Adam.Kahtava.com / AdamDotCom

The most popular conception of creativity is that it’s something to do with the arts.

Nonsense. - Paul Arden, It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Wan’t To Be.

This year marks a new decade for me (I’m saying goodbye to the late 20’s). According to Arden’s Creative Circle this blog was written during my era of Maturity and for the next 10 years I’ll be Hell Bent On Success. Thanks for putting up with my growing pains and griping.

As a youngster I was encouraged to: “Find work that you love and do what makes you happy.” Ironically, this sage advice was usually delivered by the unhappy, unemployed, or paranoid (paranoid that the government was stealing their money, unhappy with the uncertainty of not working, or unemployed because keeping work in small remote economies is tough). It’s also fair to mention that this piece of advice was usually followed by: “Get a trade. You need a trade!” This was probably great advice a couple decades ago, or if you’re working in remote communities, but less relevant in today’s world. I loosely followed this advice through my younger years and I remember constantly being frustrated when work inevitably lost its fun. Thankfully, I eventually realized that work is work (if work was fun we’d just call it fun, then we’d be preoccupied with having work, not fun). Anyhow, I sympathize with today’s youngsters who are wrestling with this same conundrum - being told one thing, but experiencing a different reality in the real world. My words of advice today would be to: “get experience, work, do whatever you can, build a resume, go to school, and you’ll eventually find work that you love. Oh, and don’t look solely to work for happiness.”

Today I do find my work fun, but I couldn’t have got here without the experience I gained while plowing through boring jobs (like working the assembly line, tree planting, or digging outhouse pits). In order to find the job you love you need to start gaining experience now.

Like a straight ‘A’ student you’ll find me upfront and center, pencil in hand, when someone describes the traits of my demographic group. I fall somewhere in the Generation X / Y / Millennial demographic group (the boundary varies widely depending on what source you cite). I mean let’s face it, who doesn’t like to read about how our droogs are perceived? Wait a … this could be another manifestation of Generation X / Y / Millennial narcissism others have been writing about. Crap!

When hearing about the traits of our demographic group, I question how unique the traits associated with our group are. It seems that these traits could be common knowledge to smart people everywhere (regardless of demographic segmentation), but then again, this could be my squeaky Generation X / Y / Millennial voice discounting the other demographics (yet again).

I thought Andy Hunt had an accurate description for our demographic:

[Generation Xers are] free agents, with an inherent distrust of institutions … Fiercely individualistic, and perhaps a bit on the dark side, they’ll just quit and move on if there’s a problem at work. They resist being labeled at all costs … They are quite pragmatic, working for a positive outcome regardless of any particular ideology or approach. - Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware

I’d agree, an inherent distrust of institutions is a common trait in our demographic. It could be that we’re immature and this tendency could wane as we grow older, or it could be a permanent scar stemming from our observations - many of us watched our elders (some with perceived jobs-for-life) jaded and unemployed in the 80’s, then living through the uncertainly that prevailed in the following years.

Others have mentioned that we:

would prefer to work for companies that give them opportunities to contribute their talents to nonprofit organizations. - Volunteering as a Benefit

But then again, who wouldn’t like to work for company that encouraged contributions to nonprofits and pet projects?

Yet others have noted that we:

demand to be communicated to in a direct, honest and transparent way … are “‘immediate driven” and quite keen to live their lives right now, rather than adhering to the old Protestant work ethic that suggests you can only reap the rewards of life after you have worked hard and basically sold your soul to your employer. - How to turn on Generation Y

Yup, that sounds fair. We expect transparency in the age of information. Continuing with that thought, it’s also been said that:

[we] view time as a currency … not to be wasted … They want to get the job done, then put it behind them and enjoy life. - Retaining youth

Again, seems a bit obvious. We’re not lazy, but we’ve seen our elders do a lot of weird stuff as they go through their midlife crisis - maybe if they didn’t put off living in the name of work they would have maintained more sanity.

It’s also been said that we:

prefer to dress as casual as possible and work with mobile gadgets or laptops in comfortable, creative spaces. - CareerNews: Tuesday, May 22, 2007

What demographic group doesn’t like to be comfortable while working? Our attire should be an extension of workplace ergonomics - we’re told to lift heavy object with your legs (not your back), and use ergonomically correct equipment. Wearing comfortable clothes and using gadgets should be a natural extension. :)

In general, I think our generation strives to work smarter (not necessarily longer hours), we try to atain a healthy work-life balance, and a number of us value experiences over owning stuff. I think smart people from other demographics have been doing the same things for years, but what do I know, I’m just another Generation X / Y / Millennial.

I was chatting with a Flash Developer turned Web Developer. When asked why he made the transition, he predicted that HTML 5 and the evolution of the web thereafter would lessen the demand for Flash Developers (possibly making them obsolete) and that moving towards a Web Developer / Generalist is an investment for the future. I thought that was an interesting perspective. It’s not far fetched to predict that the open web will replace proprietary browser plug-ins - in many cases digital content has already replaced print.

I found the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition neat. It’s a central theme throughout Pragmatic Thinking and Learning by Andy Hunt.

Here’s how Wikipedia describes the Dreyfus Model:

The Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition postulates that when individuals acquire a skill through external instruction, they normally pass through five stages. … the five stages of skill acquisition are: Novice, Advanced beginner, Competent, Proficient and Expert - Dreyfus model of skill acquisition

We have different skills and are at different stages simultaneously in each skill - for example, someone might be an Expert at underwater basket weaving and a Novice at cooking. As we cultivate our experience we progress through these stages.

