rosco's recent activity
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Comment on Can friendships be forced? in ~talk
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Comment on Tildes Book Club meta discussion - should we read nonfiction as well as fiction and with what frequency? in ~books
rosco Link ParentDepends on the non-fiction but yes, I'd love to jump in with one every now and then!Depends on the non-fiction but yes, I'd love to jump in with one every now and then!
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Comment on How Sweden is failing its spacetechs – it's not about the budget, says one founder who moved his company to Finland in ~space
rosco LinkFinland is running their space program like a VC firm, not a standard federal agency. Here in the US, I'd say our federal support for innovation programs are pretty much second to none. NSF, NASA,...“The first thing [Business Finland] asks is how much export revenues can you bring in the next five years? How many people can you employ? Those were the only two questions they asked,” Saveda Suvanam says.
Finland is running their space program like a VC firm, not a standard federal agency. Here in the US, I'd say our federal support for innovation programs are pretty much second to none. NSF, NASA, DOD, NIH collectively provide billions in grant funding every year. However they function must closer to the Swedish model than the Finnish one. To get a NASA a grant, you don't need to have an active NASA partnership, but I'd say 95% of grantees do. Like Sweden, NASA has expectations of internal benefits from those funded innovations. And while our Small Business Innovation and Research programs are starting to shift towards a more pro-commercialization model, there is still intense due diligence and rigor in the assessment and review of each individual grant.
While it sounds like Sweden's barriers to entry are higher, it may be specifically because they host ESA astronauts and launch pads. Meanwhile, Finland is acting more like a conduit into ESA kind of like Ireland acting as a tax haven within the EU. If you lower the threshold of due diligence in Finlands case or in the Ireland case, benefit from taxes, you can attract companies that would otherwise not consider those countries. So in my mind, this is an example of a country (Finland) lowing the standards to the floor, which is inherently pro-business, rather than the case of a country (Sweden) not fostering it's commercial space community. With that in mind, this coming from the Financial Times rather than Wired makes sense.
The EU has a lot it can do, particularly providing funding, to foster commercial R&D. But this specific example doesn't seem to hold water. Europe needs additional resources for R&D and increased public/private partnerships, but the standards for those should still be quite high.
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Comment on Where is the best place to find freelance UX/UI designers? in ~design
rosco Link ParentIt seems like a little bit of the missing middle that seems to be plaguing so many different industries. If I find any other platforms or for lack of a better word job boards I'll send over an update!It seems like a little bit of the missing middle that seems to be plaguing so many different industries. If I find any other platforms or for lack of a better word job boards I'll send over an update!
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Comment on Where is the best place to find freelance UX/UI designers? in ~design
rosco Link ParentThat is a great suggestion. I'll take a look! ThanksThat is a great suggestion. I'll take a look! Thanks
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Comment on Weekly Israel-Hamas war megathread - week of April 22 in ~news
rosco Link ParentI feel you on so many of those fronts and it's really difficult. I have a number of Palestinian friends, some here, some living within Israel, and some who were in Gaza (a few of whom have...I feel you on so many of those fronts and it's really difficult.
How do I cope with what's going on, genuinely?
I have a number of Palestinian friends, some here, some living within Israel, and some who were in Gaza (a few of whom have passes.) It's a really sad situation. I think for me the hardest part has been seeing folks in my circles who have been so quick to post vitriol online. To blame Palestinians for their own "predicament", make extreme claims like "there are no innocents in Gaza", or just minimize the scale of violence. Particularly when it's people I know and like and work with regularly. It's been pretty astonishing how widespread and socially acceptable it's been.
I've been trying, embarrassingly, to put into practice the Yvon Chouinard quote "the antidote to depression is action." I've been engaging in the collective action campaigns domestically (like the "undecided" ballot cast instead of Biden) or sending letters and calling my state representatives to encourage them to be more vocal for a ceasefire and ratification of Palestine within the UN. I've been reaching out more to Palestinian friends and in some cases helping to organize places for them to stay in the meantime. I've had 2 friends move the US, one to New York the other here in California, and another to Portugal. Otherwise we organized a movie night for Gaza Surf Club with friends/ the local surfer community to try to humanize the folks being murdered. Honestly, I don't think I'm moving the needle politically but hopefully making it a little better for a few folks in my network and trying the provide a more supportive community for our friends locally.
