tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64725669816872269342024-03-25T12:27:49.795-07:00Alishah Novin's BlogCoder for 16+ years
Leader & Mentor for 11+ years
Manager & Director for 10+ years
Speaker for 9+ years
Agile Transformer for 7+ yearsAlishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comBlogger414125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-25411928615690323622024-03-25T12:26:00.000-07:002024-03-25T12:26:50.769-07:00Highly Efficient Algorithms<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGV8g_ZrqP49cWwh5jl5tjV9FnfFUsHb0JFvI5IPP7QgtNfai8fxmgroL96dgY-RUHtKf1yl_qpHna3gR5pAFTDlTfQU_GurJhSiDhChdWN4OyQDvnX8SEkzac39lCan9DxlzfQc5aMGJ6JU1qTUDZKkB-9fOy6-iW0Y_ymPgwukKwmDIVDZRcT6fXOpo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGV8g_ZrqP49cWwh5jl5tjV9FnfFUsHb0JFvI5IPP7QgtNfai8fxmgroL96dgY-RUHtKf1yl_qpHna3gR5pAFTDlTfQU_GurJhSiDhChdWN4OyQDvnX8SEkzac39lCan9DxlzfQc5aMGJ6JU1qTUDZKkB-9fOy6-iW0Y_ymPgwukKwmDIVDZRcT6fXOpo=s16000" /></a></div><br /></div>My fitness journey started with reading the latest on new, more efficient workouts.<p></p><p>1 month ago an article said I could get fit with just 3 pieces of equipment and 10 workouts.</p><p>2 weeks ago, I learned I can get fit with just 2 pieces of equipment and 5 workouts.</p><p>Today I found out I can get fit with just 1 kettlebell and 3 workouts.</p><p>Judging by the rate at which workouts are becoming more efficient my fitness journey should end next month.</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-8572674042885114322024-03-12T07:07:00.000-07:002024-03-12T07:07:00.247-07:00Memorable Resumes<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgX06kzlFhWpoJd0JQztqQruoFbh1u-Np8VMtOaTdPh1yooP4C1XXPapaYXC7yIgCwWLX-_b5H3cARqTH3buobr0bA9dCsIWTSrvRvidsAVBsIQF3WZj6Fltc12vNhlpnXFDwWKJK0KNlHaw_QrjUB7zFy-3ddfUGrYyD6CZH2KR9VxELXEgwBZ8CP8mgA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgX06kzlFhWpoJd0JQztqQruoFbh1u-Np8VMtOaTdPh1yooP4C1XXPapaYXC7yIgCwWLX-_b5H3cARqTH3buobr0bA9dCsIWTSrvRvidsAVBsIQF3WZj6Fltc12vNhlpnXFDwWKJK0KNlHaw_QrjUB7zFy-3ddfUGrYyD6CZH2KR9VxELXEgwBZ8CP8mgA=s16000" /></a></div><p></p><p>It's been a while since I've made a slideshow about resume - but I'm still having to give the same advice in my conversations. There's lots of talk about applying AI to resumes, and while that may change the future of hiring/job seeking, I don't think we've hit that inflection point yet.</p><p>Hiring is still very personal, and very human. The principles about making yourself memorable with the right kind of resume still apply. For now...</p>
<center><iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="749" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTaYUFRg_c5GMrFX_wnGO07S3bAh1C9Cl1YGoKMPgPy54NMfedkKUnvPYaWWQBZ87gajRfrQr1N9ebu/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="720"></iframe></center><center><br /></center>
If you're looking for a simple, elegant and well structure resume template, you can find mine here: <a href="https://www.alishahnovin.com/resume-template" target="_blank">alishahnovin.com/resume-template</a>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-33183857764376278152024-03-06T11:58:00.000-08:002024-03-06T11:58:18.412-08:00Minotaurs & Mentors<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IFgpmN96Dvydr4EIHtF4mxqgAaEWtTD5WHTqaCkdoHCj3WuR77sjUL6OTIFAsuOKzU5EI2cYOppu1HCi_rhyphenhyphensTqsWWnqmWQfhE4ur65GCyi2JDdb8YPQ3vD4sJXiL91s9hQZgPpCvc_Q_2qrbBHttucB3CpFtLiBa8kxTE3IrIMXD7NIsICBGpXxgNk/s957/1709709999734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="957" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4IFgpmN96Dvydr4EIHtF4mxqgAaEWtTD5WHTqaCkdoHCj3WuR77sjUL6OTIFAsuOKzU5EI2cYOppu1HCi_rhyphenhyphensTqsWWnqmWQfhE4ur65GCyi2JDdb8YPQ3vD4sJXiL91s9hQZgPpCvc_Q_2qrbBHttucB3CpFtLiBa8kxTE3IrIMXD7NIsICBGpXxgNk/s16000/1709709999734.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>My kid keeps mixing up Minotaur and Mentor, and now I'm wondering what she thinks I do in my spare time.</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-14588276302168598222024-02-29T08:59:00.000-08:002024-02-29T11:02:12.843-08:00 "There are no stupid questions."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2X-wvfElKUPoE1XGeY-Yw0tNp_uZvvrEcoFtEV4CvMn91UBc5Jp9CsvVz57sWTafE1EkR-jNG9w_93es-_qXgse4kIASgRJ-JfW96wVWYjtnOYuAaPGzL-J07vZGq4InKbMiVyV2s32eHn1_0tZeVUCLYUXOKxO3SDy4Xn_pqMfqJRvOnVv91-TVC080/s1024/1709189500499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2X-wvfElKUPoE1XGeY-Yw0tNp_uZvvrEcoFtEV4CvMn91UBc5Jp9CsvVz57sWTafE1EkR-jNG9w_93es-_qXgse4kIASgRJ-JfW96wVWYjtnOYuAaPGzL-J07vZGq4InKbMiVyV2s32eHn1_0tZeVUCLYUXOKxO3SDy4Xn_pqMfqJRvOnVv91-TVC080/s16000/1709189500499.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>I'm sure we've all heard how "There are no stupid questions," plenty of times... But, let's be honest, there are stupid questions. There are questions we all hear that make us go<i> "Ouch... how could they ask that?"</i></p><p>And, knowing how quick we are to judge others for their stupid questions, we hold back on asking our own.</p><p>Especially when we feel that <i>"Ouch" </i>with our own stupid questions. When the struggle to understand is inexplicable. That tip-of-the-brain, <i>"how am I not getting this?"</i> feeling, when it ... all ... just ... feels ... out ... of ... reach. And the more we think it through, the further it feels.</p><p>When you ask enough stupid questions you start to realize that asking the stupid question is the only thing that saves you from doing something stupid.</p><p>Case in point: I was on the phone with a coworker, discussing an important project. As most important projects go, it came with different risks we had to weigh. We'd been discussing it for days. It was the kind of mental work that goes home with you, infiltrates your personal life, and your nightly dreams. It was weighing on us heavily.</p><p>One day, I called him on the drive home to discuss it more, desperately hoping we'd find a solution.</p><p>We chatted as we both multitasked. Me, stuck in traffic, him... doing whatever else it was. And we kept coming back to the same impasse.</p><p>Then, after a long pause, he sighed and hit me with: <i>"It's time to just bring the whole thing right up the edge, and let's just let it dangle over a bit. Right to where it's practically falling over. But then, we keep it from tipping over by adding a big old reliable rock on top of it. We can even have some kind of safety net if we need."</i></p><p>I sat there, puzzled. I was trying to understand what was the edge? Which part did he want to dangle? What (or who?) was the "big old reliable rock" that we could use to reduce the risk? He seemed so confident in what he was advocating, while I was a puddle of confused goo.</p><p>After a long pause, I finally swallowed my pride and said: <i>"I'll be honest, I'm really not following - what are we taking to the edge?"</i></p><p><i>"Huh?" </i>he responded.</p><p><i>"I'm not getting it - how does the analogy work?" </i>I asked, admitting stupidity.</p><p><i>"Oh... no, sorry. That was to someone else. We're decorating for a party. And the streamers we're hanging keep falling. We need a way to secure them."</i></p><p>Ask the stupid question, so you don't make stupid decisions.</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-10976060635010342212024-02-21T10:56:00.000-08:002024-02-21T10:56:06.862-08:00The Measure of One's Life in Relation to the Quality of Pancakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjFpq-iiiG66O_1zYrcHljn8gxYNg0_92XEpd_t-L2lSMV_kyj08MNlfXCCAcsVN3JlQUK02ZsFlGMWKACPsvaa4XhFA0pOWwbOemCYC418UfaL_P-OSjxwtvmN6HKPSAaZ9dsawBeghUjzsyx4ooe6pJSOMC4H2lo990M_91yvGfff0-0mGvs7TF1GA/s1024/39c94f5f-3601-4adc-adfd-9202777d75ea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjFpq-iiiG66O_1zYrcHljn8gxYNg0_92XEpd_t-L2lSMV_kyj08MNlfXCCAcsVN3JlQUK02ZsFlGMWKACPsvaa4XhFA0pOWwbOemCYC418UfaL_P-OSjxwtvmN6HKPSAaZ9dsawBeghUjzsyx4ooe6pJSOMC4H2lo990M_91yvGfff0-0mGvs7TF1GA/s16000/39c94f5f-3601-4adc-adfd-9202777d75ea.jpg" /></a></div><p>For the past year, I've really focused on eating healthier - cutting back on treats, eating dense salads at lunch, whole grain, etc. and also getting in exercise at least 5 times per week. Lifestyle changes always result in people talking about how great they feel, how much better they are sleeping...