was younger, I had a completely different perspective on life. First it was about fun and games. Then about being noticed by others, which was a bit of a shit show exploring bad trends. Followed by practicing bad trends and preparing to live on my own. This is when my perspecitive began to change. "The man" wasn't the problem I was simply too naive to accept that I was part of the problem. Now my perspective has changed comlpletely and still evolves. Unfortunately, my perspecitive has become very different from most others.
20251105:
Got to see an old friend for lunch today. Such a great guy who still has a sense of humor. We reminisced the old days when we could joke about anything without having to worry about offending others, including those who aren't involved in the conversation. #Ideological Subversion
Today's biggest emergency was an interesting one. Team management for a specific project couldn't seem to approve nor reject a fix for an issue that wasn't considered in the original requirements. Turaround was quick, but it's interesting that no one noticed for two weeks. Then it becomes a sudden emergency, then silent once fixed with very minimal indication of success or failure. I'm not sure what to make of it.
This is the best time of the year for jogging. The weather has cooled down, people seem more cheerful, and the lights and decoration is wonderful. Halloween deco was kind of exciting and the Christmas deco is calming.
Many people around me tend to showboat their talent whether or not they have something to show off. I don't see the purpose in doing this because I'm watching what and how people do things, but I wonder if I need to contribute to the B.S. to get me where I want to go, though I don't want to go where most people do.
I've heard that I should always fight to be the "best" at my role, but what's the point of being the "best" if it brings out the worst in me. How about collaborate and exceed at our role while preparing for what's next?
Why do the worst candidates tend to be hired into leadership? It's rare to find leaders who are focussed on helping others grow. It seems like they're afraid that their position will be pulled from under them when they should be looking forward to their next opportunity. At least that's my perspective. I want my people to grow into my role while I grow into my next role.
20251104:
If politicians tend to not be the greatest candidates, then why do we keep voting for the same results that seem to spiral over time? But truly great people tend to distiance theirself from politics, so what other choices do we have?
20251102:
Attended a friend/business partner's wedding tonight. A small event, but beautiful and fun. The bride and groom looked amazing. Caught up with a friend I haven't seen in a while. Great parenting yields impressively talented kids. His kids are very young, yet they show great signs of tallent and intelligence.
20251031:
Will AI replace traditional government and establish social norms? Based on what we're experiencing around the world, I anticipate that AI will at least have a part in making political decisions and enforcing rules. AI can take opinions from all sources and make a decisions on the collection, which could come to a generlized decision based on the populus of the source. Is this good or bad? I'm not sure that is clear right now.
Slow and methodical vs. quick glitsy glam. One typically results in quality and the other tends to offer innovation whether or not useful or realistic. Sure R&D is great, but doesn't have to cost a fortune unless the result has practical use.
Being overly assertive can have consequences when the end goal doesn't align with the rest of the business. New ideas, concepts, and technologies are great, but should be considered with the current state and future state of the business in mind. There's no reason to disrupt business for a project that's doomed to failure.
I almost always start a project with small practical POCs and build from there. This allows me to estimate cost and consider realistic requirements and goals. The "do everything" approach rarely ever works.
It's a bit difficult to accept that a project could fall apart completely because although negotiable, the budget wasn't estimated properly. The initial cost of the project surpassed budget considerably with no other options. On top of that, new features would add to the cost. Sure, these new technologies and feature sound great but are they feasible? We have considered a Plan B, buit didn't execute much because the original method was too enticing. We also had resource limitations. Unfortunately, this impacts every major project...luckily, I always have an alternate plan.
20251030:
Is it normal and acceptable to wait until end of the day to report a tech emergency? Some people tend to escalate issues then forget about them util the end of day.
It's a litle mind boggling how some individuals can promise success for projects that they constantly fail at. Sure, positivity and confidence is great, but there should be a point when we have to admit that we simply don't have the right resources or the right skiils to maintain and support a project.
20251029:
One conflict I see almost daily is finger pointing. People like to place the blame on others they don't like or don't appreciate to transfer responsibility. Some great talent has been let go due to this behavior. As leaders, are we not supposed to place ourself in the cross hairs unless someone does something very serious. I can usually turn a small flaw into a win, so no need to blame others for little things.
The idea of open source solutions is great, but many open source projects are plagued by human behavior. Although most humans have best intentions, rogues want to destroy everything. And sometimes even great people find a need to do something unethical.
20251028:
Left vs. Right. Democrat vs. Republican. Black vs. White. Does any of ths really matter? Because it seems more like a distraction than anything else. I respect people for who they truly are rather than what media tells them to be.
Not getting our way shouldn't make us a victim.
Constantly swapping out people to accomplish impossible goals seems to indicate a planning and culture issue. We shouldn't constantly swap out engineers and leaders to fulfill our desires. Especially when the results never improve.
Failing quickly when necessary is also fine if planned out properly. But constant failure requires a bit of attention and mitigation.
I typically don't mind honest mistakes. They're usually simple to recover from. However, arrogance can be quite difficult to recover because arrogant people tend to insist that their was is the best way, even after they fail. But since arrogant people are confident, leadership gives them the benefit of the doubt repeatedly.
20251027:
One of the most interesting things about AI is that it responds like many humans do. It provides us with an opportunity to question and lead it to the conclusions we're searching for. In some ways it can be better than humans because it's not set on its ways. It's open to change.
The "everything is on fire" mentality has proven to be ineffective. Yet proper project planning takes too much time. We'll need to come up with an approach that works without leaving behind additional tech debt.
20251024:
It's a little strange working with people who realize they suffer from bad compulsive habits. People who must always get their way, even when failure is predictable.
If almost no one can explain an asset, then should it really be considered an asset? Shouldn't most of the Bitcoin investor base understand why it's worth so much? It's value doesn't come from the market cap of other investments. I was always taught that negative feedback should provide enough evidence for us to consider a change.
Something else to consider with Bitcoin is its expected value increase by 10X in the next few years before it crashes thereafter. Other safer investments can surpass a 10X increase.