Otherwise I'd say I go down one Gaza related spiral a week, sometimes posting here and later regretting it, and then taking a week long hiatus from web based news until some flippant headline snags my attention, rage ensues, and the cycle starts anew. The more time I take away from it the better I feel, but I feel pretty guilty about it. I'm trying to keep the mindset that I can't light myself on fire to keep others warm and so try to engage in the really distressing stuff in smaller chunks with longer intervals in between (so I can understand what is happening and how things are progressing without thinking about it all the time).
Take everything from here with a grain of salt cause it's pretty much all projection from me at me from a few months ago. I think if you can take some time away from the really triggering things that would be best. At this point you know in your bones the horrible things that are happening (the war crimes, destruction, and murder) and seeing them validated again and again is only going to send you into a rage spiral. So if you can take the urgency of knowing these things are happening without having to experience them again and again by seeing them I think you can point your anger and frustration into positive action rather than a feeling of hopelessness. Or at worst you might not feel as horrible everyday.
On an optimistic note, I think perception has really shifted. I think this is the first time that there is widespread support of Palestinians and the last 9 months has really taken the mask off of the IDF and their hyper-brutal war tactics. Younger generations have a completely different view of the conflict and I think that pressure will (fingers crossed) lead to political change domestically. That is the silver lining that I'm taking away from everything. It's been a "both sides are the problem" for such a long time. I think that argument is finally being questioned.
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Comment on US Bureau of Land Management increases priority of conservation efforts vs other uses of public land in ~enviro
rosco LinkMan, there is a great Dirtbag Diaries episode about alphabet soup agencies (BLM, NPS, DOI) priorities and why they value resource extraction and mining above all else. Effectively it was a way to...Man, there is a great Dirtbag Diaries episode about alphabet soup agencies (BLM, NPS, DOI) priorities and why they value resource extraction and mining above all else. Effectively it was a way to get folks to move out west and colonize in the 1800s and has been lobbied for heavily by those industries ever since. A la Mike Pence's "Unleasing Amerian Power" speech. Flagging this for now so I come back later and share the link.
In any case Woooooooooooo!!!!
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Comment on Iran launches dozens of drones toward Israel in ~news
rosco Link ParentRight... And Warren is in his cabinet because she was able to develop a following with her progressive politics (i.e. people showing popular support). Medicare for All became a talking point...Right... And Warren is in his cabinet because she was able to develop a following with her progressive politics (i.e. people showing popular support). Medicare for All became a talking point because it found support under Bernie. Those are collective efforts, we just don't have a domestic system that allows for coalitional negotiation. A collective effort to write in "undecided" can have impact and I think that's why we're seeing a walking back of supportive US/Israeli policy. Not enough mind you, but a start.
It feels like you're pretty dismissive of grassroots attempts an influencing policy. I'd genuinely be interested to know what you think effective policy influence would be. If you could think of it specifically for this case all the better.
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Comment on France urged to repay billions of dollars to Haiti for independence ‘ransom’ in ~news
rosco (edited )Link ParentI think there are 2 unique differences. This feels like a chicken and egg senario. We can't establish an entrepoint without funding, but without an entrepoint we can't convince folks to provide...I think there are 2 unique differences.
It's also disheartening that they're having trouble raising funds, but perhaps fundraising would go better if there were a clear way of getting the food in? Maybe there is a plan to open the port that just needs funding, but that's not how I read it.
This feels like a chicken and egg senario. We can't establish an entrepoint without funding, but without an entrepoint we can't convince folks to provide funding. The UN has worked in Haiti for decades. They did during the 2010 earthquake, which posed similar issues, so I'm not sure why everyone is making the assumption they don't have a plan and will be blindly throwing money at the problem. The UN has a long record of working in conflict zones and I have confidence they will be able to direct humanitarian effectively.
Secondly,
(Gaza is another example where logistics, not funding, is the problem for getting food in, though in that case, the logistics failure seems a lot harder to solve than finding a military force that can go up against a few gangs.)
Gaza's deployment of aid, or lack there of, is purposeful. It's been proven that supply trucks could be deployed effectively, but the IDF is not letting that happen. There is a clear difference in this case where an external force that controls the area is not allowing entry. We don't have that same hurdle for Haiti.
