Dunning–Kruger effect is the tendency of some people to appear more confident about their abilities than their competency supports.
Impostor syndrome is the tendency of some people to appear less confident about their abilities than their competency supports.
When I interview with a client or an employer, I often feel underconfident. It doesn't help that job descriptions read like Xmas wish lists.
Sometimes I think others approach interviews who, to me, seem to go the other way. "Yes, I can single-handedly turn your failing company around in a day or two. I also walk on water."
Here's the part I find paradoxical. If you read this and think to yourself, "Gosh, I hope I don't come across like some overconfident blowhard"--then you probably don't--just because you're able to ask the question.
If you read this and think to yourself, "Well, that's certainly not me. Why is it that people don't know their own worth? Why, just last week I single-handedly..."--well, all I can say is, keep your feet dry.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Friday, August 31, 2012
Smart phones
I'm fighting my frugal nature with respect to smart phones. They seem expensive to me--especially when I consider what they cost per year for, essentially, toys.
A respectable $95/month approaches an annual $1200 price tag, and some families report paying more than $200 per month--that's over $2400 annually.
For the last couple of months I've been thinking about one device and one hub. Now I'm starting to wonder something else--what would the price point be for a device that could do everything smartphones do except make calls?
A respectable $95/month approaches an annual $1200 price tag, and some families report paying more than $200 per month--that's over $2400 annually.
For the last couple of months I've been thinking about one device and one hub. Now I'm starting to wonder something else--what would the price point be for a device that could do everything smartphones do except make calls?
Monday, July 30, 2012
One HUB?
The third thing I'm thinking of I can't quite put into words--mostly because I don't know exactly what I want. Last month I characterized it as a HUB, but I'm not sure if that's quite right.
What I notice is that every time I do something different, I lose my data. If I get a new laptop, it comes with a new version of Windows, and all my "stuff" is gone. Not just data--but how I prefer to view my folders. My favorites. If I have music, then my music. The shortcuts in my "SENDTO" folder that allows me to right-click and send something to Paint or Notepad. Not to mention actual applications (which *may* work if installed on a newer system...by really--why must I do this??).
It's not as simple as cloud computing, either. If I switch from Hotmail to Gmail, I lose all my contacts. If I switch from Verizon to AT&T and then switch again to Sprint--my contacts don't follow me. If I launch my e-book reader off the back of a ferry boat and it sinks to the bottom of Puget Sound--I've got to buy my books again.
And I'll admit--to some of these the answer is, "That's not true! I know how to..."
I get it. There are exceptions, and some of you who are too clever by half already know of them.
But the general trend is--I don't own my information. Whether my information is how I prefer my computer set up, or my music, or my e-mail address book, or my phone contacts, or my applications on my phone--all of them have to be re-done when I get a new device.
And that doesn't make sense to me. I think what I want is to own my data. Not to have Hotmail holding on to one set of contacts, and my cell phone holding on to a second, and my work phone holding onto a third...I want to own my data and have it persist no matter how often I upgrade specific devices--even if I eliminate them entirely. And I don't want any 3rd party sharing it or using it to target me with advertising. It should belong to me--my data, my files, my contacts, my music, my books, my pictures, my viewing preferences.
I want my stuff back.
What I notice is that every time I do something different, I lose my data. If I get a new laptop, it comes with a new version of Windows, and all my "stuff" is gone. Not just data--but how I prefer to view my folders. My favorites. If I have music, then my music. The shortcuts in my "SENDTO" folder that allows me to right-click and send something to Paint or Notepad. Not to mention actual applications (which *may* work if installed on a newer system...by really--why must I do this??).
It's not as simple as cloud computing, either. If I switch from Hotmail to Gmail, I lose all my contacts. If I switch from Verizon to AT&T and then switch again to Sprint--my contacts don't follow me. If I launch my e-book reader off the back of a ferry boat and it sinks to the bottom of Puget Sound--I've got to buy my books again.
And I'll admit--to some of these the answer is, "That's not true! I know how to..."
I get it. There are exceptions, and some of you who are too clever by half already know of them.
But the general trend is--I don't own my information. Whether my information is how I prefer my computer set up, or my music, or my e-mail address book, or my phone contacts, or my applications on my phone--all of them have to be re-done when I get a new device.
And that doesn't make sense to me. I think what I want is to own my data. Not to have Hotmail holding on to one set of contacts, and my cell phone holding on to a second, and my work phone holding onto a third...I want to own my data and have it persist no matter how often I upgrade specific devices--even if I eliminate them entirely. And I don't want any 3rd party sharing it or using it to target me with advertising. It should belong to me--my data, my files, my contacts, my music, my books, my pictures, my viewing preferences.