</p><p>...but after being sick with a cold for the past 4 days, I decided to treat myself to some French toast with berries and dark chocolate shavings. Still on the "healthier" side, with no whipped cream, syrup or butter - but an indulgence never-the-less. And now I feel unstoppable. Maybe its the cold medicine kicking in - but I think it has much more to do with the French toast.</p><p>I'm reminded of one of my favorite dialogs from one of my favorite movies: </p><p><i>"I don’t wanna eat nothing but pancakes. I wanna live. Who in their right mind in a choice between pancakes and living chooses pancakes?"</i></p><p><i>"Harold, if you’d pause to think, I believe you’d realize that that answer’s inextricably contingent upon the type of life being led and of course, the quality of the pancakes."</i></p><p>No matter what hill you are climbing, spend some time for some quality pancakes (or French toast, if that's what's on the menu).</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-30957300603702853252024-01-30T11:45:00.000-08:002024-01-30T11:45:00.136-08:004 Mistakes We Make About Culture<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLJHOh7evRCXlXrC4sQd8dydOPXDunY-M_Ngzf_TF6wbX2pDxQKy4xaaBFBRK5aX3AiU7uaSANqUGtuRNDxqWYYREYIdX_tmweCSLCNjjYTgrwXN70FrvkBRmI1lIR8ZvS_ZcTVTBKCqr0D6Fk1SmP7Dz9BCcBk0BBhcOPd6m3F0haEuo4xje3sMabBhw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLJHOh7evRCXlXrC4sQd8dydOPXDunY-M_Ngzf_TF6wbX2pDxQKy4xaaBFBRK5aX3AiU7uaSANqUGtuRNDxqWYYREYIdX_tmweCSLCNjjYTgrwXN70FrvkBRmI1lIR8ZvS_ZcTVTBKCqr0D6Fk1SmP7Dz9BCcBk0BBhcOPd6m3F0haEuo4xje3sMabBhw=s16000" /></a></div><br />I wrote this a few years back, before the height of the tech-hiring frenzy. For some reason, I never published it - not sure why. After reviewing it against the current backdrop, I think it's somehow more relevant today.<p></p><p>Companies & teams want a great culture but I'm seeing trends in what they often get wrong. Here's my list of 4 things along with what leadership can do about it, based on things I'd implemented with my own teams.</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Policy ≠ Culture<br /><b><blockquote style="border: none; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Staying late until the problem is solved, constructive disagreements, being accountable to own another, team lunches, unlimited PTO - those aren't culture things. Those are policies. I read blogs or hear people talk about their culture in these terms - and it's misguided. </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Take the first one - staying late. Setting aside whether it's good policy or not, it can only work as a policy, not culture. As a policy, it sets an expectation. It avoids a trap of employees having to figure out what the "right thing to do" is. It also means, the leadership team is accountable to the policy. If people are regularly staying late - it's understandable that morale will go down. As a policy, leadership is accountable. If it's portrayed as the team's "culture" - to go above and beyond, then there's no accountability. When you talk about culture in these terms you create ambiguity around your expectations. As a manager you should measure people against transparent expectations - and those are your policies. To measure people against ambiguous uncommunicated expectations in the name of 'culture' will result in a toxic culture you want to avoid. </p></blockquote></b></b></li><li><b>Leadership Defines Culture</b><br /><blockquote style="border: none; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Culture is something organic. It can't be forced with a document. You can't predefine it. Try as you might, if the team members don't buy-in, it's not going to happen.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="font-weight: 400;">Culture is how the individuals who make up the team come together to deliver. It's organic because it adapts and changes over time, just like any organism. If its fixed, static, then it withers away. Culture materializes through its makeup, evolves through collaboration, iteration, sharing. It's strengthened through the bonds, and the shared challenges.</p>While you can't predefine culture, you can foster an environment that encourages the right kind of culture - through your hiring practices, how you communicate, transparency, and by modeling and living up to your own expectations. Modeling these behaviors won't guarantee anything, however. You need to provide the safety-nets to foster a tolerance for taking risks and to earn the prerequisite trust needed for a positive culture. </blockquote><br /></li><li><b>Don't Hire Outside the Culture</b><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I hear people talk about how someone wasn't "a cultural fit" and so they don't hire someone because of it. That's poor way of hiring, and a very slippery slope.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>It limits the evolution of the culture by choking out growth. A sterile environment doesn't lead to healthier organisms. It requires challenges, opportunities, and introducing new thoughts and ideas.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Hiring for a culture fit ends up being dangerously exclusionary. Decisions should start on skillset, talent, aptitude for growth and the team's needs. You should also hire with consideration of your policies & expectations - if you require evening work, that means being up front about the policies (it's also a good idea to reevaluate bad policies to ensure you're not limiting your talent pool.) Then, finally, you should look to whether the candidate can influence the culture in new and positive ways - not just hire for 'fit'. Like Groucho Marx said: <i>I'd never join a club that would have a guy like me for a member.</i></p></blockquote></li><li><b>Culture = Success</b><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><i style="font-weight: 400;">“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” </i><span style="font-weight: 400;">gets said a lot. It's not a bad sentiment but culture isn't going to make you successful, not on its own. Culture builds cohesion, and that cohesion helps you deliver better, helps you weather storms, and helps you enjoy the process - but culture</span><b> </b>without strategy is just a group of people hanging out. Great culture may keep people - but only to a certain point. Culture makes us feel valued, but Results make us feel valuable, impactful, and gratified. I've seen people leave places that had great cultures, because they didn't feel progress - in their projects, in their contribution, in their growth. And if they felt progress, that sense of progress wilted if progress never got to completion. </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>I've been part of teams that delivered incredible results - in one particular case, we started with almost no culture, a team of individuals. But as we delivered result after result, and our reputation grew, and our culture materialized in those results. As our team grew, some of our culture became matters of policy <i>(i.e. the practices for writing & releasing code that we'd informally adopted)</i>, but the culture itself evolved to reflect our evolution from team of individuals to team of collaborators and supporters. </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>As leaders, I think that means shifting focus from <i>creating </i>culture to charting out a clear path to success, removing obstacles, and then creating the space for culture to form itself. That means laying out strategy for delivery, but it also being diligent about the investment and social contract you form with your team members. Tapping into their individual goals, supporting their growth, and crediting them with success. </p></blockquote></li></ol><div>Culture has become a shorthand buzzword to mean 'a great place to work.' But for job seekers, I'd encourage pressing hiring managers a bit more on what they mean by culture to gauge whether they've really thought it through.