D_E_Solomon's recent activity
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Comment on When the mismanagerial class destroys great companies in ~finance
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Comment on When the mismanagerial class destroys great companies in ~finance
D_E_Solomon Link ParentIt's easy to make an argument that the engineering company should keep engineering and be entrepreneurial and swashbuckling... but there's counter examples to that as well. Kodak had the...The gist of what this article is arguing is that when these companies started, they were daring and innovating through their focus on engineering innovations. But as leadership changes hands, the focus on the companies change to maintaining the bottom line rather than surging forward the same way, causing a zombification of the company which then leads to these situations. It returns to what Intel's decision should have been later in the article but it's not framed as "What an engineering CEO would have chosen" but rather what the focus of the company should have been as an engineering company overall:
It's easy to make an argument that the engineering company should keep engineering and be entrepreneurial and swashbuckling... but there's counter examples to that as well. Kodak had the fundamental engineering for digital photography and spent copious sums of money to grab that market. And completely failed... in retrospect, it's hard to see a strategy where they could have been successful. On the other hand, Fujifilm also was facing extinction, and used it's portfolio to focus on completely other markets and doesn't make any money on photography. The engineering swashbuckling startup answer - was wrong for Kodak, but right for Fujifilm.
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Comment on When the mismanagerial class destroys great companies in ~finance
D_E_Solomon LinkOne of the hard realities is that leadership is difficult and it's much easier to manage something that you have a background in. I'm much better at managing technology and ERP systems than I am...One of the hard realities is that leadership is difficult and it's much easier to manage something that you have a background in. I'm much better at managing technology and ERP systems than I am at managing manufacturing for instance. Moreover, single mission firms are much more likely to be successful than conglomerates. You can see this mostly in the fall of General Electric and their idea of success through management expertise.
I disagree with the author that Chaebol or the Japanese equivalents - Keiretsu - represents a viable path for most businesses. These structures lead to tunneling and propping up failing firms. So you end up with several strong firms propping up zombie firms. Moreover, since there is usually a bank in the middle, the bank can be then propped up which has larger ramifications for the country's economy.
Boeing ironically tried to get more focused by divesting the parts manufacturing into Spirit. I don't think that was as well thought out because Spirit was still integral to their overall supply chain with Boeing as their largest customer. So in essence, it made a multi headed hydra and they lost the single direction of one company owning soup to nuts. Spirit + Boeing is a closer to a chaebol than two single focused companies doing what they're good at.
Finally, beating up MBAs is entertaining, but most firms are led by an expert in their industry who has industry chops plus MBA plus lots of additional training. Focusing on the MBA is fun, but probably missing the major issue.
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Comment on San Francisco becomes first US city to ban automated rent-fixing technology in ~life
D_E_Solomon Link ParentThat's great, but again, it's not going to make a dent on real estate prices in San Francisco. If the goal is affordable housing, this change won't significantly help.That's great, but again, it's not going to make a dent on real estate prices in San Francisco. If the goal is affordable housing, this change won't significantly help.
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Comment on San Francisco becomes first US city to ban automated rent-fixing technology in ~life
D_E_Solomon LinkBanning software isn't going to solve the San Fransisco property crises. Removing regulations that prevent building more buildings and adding supply is the primary issue, as San Francisco has...Banning software isn't going to solve the San Fransisco property crises. Removing regulations that prevent building more buildings and adding supply is the primary issue, as San Francisco has approved construction on 16 houses in the first half of the year.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~life
D_E_Solomon Link ParentDude.... that was like tiktok level socialist discourse combined with personal attack combined "I'm just asking questions" sea lioning.Dude.... that was like tiktok level socialist discourse combined with personal attack combined "I'm just asking questions" sea lioning.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~life
D_E_Solomon LinkIn my neck of the woods, the city has been working towards easing zoning restrictions that only allow the construction of single family houses and increasing funding for public transit. That seems...In my neck of the woods, the city has been working towards easing zoning restrictions that only allow the construction of single family houses and increasing funding for public transit. That seems like a good step in the right direction to increase supply which would decrease rental and purchase price. There is a lot of pushback from nimby groups that are trying to 'retain their historic charm', but those seem to be getting swatted down so far.
The other group strongly opposed has been the socialist types. They've put up two ballot issues over the last two years for rent control and rent subsidies which were both overwhelming rejected by voters.
I'm not really sure how government maintaining a bunch of private housing doesn't turn into a terrible political football. Like "yay, cheaper housing" followed by a conservative administration who immediately evicts anyone on that housing and/or jams up the pricing and/or makes living in one dependent on drug testing, not having children, and working three full time jobs. Moreover, public housing has been done before... and it was terrible. From Jane Jacobs: "Low-income projects that become worse centers of delinquency, vandalism, and general social hopelessness than the slums they were supposed to replace. Middle-income housing projects which are truly marvels of dullness and regimentation, sealed against any buoyancy or vitality of city life. Luxury housing projects that mitigate their inanity, or try to, with vapid vulgarity"
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Comment on All the good email clients go to hell in ~tech
D_E_Solomon LinkI use SparkMail on Mac and Iphone. It handles multiple mail accounts and it deals with the massive amounts of notifications and spam and sales stuff effectively - to the point that I don't spend a...I use SparkMail on Mac and Iphone. It handles multiple mail accounts and it deals with the massive amounts of notifications and spam and sales stuff effectively - to the point that I don't spend a lot of time on email and I'm only looking at what I really need to look at. It's very opinionated - Spark focuses on reading important email quickly and is very anti filing every email into a separate folder.
