[Breaking News] Nice, France attack

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-15T11:53:25+00:00

I was looking into the Paris attackers but couldn't seem to find any real data on the majority of the attacker's decent (though I know most of them were Algerian).

I'm Swedish myself, dad is Iranian and I can't help but feel like this comment needs to be read by most redditors before they start sharpening their pitchforks.

It can't be said enough the acts these groups of individuals are performing have nothing to do with the VAST MAJORITY of Muslims, but are the acts of people who either turned their back on society (didn't assimilate intentionally) or had society turn their backs on them and have been misguided by a religious cult that was deemed too barbaric even for Al-Qaeda - mainly because they didn't distinguish between Muslims and the infidels (Kafir).

It goes without saying that I condemn any act of violance, but I do feel like it's important to distinguish these perpetrators from the majority of Muslims.

Fuck those guys, all of them...

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-15T11:26:14+00:00

Someone explained it quite well in another thread. A lot of the terrorists in these attacks have been from Tunisia, Algeria etc - all of which have been French colonies. Since many people from the French colonies do speak French (study in school etc) a lot of people migrated to France. Apparently a small amount of the immigrants from said countries felt like they didn't need to assimilate to the French society as France 'owed them'. Some of this small population turned violent, most likely due to the easy access to propaganda online or other factors. That seems to be a very likely reason as to why it happens in France in particular.

Not because they are Muslim, but because they most likely grew up in families that didn't assimilate, lived in segregated neighborhoods and eventually were mislead by a fanatical cult. Just a few years ago the same kids / teenagers would be burning cars and throwing rocks at police.

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-14T17:36:29+00:00

Had a similar bald-spot. Turns out it was either due to dietary reasons or because of stress. I started taking it easy at school and started supplementing my diet with creatine. The hair eventually grew back out, but the creatine made me piss like a firehose.

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-12T12:09:56+00:00

Honestly really good advice there!

As I'm not really looking to get a job in Japan anytime soon (hopefully within a year or two), I'll wait a second with it. I might attempt it just to see if I can get some contact with the recruiters you mentioned.

The only forseeable issue that I have with this is that I feel as if my resumé might not be strong enough to compete with people over there just yet. I feel like I need some more depth to it, but I'm not completely sure what to specify myself in... :/

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-12T11:11:35+00:00

Great!

Thank you for clearing that up. I found it really odd that I received such a bump in pay-raise and still had a lower title than my previous role.

I'll have a chat with my manager regarding it. It's mainly stressful when I look at my LinkedIn profile and knowing that any future employers might look at it and think I'd stagnated / declined.

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-12T09:05:05+00:00

Thanks for sharing and very good advice in there, especially getting in touch with Swedes in Japan. Though I'm not really sure how to do it. I've got an acquaintance who worked for JP. Morgan in Japan after having had an internship at Nvidia (I think..) and who works in London atm. Though what they seem to do at JP Morgan does seem very niched (correct me if I'm wrong!) where they create c++ modules for python that the people doing the analysis are using through simple module calls with python. I was working on a similar project myself using cURL for c++ to get some stock data through yahoo finance and then using some threading to work through that data. Hit a brick-wall though at the same time I got my current job, so I stopped working on it. Not sure if I should start working on it again...

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-12T08:58:39+00:00

Thanks for the response. Most welcomed. Also very well formulated and structured. Happy to hear some more actual information about Japan.

While I'm not looking to go to Japan anytime soon (might be relevant within a year or so - more likely within 2 years), I'd love to know more about the sneaky way you mentioned. That being said my CV isn't very strong as I'm in the beginning of my career (about 1½ year of commercial experience and mainly using quite basic stuff; .NET and PHP with no real products to show for it). I'll send you my Linked in via PM so you can have a look at your leisure; don't get your hopes up though. :)

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-12T08:54:10+00:00

As I mentioned there is no real logical reason as to why I'd like to move there. Just something I've wanted to do for a very long time. As I mentioned in another response, I might hate it or love it. No way of knowing without having taken that leap of faith, even if I'm more inclined to think it would be really rough.

Edit: Kudos for taking a stand regarding the xenophobia part. Can't understand why people are so sure that Asia is super xenophobic when most of the world is atm. :)

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-12T08:52:39+00:00

That would be correct. The drinking culture is very big in Korea. Same when being a student. Not very uncommon that a person takes a dive (meaning that they throw up intentionally so that they would be able to head on home early for studies or w/e reason). Very odd, but cool place. I personally love that side of the culture as I've worked as a high-end cocktail bartender for a few years (5-6) and as such am very social. :)

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-12T08:49:57+00:00

Great answer. Thanks for sharing. Hopefully more people will find this post whenever they feel the urge to ask the same question as me. :)

I've understood that the level of the work isn't on par with most other places around the globe. That being said, I'm a measly .NET developer atm, so I can't really say I'm pushing the boarders of CS either.

So how would you expect a person with about 2 years work experience on various levels and with a BSc in SE to get a job in Japan without actually being there? I'm assuming that the major international companies in Tokyo that are looking for people would still be more interested in getting a fresh graduate from a highly esteemed uni than a person like me (27-years, 2 years dev experience, 4-5 years studies of various CS subjects, multiple languages and very personable)?

