Month: April 2016

I don’t often get new followers, but it’s nice to have seen a few people, and not bots, join in the past few weeks.

Thanks!

I always thought I’d just be writing in this space for myself, and often have doubts for why I do it (other than having a private space to whine).
It is always humbling, and a little strange, to contemplate that thinking intelligent struggling awesome real humans somewhere in the world who I know nothing about and likely never will meet would look at what I post here.

Maybe that’s a good enough reason to continue.

A startup insider photographed 100 people to change the way we think about Silicon Valley

It would probably be a good project to do the same for fin tech.

Aeons ago, at my old company, we had a slightly lame, very geeky holiday party. It was being picketed outside by what looked like 100% white US-born people.

The typical 50% Indian, 30% East-Asian, 10% Eastern European, 5% Caribbean-and-African and the remaining Latinamerican, Middleeastern and Northamericans were rather baffled walking past them.

We never had a holiday party ever since.

This company certainly deserves picketing more, but nobody does that.

A startup insider photographed 100 people to change the way we think about Silicon Valley

salespeople called me to do a demo at a hedge fund (as a product
“expert”).

When that happens, my little rebellion is to insert little geeky tidbits
into sales presentation that salespeople usually don’t get.

And it works in ways they would not fathom. There is always someone at the client who would recognize a picture of sunset on Pluto on my screen background. Or that I used Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek instead of John Smith and Jane Doe for user samples.

In reality, people who work at hedge funds are mostly (math, compsci, astronomy, economics, history -major) geeks who were unfortunate enough to
end up in this industry and are by now used to suppressing their souls until they retire, while getting used to the comfort that money they sold their souls for brings, making it impossible for them to give it up.
Awakening that geek in them makes them instantly like you.

Photos are less markers of memories than they are Web-browser bookmarks for our lives. And, just as with bookmarks, after a few months it becomes hard to find photos or even to navigate back to the points worth remembering.

Om Malik, “In the Future, We Will Photograph Everything and Look at Nothing” (via newyorker)

This could also be said about this blog.

Why am I writing the minutia of my life here, then?

Does anyone know?

Stuck in the tunnel for 55 min and counting …

..and counting…
The train conductor just announced that we might have to “activate the discharge” – a euphemism for bailing the train inside the tunnel?
This never happened before. I am already 30 min late to relieve the nanny (contingency while the day care is sorting out their revoked license), and no way to contact her, without a signal underground.
I had to leave work early to do it, and I am expected to log in and get on a call when I get home. Chances of that happening now are pretty low, but I still have a ton of work to do tonight.

Dealing with stress that being stuck without means of communication is something I need to train for. Finding the zen in situation that cannot be helped is probably a good practice for me.

Also, is the universe trying to tell me something about my evolving relationship with this city?

futuristech-info:

Automation likely to lead to a society that will rely on a basic income structure – Tests are underway

It was Groucho Marx who said, “While money can’t buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery.” Quite true, but what if there’s no money coming in from work because your job’s been taken over by a machine?

Low wage earners appear to be most at risk from automation. In February 2016, the Council of Economic Advisers (an agency within the Executive Office of the US President) issued an alarming report predicting that an 80% or greater chance exists for people on basic incomes of US$20 per hour or less to be made redundant by smart machines in the foreseeable future.

After them come the mid-range workers. Clearly, we need strategies to address any job losses arising though increases in automation.

READ MORE ON FUTURISTECH INFO

…and as great as the new low minimum wage sounds, it will certainly speed up the introduction of automation into all service jobs and their eventual disappearance.
We have to plan for it now.

Most people do not grow up. We find parking spaces and honor our credit cards. We marry and dare to have children and call that growing up. I think what we do is mostly grow old. We carry accumulation of years in our bodies and on our faces, but generally our real selves, the children inside, are still innocent and shy as magnolias.

Maya Angelou, who would’ve been 88 today, on home, belonging, and never growing up – her beautiful letter to the daughter she never had.
(via explore-blog)