text:
Tagged: hackers
How to Level Up
I regularly hear from and read about technologists in a career rut. Unless one is both lucky and adept at predicting the future, experiencing some temporary stall can happen to professionals at any career stage. It may be the feeling of being stuck in an unchallenging role, feeling burdened by an undesirable skill set, or trapped in a company that seems difficult to escape.
Career stagnation in technology could be defined as a prolonged period characterized by limited project variety, no advancement or even lateral movement, few tangible accomplishments, and little exposure to any emerging trends. Some managers are aware that workers in these situations generally leave, so the managers may proactively try to satisfy staff by shuffling teams and providing more interesting tasks. Many managers have to focus on deliverables and may give little thought to the career development of their charges, perhaps throwing money at retention problems instead of providing challenges.
To "level up" could mean a promotion into management or technical leadership, a new start at a firm with increased opportunity, a role with autonomy and decision-making responsibility, or the ability to make significant improvements to skills and marketability. People that think about the leveling up concept often know what they want (or sometimes what they don't want), but don't necessarily see the best paths to get there.
Leverage the skills you have to get the skills you want
Most professionals view their current skills as a means to getting new jobs, but it's useful to also think about skills as the key to acquiring other new skills. This tactic is most relevant when a skill set is dated and a previously strong marketability level is now questionable. Some will attempt to make a clean and immediate break from their old technologies or responsibilities into the new, usually with mixed results.
As an example, many COBOL programmers tried to enter the stronger Java job market following Y2K. Some applied to jobs with no Java experience hoping their COBOL years would be deemed transferrable, while others pursued certifications and self-study to ideally be viewed as a somewhat "experienced" hire. One overlooked strategy was to approach companies that were using both COBOL and Java in some capacity, with the understanding that the candidate was willing to write COBOL if provided the ability to also work with Java.
Most job seeking technologists have at least one ability that will help them contribute immediately to any other team or organization. It could be an obscure technical skill, leadership experience, or domain knowledge. Even if the skill is not something the person wants to use forever, it could be a key component to getting hired. Try to identify companies that may be looking for some specific expertise you can provide, even if it isn't the most attractive tool in your bag, and be transparent about your willingness to do that less desirable work in exchange for exposure to skills that are in demand.
For those in the most stagnant of technical environments, taking on independent projects or open source may be the best way to gain experience and increase marketability. It's usually preferable to learn new things on the job (because money), but being proactive about your career and keeping abreast of current marketable technologies will also show initiative to potential employers. The level up from personal projects almost always comes from an employment change.
Sometimes to level up you need to take a step back – or sideways
Careers aren't always linear, and the expectation that trajectory needs to follow a strict continuous and incremental level of responsibilities is perhaps naive and potentially dangerous. Job seekers are often prone to placing too much weight on a position's salary or (gasp) title without fully considering the position's potential opportunity as it relates to future marketability and career development. Somewhat frequent movement between jobs is accepted in our industry, so positions can be viewed as stepping stones to future opportunities.
When evaluating new roles, whether with a current employer or another firm, imagine what a three or four year tenure in that role at that company will look like on future résumés. Will the skills likely to be acquired or improved in that role be marketable and transferrable to other firms? Accepting positions that come with lateral responsibility and compensation is usually a wise long-term decision when provided a more favorable learning and growth environment.
Why You Can't Work For Google
Many new entrants to today's technology job market are obsessed with the handful of high-profile companies that set the trends in the industry, and the next generation of software engineers seem to think that the only companies worth working for are Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter, and Amazon. Software development has become both a celebrity culture (where companies and their CEOs are the stars) and an oligarchy in the eyes of recent graduates and teens, who set their sights on employment with this small number of firms. Young developers in foreign countries appear to be particularly susceptible to this hyperfocus on a tiny segment of the hiring market. If you don't know how widespread this is, I'd suggest a visit to Reddit's CS Career Questions section to see what people are asking.
When Yahoo changed their remote work policy the web exploded in debate around the value of remote employees, and the more recent news around Google dismissing GPAs, test scores and answers to Fermi questions made many tech companies reconsider their hiring procedures. Not a day passes where a piece on one of these companies doesn't hit the front page of most major news sites. A cottage industry has erupted with authors and speakers providing guides for aspiring engineers to create résumés, land interviews and answer technical questions to get jobs specifically at these companies. The focus seems to be less about becoming skilled and more about being attractive to a specific subset of employers.
These companies are glamorized amongst budding engineers much like Ivy League and top-tier schools are with high school students, and the reason you probably won't work for Google is the same reason you probably didn't go to MIT. Because they are highly selective, and they simply can't hire everyone.
Of course some of you can and perhaps will work for Google and the other companies listed here, just as some of you may have attended top universities. But the majority of
you us won't – and that's OK. Follow your dreams, but be realistic about the outcome.
So here comes the good news! Beyond Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo and Amazon, there are hundreds of awesome places to work that are highly regarded by engineers the world over, and most people outside the industry (and many inside) haven't heard of most of them. Experience with these shops, much like the above list, will get you noticed. Companies like Netflix, LinkedIn, Salesforce, eBay and GitHub are well-known but not typically mentioned in the same breath as the top celebrity firms, though they certainly could be. I'd venture that most college CS majors haven't even heard of 37signals or Typesafe, where smaller teams are doing work that is regularly recognized by the engineering community.
And again the bad news. You probably won't work for these companies either. For most of the world, these are still reach schools that employ relatively few. Although they may not be held by the general public in the same esteem as that list up top, they are incredibly selective, and most in the industry will view the difference between this group and the Googles as incredibly slim.
And now for some more good news. Beyond the lists of companies above are thousands of great places to work that I guarantee you have never heard of. These may consist of startups that fly under the radar or smaller specialized technology companies that serve a niche market. They could be the development groups for major banks or 25 year old mom and pop shops that have an established customer base and solid revenues. Game developers, ecommerce sites, consulting firms, robotics – the list goes on.
In almost every city, this group is the one that employs the overwhelming majority of engineers. This is where most of us will likely end up – a company that you will surely need to describe and explain to your parents and significant other.
In the city where I focus my business (Philadelphia) and run our Java Users' Group, we have some Googlers and I've known engineers who have worked for Amazon, Yahoo, and Apple. And I know many many others who either turned down offers or likely could have joined those companies, but chose instead to work somewhere else. Just as some students may reject the offer from the top-rated school to stay closer to home or to accept a more attractive scholarship package, many of the world's top engineers simply don't work for Google or Facebook, or anywhere else in the Valley for that matter.
Philadelphia is by no means Silicon Valley, yet there is a fairly robust startup scene and a large number of software shops that are doing valuable work. Over the past 15 years I've worked with hundreds of Philly companies to hire engineering talent, and 99% of these places would be unknown to the typical developer. I almost always have to describe my clients to potential candidates, as most of these shops have not built a reputation yet, and these are firms ranging from 20 to perhaps 20,000 employees. And the vast majority of them are great environments for technologists where developers work alongside at least a few top engineers that could (and some that did) pass the entrance requirements for the Googles and Facebooks of the world.
All the great engineers in the world aren't in the Valley, and they don't all work for Google. This fact is obvious to most, but fewer than I'd expected and hoped. If that is the goal, go after it. The rest of us will be here if it doesn't work out.
Job Tips For GEEKS: The Job Search DRM-free ebook is available for just $2.99 – more info here.
Alternative Jobs For Bored Web/App Developers
I've recently seen a spate of engineers declaring boredom and/or dissatisfaction with their current roles and responsibilities, which leads them to openly question what options are available. Perhaps building accounting software products or maintaining the web presence of an insurance firm just isn't inspiring you to get out of bed anymore. This problem isn't unique to the software industry (and based on a 2003 Joel On Software post, not necessarily new), but whenever a professional invests years of their life getting an education and honing their skills, it can be daunting to think that the time was somewhat wasted.
Thankfully, if you are losing your passion for typical web or software development, your training and experience have at least in part prepared you for several alternative roles that perhaps you have not considered. It seems that frustrated developers tend to weigh their options as stay in development or leave the industry, without considering the fact that these other alternatives exist. If the source of discontentment is tied to the role of app or web dev work (and not the overall tech industry), there are some relatively new roles that have become more in demand that may satisfy the itch you have.
This information may also be useful to new entrants into the market and grads that are wondering what they can do with their computer science degree other than just stereotypical development roles.
Here are some examples (some have crossover and similarity):
Performance Engineer – This role isn't about building a product, but rather improving speed, scalability and reliability. Performance engineers may be thinking about databases or monitoring tools one day and hardware or operating systems the next. It is a highly technical and specialized role with increasing market demand.
QA Automation Engineer – QA is one discipline that seems to have gone through some significant changes over the course of my career (15 years). In the late 90's, QA meant large teams of manual testers and high demand mostly attributed to the Y2K scare (history lesson for the young). At some point thereafter it became the norm to outsource QA overseas, making QA a lost art in the US and thus making QA talent significantly harder to find. Over the past couple years, there seems to be some resurgence of demand for QA to be performed domestically, and hires typically will be expected to have some automation and scripting experience.
DevOps Engineer – This is another role that has been growing due to the number of shops that like to deploy frequently. As the trend in delivery will not be changing anytime soon, the ability to automate the process will continue to be in demand.
Configuration, Release, or Build Manager/Engineer – As the look of development teams has progressed from crowded shops to remote employees, combined with the popularity of cloud-based computing, the concept of configuration management is changing. Demand for talent in these areas is relatively steady.
Embedded Systems and Firmware Engineer – Although the transition from your typical app or web developer position may be a bit more complex, one should expect growth in embedded systems to continue as the variety and sheer number of devices continues to increase. The concepts of ubiquitous computing and the Internet of Things are getting one step closer to reality every day, and engineering talent with a unique set of skills will be required.
Project Manager, Technical Writer, Business Analyst – Having a coding background can make the move into any of these jobs a bit easier, and your appreciation for development should maximize your shot at being successful.
Before abandoning the years you have invested in learning how to code, consider whether or not you may be happy in a different role that enables you to reuse many of the skills you have already developed.
My ebook Job Tips For Geeks: The Job Search has been released and is now available in most formats. See the book page for details.
How to (Partially) Control Your Technical Interview
Generally speaking, when you walk into an interview you are at the mercy of the interviewers. Although you may be given some general information regarding the interview format and probably have an idea about the questions or exercises you may encounter, there are endless possibilities on the topics you may be asked about over a two or three hour session.
As was stated before, any item on your résumé is fair game, so one way to potentially avoid queries on unfamiliar topics is to keep those words off your résumé. Regardless of what is or isn't on your résumé, it is quite likely that you will be asked questions pertaining to subjects that are not within your areas of expertise. Trying to fully eliminate the exposure of certain vulnerabilities is an exercise in futility, but there is one rather effective method to at least attempt to mitigate the risks.
There is an increasing trend in the technical hiring world for employers to request firm evidence of a candidate's abilities that go beyond what a traditional résumé includes. For programmers, this typically can be achieved through a code sample. Front-end designers and developers may be expected to show off some UI or website that they built, and architects may be asked to share documents. Mobile developers may hear this more than any other group, and are routinely asked "Do you have any apps available?" as part of the vetting process.
One way to partially control the content and direction of your interview is to provide interviewers a work sample that will presumably become a point of discussion. This will turn what could be a technical interrogation into a version of show and tell. Even if the exchange about your sample only takes fifteen minutes, that is fifteen minutes of the interview where you hopefully will shine, and it is fifteen minutes less time for the interviewers to delve into other topics that are probably less familiar.
To employ this tactic, be sure to make it known at some point early in the process that you have samples of your work for review by request. A GitHub link at the top of your résumé, a URL to download your mobile app, or a link to sites that you developed are much more graceful than large file attachments. You can choose to extend an invitation to view these projects as early as your résumé submission, and when scheduling the interview you can express your willingness to discuss the projects in more detail and offer to bring a laptop with samples.
Independently volunteering to show representations of what you have produced will give an employer the impression that you are both willing and able to demonstrate the quality of your work. That act makes the applicant appear more open and trustworthy than someone who hesitates when asked for some samples. Recruiters and hiring managers alike will welcome résumé submissions that are accompanied by additional supporting evidence of a candidate's abilities.
When you enter the interview, you can mention that you brought samples to show if the team is interested in seeing your work. This will typically be received quite positively and could lead to a deep dive into familiar territory.
This post is an excerpt from the recently released ebook Job Tips For GEEKS: The Job Search, available to purchase from Amazon. A sample from the iBook in PDF format can be found here.
The Engineer's Engineer
Lately I've seen quite a few requests for advice from younger programmers, asking questions either directly to me or in public forums about a career decision they are being faced with that is causing some level of stress. Reddit's r/cscareerquestions is a hotbed for this type of activity, and you might see the occasional similar post on Hacker News. After 15 years in business, I'm quite comfortabel providing insight on the potential benefits and drawbacks of say, taking a job doing mostly Python versus a position exclusively using a rarely seen proprietary language and platform, or accepting a pure technical management position versus staying more hands-on.