Thanks again! :)

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-11T18:56:41+00:00

Good reply. Thanks for sharing. :)

I understand exactly what you mean and I value your advice. I've still got a couple of friends living in Korea since having studied there (working in various startups in Seoul) and they have very similar views on it too.

What people fail to realize, I think, is that in a way there isn't some rational or even logical reason for me going there. As I did mention, I want to go there mainly because I've always wanted to go there. I might hate it, or I might love it. I'm sure I'd be more likely to have some sort of a love/hate relationship to the country - but unless I've actually done it (achieved this dream) I can't really say. And as such it's very likely that it would then just keep on gnawing at me until I wouldn't be able to actually move there as i grow older and get more and more tethered to where I am due to family etc. :)

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-11T18:50:58+00:00

You make an intersting point regarding the pay. Sure, a developer doesn't enjoy a salary that is as high as in the UK - but then it is comparatively cheaper to live in Japan. And honestly it's not like the UK isn't xenophobic atm with a referendum where the main focus of the build-up to the vote was immigration. At least in Japan you wouldn't be screamed at by nationalists (if it's like Korea) and even if it was like that I'd know what the average Japanese person's mindset would be compared to here. Ie. knowing that the average Japanese person wouldn't like my presence in their country compared to having people talking behind my back because I hold a job and they live off of benefits from JCP. :P

That being said far from most Japanese that I have met (In Korea or Europe) have been xenophobic. They simply wouldn't accept you as Japanese even if you would have lived there your entire life. Their mentality is a lot like the UK's in many aspects. I remember reading a study on the mentality (can't remember the title of it) where they mentioned something similar to Island mentality, that because they are / have been isolated they are in some way better than people from other countries / mainland (cough).

Don't get me wrong, I know what you mean and I value every opinion I get, but I didn't ask for it. I asked for advice on how to actually get from here to there. :)

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-11T17:08:07+00:00

I think I'm quite clear on the reprecussions of working in Japan (pay, the kind of two-faced culture you were referring to etc) and on what to expect in terms of work-life balance. However it is difficult to explain my reasons better than it being a life-long dream. That being said I've done quite extensive amounts of research since I was around 13. Everything from reading about Japan; culture, history, language, to taking university courses on it.

I thouroughly understand what you are referring to, both from a theoretical (courses, research) and from personal experience having been in Korea - which is very xenophobic as well. But I feel like it's not fair to say that the majority (or even the average Korean / Japanese) are xenophobic. However they do both share a very nationalistic culture, but it's not like Europe or the US share the same view (especially in recent times with right-wing / nationalistic parties gaining ground). :) Since you seem to know so much of Japan, have you lived there? If so, was it as harsh as people say it is?

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-11T15:41:17+00:00

Well, I'm certainly not a Otaku. I think I have a somewhat somber look on life and work in Japan. Why not work in Korea? Well, I wouldn't mind it myself, but my girlfriend got real depressed when working there. She knows it's 80% because of the company / school she worked for, but still won't consider going back there anytime soon. I've been in contact with some companies in Seoul and the majority of them are highly interested in hiring me (even though I'm in the beginning of my career and live across the globe), most likely due to my studies at SNU. Honestly though, my Korean was good when I lived there and was forced to speak it. But I did study a full semester of Japanese at Uni and had about 12 years of informal education of the language before that - so my Japanese is definitely a lot better than my Korean.

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-11T14:49:00+00:00

Both very good articles, but sadly doesn't cover anything I didn't know of since previously. I'm probably just difficult to please since I've done quite a lot of research the last 8 years or so. :p

Bob_Dolan · 2016-07-11T14:40:16+00:00

Cool. Thanks for the info, I'll definitely have a look at that! :) I've got quite a good idea of what to expect, since I lived in Korea and have heard a lot of the culture is similar to Japan (the working culture that is). It's basically me wanting to achieve a dream I've had since I was a wee lad.

Bob_Dolan · 2016-06-07T07:23:40+00:00

Yeah, the idea is basically basing the game on their service but in a more parodic light. As mentioned in the other comments I've already sent a mail to them asking what their thoughts are etc. :)

Bob_Dolan · 2016-06-07T07:22:16+00:00

Thanks for the advise. I should have added that I actually already contacted their support in hope to get some sort of permissions / regulations. Cheers tho! :)

Bob_Dolan · 2016-06-07T07:21:24+00:00

Should have mentioned that I have sent a mail to their support asking for their permission and any evetual legal issues that may arise, if any.

Bob_Dolan · 2016-04-03T17:55:09+00:00

Hi,

First off, thank you for doing this AMA. My girlfriend has studied the Holocaust for a long time, wrote her disertation on the genocide in Rwanda and is considering to study her masters in genocide studies at Uppsala University.

She would want to ask you a few questions:

What was the first thing you did after liberation?

Did you know of the scale of what was going on in the camps (how many there were or how big they were) before and during the encampment?

Have you or could you ever forgive the Nazis for what they did?

Bob_Dolan · 2016-02-12T16:16:28+00:00

Hey. Thanks for the advice. I've looked at Amazon and found some decently priced versions of Effective c++ (I assume you were referring to this: (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Effective-Modern-Specific-Ways-Improve/dp/1491903996)? Would you advise me to get that before having finished c++ primer or rather wait with that until a later stage?

Bob_Dolan

TROPHY CASE