The categories (again, from Wikipedia) are as follows:

1. Novice
   • rigid adherence to rules
   • no discretional judgment
2. Advanced beginner
   • situational perception still limited
   • all aspects of work are treated separately and given equal importance
3. Competent
   • coping with crowdedness (multiple activity, information)
   • now partially sees action as part of longer term goals
   • conscious , deliberate planning
4. Proficient
   • holistic view of situation, rather than in terms of aspects
   • sees what is most important in a situation
   • uses maxims for guidance, meaning of maxims may vary according to situation
5. Expert
   • no longer reliant on rules, guidelines, maxims
   • intuitive grasp of situation, based on tacit knowledge
   • vision of what is possible

Presented with these categories we can draw some parallels with the software realm. Like say, create a list of events that you’d most likely find these different categories of software developers hanging out.

Developer Event Attendance and Developer Skill Categories:

1. Vendor or Technology Specific: User Groups / Code Camps / Corporate Training / Evangelistic Events
   • Many Novices
   • Many Advanced beginners
   • A small number of Competents that are transitioning to Proficients
   • Proficients and Experts might be leading the group or may have been mandated to go by their organization
2. Open Book Clubs / Non Specific Technology Meetings / Non Specific Bar Camp Type Events
   • Mostly Competents, Proficients, and Experts

Of course, this is just my opinion. I’ve noticed that my attendance to the events listed above continually shift. Initially I thought I was becoming a curmudgeon, but instead I shifted a couple Dreyfus categories.

I found Andy Hunt’s description of Sheep Dip Training funny:

A sheep dip is a large tank in which you dunk the unsuspecting sheep to clean them up and rid them of parasites. The sheep line up; you grab one and dunk it in the tank … It wears off, of course, so you have to dip them again.

Sheep dip training follows the same model. You lineup unsuspecting employees, dunk them in an intensive, three-to-five day event … and proclaim them to be Java developers, .NET developers, or what have you. It wears off, of course, so next year you need to have a “refresher” course - another dip.

Companies love standardized “sheep dip” training … There’s only one drawback. This naive approach doesn’t work … - Pragmatic Thinking and Learning by Andy Hunt

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life … I think Perfectionism is based on an obsessive belief that if you run careful enough … you won’t have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people [are going to] have a lot more fun [than you] … -  Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Some software bug trivia.

Where did the term ‘bug’ originate?

According to Phil Factor:

The word ‘bug’ actually is short for Bugbear, sometimes found as Bugaboo. The meaning is much closer to ‘Gremlin’, where the people who worked on engineering prototypes often grew to suspect that the problems were due to malicious spooks. I sometimes still hear it said that a particular piece of software is cursed with malicious spirits. The ‘Bug’ or ‘Bogey’ part of the word is traceable back to the fifteenth century in the meaning of ‘Hobogoblin’, devil or ghost. … the word ‘Bugbear’, first recorded in the sixteenth century, is still used in referring to problems with machinery. - Confessions of an IT Manager, Phil Factor

How many bug types can you name off?

Wikipedia lists six types of bugs: Heisenbugs, Bohrbugs, Mandelbugs, Schroedinbugs, Phase of the Moon bugs, and Statistical bugs.

Which music should you listen to while squishing software bugs?

The Bug Song by Canada’s Stompin’ Tom Connors of course.

Bugs Bugs Bugs, If I had them all in jugs
I’d dig dig dig, till a big big hole was dug dug dug dug–
And that would be the end of the bug song…repeat

I once had a strong aversion to Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, pick the site of the week, …) but today I embrace it. In the old days, I thought these sites were silly, a waste of time, and preferred to spend more of my time pursuing technical / academic activities. In retrospect, I think I was feeling insecure in my technical abilities (placing to much focus on technical pursuits), I probably thought I had a boring life (and thought everyone else was bragging about theirs), and I certainly misunderstood the fundamentals of Social Media (somehow I thought being part of the conversation meant I had to consume everything).

I eventually realized that Social Media is a lot like TV. TV is overwhelmed with commercials and mediocre shows, the content is hard to find. When I watch TV (if I watch TV) I mute the commercials, flip through the channels looking for something interesting, and multitask (magazine, laptop, …). In the end TV is a leisure activity, I don’t try watching every channel (I know I can’t) and don’t pay attention to the advertisements. I do the same thing on Social Media sites too. I don’t pay attention to every post (I can’t) and I don’t pay attention to self promotion, promotions, or advertisements.

Today I embrace Social Media because it lets me participate in the conversation, share my opinion, connect with friends and family, and be an active part of our world. Oh yeah, and it’s fun too!

“Don’t be shy … or nobody will know you’re there” - Yusuf Islam / Cat Stevens

I joined the HP Pavilion tx1000 drop dead club last month. Apparently the tx1xxx models of the HP Pavilion laptops have an issue with the NVIDIA chip frying the CPU hamsters (melting the solder on the motherboard) - I’m not really sure about the technical details, but a broken laptop is bad news.

Whatever happened it first killed my wireless, then the machine wouldn’t turn on (black screen, no BIOS, no boot). However; I’m writing this post from the same defective laptop. That’s right folks! I did NOT have to find a penny older than 1982, I did NOT have to dismantle and cook the computer under a halogen lamp for 5 minutes. Instead I…

How to fix your tx1xxx laptop:

• Put your laptop on a firm grounding like the floor, counter, or sturdy table
• Placed your right elbow on the enter key and push down hard
• Pull on the opposite side of the laptop casting until you hear creaking (while pushing on the enter key with your right elbow)

I heard creaking and crunching as I physically bent the case (and the motherboard I’m sure). Now, aside from a crack in the case and a still defunct wireless card I’m temporarlily back in business - and in active search of a replacement laptop.

I’ll give any company or product a chance, but quality and user experience is the deciding factor. I doubt that I’d purchase another HP machine, but I now have an excuse to get a Mac!