I think I lost my ID at the airport. On the way out of town.

I think I lost my ID at the airport. On the way out of town.

I've ordered a new one, so I'll be fine.

The problem is getting home. Anyone have personal experience with flying without an ID?

Project Falcon.

Project Falcon.

Too dudebro?

If you haven't, check out Everyday Miracles on netflix.

If you haven't, check out Everyday Miracles on netflix.

Because reasons, paging Tony Lower-Basch whose love of materials science says he may enjoy it. And paging Jason Morningstar, whose broad based interest in the world says he may already know what's in it.

I want to be able to focus on longer-term larger-scale problems at the company.

I want to be able to focus on longer-term larger-scale problems at the company.

Am I the only one?

Perhaps of interest to Jon Cole and originally brought to my attention by Jason Morningstar.

Perhaps of interest to Jon Cole and originally brought to my attention by Jason Morningstar.

So, there's this larping group in Palenstine that uses nordic larp techniques as an "effective tool to promote dialogue and participatory art."

The group is here: http://www.baitbyout.org/

That is, they are using larp to help children become more awesome.

I reached out, asking how I could throw money their way. We settled on an amazon wish list.

If you are interested, the list is here:
http://a.co/7HVTkIG

If I've done this right, you should be able to see it and maybe things you send will go to them. If I wind up with a bunch of animal masks, it'll be weird.
http://www.baitbyout.org/

I've got an amazon wish list for Palastenian dancing larp. Who wants in?

Here's a question: Does this sound like a good working environment?

Here's a question: Does this sound like a good working environment?

Within the office I work at, there's a large office that is currently filled with four cubicals. I want it, and here's what I want to do with it.

I want to tear down cubical walls, throw away the phones. Toss the filing cabinets, and the rest of the stodgy furniture while we're at it.

Bring in long tables, with more chairs than people. Encourage us to look at and work with each other. I want bar-height table against one wall, and a centralized coat rack for all the distracting shit we bring on commutes. I want the window shared by everyone. I want the lights on, bright and welcoming.

I want the longest wall covered in whiteboard, with post it notes and markers everywhere. I want burn down charts and scrum boards. I want successes and failures to be visible and shared. I want to shut the door,

Outside this large office, there are some private cubbies no one ever uses. I want this team empowered to go to there when they need to get away from the chaotic wonderful mess. I want to ensure everyone feels empowered to use it. I want that space to have cell coverage.

I want to say no to firedrills, for everyone on the team to know to direct these special weird requests back to a single point of contact who will refuse. I want to toss outlook calendar reminders into the trashbin of history.

This space is far from the kitchen, so I want a a mini kitchen: food bars, bottled water and coffee. A mini fridge. I want a single trash can and recycle for the place. Whatever beverage or food item people most need, I want to supply. I don't know if I want this at the door, or the opposite end at the window.

I want information and skills shared, for everyone growing and learning from each other. I want to keep this team functioning. I want everyone to work in the way that makes them the best.

I want me plus three working in this office, probably new hires. I don't want to be their boss. I don't want them to have a boss. I want to solve their blocks and keep them happy. I want a mathematician, a BI experts, probably a tester/UX person, and a highly technical DBA. The DBA's we've got internal, and I can nab one from a satellite office five thousand miles away. I want not a one of them to be a straight white dude -- I need the diversity of thought.

I want a slack channel up with our product owner, who travels. I want that visible to all of us. I want to have weekly sprints (probably), showing off the cool maths we've done every friday afternoon. I want to be proud of our accomplishments. We can do those in the same room, and invite everyone.

For those product demos and whatever else, I want a large shared monitor. I want it to have a chromecast or something else just as easy. I want anyone to be able to toss what they are working on to that monitor to discuss it with everyone.

I want a unix command prompt. I want PowerPoint to cry itself to sleep from loneliness. I want a daily standup, and to know we're all working on the most important items.

Something I notice more because of Jason Morningstar.

Something I notice more because of Jason Morningstar.

Can you identity the genders?
Boss: What is the difference in table1 and table2----
Owner of Table1: There is none.
Owner of table2: Except for the columns
T1: well of course except for the columns, but the same rows.
T2: Oh, obviously.
Boss: Great. So what is the difference in the timing of updating table 1 and table 2?

Any guesses?

So, I hit under 210 pounds!

So, I hit under 210 pounds!

I want to talk a bit about this; why it is important to me, and maybe even a little philosophy. This is going to be a nasal gazing post.

I've never had the weight that I want; I enjoy eating too much, and there's this constant struggle. Sound familiar? Right.

So.

A year and a half ago, I entered into a bet with our friendly neighborhood economist. He'd hold onto a check, and if I hit the goal weight by a certain date, he'd destroy it. Otherwise, he'd send it to an organization that I personally find reprehensible. Every single time we've done this, I have won the bet. Usually with weeks to spare.

That is; I went from nothing work to something that works. After Nov 9, when doing this I started giving the money away. I figured if I had the money to possibly spare, then I could go ahead and spare it. This was to causes that I care about; ie, the most recent went to Safety Pin Box -- so money directly in the hands of black women.

Granted, during the winter months I don't do the incentive mechanism and tend to gain back a bunch. I think that's OK for now, and doesn't disprove the overall point. I don't do it during Winter because it is cold and I hate it.

Philosophically, I came around to American pragmatism and it's historical antecedent found in Hume. And this is where my notion of free will has always resided: compatibalism. That is, it can both be the case that our actions are caused by outside events, and that we can be said to have free will.

