Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

An old wise technique is being forgotten, again.

This is an old technique, but let’s run through it again.

1. Make it work
2. Make it better

Please do these two steps in order. Please do both steps. Do not stop after step 1.

I read daily about people attempting artificial intelligence and machine learning stopping after step 1. The failure rate is 80% or some embarrassingly high number like that.

Experiment. Learn. Make it real. Those three are another way to say the two steps stated earlier. It is all the same. It is all basic. It is all forgotten all too often.

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 United States Federal government, a.k.a., “the government” employs US citizens (not 100%, but you get the idea).

Every US citizen is a person. Ever meet a loving caring person? Ever meet a person who is spiteful and hateful? Ever meet a good person who is having a bad day? We could continue with descriptors of this person and that person.

Some persons employed by the government are methodical, full of thoughts, have a big heart, and are honest. Some persons employed by the government are overly ambitious and constantly lie to make their point and be promoted to positions of power. It is a shame that we have the latter. I wish they would be found and fired, but that rarely happens.

The vast majority of persons employed by the government are not the smartest person in the world since there is only one of those. Half the persons employed by the government are below average (half of everyone else is below average, too).

I wish journalists would stop lumping all these persons into one thing call “the government.” I wish journalists would provide the names of individuals who did this or said that or something else. I guess those are wishes that will not be fulfilled any time soon.

by Dwayne Phillips

Many persons want many other persons to become vaccinated. Their methods, however, are achieving the opposite.

“Become vaccinated,” is an oft-heard cry. (Actually, I read “get vaccinated” which brings cringes of pain to those of us who know the meaning of words.)

And there are many who do not get the vaccine shots. Why? Because of the methods used by the vaccine proponents.

The biggest reason persons don’t receive the vaccine is because of the methods used by vaccine proponents.

First, I read this morning of those who won’t become vaccinated as engaging in “jackassery” behavior (is that a real word?). If you stand up and say, “Those who won’t become vaccinated are idiotic jackasses,” you have just pushed the unvaccinated farther away. Call someone a bad name, they won’t like you, they won’t do as you ask.

Second, have a politician tell people to become vaccinated. Even the most popular politicians have been endorsed by about 40% of the adult population. The other 60% really don’t like that politician, so they won’t do what the politician encourages.

Next, (I lost track of the count), put up a sign that says “Vaccinated Only.” This is worse than the first reason. The sign might as well say, “I hate you.” It only pushes persons farther away.

Next, say, “Follow the science.” That is a very bad idea when speaking to someone with a scientific background. The “science” stated in the media is laughable.

I could go on. Let’s try something else instead.

Sit down with a person. Have a cup of coffee (or something like that). Listen. The shouting usually stops. The blood pressure usually drops. I don’t see as many veins about to burst on foreheads. The pounding on the table usually stops.

I have heard many reasons why persons don’t become vaccinated. Some are economic (a long story, but it makes sense in some cases). Some are religious. Some are historical. Some are medical. Some are very scientific, logical, and rational. The list of good, irrefutable reasons goes on and on.

Still, sit down over a cup of coffee and listen. If you don’t want to do that, at least avoid the examples given earlier of how to drive a person farther away from the vaccine.

Life isn’t as simple as be vaccinated or don’t be vaccinated. Sorry. Such is the human existence.

by Dwayne Phillips

Things are the way they are because… Fine. That is one explanation. Let’s have at least three more.

Few things are as difficult as explaining why something is the way it is. We see more brown leaves on trees this year than we have in the past. Well, the reason is… Really? That is the reason? How do you know that is the reason?

Now we come to the difficult part: State at least three more reasons. State at least three more explanations of the current situation. If I don’t have at least three more explanations, I haven’t thought about this enough.

That is the hard part because it requires more thought. I hate more thought. I racked my brains and researched the situation. I have the explanation. Let’s move on, huh? Please?

No. Three more explanations. Science is not easy. No one ever said it was.

by Dwayne Phillips

Folks long for the good old days. That includes rich and famous CEOs.

Tim Cook is ready for Apple’s workforce to return to the office building. Many in Apple’s workforce don’t want to return to the office building. Tim Cook is ready for Apple’s workforce to return to the office building.

Did I mention that Tim Cook is ready for Apple’s workforce to return to the office building? Of course he does. Tim Cook “grew up” working in an office building. He excelled working in an office building with everyone else present. Is it any wonder that he wants to return to being in an office building with everyone else present?

We all long for the good old days. We want to return to those days and circumstances where we did well and enjoyed ourselves.

Why can’t everyone love what we loved and want the same thing we want?

Funny how we don’t see that attitude as hypocritical. Funny how even really smart, famous, and rich folks can’t see it. Oh well.

by Dwayne Phillips

We used to discuss this topic, but with different choices. Time passes.