</div>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-27885217497212561542024-01-23T11:02:00.000-08:002024-01-25T11:07:21.683-08:00Raiders of the Lost Code<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihk6hh06mpqeeCWMZJsLAcVJpSBltA_oBQ-2N3EQhq076if28cO3QTwCcDBdNP0z1W1nUzmRYynFaIWYr2DZdphTJ1wS0k6EfvSkxan4r4bEgXlIKyaPLoocfz1jCfppLfaQfGsHcsFo98DzcTy6FfGp3kSOkGE5QErInHZkvD_ty8vgHk0M04VlxGRt4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihk6hh06mpqeeCWMZJsLAcVJpSBltA_oBQ-2N3EQhq076if28cO3QTwCcDBdNP0z1W1nUzmRYynFaIWYr2DZdphTJ1wS0k6EfvSkxan4r4bEgXlIKyaPLoocfz1jCfppLfaQfGsHcsFo98DzcTy6FfGp3kSOkGE5QErInHZkvD_ty8vgHk0M04VlxGRt4=s16000" /></a></div><br />You know you've been hanging around compilers too long when you can look at someone's code and carbon date it just by looking how they iterate over a dataset:<p></p><p><b>pre-2005:</b> Standard For loops, no shorthand.</p><p><b>2005-2010:</b> Foreach loops</p><p><b>2010-2015:</b> Linq statements</p><p><b>2015-2023:</b> Dynamic variables, shorthand notation</p><p><b>2023+:</b> Well-written Copilot-generated code with sufficient whitespace for coder to process their AI-induced anxiety attack.</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-29763472590411611542024-01-22T14:48:00.000-08:002024-01-25T11:02:40.055-08:00Order of Operations<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiti6nRc3tqUUqm0wYjzGwtVmxydAD43wHE65RPB80wDnOL5Wjpk5hctlWE-vVXYsCuAIYwYhg4rgOQ_w9U-Yl4wzC8JqWVCynbK_0iv97YeJZcjI2kfdjLSpfHQGjXPZEIYVQYR1ycjx5s5Gd_7jeM-Qovt--ZNF3d8SZaYQ1R_Vhdf4nUZAPCvA5Z1uk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiti6nRc3tqUUqm0wYjzGwtVmxydAD43wHE65RPB80wDnOL5Wjpk5hctlWE-vVXYsCuAIYwYhg4rgOQ_w9U-Yl4wzC8JqWVCynbK_0iv97YeJZcjI2kfdjLSpfHQGjXPZEIYVQYR1ycjx5s5Gd_7jeM-Qovt--ZNF3d8SZaYQ1R_Vhdf4nUZAPCvA5Z1uk=s16000" /></a></div><br />I've noticed something in my emails: My second sentence is often a much better first sentence, and my first sentence is a better supporting statement.<p></p><p>I need to try this when I'm talking... say the first sentence in my head, the second aloud, and then repeat the first sentence.</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-77940337846002086862024-01-18T09:43:00.000-08:002024-01-18T09:43:28.540-08:00Grocery Baskets<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-R3mvnByPSjb2v7u52gOPAY1rHn5K_q2c2FcQzo9PHFHn3qXT2AcEsuMNTWUnG011wYddMlhJLQaoi35n2Y9GAW2_rnZ2MqZ4wbuC7GjoOL4RZMVLAI-6cjOMSQ_wa-B7QaO-9Td2Zhbe_RHzkU9NVUNBtKD0LvjqSqbi8pln0tPlOKGbgjBqNBRsFdI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="I didn't ask Copilot to make me so muscular..." data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-R3mvnByPSjb2v7u52gOPAY1rHn5K_q2c2FcQzo9PHFHn3qXT2AcEsuMNTWUnG011wYddMlhJLQaoi35n2Y9GAW2_rnZ2MqZ4wbuC7GjoOL4RZMVLAI-6cjOMSQ_wa-B7QaO-9Td2Zhbe_RHzkU9NVUNBtKD0LvjqSqbi8pln0tPlOKGbgjBqNBRsFdI=s16000" title="I didn't ask Copilot to make me so muscular..." /></a></div><p></p><p>I'm a terrible grocery shopper.</p><p></p><p>I walk in to buy one thing, and end up leaving with 12.</p><p>I briskly walk right past the shopping carts and baskets - with the intention to be in and out.</p><p>Then, somewhere along the way, I start to meander. I reminisce of long-forgotten meals. I think of things I ate as a child, or something I'd always wanted to try - and before I know it I have more things in my hands than I'd accounted for. Sometimes I'll buy things I've never intended to buy - determined that today's the day I'll find out whether vegemite and marmite are the same thing.</p><p>I'll romanticize Rye bread. I've never particularly liked it - but maybe because I've never tried the right kind of Rye bread? I hum the American Pie chorus as I grab a loaf as I realize, for the first time, the lyrics have nothing to do with Rye bread. <i>Drinking whiskey and rye...</i> <i>why did I always imagine people eating slices of rye bread at a bar?</i> Maybe I need to find a good cheese to pair with it?</p><p>And here's where the struggle begins. With no basket, and no cart I'm a disaster waiting to happen. I've stacked one thing over another, precariously balancing glass jars, while simultaneously cutting off circulation to my fingers, teetering back and forth and doing my best to not wind up on YouTube.</p><p>And, weirdly, just before disaster I am saved. There is a spot in my grocery store, against the far-back wall, where they keep a stack of grocery baskets. I always forget about them - then breath a relieved "Oh yeah!" when I spot them. I always marvel at the intentionality of these baskets. These baskets were placed for people like me. They are there to save me from myself. They make me feel seen.</p><p>This has happened on so many occasions that I'd made it a point to thank the store manager for that stack of baskets. The manager was a little baffled - but that's ok. As long as he knew those baskets were a feature, not a bug, I was happy.</p><p>It's so much more than just placing a grocery basket somewhere. It's incredibly insightful UX design. It's knowing your customers so well that you know there's a subset who are like me - and it's implementing a low-cost/low-lift solution at the time when I need the customer needs it most. </p><p>It's also the type of feature that would get cut when some well-intending efficiency expert realizes the cost that goes into maintaining a stack of baskets in the far corner of the grocery store. "It's pointless!" they cry out, as they move them to the front of the store and celebrate their cost-savings.</p><p>"But what about the grocers who grab more things than they intended?" the feature owner asks.</p><p>"They need to shop like everyone else!"</p><p>And, gradually, the product becomes sterilized. The user-centric experience a thing of the past.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPLx8Eol74p8BuEVsaW65N8-nyPmQf0QSCrJARwvBuDXHyEzaXAY8PZjvL7NI1DUIp1F_84P1NGIxrMqhH97JrqzAKiWCkATkKn-gCl22VF1nkMN49Dl-MR-u9TslY04MaRn_Pc-TsM9MM4NKUpEdEN_cZ9Oum3M9k8b7lZYAi_cIN2F14u394J-WcbeU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPLx8Eol74p8BuEVsaW65N8-nyPmQf0QSCrJARwvBuDXHyEzaXAY8PZjvL7NI1DUIp1F_84P1NGIxrMqhH97JrqzAKiWCkATkKn-gCl22VF1nkMN49Dl-MR-u9TslY04MaRn_Pc-TsM9MM4NKUpEdEN_cZ9Oum3M9k8b7lZYAi_cIN2F14u394J-WcbeU=s16000" /></a></p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-81726886986950520022024-01-03T11:59:00.000-08:002024-01-03T12:03:44.211-08:00Radiate Intent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOYyCP8aOP-4AceeohPf7hEstPOk92aG9sFgY7auxyGJpZywaVlCYu_JUnBcsxAOY7upTZSW5s8-wP8pNAa29gU-luSGHhyphenhyphen53YY1pGI0VONe9kRXBfecm0edr7IPm5c5WtUWatCM_zlp_ZfKWA9icZQGRApN359U8bZ8RwMeFU50lHruTuBAtwDiIIg8/s1024/78282986-f4b7-44b5-8e70-7601a1b83fec.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOYyCP8aOP-4AceeohPf7hEstPOk92aG9sFgY7auxyGJpZywaVlCYu_JUnBcsxAOY7upTZSW5s8-wP8pNAa29gU-luSGHhyphenhyphen53YY1pGI0VONe9kRXBfecm0edr7IPm5c5WtUWatCM_zlp_ZfKWA9icZQGRApN359U8bZ8RwMeFU50lHruTuBAtwDiIIg8/s16000/78282986-f4b7-44b5-8e70-7601a1b83fec.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>As a follow-up to <a href="https://blog.alishahnovin.com/2023/12/aphorisms.html">my post about aphorisms</a>, I think I've found my new maxim for 2024 - inspired by <a href="https://medium.com/@ElizAyer" rel="" target="_blank">Elizabeth Ayer</a>:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Don't ask forgiveness, radiate intent.</span></i></b></p><p>A play on the <i>'don't ask for permission, ask for forgiveness,' </i>phrase that gets used a lot. I landed across this phrase while watching a video about effective backlog prioritization, and it lead me to Elizabeth's <a href="https://medium.com/@ElizAyer/dont-ask-forgiveness-radiate-intent-d36fd22393a3" target="_blank">article on Medium</a> which does a great job breaking down why radiating intent is so important.