Generally, I want to tell all these people the same thing. If you really enjoy the work and want to be successful in the business for a long time, you should try to make decisions, think like, and become an engineer's engineer.
I know quite a few people I'd describe as an engineer's engineer, and most of them have some gray hairs or are young but sound like a throwback to times past. Fortunately, some less experienced developers are benefitting from being able to work alongside someone in this category, who are more often that not open to mentoring and showing the way. As a recruiter I look at and treat these engineers like gold, as they are the types that any of my clients would want to hire – plus they tend to teach me new stuff in every conversation.
Who is the engineer's engineer?
- Utility player – In baseball, it wasn't uncommon in the early years for players to play several positions. Specialization has happened in baseball to the point where there are now pitchers who only pitch in the 9th inning. Similarly, software development shops are now often filled with segmented roles for build engineers, dev ops, QA, architects, performance engineers, database developers, etc. The engineer's engineer is a utility player that can jump in almost anywhere, and doesn't see the demarcation as a boundary that cannot be crossed. Little is considered beyond the scope, and they will not want to silo themselves into a singular function.
- Initiative – If they see something that is broken, they fix it. Will automating a task make our lives easier? If so, let's do it, and only ask permission when absolutely necessary. This requires some level of autonomy.
- Technical integrity – By this I mean that an engineer's engineer will have some opinions about decisions being made (if this person isn't calling the shots) and will make that opinion known when there is disagreement. Instead of just saying an idea is bad, an alternate solution will be given. This is the desire to do things correctly over taking short cuts, which is likely to conflict with the business at times.
- Can't be bought with money or title – This group will never take a job purely based on salary or rate, and are driven by the ability to solve interesting problems and work with a strong team. Job title means absolutely nothing. In my experience, most engineers factor money heavily in job decisions and sacrifice a better career move or additional job satisfaction for what amounts to a difference of $2.00 an hour. If you've chosen a job based on a 5K salary difference, this is you.
- Sharing – The engineer's engineer wants to share, whether it be information on how and why they arrived at a particular solution, their favorite tools, or anecdotes about past projects. This is based on a combination of pride in their work and interest in teaching others. Open source is often a part of this equation, where there is a desire to share your solution for the outside world to see and use.
- No limitations – The engineer's engineer doesn't want to have the toolset options defined and thrives in an environment where they have autonomy over what will be on their machine. Having a company mandated IDE or OS will be a turn-off, as will any roadmap listing few acceptable tech options. Heavy bureaucracy, regulation, or barriers to being able to solve problems are an issue. The shop ideally will be engineering-friendly.
- No personality conflict, less ego – Of course, many strong programmers (and some weak ones) have quite a bit of ego about what they do. The engineer's engineer does not come across as overly self-important, and can be more humble than those much less-skilled. This group isn't alway the most friendly or popular person on the team, but is never the most hated.
- Lack of zealotry – Even though they want to use the best tools, they understand that their weapon of choice might not be appropriate in all situations. This group knows there are no silver bullets, and laugh when others get overly religious about the new hotness. Technology and new products excite them, but they are unlikely to get a tattoo of the latest JavaScript library.
- Movement – This group wants things to be progressively moving forward with few delays. Low latency in their process and little downtime at work.
- Has the back of team members – Solidarity among other engineers is their goal, and they tend to stay above or away from the drama of interoffice politics. They are there to solve technical problems, and have no interest in gossip or attacks on others.
- Know that they are not their code – These people can separate a technical criticism from a personal attack.
- Doesn't need to be a leader – They are often more happy when they are not in charge, and are not instinctively driven to tell others what to do.
Note: In thinking about and doing some mid-article research for this piece, I came across Paul Graham's 2004 piece Great Hackers which identifies some of the same traits listed here as being shared with hackers. The hackers he describes should share the workplace desires and drive as the engineer's engineer, but may not always have the same personality or behavioral traits.
If you found this post useful, you may find my ebook Job Tips For GEEKS: The Job Search even more helpful. You can follow Job Tips For Geeks on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
The Dangers of Book Learnin'
Today's software professional is under constant pressure to maintain a high skill level with an ever-changing palette of languages and tools, and the fear of potentially becoming somewhat irrelevant can be daunting. Those that do not keep up with industry trends and movements are at some risk of losing marketability, but even those that do closely follow tech news need to make choices on which skills to pursue (time permitting), which to ignore, and what methods to use in the pursuit.
The first instinct to learn something new would naturally be to find some good resources online and perhaps acquire a couple books. You can find presentation slides and videos, articles and blog posts, and even attend live meetups or conferences in addition to your reading. Over the years I have seen hundreds of engineers (accomplished and junior) that invest an extraordinary amount of time to reading about different languages and tools, many of which they may never even get to use professionally. Some even read with the goal of some certification, which they feel will demonstrate mastery of a new skill.
I have also come to know another group of technologists who are inclined to learning in a different manner. This group starts off with some amount of reading as well, which might be limited to the product documentation and a quick tutorial, and then immediately transition into a more hands-on approach. Once they have a basic understanding of a language or tool, they actually try to build something.
As a recruiter, I have had candidates do a quick study on a new language (used by the potential employer) and throw together some common interview coding problem or even a simple app in a GitHub repo. As a Java user group leader, I have had presenters build small apps to help familiarize themselves with a framework they will be describing to others, and then demo the app live. The offer to present could be "I think X looks pretty cool. I've read about it but haven't used it yet, but I'll build something and present on my experience with X. I can be ready in a month."
It appears that many technologists are very comfortable with the reading portion of learning, but focus there too long and never get around to creating something. This seems to be common for some college graduates, who obtain a wealth of classroom experience but very little time spent doing. Even if what you build is entirely useless to the world, your creation has value. Learning by doing is not a new concept, so the educational value is obvious. What other value is there?
Marketability and interview advantage
I was prompted to write this post about book learning when I was reviewing my recruiting placements for the past year. The developers I've helped into new jobs over the past year have (with few exceptions) had one thing in common – a portfolio of products and code. This was rarely the case ten or even five years go, but today it has become the norm. The Android and iOS developers I've placed had at least one app available for download. Web developers were able to demonstrate sites with accompanying code samples. Even the programmers who focused on back end had something to show in interviews.
The biggest example of the value of 'learning by doing' and a portfolio is probably exemplified by the mobile app space. It's hard to sell yourself as a mobile developer if you don't have any mobile app to show, and "Do you have an app?" is probably the first question mobile devs will be asked. Software developers in most other areas are usually not subject to or judged on this direct a question. Put simply, mobile developers know that in most cases having an available app makes you more marketable.
Programmers who work in more secure environments, such as those who build defense systems or financial software, often find it impossible to produce a work sample when seeking new employment. Without being able to show your past work and with no personal projects, these candidates are much more liable to be subjected to a language interrogation and the game show style of interviews that many job seekers dread. Marketability may be more tied to experience and somewhat arbitrary measurements of skill instead of demonstrable accomplishment for these candidates.
Interview advantage
Having a portfolio gives an interviewee a distinct advantage, in that the interviewee has at least some control over the topics that will arise. Walk into an interview empty-handed and the possibilities for question topics are endless, and chances are you won't have endless answers. If a candidate brings a work sample to an interview, it will almost certainly be included in the discussion, and one would hope that the code's author should fare better on questions regarding that sample than on questions on random topics. Even average developers should see performance improvement in interviews when the topic is their own code.
Read enough to get going, then build something. Don't worry about whether your something is going to change the world. Save what you build, and occasionally look back and improve upon it. Bring what you build to interviews, and practice talking about your creations.
If you found this post useful, you may find my ebook Job Tips For GEEKS: The Job Search even more helpful. You can also follow Job Tips For Geeks on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
Indicators of Talent (and Heuristics) for Software Engineers
A recent Hacker News post by a man named Andrew was voted to the front page and received over 50 comments (as of my post). The post was called Ask HN: Would you hire me?, and Andrew specified that he was talking about a junior level position.
He provided the following details about himself:
- 28 years old with a Finance Degree from a non-Ivy league school
- Spent the last two years living overseas teaching English and learning to code
- Fairly well versed in html, css, javascript, and PHP
He also included links to his:
- GitHub – handful of repos, 7 months as a member, pretty active over the last quarter
- Stack Overflow profile – 521 reputation, top 37% this quarter, 16 badges
- Blog – Attractive UI, 7 overall posts (a few with some code), with the highlight being details of a Chrome extension he built and demonstrates in a video
Andrew received a fair amount of positive feedback, and not one single poster gave a 'you are not hirable' response. No CS degree, no professional experience, yet a highly technical audience were either mostly positive and at worst neutral on hiring (considering is more accurate) this potential applicant. Only a couple responders mentioned looking at the one project he listed, and none referenced the quality of his code samples on his blog or GitHub, so we might assume that no one even bothered to look at his code. Interesting.
Part of the explanation for the positive response is undoubtedly the makeup of the Hacker News crowd, which does not include a large contingent of HR reps from large companies who control a great deal of the hiring decisions. Place this resume and story on Monster or Dice, and I expect that Andrew would receive responses from less than a quarter of his viewers. Possibly less than a tenth.
I admit, if I were to see this candidate's resume (assuming it reflected the details he put on HN), I would absolutely want to speak to him. The clients I represent, which are mostly startup and early stage software companies, are more representative of the HN crowd (at least in terms of evaluating engineers) than most larger companies. And even if I did not have a great opportunity for him today, I would think that a few years down the road he will be someone that I'd want to represent.
What is it about this candidate with no experience and no highly relevant education that gets our attention? Of the details we have about Andrew, how many could have impacted my decision to speak to him?
When evaluating talent and the decision whether or not to interview a candidate for a software job, I must rely on several attributes that have historically been attached to quality talent that were successful in receiving job offers from my clients.
Let's break it down.
28 years old with a Finance Degree from a non-Ivy league school – Most readers, including myself, probably didn't give this any thought. His degree in finance should indicate some math background, and if he had listed his specific school that would have had an impact. Although most might be reluctant to mention it, the age demographic is probably a positive based on the industry, as he obviously has some life experience and maturity but will not fall prey to any old dog/new tricks bias.
Spent the last two years living overseas teaching English and learning to code – Teaching any subject to any students is valuable experience for almost any profession, and should indicate some level of communication skills. The international aspect adds a bit more interesting background than if he were teaching domestically. Some who chose to speak to Andrew may have been strongly influenced by the oversas aspect, as this could also show some willingness to face risk and change.
Fairly well versed in html, css, javascript, and PHP. Just getting started with Ruby – His claim of being 'well versed' is only a self-assessment, but that could be at least somewhat validated (or invalidated) by anyone taking a look at his blog's source or GitHub account. This at least indicates that he is learning technologies that will give him some marketability based on demand for these skills. We may question Andrew's choices if he were learning a less popular skill.
GitHub, Stack Overflow, and Blog – For those that make decisions about technical talent, the fact that Andrew has both a GitHub and Stack Overflow account is probably more of an indicator of possible talent than what is actually in the accounts. Most candidates in my experience don't have a GitHub/Bitbucket or SO account, but those who do have accounts are historically more successful with my clients than those who don't. The attractive blog and few technical posts are yet another indicator, showing some passion as well as the ability to articulate his ideas in writing.
What other details may have led to the decision of HN readers or people like me who would at least want to speak to Andrew?
He reads Hacker News – Even if he isn't a senior developer, he at least appears to have spent some time in one community where they frequent.
He comes across as modest and doesn't appear to feel entitled – You don't see anywhere in Andrew's post a reference to how awesome he is or how he is 'kicking CSS's ass on a daily basis'. His responses to feedback are very positive, grateful, and polite. The choice of 'well versed' over some other terms that may be linked to overconfidence was wise. Andrew also will not be accused of sounding entitled to a great dev job, and on the contrary he comes across as someone who knows he has to earn it. Perhaps that is a function of his lack of a CS degree, but either way he appears to be taking the right approach.
He's already creating product – Although he is only early on in his tech studies, Andrew has a product on the market that you can find in the Chrome Web Store that you can download. There are developers with 20 years of experience that haven't built any of their own tools or products yet, but this guy is two years in and has that mindset. Some may question how great (or even good) a product someone at this level of experience could build, but the desire to produce and distribute a tool is something that perhaps can't be taught.
Note: Other indicators I use regularly include:
- Past employers – Some companies frankly have a higher standard of hiring
- Technical hobbies – Arduino, build robots, or create things at home
- Speaking or writing – Presentations and publications are usually strong indicators
- Tool choice – What blogging platform or operating system you run at home
- User group and meetup – Shows interest and passion
Conclusion: Hiring managers and recruiters are making quick decisions to interview and consider candidates, and as demonstrated by this HN post it seems that there are several recognized indicators of possible talent. For job seekers, you may want to display links to your accounts prominently, and highlight details such as independent product development.
Of course, these indicators are not perfect. I, too, have a GitHub and Stack Overflow account and a blog that covers technology (and I even run one of the best Java Users' Groups in the world) – but I don't write code. Readers of HN should not hire me.
Discuss here or on Hacker News.
If you found this post useful, you may find my ebook Job Tips For GEEKS: The Job Search even more helpful. You can also follow Job Tips For Geeks on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.