Edit: my formatting was all off.
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Comment on France urged to repay billions of dollars to Haiti for independence ‘ransom’ in ~news
rosco Link ParentMy background was in international program development, specifically in conflict zones. I've worked in Syria during the expanse of ISIS, Somalia with Al Shaba, and Pakistan in areas controlled by...- Exemplary
My background was in international program development, specifically in conflict zones. I've worked in Syria during the expanse of ISIS, Somalia with Al Shaba, and Pakistan in areas controlled by the Taliban. When you work with the UN there is never carte blanche with funding, specifically because of what everyone is calling out: it looks really bad if you directly fund terrorists. But that doesn't mean everyone in those regions are terrorists. There are still normal folks providing all of the normal services under very abnormal circumstances.
All that to say, I doubt the UN would distribute funds to "gangs", unless the gangs currently oversee the federal level government. Even then, funds are normally ear marked for specific groups within the administration. I worked in Syria during the heart of the civil war and worked with and funded groups within Assad's administration. The funding didn't go to new weapons or back pockets, it went to training folks to preserve some of the many endangered heritage sites across the country. I see Haiti as little different. Even if there is instability at the top, likely most of the branch organizations can maintain.
Later in that very same article they say:
Good news: Open Society Foundation, the philanthropic group founded by billionaire George Soros that has been funding initiatives in Haiti since 1995, announced Wednesday that it will provide millions of dollars to help deal with urgent needs in Haiti.
So why is the funding provided by the Open Society Foundation likely going to find a successful home while UN funds will end up in the hands of "gangs". I would be shocked if there wasn't already a well placed and thought out distribution plan. The UN has been active in Haiti for years and there are few organizations I would trust more to deploy that level of financing.
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Comment on Where is the best place to find freelance UX/UI designers? in ~design
rosco Link ParentWow, thanks for the advice! That really helps we narrow my search!Wow, thanks for the advice! That really helps we narrow my search!
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Comment on France urged to repay billions of dollars to Haiti for independence ‘ransom’ in ~news
rosco Link ParentHow does this: Lead you to: It seems like there is a plan in place that is insufficiently funded, which wouldn't be a problem if France returned just a portion of their mis-got goods.How does this:
And the dire humanitarian crisis remains front and center. The United Nations is still struggling to raise $674 million from an international community that has only managed to send in $45 million; the main seaport in Haiti remains closed, meaning store shelves are increasingly bare, and Haitians are trying hard not to break under the pressure as mental health emerges as problem amid the deepening hunger.
Lead you to:
It seems like money won’t do much except in combination with some larger plan? I think what they really need is for some outside country to capture the port and provide the security to keep it open. But I haven’t seen anyone arguing for that.
It seems like there is a plan in place that is insufficiently funded, which wouldn't be a problem if France returned just a portion of their mis-got goods.
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Comment on Iran launches dozens of drones toward Israel in ~news
rosco Link ParentThis is true, but it's also true because Biden has to have progressive policy if he hopes to retain progressive voters. We see the policy because of the pressure, not in spite of it. The same can...Biden’s agenda has been the most progressive of any President since Lyndon Johnson. This assertion that he’s just pussy footing around and not doing anything progressive really has zero connection to reality.
This is true, but it's also true because Biden has to have progressive policy if he hopes to retain progressive voters. We see the policy because of the pressure, not in spite of it. The same can be said for expectations/actions with Israel. If folks don't find meaningful ways to signal he'll lose support then we'll just see a continuation of the federal policy in the middle east that we have over the last 3 decades.
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Where is the best place to find freelance UX/UI designers?
Historically companies I've been at have had someone on staff, but we're a small startup and looking to get some UX/UI support. All of my googling has lead me to "gig" websites like Upwork or...
Historically companies I've been at have had someone on staff, but we're a small startup and looking to get some UX/UI support. All of my googling has lead me to "gig" websites like Upwork or Fiver and talking to friends in industry (granted salaried UX/UI folks) have lead me to Linkedin or Indeed. Neither feels like the right place for what we're looking for. Does anyone have an suggestions for finding freelance designers we could work with iteratively? Thanks!