That I can enter into a contract that so alters my behaviors such that I exercise more and eat less confounds me. My will was free to enter into the bet, and then the bet affected my free will. I do not even feel free when I am doing the incentive mechanism -- I feel the philosophical chains.

Which is odd. I normally do not feel such chains. That is, I normally feel as if my decisions are mine to make for whatever that means. Could it be it is an illusion, and that even the Hume sense of free will is nonsensical?

I'm not sure. I am sure that I'm not pretty like Matt Damon. I am, though, adorkable, which is probably a good thing.

I'm planning to in-person pitch a thing at work in the next couple of days.

I'm planning to in-person pitch a thing at work in the next couple of days. Who'd be up for reading and helping me revise?

Can smart people tell me how GMing skills translate to, say, Scrum?

Can smart people tell me how GMing skills translate to, say, Scrum?

Rob Donoghue, Tony Lower-Basch for starters?

Who is our most hip hop founding father?

Who is our most hip hop founding father?

Related: Guess what musical I saw yesterday?

Joshua A.C. Newman​ bags bags bags!

Joshua A.C. Newman​ bags bags bags!

I've got the messenger bag: https://walterandray.com

And because it is about bags, Rob Donoghue​
https://walterandray.com

Realization: The most engaging part of my job is linear algebra.

What is money?

Do you like apocalypse world, but think the apocalypse itself is overblown?

Do you like apocalypse world, but think the apocalypse itself is overblown?
Do you think the apocalypse is likely tom come in waves?
Will the apocalypse be queer?
Does distributed MC powers and diceless mechanics make you go "neat!" ?

Then ... have you read Dream Askew by Avery Adler?

Because you should! You can find it here:
https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/dream-askew/


https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/dream-askew/

I'm reading matter, a culture novel by Ian banks.

I'm reading matter, a culture novel by Ian banks.

Our protagonist just armed her provincial prince brother and his servant with special circumstances weapons to go deal with people who think steam power is really neat.

Whatever happens next will be hilarious.

I am so proud of this weekend. Like, omg.

I am so proud of this weekend. Like, omg.

Not only did we attend a super-fun local board game con, but:
... we also won games worth the entrance fee.
... and, with some organizational structure from Megan Knouff, delightful insistence by Ariana Tobias, invented a larp track
... with Jason Morningstar playing and debriefing us through Shoutdown To Launch
... with a perspective-altering game of So, Mom I Made A Porno
... with a couple dozen people joining for Ghost Court (actually factually scheduled and ably run by Jason)
... and, the hardest and best game, Jay Treat's Strange Gravity, which we managed to keep mostly dramatic.

How fantastic.

I'm at 211.1

I'm at 211.1

Yesterday, I was at 213.2 -- though at first my scale claimed I was at 208, which scared the crap outa me.

I feel fine. I am hopeful to be below 210 by Friday.

Whatcha think?

Ok, do you know why it's shitty to show the towers?

Ok, do you know why it's shitty to show the towers?

Because it is lived history. Because we remember. Because I'm feeling a sense of helplessness and panic at the site. Do not do that.

Breathe.

I am attempting an experiment.

I am attempting an experiment. I have permission and buy-in from the person most affected, who is colluding with me. Let's see how it turns out!

[ Edit: Measurement error is a real thing, and it can have real effects. ]

[ Edit: Measurement error is a real thing, and it can have real effects. ]

I lost six pounds overnight.

Am I going to die?

I'm traveling and can't really talk, but wanted to add this to the conversation: not having papers is a civil...

I'm traveling and can't really talk, but wanted to add this to the conversation: not having papers is a civil offense.

Being transported across the border without your consent isn't a crime of any kind.

Those protected by daca have committed no criminal offense, and are certainly not illegal.

One thing I enjoyed about the first culture novel -- Consider Phlebas -- is that The Culture goes to war not because...

One thing I enjoyed about the first culture novel -- Consider Phlebas -- is that The Culture goes to war not because it is in their interest to do so (along any understandable length time span, it most definitely is not), but because the Idrianas are shitty.

That is, The Culture had a moral reason to go to war. They do something similar -- and with significantly reduced loss of life -- in Player of Games.

I think the same thing is happening in Matter. After reading Use of Weapons, I still have no idea what it was about.

Point is, I really like that Banks found good reasons for socially conscious society to go to war.

TFW you realize you increased your retirement contribution by 3% automatically and didn't even notice.

TFW you realize you increased your retirement contribution by 3% automatically and didn't even notice.

Good job brain, you set me up for future success.

Office Space, but instead of being useless, Jennifer Aniston plays a software tester who quit the corporate world.

Office Space, but instead of being useless, Jennifer Aniston plays a software tester who quit the corporate world. She QA's Michael's code before they push it live so it works right, and has an idea: the code exploits reliance on illegal accounting, and our quartet develop it into a worm that is dormant until it discovers illegal accounting tricks.

Our quartet go to Tahiti.

Q: How do you know when it's time to interview and get out?

Q: How do you know when it's time to interview and get out?
A: The first time you wake from sleep with a panic attack.

It's happened. Time to get out before I do something regretful at the office.

Bret Gillan

Bret Gillan

Some video games I enjoy:
-- Endless Sky, a free (!), open source space trading and combat game.
-- Master of Orion 2: A redonkulously old 4x game that I adore to this day.
-- Carcassone on my phone: To make the AI challenging, I misplace my first meeple.
-- Rebuild 3: An after the zombies game of rebuilding cities.

These are the sorts of video game I play! I'm thinking about getting into the vault game becauwe I do adore the fallout.

OK. So, tell me I'm witty and clever.