18 Sep 2017, 13:35 p.m.

Supporting Int 1696-2017 for Source Code Transparency in New York City

The principle at stake in California v. Johnson: due process requires that we be able to examine the evidence used to convict someone. Kern County got a $200,000+ grant and started using closed-source software to …

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18 Sep 2017, 11:01 a.m.

On Noticing That Your Project Is Draining Your Soul

I was talking with a fellow consultant about what to do if you have a gig getting you down. Especially when you realize that the client isn't being helpful, and there's a bunch of learning …

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07 Sep 2017, 9:43 a.m.

In Black

Grabbing a book to read, thought I was grabbing Johnny Cash's autobiography, was actually grabbing Jonathan Zittrain's The Future Of The Internet And How To Stop It. I'd like to code a rainbow every day …

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05 Sep 2017, 15:38 p.m.

From Conversation

A few recent thoughts. The power of "instead": One of the transdisciplinary lessons from Agile is that it's harder for most people to specify "this is what I need" than to look at a suggested …

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26 Aug 2017, 13:37 p.m.

Choice, Habit, and Sunlight

Years ago, when advising me on how to change a habit, Mel Chua told me about the stages of behavior-rewiring. And the first step is noticing. Mindfulness. Not just about the reflex, but about whatever …

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27 Jun 2017, 14:52 p.m.

Learning To Get Around In Java

One of Changeset Consulting's clients is working on modernizing a legacy web application; we're improving both its structural underpinnings and its user interface and outgoing APIs. It is like we are Chief O'Brien in the …

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13 Jun 2017, 10:41 a.m.

Transparency And Accountability In Government Forensic Science

In February, I learned that the New York State Assembly was planning a public hearing on government oversight of forensic science laboratories, and then was invited to offer ten minutes of testimony and then answer …

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08 Jun 2017, 9:30 a.m.

Trashing, Pile-ons, Accountability ... and AEDs

I've written a new MetaFilter post, "Distinguishing character assassination from accountability", pulling out quotes from eleven writers from the past 40 years on how we take and charge each other with responsibility and power within …

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31 May 2017, 12:18 p.m.

Resilience

Fifteen years ago, in my last semester of college, I was planning to set up my own desktop support business while supporting myself as a substitute teacher. I took and passed the California Basic Educational …

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18 May 2017, 8:59 a.m.

She's Out

Tomorrow is a highway broad and fair, And we are the many who'll travel there. Tomorrow is a highway broad and fair, And we are the workers who'll build it there; And we will build …

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