tajd

Sometimes I buy something cheap and then if I use it enough to break it I end up investing in a decent one. Another perspective on incremental delivery.

I came from Python to Scala and I'm not sure I'd move back in a hurry. I like types annotations as it helps me understand what exactly is being passed between functions - sometimes that's no always clear from the code.

I think "readability" is subjective so I just thought I'd throw my own opinion in there.

Sometimes its good to remember that the best method is the one that you actually use - the author clearly uses their method! You could also argue that reducing your number of dependencies to a calendar and a note file is actually quite practical. It depends on your perspective.

I normally just want to write positive statements about work but I'm going to have to agree with you.

If you do have his books then the reference lists in the back provide a good starting point for further reading.

I came here to write this too. I've had success building proof of concept apps and deploying as a Dash/Plotly app. Bokeh is also worth a look for a solution supported by the open source ecosystem [0].

A particularly useful example of Bokeh is the dashboard which gives visibility into how Dask is running your distributed compute job [1].

[0] https://bokeh.org/

[1] https://docs.dask.org/en/latest/diagnostics-distributed.html

Anecdata: the start up I work for now has to spent significant time and money serving our customers in the EU, reducing our margins. Brexit has no benefits to us, we were doing perfectly well working with customers in Europe as well as in other countries.

If you were starting a tech company why would you choose to start a company in a country which appears to be decidedly against the idea of economic cooperation and free trade. A country that is deluded enough to remove itself from one trading block because, apparently, its much stronger on its own.

If your comment refers to some sort of utopia where trade and business is deregulated and capitalists can happily roam in the wild I'm afraid you might be disappointed. The average Brexit voter has significantly more to gain from the welfare state and big government than the current crop of politicians. Regulation isn't going anywhere and is probably going to increase as the government seeks to prop up its finances without the aid of the EU.

I find Brexit an emotive topic, if only because "Project Fear" is and was always going to be "Project Reality".

Similar experience in the U.K. from me.

Senior faculty appeared to be a little out of touch when I finished the contract early in favour of a job in industry which utilised my skill set. No one else was surprised.

How might you recommend moving into this field more?

Start by doing the task you want to do every day for a set period of time, say 30 mins up to 1.5 hrs. Then you will see the product of your hard work and you will internalise the fact that success is more a product of hard work rather than just being magically good at something.

An alternative approach is to work through endgame problems. Learning the key different endgames helps you direct the middlegame towards positions you know you can win. There's also something about learning to handle small numbers of pieces well which translates really well to the rest of the game.

Thanks, that's really helpful to know!

I really like that idea. I use it a lot in my own work. For example, working through the sample sheets for an MIT opencourseware or working on learning a Data Science problem. Focus on how you construct your habits to learn more.

To clarify, whilst we are changing the systemic issues which cause poor decision making we can also stop buying lottery tickets. I think starting with the things we can change first is a good place to start.

Not buying lottery tickets seems like a good place to start though.

Data scientist/ Full stack software engineer. Seeking work either performing data analysis or developing data driven web apps. PhD in Engineering.

Location: London, UK

Remote: Yes

Willing to relocate: No

Technologies: Python, SQL, Julia, Docker, AWS, Heroku, Data Science

Résumé/CV: https://tajd.github.io/assets/resume.pdf

Email: See CV

Location: South coast, UK (includes London)

Remote: Yes

Willing to relocate: I'm interested!

Technologies: Python, Julia, Matlab, Docker, cloud (Heroku, AWS), CI/CD, SQL, writing documentation, tests

Résumé/CV: https://tajd.github.io/assets/thomas_dickson_cv.pdf

Email: on cv

I'm interested in work as a data analyst or developer, working with Python or Julia. If you read my CV and think you might have something interesting for me then please get in touch!

I agree. Note taking can be about identifying facts, interesting ideas or arguments but it can also be about arguing with the author, making links or recording your own understanding. The activity of taking notes, for me, is really about codifying your understanding of a section of text.

> In a Malcolm Gladwell kind of way, he uses a bunch of anecdata to prove his thesis.

In my opinion this is perhaps the best 1 line description of his work in general. I think there are some interesting ideas which are worth discussing, but sometimes his attitude and use of "anecdata" tires me out.

Not entirely sure about that.

I enjoy listening to the shows "Dead Ringers" and "The Now Show" on Radio 4 which provide pretty accurate satire of current politics. Other enjoyable comedy sketch shows include "That Mitchell and Webb look" and "Harry and Paul".

There remains hope.

May I add "Dead Ringers" and "The Now Show" to the list of (BBC) satirical news shows. These shows absolutely nail it for me.

The Master and Margarita is one of the best novels I've read this year too. It is funny and is so fresh with its humour, despite being several decades old.

Hero, thanks. We teach a module on renewable energy at my uni and it's interesting to get the big picture perspective on the use of wind turbines.

PhDs are fundamentally not about a team effort. They are about recognising a single persons ability to produce and communicate novel research in a highly specific area. Unrealistic expectations are as much a part of this process as they are anything else.

I think it's going to be as soon as you lose your ability to maneuver - i.e. as soon as you moor to another vessel in this case.

It's something a little bit bigger, but it gives you a good idea of what's used to propel ships.

Knowing what you know now, how would you manage this situation again?

Me too. I find that I use the writing process to identify what I'm really trying to communicate. I see that it is important to get the text on the page, but I can't seem to move on until I can't reduce the writing before losing meaning.

A book people might find interesting is Joe Moran’s "First You Write a Sentence: The Elements of Reading, Writing … and Life". He examines writing from the ground up. I found it a really wonderful book to read. Each sentence in it is great.

Oh wow, I had never heard of that. I mean, the trench is deep but it isn't so deep you wouldn't ever have to worry about it again.

I guess the perspective of the people at the time was that it would probably all be alright - or not as bad as what had already happened (WW2). Still though, it's not such a great idea from our perspective.

Yeah - I really enjoyed it. Takes a somewhat more humanities based approach towards describing the history and understanding the relevance of running for humans. It inspired me to get out there and put some more miles in.