I heard a selling point for Bitcoin is its market cap compared to Gold and that this investors can become millionaires overnight due to this fact. I'm not sure why Bitcoin should be worth 28T if it's customer base doesn't agree. Also, how would another 28T come out of nowhere in a matter of months to match the two? Sure, if 28T transferred from Gold to Bitcoin, that would make more sense.
"The best way to win the game is by not playing". I agree, but when we're ready to take a break, move on, or retire. Until then, we need to play strategically. Slow and methodical tends to be ideal from my experience. We make a lot of mistakes when we rush.
In chess, the goal is to take out the king. But how do we achieve this without losing everything, along with wasting our time and energy? Most people assume that pawns are intended to be wasted. But all pieces and positions should be used strategically.
Goals and vision are great if they are achievable. Sometimes we aim for greatness but fail to strategically plan and position. We may have the ideal solution, but how do we implement that solution while also mitigating excess cost, time, and resource allocation? Is there an alternative that can achieve a similar interim goal while setting a path to the ultimate goal?
Dealing with constantly panicking management can be quite a headache and MS Teams only sustains the headache for nearly 24 hours per day. We originally imagined a self service data lake/lakehouse to help eliminate much of this headache, but our direction didn't actually lead us to what we originally designed. Politics doesn't seem like a good reason to abandon logic.
20251023:
It's more ideal to help others rise to the level they belong than to hold people back. This ultimately either benefits all parties or the broken links will eventually be thrown out.
All humans are flawed in some way or other. Instead of critcising others, we should all work together to build upon our weaknesses.
20251022:
Throughout our career we will meet various personalities. Some we'll tolerate. Some we'll enjoy working with. Some we'll admire. Some will frustrate us. Some we'll avoid. Learning how to deal with and take advantage of various personalities is a very important leaddership skill.
There will be times when either someone unknowledgable about a topic or someone not exposing their knowledge upfront may ask for help. This is not a time to demean them, but to help and empower them. Good deeds and kind personalities are always rewarded.
There are many solutions out there for all sorts of problems. New solutions are great, but may not be tested well enough to ensure stability for our specific purposes. Before integrating a new technology, make sure to evaluate thoroughly before accepting yet another new shiny solution. There will always be something new.
20251021:
I watched a vlog recently that may have shed light on why I tend to think twice before finalizing big decisions. In this vlog, the author discussed that extended experence tends to give us reason to think things through before finalizing some decisions.
Throughout my career, I've met many individuals and teams who claim that they can accomplish miracles. This is obviously a warning, but it still gains attention. Challenge miracles until you get a realistic, and logical response. It may also be a good idea to avoid these teams if possible to mitigate drama.
Yesterday's AWS outage may have directly affected AWS clients, but it also affected third parties who leverage AWS systems. Although I realized that one of our vendors was partially affected, others on my team couldn't understand nor accept this until they viewed the offical outage statement. Just because this was easy for me to understand, it doesn't mean that others can. It becomes part of my responsiblity to help them understand the facts.
I was hoping to run through some test scenarios before meeting with a vendor. Unfortunately, an engineer deleted the test environment without informing everyone. I understand the idea of doing, but it's also a good idea to collaborate and keep the team informed.
My mentoring style tends to be suggestive. I like to hear about a mentee's experiences, thoughts, ideas, etc. and suggest areas of improvement, serveral if possible along with analogies and past success stories. I also like to provide outside references.
Mentorship without advice and guidance is a bit awkward, but maybe it's an indication that I should seek a change.
Working with technologies that simply aren't ready for prime time can be quite an expensive challenge. It to begin with an interim alternative while the new tech evolves.
20251020:
Open source projects and AI seem to have the risk of human misdeed. If we can't trust each other, then open projects could be a risk. Like to the Linux Mint hack, Log4Shell, and XZ Utils, Heartbleed, and Apache Struts.
AIs are being commonly utilized as an agent, asistant, etc. As humans become more comfortable with AI interactions I anticipate an influx of personal data leakage. Some people are too open to exposing information to others and AI can act more kind and trustworthy than the average human.
Prompt injection attacks are also a little scary. Manipulating an AI to reveal sensitive data and expose sensitive secrets. However, solutions are being shared to mitigate this issue actively.
So...LLM poisoning is apparently much easier than originally expected, with as little as 250 malicious docs. If malicious actors are distributing pointed docs on the web, then I'm quite curious of the affect.
20251017:
We can prove that proper preparation/project planning reduces wasted resources and tech debt. And we can prove that the returns are real. Less wasted money, less wasted resources, less psychological impact.
The value of trials - Build basic features that can be tested and used before wasting time and money on a full solution that's problematic or abandoned.
Sometimes, ambition results in broken promises. We get ahead of ourself and ignore requirements that are not quite as simple as we originally assume. Homework and experience helps mitigate these types of issues. I can see how broken promises can attract great talent and client, but it's dishonest. We can argue that it's not dishonest because we're not originally aware of the complexities, but that's an aweful excuse.
Is it better to be overly assertive and dishonest or under assertive and honest? I'm sure that there's a balance, but I personally avoid those who have proven to be dishonest becuase we can't get work done. We waste a lot of time trying to understand the issues from dishonest assertion.
20251016:
When the world hands you lemons/excuses, make lemonade. A planned deployment was blocked today because someone didn't want to be interrupted after hours. I suggested an alternative solution that doesn't impact them (deploying a new pipeline in a disabled state) Pushed forward, cleared roadblocks on highest priorities, and saved the day.
It's sometimes a little difficult to navigate around people who only want to vent. I have a personality type that drives me to logically resolve issues, but some people simply want to be heard. Not suggested solutions. Admittedly, I'm not the person you want to talk to if you if you don't want a different opinion. My positive outlook tends to disappoint and sometimes upset people.
A leader's bad mood also shouldn't be allowed to impact team performance. Leaders must embrace the suck for the benefit of our teams and the company as a whole. We can always come up with solutions to resolve issues.
A leader's decisions shouldn't have an intentional negative impact on their team. If a leader makes a decision that affects their own lifestyle, that decision shouldn't affect their team. This becomes even more annoying when the reason for this decision is based on ego.
