February 15, 2022: Reader Tips

Reader Tips 51 Comments

Iowa Hawk’s recent well deserved mocking of Juliette Kayyem (aka Professor Tow Truck), a self-described “national security expert”, here and here, reminded me of a long time reality I’ve observed throughout my career as a software engineer.  Here’s an old Dilbert cartoon that is apropos:

Sooooo many times I’ve encountered clients and managers who have never Learned to Code yet somehow intuitively know exactly how long it’ll take to build complex software that matches with their requirements.  #Experts

Your best tips of the past day are much appreciated!

Bonus: Here are the next two Faces of Protest portraits taken by Dan Aponte (on Facebook) :


51 Replies to “February 15, 2022: Reader Tips”

  1. This ’emergency’ will never end. They saw covid slipping away and this, the last grasp of this failed and despicable generation of Laurentian-evil.

    We embarrassed them and delayed their door dash orders. There will never be, can never be, forgiveness.

    Just deleted my Twitter account. They promise 30 days to flatten the shit-posts. Of course I believe them.

  2. Sooooo many times I’ve encountered clients and managers who have never Learned to Code yet somehow intuitively know exactly how long it’ll take to build complex software that matches with their requirements.

    That describes what I’ve often had to deal with during my working life. Most of the managers I had to answer to were complete cretins.

    The one who fired me from the oil company I started with nearly 45 years ago once told me, “Can’t you get more done without spending so much time in the field?” Uh, no. How was I expected to design something if I couldn’t look up close at where it was supposed to go and–horrors!–take some measurements?

    Then again, the “real” engineering for the company was done by a bunch hacks in head office somewhere in the U. S., all of whom sounded like they were leftovers from the early days of wildcatting at, say, Spindletop.

    At that same outfit, the running joke was that it didn’t take long for a new employee to stop asking dumb questions and start answering them.

    1. Really? He didn’t? He supposed to be a headshrinker?

      A fair number of us normal people on here have been predicting martial law for years.

      Not impressed. Always thought psychology/psychiatry were rackets anyway.

      1. …”people on here have been predicting martial law for years.”
        Agreed. Alinsky would be proud. In the meantime Canada is the laughing stock of the Planet.

        Here’s what Tucker Carlson said: “Trudeau has declared Canada a dictatorship” (4:55)
        https://youtu.be/nZzJPXojtWs

        1. Well, I saw someone posted early this morning that you yourself and some person called Joe had a back and forth three plus years ago predicting this very thing, and talking about how the old War Measures Act had been replaced by this “new and improved” version. So yes by all means, take a well deserved bow. You have a much firmer grasp on Canadian reality than celebrity experts. That might sound like faint praise but I am legitimately impressed with you. Of course, I wish you had been wrong….

          1. There is a photo of a very angry Justin standing on a table, one I’m assuming is in his Caucus meeting room…and if he were wearing a 1936 NAZI brown uniform with jackboots.? it would have Perfected the scene. The visible rage in his face with some spittle dripping down completes the look.

            This self styled Furher is fucking psycopath.
            Time for a Nicolae moment…Sooner the better.

            Too bad one cant post a pic here…it is beyond fitting.

          2. @Stilgar: people writing online can sometimes exaggerate or stretch the facts a bit to make a rhetorical effect. Like “that guy’s crazy”. We all do it from time to time, and we might not wish to be taken literally.

            In Trudeau’s case, I actually do think he’s not right in the head. I won’t get into specifics any more than that. He hasn’t been right for a very long time, long before his rise to power. I’m sure “normal” people who know him well are not quite at ease in his company. The exercise of power and control he’s enjoyed for years has probably exacerbated his condition.

  10. In my opinion we are here because all of our law enforcement, bylaw, sheriffs, etc , refused to stand up two years ago and tell these ridiculous people that they were not going to crack the heads of people who weren’t going to wear a mask .

    All they had to do was laugh in their face and tell them to pound sand. They took way too much pleasure in being able to write tickets and abuse the population.

