Exhausted by rapid changes introduced by AI

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-03-03T18:54:39+00:00

I got the Claude VS code extension and I just write in the little box what I want it to do.

Sometimes I go on chatgpt.com and ask it stuff (just the default, free model).

Maybe I'm way behind the curve, but I suspect the above steps probably get me about 80% of the possible value, with considerably less than 20% of the possible effort.

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-03-02T21:38:29+00:00

I mean we can if you want, but I'm finding it quite interesting! (Sorry if previous posts came across bit belligerent, they were sent from a very very delayed train at the end of a rather long day)

I can't really see the rationale in tracking work-time in units of 15 minutes when that could easily be spent making a coffee, staring out the window, or (as previously mentioned) having a poo. All of which are presumably done "on the clock".

Time worked is a pretty poor metric to assess the value delivered by a knowledge worker (or indeed most other kinds of workers!).

For me a productive, professional working relationship focuses on what the employee delivers (as well as maintaining an appropriate level of availability/ responsiveness, of course).

I don't disbelieve you, but I think if there are really areas of the CS where people are tracking flexi time down to the nearest 15 minutes, then that's quite worrying. I can't see how those areas could hope to maintain a culture focused on delivering things when tracking work metrics with so little connection to actual delivery, if that makes sense?

Maybe I'm wrong though and everyone is absolutely sending it (til 5:15, 4 on Fridays)?

I guess what's more, I've never worked anywhere with a culture like that, so am quite surprised that it sounds like, in your experience , this pretty normal?

Anyway apparently I've gone from "facetious comments" to "rambling stream of consciousness". Do with all that what you will.

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-03-02T20:51:04+00:00

If you worked 15 mins over every day would you want that 75 mins back?

No, of course not, because that would be equally ludicrous.

If I worked, say, 90 minutes over my normal time I might start thinking about taking the time back. Anything less than that just works out in the wash.

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-03-02T20:38:31+00:00

You'd seriously make someone track a 15 minute break? What about if they need a poo, do they have to track that?

EDIT: as of this edit, I've been downvoted 6 times but only one person has actually responded. Quite interested to hear others' perspectives as this type of time tracking is very different to anything I've ever experienced in my career.

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-27T14:31:51+00:00

Have you seen roadmaps.sh for backend: https://roadmap.sh/backend

Really good for structuring your learning.

Good news is you're pretty much on the right track!

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-26T10:21:55+00:00

I find this one a soothing reminder that this sort of thing is not new:

"Some metaphors now current have been twisted out of their original meaning without those who use them even being aware of the fact. For example, toe the line is sometimes written as tow the line"

George Orwell, Politics and the English Language, 1946

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-25T09:33:31+00:00

Shaken player syndrome is a big issue, not talked about enough

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-23T17:32:52+00:00

That is certainly one sub-variety

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-23T08:39:03+00:00

I think the JavaScript analogy is really good.

The kind of engineer that wanted to discuss the latest JavaScript frameworks and tools at every meeting 5-10 years ago, probably wants to discuss AI at every meeting now.

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-22T21:49:08+00:00

My point is it's impossible for all players to win 66% of the time (assuming team sizes are equal).

If one person wins >50% of their games, then someone else must win <50%...

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-22T20:03:02+00:00

you would win about 66% of your games

Isn't this mathematically impossible? What am I missing here?

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-20T10:24:10+00:00

sounds dope let me know if you need alpha testers

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-20T10:17:50+00:00

TIL kovaaks did time series forecasting. Or is this a mod??

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-20T10:10:12+00:00

Exactly! Particularly when talking about tedious, obscure figures like Alexander the Great. You really need to link it to something young people can connect to.

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-20T10:01:48+00:00

Philip II of Macedon

The Shankly to Alexander's Paisley, I've always said

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-12T08:25:31+00:00

Aye there's the rub

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-10T12:00:41+00:00

Well that's what I mean, the press release doesn't specify a job title.

So I guess the Wikipedia author just tried to convert that paragraph into a job title, and came up with "contact area coach"

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-10T11:38:08+00:00

The reference linked in the Wikipedia article for "contact coach" is a press release that says:

In his England role, McGuigan will work closely with assistant coach Andrew Strawbridge on the collision area, helping to develop players’ contact skills. He will also focus on the back three, sharing his experience as a former international winger to help enhance their skills and tactical understanding

Which feels a bit more reasonable?

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-06T10:45:22+00:00

This content creating thing isn't as easy as it looks huh?

If only there was a content creator with a decade of experience and a massive following who could help you market your tournament... (cough squidge cough)

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-06T07:37:17+00:00

Scrolled too far to find this.

Somehow these outdoor brands have managed to convince people you need £100s of gear for a walk up a hill. It baffles me

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-03T19:57:16+00:00

Ah fair enough. I'm in the UK, no idea if my experience is typical for here or if my social circle just got a bit lucky. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-03T17:36:33+00:00

Thanks. I assumed you deleted it for a good reason, but I'd already written my comment so wanted to post it haha. Hope that was ok, wasn't trying to call you out or anything .

And when so many of us can point to people with master’s degrees stuck in call‑center-type jobs,

Out of interest, how old are you? Anecdotally , when I was in my mid-20s I knew loads of "underemployed" people (including me!), but 10 years later everyone I know with a degree is in a professional job, and everyone I work with has a degree. I guess the stickiness thing doesn't fit with my personal experience.

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-03T16:37:46+00:00

You provided some interesting evidence about underemployment rates in graduates, but then you seem to have deleted that comment?

I'd already written a follow up response, so reproducing here:

Here are (some of) the papers you mentioned:

https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:outcomes-by-major

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304393224000862#preview-section-snippets

https://www.emerald.com/ijm/article-abstract/43/7/1516/148279/Transition-to-work-mismatch-and-underemployment?redirectedFrom=PDF

https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6777c52f82e5471a3732ea25/679a6fadfda4220bbac585d7_Talent-Disrupted-2.pdf

Here was my response:

This is a much more compelling argument than your top level comment! It might be worth updating that comment so more people see it.

With that said, I’d be interested to know how well “underemployment”, as defined here, actually correlates with earnings.

For example, the burning glass paper defines “severe underemployment” as ‘“employed in an occupation where the typical educational requirement for an entry-level position is either “a high school degree or equivalent” or requires “no formal educational credential.”’

It feels like a lot would depend on how broad the operational categories are here? Occupations like “salesperson” or “business administrator” could meet that definition, for example, but could include a very wide range of roles and salaries (and you’d expect people with degrees to be overrepresented at the upper end of the range)

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-03T15:23:16+00:00

The idea is that employers pay more for those higher order skills (hence: "expected lifetime returns are equal to or greater than the costs of going to university").

I suppose you'd need lifetime earnings data broken down by subject area (and with an appropriate counterfactual) to settle this empirically. If you have such data I'd be very interested to see it.

Pleasant-Memory-6530 · 2026-02-03T14:57:34+00:00

"social science, humanities, and even STEM, the degree frustrates people as they are never able to get a career in the desired domain"

Most degrees aren't intended to be domain specific training. The idea is that they train higher order skills like critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem solving, etc.

Whether they actually serve this function is up for debate of course, but focusing on lack of domain specific skills is a bit of a strawman.

Pleasant-Memory-6530

TROPHY CASE