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What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

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Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#211

Post by eru »

bg-throwaway wrote: post #186

I was sentenced to 10 months in 1998. I was released in 1999, went to college, got a Master's, and finally, a Doctorate. When I was originally sentenced, I was sentenced to a "boot-camp" style facility, with the goal of doing 90 days of boot-camp style labor, and walking out of prison a free man with a parole term. Due to some paperwork issues, I was transported to the main prison camp (where the camp's goal was to t…

How do you pay for a pardon? (I'm not from the US, so don't understand the legal system.)

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#212

Post by deftnerd »

Theodores wrote: post #172
deftnerd wrote: post #57

I am a developer/hacker who spent 6 months in prison about a decade ago. They had a room of old broken computers that were donated and I offered to fix them up in exchange for increased library privileges. Normally inmates could only visit the library once a week and check out two books, but I read about 4 books a day during my time there. I fixed up the computers and supported them once they got a teacher, read my b…

This surprises me: "Once I learned that I should give a little to intimidation so the other party feels in control and powerful, but refuse to be totally controlled because the other party wouldn't risk their early release dates to beat up someone for no good reason, then I did well. It also helped to be able to pay off the local gang leader once a week with a pint of ice cream from the commissary. Protection was rel…

Excellent question. Yes, it did set me apart. Everyone laughed about how I "talked faggy". Other than being made fun of, which my skin was thick enough to not care, most of the other inmates just thought they were taking advantage of my skills. They didn't realize that I would have freely given those things away.

The barter economy was interesting. Artists actually did well because inmates would supply pictures of their wives and girlfriends and the artists would draw them on white bandanas soaked in floor wax to make a canvas.

My skill set was my intelligence but since I didn't need anything in exchange I let people assume they were taking advantage of me for legal help and other similar things. Since I didn't build up any wealth through the barter economy, I had nothing to steal. I was more useful undamaged.

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#213

Post by fjhqjv »

maratd wrote: post #209
bhaumik wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> above all never let the system win. It's awful that our justice system creates this sort of mentality

> It's awful that our justice system creates this sort of mentality Oh, certainly, but it's not exactly the worst part about our system. I'm guessing a bit here, but I don't get the feeling the gentlemen stepping forward are of the violent variety? Why are we putting non-violent individuals in prisons? Just a thought.

What recourse would you have for someone repeatedly walking into your house at night to steal your stuff?

That's a non-violent crime, but it's still deeply disturbing for the victim.

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#214

Post by digler999 »

bmelton wrote: post #178
fragsworth wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you want to do all the fun work, and pass off the grindy boring shit to someone else, most of which probably results from your "core" coding? I think I would hate working with you and you're bringing this on yourself. You might have an inflated idea of how good you are at this shit. If you are really good, you won't have much grindy boring work to do. If you're not taking a major part in the final tasks of a proje…

> If you're not taking a major part in the final tasks of a project, how can you be so certain you are good at preparing it for the future? I'm not the parent, but I'll answer, from my own experience. The "final tasks" of a project aren't important, in the grand scheme of things, at least, not the way that I work. If I have an idea, let's say "Github" for example, what's the core of the application? Whatever your ans…

I disagree because psychology.

> a guy that can take you 95% of the way there

The devil is in the details. You just quantified one of the most difficult things there is to quantify. What were your units for that percentage ? Dollars, hours, lines of code, functions, cpu cycles ? Language breaks down as soon as you do that.

I agree with you in spirit that if there's menial tasks that can be easily outsourced, then fine, outsource them. But as you used a model github to illustrate your point, let me use a model - airplane - to illustrate mine:

I have this idea, an airplane. I figured out that the Bernoulli effect can be created by designing a wing that has less area on one side than the other, thereby creating a vacuum and lifting the plane up. There - the "core" of my application (of physics, not of software) is done. I have a functioning prototype and a solid theoretical foundation for proving it works. I'm at 95%.

What's left is to outsource all this menial shit. My QA staff advised me that when two propellers vibrate at the same RPM, harmonics are created that destroy the airframe. They also found out the design fails in icy weather. Oh well, a subcontractor can install a heater. The current airframe design is so weak that it creates a condition such that the plane can take off but cannot immediately land, as the weight of the fuel will damage the wings.

Oh well, I've got it 95% there...

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#215

Post by jahaja »

maratd wrote: post #207
gst wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I know in the US such records never disappear. Also, it seems common that for most tech jobs a criminal background check is done (I don't know how it's in other areas outside of tech).

> As far as I know in the US such records never disappear. That is not entirely correct. Certainly states have programs to expunge records. Here is the info for my state of New Jersey: http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/prose/10557_expunge_kit.pdf

Erhm, tl;dr? :)

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#216

Post by bmelton »

digler999 wrote: post #214
bmelton wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you're not taking a major part in the final tasks of a project, how can you be so certain you are good at preparing it for the future? I'm not the parent, but I'll answer, from my own experience. The "final tasks" of a project aren't important, in the grand scheme of things, at least, not the way that I work. If I have an idea, let's say "Github" for example, what's the core of the application? Whatever your ans…

I disagree because psychology. > a guy that can take you 95% of the way there The devil is in the details. You just quantified one of the most difficult things there is to quantify. What were your units for that percentage ? Dollars, hours, lines of code, functions, cpu cycles ? Language breaks down as soon as you do that. I agree with you in spirit that if there's menial tasks that can be easily outsourced, then fin…

As I stated elsewhere, and as the grandparent illustrates, there's a place and a purpose for the 95% guy. The Wright Brothers clearly moved aviation forward in real and measurable ways. Compared to what came after the Wright Brothers, it would be generous to say that they got 95% of the way there.