text:
February 26th, 2013
Angelina Jolie teams with Coen brothers for 'Unbroken'
Angelina Jolie's upcoming adaptation of "Unbroken" is going to have Coen brothers flair.
The filmmaking duo have been brought on board to rewrite Laura Hillenbrand's story of Olympian and World War II POW Louis Zamperini, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Hillenbrand's recount of Zamperini's astounding resilience and heroism turned "Unbroken" into a best-seller when it was published in 2010.
Although Ethan and Joel Coen are known for directing and producing their own screenwriting, in this case its Jolie who sits at the helm. The actress and fairly new director was said to be fairly picky when it came to choosing writers for her second directorial feature, which she signed on to in December.
"[Zamperini] is a true hero and a man with an immense humanity, faith and courage," Jolie said at the time. "I am deeply honored to have the chance to tell his inspiring story."
Jolie will also produce along with Matthew Baer and Erwin Stoff.
soundoff (6 Responses)
Post a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
About this blog
Our daily cheat-sheet for breaking celebrity news, Hollywood buzz and your pop-culture obsessions.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Remember the guy who was born without a penis? Well,
Andrew Wardle's back
and rejoicing in the fact he'll have a full-fledged pecker in his pants come summer, when surgeons take the skin from his arm and form a "wired up," fully functional penis.
As you may remember, his lack of a penis hasn't kept him from playing the field: He claims he's slept with over 100 women. But as you might imagine, not all of them were happy.
The 39-year-old had some interesting stories to tell about his dating past, which you can only imagine has been peppered with some tales of member-less woe.
More From Cosmopolitan
Wardle, whose bladder formed outside of his body causing his predicament, said one women got so mad when he told her he wasn't packing anything downstairs, she literally punched him. "I guess she was angry as she felt like I had lied but it's not something you can say right away," the Brit told the hosts of U.K's "This Morning."
This obviously wasn't the most sensitive way to deal with the disappointment of finding out your boyfriend couldn't fulfill your needs (or at least the ones you had in mind), but imagine yourself in Andrew's (ex) girlfriend's stilletos. Things are going great, you're about to get busy, and—POOF! No penis. I'm not sure it's grounds for knocking the poor guy out, but it must have sucked to be down a penis.
And now the mystery woman is also, obviously, down a boyfriend: Andrew reports he's in a happy, supportive relationship with a woman named Frieda who will be able to reap the rewards of his newfound arm penis after this summer and a round of three surgeries. Sounds like a very happy—and sexy—ending!
Want more sexy stories from Carson? Follow her on Twitter.