20251015:
If we eliminated most of our technologies, would we be happier or depressed?
Stories about lifestyles in other countries are quite interesting. The most innovative countries seem to depend on stressful, overburdening lifesyles, while some less innovative countries can live in peace and remain happy with their output.
20251014:
The presence of a great leader is felt when they enter the scene. Many people will want to acknowledge a great leader just as a great leader acknowledges everyone else.
I find it a bit sad when one ego must outshine everyone they encounter. When they must ensure that the world acknowledges their presence.
I find it a little strange that people with the same goals have a hard time collaborating when big egos interfere.
"If you see this then..." videos seem to be a trend now.
M and crescent moon on palms is rare? =O That's fun, but I'm not that special. There's always a way to boost the spirit and get us back on track if we want to accept it.
20251013:
Despite what I'd learned from mentors, some leaders dislike questions. Perhaps because they don't like to have their expertise challenged.
20251010:
Recently a colleague asked why I didn't correct someone else's mistake during a heated meeting. Well, I didn't want to make that person look and feel bad. And, correcting the colleague might fuirther errupt this situation. Also, this individual likely wouldn't accept the correction. I can provide the corrections peacfully after the meeting. Know your audience.
Sometimes we need to remember that everyone has bad days and they may act irrational. When someone is having a day we can either help boost their spirit or avoid them.
I get asked from time to time how and why I remain calm when others are panicking. The answers are: 1. Because the same people are often panicking., 2. Because there's opportunity during these times., and 3. Because these incidences aren't really that big a deal. We're still alive and well. If we can remain calm and collected, we can easily overcome these situations.
Reporting successes on projects parts is much more acceptable than success on an epic as a whole. At least execs can accept that something is getting done rather than assuming that entire projects are in limbo.
20251009:
Rushing through a non-emergency project just to get it done isn't the greatest idea. Rushing can lead to mistakes or bugs. A good example is someone who rushed through a process mgiration. Upfront, everything seemed fine, but we realized after some post-deployment testing that there was a hidedn bug waiting to be revealed. Always try to leave adequate time for proper coordination and testing.
When someone says they've changed for the best, my experience has proven that this is usually just a fascade to get what they want. Give them a bit of time to prove it. At least 1 year.
When a dominant personality tries to turn negative energy around onto you, transform it into positive energy and use it to make great things happen. If that beast takes credit for the win then at least you've become stronger from the experience. Life is never simple, but the harder we strive for greatness, the better the reward in the end.
It can be very difficult to take direction from a personality who insists that they're some sort of God, but then puts the responsibility on others at the first sign of their own failure.
Someone who suddenly attacks their team for failed projects is not much of a leader. The same applies to someone who takes full credit for team wins.
It's always feels good to receive kind comments and accolades for helping resolve overlooked issues. Not many people complement each other these days. And not many people make an attempt to collaborate these days.
20251008:
Avoid sheep mindset if you can. They're attracted to self deprecating tendencies and negative drama. They overhelm their own senses and drive theirself crazy. They're not even satisfied with their own decisions, blaming others for their bad choices in life. They're unhappy simple because they choose to be and because striving for greatness can be challenging.
Hiding from the world won't resolve all our issues. If someone wants to find us they will. Be kind hearted and honorable. Accept good challenges, find purpose and meaning, and life will be good.
Hiding from the "everyone database"... Is this really possible? I've been studying this for about 3 decades. This seemed possible decades ago, but technology has drastically changed since then. Going outside alone is likely to exposes our physical features and location. A driver's license exposes facial attributes along with personal data. A birth certificate, citizenship, green card, voting registation, airport visit, etc. exposes personal data. Perhaps an immigrant can mask their data, but someone will likely find their original details during a data breach or various other means if they want it. Additionally, if hackers and other entities are sharing our data then can it ever be possible for us to hide for long? Is it better to allow our Gov to track our info to mitigate the side effects of its misuse?
I'm considering... Is a VP or SVP really needed for data? From my experience, most VP positions seem to concentrate on keeping execs happy by comforting them rather than actually resolving issue. I don't mind comforting execs to an extent, but I prefer to get to the point and correct the underlying issues. I also don't like building infinite interim solutions and accruing tech debt to temporarily mask design and process issues. My intention is to make great things happen for my employer/company, for my team, and ultimately for myself and my famil. Not to mask problems and act superior.
Poor communication is the cause of many failures. Especially if you have multiple groups or mediums sharing conflicting information. MS Teams adds another layer of chaos when people neeed to chatter. Then you have the show off who requires attention. Needs the spotlight and stirs chaos to get it. This person makes it difficult to concentrate on the problem at hand.
20251007:
Don't let the world tell you who to be. Allow yourself to become what God intended. When you think about, the desire to be a better person is never a bad thing and will always bring us meaning and happiness. And in the end, if there happens to be no God, then we still had a great life and didn't waste a minute while striving to be better.
The skill of de-escalation is a virtue. One who can de-escalate situations is stronger than most people can comprehend.
Crowd theory helps explain the drama we're seeing on the streets. Alone, we're more collected and rational. In a crowd we can get out of control and even violent despite our original intentions.
It seems that, despite what I've been told before, my ability to ignore drama and carry forward to exchange failure with success is in fact a positive attribute.
A simple way to deal with difficult people is to agree with them and then ignore them. But keep the consequences in mind. Difficult people are often the way they are because they lack the attention they want.
20251001:
Slow down and strategize to improve overall accuracy, speed, and efficiency. Emergencies and temporary hotfixes result in infinite tech debt.
If good leadership is the act of putting others ahead of ourself and accepting humility, imagine that our President (regardless who) simply behaves the way he does as a front for his most important assets - his team. Basically a jester or fascade to help protect the important, relevant work that's occuring behind the scenes taking negative focus off what's required to move the world forward. Perhaps all leaders around the world are actually working in unison. Afterall, even with all the nonsense reported in the media, we almost always see improvement in the long term.