Yeah, it's a subscription and it has a 'modern' ui, but the productivity has been life changing for me.
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Kroger’s panopticon: Making criminals of grocery shoppers
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Comment on Cloud exit - cloud is NOT cheap in ~comp
D_E_Solomon Link ParentAt least for Azure, folks going to them tend to be enterprises who already have a Microsoft commitment. So they're not just negotiating the Azure, but their entire usage. Moreover, often Microsoft...At least for Azure, folks going to them tend to be enterprises who already have a Microsoft commitment. So they're not just negotiating the Azure, but their entire usage. Moreover, often Microsoft is giving breaks on software licensing for workloads running on Azure. So it's less the price of the service and more of the entire deal.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~health.mental
D_E_Solomon LinkOne of the things that really helped me in life was to recognize that the brain is going to chatter and I have no control over what it chatters about. The intrusive thoughts, self talk, and...One of the things that really helped me in life was to recognize that the brain is going to chatter and I have no control over what it chatters about. The intrusive thoughts, self talk, and whatever else will happen but I am not the conversation or chatter - just the witness of it. So I don't have to buy into it, agree with it, or argue with it. I just have to be.
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Comment on Hyprland is a toxic community in ~lgbt
D_E_Solomon LinkThe orange site's posting on this turned into the usual railing about wokeness, code of conducts, and anti trans complaints about pronouns. The tech geek community is at its best in part when it...The orange site's posting on this turned into the usual railing about wokeness, code of conducts, and anti trans complaints about pronouns. The tech geek community is at its best in part when it accepts people who are not typical and encourages them for their differences. I'm always sad when I see it turn into a place of hate.
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Comment on It’s the breakfast of champions no more: Cereal is in long-term decline in ~food
D_E_Solomon Link ParentI really like cereal and have been eating grape nuts religiously for the past few years. I finally added Quaker Oat Squares - which aren't that healthy honestly - to the rotation to get some...I really like cereal and have been eating grape nuts religiously for the past few years. I finally added Quaker Oat Squares - which aren't that healthy honestly - to the rotation to get some variety. I usually need carbs in the morning and preferably something that isn't difficult to make. So breakfast is a struggle.
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Comment on Please suggest me some books from past decades and centuries that are not widely known classics but you value and would like people to discover in ~books
D_E_Solomon LinkI really enjoyed the Alexandria Quartet by Durrell which was written in the 1950s/1960s. The books are set around WW1 and WW2 in Alexandria, Egypt under the very volatile end of the British...I really enjoyed the Alexandria Quartet by Durrell which was written in the 1950s/1960s. The books are set around WW1 and WW2 in Alexandria, Egypt under the very volatile end of the British colonial rule there. It's a big ball of romantic drama all told by different characters in each book. Durrell spent time living in Alexandria and it's also a love letter to the city.
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Comment on Anthony Fauci on Larry Kramer and loving difficult people in ~lgbt
D_E_Solomon LinkLarry Kramer was a major organizer in Act Up! - which organized in reaction to the HIV/AIDs crisis especially back in the 80s and 90s. Anthony Fauci, before becoming the right wing bugaboo of...Larry Kramer was a major organizer in Act Up! - which organized in reaction to the HIV/AIDs crisis especially back in the 80s and 90s. Anthony Fauci, before becoming the right wing bugaboo of COVID, coordinated much of the US government's response to HIV/AIDs. They were often antagonists and argued heavily while pursuing much of the same goals. I thought Fauci's memorial article to Kramer to be touching.
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Anthony Fauci on Larry Kramer and loving difficult people
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Comment on ‘Diversity fatigue’? Hollywood loses four DEI leaders in less than two weeks in ~movies
D_E_Solomon Link ParentYup - one of my theories - which I've pulled out of my butt mind you - is that having more focus on relentlessly quantifying DEI impact and how that hits the bottom line would really help. It's...Yup - one of my theories - which I've pulled out of my butt mind you - is that having more focus on relentlessly quantifying DEI impact and how that hits the bottom line would really help. It's one thing to run an initiative, but it's much better if you can show the initiative had this impact to employees and that's tied to this increase in profit. That keeps everyone honest and makes the case for DEI much better.
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Comment on ‘Diversity fatigue’? Hollywood loses four DEI leaders in less than two weeks in ~movies
D_E_Solomon Link ParentFirst, in companies where the labor pool is very competitive, it's important to find ways to ensure staff who are from different backgrounds feel welcome in the workplace - otherwise, you may lose...First, in companies where the labor pool is very competitive, it's important to find ways to ensure staff who are from different backgrounds feel welcome in the workplace - otherwise, you may lose that part of the labor pool to a competitor.
Second, there is a sense that different backgrounds and differing viewpoints lead to better outcomes. Consider that Disney wants movies that appeal to many demographics so that they can get as many viewers as possible. Having a more diverse team involved in the creation and production leads to a better chance of wider appeal.
Whether DEI initiatives has met those two goals is a different conversation of course.
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A three-day expedition to walk across Paris underground
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Comment on You Don’t Need All That Complex/Expensive/Distracting Infrastructure in ~comp
D_E_Solomon Link ParentHaha :) I worked as a sysadmin a long time ago before switching into SAP finance implementations :)Haha :) I worked as a sysadmin a long time ago before switching into SAP finance implementations :)
Kodak started shifting their business from film to digital in the early 90s and started really heavy M&A in the late 90s. And despite that, Kodak would have earned a better return by not investing at all in digital after the early 90s and hung up its gloves.
Fujifilm shows an alternative approach, but they ironically didn't go into digital photography primarily and instead focused on excellence in using its chemical portfolio to build products.