</p><p>In a nutshell, announce, telegraph, share, inform others of what you are intending to do. This gives others the opportunity to intervene, or at the very least be informed. It builds trust with them while building your own confidence. It also gets away from the troubling phrasing of <i>'permission.'</i> </p><p>Even though I've taken this approach naturally for some time, I think it's valuable to ground myself to this maxim. It makes it all the more <i>intentional </i>(don't pardon the pun, but relish it).</p><p>It also helps me combat a conflicting desire I often have - that of the "grand reveal." That desire to keep what I'm doing under strict lock-down, work on it in secret, and then only when it's truly ready to I reveal the results and bask in the surprised glow of my audience. The truth is - this has its time and place, and better for the nice-to-have/over-deliver/delighters as opposed to core functions.</p><p>Interestingly, the concept of '<i>intent</i>' has been on the forefront of my thoughts prior to reading Elizabeth's article. I'd recently read a paper on how to build 'Intent Specs' for software. When we talk about our users & our stakeholders we use terms like <b style="font-style: italic;">objectives</b>, <i><b>goals,</b></i><i> </i>&<i> </i><i><b>jobs-to-be-done</b></i> but, prior to this paper, I don't think I'd ever come across the use of 'intent'.</p><p>I like <i>intent</i> in these cases because it feels more personal, more connected to the individual. It's connected to <i>purpose</i>. Of course, this may all be semantics, but what I like about <i>intent </i>is it doesn't presume an approach, nor does it suggest success. It just grasps at the heart of why the person is looking to do something to begin with. </p><p>One of the challenges of building the right solution is making sure you're solving the right problem - and words like <i>objective </i>or <i>goal </i>feel too rooted in the problem space. As Henry Ford said: <i>"If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!'" </i></p><p>This is the objectives/goals way of thinking - that is, to get to the destination faster. But when reframing the problem around their <i>intent</i>, you could say the customer's purpose is to waste less time. Better yet, their intent may be to spend more time with their family. </p><p>This leads you to all kinds of possible solutions - from faster horses & building cars, to mass-transportation, suburban/urban layouts, work-from-home, and more. To quote the <a href="http://sunnyday.mit.edu/papers/intent-tse.pdf" target="_blank">paper</a>:</p><p><i>Not only do search strategies vary among
individuals for the same problem, but a person may vary
his or her strategy dynamically during a problem-solving
activity: Effective problem solvers change strategies frequently to circumvent local difficulties encountered along
the solution path and to respond to new information that
changes the objectives and subgoals or the mental workload
needed to achieve a particular subgoal.
It appears, therefore, that to allow for multiple users
and for effective problem solving (including shifting
among strategies), specifications should support all possible strategies that may be needed for a task to allow for
multiple users of the representation, for shedding mental
workload by shifting strategies during problem solving,
and for different cognitive and problem-solving styles.</i></p><p>So, all that is to say: with your permission, I'd like to make 2024 about intent. Er... I mean... I intend to make 2024 about intent.</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-6085204983931564402023-12-28T06:43:00.000-08:002023-12-28T06:43:00.148-08:00Aphorisms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYvThUFKBPWkqLoHY6Uz8gqsPEciGz8a5TzmLVYzGPSd4kEW6ISmcGSAQQmEmpEywflKAYYIfPajWknJU5NJKvmO9H1nGiQaW8XwXutPRPxkEH0QKmknOrsZ7ziOuW84mEyvCVPGRoK_lSpsilbEYaoFpO09cwY66n4BXGAm2Ueoyyk69-Lwm78QaUio/s1024/OIG.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYvThUFKBPWkqLoHY6Uz8gqsPEciGz8a5TzmLVYzGPSd4kEW6ISmcGSAQQmEmpEywflKAYYIfPajWknJU5NJKvmO9H1nGiQaW8XwXutPRPxkEH0QKmknOrsZ7ziOuW84mEyvCVPGRoK_lSpsilbEYaoFpO09cwY66n4BXGAm2Ueoyyk69-Lwm78QaUio/s16000/OIG.jpeg"></a></div><p>Aphorisms. I'm not sure what it is about them - but I think I do better with adopting them as resolutions than I do adopting actual resolutions.</p><p> Maybe it's that they're often just more <i>approachable</i> than resolutions? SMART goals are intimidating. If you fail at a SMART goal, well... You have no one to blame but yourself. But aphorisms give the room to fail. They're aspirational and ambitious - the kind of thing Mr. Rogers or Bob Ross would encourage us to consider without being too pushy, and without the judgement or disappointment if we misstep. </p><p>Over the years, I've collected various aphorisms as a kind of recipe for my professional life (though they often also extend beyond the professional.)</p><p>Each year I try to add some new ones but with 2024 around the corner, I've not yet come across anything new that has shaken my perspective the way the ones below have. So I'm taking suggestions!</p><p>If, after reading the list below, you have an aphorism, observation, maxim, adage, saying, or truism - something that you feel belongs on my list, please send it my way. Here's to 2024!</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>There's never a good time, but tomorrow is worse.</li><li>Getting ideas down on paper helps refine.</li><li>It's easier to offer help than asking for it. It's even harder to accept it.</li><li>Appreciation needs time and awareness.</li><li>Be for someone else the thing you need yourself.</li><li>Splashes are easy in still water, but far-reaching ripples in moving waters requires continuous energy.</li><li>Reading keeps you from reinventing wheels.</li><li>Defensiveness obscures learning.</li><li>Earn the right to criticize.</li><li>Embrace failures with enthusiasm.</li><li>Vulnerability makes it ok to be yourself.</li><li>Show you are listening by asking good follow-up questions.</li><li>The thing you're worried about is a thing to voice - especially if you're worried about voicing it.</li><li>Perfectionism is procrastination.</li><li>Being right doesn't excuse you from improving.</li><li>Encourage with a smile and a laugh.</li></ul><p></p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-83359510343910143002023-12-21T06:08:00.000-08:002023-12-21T06:08:00.145-08:00Entry-Level Job Hunting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_sp5LNGIrHx4L0FzywKve3lFuuyEvK0yuCVH5gIoevuAPSwXBBjNg17YT090Ov7PYPaIbBBEM0e0i9Eo9b-ZcgdDdv0LRad6tuEPQIiFinrbTpxRHOyL6GRHoo2eew9CfKXo_ygCDx-C0MnM_lfG8VGRGytLOSAufrEHjdIOcV8BV_O4NSHzQ6RqVFU/s1024/80bcf66b-8e40-4988-a901-8230f054de57%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_sp5LNGIrHx4L0FzywKve3lFuuyEvK0yuCVH5gIoevuAPSwXBBjNg17YT090Ov7PYPaIbBBEM0e0i9Eo9b-ZcgdDdv0LRad6tuEPQIiFinrbTpxRHOyL6GRHoo2eew9CfKXo_ygCDx-C0MnM_lfG8VGRGytLOSAufrEHjdIOcV8BV_O4NSHzQ6RqVFU/s16000/80bcf66b-8e40-4988-a901-8230f054de57%20(1).jpg" /></a></div><p>Someone recently reached out asking for tips for their first job hunt.</p><p>I honestly struggled with the response because I wanted to give the best advice I could give. Frankly, I really wondered if my advice would be good at all. Afterall, my career started almost 20 years ago and while it was tough then, it's not like what it is today. A simple "Just do this..." approach didn't work then and works even less now.</p><p>So I've really been challenging myself with this idea: If I got started today, in tech, in this economic climate, with large layoffs happenings, an increasingly competitive job market, with no experience, no network, and few resources, what would I do? Where would I get started? How would I find my first job?</p><p>While I don't know if I have the answer, I have some perspective that may help: Re-think what a "first job" can be.