text:
I am selling at Artisans on Second, 175 S Second St, Hamilton, MT 59840 - 406.961.9600 Visit Facebook aMontanaView on Facebook Please leave comments! You can also email me at firstname.lastname@example.com. About me: I live south of Missoula, Montana on the west side of the Bitterroot valley. Many of my photos are taken here in western Montana, but also around the world. I love being outdoors. I hike, bike, fish, hunt, ski and ALWAYS take photos. I use a Canon 7D and 5D Mark III (with a few lenses and tripods) and shoot in RAW. I process my photos into JPG with Adobe Lightroom with as few adjustments as possible.
Trico - Piko Day on the Bitterroot River
Jack fished for pike this fall on one of his day's off. Turns out, the trico fishing was great too, but we had our sights set for pike. Of course we took photos of pike and their habitat, and of birds, mountains, our puppy, etc. The Kootenai Fire is burning in the Bitterroot Mountains. You can see the smoke in some of the photos. For a story about the day, see our Wapiti Waters Blog. See who, what, when, how and why one fishes for pike.Read More


text:
I have a giant greasy grin on my face right now. It's not just because I'm on my second pot of coffee for the morning; the main reason is Gitaroo Man Lives for the PSP. The PS2 version of this little-known but critically atheyppreciated game was produced in low numbers in the United States, making it an almost instant cult hit and collector's item. I lucked into a copy and fell in love with the story of a boy named U-1, his talking dog, and a guitar that turned them both into superheroes. Okay, so the story is weird, but the songs are all intensely catchy and fun. In fact I learned how to play most of them on a real guitar, and the love song U-1 plays in front of the fire is still a hit at parties. iNiS went on to make Elite Beat Agents after the Japanese Osu! Tatakae! Oendan, so you start to get a sense of their mastery of this genre.
Gitaroo Man Lives has an interesting control scheme. You have a dot in the middle of the screen, and when you push the analogue nub in any direction it turns into a cone you have to use to follow a moving, twisting line while pumping the buttons in time with the guitar strums. In defense mode you have to hit the face buttons in order to deflect shots fired at you by the enemies. You fight using the power of rock, in other words. It takes a little getting used to; it's a hard game, and the premise isn't as intuitive as other games in this genre. The well-done tutorial will get you comfortable with the gameplay very quickly though, and once you start there will be no turning back until you've beaten the game. It's that good.
This is on the PSP, sure, but I would never consider actually playing this when I'm outside of my house. I put on my ear-goggles, crank the sound, and I'm bobbing my head as I play; each song gets stuck in my head and I just have to move with it. Sure, it's dorky, but you can't tell me that "Born to be Bone" isn't one of the catchier songs you've heard in a while, inside or outside of a game. Each level consists of a song and the enemy that matches it, making each level something of a boss fight. The graphics and animations aren't quite as out there as Elite Beat Agents, but they are colorful and easy to follow as you play the game. Having a background that is fun to watch and doesn't distract you from the action in a rhythm game is important, and Gitaroo Man Lives nails it. Plus this game features one of my favorite bosses in all of gaming: Ben-K. After the initial chase he even transforms into Mecha Ben-K. Just like I do.
This is one of the rare games that really uses the PSP's controls to their fullest. The analog nub works great as you follow the moving line to play the songs, and the face buttons are all responsive and crisp. I never felt like the controls were fighting me. It's great that a wider audience can enjoy this game, and there are even two new songs in Duel Mode. The whole thing is over quicker than I would have liked, but there is some replayability in trying to get a higher score on each song and better your prior grade. If you have even a little interest in rhythm games, you have to give this a try. You'll get sucked in, and you'll be online looking for the soundtrack in minutes.
Verdict: Buy
Price: $39.99
System: PSP
Developer and Publisher: KOEI
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Other recent minireviews:


text: My family drives a lot as we live between 2 homes. During the week we live in Brooklyn NYC and during the weekends we live 90 miles North of NYC in the township of Rhinebeck Upstate NY. To break that down, on a good day, it is a 2 hour drive each way. But, when traffic is bad it has been known to take 5 hours for us to get from one to another.


text:
Take a stroll down memory lane and recall how many EPDs you had to contend with back in the day when they were a relatively new management tool. Only four or five, right? – birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, carcass and milk.
Nowadays, you have 15 or more EPDs to sort through as you try to make bull-buying decisions. "We've got a lot of data to make selection decisions on. At times, I would argue it's a tad bit overwhelming," says Mark Enns, Colorado State University geneticist.
But not all is lost. So, before you spend so much time longing for the good old days that you forget to bid, Enns has a few suggestions.
"Our perspective in the past has been that more EPDs for more traits allow us to better characterize the genetic potential of animals," Enns says. "That's not always the case because often, with this ever-increasing list of traits, we have several EPDs that are related to the same thing we're interested in improving."
Herd Resource: MARC Releases 2012 Across-Breed EPD Table
For example, a birth weight EPD and a calving ease EPD. They're getting at the same thing, Enns says, and because of the mathematical calculations used to calculate EPDs, he says you can make a less accurate decision by using both of them rather than using the one that's economically relevant.
Enns defines an economically relevant trait as one that affects the bottom line in some way. "If we change it and it increases our cost, decreases our cost or changes our income, that's an economically relevant trait."
The other trait, then, is called an indicator trait. "Those are the things that are typically easy to measure that allow us to add accuracy to our EPDs," he says.
A Closer Look: Study Up Before Bidding Up That Bull
"So from the standpoint of calving ease, we measure birth weight because it's related to whether we have to assist a calf being born. So birth weight is an indicator trait." Calving ease, on the other hand, is the economically relevant trait. Birth weight doesn't explain everything, he says. It's an important component of whether or not a cow calves unassisted, but it's not the only one.
"The other thing you've got to remember is that the more things you select for, the slower your rate of progress of any one of those." So by ignoring the indicator traits and focusing on the economically relevant traits, you can lessen the confusion and make faster progress. "So there's a balancing act we need to apply to make the most rapid progress we can in the traits that really influence our profitability."


text:
The Americas
Egypt and Paraguay
Egypt and Paraguay established diplomatic relations in 1959, on non - resident basis on the part of Egypt while Paraguay has a resident Embassy.
Egypt and Ecuador
Egypt is highly regarded by the government and people of Ecuador due to its active role on the international and regional arenas, as well as its great history and diverse culture.
Egypt and Venezuela
The relations between Egypt and Venezuela are deep and rich and have spanned over 60 years since the year 1950.
Egypt and Cuba
The bilateral diplomatic relations started with the launching of the Egyptian commission in Havana, in the year 1958. The level of diplomatic representation was raised and the Egyptian embassy was opened in the year 1959.