20250930:
I usually find it easier to collaborate when someone isn't trying to dominate the event or discussion. People are willing to entertain ideas when someone isn't trying to prove they're smarter than or above everyone else.
One person's passion shouldn't have to disrupt others negatively. We have to accept that not everyone does things the same way. Our differences should compliment each other.
When I become frustrated with a colleague I typically work towards understanding them better, learning how to improve collaboration. Am I the only one who does this?
Affordability seems to be a topic that trends about every decade. I once complained about it, but I think I've figured it out. It just requires some hard work and realistic expectations.
A squeeky wheel draws a lot of attention, but it's still a wheel that happpens to be annoying to most. If it's failing, then it needs to be repaired or replaced.
20250927:
The most pleasant people to work with do not constantly reject others. They typically help guide everyone in the right direction in a calm and collected manner. They usually do not insist that their approach is the best and only approach unless there is literally no other solution. They're OK with not getting their way even though this can be self deprecating.
It can also be difficult to work with people who are not satisfied unless they're led to believe that ever good idea is their own. And it can be exhausting and self demeaning convicing them that even our own successful ideas are theirs.
It can be difficult working with stubborn people who repeat the same mistakes. But sometimes we have no choice. Try to simply entertain them because the end solution is often something that already in place or a top that you've tried to emphasize with logic.
20250926:
Maslow's Hammer...
It's a bad idea to choose a solution simply because "everyone" likes it or because the features sound great. If the solution doesn't compliment the team, then it's probably not a good idea. If the solution cannot accomplish team and company goals effectively, then it will likely end in disappointment.
Sandeep Chopra says something in one of his videos that resonated. When I began the last two jobs, my objective was to build systems that are easy to work with. Templated to simplify development and repeatable for even novices. But this was wiped out with new leadership. Now we're returning to what originally worked after losing a lot of money and dealing with lots of frustration. Things to contemplate.
As the days pass with the latest familiar changes, I see the patterns repeating. Patterns that conflict with my preferences. I left this before only to have it return, not by choice. Is it meant to be or is the universe trying to tell me to prepare?
Leaders always show a pattern in their actions and behaviors. When identifying a mentor, look for personalities that align with yours. The alternative can lead to conflicting direction.
Finding alternative third party solutions is simple. There are many out there. But we must recognize the reasons for this. They all have their specialty. Sure, we can possibly manipulate some to make them work for our purpose, but this can lead to bigger issues later on. Oftentimes, the best solutions are right in front of us. Why replace a working solution only to return to that solution?
20250925:
Yet another failed POC, as expected. Apparently it seems that vendors will in fact resist pressure from clients. That wasn't predictable, was it? I'm not bitter, just a bit dissapointed. I'm not one to say that I'm right. The result seemed obvious.
That cocky genius, Mr. Know It All or that boss who tries to hide all the high visibility projects... There's your strategic advantage. Use them wisely. They react quickly and often fail. Take advantage of this.
20250924:
Just a few months ago serveral people asked me how they should deal with rising cost, inflation, stagflation, etc. My response was in the form of a few simple questions. How have you dealt with this before? What scares you about it this time around? What makes think this will occur? Several months have passed and they're still waiting for the collapse and complaining about how the economy is tumbling. They all still live a very comfortable lifestyle, especially those who continued investing in the S&P 500 or other decent ETFs. I can't say that things are perfect, but our country is still in good shape regardless of our politics. Media can really mess with our mind.
Dealing with constant "emergencies" has desensitized me. While others are running around in circles I'm sitting here calmly knowing that the issues will soon be resolved by the procedures that we've practiced many times over the last quarter. And yes, the issues were resolved pretty easily. Why is a drama show necessary by some? Some people require too much attention.
20250923:
Working with "geniuses" can feel unproductive, especially when they reject all our thoughts and ideas. But keep trying if you're confident and you may realize your successes hidden behind the scenes. Perhaps claimed by someone else, but a win nontheless.
20250919:
When someone asks whose to blame for some result, I often try to redirect the conversation to solutions. Failure can oftentimes be a matter of poor requirements or misaligned leadership and I usually find that it's more efficient to focus on resolution than the blame game. The blame game can waste a lot of time, become exhausting, and it makes us look bad.
Something I like to do to ensure team success is to go over examples and share the results for complicated tasks. This tends to help prep my team, yielding much faster turnaround times. It requires some homework on my part, but it seems to help.
Trends and instincts are derived from data that our brain has processed. Oftentimes, we shoudld acknowledge and act on our insticts though this can be difficult. When our instincts yield a consistent trending result, when we can consistently predict results, perhaps our intuition is yelling something at the top of its lungs trying to grab our own attention.
20250918:
When evaluating a new potential solution: Onboard the product and analyze the cost expectations. Start small if possible allowing for testing and evaluation along the way. Evaluate cost based on perceived most expensive options. If within reason, grow POC as needed. I wouldn't releasing a POC product to production until the POC process has concluded with success. POCs are intened to be shut down before the project gets out of hand. It drives me a little crazy when a POC is deemed an emergency, then gets immediately rolledd out to Prod, only to be fully reversed afterwards.
I occassionally receive negative news about issues I tried to mitigate. Today, this was the cost of a cloud/SaaS solution. Instead of saying "I told you so", I simply asked "Does the cost compliment its value?". No ego. Although I originally suggested other cheaper alternatives that are more achievable, I can accept that I was ignored. Now we need correct this and improve.
Although I can undersand when data discrepancies can be useful, many data discrepancies can be corrected by helping correct or standardize user inputs before it's written. We can also correct this in a data lake or EDW, but most discrepancies tend to be preventable.
AI company seems to simply mean that we utilize AI technologies. Not that we build upon it. Seems misleading.
Interesting...using a data flow diagram to explain query pseudo code. We could have saved a lot of time, resources, and money, while improving accuracy, by simply scripting out the query.
Although I can understand the technique of "testing" employees by overwhelming them before layoff, this approach leaves me feeling uneasy. It's like a sucker punch to the gut. There's usually a way to prove that even the best performers are underperforming.