</p><p>I say this because I see a lot first-time job seekers think the first time job has to be at a name brand. Maybe they've been sold promises, maybe they have inflated expectations, maybe they're coached to pursue them. And if it's a large name brand, it may be a local name brand, or even just a brand (as in, any company - large or small that can pay for a logo.)</p><p>This perspective is reinforced by the job title: Entry-level. Entry into what?</p><p>It should be entry into the workforce, and not (as I see if often confused) entry into the company owned building, or company leased office space.</p><p>I'd redefine "first job" very simply: any paid work you do in support of the career you are pursuing.</p><p>This can be a local musician, a social club, a business run out of a garage, a local handyperson who wants to expand their reach. It could be an uncle running a side-gig.</p><p>And, in fact, this isn't exclusive to a 'first' job. This can be your second job, third job, fourth job, fifth job - as many jobs as it takes until you have built enough of a resume and experience that gets you entry into the building (if that remains your goal.)</p><p>And, as an important call out with my definition: I included 'in support of the career you are pursuing' because, ultimately, while you want relevant work experience keep in mind that the word support is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Don't narrow the definition of support to mean work that is explicitly in line with the job title you're pursuing. Support can mean that, or anything along its peripheries. Support can mean any work that helps you grow skills that would be valuable to your role. In keeping this perspective, you drive your own career growth, your own roles and responsibilities. You learn soft skills, you learn project management skills, and you learn how to get things done - all things that can (and should) be highlighted and amplified on your resume. </p><p>Eventually, the work you grows your experience until you hit the critical inflection point where your resume begins to speak for itself. I don't know where that is - but I know it exists.</p><p>I hope you find your inflection soon enough.</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-5545974118831519002023-11-15T07:49:00.000-08:002023-11-15T07:49:34.959-08:00Lessons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>When you're 11 years younger than your oldest brother, you get to learn a lot through them.<div><br></div><div>You learn how to blow air through blades of grass and make it squeal. You learn the hilariously reckless fun of riding your bike around in circles while he tries to knock you off by throwing a basketball at you. You learn the right way to make a snowball. How to eat cherry tomatoes. You learn how going fishing isn't about the fishing but about the sandwiches you pack. You learn how to code.</div><div><br></div><div>As you grow into adulthood the 11 year gap narrows. You learn how you can help in ways you couldn't before. You can help him move into his first house, tile his bathroom, grow cherry tomatoes... And yet you're still learning from him. How to get a job, prioritize what's important, how to be a dad.</div><div><br></div><div>And as the years go on, the gap continues to narrow until one day it's no more. He relies on you as much as you him. But he's still not done teaching you things.</div><div><br></div><div>One day, he teaches you how to grieve.</div><div><br></div><div>You came into the world when he was 11. He knows everything about you. He knows how you respond to stress through humor. He knows when the time comes, you'll need humor.</div><div><br></div><div>He also knows it's his job to use every opportunity to get your goat...in that playful, poking kind of way that only an older brother knows. He knows how to push buttons that seemingly only exist for him to push.</div><div><br></div><div>And so, one day, as you're driving together knowing the inevitable isn't too far away, he'll turn to you and say: "When it happens, I want you fire me off into space."</div><div><br></div><div>You'll laugh uncomfortably, wanting to change the subject - not yet ready to have this conversation.</div><div><br></div><div>"I'm serious. Find out how much it costs, work with someone - but send me into outer space."</div><div><br></div><div>"Let's not talk about this...." You resist.</div><div><br></div><div>"You need to do this for me. Fire me off into space."</div><div><br></div><div>"You know I'll do anything for you. But this... I'm just going to say no. Let's move on."</div><div><br></div><div>And, surprisingly, he let's it go. It's never brought up again.</div><div><br></div><div>Months go by and, as prepared as you think you might be, you're not. It's time for the lesson you don't want to learn. Grief. The last lesson.</div><div><br></div><div>Or so you think. Only hours after he's gone, a mutual friend - with the confidence only your brother could give someone comes to you and says: "He made me promise something... I'm on a mission. We need to fire him into space."</div><div><br></div><div>And instantly the numbness, the shock ... it disappears. He helps you face reality with laughter. Because he knows you. You laugh. You cry. You grieve. You mourn.</div><div><br></div><div>But the lessons aren't done. 5 years go by. Not a single day passes without you thinking of him. Multiple times. The lessons, the coffees, the laughs.</div><div><br></div><div>And on the eve of the 5th anniversary, you read how NASA is sending a space craft to Europa. There's an open invite to submit names, which will be etched onto a microchip on the ship. </div><div><br></div><div>You submit his name, learning yet another lesson: Try as might, you can never say no to your older brother.</div>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-20046102245501058312023-11-14T14:50:00.000-08:002023-11-14T14:50:05.361-08:00Jam on Toast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUl6Kl8DPt1s4AXuP6OERSe_ZB3MQMcA1Xg-EwQ88Iq8JpCeQrdT85jtBVJHUr_fHjozj4FS6B5EX8fLPQuf2s3AtDejRJjxq8HJpF5si0T9zKsp3J3Ny3h2_jkcsjsvaeFvGUnPsLa1QfrEHGf3jgLDJ2ACp3uH1lu-jpRpE87Sih4PNUpBrMvGtS5U/s704/jam-on-toast.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="704" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUl6Kl8DPt1s4AXuP6OERSe_ZB3MQMcA1Xg-EwQ88Iq8JpCeQrdT85jtBVJHUr_fHjozj4FS6B5EX8fLPQuf2s3AtDejRJjxq8HJpF5si0T9zKsp3J3Ny3h2_jkcsjsvaeFvGUnPsLa1QfrEHGf3jgLDJ2ACp3uH1lu-jpRpE87Sih4PNUpBrMvGtS5U/s16000/jam-on-toast.png" /></a></div><p>6 years ago I went for brunch at a small cafe in Cambridge, MA. I took a picture of the jam & toast I was served. It's hard to get jam & toast wrong but as simple as it can be, it can still be taken to new heights. The right bread, the right fruit. This was a memorable encounter. </p><p>People will forget the texture of the toast, they'll forget the sweetness of the jam, but people will never forget how jam & toast makes them feel.</p><p>I'm sure there's a lesson in here somewhere - maybe about the work we deliver, the infinite possibility for improvement... or maybe it's just as simple as making sure you always make time to enjoy some jam on toast.</p><p>Trust me on the last one - you'll thank yourself (and me) in 6 years.</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-18788583890761280752023-11-09T09:27:00.000-08:002023-11-14T14:51:59.434-08:00null<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkOPdrUngONylihw7J11hoBtyJ0CSeNeG-JtRbNvjOXx32Ua7gqCMtPC5YqMZvjPl0oFoTapzb-DtGiQIEgbdl2oH4bgWUMMwA9HhjJyzfR746A-bnkeGQrOYd1obH7Ph3Q32BnuMCAMf9FE5lZ9p5cryainhwMoTMofaEuvTitgZX43BbAQbMEydYzj0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkOPdrUngONylihw7J11hoBtyJ0CSeNeG-JtRbNvjOXx32Ua7gqCMtPC5YqMZvjPl0oFoTapzb-DtGiQIEgbdl2oH4bgWUMMwA9HhjJyzfR746A-bnkeGQrOYd1obH7Ph3Q32BnuMCAMf9FE5lZ9p5cryainhwMoTMofaEuvTitgZX43BbAQbMEydYzj0=s16000" /></a></div><br />Seeing a null in a very large tech company's app is a nice reminder that small but obvious mistakes can slip past even the best of them.