D_E_Solomon's recent activity
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Comment on How did you learn to read? in ~humanities.languages
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Comment on Denmark's state-run postal service is to end all letter deliveries at the end of 2025 – cites a 90% decline in letter volumes since the start of the century in ~news
D_E_Solomon Link ParentBanking in the US is less centralized and more local than lots of other countries. So you get situations where some larger banks are very tech forward and then you get a local bank in the middle...Banking in the US is less centralized and more local than lots of other countries. So you get situations where some larger banks are very tech forward and then you get a local bank in the middle of Wyoming that is literally three branches in small towns and barely keeps up.
As an anecdote, in the early 10s when I was consulting to a massive company, the treasurer had to get on the phone with a podunk bank because a pharmacist was hand drawing a check - like drawing in the lines and boxes and hand printing the account number with no MICR - and it was causing everyone consternation.
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Comment on Anger is a flow of emotion like water through a hose − at work, it helps to know when to turn it up or down and how to direct it in ~science
D_E_Solomon Link ParentYeah, I think you have the right of it. The one thing I would add is that it's important to also acknowledge the feeling and ask what it might mean for you. Sometimes, I'm angry because I'm in the...Yeah, I think you have the right of it. The one thing I would add is that it's important to also acknowledge the feeling and ask what it might mean for you. Sometimes, I'm angry because I'm in the 11th meeting and I haven't had lunch - so probably means I need to take better care of myself - other times I might be angry because a situation is screwed up and I need to consider how to resolve it - strategically, but deliberately - at the root.
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Comment on Anger is a flow of emotion like water through a hose − at work, it helps to know when to turn it up or down and how to direct it in ~science
D_E_Solomon Link ParentIt's probably a little more complicated. I had one or two times when I blew my stack as an individual contributor.. and that mostly led to a conversation and discussion with a manager about why...It's probably a little more complicated. I had one or two times when I blew my stack as an individual contributor.. and that mostly led to a conversation and discussion with a manager about why and how do we rectify the situation and move forward. As long as it wasn't a regular thing and my frustration was reasonable and I didn't cross any bright lines - it was okay - and that was the end of it.
When I'm leading large groups of people, I have more freedom to express my feelings, but now, everyone takes their queues from me. So if yell at someone, that starts to normalize that yelling is a valid way of working. If I stuff down my feelings and don't acknowledge them, that also starts to normalize in the working culture. So I have more freedom - but the stakes are much higher.
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Comment on Anger is a flow of emotion like water through a hose − at work, it helps to know when to turn it up or down and how to direct it in ~science
D_E_Solomon LinkThree responses: One boss I worked for always had a phrase "take the emotion out of it". His point wasn't so much to not be an automaton, but that you need to respond to a situation strategically...Three responses:
One boss I worked for always had a phrase "take the emotion out of it". His point wasn't so much to not be an automaton, but that you need to respond to a situation strategically and with thoughtfulness - and directly acting on the direct emotion will lead you to a non-optimal response.
Another project I worked on had one leader who was nicknamed "The Hammer" and another who we call a smooth operator. I asked the smooth operator once how should I build my leadership style - like him or like the hammer. His response is that I should try and figure out what is the right approach for the right situation. Sometimes, you have to come down like a hammer and sometimes you have to be politic - and you have to have the maturity to know which is which.
Last, my career has spanned a lot of long projects that are difficult grinds - so by default it's best to play cards closely and not show a lot of emotion. As I moved out of those projects and into more leadership, I had to start figuring out how to bring more emotion and being more genuine on what I was doing. That's been a tricky thing to get calibrated right - too little, and people think you're fake - too much, and people think you're scary. I often ask for feedback from people I trust who are in the room which helps me get better at that balance.
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Comment on Has anyone read the books listed in the New Lifetime Reading Plan by Clifton Fadiman? in ~books
D_E_Solomon LinkThere are always a million ways to argue and criticize these types of lists - everything from who got excluded, to diversity issues, to current vs test of time, and so on. I think that tends to be...There are always a million ways to argue and criticize these types of lists - everything from who got excluded, to diversity issues, to current vs test of time, and so on. I think that tends to be not so helpful way to look at it - and part of being terminally online means that everything gets endlessly criticized. So I try to reframe and ask what can I take from the list as valuable.
I also try to look at lists less like a to-read list and more to ask if there are any holes in my reading. For instance, I haven't read much literature from Iran/Persia, so Omar Khayyam might be a good place to start researching what I read next. I might not read him, but it gives me some ideas to start looking.
