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In my early 20s, I thought technology could solve all of our problems. In my late 20s, I thought people-processes were the real hard problem. Now, in my early
by cwkoss 5y ago
In my early 20s, I thought technology could solve all of our problems.
In my late 20s, I thought people-processes were the real hard problem.
Now, in my early 30s, I think leaders who build both of the above, but have the wisdom and flexibility to know when to make exceptions, are perhaps the most fundamental key to success.
I wonder how my perspective will change as I complete this decade of my life.
- twelvechairs 5y agoThe other logical step in your line of thought is to query what is a problem and what is a success. Finding the right problem to solve to bring success most painlessly is another way to define great leadership.
- WalterBright 5y agoI've found that designing a programming language is a veritable mountain of compromises and exceptions. A language that rigidly follows rules tends to be intractable for users.
- s17n 5y agoEventually you'll realize, most of our problems aren't gonna be solved.
- throwawaylinux 5y agoAt some point after that, you'll realize that "leaders" and people who are seen to have the authority and capability to solve problems have a vested interest in perpetuating problems and making them worse.
- CountDrewku 5y ago
- sgift 5y agoThe idealism to cynicism pipeline. Unfortunately, it's often true, even if you try to do something against it.
- ironmagma 5y agoWell, cynicism isn't the total opposite of idealism. You can have an ideal that's compatible with cynicism, such as to create a revolutionary new product, which people will adopt because (here's the cynical part) they are interested in elevating their own status or quality of life.
- techer 5y ago“There are four reasons why the Cynics are so named. First because of the indifference of their way of life, for they make a cult of indifference and, like dogs, eat and make love in public, go barefoot, and sleep in tubs and at crossroads. The second reason is that the dog is a shameless animal, and they make a cult of shamelessness, not as being beneath modesty, but as superior to it. The third reason is that the dog is a good guard, and they guard the tenets of their philosophy. The fourth reason is that the dog is a discriminating animal which can distinguish between its friends and enemies. So do they recognize as friends those who are suited to philosophy, and receive them kindly, while those unfitted they drive away, like dogs, by barking at them.”
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- dotancohen 5y agoGive it another decade. Then you'll realize that most of our problems are self-inflicted.
- yowlingcat 5y agoI'm going to take a stab at one more iteration showing you that org building is the real hard problem. But what that eventually gets you to is that politics and community is the true hard problem, which is often where one starts off.
- madrox 5y agoGoing through the same journey and hitting 40 this year, I've learned problems are an illusion. It doesn't get systemically better. Nothing ever is really solved, and the industry is constantly seeing an influx of people in their early 20s who think technology can solve all of our problems.
- lostlogin 5y agoSaid like someone who has gone deep down the hole, fixing the fix that made the fix work for the problem which solved the bad problem temporarily.
- pimlottc 5y agoI think that’s too pessimistic. Problems don’t get solved to the extent that they completely go away, but it is possible to make things better. That’s not to say we’re on a constant slope of monotonic improvement, but with effort and patience, progress can and does get made. And we need those new crops of fresh-faced 20-year-olds to carry on the fight.
- madrox 5y agoI used to share this view, but bitter experience has taught me that people do not change in the aggregate. Individuals may change, but that doesn't affect society at large. There is virtue in expanding knowledge and abilities, such as improving the mortality rate or getting us to the moon, but without a corresponding improvement in societal ethics it's like handing a child a knife. The systems and technologies we improve only increase the potential for chaos like chekov's gun waiting to go off. That's been true throughout history and the last several decades are no different.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- bitexploder 5y agoEarly 40s: I hate all computers and want to send my phone into Lava. Oh, sorry, real answer. Early 40s: So, I built and sold a consulting company starting in my early 30s. Business is hard. Computers are easy. Business is leadership and being able to build marketing, sales, etc as needed.
- firecall 5y agoLate 40s: Life is hard and then you die Which is a useful concept to grasp! If you get it, maybe you learn to drop your ergo and focus. Nothing really matters, but feelings are real in the moment. So maybe you learn to do the right thing and have the courage to be a decent person! Or you get fat and complain about the kids of today!
- runjake 5y agoI prefer the variant “Life is a series of challenges to be solved and then you die”, but to each their own.
- allisdust 5y agoLike a thread spawned to do some work and wound down on completion like countless other threads that are also running in parallel. Does a individual thread's identity count? May be it does may be it doesn't.
- ZeroGravitas 5y agoSlartibartfast: Perhaps I'm old and tired, but I think that the chances of finding out what's actually going on are so absurdly remote that the only thing to do is to say, "Hang the sense of it," and keep yourself busy. I'd much rather be happy than right any day. Arthur Dent: And are you? Slartibartfast: Ah, no. Well, that's where it all falls down, of course.
- treve 5y agoSame, reading the article immediately reminded me of people making changes to their strategy around npm dependencies after the `faker` incident.
- Aloha 5y agoI figured out clear but wobbly rules were the path to success. I also figured out that sometimes a spreadsheet or a piece of paper is the most advanced technology required. It's a matter of speed, complexity of task and performance.
- trhway 5y ago>the wisdom and flexibility to know when to make exceptions, are perhaps the most fundamental key to success. reminds "the severity of Russian laws is alleviated by the lack of their enforcement."
- jacquesm 5y agoTwo more decades: technology is not the problem, it's a tool, but a lot of people are using that tool inexpertly and that leads to all kinds of problems, some of which can no longer be solved by the application of technology.