<p></p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-48624636377809069162023-11-07T11:10:00.002-08:002023-11-07T11:10:11.601-08:00Emily.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbXq4UO_socOX7evXN-cHV3nWzbs2USVO60C0KLFrmBWOq7HAQXqZ80x6CGK6eFbucsndpBhXoo4FfoCXu1YKaIsped3D2eU_6bciJF0DtdrcMaEYq8xo9BUByEmI1hqTX7Qy3Z8QfPb4CV3pdQnhraT9O0K6BIc_4_rX65cu46EPQA8s6CjdCNO9U5g/s1412/emily.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1405" data-original-width="1412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbXq4UO_socOX7evXN-cHV3nWzbs2USVO60C0KLFrmBWOq7HAQXqZ80x6CGK6eFbucsndpBhXoo4FfoCXu1YKaIsped3D2eU_6bciJF0DtdrcMaEYq8xo9BUByEmI1hqTX7Qy3Z8QfPb4CV3pdQnhraT9O0K6BIc_4_rX65cu46EPQA8s6CjdCNO9U5g/s16000/emily.png" /></a></div><br /><p>When my daughter was 2 she began telling us of an imaginary friend "Emily."</p><p>Emily was imaginary friend who'd show up whenever she was feeling lonely - if she was playing by herself at preschool or, in particular, at naptime when she was trying to get herself to sleep.</p><p>One day, when she was 3, I was asking her more about Emily and she told me how Emily "lives in her heart."</p><p>She told me how, at nap time, she'd ask Emily to visit the hearts of the people she was missing - her mom's heart, her baby brother's heart, mine heart, and then hearts of the rest of her family and her friends.</p><p>When she reached the end of her list of people, she could then fall asleep while hugging Emily's heart, and with Emily hugging hers.</p><p>About 6 months later, my daughter announced one day that she no longer 'needed' Emily, and that she'd made her up to help her feel less afraid.</p><p>There's no metaphor here, no deeper meaning, connection back to careers, growth, or job hunting tips.</p><p>Sometimes we just need an Emily.</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-2226739378436341942023-10-30T08:30:00.015-07:002023-10-30T08:30:00.137-07:00Pong - A Laptop Bag<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWufoXP5XuVIgvZOiLKbLja5Xc1d7hEVQQ4ArF-O2HpCTb8XYBmtRSYWJvEssCYKmr_IkFlwgVJ4N0DpH4db364MVNY3Mud9AdLOgPyr5R3BYTNwCpRmRq36IQSgTCIB19toxQQzBhuqC6Tu55qk44CnCYljMXbbDTCb3gj5VZfUdVO9wonC8icUhUUBI/s4032/PXL_20231029_042006611.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWufoXP5XuVIgvZOiLKbLja5Xc1d7hEVQQ4ArF-O2HpCTb8XYBmtRSYWJvEssCYKmr_IkFlwgVJ4N0DpH4db364MVNY3Mud9AdLOgPyr5R3BYTNwCpRmRq36IQSgTCIB19toxQQzBhuqC6Tu55qk44CnCYljMXbbDTCb3gj5VZfUdVO9wonC8icUhUUBI/s16000/PXL_20231029_042006611.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So my daughter surprised me with a "laptop bag" she decorated for me - which was an opportunity to build Pong for the hundredth time - but, for the first time, to her spec - and with her watching along.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_Z1KuvFtrL3zq8y15KHzMGzljBGeFmXKVgjsdcSyipq0uuv1XxlAUVcGdQYfht5kqpC6KYf-HroTcvm4wastzHnL1tg9kRIfvaMRxqLWo-bFUxav4sBJBLDo0pN-fnzaf7UTjwaLlHbwRKqxvj0QIY-KJ9tHoL76Z-zUKZKruth3i97A-Uz-Sa6Wvc4A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_Z1KuvFtrL3zq8y15KHzMGzljBGeFmXKVgjsdcSyipq0uuv1XxlAUVcGdQYfht5kqpC6KYf-HroTcvm4wastzHnL1tg9kRIfvaMRxqLWo-bFUxav4sBJBLDo0pN-fnzaf7UTjwaLlHbwRKqxvj0QIY-KJ9tHoL76Z-zUKZKruth3i97A-Uz-Sa6Wvc4A=s16000" /></a></div><p></p><p>I've built so many variations at this point. One of my most favorite variants that I built 20 years ago is one I called '<i>Pango'.</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5LYf2kjmLIU6zgEfZnLdea07zzWyHXiRV4keMqeOdlnvRXtjke4TgEAr-tsnfM4YssPDmJc0Cy94hiOOZLTPduVD7glqirEMSToJJmpbtBoeemxXVeXTonaNeTNxLlV_GLq7EscAwYmswLJwFIy5r9a57okuhVeHETkkIEx0QKsHXz6m2PTzV0U41Q88" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="887" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5LYf2kjmLIU6zgEfZnLdea07zzWyHXiRV4keMqeOdlnvRXtjke4TgEAr-tsnfM4YssPDmJc0Cy94hiOOZLTPduVD7glqirEMSToJJmpbtBoeemxXVeXTonaNeTNxLlV_GLq7EscAwYmswLJwFIy5r9a57okuhVeHETkkIEx0QKsHXz6m2PTzV0U41Q88=s16000" /></a></div><p>You can tell Pango is old, because it's from an era where lens flares meant good design.</p>Pango let you move in all directions, and required you to first break a hole in the wall protecting your opponent's end-zone.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkOiOO4wWNTxYzsmnJI7Lc5qasnK0HxKZjxEJBZ7lB1rKEmUs4GjUIEB8n1XOcQjSev2ubIwUiNUM5fooPw_qqy_D2ufsrNaiLbPXJNCAjqRrduCOrSbAKtuASCSoLdATb-ebpUeBY140WPT7Kzs0RQZZ5aeCtLTzUTxPN0DDc94MXt0RghFoPfPvJjpo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="766" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkOiOO4wWNTxYzsmnJI7Lc5qasnK0HxKZjxEJBZ7lB1rKEmUs4GjUIEB8n1XOcQjSev2ubIwUiNUM5fooPw_qqy_D2ufsrNaiLbPXJNCAjqRrduCOrSbAKtuASCSoLdATb-ebpUeBY140WPT7Kzs0RQZZ5aeCtLTzUTxPN0DDc94MXt0RghFoPfPvJjpo=s16000" /></a></div><br />And while Pong is not necessarily complicated to build, it's always a fun exercise to see how much faster & better you can build it.<div><br /></div><div>For example - building the collision detection to avoid cases where the ball gets trapped within the paddle, and bounces back and forth rapidly. Or including momentum transference that can alter the ball's angle.</div><div><br /></div><div>My daughter version includes a yellow obstacle that moves back and forth. It's simple, but effective.<br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX78CNTdAMc04cgcE1uCgIJBhZ2WA5wAxBFBhmQDdZT3377xL-D1auVngBeFdNNhacrcIWKIZepju6AKJyJOPy4OA7Eb_O2WBS_kGQMAuR-ddc7E2egQOki3fUsv4K98e-pPC4U1bC5TO0wtTjQ4vV5hTs-9OcJBrIb0UTiXLzWao1Nczu4gWGEL3Pa_Y/s368/pong.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="368" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX78CNTdAMc04cgcE1uCgIJBhZ2WA5wAxBFBhmQDdZT3377xL-D1auVngBeFdNNhacrcIWKIZepju6AKJyJOPy4OA7Eb_O2WBS_kGQMAuR-ddc7E2egQOki3fUsv4K98e-pPC4U1bC5TO0wtTjQ4vV5hTs-9OcJBrIb0UTiXLzWao1Nczu4gWGEL3Pa_Y/s320/pong.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's not going to win any awards - but it's still a pretty fun game to play.</div></div>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-46879950076079514042023-10-23T14:48:00.002-07:002023-10-23T14:48:46.594-07:00Last on the Bus<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIxgH4eVyA5igDvNWvyWKjU9ekR95E3pyTlaKTCXN_BSqBxQAE4rb5dEyzHRElfJdwMvGyRtFeNIqMeoNC8LEInEsd5cfapQ7U8t9F8U85zVdUjj8E1b3ufI4Wehi0S-rdhnY60d-0cdPjcK0l1b8mBXNHviYfRR0aP0F9M8FAFtRN2dYWMHgStXnKXA0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="1245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIxgH4eVyA5igDvNWvyWKjU9ekR95E3pyTlaKTCXN_BSqBxQAE4rb5dEyzHRElfJdwMvGyRtFeNIqMeoNC8LEInEsd5cfapQ7U8t9F8U85zVdUjj8E1b3ufI4Wehi0S-rdhnY60d-0cdPjcK0l1b8mBXNHviYfRR0aP0F9M8FAFtRN2dYWMHgStXnKXA0=s16000" /></a></div><br />Some time ago, I decided to go through all my old files (some of them being as much as <i>25 years old</i>) to find all the things I'd posted online since the late 90s.<p></p><p>Hundreds of journal entries (before it was known as blogging), updates about things I was coding, and then a lot of day-in-the-life type posts from my college days. I took a bunch of them and re-uploaded them within this blog - preserving their original publish date.</p><p>Walking through them is not only seeing the progression of the internet, but my progression from student to professional. It's interesting to put myself back in the mindset of being a college student - and re-reading post after post after post where I was running on fumes, sleeping in the school library, barely scraping by. With graduation on the horizon, I relived the stress and anxiety of starting my first professional job hunt - and then ultimately the transition to adulthood.</p><p>I remember the final day of my senior year in high school. The final bell rang - and we all streamed out of the school for the last time. I walked with one of my best friends - it was a warm spring day, and we sat down on a park bench thinking about all the changes ahead of us.</p><p>I remember saying how there was just more school coming my way. 4 more years, at least. I capped off the thought by saying: 'I can't wait for school to be done, and I can just be an adult, get a paycheck, and not constantly have homework, tests and grades...'