415Kathleem
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9 years ago
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on: Soylent halts sales of its powder as customers keep getting sick
Does anyone else think that Soylent in and of itself is kind of ridiculous? I mean, I'm sorry that people are getting sick, and I'm thankful no one has gotten gravely ill- but come ON. You're seriously too busy to eat your meals now? The only people who would truly be too busy to eat are not the people who work in tech. And I say this as someone who works in tech. The people who would actually need Soylent couldn't afford it. /End rant
415Kathleem
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9 years ago
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on: To influence people don't try to persuade them, use ‘pre-suasion’ instead
I think the keys to winning people over are pretty simple, right? Kindness, authenticity, and making a good case for yourself (or whatever you're trying to persuade them on). People really don't respond well to any kind of manipulation tactic- you may find yourself winning the battle, but losing the war. I think if people can tell that you're owning a weakness in an authentic way, and then presenting a strength in an equally authentic way, that can be a good persuasion technique. However, if you're just bs'ing people to win them over, they will sense it, and you will fail.
415Kathleem
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9 years ago
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on: Why I won’t give talks about being a woman in tech
While I can certainly understand where the woman who wrote this article is coming from, I really enjoy hearing and seeing women in tech. I work in tech, albeit peripherally (EA/Admin role at the moment, just getting in the door), and 99% of the time I feel like I've wandered into a men's club. I am treated really well by my male colleagues (I'm lucky enough to work with a group of kind, talented people, though), and generally am treated well by the men I meet at meetups and the SF tech scene, but they don't see me as a threat. I'm not on GitHub responding to code reviews and changing things they've worked on. I'm not competing for their jobs. I have a feeling that the second that happened, a large percentage of the men who are now cordial to me would be less than that.
I guess my point is that though I see why nobody wants to be a token female on a panel, and nobody should be coerced into giving talks they're uncomfortable or unqualified for, as a woman just stepping into the scene, it would be really great to see more women speaking out visibly in the field.
415Kathleem
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9 years ago
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on: The Toronto Raptors are using IBM’s Watson in the draft
I remember seeing Watson on Jeopardy years ago. He is not quite in the same league as Mr. Butlertron from Clone High, but he's pretty good all the same.
415Kathleem
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9 years ago
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on: Should an early stage startup care about company culture?
Definitely! If you're going to be a part of something in its early stages (or really, in any stage?), why not try to make it the best possible version of itself?
415Kathleem
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9 years ago
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on: Should an early stage startup care about company culture?
As the office manager of a relatively early stage startup, I think that company culture absolutely does matter. If people aren't having fun, or happy to be there, work suffers. If people are engaged with each other, sharing experiences and inside jokes, and pleased with the overall atmosphere of the office, it goes better. Why work at an early stage company at all if you don't want to shape the future of it?
415Kathleem
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9 years ago
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on: Interesting Lifehacks: Use a Wooden Spoon to Block Part of Your Screen
Ingenuous. Will undoubtedly save millions of lives.
415Kathleem
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9 years ago
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on: Redesigning Shakespeare
Love this. It's awesome to see something that's been around for hundreds of years and been so many people's gateway drug into the arts get a much needed facelift.