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Comment on Looking for guidance: Cost of ADHD medication in ~health.mental
D_E_Solomon LinkGeneric Adderall XR / amphetamine, dextroamphetamine is so much cheaper than Vyvanse. You might want to speak with your insurance company - often they'll cover Vyvanse if you try generic Adderall...Generic Adderall XR / amphetamine, dextroamphetamine is so much cheaper than Vyvanse. You might want to speak with your insurance company - often they'll cover Vyvanse if you try generic Adderall XR first and it doesn't work or some similar protocol. My asthma coverage is similar - they prefer you start with generic symbicort and then go from there because the drug cost is so much lower.
It's a pain to chase down especially for us ADHD sufferers, but acting as the middle man between the doctor and the insurance company can really help keep the drug costs down.
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Comment on Nvidia’s $589 billion DeepSeek rout is largest in market history in ~finance
D_E_Solomon Link ParentI think it hit Stratechery which is much more widely read on the finance side. Once it hit there, it got a lot more market reaction.I think it hit Stratechery which is much more widely read on the finance side. Once it hit there, it got a lot more market reaction.
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Comment on Nvidia’s $589 billion DeepSeek rout is largest in market history in ~finance
D_E_Solomon Link ParentInvestors look at the future price as well. So an investor is trying to maximize the difference between what they buy in at, what they can sell at, plus the value of the dividends, share buy...Investors look at the future price as well. So an investor is trying to maximize the difference between what they buy in at, what they can sell at, plus the value of the dividends, share buy backs, etc in that time period. If I expect NVidia to increase from $50 a share to $60 a share in a year, and I bought 10 shares, then I have enough to buy a desk chair ($60-$50) * 10 shares = $100.
Analysts are able to predict share price by using a lot of projections. So suppose that AI demand will mean that GPU demand will increase by 7% in the next year. That means 12% more revenue which means 11% more profit, which means a stock value increase of 8% (but much more complex obviously). Deep Seek suggest that GPU demand will not be 7% but 3% for example since the algorithm is more efficient.
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Comment on Nvidia’s $589 billion DeepSeek rout is largest in market history in ~finance
D_E_Solomon Link ParentIn my experience, successful public companies tend to treat their employees consistently pretty decently. Why? (1) They have deep pockets and don't want to be sued for them. (2) If they depend on...In my experience, successful public companies tend to treat their employees consistently pretty decently. Why? (1) They have deep pockets and don't want to be sued for them. (2) If they depend on human capital, they try to retain it. (3) They're usually big enough to get benefits at an okay price.
The flip side is that they have finance pressure and so they can't afford to stare through difficult times - they have to take layoffs and cost cutting measures. Otherwise, they'll get hit with an activist investor if they don't handle those pressures quickly.
I was on the board for a long time of a labor organization, and where we saw cases of wage theft and safety issues, it was almost always with a mom and pop organization or a fun shell game of holding companies.
I've also worked on the inside of a very large family held conglomerate, and hoo-boy. That was a shit show and the employees really got the short end. I'm stuck under NDA and other things there though.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~life
D_E_Solomon LinkI have a good friend who transitioned from teaching English internationally to being in banking. He did that transition via an MBA. So, the transition is definitely possible. There are a couple...I have a good friend who transitioned from teaching English internationally to being in banking. He did that transition via an MBA. So, the transition is definitely possible. There are a couple things I could see your experience working well:
(1) Corporate Training - there is a fair amount of demand for people who can put together learning curriculum together for corporations undergoing change or who are trying to upskill their people. You have the curriculum design skills, but may need to upskill in change management.
(2) Project Management - you called this one out and I can see taking some of your existing background here. The danger is that it can be hard to PM something that you don't have a background in - I tend to hire PMs who have done technology changes before because they come in understanding the lingo.
(3) Data analysis - This one makes some sense with the math background. The key would be to build up skills on knowing some tooling and being able to demonstrate competence.
(4) Programming - if you have a math background, this one might be a possible transition. You would need to get some training to prove it, but jobs are usually available in this space.
I've spent a fair amount of time everywhere except China / Hong Kong, so not sure I'm helpful on how to get a job in that area.
I'm happy to get on a call if it would help.
