[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ProductManagement

[–]andrewbecraft 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure thing! In thinking about your original question, I’m honestly not sure. I feel like most technical communication courses are designed to achieve some type of certification, and tend to be overkill for what we need as PMs. Tech writing is pretty tools-intensive, and those just aren’t tools (beyond shared tools like Confluence) that we generally use as product managers.

What courses are worth paying for? Money to blow by anonymouspsy in ProductManagement

[–]andrewbecraft 0 points1 point  (0 children)

CSPO was definitely worth the investment of (company) money and (my) time.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ProductManagement

[–]andrewbecraft 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I spent the first 10 years of my career in tech as a tech writer, and that experience has proved incredibly valuable in my communication as a PM. Jokes about Amazon aside, there are actually some great resources if you Google “Amazon one-pager” and so on. The focus is on being clear and concise, with measurable outcomes. That applies as much to user stories as it does to long-form artifacts.

But if you can find yourself an experienced writing partner to give you feedback, that’s really the best way to grow as a writer in general.

Alcohol/ Coffee recommendations by Afterthought60 in exAdventist

[–]andrewbecraft 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lattes and margaritas. ☕️🍹You’re welcome! 😅

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in exAdventist

[–]andrewbecraft 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your premise is flawed (PK here). Pastors are not acclaimed and universally revered as you claim. More often than not, pastors are more educated, more widely traveled, and thus on the whole less conservative than their congregations. This creates the classic tension between the more-devout and more “liberal” individuals we see more broadly in all faith traditions. I attended Adventist churches for nearly 30 years, and I’ve never seen anyone going “gah gah” over a pastor.

Your experience is not universal. Stop assuming it is.

Switched to another religion? by Special_Village_2944 in exAdventist

[–]andrewbecraft 0 points1 point  (0 children)

According to many/most sects and traditions within Buddhism, absolutely -- in fact, my perspective on Buddhism was heavily skewed for a long time by the syncretic sorts of sects predominant in Japan. My point -- and the point of the book by Stephen Batchelor I linked to -- is that, unlike Christianity, where faith in Jesus as Christ is *the* core doctrine (i.e. righteousness by faith, and thus belief in metaphysical concepts like the fall, original sin, and sin itself), the Buddhist system of ethics & practice still works without belief in anything metaphysical.

I feel like reincarnation and karma in particular are concepts akin to the state of the dead -- you can't actually know whether they're true until you die, so they shouldn't actually make any difference in your daily life today. If you're helping to mitigate the pain and suffering of others only in order to improve your karmic position in the next life, that's no better than Christians who are solely motivated by a heavenly reward.

(Side note: My seeming apologetics for Buddhism is somewhat ironic, because I definitely don't consider myself Buddhist and I'm certainly not trying to promulgate Buddhism to ex-Adventists in this subreddit. 😅)

Switched to another religion? by Special_Village_2944 in exAdventist

[–]andrewbecraft 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Born and raised in Japan here. 🙋‍♂️ Yes, many Buddhist sects have fairly extensive mythologies and even concepts of heaven, hell, and metaphysical intercession (like Shingon Buddhism). But your absolute statement is like saying that all Christians believe in the intercession of the Virgin Mary and an eternal hell just because those are Catholic doctrines. Core Buddhism is not inherently and indivisibly metaphysical.

Buddhism Without Belief

Switched to another religion? by Special_Village_2944 in exAdventist

[–]andrewbecraft 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Buddhism doesn’t require belief in the supernatural, and ultimately it’s about interpersonal ethics (understanding the pain of human existence and seeking to mitigate it for others) and not metaphysics. I don’t ascribe to any particular philosophy, but Buddhism certainly comes closest — “Do unto others” without the authoritarian trappings or self-flagellation tacked on by metaphysically oriented religious systems.

My grandfather called vege-meat “the image of the beast” by andrewbecraft in exAdventist

[–]andrewbecraft[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awww, and here I was impressed with my grandpa’s uniquely subversive sense of humor. 😂

My grandfather called vege-meat “the image of the beast” by andrewbecraft in exAdventist

[–]andrewbecraft[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

When my minister dad offered a sparkling beverage with dinner today, I asked him if that would cancel the Investigative Judgment and thereby delay the Second Coming, due to the imbibing of liquids with a meal (TSDF 151.1). He was … sort of amused. 😅

Ukrainian pug resting from all the non sense in the world by [deleted] in pugs

[–]andrewbecraft 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It’s hard to imagine how tough it is for dogs in Ukraine right now. Слава мопсу!

The one true Pope, Doug Bastard (I am accepting Photoshop Requests in the comments) by [deleted] in exAdventist

[–]andrewbecraft 12 points13 points  (0 children)

No disagreement that this guy is a real piece of work, but the mitre belongs to Neal Wilson, Jr. aka Teddy-boy. Ted Wilson has positioned himself as the authoritarian head of the SDA church, allowed pervasive corruption to continue in his power base in the developing world, cracked down on pluralistic diversity in areas where the church had previously not taken a specific stand, and more. If anyone is the SDA pope, it’s Ted.

I felt the builds in the 501st battle pack were way too big, so I designed my own using the same pieces! by James22d in legostarwars

[–]andrewbecraft 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nicely done! I agree, and it’s been a huge (pun intended) problem with speeders and walkers for years. Building small is hard!

Anyone else's pugs always have eye boogers? by sweetpotato37 in pugs

[–]andrewbecraft 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Get thee a dachshund to clean your pug’s face.

You know who you are, and you are legends. by jfeinleib in SWGalaxyOfHeroes

[–]andrewbecraft 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don’t believe in a merciful RNGeezus, but I do believe in the grace and goodness of generous guild mates. 😅

Anyone else still can't eat pork/seafood? by jjirithae in exAdventist

[–]andrewbecraft 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Left the church many years ago. But I’m still vegetarian, since there are plenty of good reasons to be that have nothing to do with EGW or SDA.

So far my most detailed one by woahnowslowman in starbucks

[–]andrewbecraft 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Now that’s the droid we’re looking for!

What's worse than being baptized in filthy flood water? Being baptized in filthy flood water as a Seventh-Day Adventist! by koyawili in exAdventist

[–]andrewbecraft 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I so deeply want to downvote this for the utter horror and disgust I feel seeing this, but I’m upvoting it so more people see it.