text:
Every morning, the fine folks at Sports Radio Interviews sift through the a.m. drive-time chatter to bring you the best interviews with coaches, players, and personalities across the sports landscape. Today: Avery Johnson says Brooklyn is "top three or four" in the East right now.
Avery Johnson joined WFAN in New York with Moose and Kim to discuss the signing of Deron Williams, if he was nervous Williams wouldn't be back, the 1-2 punch at the guard position, where the Nets stand in the Eastern Conference and if the team is done tinkering with its roster.
How happy are you to have Deron Williams signed?
"We're really excited. When we first made this trade for Deron and got him from Utah when nobody knew what was going on, I was just so excited when Billy brought this to my attention and told me this was really, really possible. He's been with us for a year and a half. We know it's been two years of playing not so great basketball, mixed with injuries and transitioning over to Brooklyn, but we feel like now is our time."
How concerned were you that he might not be a Net going forward?
"I think the key, two key words, we were concerned but confident. That's pretty much the way it is. I always thought we had an 80 percent chance of retaining Deron and he was going to resign. But the 20 percent, you're still concerned. Nothing's perfect and nothing's 100 percent. But I felt, with the relationship that we had with Deron and we built and the amount of quality time we spent together behind the scenes and the vision we laid out for him. … The trade for Joe Johnson I thought really solidified our vision. … Everything that we told Deron, we feel that we've proven in terms of our commitment to winning and our commitment to spending money."
Talk about that 1-2 guard punch of Williams and Johnson:
"It's really exciting. Whenever you have guards that have size, you can't teach size. … Once they have size and athleticism and length, you can do so much defensively with those guys. And they're experienced. Offensively, when you have guys that can dribble, pass and shoot, and they're not weak in any of those areas, it makes your offense that much more versatile. And versatility is the name of the game right now."
Where do you think the Nets stand in the landscape of the Eastern Conference?
"On paper, we're one of the top three or four teams right now in the Eastern Conference. And that's a big jump for us. But obviously we've got to put in the necessary work and training camp and see how it all comes together. But we feel we catapulted ourselves. The Celtics experienced this years ago, and obviously they were catapulted to where they won the NBA Championship. … But they pretty much went from worst to first. … We have that opportunity. We understand that Miami is the reigning Eastern Conference and NBA champs and Indiana is really, really good and who knows what's going to happen with the Bulls if Derrick Rose is healthy? But we're at least in the conversation. We have not been in the conversation over the last two or three years."
Do you think the organization is done tweaking the lineup or will we see more?
"We still have some work to do. Whenever you talk about building a championship team - which we've talked about from Day One - it's all about team. That's the key word. We still have some work to do with our roster. We still have some key guys that we have to get signed. … We still have some work to do. Billy is working around the clock. He's probably averaging about an hour and a half's worth of sleep these days. We're in constant communication. … We've come very far but we still have some moves to make."
This post, written by Eric Schmoldt, appears courtesy of Sports Radio Interviews. For the complete highlights of the interview, as well as audio, click here.
More from Sports Radio Interviews
• Chauncey Billups says there are no egos on the Clippers.
• Chris Kaman wanted to play with Dirk, and some other dudes.
• Bobby Bowden hopes he would have handled the PSU scandal better than Joe Paterno did.


text:
On Monday I talked about how I've gotten much better at asking for what I want in my marriage. I'm not saying I'm perfect all the time, but after almost ten years together, I've learned a trick or two. (Or ten. I'm a writer. Do you really think I'm going to stop at just a few tips? Ooooh, and speaking of good tips - this is a sex column after all - rest assured that I'm much better about asking for what I want in bed also. But that's Friday's post.)
Top 10 Things I Do (And Don't Do) to Get Satisfaction in My Marriage
1. Stop worrying about having to ask for what I need. While some men might be better at nurturing than Rex, they might not have other things in spades that my husband has, such as honesty, integrity, stability and the most loving father on the planet.
More From Good Housekeeping
2. Forgive Rex for not being a a mind reader. You'd think with all his sci-fi watching he'd have developed some husband chip to understand my every wish. But alas, such is not the case. But I'm still hopeful.
3. Accept that we don't have everything in common. He likes gardening, cooking and camping. I adore thrifting, eating out and city life. Instead of fighting it, compromise and use it as a chance to experience new things. (Yes, even the new Guild War games. I should be nominated for Sainthood.)
4. Acknowledge that we will never be that couple in church who look longingly into each others' eyes, giggling over the collection plate. Given that he doesn't attend mass with me, this makes it easier to accept. Here's someone else who knows something about this subject.
5. Thank him for the little things he does simply to make me happy. Examples: Bringing me coffee in bed, going to dinner parties with me, clearing the table.
6. Thank him for the things that he does that come natural to him, for his happiness ultimately ensures my contentment. (I sound like Donna Reed, I know, but it's true. And it makes another reed in the family super happy... wink wink.)
7. Stop taking stuff so personally. While his brutal honesty can sting, I also know that his compliments are sincere. Example: Last night's salad dressing was "too salty", but I looked "hot" in my paint stained tank top. That works for me.
8. Email him important dates. Note: Would it be great if he instinctively remembered on his own? Sure. When I can replace that portion of his brain with some other man's, I'll let you know. Meanwhile, thank heavens for Outlook.
9. Give him sex on a regular basis. 'Nuf said.
10. Love him for who he is, not who he isn't.
And perhaps most important - especially on PMS days when I'm convinced he is the biggest ass on the planet, I give you #11:
Do you have anything to add to my list?


text:
Jump to Content
I. Correspondence, 1915-1970,
Outgoing, 1932, 1953, 1963-1970
Letters in regards to publishing & other literary activity, A-Z, 1915,1939-1963
Letters from friends and fans, A-Z, 1915-1968
Fan mail redirected from radio KFRC after reading of "The Constant Heart", Feb 1932
Unknown, 1939-1963, n.d.
Biographical notes by Mrs. Archer
Finance, contracts & other legal documents, 1914-1955
Newspaper Articles about K.R.A., 1931-1962
Ephemera, 1933, n.d.
Douglas Archer Sr., Opera programs and clippings, 1907, 1910, 1922
Douglas Archer Jr. and his family, Correspondence to his parents, 1942-1963
Clubs and Societies:
Poets of the Pacific, programs, journal, certificate of merit, 1941, 1943
California Writer's Club, roster, 1951
California Federation of Chaparral Poets, certificate
The Poetry Society of America, Bulletin, Dec 1944, Feb-Mar, May 1953, Dec 1956, May 1963
Technical Adult School, Oakland, printed copy of "Original Poems by Class in Poetry and Verse, 1948-1949
Dominican Grammar School, Collection of student poems, 1949,1951-1952
Poetry Workshop:
Incoming & outgoing correspondence, 1955
Notes, publicity drafts, newspaper clippings, blank contest entry form
Programs and announcements for lectures and readings, 1936, 1953,n.d.
V. Manuscripts, [1927]-1967,
Source material; newspaper clippings of stories & publisher information, 1934-1966
"Afternoon in a park, Bad Sassendorff, Germany, and other works", 1967
"Broadcast script", KYA, corrected & annotated typescript, Jun 1949
"Bus Trip", set of 3 poems, typescript, n.d.
"Call Frae the Heather":
Corrected typescript (poems were broadcasted over KYA), n.d.
Corrected and edited scripts for a dramatic reading, 1936
"Coffee Shop", corrected typescripts, Oct 1946, n.d.
"Epicure Evening", Handmade pamphlet of poems and sketches in a menu, n.d.
"For One Who Stayed", poems, typescript, n.d.
"Frae the Heather" broadcast outlines of Scottish songs, typescripts, Nov 1949
"The Gipsy in Me", collection of stories, corrected typescript, [1927]
"Growth", poem which received a Browning Society Award, 1962
"Harvest of War", corrected typescript, n.d.
"Make Straight the Way", corrected typescripts, n.d.
"My Son Enlist", a poem, corrected typescript, n.d.
"Night Clerk Western Union", corrected typescript, n.d.
"Persimmon Harvest", incomplete set of poems, and receipts, 1954
"Personality", writing of nine different human personalities [by K.R.A ?], n.d.
"Return Freight", narrative picture poem, corrected typescript, 1934
"Roses and Fire: Lyrics", corrected typescript, n.d.
"Saga of Service: For City Hospitals Everywhere", 3 corrected typescripts
"Seeing the World at One and Three Fifty Cents per Mile: 8000 miles for 1.22 dollars", article sent to N.Y. Post, typescript, 1931
"Tumbleweed Trail", 2 corrected typescripts and notes, 1936
"Song of a Little Brother", complete and incomplete typescript sets, corrected
Single poems by title, A-Z, typed and hand written versions
Untitled groups of poems, corrected and uncorrected typescripts
Untitled poems, drafts
Short stories and essays by title, B-W
Story and essay fragments, outlines
Speeches; "Child Poetry Lines and Laughter", "Old Songs and New", "Poetry Day 1953", "Shakespeare and Stratford Today", "These are Scots"
Score for "The Gray Ship", music and words by K.R.A, scripted by hand, n.d.
Notebook, contains drafts for poems, addresses, and misc. notes
VI. Printed Material, 1934-1960,
Galley proofs:
"Frae the Heather", 2 corrected copies
"Petals of the Guelred-Rose", 3 corrected copies
"Night Clerk Western Union", Glenwood ed. [pamphlet], 1960's
Cards, 1947, 1959
Poems in journals; "Daphne in Change", Envoi, and "Wild Halcyons", The Navy, v.61:10, Oct 1956
Poems; newspaper clippings from:
The Albany Herald, featured in "The Red Kite", 1937-1942
The Carmel Pine Cone-Cymbal, featured in "Poetry", 1942-1952
The Courier, featured in "The Poetic View", 1933-1934
The Maple Leaf, n.d.
The Oakland Tribune, featured in "Other Fellows", 1928-1958
The San Francisco Examiner, 1939, 1941-1942
Poems; newspaper clippings from misc. publications, 1935-1958, n.d.
Articles in journals and newspapers, 1934, 1954, n.d
Book publicity and book reviews, flyers & clippings, 1935, 1937, 1941, 1943, 1955
VII. Scrapbooks, 1933-1937, 1951-1952,
VIII. Photographs, [1890-1960],
Poetry by other than K.R.A., booklets and copies:
A Dozen New Poems, by Gavin Arthur, [inscribed by author], 1954
Tropic Earth, by Clifford Gessler, [inscribed by author], 1944
Typed and hand written copies of Nora May French's poems
Writings by other than Kate Archer:
"Yada Lecture", unknown author, Feb 1956
"Fire & Ice: The Two Satan's", by Jennette Yeatman, carbon copy
Miscellany publications:
The West Minster Magazine, v.35:3, Autumn 1946
"The Truth About the War", Major George A. Drew, reprint of MacLean's, Canada's National Magazine, Jul 1928


