Viewing profile — davimack

Since Google died I've been using selfoss. I haven't / hadn't been able to find the social features, and selfoss was just straightforward and solid.

Double your rate for each new client until you can't go higher and get work. Then back off in reasonable increments until you have just enough work to be happy. I work in biotech. …

I think the hustle mentality is a different issue, and I would be very hesitant to conflate the two or to entangle them in some way. It is unfortunately common, in my experience, h…

Basically nothing down in database-land has changed, from what I can tell. Added features, but everything in those languages is designed to be backwards compatible (unless you're t…

I am always conflicted when I see something in here linking to globe n mail, particularly when the article is basically utter garbage, without any amount of research involved in it…

I had been a consultant for a long time, started my own business, built teams, etc., but mostly independent. I decided to move down towards Silicon Valley & to do that I took a ful…

I would ask whether they would like a future employer to know they'd Googled the address of a Marijuana dispensary. Or their employer to know that they'd looked at [insert kink her…

Not mine, but one I ran into. This is on an automated testing rig for microwave devices, which are odd things - you don't have wires for microwaves, you have wave guides, which are…

A truly obfuscatory browser: one in which everything sent to the server looked the same, regardless of which user, region, etc.

Indeed. One addition to this: retirement isn't about quitting working, it's about having the OPTION to quit working, which means that you can pick and choose the kinds of positions…

I've had friends move to the Netherlands & definitely they have more disposable income than I do. I've also worked in the UK (Scotland) where I made a hell of a lot less but where …

If they've established a corporation on their end of things (known as a "sole trader" in the UK), then you can just send them a 10-99 as per usual, because you're paying a corporat…

Responding to the contractor vs employee thing: I've run into people who manage to remain employees while doing the digital nomad thing, but they maintained "residency" back in the…

Well, personally, I tried to escape by going and getting a Master's and a PhD. Unfortunately for me, I didn't bother to really LOOK at academia as a career path, so when I finished…

You know, it's odd, but it seems that the majority of jobs posted on here seem to skew towards the hot/new/sexy/niche languages/frameworks/technologies, rather than following along…

I love how this conversation devolved into pedantry, honestly. Worry about the a/an usage, don't address the root issue, why don't you. Yup: programmers are grammar nazis.

Domain gets tagged as distributing malware by my work's security system, FYI. Dunno what list it's gone on, but it's there.

About 200 different feeds, so knowing what you're looking for would be good. I use Brief on FireFox with Live Bookmarks. Let's me control frequency of downloads, navigate using key…

A Microsoft Access 97 database (written in 1997) is still the "system of record" for all instrument wiring diagrams within the biotech plant. I was recently asked to review it (19 …

So, on the basis of once having taken an IQ test that you found not problematic and after which they hired you, you feel good about them. That's great. Sample size of 1, obviously …

"If they give you an IQ test or similar, run." Amen. IQ tests, or tests to see if you're psychologically a "good fit for the organization," are a sign that they haven't a clue what…

I would actually approach this differently. I'd go back to whomever the authority is with regards to what the function is supposed to do, or to the spec, and then rewrite it from s…

After having been asked this several times, I've begun to make it clear that I will only engage in these tests if I'm compensated for the time. It's a delicate thing to do, really,…