Life Lessons
Gilding the Glass Ceiling
Recently, I’ve been working on a project that deals with a lot of statistics. Many of the statistics I’ve come across in my research have lacked reference to any supporting data. Others had data that were—at best—questionable. I suspect that some of these statistics were blatantly untrue, but that seems to be a trend in modern “reporting.” At the same time, I’ve seen an abundance of stories harping on the glass ceiling for women. Stories about the injustice of vast pay differences between women and men in the workplace. Every story I’ve read is promoting fallacy. … Continue reading Remembering my Grandparents
This year has been a difficult one. I lost two of my grandparents in the first half of it. It seemed like every time I visited my family, I had to turn around and fly home two weeks later for a funeral. They’re both greatly missed, as are all of my other grandparents that have passed away. With all the renovations I’ve been doing on this site and the content I’ve been putting out, I’ve been reminded how much they taught me—much of which is vital to the topics I write about here. So, here’s a post in memory of my grandparents, and a little more about the lessons they instilled in me. … Continue reading
You Are Not a Web Developer
Yes, I'm talking to you, Dreamweaver user. You. Are. Not. A. Web. Developer. You're just the person that is screwing up the nice, pretty, semantic, standards-based Internet for the rest of us. The one that devalues our hard work with your naive undercutting. The one who makes our life hell when our project managers quote maintenance or design-tweaking projects not realizing that we can't just reuse your code and keep our dignity intact. You. I really hate you, you MM_preloader using, nested-tables employing you. … Continue reading
What I Learned in 11th Grade American History
I had this crazy nightmare last night about how I had to go back to high school to retake one specific class from my junior year because the teacher messed up my grade and it wasn’t valid or something. So despite my having a bachelor’s degree, I didn’t have a high school diploma—which was like the end of the world in my dream. Psychoanalysis about the dream and why I’m having it as a mostly-successful degree-wielding professional aside, it really made me revisit some concerns I have with the US school system and the teachers that are instructing my and future generations. And really got me thinking about what I learned in the course. … Continue reading
On the Subject of (Not) Learning From Past Mistakes
If past mistakes had taught me anything, I would know this: Back up your data. Often. And make sure it finishes transfer. Having worked in IT for 4 years, and being a Web Developer, I’ve counseled at least high tens, if not hundreds about “Save Early, Save Often,” backing up data, etc. But it seems I can’t take my own advice. … Continue reading
