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    4. What programming/technical projects have you been working on?

      ~comp Ask (survey)
      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...

      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?

      5 votes

    9. Midweek Movie Free Talk

      ~movies Ask
      Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here. Please just try to provide fair warning of...

      Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films 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.

      6 votes

    19. May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 5(ish) Discussion

      ~games Text 513 words
      The event is almost over! Only three days left! Post your current/final bingo cards, and get those last few games in before the deadline! A final discussion topic and complete recap will go up on...

      The event is almost over!

      Only three days left!

      Post your current/final bingo cards, and get those last few games in before the deadline!

      A final discussion topic and complete recap will go up on June 1st once the event is officially over.

      Quick links:

      Week 4 Recap

      8 participants moved 31 games(!!!) out of their backlogs!
      There were 3 bingo wins! (1 golf, and 2 standard)
      Congratulations to @aphoenix, @Wes, and @kfwyre!

      • 1 participant played free choice
      • 5 participants played standard bingo cards
      • 2 participants played bingo golf

      Thus far, a total of 80 games have been played for the May 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 4 Game List:

      Week 3 Recap

      Week 3 Recap

      8 participants moved 16 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins (but we are SO close!).

      • 2 participants played free choice
      • 4 participants played standard bingo cards
      • 2 participants played bingo golf

      One participant played a game they had been putting off for 14 years!

      Thus far, a total of 49 games have been played for the May 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 3 Game List:

      Week 2 Recap

      Week 2 Recap

      10 participants moved 18 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 1 participant played free choice
      • 7 participants played standard bingo cards
      • 2 participants played bingo golf

      Thus far, a total of 33 games have been played for the May 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 2 Game List:

      Week 1 Recap

      Week 1 Recap

      10 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 15 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      Game list:

      12 votes

    20. How are you dealing with AI generated results in your searches?

      ~tech Ask (advice)
      I'm finding it more and more frustrating having to parse the things I'm actually looking for from what feels like a deluge of rubbish. Are there any strategies, extensions, add-ons, etc that...

      I'm finding it more and more frustrating having to parse the things I'm actually looking for from what feels like a deluge of rubbish. Are there any strategies, extensions, add-ons, etc that people are using to filter results?

      46 votes

    28. Advice on sharpening skills for career pivot

      ~comp Ask (advice)
      After spending a couple years in management I want to get back into more individual contributor roles. It's where I can apply the skills I actually enjoy. Preferably I'd work as a dev or data...

      After spending a couple years in management I want to get back into more individual contributor roles. It's where I can apply the skills I actually enjoy. Preferably I'd work as a dev or data scientist, but what I want is to spend time solving technical/mathematical problems and less herding cats and politicking.

      EDIT: US with ability to relocate; willing to take a paycut.

      Background
      • About 9 years as lead dev in a start up (2004-2013). It was the golden era of 2005 when we started and I got the role strictly on skills I developed as a teenager. The start up failed shortly after I left but an associated passion project has lived on. In this role I built video streaming software client side, server side, web apps, and iOS apps. I used C#, javascript/node, mongodb, redis, SQL, PHP, objective-c, and C++ as well as functioning as sys admin and webmaster. Pretty much solo dev except for a contractor or intern occasionally.
      • Went back to school (homeschooled, no high school so I needed some pieces of paper), BS-MS-PHD, in mathematics (number theory) and published several papers. One of which launched a bit of a cottage industry for my collaborators. I haven't been involved post graduation but get updates when friends see me cited at conferences, etc. Wrote more domain specific stuff (Python, MAGMA, GAP).
      • During my last year of grad school I got very jaded towards the grind I saw before me that more that likely ended with a job at a teaching school making less than I wanted. Pretty much as soon as I made my intentions public covid happened so I was job searching during 2020 while finishing my doctorate.
      • Got my break early 2021, an entry level data analyst role for a major corpo. In this role I had a lot of time to just explore data, find patterns, test out some of the ideas friend in topological data analysis were thinking about, tested early ML models. Pretty much strictly Python and SQL. Went to manager in 2022 and then People Analytics Director in 2023.

      Current plans:

      • Attend more meet ups, there are a couple about an hour south of me. Hoping to build some connections with the local industry.
      • Private server and website stood up, plan to host projects etc here for interested parties.
      • Runs through exercism.io to refresh on some stuff.
      • Find some open source projects to contribute on? There is also a local group of indie game devs, perhaps offer my services where possible.

      So my question to you all is how would you go about sharpening skills and building up a portfolio?

      11 votes

    30. TV Tuesdays Free Talk

      ~tv Ask (survey)
      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...

      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.

      4 votes

    36. What video games have had you taking real-life notes?

      ~games Ask (survey)
      What are some games that have inspired you to break out a real pen(cil) and paper? How do you feel about games that implicitly or explicitly want you to take notes? Do you have any recommended...

      What are some games that have inspired you to break out a real pen(cil) and paper?

      How do you feel about games that implicitly or explicitly want you to take notes?

      Do you have any recommended “note”-worthy games?

      51 votes

    50. Weekly Israel-Hamas war megathread - week of May 27

      ~news Text 68 words
      This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant Israel-Hamas war content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate...

      This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant Israel-Hamas war content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.

      Please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.

      16 votes