netjiro (u/netjiro) - Readit News

netjiro commented on Startup CTO's Handbook github.com/ZachGoldberg/S... · Posted by u/mooreds

bcantrill · 2 years ago

This probably merits a long piece at some point, but recording every meeting has been transformative for us: it's zero time and energy (you just need someone to hit the record button!) and it gives engineers the freedom to not be in a meeting for fear of what will be done in their absence (a surprisingly common motive for attending a meeting!). As for going back through meetings: yes, we definitely do (for a variety of reasons), though the distribution is lumpy (and most meetings are likely never listened to again).

netjiro · 2 years ago

Recordings are a great utility:

Having a record allows all kinds of automated followup, post analysis, etc. This level of business intelligence and actual understanding is helpful in improving organisation function and individual training long term.

Asynchronous is _a_ great next step beyond that:

Moving discussions and decisions async has been a massive improvement in the organisations I have helped. Goes against dogma and habit (with all the huge obstacles that come with it) but pays off quickly.

Discussions are more factual and evidence based.

Decisions are thought through and transparent.

Collective (and individual) memory of what has been discussed, decided, and why is much better.

Training people to be clear, succinct, transparent also help them not get bogged down in gut feeling, habit, dogma, ego, posturing, pestering, politics, etc.

And of course the immediate bonus of individually flexible scheduling and not killing efficiency by slicing everything to administration/manager-mode-time.

netjiro commented on The world’s empty office buildings have become a debt time bomb bloomberg.com/news/articl... · Posted by u/the-mitr

ajmurmann · 2 years ago

I worked in a suburban office park before the pandemic. My commute to the office park wasn't substantially shorter than when I commuted to a downtown office and the office park was a lot more depressing. When I worked downtown, my coworkers would regularly explore new restaurants during lunch, have 1-on-1s over ice cream etc. The other benefit was that downtown had better public transit. Getting from one random place in the suburbs to another via public transit is a much harder problem to solve than getting people to a central area.

I wish we could solve zoning and permitting and just build our cities up.

netjiro · 2 years ago

> I wish we could solve zoning and permitting ...

Perhaps we should learn from other places that have better solutions already? E.g: Japan? Singapore? etc.

Somehow many western countries have gotten stuck in red tape and the inability to learn from other cultures.

netjiro commented on Startups drive commercialization of high-impact innovations nber.org/be/20231/startup... · Posted by u/hhs

TeMPOraL · 2 years ago

> The question "Will it cannibalise our current profits?" is asked to stop every idea.

I wonder if this is the real objection, or really just a proxy one? As in, yes, the new thing will compete directly with the old thing, but it will easily bring in way more than it "cannibalizes". So the company will likely come ahead. However, the old thing and new thing are likely developed by distinct teams, in different business units of the company. So I imagine this question is really a proxy for the old thing team asking, "will it cannibalize our currenet jobs?". If the answer is yes, it's not surprising they'll resist.

netjiro · 2 years ago

It is an uncomfortable risk for many, to back a likely long term winner over a sure current cash cow. Even if their own estimates say they should go for it. See it all the time.

And to make it even more short sighted, the idea won't go away, it will just take a little longer and then pop up in competing colours.

netjiro commented on Google doesn’t want employees working remotely anymore theverge.com/2023/6/7/237... · Posted by u/dlb007

thatsagreatcomm · 2 years ago

IMO you lose so much more by sacrificing spontaneous conversation & ideation that results. You also lose the ease of just walking over to someone to ask a question. You also lose an unbelievable amount for anyone who lacks experience - training is AWFUL remote. Not even close.

It's not perfect but a group of aligned people in the same physical working space will just dominate a similar group spread apart that has to use chats & zoom to communicate. Management has got to be seeing this, in various forms, across multiple business segments.

netjiro · 2 years ago

> a group of aligned people in the same physical working space will just dominate a similar group spread apart

Hard numbers from 20+ projects over 20+ years say the exact opposite. Hard core tech R&D projects, small and large.