    And here we are.

    1. they took way too much pleasure in being able to write tickets and abuse the population.

      But Sid, they selectively recruit for just this kind of person. Who do you think they’re intended to work for? Not us.

  11. I guess that’s true now.

    I had too much faith that the police would stand up for Canadians.

    Not anymore.

  12. Sooooo many times I’ve encountered clients and managers who have never Learned to Code yet somehow intuitively know exactly how long it’ll take to build complex software that matches with their requirements.

    The Dunning-Kruger effect is rampant in tech.

    1. Yup. I’ve worked for a number of tech outfits, so I know all about that.

  13. Anybody know what’s happening over at the Blazing Cat Fur blog? They have gone two days without posting anything. You know, with government repression and all.

    1. My father, Bill Reed, was the inventor of the grain loss monitor, which you, Farmer Boy, will understand and appreciate. He was also involved in the original testing of Round Up at the University of Saskatchewan as a research officer. He told me why Round Up was so important. Most people don’t know or understand the weed called the wild oat. It has a humidity controlled tail on each seed and can lay dormant for up to seven years. At some point, the seed tail winds and unwinds with changing moisture and walks itself across the ground until the seed pod falls into a crack and germinates. Round Up is about the only herbicide which is capable of dealing with that particular weed. People don’t want weed by-products in the their bread for reasons of taste and health, but they complain bitterly about the processes needed to get that pristine product to their tables. Farmers want their herds eating as few weeds as possible for the same reasons.

    2. I’ve been reading about glyphosite recently. It looks like a pretty dangerous toxin, and humans are consuming it in great quantities. I am not exactly a hippy, but I think everyone should be concerned about dangerous chemicals in the environment.

      2. You’ve read about “glyphosite”? Do you mean glyphosate?

        And define “great quantities”. You likely consume more terpenes on a daily basis than you do glyphosate, but I don’t see any campaigns against black pepper, orange peels, or any of a thousand other sources of terpenes.

  15. Blackie’s Globe and Mail reports that Canada will bring in over four hundred thousand new immigrants in 2022. No word on how these new Liberal voters will be housed.

  20. I jes’ luvs me the Law of Unintended Consequences.

    Seattle’s Soda Tax Goes Horribly Wrong

    https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/victoria-taft/2022/02/14/seattles-soda-tax-goes-horribly-wrong-n1558959

    “A study, comparing Seattle to Portland, the latter of which shockingly didn’t sign on to this dumb idea, finds that Seattleites have responded by switching from sugary sodas to beer. With alacrity. And why not? Sure, beer and wine are taxed, but not to the extent of sugary drinks are at 28 cents per 16 ounces. Greedy bastards.”

    1. I’ll have to go way back in the library this afternoon. Affirmative Action just met the Peter Principle.
      Maybe there was a reason Toronto Police chose an interim chief rather than Slowly. The interim is still there.

    2. Attention: Will a rational police chief please report to the front desk.
      Again: Will a RATIONAL police chief please report to the front desk.

  27. While looking up the name of the head of the Nazi Gestapo, I found this article.

    It’s about the Gestapo history. However, I found some parallels with what is happening now.

    I really believe now that TurdHole’s endgame always was to destroy this country and turn it into his communist serfdom. It’s not incompetence, it’s just plain evil.

    https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/gestapo

  29. If Trump was in…

    If We Had a Real President, Here’s How He (or She) Would React to Trudeau’s War on Canadians’ Freedom

    https://pjmedia.com/columns/robert-spencer/2022/02/14/if-we-had-a-real-president-heres-how-he-or-she-would-react-to-trudeaus-war-on-canadians-freedom-n1559227

    “If we had a President of the United States right now who was worthy of the name, he (or she — yes, it could be Tulsi Gabbard) would regard Trudeau’s action as far worse than anything Putin is planning regarding Ukraine, and would take a strong stand in defense of freedom.”

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