Justin Searls asks which of your colleagues are screwed?

I’ve been writing about how AI is likely to affect white-collar (or no-collar or hoodie-wearing) computer programmers […] Think about a random colleague you don’t feel particularly strongly about as you read the following pithy and reductive bullet points. […] They’re going to be screwed if they exhibit:
Curiosity without skepticism
Strategy without experiments
Ability without understanding
Productivity without urgency
Creativity without taste
Certainty without evidence

I recently said that I think curiosity is what makes a good software engineer, and gave examples of when/how they should be curious, but never pointed out that it has to come with a balancing function.

I can’t think of anything done 100% full-throttle that isn’t detrimental without something to balance it, but it’s tacit and not something I often think about immediately. For example, if you live your life 100% in service it will be limiting, a bit of selfishness is required, see Doug Forcett from The Good Place.

link • 06:02 • #genie, #engineering-culture

Does the word change the "quick fix?"

hack/jugaad vs kludge/bodge

I’m in Bengaluru to attend a friend’s wedding, and it has been fascinating walking around and seeing “the creative ways” of cable management, and my perspective from Singapore and Sweden is definitely to question the safety and longevity.

Coils of cables, some without the protective coating, all just lying around. What looks like some fiber cables for good measure.
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crumb • 07:46 • 3 min read • #thinking-out-loud, #engineering-culture