Working Up

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

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AI Assistant (Nothing New Here)

October 28th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Here come the AI assistants. They will do amazing things for us. Nothing new here. We’ve had these for decades. Nice, but not new. I’ve seen several AI assistants recently. They are usually called “agents.” Well, “agent” is shorter and easier to spell than “assistant,” so I guess that is an improvement. […]

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Tags: Artificial Intelligence · Ideas · Problems · Software · Solutions · Technology

The Most Important Processor Ever

August 26th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The most important computer processor ever made was the Intel 8087 (well, a little exaggeration). Spend more money on hardware or more money on smarts? The decision is still with us. It was 1980. Intel had just released the 8086 CPU—a computer on a chip that worked on 16 bits at a […]

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Tags: Computing · General Systems Thinking · Problems · Solutions · Technology · Thinking

Playing Checkers on the Computer

August 22nd, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We have computing power a thousand magnitudes greater than what took us to the moon and back. And we use it to play checkers. Sitting here in the coffee shop writing these blog posts, I look across the room and note someone playing checkers on their new Windows 11 computer. Also on […]

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Tags: Communication · Computing · Energy · Humility · Humor · Technology · Writing

This Isn’t a Mystery Novel

June 3rd, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Writing about technology on the job breaks just about every rule taught in creative writing classes. That is because you are writing to inform, not entertain. Sometimes I encourage others at work who are writing about technical topics. Their job is to inform. I encourage them not to entertain. All these encouragements […]

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Tags: Brevity · Clarity · Communication · Technology · Writing

Big Government Overshadowed by Industry

April 25th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips You think the US government is big and spends lots of money? It is now overshadowed by industry—especially in computing. I was an employee of the US Federal government for 28 years. We did big things in computing that cost big dollars. I once worked in a lab where we had four […]

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Tags: Artificial Intelligence · Choose · Government · History · Technology

Of Course It Works Better

April 15th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Of course software running for the thousandth time works better than some people at some tasks. It has for half-a-dozen decades. Why does this continue to surprise us? Here is a recent breath-taking story about how AI performs better than doctors at detecting a type of cancer. Of course it does. Put […]

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Tags: Artificial Intelligence · Computing · Expertise · Fatigue · Technology

Typing and Interruptions

April 11th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Reducing the time spent typing on the keyboards reduces the number of interruptions. There are new tools that reduce both. I can type fairly fast. At least I give myself credit for that. Like everyone else, I am interrupted while typing. I could estimate number of interruptions per hour or some rate […]

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Tags: Artificial Intelligence · Improvement · Mistakes · Technology · Time · Tools · Writing

Remote Sensing Is Still Difficult

April 8th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We have yet more examples showing how remote sensing is difficult. One day, we learn this well enough to anticipate it? There have been several unmanned craft land on the moon recently. That is a great accomplishment to send something to the moon and have it land soft enough to still function. […]

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Tags: Adapting · Competence · Computing · Engineering · Learning · Remote Work · Risk · Technology

The AI Pencil

February 12th, 2024 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I share an idea for a manual writing instrument that I had several decades ago. Today’s technology might be ready for it. Several decades ago, I had this idea for a pencil, pen, or white board marker. I shared the idea with a few smart folks. Nothing became of it as the […]

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Tags: Artificial Intelligence · Ideas · Meetings · Technology · Writing

The Luxury (Electric) Vehicle

November 16th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Electric vehicles have some good qualities. They are still, however, not practical as the mass consumer market shows. Darn. Don’t you hate it when facts mug a good idea? Sitting here in a coffee shop, typing blogs, sipping coffee and looking out the picture window at a clear sky, I note a […]

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Tags: Customer · Economics · Jobs · Money · Technology