When I compare the distributed all remote projects to those run in house, it is night and day difference.

netjiro commented on When will global warming hit the landmark 1.5 ºC limit? nature.com/articles/d4158... · Posted by u/Brajeshwar

gary_0 · 2 years ago

If I'm reading these charts right, it's more CO2 per year than at any point on the geological record.

netjiro · 2 years ago

iirc: we are changing atmospheric CO2 many times faster than the PT Extinction!

... quick search [1]

[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22298-7

netjiro commented on 'Algebra for none' fails in San Francisco joannejacobs.com/post/alg... · Posted by u/yasp

georgeecollins · 2 years ago

My kid is on this track exactly and I think it is a joke that some kids take multivariable calculus or linear algebra in high school. Enrichment and AP has become an arms race for the upper middle class to get their kids into good schools. Realistically, if you are STEM major you probably are going to have to retake these classes anyway. And if you aren't you probably won't need them.

I know some kids are really exceptional and maybe ought to take this much math that young. But I think a lot do it now to get into a college.

netjiro · 2 years ago

> I think it is a joke that

Standards change greatly with time and it is a joke to believe that applying the same standards to everyone will get a good outcome.

Anecdata: I would have loved to get the possibility to study higher math at high school level, at school. I had to dig it out on my own since the local school topped out after basic calculus, linalg, statistics. I was not alone.

Today I would estimate that top 5% could easily and happily handle multivariate, ode/pde, etc in high school given proper support and encouragement.

Top few percent learn several times faster than average. What is the point, other than ancient ideology, to slow them down and hinder their learning progress?

netjiro commented on Nuclear power is too safe jackdevanney.substack.com... · Posted by u/imgabe

netjiro · 2 years ago

Somehow we collectively forget/ignore that coal power releases many times the radioactivity of nuclear power, and that is just dumped directly into the air. The numbers are not directly apples to apples but absolutely lead to more life/health loss from fossil nuclear radiation contamination than fission nuclear radiation contamination.

E.g:

https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/...

https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/do-coal-fired-power-sta...

netjiro commented on Consultancies know less than they claim and cost more than they seem to ft.com/content/fb1254dd-a... · Posted by u/alexzeitler

eggsmediumrare · 3 years ago

Pilots with 40 years of experience use checklists every time they fly.

netjiro · 3 years ago

As long as the checklist catches more costly errors than the time to use it and the (very likely) negative secondary effects to critical thinking and innovation.

Love tools that help, eg checklists, when used right.

But over time they have a very strong tendency to become set-in-stone dogma, at which time they will create a priesthood and a very large dead zone where thinking and flexibility is no longer allowed.

netjiro commented on Sexual loneliness: A neglected public health problem? researchgate.net/publicat... · Posted by u/langitbiru

yibg · 3 years ago

I don't know if that's true. From most data I've seen women's preferences skew towards a small percentage of men. i.e. most women want the same guys, which are the small minority. This leaves (making up numbers) 80% of women wanting 20% of men. Where as men tend to be less discriminating in their choices of women.

netjiro · 3 years ago

I wonder about the actual numbers here, and how they vary between cultures, regions, age groups, etc. From what I see from my single female friends 20% is waaay too high. Not trying to be a jerk here, just observation.

netjiro commented on The Pretty Good House prettygoodhouse.org... · Posted by u/pilingual

yojo · 3 years ago

On windows: the seal between single pane windows never fails, because it does not exist. The original windows in my house have been working for 110 years. I put storm windows over them in the winter to get a little extra efficiency.

Some of the double panes added during the 90s remodel have busted seals and need to be replaced.

It’s a minimum $1500 to get a window replaced around here with a quality modern replacement. Assuming a generous 50 year life, that’s still $30/window/year for a replacement, plus the opportunity cost of not investing that money. Economically it almost certainly does not pencil out to replace the original windows.

There are quality of life benefits as you mention, but I can understand how someone who likes the aesthetics of old single-pane wood windows would choose not to replace them.

netjiro · 3 years ago

> does not pencil out to replace the original windows

Depends on the cost of energy and the interior comfort level you want.