text:
Amazon Cognito Sync SDK.
|LTS Haskell 18.28:
|Stackage Nightly 2021-06-14:
|Latest on Hackage:
Module documentation for 1.6.1
- Network
- Network.AWS
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.BulkPublish
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.DeleteDataset
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.DescribeDataset
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.DescribeIdentityPoolUsage
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.DescribeIdentityUsage
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.GetBulkPublishDetails
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.GetCognitoEvents
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.GetIdentityPoolConfiguration
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.ListDatasets
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.ListIdentityPoolUsage
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.ListRecords
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.RegisterDevice
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.SetCognitoEvents
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.SetIdentityPoolConfiguration
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.SubscribeToDataset
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.Types
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.UnsubscribeFromDataset
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.UpdateRecords
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync.Waiters
- Network.AWS.CognitoSync
- Network.AWS
Amazon Cognito Sync SDK
Documentation is available via Hackage and the AWS API Reference.
The types from this library are intended to be used with amazonka, which provides mechanisms for specifying AuthN/AuthZ information, sending requests, and receiving responses.
Lenses are used for constructing and manipulating types, due to the depth of nesting of AWS types and transparency regarding de/serialisation into more palatable Haskell values. The provided lenses should be compatible with any of the major lens libraries lens or lens-family-core.
See Network.AWS.CognitoSync or the AWS documentation to get started.
For any problems, comments, or feedback please create an issue here on GitHub.
Note: this library is an auto-generated Haskell package. Please see
amazonka-genfor more information.
amazonka-cognito-sync is released under the Mozilla Public License Version 2.0.
Parts of the code are derived from AWS service descriptions, licensed under Apache 2.0. Source files subject to this contain an additional licensing clause in their header.


text:
Spannered's 13th Oddcast rolls into town courtesy of Australia's legendary Nam Shub Of Enki
Freshly Spannered
Party like it's 1989. A vintage display of TB-303 virtuosity mixed by Mike Dred at the height of the acid house scene
Bristol's Ekoplekz makes a fuzzy elixir to pour in your ears, drawing comparisons with King Tubby's singed dub, the sci-fi emissions of the Radiophonic Workshop and Suicide's protopunk electronics
The audio equivalent of ice cream with pickled onions? Jerome Hill strings together a selection of sounds to sate the musical cravings of the childbearing lady (also compatible with other activities)
A darkly sculpted DJ set from Surgeon, recorded in October 2011 at Blackest Ever Black's London showcase
The mighty Bass Clef invites you (and your neighbours) on a tour of the influences behind his Inner Space Break Free album
Glasgow's Production Unit embraces the Oddcast ethos with a magnificent medley spanning jazz, industrial, gamelan... and the illustrious Bernard Cribbins
Rebel Intelligence operative agent2 crafts his first mix for Spannered, featuring the likes of Surburban Knight, Snuff Crew and Virgo Four
Site feed
- Word up. After six years of running the site in our free time, we've decided to call it a day before updates drop to the level of frequency you'd associate with a king penguin's breeding cycle.
The original motive for creating Spannered was to keep available content from our previous projects, Overload Media and Musicalbear, and that'll stay accessible right here, along with all the great audio, features and reviews we've gathered up since launching in 2006.
We'd like to extend a huge thanks to everyone who's written for Spannered over the years, the many artists who've let us host their mixes, live sets and exclusive tracks, all the spammers who have given us hearty belly laughs by letting us bait them, and of course, everyone who's bothered reading and listening to the weird, wonderful and occasionally banal stuff with which we've filled these pages.
Just before closing up shop we had a flurry of fine mixes drop into our inbox, so be sure to head across to our radio section to check them out.
We'll be continuing to use our Twitter account for occasional outbursts of enthusiasm and sarcasm. Head over there and befriend us if you like.
Cheerio :)
28 Apr 2012
Radio Spannered
Archive picks
Alex Ward talked to irrepressible performer Jamie Lidell back in 2003 about his first album for Warp and his ever-evolving live show
Rephlex has spent two decades of rephreshing the parts other labels cannot reach. Kone-R tracks down co-founder and peerless player-of-tunes Grant Wilson-Claridge
As the closing feature for the Overload Media site back in 2003, Nick Doherty talked with legendary DJ and producer Theo Parrish
!!! Louden Up Now
Four Tet Pause
The Randy Weston African Rhythms In New York
Diplo Florida
Cédric Kahn Red Lights (Feux Rouges)
Sónar Festival 2007 Una Cerveza Con Limón, Señor
Nosaj Thing Drift
Browse the archive
Our archive contains hundreds of reviews, interviews, features and previews spanning music, film, books and all types of cultural goodness. Get stuck in!
You can also try our text search facility at the top of this page


text:
[slideshow id=5]
Washington State Command Council is about creating a positive lifestyle for ALL veterans and received its State Charter on January 1, 2000 under Commander Lloyd A. Burroughs. NABVETS was initially the Interested Veterans of Central City (IVOCC).
On an ongoing basis, the National Association for Black Veterans Incorporated will provide strategic advocacy on behalf of its membership with Congress, the Federal Administration, State Administrations and other agencies and organizations. NABVETS will provide personal advocacy on behalf of veterans seeking claims against the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; youth in all matters required for successful passage into adulthood. NABVETS also provides advocacy on behalf of families to include community involvement and, in turn, advocates to create positive lifestyles for veterans while generating and preserving the historical record.
To be a professional organization that has, as its members, 50% of the total black veterans population nationally; an organization with State Departments and Command Councils located in every state and city with a population greater than 250,000; an organization that has an emphasis on younger veterans who are on active duty or who are recently separated veterans; an organization that offers its members a wide array of benefits and services; an organization that provides services to all veterans, but especially low income veterans; and an organization that is financially viable.
National Association for Black Veterans, Inc. is:
- A nationally certified Veterans Service Organization and a United States Department of Veterans Affairs claims representative for the purpose of benefits and discharge upgrade services;
- A membership organization with membership and chapters throughout the United States and Puerto Rico;
- Working in unity with the community to end homelessness, empower low-income and minority veterans and working with disadvantaged youth;
- Preserving the historical contributions of minority veterans, such as the Congressionally approved National Day of Honor (May 25th);
- Advocating for amnesty for Vietnam era veterans;
- Publishing the Eclipse Magazine (established in 1974 as Eclipse Newspaper);
- Calling attention to the needs of homeless and economically disadvantaged veterans;
- Developing affordable permanent housing for all low-income veterans and non-veterans;
- Rising to the challenge of addressing amnesty for Vietnam veterans and youth development in the community;
- Providing incarcerated veteran services;
- Providing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Agent Orange and behavioral health counseling through IVOCC Behavioral Health Clinic;
- Operating Veterans United for Community Services (VUCS), a nationally acclaimed program of NABVETS that brings veterans, today's 'citizen soldiers,' to the table in overcoming barriers facing America's growing population of low-income and homeless veterans and the problems faced by youth. Since 1995, VUCS members have volunteered over 400,000 hours of community service, at least 70% of these hours dedicated to working with youth.


