Working Up

Working Up in Project Management, Systems Engineering, Technology, and Writing

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Hacking the International Order

March 3rd, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Expediting the fall of the nation state are the hacktivists or activist hackers. We have had mercenaries for many centuries. These were soldiers hired by governments to fight battles for them. Sometimes nations hired the armies of other nations to do this. Sometimes nations hired individuals. And we have had Internet mercenaries. […]

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Tags: Change · Computing · Concepts · Government · Technology

The Government

August 23rd, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I guess we will never stop putting individuals into a group and attributing the actions of some individuals to an entire group. Hence, we discuss “the government.” I have been a citizen of the United States since birth. I was an employee of the United States Federal government for 28 years. The […]

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Tags: Accountability · Communication · Government · Journal

The Technology Imperative, Part II

April 8th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We just cannot resist applying the latest technology to something. This is the second in my series on the “Technology Imperative.” (I have learned that there are books and papers with this title elsewhere.) The first part in the “series” was blogged in the year 2010. Oooops, not much continuity, but here […]

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Tags: General Systems Thinking · Government · Technology

Cause Change

June 8th, 2020 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Angst rules America this week. We have to do something. What can I change and how? Here is a set of questions to guide me. I write this in early June 2020. We have demonstrations and protests calling for justice and change. Perhaps I am too rational or practical, but I feel […]

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Tags: Alternatives · America · Change · Government · Ideas · Patience · Questions

Light Bulbs, Anything Else, and Optimal Performance

January 13th, 2020 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The humble light bulb reminds us that we want good things, but “good” changes depending on the person and the purpose. The light bulb is going to save the planet. Perhaps destroy it. I confuse the two sometimes. The incandescent bulb is inefficient. It is if we are considering the amount of […]

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Tags: Choose · Government · Leadership · Requirements

Do $omething U$eful In$tead

October 14th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Instead of paying fines to “the Treasury,” how about we do something useful instead? Facebook recently paid a $5Billion fine for violations of this or that. Lots of fussing about the “pain” felt by Facebook and the pain felt by those who were violated in this violation. Let us consider, for a […]

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Tags: Accountability · America · Government

Malevolence and (In)Competence

May 16th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Yes, the technology is here to watch everyone all the time, but do those who have it also have the ability to use it? Each day I see yet another example of the reach of technology. Facial recognition seems to be the most recent target of the they-are-watching-us crowd. Little cameras are […]

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Tags: Government · People · Technology

Fairy Tales and the (Government) Workplace

April 18th, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Our central government continues to call for technical talent while not changing the culture of the workplace. Some still believe in fairy tales. The past President spent two terms asking for tech talent from places and industries that had tech talent to come to Washington D.C. and the Federal workplace. The current […]

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Tags: Fairy Tales · Government · Reality

Pleasant and Productive (or Profitable)

December 3rd, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Simple desires for the workplace. Years ago, a wise old man once told me, “The workplace should be pleasant and profitable.” He worked in a commercial business. No profits, no business, no jobs. Profits were necessary. Also necessary, in his experience, was that the workplace be pleasant. If it wasn’t pleasant, people […]

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Tags: Communication · Expectations · Government · People · Work

Hacking Political Campaigns

November 5th, 2018 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Election day is upon us. Let us pause a moment as adults and state the obvious. Let’s state the obvious: of course “foreign actors” are hacking political campaigns. In the old days you would throw toilet paper all over their front yard trees or hit their house with rotten eggs. That took […]

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Tags: Adults · Government