It's simple for a "leader" to comstantly come up with new potential solutions until we realize how much time we've wasted overcomplicating things for the sake of recognition.
Oftentimes the best solutions are right under our nose. It's just a matter of acceptance. Catchy vendor names shouldn't quantify a reason for failure.
Although I understand the importance of flattering upper management with so called accomplishments, is it not just as important not to overwhelm our teams by constantly switching between emergencies?
As tempting as it might be to include coworkers to our friends group we must accept that most coworkers will never be true friends. At some point everyone gets thrown under the bus. Sometimes by those we've grown close to.
Work shouldn't feel like walking on egg shells. No one should feel forced or pressured to please the boss. Even bosses are imperfect.
20250916:
While it's important to have money to prepare for life's many suprises, it's also important to accept that money can be a tool. It doesn't create as much happiness as the hype might indicate. We can have all the money in the world and still be miserable. Or we can have no money, a positive attitude, and be grateful and happy.
I was once convinced that wealth inequality was a problem until I stopped buying stuff unnecessarily. I had to realize that my money was going to those who I complained about before realizingt that I could stop giving away money by giving up bad habits.
Is money actually powerful? Or knowledge? Wealthy people who are intelligent can keep and grow their wealth. Wealthy people who are greedy and unintelligent with their fortune will likely lose it.
Imagine a day when non-violent free speach and knowledge are condemned. When someone can be removed simply for having different beliefs and perspectives.
One day, AI may take over all our mundane tasks. But if AI is based on our data and mimics our behaviors, then I might be afraid that AI will conflict with us and each other just as we do. If AI interprets disappointment, how will this be reflected on us?
20250915:
It's simple to blame departed colleagues for the bugs and issues we encounter and it can be a waste of time concentrating on and discussing why they're responsible. Reduce the nonsense and increase productivity.
20250912:
Could we use AI to turn around the current state of the world? Is AI part of the end story?
I can't help but think that Bezmenov was being honest. At least as it applied to his perspective. What we've experienced can't be coincidence, can it?
20250911:
Still forcing a vendor to adopt our approach. If this didn't work before, then I wouldn't expect it suddenly work this time around.
Another day, another set of uncommunicated changes. Great people were recently let go only to be worse off... I fail to understand the logic.
20250910:
I miss building data tools. Perhaps a consulting opportunity.
Charlie Kirk was a man of such brilliance. Yes, he had strong opinions. We all should. But he always accepted everyone's differences. What a very sad loss.
The current state of the world worries me. So much makes no sense. Is this reality? The result of idiological subversion?
Although I had to move on from my previous emlpoyer, I loved the fact that I could be myself. Opinionated, strategic, stern yet empathetic, etc. I felt valued for helping ensure that everyone succeeded as a unit. Perhaps I can find something similar again if I really try.
I often feel like I'm being blocked from exposure, especialy after receiving praise. Thinking ahead. If I'm said to have very high EI and lead to many successes, could this be a sign that I should venture out again? I'd love to take on a bit more challenge.
If high EI is the secret to high performance and fulfillment, then why are gerks often promoted to the top?
Daniel Goleman says that the best leaders have high Emotional Intelligece. It's the core of effective leadership. How does one with high EI position theirself at the top when those with low EI often push into these positions? Even when the low EI leaders fail.
Performed another psychological test today. I Had one of my direct reports ask my boss if he could take time off. As expected, the request was not redirected to me.
20250909:
It helps to understand how to deal with big egos while working with an alpha boss. They need to feel like the King/Queen. Making them feel like less can have consequences and wastes a ton of time from meaningless debate. I like to run tests to extract information that I can use strategically while working with these personalities.
20250908:
The intelligence and integrity of a team is wasted when anyone is alienated. Leadership shouldn't be about control. It's about ensuring that your people can participate and thrive without negativity. Your team members should be afraid to be wrong. They should be repositioned in the right direction.
Be cautious when a project requires "all the data". Spit huge projects and deliver based on actual priority. Everything can't be the highest priority.
20250907:
I came across a YouTube video today that shared many arguments against Western culture. I do respect the fact that the narrator stated that we should consider various perspectives, but he should probably alo provide some example views. He only focussed on the negatives of Christianity and Western governance. I highly doubt that most people watching the video will realize what he misses. At the same time, I'm sure that most of us only receive what we want out of most facts and discussions that conflict with our preferred perspectives.
20250905:
Perhaps speaking on behalf of another is a type of nurturing, but is it appropriate? Or should we allow others an opportunity to experience their own interactions/communications?
I find myself a little bothered when a person unnecessarily responds on behalf of someone else. Not to help explain something but preventing someone from having a chance to respond theirself.
20250904:
My biggest strength is probably the fact that I work to replace myself with my team. This provides me with options to either move up or move on.
My biggest weakness is probably that I'm not much of a showoff. I'm geared to get things done without too much fluff. But I can see how this negatively impact me. Many others show off and continue to attract attention even after their projects fail.
Simulation theory is possible considering that we're creating AI that mimics human behavior. Perhaps we're a version of some AI.
If there's anything that I've learned while working with data over the last couple decades it's that there are usually additional important details within the details. We just need to determine how far down the rabbit hole we need to go and use that information wisely.
It's a bit sad that leadership will give into potential security risks simply due to panic. There is a reason for limited network and systems access. This is what we should all accept.
20250903:
Why I love Adam Sandler... Maybe not the greatest actor, nor the worst. He does his best, he's hilarious, and interesting. And his has the best interests in mind. I've loved his comedies since college. And he seems like an genuinely wonderful person.
One of my primary roles is to help others grow along with the company. Leaders should always have the best interest of their teams. Leaders who don't begin with this mindset are doomed for failure at some point. From my perspective, I am the least important person turning others into the most important people. Sure, I'm still to the company, but my attitude will benefit the company overall.
All ideas have have purpose. Never let anyone tell you that your ideas are meaningless. A true leader will help guide your ideas in the right direction. They won't demean you.
