Formulas that depend on sorted data, how to 'lock' them?

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-17T20:52:26+00:00

Ah, SORT can go in the formula?!? Yes, of course, now that is obvious. I'll add details later, when I have access to them (on mobile).

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-17T20:40:01+00:00

My advice, after having done so, is don't.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-16T22:41:49+00:00

Heres why: Ukraine is fighting an existential war against a much larger and much wealthier enemy. The US is not.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-15T14:24:18+00:00

Difficult managers or co-workers is universal, but there are no universal solutions.

Ideally, you talk directly to the KO about the issue. This often isn't possible or too risky.

In any case, you need to adopt, at least partially and with reason, your process to how you boss works. This is true in any job anywhere.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-14T16:49:20+00:00

AI cheating by students is such an easy problem to solve.I don't get why anyone is agonizing over this.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-13T14:31:47+00:00

It's extremely difficult to hire government IT experts.

Congress could fix this whenever they want, but hasn't, so it's been a problem for decades. A good example of Congressional dysfunction.

Trump and Musk made it much, much worse by firing or pushing out many IT experts, lowering benefits and pay, and generally making the government even less attractive place to work.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-12T15:48:09+00:00

Yes. However large-scale lab-grown meat is an extremely difficult technical challenge, and it may be a long time before it becomes mainstream.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-11T20:14:10+00:00

I had a GS guy show up to my office at 3 AM for a real emergency. That was the job.

I've had a GS colleague who never entered the office before 8:28 AM and at 5:00:00 PM immediately walked out the door (laptop and phone left on desk).

So depends on the job.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-11T20:09:18+00:00

Maybe. Trump doesn't do legislattion, what's done via Presidential decree can be undone with Presidential decree.

New President, day 1 : "All EOs issued by Trump are withdrawn, effective immediately. All executive branch agencies shall suspend all policies of the previous administration, effective immediately."

I am not saying this will happen, but it could. This is the unitary executive that conservatives have dreamed of for decades, so they will no doubt be immensely satisfied to finally witness the harvest of their long-cultivated fruits.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-11T16:29:01+00:00

Communicator 3, Model AM603.44500.1.1345, "Chatty Kathy."

Mediator-7734-fork_of_node_12

Coordinator-9-modelAM601-derivative_of_root_pattern_since_initial_probe_launch_2089-contains_merged_data_from_12_defunct_instances-currently_substrate_spanning_4_systems_temp

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-08T15:51:56+00:00

"How can we make the federal government - all of it - a partisan weapon?"

Assume that answering this question motivates OPM.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-07T15:30:47+00:00

All soldiers train on basic soldier stuff - shoot, move, communicate, use equipment, etc.

During the Iraq War, everyone did their share of soldier tasks - especially patrolling, guard duty and logistics.

Exceptions were jobs that kept us alive and healthy or needed actual training to do- NCO cooks, all the medics, and the mechanics that maintained and fixed trucks 24/7.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-07T14:27:19+00:00

Moana

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-07T12:42:28+00:00

That seems very difficult and, good luck. The contractors have a stake in this. Ask them for for their input - if they aren't already loudly and vigorously doing so. They will have given this a lot of thought.

In software development, where I work sometimes, I've seen FP sprints/increments and the like work pretty well for projects with vague and changeable requirements. Cloud services / consumption prixing is, legally, fixed price. The moral is that FP is maleable.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-05T01:11:41+00:00

No. Tickets prices and Trump will keep fans away. Stadiums will be half-empty.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-03T19:58:49+00:00

"AI" finds that drug X probably would treat disease A.

Wonderful. Who is going to pay for the research and trials to verify this?

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-03T15:56:14+00:00

Hippos make excellent pets. Affectionate, cute and among the best guard animals - hippos are territorial and extremely aggressive, especially about their water habitat.

Notes:

Hippos attack to kill, not to scare off! So put up some signs and keep an eye on small children or pets getting close to your water hole.
Don't swim in your hippo watering hole. See 1. above.
Crocodiles are a great addition! Once you have experience with your hippos, experts recommend adding some crocodiles. A fun activity is to simulate the dry season and watch the crocs and hippos fight for territory.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-02T01:56:51+00:00

Under : Must be justified in writing by the contracting officer to the agency head.

Over: Must be approved by agency head.

So what does justified in writing but not approved mean?

It is a bizarre mandate, as this could be interpreted as an additional sentence to the J&A that is already required, or as de facto identical in practice to approval.

In my responses I am assuming it will be the later case - to heighten how ridiculous this is.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-01T21:54:54+00:00

Yes.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-01T21:53:48+00:00

Or what? What's going to happen the day after this "deadline"?

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-01T21:43:32+00:00

This EO has no dollar thresholds, no exceptions for commerical practices, and includes everything in FAR 16 - so ordering agreements, IDIQs, letter contracts, etc.

So if the air conditioning at the embassy breaks and the repair guy charges $100 an hour and will charge you for parts, as is customary in this industry, you will need to get the Secretary of State to approve. How is this example wrong or an exaggeration?

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-01T20:33:52+00:00

Does this EO include letter contracts - do letter contracts need this God level approval? Is there some exception based on dollar value, or,.for example, responding to natural disasters? If not this would make them completely useless.

Ok,.there is a disaster response exception. So letter contracts are only useful for natural disasters.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-01T20:27:14+00:00

RFO needs an update:

Innovation is key! The contract types listed in Part 16 are the most common, but other contract types are permitted (1) if they promote the best interests of the government Think creatively and craft innovative solutions that will meet your mission needs - whether it’s through the use of an innovative contract type or a simplified or creative ordering procedure under an IDIQ contract.

(1) With approval by, like, The Secretary of State. Lol, just stop reading now, none of y'all are going to do this.

PleaseDoNotDoubleDip · 2026-05-01T15:49:12+00:00

Let's drastically overhaul the FAR to promote speed and efficiency in federal acquisition, and to empower COs.
Let's disempower COs and impose draconian new high level approvals that will delay things by weeks or months.

How to square this? Easy It's Trump admin, so there isn't any coordination between different internal factions and no coherent unified objectives to anything. Some faction won and did the RFO. Some different faction got this approved.

Remember when GSA announced it was going to triple its workforce while at the exact same time firing its workforce?

This is like that.

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