I want my stuff back.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
One device
There are three parts to this dream:
(1) I want one device.
(2) I want one connectivity.
(3) I want one HUB.
(1) I want one device. It should make calls and get emails and send and receive texts and show movies and play music and do the Internet and provide maps and directions and give weather and share flight times and locate hotels and restaurants and stream music and show documents and edit documents and save document and check bank accounts and transfer money and win auctions and display books and read books aloud and take pictures and take videos and recharge via solar power and geocache and 2-way radio and video-teleconference and on and on and on.
This won't replace my computer. I know...and there's more to say about this...later. **
(2) I want one connectivity [sic]. Television cable, internet cable, internet wireless, satellite, cell phone, house phone, work phone, work wireless and wired networks, work wired telephone, work cell phone, coffee shop and train wireless--all are connectivity points for data. Not to mention the miniature "hot spots" that people carry around with them.
At all of the vendors of these services I want to shout: "STOP IT!" And--figure it out. Charge me ONCE for connectivity, period. It's all data. It's all data.
"Yeah, but you don't understand the technical incompatibilities among Bluetooth and 802.11 and TCP/IP and DSL and HTML and AMPS and CDMI and AMPS and TDMA and POTS and Wi-Fi and SSL and TLAs and blah blah blah blah blah..."
I don't care.
It's all data.
Make it work.
Everyone will buy it.
You'll be rich.
I promise.
**(3) I want one HUB. I don't have a clear vision for this wish list, so I'll work on it a bit longer and post it when I'm ready.
(1) I want one device.
(2) I want one connectivity.
(3) I want one HUB.
(1) I want one device. It should make calls and get emails and send and receive texts and show movies and play music and do the Internet and provide maps and directions and give weather and share flight times and locate hotels and restaurants and stream music and show documents and edit documents and save document and check bank accounts and transfer money and win auctions and display books and read books aloud and take pictures and take videos and recharge via solar power and geocache and 2-way radio and video-teleconference and on and on and on.
This won't replace my computer. I know...and there's more to say about this...later. **
(2) I want one connectivity [sic]. Television cable, internet cable, internet wireless, satellite, cell phone, house phone, work phone, work wireless and wired networks, work wired telephone, work cell phone, coffee shop and train wireless--all are connectivity points for data. Not to mention the miniature "hot spots" that people carry around with them.
At all of the vendors of these services I want to shout: "STOP IT!" And--figure it out. Charge me ONCE for connectivity, period. It's all data. It's all data.
"Yeah, but you don't understand the technical incompatibilities among Bluetooth and 802.11 and TCP/IP and DSL and HTML and AMPS and CDMI and AMPS and TDMA and POTS and Wi-Fi and SSL and TLAs and blah blah blah blah blah..."
I don't care.
It's all data.
Make it work.
Everyone will buy it.
You'll be rich.
I promise.
**(3) I want one HUB. I don't have a clear vision for this wish list, so I'll work on it a bit longer and post it when I'm ready.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Goat Guy
I missed a phone call from my mother yesterday. I tell her, "Sorry, I was petting a goat."
"There's a goat on the train?"
"No, no, I'm walking to the train. On my way, I passed a guy with a goat."
Goat guy told me he was doing some kind of walk to raise awareness for something. Evidently he intended to walk, with his goat, from the Space Needle to Pioneer Square. I can't imagine such a short walk would bring much awareness to anything, although I could see the goat helping a little. I met them near Auburn, which told me they were already lost...or taking the scenic route. He gave me a postcard.
Checked the postcard today, which led me to Needle2Square.com. Ohhhhhhh, I get it now. Space Needle to Times Square. I think I met this fellow on day 2 of his walk. Postcard has him with a dog. In person, it was a goat.
"There's a goat on the train?"
"No, no, I'm walking to the train. On my way, I passed a guy with a goat."
Goat guy told me he was doing some kind of walk to raise awareness for something. Evidently he intended to walk, with his goat, from the Space Needle to Pioneer Square. I can't imagine such a short walk would bring much awareness to anything, although I could see the goat helping a little. I met them near Auburn, which told me they were already lost...or taking the scenic route. He gave me a postcard.
Checked the postcard today, which led me to Needle2Square.com. Ohhhhhhh, I get it now. Space Needle to Times Square. I think I met this fellow on day 2 of his walk. Postcard has him with a dog. In person, it was a goat.
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