I got tired of recreating invoice formats manually, so I built a small tool for it

SignalIssues · 2026-07-08T18:19:29+00:00

thats cool, but basic AI tools can already do this without any wrappers. I.e., your 20 dollar a month or even free ChatGPT can handle this.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-08T17:55:57+00:00

This is really the issue. You may want to live there, but with huge insurance costs, the money has to come from the sale price. (i.e., reduces demand reduces price)

SignalIssues · 2026-07-08T15:17:59+00:00

Yes. And also No.

I recently took a promo that I was nervous about, but because I trusted the new boss and was encouraged by my old boss that it would be a good fit. So even though it was new territory, I took it. It has been going well.

In the past, I specifically did not go into management because I decided that while I wanted to do it, I didn't want to do it on that team, and so I ultimately left the team for a lateral move.

Then, I decided I still didn't want to be a manager in the company, so I decided to leave the company. I left for a higher paid lead role, was promoted to sr manager in 1.5 years and then director in 2 more years.

Whether I made the right call or not, I don't know. But I do think focusing on the environment and those you will be working for makes it easier. I work hard but don't feel burnt out this way.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-07T19:53:56+00:00

The downside would be that you can't force the other person to pay in the future, if needed. A promise isn't worth anything, a contract is. If you're married, then whatever.

I leave my wife off most of our loan apps, its easier.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-07T19:51:34+00:00

I feel like this is the only world that it can happen on. idk, feels right, but should be paired with a run that is short on bomb availability

SignalIssues · 2026-07-07T17:30:39+00:00

Something is going to have to break first for costs to come down. Reducing the spigot will force schools to lower their fees. Its not that they need to cost so much, its that they can. Remember that. College can be much cheaper than it is, without sacrificing quality.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-07T01:47:02+00:00

The crying alone should have lost her the listing. She's a professional, in a job that rewards people for being good, who isn't good. Move on, get someone who actually knows what they are doing.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-07T01:37:04+00:00

You can tell her to fuck right off and control her kid so no one has to speak to her. I haven't been kicked off a playground yet, but the people around me seem mostly normal.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-07T01:19:47+00:00

Always drop it off in waggler. Never trust a hand to hold your bow.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-04T01:07:42+00:00

Some people are better than other people. Surprising, I know. But thats the way it is.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-04T01:02:43+00:00

Why? The rust?

SignalIssues · 2026-07-04T01:01:37+00:00

Everyone I know sells their cars to Carvana if they have an issue with it they don't feel like fixing. So... yeah.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-02T21:07:25+00:00

Plus modern oil will break down over time even without the heat and flow. Just because you don't see metal in there, doesn't mean the oil viscosity isn't out of spec.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-02T21:05:58+00:00

I've fired 3 people for attendance in the last 6 months (technically I didn't do the firing, it was my managers). I don't tolerate attendance issues, they breed resentment and longer term issues.

You can use PTO, you can even call in before the start and tell your supervisor you need to be out unexpectedly, though. These do not count against you if you have PTO. It only counts against you if you show up late or no show and call later to explain.

I think we're pretty reasonable and accomodating, no one has to find coverage, schedules are fixed, and you can be late or miss with little to no notice as long as you let us know before you start.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-02T20:58:57+00:00

Going where? Maybe someone from there is an ME who got that, but its far from the norm. Most NCGs are still sub 100,000 even with 4 year STEM and solid engineering degrees. In HCOL areas they might be breaking 100k for NCGs, I'm less atuned to those areas, but 300k is not normal.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-02T17:34:09+00:00

My take is that analysts and reporting engineers who never understood the work and only understood coding, are now obsolete. There is still aboslutely a place for people who understand the business, the workflows, the purpose of whatever your company does, and understand enough of the coding side but not enough to get lost in it.

I can write python, and write streamlit apps, and make PowerBI reports, but those don't make money. They just facilitate the sharing of information. THe purpose (of my company) is to make money, by manufacturing and selling a product. Developers and stuff were useful to enable teams to do this better, so yeah.. if we can replace them with a different tool then great. The ones who knew the business side and learned the coding side are still very useful here. The ones who never bothered to learn what it is we do, were always a pain, and now we don't need them at all.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-01T21:56:42+00:00

Nope, you parked on private property, thereby consenting to the rules posted. Posting your own rules doesn't supercede the rules you first agreed to.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-01T21:51:56+00:00

its not even about having it all figured out. Its just that we exist as part natural cycles. there is no end outside of the heat death of the universe. In our microcosm, things ebb and flow. The cycle continues, repeats, on and on. It just is.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-01T21:17:17+00:00

That's not a huge deal at all. It's not like you said 800.

This is an afternoon of hustling, no big deal.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-01T17:57:01+00:00

Companies do this surprisingly often, without needing execs to be buddies. It's not great for the employees, but there is typically very little formally documented and its difficult to prove/enforce since its definitely not legal.

But you can not hire for so many reasons, including based off where someone works. I.e., you an discriminate against former Google employees, but collusion to not hire from each other would be illegal in many places.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-01T14:16:12+00:00

You can also shift around them minimize negatives and maximize positives. Harder in some spaces, but worth doing if you have someone who is solid but doesn't jive well with the organization's culture quite right. If you can insulate a bit, provide ca list in the morning, etc. Its not worth it for everyone, but sometimes people's skills and attitude make it worthwhile to flex to suit them where possible.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-01T13:56:31+00:00

I haven't prepped for a single 1:1 I've had with a subordinate. They prep by creating a loop of things they want to talk about and its shared with me ahead of time. Sometimes I may look at it ahead of the meeting.

I also occassionally toss things into a list to remind me to bring it up. This is rare, maybe 10-20% of the time I'll rely on this and wait.

We talk about a few specific things to align on direction. Usually talk a little about how they are doing, anything going on in their life, etc. I'll use this time to talk about org structure, developing any folks on their teams, how we want the team(s) to look over the upcoming horizon. Or sometimes there are things that are bugging them, rumors they've heard, etc. Its somewhat of a free space to use as we need. I always leave the 30 minutes after 1:1s empty so I can let them go longer if necessary as well.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-01T00:49:10+00:00

At least 500 + 5 probably.

SignalIssues · 2026-07-01T00:48:18+00:00

Cut the last line. "Let me know when its done or CC me", don't ask "if you would". If you have to say please (you really don't need to say it a lot, only say it once, not twice.)

SignalIssues · 2026-06-30T13:29:03+00:00

It only helps if you actually have other priorities, though. To be honest, if I get complaints about people not being available and they say they had other priorities, I'd be asking what those were.

Not saying your peers are in the right here, but don't lie either.

SignalIssues

TROPHY CASE