Working Up

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

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What About the Teachers?

February 9th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips In the past month or two, many have bemoaned the appearance of software that can write essays for students. I have yet to read concerns about software that teachers can use to write essay assignments. ChatGPT is ruining the world. Well, at least some folks think it is ruining their world. The […]

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Tags: Computing · Ethics · Machine Learning · Teaching · Technology · Writing

Worthwhile Problems?

January 26th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I see amazing solutions and advances in technology everyday. Are all these, however, solving worthwhile problems? I recently read about how persons at Nvidia created a system that modifies a live video so that the eyeballs of the person on camera point to the camera. This happens while the real eyeballs are […]

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Tags: Choose · Engineering · Problems · Solutions · Technology · Wishes

The Problem, the Solution, and Focus

January 16th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We can focus on only one thing at a time. That is part of the definition of “focus.” There are ideas for shifting focus that work pretty well. I can focus on one thing at a time. That is what “focus” means—one thing at a time. Am I focusing on the problem […]

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Tags: Problems · Process · Solutions · Technology · Tools

The Crowd Wins Again

October 20th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Folks out there in the crowd are clobbering the high-tech giants and everyone else they want to clobber. Yet another essay appears about how open-source software projects appear faster than systems produced by high-tech giants full of experts. Computing power is so inexpensive that there are many, many, many folks out there […]

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Tags: Economics · General Systems Thinking · Influence · People · Technology

A Simple and Functional Database

September 26th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Stop worrying about the next technology. Do something simple that has all the functions you need. The database. Sigh. Gosh, what is next? What is the next database technology that will solve all my problems? Requirements: Enter information. Find entered information. Read entered information. Change entered information. Solution: The ASCII text file. […]

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Tags: Analysis · Computing · Data Science · History · Record · Simple · Technology · Writing

The Clipboard and the Pencil…and Organizing the Work

July 21st, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Overwhelmed with many tasks and people? Grab a clipboard and a pencil. This one may require a clipboard with a bigger clip that has a bigger capacity than most, but the basic tools will suffice. There are too many tasks and too many people. Emails and text messages and notes from here […]

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Tags: Management · Portfolio · Resources · Simple · Technology · Tools · Work

More Data? Or More Places to Put It?

June 23rd, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We have more data today. Really? I don’t think so. We do have more places to put data, so we need to put something there. Right? I don’t know how many times I have read about all the new data we have today. The amount of data we have is BIG. The […]

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Tags: Computing · Data Science · History · Information · Technology

Modern

June 16th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips I see a trend in people using the word “modern” to describe technology. I find that unfortunate. Just this morning, I read: modern data stack modern programming practice modern machine learning modern artificial intelligence modern compilers And then I quit. I guess I am one of “those people” who expect others to […]

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Tags: Alternatives · Communication · Technology · Writing

The Lawyers and the Demise of Artificial Intelligence

June 13th, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We move forward to the 1980s when the lawyers prevented artificial intelligence (AI) from helping us do our jobs. Note: This post is about legal maneuvers that prevent helpful AI systems. It is not about AI systems that were built poorly and mimic some human tendencies to discriminate against persons illegally. Those […]

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Tags: Accountability · Artificial Intelligence · Decide · History · Technology

Free for More Meaningful Work

May 2nd, 2022 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Automation and artificial intelligence promise to take away the bane of some work and make us free for more meaningful work. Do we want that? Automation frees us from that old work that is just the same old same old. We will have time on our hands and be free for more […]

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Tags: Artificial Intelligence · People · Respect · Technology · Tools · Vocabulary · Work