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Comment Science requires a certain agnosticism (Score 5, Insightful) 480

If you learn of an alleged unusual phenomenon, and you have an immediate rigid response, please stay away from science. Go into religion or politics. The only appropriate response is "Hmmm interesting, let's look into this". Human knowledge is always provisional. Careless, absolute, knowledge claims are the currency of religion.

Comment Re:If we're all going to take Adderall... (Score 1) 407

Essentially, if you're allowing your employer to walk all over you, that's on you.

Woo-hoo: no limits whatsoever on employer behavior. That should work out well.
Let me propose another idea: Both employer and employee are stuck together in a system. Neither should have their actions go unchecked. Both should bring reasonable behavior to the table. Occasionally the law can assist with this.

Comment "Roll the dice" interviewers (Score 1) 809

Who find some obscure question the candidate can't answer, then use that to demonstrate their superiority over the candidate. Instead of having a brief, relaxed, open technology conversation. When the candidate relaxes and starts talking about their technical experience, it isn't hard to tell if they are a good fit or not. And there is no insulting or demeaning of anyone in the process.

FWIW, I have been conducting a lot of interviews lately and I always say I am looking for 49% technical skill and 51% interpersonal skills, because the hardest problems in software engineering are not technical.

Comment Re:Pretty difficult to find people (Score 1) 101

Having worked at a few startups I can understand why people are hesitant to talk with you.
You might try these: 1) Offer a max overtime guarantee or time off for OT. (if you can't do at least one of these, something is wrong)
2) Let them know you understand what it is like to work for narcissists and mentally unwell entrepreneurs, and you will put effort into making sure everyone is treated with respect.

Comment Don't forget OT and people skills (Score 1) 101

I have been working in a great environment for two years. Of course a reasonable salary is important. But I always tell candidates there are two questions I would always like to ask if I were being interviewed:

1 Is there a lot of unpaid overtime ?
2 Does the management and team have a reasonable level of interpersonal skills ? (if you've been at this a while you know how important it ends up being)

So I tell them we have little OT, and an unusually high level of people skills and cooperation, base on my career experience. There is a lot more to think about than money,

Comment Re:Microsoft is not less evil,more companies are E (Score 1) 525

>>If large companies are so bad why do we still buy their products and services?
Often we are forced to choose the lesser evil. And of course, I am in the vast minority, considering a company's behavior before my purchase.

>> It's too easy to point at successful people and call them liars, crooks and hypocrites
I acknowledge your opinion but I was addressing the question "do we have serious problems with organizational leadership ?" I included a link to research that seems to confirm what many have felt for a while.

>>At the end of the day the biggest hypocrite is the one that continues to buy their products.
You make a good point. If everyone shopped like me there would be less of a problem. But looking at developmental studies that is not likely to happen soon. So should I abandon any attempt to improve the system ? I say no.

Comment Re:Microsoft is not less evil,more companies are E (Score 1) 525

What is success ? Making money at any cost ? Producing defective games ? Telling your production engieers to shut up when the yields are below 50% ? Blaming the customer when the DVD reader design scratches the expensive games ? Using loopholes to extort small businesses ? Lying to congress ?

The root of the problem is not just corporations, it is pretty much all large organization structures. Movement to the top is usually the result of being good at politics, or mentally ill. (http://www.patheos.com/blogs/drishtikone/2013/10/are-ceos-and-entrepreneurs-psychopaths-multiple-studies-say-yes/) Neither of which will direct a corporatiion to benefit both stockholders and customers.

Maybe one hundred years from now, those in positions of authority will get extra scrutiny, as they should, and be assesed for narcissm, psycopathy. The company I work for is still reeling from misadventures of the previous CEO. I sensed a serious problem the day I first met him, and every time after that.

Comment Re:Did you notice in the article (Score 1) 74

>> Prove it.

My claim: Two o'clock comes before 5 o'clock.
Two o'clock: when concentration problems start with no noots
Five o'clock: when concentration problems start with noots
Tested daily. Of course you do not have phenomenological access to my mind.

Proof that this is somewhat related to Limitless ? Well you can watch the movie and see if you agree.

On Reddit you will see many people who use noots test themselves regularly on Lumosity or the Stanford tests, to try to rule out placebo effect, which is important.

Comment Did you notice in the article (Score 2) 74

That the wild ass speculation at the end is given equal footing with a formal study ? Having had a couple of mini-strokes, and having a job that mostly involves concentration, this topic is of interest to me. I can say that adderall (took it a couple of times) and my nootropic cocktail definitely help.

It is annoying how many fundamentalists.there are on here. Intelligent only in the cognitive domain. Science requires agnosticism. Engineering requires pessimism.

Comment A little carbon tet never hurt anyone (Score 1) 303

I grew up drinking the stuff. Living in the Ohio River / West Virginia area, we would get these warnings that local chemical industries had accidentally spilled carbon tet into the Ohio River. We were told to boil the water. I was suspicious, I thought, either boiling doesn't separate the carbon tet, or it does, and we are all standing in our kitchens breathing it.

The town I grew up in had to dig up 18 inches of dirt, process the dirt, and put it back. I think it was paid for by Superfund.

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