People discuss this on the Internet. Today’s question is “R or Python?” Good grief, two interpreted languages that run slow. But they are good for prototyping things, bringing in mammoth libraries, and writing useful things in ten lines of code.

We used to discuss LISP or Prolog. In our lab, we were moving out FORTRAN and moving in C. C had better data structures while both had efficient execution. Being efficient was quite important when your minicomputer (a couple racks of equipment) had 128KiloBytes of memory. I wanted to use Ada, but we didn’t have any compilers on our machine.

Unix was coming in. Folks in industry were using DEC machines with VMS. University research labs were on the leading edge with one or more flavors of Unix. Linux would come ten or more years later.

It all worked quite well, and we made advances. Less computing power meant more brain power. That is not a brag from an old man, but a simple tradeoff. More computing power means more things are possible in less time. Why sweat details when you have the machine do the work? That is a tradeoff and a good trade.

What programming language for artificial intelligence? What problem are you working? What are the tradeoffs? Think. Choose. In that order.

by Dwayne Phillips

After the pandemic, some of us will return to the office building on some days. When? Why? Let’s think a bit.

The pandemic is over, I guess. It is time to commute to the office and work there. Right? Well, maybe.

There are several activities for which online telecommuting doesn’t fit. This is because the computer screen isn’t big enough yet. The chance to talk one on one and two on two isn’t quite right in Zoomer Teams.

These activities in which telecommuting fails fall under… let’s call it “big strategies.” One example is writing a proposal for a contract. We post the requirements for the proposal on the wall. We walk along the wall and talk and post suggestions along the wall. We can stand back and see everything at a glance. The computer screen isn’t big enough to see all that. I can’t talk with the person standing next to me privately while you talk to the person standing next to you privately.

There are other “big strategy” activities like this. More people in the room helps. More people in the room REALLY helps—no inspirational poster slogans, no kidding and no bologna.

Do these gatherings for “big strategy” when needed and only when needed. Allow commuting time. Provide food and beverage. Provide other services (child care is an example) as needed—AS NEEDED!, not as I think I can afford it.

Be prepared for these gatherings. Be organized. Have all the materials and rooms and other resources. Don’t waste everyone’s time!

This last part will be the biggest challenge of those persons called “managers.” Us managers decide that gather is beneficial. Okay, fine. Let’s do our part and manage the work. No excuses.

by Dwayne Phillips

Kind, caring, helping persons tend to keep going to be more kind, caring, and helpful. Delete the last part.

I have met many kind, caring, and helpful persons, who love others. They speak and write and teach in all forms to convey helpful information. They want to be helpful, to ensure others are okay.

The desire to help overflows and adds onto each sentence and statement and speech and lesson and … please, enough is enough. Stop.

Note the three sentences in the first paragraph. They each have an extra phrase at the end to ensure the reader “gets the point.” [who love others, to convey helpful information, to ensure others are okay] The third sentence of the first paragraph is an extra sentence, just to be sure everyone “gets it.”

Enough is enough. The extra phrases, the extra sentences, the extra PPT slides, the extra stories in the speech… We know you are kind, caring, and helpful. We heard what you said the first time. We understand the first part of the sentence. There is no need to repeat, again. (ooops, I did it, again)

Be brief while being helpful. Give, give, and give, and don’t forget to give a few moments of time back to those receiving your caring, kindness, and help. Pause. Breathe. Stop. Thank you.

by Dwayne Phillips

There will be many more opportunities to convey something. I don’t need to “slip it in” today and ruin today’s message.

• This will not be the last blog post.
• This will not be the last essay.
• This will not be the last speech.
• This will not be the last public appearance.
• This will not be the last opportunity.

There will be many more opportunities after this one. And that is true for you, too. I don’t have to slip in the “one more thing” that I want to say. I can say that tomorrow or the day after.

If “that thing” is burning a hole inside me, say it today. Delay today’s scheduled message for tomorrow or the day after.

One message at a time. One focus at a time. Keep the message clear and clean.

by Dwayne Phillips

Earned Value management can be explained at great length (it has). Let’s try two sentences.

Some people live by earned value project management. Some people, well, not so much. There are many books and chapters written on the topic (I am one guilty author).

Let’s cut it down a bit.

1. If it took 5 days to do a task estimated at 4 days and this is repeated several times, it will take 10 days to do tasks estimated at 8 days, 15 days to do tasks estimated at 12 days, and all multiples and qoutients we can imagine.
2. If you cannot explain how you’ll do “better” in the future than in the past, #1. holds.

Some folks will claim they can improve by working 12-hour days 7 days a week instead of 8-hour days five days a week. That is merely working unpaid overtime. That doesn’t “fix” anything.

Sorry folks. Past performance usually indicates future performance. Again, sorry folks.