</p><p>My friend replied how that's when life would start accelerating - one year blending into the next, and the routine of life settling in. We were both still 17, and the conversation was the typical kind that you have at that age when you think you have it all figured out. And I guess, in some ways, I had more figured out than I give myself credit - because I knew I just wanted to code, and loved the idea of getting paid for it.</p><p>All those old posts are validation that - despite pursuing physics, despite only taking a couple of CompSci courses, that my heart was always in the code. Posts about redesigning websites, building games, experimenting with new technical skills as I acquired them organically.</p><p>And then, before long, I was working professionally as a coder - slightly before officially graduating from college.</p><p>I felt like I was in a race against time. That I had to move as quickly as possible to get to where I wanted to be. Many of my college years were spent rushing - and paradoxically, falling behind. Literally. Chasing after buses, city block after city block, because I'd missed them - and hoping they'd eventually get stuck in traffic. If I could just keep my endurance up, I'd get on the bus. Sometimes, I'd end up staying all night at a 24-hr donut shop because I missed the last bus of the night.</p><p>It's no wonder - one of my early creations was novel application to build an "open-source web-comic" - and I ended up calling it 'Last on the Bus.' It was literal, but also my metaphor. I was often so wrapped in what I was doing, I'd squeeze every second out of the minutes before I had to head to my bus. But - if the bus had to leave on time, and I still was going to be on it - often being the last one to get on. Laptop still open and in hand, not yet packed away, clutching loose papers and pens, and trying to balance a coffee in my hand. </p><p>It's a coincidental wonder that one of my top 10 life-altering moments was my encounter with a tour bus... but that's a different story (and one of the old posts I'd dug back up and re-shared, in fact.)</p><p>It's also another coincidental wonder that any claim to fame I can make was due to some of the things I built while riding the bus (Broken Picture Telephone being one of them.)</p><p>For all the time I spent in coffee shops, it seems I owe a lot more to buses. Riding them. Chasing them. Having them chase me. Being stranded at 3am because I missed them. You learn a lot missing the bus, including whether you truly want to be on that bus to begin with.</p><p>Since graduating from college, and becoming a proper adult the years do seem to go by faster, but they haven't quite blended together the way my friend had predicted. He was wrong about that. But I was wrong about something too: The 'homework' doesn't stop. I still find myself spending evenings or weekends learning new things, applying them, refining my knowledge.</p><p>And there's still a bus.</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-76455017757641040782023-10-17T08:55:00.002-07:002023-10-17T08:55:10.891-07:00Connecting the Dots<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0mIslTD0w_t-HgfAiACHqGFHM-KEpI6LxuTjiTgvsYd8Eeub4yRQdtLSjP8RNbJ65PvnpiuQluYdz4_CL_a-6hCTY29qS_Kx2aUHqoLSgctJBpsHnuLqJzd7jRDRUg7bogCeWB_8Hqai2jdx2IrZsZxzOdY1xH1LLtMBHB_1mdv2-Y93uBfnAOxCOjhY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0mIslTD0w_t-HgfAiACHqGFHM-KEpI6LxuTjiTgvsYd8Eeub4yRQdtLSjP8RNbJ65PvnpiuQluYdz4_CL_a-6hCTY29qS_Kx2aUHqoLSgctJBpsHnuLqJzd7jRDRUg7bogCeWB_8Hqai2jdx2IrZsZxzOdY1xH1LLtMBHB_1mdv2-Y93uBfnAOxCOjhY=s16000" /></a></div><br />This past weekend I read a <a href="https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/chan-consumers-prefer-stories" target="_blank">fascinating article</a> by Cognitive Scientist and Marketing researcher Hang-Yee Chan. In this article Dr. Chan, backed by brain-scans, supports the case that storytelling is one of the most effective ways to land your message.<p></p><p>More specifically, crafting a linear narrative triggers the consumer to a process<i> </i>called <b>mentalizing</b><i>, "which is the ability to decipher the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of others. It's what makes human beings social, allowing them to interact and coordinate based on subtle cues. Mentalizing is also key to story comprehension."</i></p><p>I come from a long line of great story-tellers (it's one of the things that pushed me to pivot from writing code to Product Management) but it also had me thinking about a lot of the advice I give around crafting a solid resume.</p><p>First - I think it's worth reiterating: my own views on resumes have evolved over the years. I don't think resumes carry the same weight in the job-application process as they once did. Online applications, LinkedIn Profiles, and a candidate's digital footprint fill gaps that a static resume could never fill. But resumes are not obsolete.</p><p>Resumes are for the job seeker, not the hiring manager. They're cheat-sheets/1 pager/executive summaries that help keep the job seeker focused, on-message and on-brand. If you've had your resume reviewed by me in the last 3 years, you've most likely had me ask you: <i>"What's the narrative?"</i></p><p>Ever since I landed on the concept of a "career narrative" (in brief: gone are the days of the long linear careers at 1 employer, and we are now firmly in the world of multiple roles, titles, industries, companies; If you think of a connect-the-dots, each role are the dots - a career narrative are the lines, connecting the dots, to form the picture) it made me reevaluate and reframe how I pitch my own talents.</p><p>It's why I don't think pivoting a Director of Engineering, managing 30+ people and 5+ products to becoming an individual contributor as a Product Manager is much of a pivot. The same set of skills that made me successful in one role are guiding me in my next. The narrative is me, hi. (<i>cue Taylor Swift, "it's me, hi, I'm the problem it's me."</i>)</p><p>This is also why I value people who have made large career changes. They have outlier-dots. If you think about any good movie, book - they have narratives you may not predict. The break the mold and offer disruption. </p><p>Connecting all this back to Dr. Chan's research, storytelling in your resume is important because, as Dr. Chan writes: <i>"Communicators often package their messages in compelling tales for good reason. People's love for narratives seems hardwired in the brain."</i></p><p>Telling your own 'story' in a clear, concise, narrative that connects dots (no matter how divergent) in your resume will help you understand your own story. And, in understanding your own story, will help you better tell it. Clearly, concisely - but, most importantly, in a way that sticks. Just like any well-crafted 60 second ad campaign can.</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-28099459372852684052023-10-16T06:21:00.001-07:002023-10-16T06:21:00.161-07:00Messages<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoF3MxkcMrttZpuhtXgJcXq0IXkxdtCcMp-l36FEK94YNQbIB_nzKED3Cz74FFaUwBXEARfimmmiEtirH_O6gG0Fee1rnw6sDZXdxRc1ZxXjjI9vNKwBlIKSiuBqm_isGuObZ139nVI7qF8u7SMKg0wj9Q0gJJVyvG6N71S7rW0n7TlYWeWqZM4UEp0Y/s1024/DALL%C2%B7E%202023-10-13%2016.01.21%20-%20crayon%20drawing%20of%20a%20man%20who%20looks%20like%20Eugene%20Levy%20standing%20on%20top%20of%20a%20pile%20of%20paper%20in%20a%20%20cheering%20pose.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoF3MxkcMrttZpuhtXgJcXq0IXkxdtCcMp-l36FEK94YNQbIB_nzKED3Cz74FFaUwBXEARfimmmiEtirH_O6gG0Fee1rnw6sDZXdxRc1ZxXjjI9vNKwBlIKSiuBqm_isGuObZ139nVI7qF8u7SMKg0wj9Q0gJJVyvG6N71S7rW0n7TlYWeWqZM4UEp0Y/s320/DALL%C2%B7E%202023-10-13%2016.01.21%20-%20crayon%20drawing%20of%20a%20man%20who%20looks%20like%20Eugene%20Levy%20standing%20on%20top%20of%20a%20pile%20of%20paper%20in%20a%20%20cheering%20pose.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Dall-E drew me this picture... 10 points to whoever comes closest to the prompt I gave it.