A grim but necessary read for every software engineer and every decision maker in organizations where software is a key deliverable. We depend heavily on FOSS at work, and every such dependency that loses support (or gets hijacked by a bad actor) means more work for us. https://toot.cafe/@baldur/113039605092302823
Iโll still be using 1Password, Yubikeys, and apps like Authy to secure my accounts. Ecosystem-agnostic tools for account access still seem like a good idea to me. https://mastodon.social/@verge/112616118743192872
The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn't shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is.
While I understand Muirรฉnโs perspective, I also understand why people object to those who have spent years weaponizing their skin color against the black community trying to seek refuge in the community theyโve devalued the moment they encounter trouble. https://sfba.social/@muiren/112182040134648479
Consider what Clarence Thomas did decades ago when his nomination to the Supreme Court was at risk. Consider also that the sexual harassment he was alleged to have committed was directed at a black woman. How did he characterize being questioned about his conduct? As a โhigh-tech lynching for uppity blacksโ. He guilted those white senators into appointing him to a job credentials did not merit. And his rulings have harmed the black community ever since.
Jay Rosen (professor of journalism at NYU) is quoted in the piece and has long been someone worth following regarding what good journalism looks like, the current travails of news as a business, and the consequences for democracy when journalism is done poorly or not at all.
@darnell My concern re: the dismantling of American journalism by private equity, hedge funds, & oligarchs comes not just from consuming a lot of print and radio news over the decades but having been a tech intern and part-time employee at The Washington Post, and a tech contractor for NPR and PBS. These orgs in particular (and journalism in general) are far less robust now than they were in the late-90s and early aughtsโbut even more important to an accountable, functioning democracy.
Gavin Newsom adds his name to the list of those for whom the plain text of the 14th Amendment is merely a suggestion. Which is to say that the full citizenship of black folks in this country should be subject to whims of whoever is in power. And given how weโve seen gerrymandering work, whoever is in power is not even necessarily a majority.
Subjecting black citizenship to the popular will is how Reconstruction was killed after the Civil War. If this country makes the same mistake in 2024, it wonโt only be black folks who suffer the consequences.
@baldur@franktaber Peopleware is an excellent book that Iโm overdue to re-read. Iโve found the book Managing Humans (by Michael Lopp) to be an excellent read as well.
@zompus@thomasfuchs Having written a fair amount of production VB in the late 90s and early aughts, I can confirm this to be the case. It would have taken even more C++ to accomplish the same things though.
I'm a lifelong Marylander (born to Jamaican parents in 1974), Takoma Academy graduate, 2-time University of Maryland graduate (computer science, MBA), a husband and father of twin 8-year-olds (boy, girl). I've spent the majority of my working life writing software, but the most recent 9 years leading and growing individual software engineers and teams. My fandoms include, sci-fi, videogames, jazz trios, and LEGO (among others).