text:
Think the dystopian young-adult novel craze has died down? Guess again. A post-apocalyptic dystopian trilogy just scored over half a million dollars from a major publisher, plus a movie deal. We talked to author Julianna Baggott about her PURE trilogy.
According to last night's Publishers Marketplace, Julianna Baggott scored a "major deal" (which means more than half a million dollars) for her PURE trilogy, "a YA/adult crossover dystopian novel about a society of haves, who escaped an apocalypse in a futuristic dome-covered city, and have-nots, who survived the nearly destroyed outside world." And according to Baggott, the film rights sold to Fox 2000 last week — which probably helped stoke the fires of the book auction, which Grand Central Publishing won. (And yes, the "crossover" thing means they're hoping to sell it to adults as well as YA readers.)
We asked Baggott what she thought made her dystopian trilogy so appealing to publishers, and here's what she told us:
All novels come from the singular mind of the author – the accumulation of a life and the dark finery of the subconscious. But sometimes a novel comes along that makes this statement seem truer – Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, Cronin's The Passage, Collins' Hunger Games. PURE feels like the convergence of my most radical impulses.
When an editor at major graphic novel publishing house asked me a few years ago if I had a graphic novel in me, I'd just started writing a series of literary absurdist short stories. One character had emerged who seemed like she might work, but I wanted to hold onto her. She felt like the kind of character I could build a world around - a world I wanted to build with language.
PURE is now about this girl who lives, post-apocalyptically, in the shadow of the Dome. Some of the heart of this story comes from my own grandfather, a double amputee from WWII. I was raised amid his handguns, prosthetics, the violent reminders of war. The main character dreams of the Before and life inside the Dome, and, while writing, she felt archetypal. I felt much the way she did at sixteen. I felt eyed. I wanted to run and to stay hidden and never leave home. I was sure there was some other place – like the Dome – where things were better. I thought I wanted into that life, and, growing up meant realizing it doesn't really exist. More than anything, I longed to know who the hell I was.
And now my oldest, a daughter, is fifteen. It's the same for her as it was for me. These things don't change. This is why some of our dystopic fiction resonates so deeply with readers of all ages. The world is dystopic. On this psychological level, PURE is realism. And this novel seems deeply my own.
The novel follows two main characters — this female character outside of the Dome, among the wretches, and a male character inside the Dome — and we play out how these two lives become entwined.
Domed city art by Chris Palesty.


text:
For September, the gallery conducted the 6th Annual "Open" (No Theme) Online Art Competition. 2D and 3D artists (including photography) from around the world were called upon to make online submissions for possible inclusion into the Gallery's October 2016 online group art exhibition.
There was no theme for this art competition and the gallery accepted art which was representative or in abstract form for possible inclusion in this art exhibition
The submission process and competition for the artists began in August 2016 and concluded on September 26, 2016. The gallery received 654 entries from 20 different countries from around the world, including Australia, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Wales. In addition, the gallery received entries from 40 different states.
Due to the volume of entries, the gallery felt that it was necessary to create three (3) media categories, in order to make the judging and the results fair for this competition. The media categories are Painting & Other Media, Photography & Digital and 3 Dimensional Art. In addition, for this particular competition, we have an overall Winning Artists Category, which is the "best of the best" and consists of the ten (10) best entries from the 3 media categories.
We also included Special Merit awards and Special Recognition awards for outstanding art this month. The artists in either of these groups could have easily been included in the upper tier of our winners, as their art was also exceptional.
We hope that you will take the time to also enjoy their beautiful artwork too. To view the artwork in each media category, click on a thumbnail image and that will take you to the Slide Show, which contains larger images. In order to leave the Slide Show at any time, just click on the large image in order to escape and that will take you back to the thumbnails.
All winning entries will now be featured on the Light Space & Time website for the month of October 2016 and thereafter, the artworks and links to the artist's websites will remain online in the Light Space & Time Archives.
Congratulations to our artists who made our 6th Annual "Open" Art Exhibition so successful this month. At any time, we invite our winning artists and other interested visitors to link their websites to the Gallery's archive page for further ongoing promotion.
Overall Winning Artists Category – The overall winning artist's category consists of the 10 Best Entries received from the Painting & Other and Photography & Digital categories. Please go to the results in the Open Art Exhibition "Overall Winning Artists" Category here.
Special Merit Award Category – These are the artists and their artwork which we felt could easily have been placed higher but due to the size constraints in each media category, this art was placed in this special category. Any of the Special Merit art, in many cases, is interchangeable with the best art that we selected for the top tiers. Please go to the results in the Open Art Exhibition "Special Merit Award Category" here.
Painting & Other Category – The painting & other category is considered to be any art where a pigment was applied to a two-dimensional surface, such as canvas, paper, or panel. This category comprises the following media; acrylics, oil, pastels, watercolor, gouache, tempera, ink, encaustic, fresco, etc. applied on canvas, canvas board, paper or any other flat surface. In addition, this category includes any 3D Art, fabric, mixed media, mosaic, line type drawings, and various other media. Please go to the results in the Open Art Exhibition "Painting & Other Category" here.
Photography & Digital Category – This category contains any images captured by either an analog or digital camera and would be viewed as a print. Black and white photographs, color photographs, digital or analog photographs, photograms, other experimental photography, alternative photographic processes, manipulated photography etc. would be included in this category. In addition, we have included most digital art in this section. Please go to the results in the Open Art Exhibition "Photography & Digital Category" here.
3 Dimensional Art Category – This category contains any art which has or seeming to have length, width, and depth. Relief, pottery, sculpture, installation, kinetic, and conceptual 3-D artworks created in metal, paper, wood, stone, fiber, plastics, glass, ceramics, trash or any other material which can be used to create 3-dimensional art. Please go to the results in the Open Art Exhibition "3 Dimensional Art Category" here.


text:
An illustration of how a proxy server works is shown below:
As shown in the above example, whenever the client connects to a web proxy server and makes a request for the resources (in this case, "Sample.html") that reside on a remote server (in this case, xyz.com), the proxy server forwards this request to the target server on behalf of the client, so as to fetch the requested resource and deliver it back to the client. An example of client can be a user operated computer that is connected to the Internet.
A forward proxy is the same one described above where the proxy server forwards the client's request to the target server to establish a communication between the two. Here the client specifies the resources to be fetched and the target server to connect to, so that the forward proxy server acts accordingly. Except for reverse proxy (discussed in the latter part of this article), all other types of proxy servers described in this article falls under forward proxy.
An open proxy is a type of forwarding proxy that is openly available to any Internet user. Most often, an open proxy is used by Internet users to conceal their IP address so that they remain anonymous during their web activity. The following are some of the web proxies that fall under the category of open proxy:
An anonymous proxy is a type of open proxy that conceals IP address of Internet users so that the target server cannot identify the origin of the requesting client. However, an anonymous proxy identifies itself as a proxy server but still manages to maintain the anonymity of the users.
This type of proxy server identifies itself as a proxy, but reveals an incorrect IP address of the client to the target server.
An elite proxy provides maximum anonymity as it neither identifies itself as a proxy nor reveals the original IP address of the client. In most cases, users have to pay for this type of proxy as it is seldom available freely on the Internet.
Unlike a forwarding proxy where the client knows that it is connecting through a proxy, a reverse proxy appears to the client as an ordinary server. However, when the client requests resources from this server, it forwards those requests to the target server (actual server where the resources reside) so as to fetch back the requested resource and forward the same to the client. Here, the client is given an impression that it is connecting to the actual server, but in reality there exists a reverse proxy residing between the client and the actual server.
Reverse proxies are often used to reduce load on the actual server by load balancing, to enhance security and to cache static content, so that they can be served faster to the client. Often big companies like Google which gets a large number of hits maintain a reverse proxy so as to enhance the performance of their servers. It is not a surprise that whenever you are connecting to google.com, you are only connecting to a reverse proxy that forwards your search queries to the actual servers to return the results back to you.


