This is not so much an ask thread as it is a task one. The idea is simple: for any/all of the categories below, identify music from your library or experiences that fits the bill, and explain a bit about why.

You can choose any from the list, or do all if you like, but please do NOT just list items with no explanation! Your thoughts are the exciting parts of this exercise, not just the music itself, so please share!

For the purposes of this inventory, "music" can refer to a specific lyric, a song, an album, an artist, or even a concert or event -- really anything that you think fits the bill. If you want to go into multiples per category, that's fine too -- just remember to explain them!

Inventory Items

Tell me about music that:

• Is an instant mood lift
• Is emotionally devastating
• You've cried to
• Reminds you of someone you love
• Reminds you of someone you used to love
• Brings you back to a specific memorable moment/time in your life
• Helps you relax
• Amps you up
• Makes you feel safe
• Could put you to sleep (in a good way)
• Makes you feel like you're on an adventure
• Reminds you that there is beauty in this world
• Impresses you
• Makes you smile
• Makes you laugh

You don't have to do all of them -- only the ones you feel strongly about or that have interesting stories behind them. Also, feel free to add on new categories in the comments that people can also respond to.

Short Summary:

• On Monday, approximately 20:00 local time, public shootings occured at multiple places in Vienna, Austria.
• 4 deaths in total, one perp, 3 civilians. 15 people are severely injured, including one member of the police.
• Attacker(s) is/were armed with a rifle and several handguns, and were wearing a dummy explosive vest.
• The dead perpetrator has been investigated over the night, identified as a sympathisant of IS ("Islamic State"). There have been multiple arrests and house searches of the people surrounding this person by Austrian SWAT (Kobra).
• Schools are closed on Tuesday (today).
• In total, six places have been hit: Morzinplatz, Salzgries, Seitenstettengasse, Graben, Bauernmarkt und Fleischmarkt
• The police is still currently working with military support.
• Locals are urged to stay home today and it's difficult to get reliable updates.
• The police has asked the public to refrain from posting videos/pictures on social media, and instead send it to them, as posting material could endanger the police and military working.
• Multiple perpetrators are possible, but not confirmed.
• The attack is currently considered to be an Islamic terror attack.

Best place to get news: @LPDWien (local police department Vienna) on Twitter: https://nitter.net/lpdwien They post relevant information in both English and German.

Hive mind: Does your company re-train people to teach them new skills? What about mindset skills, such as problem-solving and critical thinking? What's worked -- and what doesn't?

I'm writing an article on how to do effectively re-train workers, and I'd like to hear from you (particularly if you have a management or HR background). I might like to quote you, but I certainly would like your input even if that isn't possible.

Companies have always needed to ensure their employee learn new tools (such as replacing OldProgrammingLanguage with NewLanguage) or entirely new skill sets (e.g. for those whose jobs are replaced by automation). But the rate at which old skills perish and new ones have to be learned is increasing.

If we assume that technology changes jobs rather than destroys them, what does that mean for companies in practice?

I was inspired to write this article after reading about “the work skills of tomorrow" https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/top-10-work-skills-of-tomorrow-how-long-it-takes-to-learn-them in which critical thinking and problem-solving top the list of skills employers believe will grow in prominence. But that made me wonder: How the heck do you teach soft skills? This isn’t like telling someone, “Take a course in data analytics.” What, if anything, can you do to improve a worker's agility in learning new things, or to become a better problem-solver?

So: What has been your experience? What worked, what failed, what advice would you offer someone (particularly in larger organizations) who wants to take care of their people and move the company forward?

Note that I'm thinking less in terms of training an individual with a new skill (PhotoShop) than skills for a different career (a move to the Accounting department). And please leave out the "I trained myself!" stories; they're a tangent that doesn't help me. And yes, I know plenty of companies just lay people off rather than retrain them; we can leave those out of the discussion, too. This is meant to be a useful how-to to guide companies that want to do it right, so I am interested in practical advice.

We can take this to a private discussion if that's easier.

This is a recurring post to discuss programming or other technical projects that we've been working on. Tell us about one of your recent projects, either at work or personal projects. What's interesting about it? Are you having trouble with anything?

Have you watched any TV shows recently you want to discuss? Any shows you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.

Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.

What's your preferred program for typing up lots and lots of addresses? My mum's got multiple address books and they'll have to be typed up eventually, a block at a time. I don't really want to go with the contacts function of Outlook/Hotmail/Live, because it requires signing in and the password could be misplaced. I also would like to use something that could ideally export the addresses to another Outlook/Hotmail/Live or Gmail account.

As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their weekend. Did you make any plans? Take a trip? Do nothing at all? Tell us about it!

Every year, I donate a modest sum to combat climate change. Since my employer matches my donations up to a certain amount, I try to maximize their contribution.

This year, most of my donations have gone to the following two orgs:

• Information Technology and Innovation Foundation - a highly regarded US think tank focusing on clean energy research and advising policymakers
• Eden Reforestation Projects - apparently $7 donated here offsets a year worth of personal carbon emissions

Are there any projects/causes/orgs you are very keen on donating to? Are there any that we should look out for?

Edit: Please feel free to list technical projects, Kickstarters, Patreons, etc.