I keep hearing about "first principles", but we rarely take a step back to identify the fundamentals. I'm a fan of the approach, but it requires a little time upfront. Though, from experience, it saves a lot of time overall.
Gotta love the expert who knows how to solve the world's biggest problems but won't explain how. Keep calm and carry on.
20250902:
I've always viewed the act of seeking acknowledgement as a weakness for leaders, yet I keep seeing this behavior from my seniors. Perhaps I'm wrong.
It's so easy to lash out when we're unhappy about something. But it's not too difficult to remain calm and respectful if you try. A true sign of leadership is the abilty hold back your emotions when being tested.
20250901:
We will work alongside "shady" individuals from time to time. Don't let them give you reason to disrespect them. The urge to destroy them may be strong, but you'll win more by remaining respectful. Blasting on them often ends with repercussions.
Having an advanced skillset or advancted experience should be used to help others grow alongside us, not to grow our ego.
Always be wary of someone who tells you "Don't worry. I'll take care of you" without explanation. Especially when they're known for destroying others.
20250829:
Maybe it's just me, but I find it odd when a leader will claim credit when someone shouts out a subordinate's successes.
individuals who have worked with every company imaginable are interesting characters. But be cautious when challenging them, even if jokingly. You don't want to disturb a feeding bear. Let them have their fun unless it adversely affects a project.
Always be prepared for unnotified updates from cloud providers. Good vendors will prepare you for updates, but many vendors will push updates without much notification.
20250828:
There is always at least one know-it-all in a company. Although we should listen to and respect this person, like with everyone, we must consider their insight with discretion, especially if they're never wrong in their mind, even when their projects fail. My advice is to be open to everyone and seek for queues that expose the logical reality. The calm ones are often the best resources.
When I have a moment to breath, I sometimes sit back and think about my past career experiences. Chaotic experiences typically occurred with leadership who cannot accept proper project planning, because every idea is most important. Everything is an ad-hoc emergency. I enjoy being very busy, but I miss environments in which all teams collaborate and plan togehter, and executes as a unit.
20250827:
Humanistic AI - One that can behave like a person. Can speak in slang, can be a commedian, can be offensive/defensive, can provide criticism (positive/negative), can behave like a parent/sibling/friend, can reminisce, can be a personal coach while having however needed. There are already plenty of "partner" AIs.
"No need for a medallion architecture for our next data model. Everyone wants only raw data." - Dejavu. I have a feeling that teams will want the ability to aggregate different different augmentations of the data. I'd like to follow back to evaluate whether the medallion model was the better architecture.
Oftentimes it feels like leadership is simply based on promising impossible ETAs, then following up by postponing a failed deadline. We can do better. Perhapsy by implementing a planned iterations or maybe by splitting up priorities which could result in many successful objectives.
I don't mind accepting fault for other people's decisions. I just don't like unnecesasry drama. Some people seem to enjoy driving the dagger deeper and deeper. I usually find that dwelling on the drama is a waste of time and resources. I prefer to cut to the chase and carry on. My ego is really not that imporatnt. Afterall, I barely graduated kindergarten.
Sure, quick fixes can overcome immediate obstacles, but at what cost? Far too often I find that the cost of tech debt collects over time and becomes even more expensive to clean up. It's even worse when I forsee the issue, but am forced to accept an undesirable and usually unnecessary option, then have to accept responsibility for it later.
It can be difficult working with the ultimate "Experts". Realistically, no one is perfect. Sometimes they enforce decisions that work near-term but might fail long-term and the impact to their ego can make them difficult to work with. Remain calm and respectful, and provide logic that yields valid conclusions. Temporary solutions can be great if planned well, but ad-hoc is always iffy.
20250826:
I still like to expose my team to challenging meetings, confrontations, etc. because I want to help prepare them for what's to come. And this has mostly proven to be successful, only failing for those with an ego. Of course, they can opt out if they prefer. Eventually, I want them to take over my work and acheive their goals while I also work towards my next set of goals.
Some people can be difficult, purposefully holding back important details. Either give up early to mitigate conflict or keep trying to pull details until the topic make sense. Sometimes I find that others must be right until finally proven otherwise.
It can be difficult to work with people who must always be right.
It seems to me that humanity is failing to support itself. We'd rather conflict than bring up our peers as equals.
I'm afraid that AI is or will be another tool used for psychological manipulation.
AI is apparently being used for emotional support nowadays. Scary.
20250825:
You can't expect desired results from third-party products if the vendor built it for a different purpose.
Trying to force a vendor to change their processes and standards can't be expected to end with desired results.
20250822:
My take on Cracker Barrel - It was a unique place during modern times. One of few places that could visited for nostalgic and homey value. The sign added to the value, but the profit trend is headed downward. Modernizing the restaurant is an attempt to boost profits.
20250821:
Gotta love the naming and terminology behind quantum computing. "Dilithium", "Kyber", "SPHINCS", "Isogeny", "Decoherence", "Gravimeter".
I had received a little criticism a while back for mentioning the state of PQC (Post-Quantum Cryptography), but it seems like the time to begin considering this tech. NIST released their standards about a year ago.
Photonic quantum microchips continue to peak my interest. They could yield a ton of potential for efficient and secure data processing and transmission.
I've been seeing big tech prepping for post-quantum. Exciting times.
20250820:
I can't stress the importance of providing basic details in communications enough. Especially for those of us who balance many projects. "This thing" can be an expensive phrase when it takes a group extra time to figure out what the thing refers to.
Forwarded emails without context are a bit confusing. The same for linked comminucations with out context.
20250819:
Climate change, global warming, etc. Whether real or just conceptual shouldn't cause drama and chaos between people. Instead, let's create positive conversations around working together to improve the conditions on Earth? It doesn't hurt to clean up after ourselves and to continue to clean up our environments. We can change mountains together.
20250818:
Ultra-busy day. Was difficult to find time for a short lunch break.
Smart decisions... Labubus vs. investments.
Kids and young adults causing havok and seems to be getting worse. Maybe crime should be punished.
20250817:
Failing to plan = planning to fail. Project plans tend to occur very commonly, but the affected audience needs to be informed before the change becomes an emergency.
