<2019-05-05> Ahmad Rizqi Meydiarso told me about Gallup StrengthsFinder.
- The subject pays $50.[fn::https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/store/en-us/]
- The subject makes 177 choices in the survey, which takes about an hour.[fn::https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/home/en-us/cliftonstrengths-how-it-works]
- The system creates a report that is an ordering of the 34 themes.[fn::https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/home/en-us/cliftonstrengths-themes-domains] There is a sample report.[fn::https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/home/en-us/get-file?fileName=All34Report_DonClifton.pdf&language=en-us]
Can the 34 themes and 177 choices be reduced further? This may be an interesting research topic for people in human resource departments and people in psychology majors. However, “One major concern about considering people as assets or resources is that they will be commoditized, objectified and abused.” [fn::<2019-05-07> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_resources]
Example simplification: Which would you rather do:
- think or do?
- plan or execute?
- create or operate?
- create or maintain?
- etc.
But we should not ask people about their future, because nobody knows what they will be in the future. We should ask people about their past, and extrapolate their past into the future.
Physical exercise increases blood flow to the brain.
more powerful hardware -> higher-level software abstraction -> higher engineer productivity
There is a limit to productivity, because software has irreducible essential complexity. But there is still some room to reduce the accidental complexity.
Desk, chair, keyboard, screen, etc.?
Comfortable temperature, etc.?
A distraction room is where blocked engineers gather and distract each other. I explain “blocked” below.
When is distraction desirable?
Distraction is desirable when the distracted person encounters a mental block, and undesirable when the person is in the flow.
A working software engineer can be thought to be in one of two states:
- In the flow: Turning an idea in the mind into reality
- Blocked: Confused, trying to come up with an idea in the mind
When he is in the flow, he should not be distracted.
When he is blocked, he should be distracted. Sleeping also helps.
A programmer’s block is the same as a writer’s block: They don’t know what to do next. In this state, random stimulation and context switching may be good.
For seniors?
<2019-05-05> Sofian Hadiwijaya of Warung Pintar[fn::https://warungpintar.co.id/] told me that remote working is not suitable for junior employees who need lots of guidance.
Remote work does not mean absence of interaction.
The remote employee must have a good microphone, a good headphone, a good Internet connection, and a rather quiet space.