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Comment on Donald Trump signs actions to pull US out of Paris climate agreement, intends to promote fossil fuels and mineral mining in ~enviro
D_E_Solomon Link ParentI suspect a lot of the conversation is going to happen behind closed doors. I also suspect that Trump is going to leave the EV credits alone but he's revoking the 50% target and charging fund....I suspect a lot of the conversation is going to happen behind closed doors. I also suspect that Trump is going to leave the EV credits alone but he's revoking the 50% target and charging fund. That lets Trump play to the base and say that he's keeping old cars, but still keep Elon in the mix. The slashing of the charging fund is also a net positive for Tesla since they already have their charging network built out.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~finance
D_E_Solomon Link ParentI’d you’re removing the units from the rental market regardless of whether the landlord is good , bad , or whatever - the price of rentals will increase. I don’t have a way around that.I’d you’re removing the units from the rental market regardless of whether the landlord is good , bad , or whatever - the price of rentals will increase. I don’t have a way around that.
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Comment on TikTok is coming back online after US President-elect Donald Trump pledged to restore it in ~tech
D_E_Solomon Link ParentThere's a difference with Brexit. Brexit was a consensus that the current situation sucked... but there wasn't a real plan that everyone agreed on. There's mechanisms in congress to prevent...There's a difference with Brexit. Brexit was a consensus that the current situation sucked... but there wasn't a real plan that everyone agreed on.
There's mechanisms in congress to prevent radical changes and ensuring that there is some level of agreement - multiple branches of government, separate house and senate with different election rules, and the dreaded senate filibuster - all of which tend to push in favor of the status quo.
Maybe it's splitting hair, but I think it's also dangerous to believe that voters are idiots - same as believing that Trump is dumb - it leads to bad assumptions about how people act and behave - and leads to poor political maneuver.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~finance
D_E_Solomon Link ParentSo then the landlords will sell the house to private buyers who don't want the house for a rental... thus, rents go up even further.So then the landlords will sell the house to private buyers who don't want the house for a rental... thus, rents go up even further.
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Comment on TikTok is coming back online after US President-elect Donald Trump pledged to restore it in ~tech
D_E_Solomon Link ParentBest way for any one left of center to continue to lose elections is to act as if or call their voters idiots. And elections and the frameworks we have for governing are the closest thing we have...Best way for any one left of center to continue to lose elections is to act as if or call their voters idiots. And elections and the frameworks we have for governing are the closest thing we have to a consensus.
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Comment on Seeking advice as a Frontend web developer in ~comp
D_E_Solomon LinkLike others have said, you need to have a conversation. There may be a good reason, there may be a not great reason, or there might be no reason. But you don't know until you have the...Like others have said, you need to have a conversation. There may be a good reason, there may be a not great reason, or there might be no reason. But you don't know until you have the conversation. My advice would be to roll play the conversation and use a structure to help yourself communicate the issue that you're seeing.
"I'm concerned that you're refactoring a bunch of code which is normally not like you. I'm concerned about that because it makes me feel that my contributions aren't worthwhile or I'm missing the mark. Could we talk about that a bit?" might be a good opening. And I would think about what he might say and how you would respond to those responses. Get a friend to roll play it a bit with you that way it takes some of the pressure off the conversation.
Last bit of advice is to take a moment to hear what he says - so take deep breaths and be uncomfortable as you digest. I've been on a lot of manager-staff conversations where both people are talking but one or the other hears only what they want to hear emotionally. That's usually not a good conversation.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~finance
D_E_Solomon Link ParentThey have... see SB9 in California. but they're not overcoming the people who already own housing want their houses to continue to rise in value due to government restrictions on zoning, etc.They have... see SB9 in California. but they're not overcoming the people who already own housing want their houses to continue to rise in value due to government restrictions on zoning, etc.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~finance
D_E_Solomon Link ParentThe article specifically calls for rent control and bans on people selling property. That causes an impossible situation for landlords - and probably further reduces the stock of buildings...The article specifically calls for rent control and bans on people selling property. That causes an impossible situation for landlords - and probably further reduces the stock of buildings available for rent.
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Comment on TikTok is coming back online after US President-elect Donald Trump pledged to restore it in ~tech
D_E_Solomon Link ParentI don't think this holds water.... people widely voted for Trump and a conservative, Republican government. There might be an argument that those people don't necessarily reflect the wishes of...divergence between the electorate and the public at large
I don't think this holds water.... people widely voted for Trump and a conservative, Republican government. There might be an argument that those people don't necessarily reflect the wishes of their voters, but I would be really hesitant to call voters ignorant.
One of the ways I really strengthened my reading was playing Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy. Since my older sister played them, I imitated her and grew up to love both series. And of course to get good at either game, you need to read a lot of text. The downside is that the translations in Dragon Warrior used faux medieval language - so I went to school talking with thee and thou art in my regular vocabulary :D