text:
Halloween Costumes for the Zodiac
Spooky, sexy or silly? Astrology reveals your sign's best costume
Jeff Kishner on the topics of halloween, astrology
A person's Sun sign often reflects their inner hopes and dreams. Halloween costumes are an exciting opportunity to bring these fantasy lives to the surface.
If you're stuck for Halloween costume ideas, check out the list below. It could provide you with the perfect outfit to express your inner demons!
Aries (March 21 – April 19)
Your sign is ruled by Mars, the warrior of the zodiac. Dress up as a gladiator or a luchador (a Mexican wrestler). Aries is also the sign of courage, so a police officer, firefighter or military officer uniform would help you express your inner Ram. Superhero costumes are also popular this year, and bold Aries is perfectly suited to take on Superman, Batman or Iron Man.
Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
Your sign is known for earthy beauty, from sensuous curves to brawny muscles. Dress up as Miss America, who made a huge splash this year, or Mr. Universe to show off what you've got. You can also dress up as Poison Ivy or a walking tree to channel the Bull's love for green pastures. Taurus also loves to indulge, so don't hesitate to dress yourself up like a sweet cupcake!
Gemini (May 21 – June 20)
What better way to dress up than to be Siamese Twins with your best bud or girlfriend? You can literally be joined at the hip! You could also go as famous real-life Twins, such as Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Or a famous real-life Gemini, Angelina Jolie. Gemini is also an androgynous sign, so be a half-man/half-woman creature … or just go in drag!
Cancer (June 21 – July 22)
Your sentimental sign loves the homeland, so express your patriotism as the Statue of Liberty, Uncle Sam or America's true ancestor, a Native American. Cancer also loves food, so dress up as an oversized banana or a milk carton. You can also pay tribute by dressing up as real-life Cancer Princess Diana, or embrace your sign's nurturing instincts to dress as a famous mom, like Carol Brady or Octomom!
Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22)
What better way to channel your sign's mascot than as the Lion from The Wizard of Oz, or in a sexy cat costume? And of course, glamorous Leo rules over royalty and stars, so dress up as a king, queen or just wear tons of gold. Or go as an A-list celebrity or movie star, like Marilyn Monroe or Elvis.
Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22)
This perfectionistic, word-loving sign can express its erotic earthiness as a sexy librarian. Virgo is also associated with Demeter, the grain goddess … so a chaff of wheat may be right up your alley. Virgo is a great pet lover, so you could dress up as an animal — a cat or dog or even a fox costume, which are selling out this year. Or go as a classic Virgo good-girl, like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz — and don't forget her pet, Toto!
Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22)
What better way to bring balance to this holiday than to dress up as Justice? A scale in each hand would help you make sure everyone gets their equal share of candy, especially if you're dressed up as Judge Judy. Or put on your best threads and say you're a fashion guru or interior designer. Libra is also the sign that most loves to shop, so dress up as a shopoholic with tons of boxes and bags and you'll feel right at home.
Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21)
Your sign is the private investigator of the zodiac, so you may want to dress up as Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew or Inspector Gadget. Scorpio also rules the underworld — so going all-out as your favorite Mafioso will do, whether it's Tony Soprano or Al Capone. Scorpio is also perfect for so many dark, creepy Halloween costumes — the Grim Reaper, Darth Vader and the Devil will do. Or you could be a zombie prom queen, a skeleton or a corpse bride!
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21)
The adventurer of the zodiac may want to dress up as Indiana Jones or Lara Croft. Sagittarians also love to make people laugh, so donning a clown costume or the silliest outfit you can find will be good for a few chuckles. The sign of the Archer is also perfectly suited to play a huntress from The Hunger Games, like Katniss Everdeen — just don't forget your bow!
Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19)
The businessman of the zodiac may want to put on a power suit and a funny hairpiece to look like Donald Trump. Strong women, such as Hillary Clinton or Joan of Ark, are also well-suited to your sign. Capricorn also excels at building, so a construction worker's outfit — make sure you wear a helmet — will help you blast through any crowd. You could also be a superhero, as Capricorn is known for its nearly superhuman strength of character!
Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18)
Aquarius rules outer space, so what better way to celebrate Halloween than as an astronaut … or a space alien? Dress up as a scientist in a lab coat and taped glasses to channel this sign's intellectual bent, or put on fake tattoos and piercings to show your inner rebel. Robots, like in Dr. Who or Star Wars — think R2D2 and C3P0 — are perfect for your quirky sign!
Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20)
Your sign's ruling planet, Neptune, commands the sea. Dress up as a mermaid or King of the Sea (carry your trident, or three-pronged spear!). Artistic Pisces would also love to be a ballerina, painter or poet for Halloween. Or wear soft flowing fabrics to be the Muse. Pisces is also known as the most psychic sign of the zodiac, so a gypsy fortune teller Halloween costume would be perfect!


text:
TAFE SA Launches Fortinet Network Security Academy To Foster Australian Cybersecurity Talent
First FNSA in the Asia Pacific region to commence classes at TAFE SA in 2017
SYDNEY, Aust. – December 15th, 2016 -
Jon McGettigan, Regional Director Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands at Fortinet:
"In Australia there is a growing concern around cybersecurity, with a string of notable public incidents in recent months. Whilst threats continue to increase, cybersecurity talent is scarce - current estimates show up to one million cybersecurity job openings with demand expected to rise to 6 million globally by 2019. We are partnering with organisations in the local market to help fill the pipeline of cybersecurity experts. TAFE SA has an award-winning reputation for training excellence, and we hope this is the first of many such strong partnerships in the region."
News Summary:
Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT), the global leader in high-performance cybersecurity solutions, today announces that TAFE SA will be the first education institution in the Asia Pacific region to offer the Fortinet Network Security Academy (FNSA), with the first classes commencing in February 2017. The FNSA is designed to develop and train action-oriented cybersecurity experts to manage new and advanced threats on the horizon.
TAFE SA identified an opportunity to transform its current education and training to support opportunities in cybersecurity through Fortinet's Network Security Academy.
The Academy is designed to provide industry-recognised Fortinet training and certification opportunities to students around the world. Students are prepared at international FNSA sites for success in a career in network security, obtaining both the theoretical lectures and hands-on laboratory practice needed to achieve a Fortinet certification.
Fortinet Network Security Academy Designed to Shape Future of Cybersecurity Workforce
Multiple studies demonstrate the cybersecurity labor shortage and the drastic need for additional experts. The recent report from the Fortinet Cyber Threat Assessment Program (CTAP) also found unprecedented attack volumes globally, with more than 185 million threat events. The report noted that more than half of respondents across ANZ specifically detected malicious websites, demonstrating that organisations need greater threat protection.
FNSA was created to address the international shortage of cybersecurity experts and to build a workforce skilled in all aspects of Fortinet's end-to-end network security fabric who will be recognised in the industry among an elite group of security professionals. From code to client to cloud, the Academy brings the training and certification opportunities previously only offered to Fortinet customers and partners to educational institutions, non-profit organisations and veterans programs. Training for faculty is free of charge for these organisations, arming the institutions with the skills required to teach the program to students who will learn how to protect organisations from cyber threats.
Fortinet sponsors the training content and examinations for each Academy site, along with supporting instructor preparation. Academy sites offering the training and certification courses provide the lab environment (virtual or hardware) and instructors to deliver the program content.
Registrations of interest are now open for the first TAFE SA course, starting in February. To register, email TAFE SA at firstname.lastname@example.com
For more information about the Fortinet Network Security Academy, or to apply to become an Academy site, visit Fortinet's training academy or email email@example.com.
Supporting Quotes
TAFE SA's Executive Director, Education, Brian Rungie said today's announcement strengthens TAFE SA's reputation as a high-quality provider of in-demand, job ready IT qualifications.
"TAFE SA is excited to offer IT students the opportunity to further boost their employment prospects and careers options through our new partnership with Fortinet's Network Security Academy.
"We are working to provide a skilled workforce that meets the needs of the IT industry and matches with the economic and employment priorities of our state. Cybersecurity is certainly a rapidly growing area of employment here and abroad and TAFE SA is ready to match industry demand with the right level and type of training in this vital area."
Registration of interest are now open for the first course, starting in February. The first six registrations will receive a special introductory price of $2, 450. To register, email TAFE SA at firstname.lastname@example.com
About Fortinet
Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) secures the largest enterprise, service provider, and government organizations around the world. Fortinet empowers its customers with intelligent, seamless protection across the expanding attack surface and the power to take on ever-increasing performance requirements of the borderless network - today and into the future. Only the Fortinet Security Fabric architecture can deliver security without compromise to address the most critical security challenges, whether in networked, application, cloud or mobile environments. Fortinet ranks #1 in the most security appliances shipped worldwide and more than 290,000 customers trust Fortinet to protect their businesses. Learn more at https://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, or FortiGuard Labs.
Copyright © 2016 Fortinet, Inc. All rights reserved. The symbols ® and ™ denote respectively federally registered trademarks and unregistered trademarks of Fortinet, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates. Fortinet's trademarks include, but are not limited to, the following: Fortinet, FortiGate, FortiGuard, FortiManager, FortiMail, FortiClient, FortiCloud, FortiCare, FortiAnalyzer, FortiReporter, FortiOS, FortiASIC, FortiWiFi, FortiSwitch, FortiVoIP, FortiBIOS, FortiLog, FortiResponse, FortiCarrier, FortiScan, FortiAP, FortiDB, FortiVoice and FortiWeb. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners. Fortinet has not independently verified statements or certifications herein attributed to third parties and Fortinet does not independently endorse such statements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing herein constitutes a warranty, guarantee, binding specification or other binding commitment by Fortinet, and performance and other specification information herein may be unique to certain environments. This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve uncertainties and assumptions, such as statements regarding technology releases. Changes of circumstances, product release delays, or other risks as stated in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, located at www.sec.gov, may cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in this press release. If the uncertainties materialize or the assumptions prove incorrect, results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Fortinet assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, and expressly disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.