Constant emergencies are concerning.
Pointing fingers is often the worst approach to stalling. This approach can leave a negative impression when the victim is proven innocent. Have a positive mindset and don't be afraid to collaborate and to ask for help. Evaluating a conflict yields better results than blaming others.
20250815:
"The end of the world as we know it" A nice, catchy repeatable phrase.
Last minute changes over holidays weekends...haven't we learned from our mistakes over at least the last decade?
Good, stable products and solutions can be expensive, but for good reasons. Trying to skimp out on good solutions can lead to headache, especially when the desired features are in the middle of development. Never really understood why one would rely on a feature that hasn't been released. I'd expect bugs for a while after the feature is released.
20250814:
It can be diffult to acept that your project has failed, but it's important to cut your losses early and recover quickly.
Imagine that we're living in a simulation, but the simulation isn't metaphysical, it's psychological. And the simulation is maintained by a group of very powerful people with followers whom perceive that they're fighting the good fight.
20250813:
Excellence = Integrity, Enthusiasm, Intelligence...
The idea of worldwide peace and equality is a pleasant one, but is it realistic?
The psychological effects of emphasizing a single term are interesting. For exmaple, the terms "database" and "table" have applied to various non-database-related solutions. I've seen "database" applied to data sets in CSV and Excel. And "table" applied to text files, views, etc. It helps to elaborate about how we personaly define these terms.
Based on recent experience, I see how the differences between OLTP and OLAP/ODS for application use can be confusing. Especially when the lines of use aren't clearly defined. Unistore can possibly solve this dilemna.\
OLTP in Snowflake is also an interesting evolution. The Unistore concept is cool, but needs time to evolve and mature. OLAP and OLTP had been separted up until now for a reaason. Perhaps new innovations can help merge these concepts.
It's interesting how cloud hype can quantify the increasing costs of basic processes that were was once free and yielded the same or better performance.
20250812:
A person who is offended by non-issues could have low self esteem or may feel insecure. It can help to respectfully ignore their behavior. Don't react and the situation will often resolve itself. If this doesn't work, then walk away.
Someone asked again "How do you accomplish so much when everyone else keeps failing". I have a few simple approaches.
1. Piggy back off ambitious souls. - Many people like to overpromise. I simply evaluate their approach and improve upon failed pieces. I'll let ambitious souls do the leg work until they hit a roadblock or until they ge frustred, then I'll follow back and deliver, preferably along with the ambitious souls.
2. I usually don't get ahead of myself. - I make time to think through tasks logically, then execute while following my logical path.
3. I re-confirm requirements and fill in the gaps. - It's difficult to complete tasks that don't make sense.
4. I ignore the drama. - Many people waste time on drama. I might take a short moment to vent, but then it's back to work. I've never worked in a stress-free environment, so it doesn't make much sense for me to waste time on nonsense.
5. I delegate. - I tend to switch between 4 to 5 tasks at a time, but after that I have a hard time keeping track of the details. I collaborate with my team and other teams to complete what I can't.
6. I mentor and cross-train my team. - I build products, processes, and standards that my team can easily follow to ensure they can help cover me when I'm overburdened or unavailable. And I do the same for them.
20250811:
AI being used for illicit purposes. Didn't see that coming, did we?
Oh the consequences of a world in which destroying one another becomes the best approach to happiness and success.
It's a shame that ego and politics can interfere with progress. Sometimes the greatest ideas comes from the resources that are right in front of us.
It might just me, but I prefer to help point out and resolve conflicts rather than complain and expecting someone else to figure it out. What if my perception doesn't match reality? Or What if the engineer doesn't understand the issue?
The world will throw many distractions at you. Remain focused and keep your eye on the prize.
20250809:
The separation of AI reality and human reality seems to be a growing concern. If reality can already be considered a mixed experience, then does this even matter? Perhaps reality is simply whatever we make of it or what we want it to be.
If "everyone" is competing to build the ultimate superintelligent AI, then what are the potential risks and impact to not only humanity, but also to also Earth, physics, psychology, and beyond?
20250808:
"I can do better" A thought that crosses my mind pretty often.
It can be difficult to remain confident when requirements and strategies constantly "evolve". Sometime experts aren't experienced with the details of the project, but simply with the fact that they've worked on similar projects and requirements. It's still important to try and continue to support these initiatives. Sometimes experts must accept compromise. Especially when working with new, evolving technlogies.
Tools/solutions to simplify open source projects can be interesting. Especially when client expecations and experiences can vary and they tend to be quite expensive to purchase and support. I prefer to manage open source projects without adding an additional vendor-provided solution.
Some leaders treat individuals differently. This is not usually something to take offense to. Either they have a logical approach to achieving desired results or they're struggling.
Sometimes people insist that they understand a complicated topic when it seems that they don't. We need to keep in mind that we all can interpret terms and requirements differently. It helps to elaborate on the topic and follow up to ensure it was interpreted as expected and meets or exceeds the requirements.
People often seem to forget or neglect that details are important. Ask questions that lead to the expected response to get the details you need. Various triggers may be required to lead to the expected result.
A lot of people need to flex their credentials and "experience" to gain attention. This has led me to many dissapointments. And in such a sensitive world nowadays, it can be difficult to point out people's weaknesses without backlash. Very strange because these individuals like to voice their opinion. I work in such a strange environment.
It can be difficult to remain confident when requirements and strategies constantly "evolve". Sometime experts aren't experienced with the details of the project, but simply with the fact that they've worked on similar projects and requirements. It's still important to try and continue to support these initiatives. Sometimes experts must accept compromise. Especially when working with new, evolving technlogies.
Tools/solutions to simplify open source projects can be interesting. Especially when client expecations and experiences can vary and they tend to be quite expensive to purchase and support. I prefer to manage open source projects without adding an additional vendor-provided solution.
Some leaders treat individuals differently. This is not usually something to take offense to. Either they have a logical approach to achieving desired results or they're struggling.
