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

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Entries from February 2021

We Know More Now, So…

February 25th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The pandemic has its own phrase for the use of bad or junk science and poor thought and communication. It’s in the “news” almost everyday now. I feel it came about from the pandemic, but there are other excuses we can use. It is that phrase in the title, We know more […]

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Tags: Communication · Ethics · Science · Thinking

Forward to the Past: Infrastructure as Code and JCL

February 22nd, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We tend to reinvent the past as we move into the future. Remember JCL? I took an class in operating systems in 1980 (yes, I am that old). At least that was the name of the class. In reality, it was a class in what IBM called Job Control language or JCL. […]

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Tags: Change · Computing · History · Language

Bias in AI or Just Another Bad Idea?

February 18th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Once again, someone creates all sorts of fancy explanations for what was simply a bad idea poorly conducted. There seems to be a lot of “bias” in the machine learning area of artificial intelligence research and practice. Or can we explain the problems without using such fancy terms like “bias?” What were […]

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Tags: Analysis · General Systems Thinking · Management · Problems · Process · Science · Systems

Can I have a Flat, Horizontal Surface, Please?

February 15th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The flat, horizontal surface is a natural. Home architects know their value. The designers of automobile interiors, however, seem to be living on another planet. In automobiles, the dash (the area above the displays) is curved and sloped. Flat surfaces don’t exist. So where do I set something that I want to […]

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Tags: Concepts · Design · Fun · Ideas · Improvement

Many Volunteers = High Expense

February 11th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips When many volunteers arrive, the expense shoots up. Are we prepared for this? Volunteers are great! All those fine people arriving and willing to work for no pay. Well, not exactly. A person’s time is worth money. A person’s time is worth other things. When a person volunteers, they are spending their […]

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Tags: Accountability · Expertise · Management · Money · Volunteer

Researchers and Paying for Research

February 8th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Research is expensive. Someone pays the bills. Sorry about the lesson in economics. The future of companies is often in the research they perform in the back rooms. Not glamorous, but often necessary. And those smart folks in the back rooms cost lots of money. The company has to be making enough […]

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Tags: Economics · Research · Technical Debt · Technology

Figuratively and Literally

February 4th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We often use a “figure of speech” to describe something. Well, that’s nice, but I know that such-and-such cannot literally do something-or-other. Can we please have some literal descriptions? I have recently been reading constantly about a very popular software app. I won’t mention which one because that would take us off […]

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Tags: Communication · Fairy Tales · Technology · Work · Writing

Gold Mine and Coal Mine

February 1st, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Are we spending time in gold mines or coal mines? Of course we want to be in gold mines. Untold riches. Right? Consider a few things. Gold Mine resource: Now and then we find a nugget of gold that is valuable almost beyond measure. Most of the time, most of the days, […]

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Tags: Alternatives · Choose · Concepts · Resources · Time