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I've finally caught up on a month's worth of messages / resume reviews / advice. </p><p>If you haven't received a response, please msg me again - and apologies for missing it.</p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-89893647341189229932023-10-13T14:08:00.001-07:002023-10-13T14:08:10.858-07:00Penny for your thoughts...<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3lgyStmWH9z1koj8fMuZ_KyNowMGqYwfU2z9On5KdpS2UNp4n4xwZXBasBHvkjyCPHNaEz7V9xrs2L6hdHsBIuQFpeu7Drk0fqc8SK4osYRkeiFgz87wBdyDk52lzHUEzHaBpO6eGyx9UqhnpDHDCp2LafAR6bCw7vjOKBIOF0yONkj56IaqdQAXwN5E" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1003" data-original-width="1013" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3lgyStmWH9z1koj8fMuZ_KyNowMGqYwfU2z9On5KdpS2UNp4n4xwZXBasBHvkjyCPHNaEz7V9xrs2L6hdHsBIuQFpeu7Drk0fqc8SK4osYRkeiFgz87wBdyDk52lzHUEzHaBpO6eGyx9UqhnpDHDCp2LafAR6bCw7vjOKBIOF0yONkj56IaqdQAXwN5E=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AI-Generated: "Chalk & Pastel Album Cover of 90s Kids Jumping in a Pile of Pennies"</td></tr></tbody></table><br />If I want your thoughts, I offer a penny for them.</p><p>However, when I provide input, I am giving my 2 cents.</p><p>The moral: People value their own input more than that of others.</p><p><i>I'm not sure if others have made this observation before - but this is the kind of youthful cynical observation that my 14 year old self would have thought profound.</i></p>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-39496192659955178612023-10-10T11:15:00.001-07:002023-10-10T11:15:12.638-07:00Lost in the Maize<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidtVs5eaJsDhXf0fljuYJ5u801MUbwKFey6y1XYLSDyXD1AZtbVX_KSNkMhuCv25fbLn1aEuvl5v1XbcEyUdxdamh75hoKRFE5J69eyojO67zoGmQLb9HVLh2aNFEVmwRHV-I6IwzTAIb-RkcICavwntFTvhsu5KqA_bTvldPSwnWNG7c5B2QR9lCvqtM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidtVs5eaJsDhXf0fljuYJ5u801MUbwKFey6y1XYLSDyXD1AZtbVX_KSNkMhuCv25fbLn1aEuvl5v1XbcEyUdxdamh75hoKRFE5J69eyojO67zoGmQLb9HVLh2aNFEVmwRHV-I6IwzTAIb-RkcICavwntFTvhsu5KqA_bTvldPSwnWNG7c5B2QR9lCvqtM=s16000" /></a></div><br />If you're lost in the maize,🌽</div><div style="text-align: left;">feeling fried and roasted, 🍗<br />get yourself <a href="https://www.unghosted.live/" target="_blank">unghosted</a>: 👻<br />with resume reviews 📃<br />and mock interviews 👩💼<br />on our live stream, hosted 🎥<br />by me, and who you guessin? 💭<br />the one and only <a href="https://gun.io/taylor/" target="_blank">Taylor Desseyn </a><br /><br />Join <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/events/unghostedw-alishahnovinandtaylo7110659368278204417/comments/" target="_blank">the event</a></div>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-59112533518938912202023-10-05T11:43:00.001-07:002023-10-05T11:43:12.529-07:00Unghosted / Halloween<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVbYY1qMFmld-d6Dl7gUTa6wXCmNFv2FTHzXukVjZ_gQOE7QslHx62K_MX5okiQBspqR-FEZW5I4W3mVP0EWlZTy17BLBSrd3qkVF9ZB1JPRvAxlwfm_tYTYvBEkPhM5DPreJinFZoX8KWiU6uCyE0kBCB8CXm-zaoqHr-wEvK3BwMv4iP9VQlnliufYM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1706" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVbYY1qMFmld-d6Dl7gUTa6wXCmNFv2FTHzXukVjZ_gQOE7QslHx62K_MX5okiQBspqR-FEZW5I4W3mVP0EWlZTy17BLBSrd3qkVF9ZB1JPRvAxlwfm_tYTYvBEkPhM5DPreJinFZoX8KWiU6uCyE0kBCB8CXm-zaoqHr-wEvK3BwMv4iP9VQlnliufYM=s16000" /></a></div><p></p><div><div>Just 1 week until our #Spooky #Friday13 episode of <a href="http://unghosted.live/" target="_blank">#Unghosted</a> where Taylor Desseyn and I will be doing #resumereviews and #mockinterviews <i><b>LIVE</b></i>!</div><div><br /></div><div>And with this being October, there's a higher than normal chance we'll even be in costume. <i>(I haven't consulted with Taylor on this...)</i></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/events/unghostedw-alishahnovinandtaylo7110659368278204417/comments/" target="_blank">Hope you'll join us!</a></div><div>👻🎃🦹♂️</div></div>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-515496476299454102023-10-03T08:25:00.005-07:002023-10-03T08:26:24.418-07:00Surf's Up<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></div><div>I'm behind on messaging a lot of people. If you're waiting on a response from me, I'm sorry - I'll try to get back to you soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>While I could, in all honesty, just say "I'm busy" and leave it at that, the reality is... well, I'm busy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thankfully I'm fortunate to say I'm not being disrupted by any large & life changing events. I'm just reaching one of those points I think we all reach at various points... when everything all happens at once, and we're just barely staying above water. Maybe these moments are worth recognizing - when you're able to be the good husband/wife/partner, the good dad/mom/guardian, the good son/daughter/child, the good friend, the good neighbor, the good coach, and you're even good at tending to your own needs... but all of that takes time, takes intention, takes energy.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's the feeling you get perhaps just before you feel overwhelmed... and, (if you do it right) maybe you will avoid becoming overwhelmed... but you're still squeezing every last drop out of the lemons life's given you to make lemonade.</div><div><br /></div><div>Things will subside, they'll calm down, and you'll be able to breathe (or maybe sigh) knowing that you rode the wave, and you're back in calm waters and can get ready for the next wave.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm riding the wave right now and it has me thinking of the times when I'm not the one riding the wave but others are.</div><div><br /></div><div>You don't really know when others are riding waves. You may see they're more tense, more on edge, just a little more tired, a little less responsive, a little less involved - but you don't know the depths and breadths. The big life altering moments... the things that require changes... the "news" - those are the things you hear about, and that's when you support, show empathy, help out. But when there is no "news" ... when it's just "I'm busy" ... those are the moments we overlook. And maybe we don't need to give support, empathy or help... because they/we/I will get through it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe all that's needed is just to be on the other side of the wave... in the calm... to be there and say: "What a ride! You made it through. Cheers."</div><div><br /></div><div>🏄♂️</div>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6472566981687226934.post-12442283607529364962023-10-01T22:22:00.003-07:002023-10-01T22:23:17.806-07:00Product Endorsements from ...Before?... the Grave<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div>Tom Hanks talking about the ad that uses AI&Deep Fake technology to <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/news/tom-hanks-ai-video-dental-plan-warns-fans-1235741781/">use his likeness</a> in order to promote some dental plan reminds me of 15 years ago when the One Laptop per Child organization used John Lennon's likeness to promote their mission.<div><br></div><div>I wrote <a href="https://blog.alishahnovin.com/2008/12/product-endorsements-from-grave.html?m=1">about it back then</a> - pointing out the problems of someone's likeness being used without their consent (in Lennon's case, Yoko Ono gave her approval) not thinking there'd come a time when living people would have to contend with the same issue.</div><div><br></div><div>While I don't think anyone's likeness should be used without the explicit consent of the person (even their estate requiring explicitly approval) maybe (hopefully) the silver lining good news here is celebrity endorsements will become so diluted with fakery that they'll no longer be meaningful.</div>Alishah Novinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15357595585715589724noreply@blogger.com