Sometimes people insist that they understand a complicated topic when it seems that they don't. We need to keep in mind that we all can interpret terms and requirements differently. It helps to elaborate on the topic and follow up to ensure it was interpreted as expected and meets or exceeds the requirements.
People often seem to forget or neglect that details are important. Ask questions that lead to the expected response to get the details you need. Various triggers may be required to lead to the expected result.
A lot of people need to flex their credentials and "experience" to gain attention. This has led me to many dissapointments. And in such a sensitive world nowadays, it can be difficult to point out people's weaknesses without backlash. Very strange because these individuals like to voice their opinion. I work in such a strange environment.
20250807:
I had forwarned the cost impact of some new technologies we began implementing. Now we're starting to see the impact. I continue to advocate hybrid architectures when it makes the most sense.
Although many agreements are arguably best settled as a collective, there's a possibility that bias can cause great conflict. Potentially conflict with unexpected consequences.
Imagine an AI that would allow anyone to revitalize their favorite past and present games by modernizing them, or transforming them into our own customized variation.
Imaging an AI companion and mentor that helps privately keep track of our success and failures with the sole intention of helping lead us all to great successes.
I've delt with too many leaders who repeat the same mistakes that lead to failures. Their excuse tends to be unlimited priorities, but what job or carreer doesn't have unlimited priorities? I find that taking a step back to retrospect and plan saves a lot of time and headache.
Something else that annoys me is the insistent need to develop in production due to time constraints. Though often recoverable, this approach rarely ends headache free.
I also get a little annoyed by repeatable processes that supposedly can't be automated. Along with processes that are too complicated for others to comprehend. And with egos that prohibit collaboration. It's been quite the week...
I keep hearing that Python isn't a real programming language, though it has an OOP paradigm. Python is still my favorite language overall. It's incredible how far Python has come and what it's capable of.
20250806:
Project emergencies declared due to lack of knowledge or experience shouldn't be emergencies.
I have a weakness, which omits me from the spotlight. I don't pretend to know everything. However I am approached often because I consistently prove that I can accomplish objectives that most everyone else struggles with.
Dev is intended to for development purposes. It's always a little strange to have recurring emergencies raised for products in development when a scheduled change occurs and unexpectedly causes a conflict.
I don't like to talk just to talk. I prefer to talk to add value. But I see that this helps people gain attention. The squeeky while gets the grease.
Being under stress is not an excuse for throwing others under the bus.
I still believe in repatriation, where it makes sense, over forcing migration to the cloud because it's trending. I am especially support this for important data and private data. I also believe in leveraging multi cloud solutions as they make sense. Why focus on only one solution if another can prove to be better?
If our brain is a mega processing unit and our thoughts and emotions are derived from instructions and details we've learned, then could we be considered a form of AI?
Is AI truly incapable of being sentient? If AI is built by us, using our data, then it seems likely that its nature also mimics ours? If we can be evil, can't AI also derive the same conclusions as someone who is evil due to logical instructions? Is this not similar to how our brain works?
A very common interaction I experience at work (smiling sigh):
Me: "Here's are the details you'll need to interact with X technology to complete your task/project..."
Person A: "I already knew that."
A couple days later...
Person A: "Hey, can you provide some guidance?"
20250805:
Sometimes people can be offended when we point out their shortcomings, even when doing so politely. When someone is having a sensitive moment, avoidance may be the best solution.
Recently, a simple chat between a couple of individuals nearly blew up into an HR situation. Keep in mind that chats hide emotion. Don't let them become confrontational without understanding why. Sometimes we accidentally copy and past caps, bold, short-hand, and phrasing, especially while in a hurry.
20250804:
There's high value in promising delivery and delivering as promised. Don't make promises you know you can't keep. Be cautious about promises that rely on requirements you can't control.
Eventually this journey must end. If I pass today then at least I know I've helped people realize that we can be successful while being kind and respectful to one another, while not being a pushover. I know that I've had a positive impact on many lives. At the same time, I realize that my definiion of success differs from others'.
As we dig further and further into various topics, we see that there's much more detail below the surface of even the most simple things. As such, I'm not sure that this world is what we generally interpret it to be. I'm not so sure that we can accept, nor comprehend what life truly is.
20250803:
If the reality audience mimics th heviors of their favorite stars, I wonder if and how this reflects their quality of life in the real world.
Social media is nuts. "Learn to code" vs. "Code ruined my life", "The monetary system is broken" vs. "How I can ma you\ a millionaire with no effort". Fake "millionaires" making videos on how to become a millionaire.
20250801:
New technologies are great until they affect production. I prefer to prove the effectiveness of new techs before trying to force them into production. Especially when we already have alternative solutions that already work.
I'm not sure that I understand the need to pay for a full subscription during the POC phase of a project. We can upgrade subscriptions once we've received buy-in.
Proper product and software dev lifecycles would help resolve many issues between environments...
20250731:
So many thoughts and idea in my head, but constant interruptions day and night. Been having a hard time finding time to return to blogging. Thought I'd try something different.
Somtimes we make promises based on marketing, epsecially when upcoming features promise miracles. Although new tech can be exciting and can even provide great benefits, I like to have a backup plan in case things go awry. This has prevented various disasters.
Properly test new tools and allow for adequate time to do so. Gradually replace legacy whie new products are properly vetted.
I do find my day job to be overly complicated. Unplanned changes, constant "highest shifting priorities", priorities often trumping other priorities, constant vendor issues, lack of cooperation due to other's comfort level creates a lot of roadblocks and wastes time. A cultural shift can provide many benefits.
Some individuals use short-hand communication, which can be difficult to follow. I often have to read entire threads to gain context. Although, I try my best to provide context and details in my communication, many others seem too lazy for this approach.
I find short-hand text frustrating. "Yes to above." isn't useful when many requests or topic exist above. "The data" in a conversation related to multiple topics often needs context and elaboration.
New things can be nice and attractive for the moment but, oftentimes, the best people and things are already right in front of us.
Media is very negative. Tons of drama and conflict. And it's bringing a lot of people down with it. One thought comes to mind: "ideological subversion".