clackanon (u/clackanon)

clackanon commented on Ask HN: How can felons find programming jobs? · Posted by u/_tgdn

rrw023 · 8 years ago

I'm a federal felon myself and have found success by applying to companies based in states/cities which have "banned the box" for private employers. I'm currently working in a very respectable software engineering position, in a region which hasn't banned the box. The largest part of this companies workforce however, is based in an office located in a state which HAS banned the box for private employers. They never had a felony conviction checkbox for me to check on the job application, and they didn't bother running a background check which included the federal system. I've found that probably only around 50% of companies will include a federal background check. When it comes to background checks for housing or background checks for recruiting agencies, virtually none of them will do this.

clackanon · 8 years ago

I'd be interested in talking to you more about your situation. How does one reach you?

clackanon commented on Tech Start-Up Fires Engineers Amid Union Organizing Effort bna.com/tech-startup-fire... · Posted by u/thinkpad20

clackanon · 8 years ago

Good, because unions have long outlived their usefulness. The time for them is OVER.

Why organize for the privelege of being able to fork over a good chunk of your paycheck for not a damn thing?

HOW DO I KNOW?? I've been a union member. CWA. It was worse than worthless and useless. A net negative in every respect. 20% of my net pay for not a damn thing. Unions are a waste of time/money/oxygen.

clackanon commented on House Votes to Renew Surveillance Law, Rejecting New Privacy Limits nytimes.com/2018/01/11/us... · Posted by u/aaronbrethorst

clackanon · 8 years ago

This shouldn't be any surprise to anyone. Congress gives lip service to representing their constituents. In reality, the only people (and interests) they represent are THEMSELVES.

clackanon commented on A pattern language for microservices microservices.io/patterns... · Posted by u/exploreshaifali

cookiecaper · 8 years ago

>You sound extremely bitter, and extremely pompous with your "all the other devs are just dumb, I'm the only one who can see through the hype" attitude; especially your comment about younger developers.

I didn't say anything about "younger developers". Which comment are you referring to specifically?

Also, I hardly think I'm the only one who can see through the hype. Check out the rest of this thread. Most of the replies, including the parent post to which I was replying, could be characterized as anti-microservice.

Tech fads are rarely about good developers. They're normally about non-developer technical managers and/or bad developers, who are sometimes more self-aware than they appear at first glance and are consciously seeking diversions. Good inexperienced devs may be taken in by the first fad or two, but they generally come to realize that it's same shit, different day within a few years, and their skill level limits the direct damage (though their adherence to the fad may set the stage for additional indirect damage).

It was not my intent to offend or accuse anyone by criticizing this particular tech fad, and I'm sorry that you appear to have taken it personally.

---

I don't think we disagree about "microservice architecture" as a tool. Like all tools, it needs skilled practitioners to be used well. "Microservice architecture" is a bad descriptive term for a tool because it's too broad to have much specific meaning, but I accept that some people could use it to describe something decent, which I've already stated.

As my post said, however, I was discussing "microservice architecture" as a fad, which, let's be honest, is the case across the vast majority of cases in which the term "microservice architecture" is used.

People who aren't blindly chasing buzzwords are more likely to think of their architecture as a holistic entity built from a variety of useful and specific components rather than a zipped-up incarnation of a single $HOT_TREND, and are thus more likely to describe it descriptively, e.g., "we try to employ a reasonable separation of concerns", "we have a handful of independent services on the back-end", etc.

These things show a thoughtful, specific consideration of principles rather than literalist word-thought, and it's a good guideline (but, like all guidelines, imperfect!) for whether or not someone has processed what they're discussing or whether they're mindlessly mimicking the people they consider authoritative/influential.

It was not my intent to offend reasonable, thoughtful engineers who have implemented what they call "a microservice architecture". I meant only to indicate that this terminology is a red flag for a tech fad, under which many unreasonable, thoughtless "engineers" are seeking cover.

My personal recommendation would be to consider the terminology lost and not develop a new buzzword to replace it, as that will surely become lost too (see also: "SOA"/"service-oriented architecture", the previous incarnation).

clackanon · 8 years ago

You edited your original response. I was going to reply and say that HN is not a place that is safe to have an opinion that dissents from the hive mind. Unless you follow neatly along, be prepared for the blowback. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

clackanon commented on A preview of the U.S. without pensions mercurynews.com/2017/12/2... · Posted by u/lnguyen

clackanon · 8 years ago

It's nice to know someone can express a dissenting opinion, and still be reasoned with, and not downvoted into oblivion.

Oh. Wait. That's par for the course on HN.

God forbid you think anything different from the hive mind. If you do, you're not welcome here.

clackanon commented on A preview of the U.S. without pensions mercurynews.com/2017/12/2... · Posted by u/lnguyen

cmurf · 8 years ago

Today, Social Security provides only enough for a bare-bones budget, about $14,000 a year on average.

Republicans: This is too much money, we can't afford it, it's take from the rich, give to the poor, these social programs need to end. Grandma deserves to die under a bridge by herself, it's her own fault she didn't work harder or save more.

Me: A bullet to the head of the aging is more ethical than the Republican prescription. Yes, absolutely take the money from the wealthy and keep grandma off the street. Jesus...

clackanon · 8 years ago

I'm not saying I have a better answer, but wealth redistribution is theft.

That's every bit as immoral as leaving grandma on the street.

clackanon commented on Firefox is on a slippery slope drewdevault.com/2017/12/1... · Posted by u/ddevault

clackanon · 8 years ago

Oh? Because anyone has an opinion that doesn't agree with the hive mind is a bigot. Got it.

clackanon commented on A homeless man who turned his life around by offering book reviews one.org/international/blo... · Posted by u/Tomte

tryitnow · 9 years ago

This is a great story. But...someone who has the intelligence and work ethic to do this probably wasn't going to be homeless for long.

Honestly, there are probably millions of people who pull themselves together like this - it's just they end up working regular jobs like maintenance work or burger flipping that aren't as inspirational.

The problem with stories like this is they conflate two problems: (1) being down on your luck (but hard-working and reasonably intelligent) (2) being stuck in a poverty loop due to mental illness, criminal record, or countless other complex factors.

Problem (1) is something a lot of HN readers can relate to, especially in their early twenties. Hence, the popularity of this article.

Problem (2) however is the much bigger problem. Unfortunately, what this guy did is only marginally useful in coming up with solutions to that problem.

All that said, I'm sure he's a pretty cool guy.

clackanon · 9 years ago

The problem with the "but they have mental illness to deal with" answer is that while it may be true, it's very much the edge case, and not the rule.

I know this because I've been homeless. I'd say greater than 90% of the folks that I encountered in my homeless period were there because they were content to be there.

If they wanted to change their lot, there was more than ample opportunity to do so, between available services and working nearly ANY kind of job.

It took me about 4 months of working to get off the street.