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Ask HN: What are some of your recent failures?

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Re: Ask HN: What are some of your recent failures?

#41

Post by stevekemp »

dukeofharen wrote: post #2

Well, not recent, but a few years ago I deleted the production database of my fathers rental company (whoops). The (manual) backup was a week old. Luckily, all data was still there, but on paper (all signed contracts) so I worked overnight to restore all data from the paper pile. After this, I built a script that did a backup once a day and made sure I had to go through some extra hoops to connect to the production d…

You can avoid accessing the production database entirely, unless you need to alter the structure, by creating a local one - which you've created via the restoration of your last backup.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your recent failures?

#42

Post by dazzawazza »

cessor wrote: post #37

Most recent: Failed to get out of bed this morning at the time I comited to the night before. I wanted to get up at 8, be at work around 9, got in at 10/11. Fairly recent: I have been doing it like this for three weeks now My larger failure: I was hired as a contractor/consultant by a major media company earlier this year to help the team develop some cloud based software. I was hired to improve their testing karate.…

I'm gonna guess that you have less than 10 years experience? I sounds like you do. My suggestion anyway is to read or re-read the book peopleware by DeMarco. It will help you build distance between you (the internal emotional you) and problems.

It's most important lesson is that there are no evil people which sounds trite but when you read the rest of the book you get the point.

I've read it quite a few times over my career.

Good luck.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your recent failures?

#43

Post by aguzzi94 »

sethjgore wrote: post #40
aguzzi94 wrote: post #8

Oh sweet sweet failures! I'll start. I recently started trying to quit drinking for good, since it slowly turned from a thing that made me all charismatic and happy and jumping around, to a bitter angry man. This change started when I got together with my current girlfriend, since every time we would go out and have a (probably more than one) drink, I would get jealous (I'm very jealous and insecure, working on it) f…

Check out the Sinclair method for reducing/ resolving drinking problems with a simple medication. It worked for me. From heavy drinking to regular use or even way less than regular use. Recommend 10/10.

I heard of it, thank you. But I live in Italy and to get a prescription for it here it's harder. I read Allen Carr's book and it did the trick for me!

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your recent failures?

#44

Post by bartread »

raxxorrax wrote: post #38
dukeofharen wrote: post #2

Well, not recent, but a few years ago I deleted the production database of my fathers rental company (whoops). The (manual) backup was a week old. Luckily, all data was still there, but on paper (all signed contracts) so I worked overnight to restore all data from the paper pile. After this, I built a script that did a backup once a day and made sure I had to go through some extra hoops to connect to the production d…

I know how that feels. Even worse than any program or script, I especially dislike db management tools that just allow you to fire off random queries against the db. On the other hand you always get these little adrenaline rushes every time you do something like that until you can confirm that you actually fired that delete statement on the correct table... or not.

The trick is to execute a BEGIN TRANSACTION, then do whatever you need to, then verify that you've done everything correctly (consider doing this twice). Then, only when you're absolutely certain all is as it should be, do you execute a COMMIT TRANSACTION.

All of this is predicated on the idea that you know exactly what changes you need to make, exactly what state the database should be in afterwards, exactly how to verify this, and also how to check for unintended side-effects.

I suppose the real trick is to avoid having to do this kind of thing in the first place but, as well all know, sometimes that's just not possible.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your recent failures?

#45

Post by otobrglez »

As a technology director succumbed to the (product) managements wish for new functionalities over the scalability.

Now we have a lot of useful and legitimately needed functionality and unscalable system.

Make sure that you always measure and present the numbers of your systems abilities along with new product features to the management.

It is a very tricky balance. Hard to master. Communicate!

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your recent failures?

#46

Post by iKnowWhyIamHere »

I'm a pre-final year undergrad failing to get a research internship in Computer Vision/Deep Learning/Information Retrieval abroad(I'm from India) because of poor grades(GPA 6/10). I have won Kaggle Medal, various deep learning/machine learning Hackathons, got a job(Data Scientist) offer by the end of sophomore year and a few interview calls in the last 5 months all from great start-ups. They all didn't knew I was a still student or God knows why they approached. Still nothing is helping.

I don't know how to approach the next two years. I don't wanna work in industry at least for now and enroll in a MS program.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your recent failures?

#47

Post by mhrnik »

dazzawazza wrote: post #42
cessor wrote: post #37

Most recent: Failed to get out of bed this morning at the time I comited to the night before. I wanted to get up at 8, be at work around 9, got in at 10/11. Fairly recent: I have been doing it like this for three weeks now My larger failure: I was hired as a contractor/consultant by a major media company earlier this year to help the team develop some cloud based software. I was hired to improve their testing karate.…

I'm gonna guess that you have less than 10 years experience? I sounds like you do. My suggestion anyway is to read or re-read the book peopleware by DeMarco. It will help you build distance between you (the internal emotional you) and problems. It's most important lesson is that there are no evil people which sounds trite but when you read the rest of the book you get the point. I've read it quite a few times over my…

Agree, Reading may help you improve your thinking process and help you understand that it's fine if you don't fulfil your or other expectations from you.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your recent failures?

#48

Post by mhrnik »

mlacks wrote: post #5

I failed to start a business that would provide reliable income post-military enlistment. I tried for maybe six good years a few ideas: investing in real estate, running facebook ads for business, and building routers were some of my best projects with foreseeable upside and a runway towards sustainability. I failed to focus on just one or two core products and this - combined with my active duty work schedule- reall…

I am not sure how hard is for you to not start side project again but you can start with small steps.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of your recent failures?

#50

Post by derpherpsson »

throwaway8879 wrote: post #23

More like a decade of failures really, resulting mostly from hard addiction to drugs and drinking that led to a failed suicide attempt in 2017. Still recovering from it. Initially there was hatred and resentment towards people who "saved" me, but I can see why people would do it for their fellow human, especially as time goes by. I'm 30 now and starting over...

You are the most free when you have nothing to lose. A failed suicide attempt can be thought of as that Every Single Moment from that point in life is a Bonus.

I know because I was there :) I should have died a few years ago, but didnt. Not giving a fsck and also being adventurous is a nice combo.

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