If your goal is to prove a market quickly, the 95% guy is definitely good enough. Sure, you'd take a 100% guy if you could get 'em, but they're even harder to come by. Anecdotally, I know quite a few of the 95% guys myself, and they're doing really cool things.

But what they did in their initial stake is establish that flight is possible. They took strips of wood and cloth, and turned it into a machine, that flew, through the air.

Yeah, if your plane crashes because of propellor harmonics, that's a problem -- but that's a problem beyond the initial implementation. If you've invented the first airplane, that's a big problem to have, but if you've already demoed a working aircraft to the world, you've likely already moved past the 95% into a proven market, if not having fully established the market, and you can hire a team of engineers to fix the implementation details.

Either way, you illustrate a very important point, which is that where the boundary is drawn is crucial, and that definitely gets my upvote.

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#217

Post by treenyc »

cstavish wrote: post #88
treenyc wrote: post #74

"I learned many things from inmates that I never learned in my prior life. I learned that you should go straight to the person you're upset with rather than go to authorities. I learned that giving and keeping your word is the ultimate measurement of character. I learned that loyalty is easy to promise, but few really deliver. Don't be that guy. Prison is really a learning crucible since the reactions are so quick an…

Well considering that California spent almost $50k per inmate in 2008 alone [1], it's certainly cheaper for the "student", but not exactly less expensive all told. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_Sta...

still less expensive then the Ivy League MBA Education. Provided yes, you will get more connections. However, MBA graduate of Ive League has terrible reputation on horning their words.

This Harvard Professor even wrote many paper on the benefit of horning one's word:

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6331.html

If all things are equal, personally I would rather hire this guy than anyone who graduated Harvard or Wharton.

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#218

Post by Theodores »

deftnerd wrote: post #212
Theodores wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This surprises me: "Once I learned that I should give a little to intimidation so the other party feels in control and powerful, but refuse to be totally controlled because the other party wouldn't risk their early release dates to beat up someone for no good reason, then I did well. It also helped to be able to pay off the local gang leader once a week with a pint of ice cream from the commissary. Protection was rel…

Excellent question. Yes, it did set me apart. Everyone laughed about how I "talked faggy". Other than being made fun of, which my skin was thick enough to not care, most of the other inmates just thought they were taking advantage of my skills. They didn't realize that I would have freely given those things away. The barter economy was interesting. Artists actually did well because inmates would supply pictures of th…

Thanks for the reply. Sounds like your intellect and knowledge was appreciated. You did quite well as a geek inside by the sounds of it.

Something else for you to ponder...

Once upon a time a work colleague showed up at my house with one of his friends that I knew had been inside, or 'visiting' as he called it. I honestly thought about barricading them out, such was my prejudice. I feared that things would get stolen whilst I put the kettle on even though said friend of a friend was not a thief.

Looking back I now feel embarrassed to have had such huge initial misgivings. I very much enjoyed the company of said friend of a friend, and his close group of friends, all of whom lived much more colourful lives than mine. My sister enjoyed their company too. Since then I have not exactly sought out those that are criminally minded, however, I am not closed minded about people with a chequered past.

Clearly I could not let on to aforementioned friend-of-a-friend how close I came to just instantly hitting the 'reject button' on him, hence I am sharing that little anecdote with you. Your past - or the headline shock horror prison word version of it - is reputation that goes before you but that is not always a bad thing. People get put out of their comfort zone but they then find things are not so bad.

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#219

Post by bhaumik »

fjhqjv wrote: post #213
maratd wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's awful that our justice system creates this sort of mentality Oh, certainly, but it's not exactly the worst part about our system. I'm guessing a bit here, but I don't get the feeling the gentlemen stepping forward are of the violent variety? Why are we putting non-violent individuals in prisons? Just a thought.

What recourse would you have for someone repeatedly walking into your house at night to steal your stuff? That's a non-violent crime, but it's still deeply disturbing for the victim.

Not to mention: forgery, counterfeiting, embezzlement, bribery, tax fraud

Re: What is it like to be a geek in a prison?

#220

Post by cheapsteak »

fjhqjv wrote: post #213
maratd wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's awful that our justice system creates this sort of mentality Oh, certainly, but it's not exactly the worst part about our system. I'm guessing a bit here, but I don't get the feeling the gentlemen stepping forward are of the violent variety? Why are we putting non-violent individuals in prisons? Just a thought.

What recourse would you have for someone repeatedly walking into your house at night to steal your stuff? That's a non-violent crime, but it's still deeply disturbing for the victim.

Maybe we should teach them programming or something
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