Working Up

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

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Centralized vs. Disbursed

November 18th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We revisit an old tradeoff that moves to a different dimension, but retains the tradeoff. In the early 1990s, (yes, I am that old) we had about a dozen different computing systems in a laboratory. On any given day, one of the dozen would be “down” for repair. Too bad, but we […]

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Tags: Alternatives · Analysis · Choose · Decide · Security · Trust

Three More Explanations, Please

August 16th, 2021 · No Comments

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? […]

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Tags: Alternatives · Analysis · Concepts · Experiment · General Systems Thinking · Science

Question Asking

June 21st, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The skill we should be teaching and learning and using more than any other today is question asking. We live in a world where all the questions have answers. We just have to find the answers. We have the facts, the data, the everything online in front of us. It is there. […]

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Tags: Analysis · Data Science · Experiment · Learning · Questions

Standing on My Own Shoulders (?)

March 4th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I am pretty good at standing on the shoulders of others. Can I learn to stand on my own shoulders? I am pretty good at standing on the shoulders of others’. 1 Someone else works, works, and works to arrive at something. Whew. They are exhausted. 2 I read it. Aha! How […]

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Tags: Analysis · Growth · Ideas · Learning

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

Who Called First?

January 14th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Who wants whom? Who wants someone else’s attention or expertise? People tend to forget the answers. You called me. We called him. These mean something—important. We called him. We want his time, attention, expertise—we want something he has and we don’t have. The same when you call me. You want something of […]

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Tags: Analysis · Influence · Questions · Respect

Big(ger) Data

July 30th, 2020 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Some people work on big data. The rest of us find value by working on data that is bigger than we can understand without some hand-crafted tools. For about two years I worked on a BIG DATA project. Well, that is how it was touted. BIG DATA was a cool name that […]

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Tags: Analysis · Data Science · Problems · Programming · Science

Picking the Adjectives

May 18th, 2020 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The person who picks the adjectives have the power. I heard an idea. Is it a good idea? Is it a bad idea? The difference between “good” and “bad” is which adjective is attached to the noun. The person who chooses which adjective has the power. That person interpreted the idea in […]

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Tags: Analysis · Choose · Influence

Behold the Wonder of the Lip (protruding edge)

May 4th, 2020 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips There are persons and things that we don’t notice much, but who keep everything working and everyone smiling. Please notice and appreciate. lip: noun, the edge of a hollow container or an opening. “drawing her finger around the lip of the cup” Behold the wonder of the lip, that protruding edge that […]

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Tags: Analysis · Concepts · General Systems Thinking · Humility · Listening · Notice

The Logical Conclusion … Need Not Reach Its Conclusion

March 12th, 2020 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We can think to the logical conclusion of a concept. We, however, can choose not to go to that conclusions. We rarely do. The logical conclusion of free enterprise is slavery. The logical conclusion of free speech is hate. The logical conclusion of survival of the fittest is murder. Many more examples […]

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Tags: Adults · Alternatives · Analysis · Choose · Decide · Differences · Ethics