Wow. I am really grateful for this response. As I was reading through what you've written, I got the feeling I was putting off a negative image of myself which is definitely not helping my case.
Wording things in a way that highlights my positive aspects is not lying, as you've put it. This puts me more at ease to speak about things I excel in.
I agree that my previous work experience can be viewed as "blue collar". I hadn't considered it may be difficult for a hiring manager to overcome.
And about taking the leap of faith, I think that might be what it boils down to. It's a difficult thing to do alone, but I think you may have given me the push I needed.
I really appreciate the response. I wish you and your family the best of luck. I will record your username and if I end up in Austin I will shoot you a message.
Thanks for the reply. I am capable of both, but not really great/expert at either. That is great feedback though. I will clear that up with a small message.
"I apologize in advance for bothering you. If you need someone to talk to who doesn't know you, isn't going to judge you, and will probably never see you again, I am here."
Doesn't hurt to say something along those lines to someone in distress or down. If they shoo you off, that's okay. Better to do something and fail, than do nothing and wish you did. Introverts know the "shoulda coulda woulda" feeling all too well. And most of the time, upset people simply need an ear, and maybe a hug.
For some people the hyper-focus is essential to their wellbeing and sense of purpose. I can understand why you feel depressed for putting your all into something and having it not work the way you had imagined.
Sure you may have lost out on some relationships, and sure you may not be able to get that time back, but it definitely wasn't time wasted, or no life.
Imagine what it must feel like laying on your deathbed, full of regret, knowing you never "went" for it. Playing it safe is the surest way to mediocrity after all.
Try not to fixate on the failure, as it's really your informal education. Take what you've learnt from this failure, and apply it to the next endeavor, whatever it may be.
Always move forward. Keep your head held high. Be a good person. You'll be okay.
Isn't this classified as slander? He could file a civil suit against this lady for what she allegedly heard, more than likely out of context, and publicly exposed something she had no business eavesdropping anyway.
This man wasn't being immature, he was having a laugh in a personal conversation, and someone wanted to be an internet hero, stand on a soapbox, and project their shitty, self-righteous opinions.
What if he was talking about chaining multiple USB Dongles. It would be a HUGE dongle, and it could theoretically be marketed as a PHALLUS DONGLE.
Please see George Carlin on soft language for further reference..
The vast majority of kids who enter college do so right after high school. They are used to summers off, parents sending tuition checks and allowances for rent/living. There is a misunderstanding in todays youth that college is a social club with the side effect of gaining an education. Few kids choose their school on quality of education, but rather how big the parties are/what the scene is like.
To me this entire subject reeks of #firstworldproblems, and the fact I don't have much respect for the beaten path or the zombies they churn out(referring to a BA). Life after college isn't hard at all. This generation is simply not used to feeling ANY discomfort or pain in their sheltered little lives.
Not going to college and excelling to the point of someone with a degree is not that difficult, though it's more difficult than going to a structured setting to be hand-fed information. (most of college could be condensed into one year study, one year practical)
Working in an electronic graveyard in Ghana at age 13 with no parents seems difficult. It seems in places like this, limits of the human experience are tested everyday in terms of what people can and cannot withstand. Spend some time learning how other people live purely for our convenience, and repeat "Graduating college is a difficult transition from one easy thing to the next easy thing." You'll sound ridiculous.
I can't believe I just read that entire thing... I feel as though the trajectory of technological advancement and "Taleb's" personal vision of the future are two seperate things and he is unable to acknowledge that fact. He is let down because reality isn't living up to his idea of what he thinks reality should be... There are far too many points to refute..
Shoes look no different than they did 3500 years ago because they serve a purpose.
Once a technology serves a purpose, there is no need to improve that purpose, unless said technology is to be used in another setting which requires change or improvement... Hence sandals, flip-flops, sneakers, skateboarding shoes, high heels, rollerblades, iceskates, snowshoes. I think author touched on this, kind of... You get my point...
Chairs are the same as they were because panda's aren't sitting in chairs. People are sitting in chairs, and people haven't physically changed since the inception of chairs. So a device that humans use for sitting is not likely to change... But wait, what about lounging chairs, or baby chairs, or high chairs, or stools? I'm sure if a fish needed a chair, it would look like a bed...
Technology is the instantiation of idea's into physicality. This is done for any number of reasons, most of which to solve some type of rudimentary problem. Some become extrusions of ourselves. Human beings are limited in MANY ways, but we are able to identify the limitations and problem solve through technological means.
For example, an iPhone is an extreme technological extrusion, not just a device. Think about a text message. Bear with me here...
A thought you have makes it's way from being a mere THOUGHT, to then being processed by LANGUAGE, which is processed to WRITTEN LANGUAGE, which is expressed through typing on a KEYBOARD, on a TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY, on a WIRELESS MOBILE DEVICE, and then SENT THROUGH THE AIR to someone else's WIRELESS MOBILE DEVICE, to be READ, PROCESSED, and your thought implanted in that persons mind.
No words were used here. Just transference of thoughts through technological means.
Look at a car... Metal exoskeleton with wheels that can change it's rate of speed at will. Another technological extrusion of yourself. Without you driving, the car doesn't do shit.
Try explaining that to the shoe person 3500 years ago, or your fork friend, or someone even a mere 150 years ago... "Yeah man, instead of walking in 3500 years you'll get into a 2500lb metal box with rubber wrapped wheels filled with air that burns a a flammable liquid in another metal box of moving parts and listens to commands your right foot gives it!"
The internet has allowed people to have access to a network of information no other period in known history has ever had. The library of Alexandria MAY have contained similar amounts of knowledge, but it was in a centralized location that required your physical presence. The internet itself isn't changing the technological landscape, but the access to information the internet provides is. The rate at which thoughts/ideas are physically instantiated is increasing rapidly, as more tools are created by more people having more access to other tools, etc...
In short, what I gathered from this piece is that people should give up looking forward, and be happy right where they are, because our prediction skills suck and change is scary and doesn't always have the best outcome...
I'm sure glad pre-bigbang conditions didn't feel the same way. Or the primordial soup. Or Einstein. Or Edwin Hubble. Or Carl Sagan. Or Nikola Tesla. Or anyone who's ever had an idea and executed it for that matter.
===============================
TL;DR Technologies are idea's that solve problems. The future is unpredictable. Problems of an unpredictable future are also unpredictable. Hence, why people are shit predictors of the future technological climate. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try.