Context: Our company is rolling our a new platform out to beta users and are looking to refine some of our platform's interface. Mainly we're hoping to polish up some of the more amateur design elements across the platform and get help designing layout for tools/data presentation. We have done a good amount customer research on what folks are looking for, will be getting active feedback after pushing the changes, and are hoping to iterate with said feedback.
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Comment on NHL Board of Directors approves "relocation" of Arizona Coyotes in ~sports.hockey
rosco Link ParentI don't have a ton to add other than to give my condolences to Coyotes fans and decry the loss of one of the sweetest logos in sports franchise history. Why they ever chose to swap it out for this...I don't have a ton to add other than to give my condolences to Coyotes fans and decry the loss of one of the sweetest logos in sports franchise history. Why they ever chose to swap it out for this is beyond me.
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Comment on Transformers One | Official trailer in ~movies
rosco LinkLooks like a fun take. I'm much more excited for this version than the previous iterations by a mile!Looks like a fun take. I'm much more excited for this version than the previous iterations by a mile!
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Comment on China is battening down for the gathering storm over Taiwan in ~misc
rosco Link ParentThis has some pretty significant impact for the US though no? It seems like this would be direct conflict with United States interests vs Ukraine that doesn't hold the same priority.This has some pretty significant impact for the US though no? It seems like this would be direct conflict with United States interests vs Ukraine that doesn't hold the same priority.
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Comment on Scammers are targeting teenage boys on social media—and driving some to suicide in ~life.men
rosco Link ParentThose are amazing PSAs. Kudos to whoever designed them!Those are amazing PSAs. Kudos to whoever designed them!
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Comment on What's something you've been mulling over recently? in ~talk
rosco Link ParentI think if you find a good place to work your animosity might lighten a little. I went from very happy with work in my early twenties, to extremely bitter in my late twenties (same company), to...I think if you find a good place to work your animosity might lighten a little. I went from very happy with work in my early twenties, to extremely bitter in my late twenties (same company), to mostly ambivalent towards work but happy with my working relationships in my mid thirties.
Unsolicited caution: Watch out for lying about key features of a job. I work in a pretty niche space and early in my current company we hired a new recruit with an ecologist/engineer background who claimed to specialize in machine learning and could bullshit well enough to convince someone lightly technical like myself. But she began missing deadlines and couldn't talk the talk on architecture specifics when we got support from external engineers. We ended up terminating her contract and wouldn't work with her again.
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Comment on What's something you've been mulling over recently? in ~talk
rosco Link ParentSorry for the late reply, I've had this tab open for a few weeks and I'm finally reading all the things I've been putting off and your comment jumped out to me. First, hell yeah! Change that...Sorry for the late reply, I've had this tab open for a few weeks and I'm finally reading all the things I've been putting off and your comment jumped out to me.
First, hell yeah! Change that resume! There is no reason not to! My partner was struggling with getting a job back in 2018. She was trying to pivot from real estate development (she had been a project coordinator at a big firm) into other industries. She disliked the misogyny in construction and real estate and was eager for a change. She wasn't seeing a lot of response from her applications until a consulting firm reached out. Her point of contact there said the companies they were consulting for would need to select her (kind of a weird practice) and she said my partner needed to make changes to her resume. So her coordinator role turned into a project manager role. The descriptions all changed and became more numbers based and inflated. And while she didn't end up getting that job, she started using the resume and the requests for interviews started pouring in. She ended up at NASA and then Google. It made a huge difference.
All that to say, I think as long as you have the skills that your presenting, why not bolster your resume? My partner is a kick ass project manager. Hell in our lives sometimes she's too good! Sometimes you just need a chance. My only note is that if you give references make sure that they will vouch for the different title and update your linkedin to reflect it.
As a final point, I want to call out how this can be a really gendered conversation. I interview a lot of candidates for work. By and large in my experience, with few exceptions, the men have greatly inflated their resumes and when asked questions like "this will be outside of things you have directly done before, do you think you can handle it" will wax poetic about how talented and confident they are. On the other had women tend to present the reality of their work history and in many cases will call out all of the things they do not know or are not comfortable with without even being asked. So lets topple this boys club and have everyone inflate, inflate, inflate!
Agreed, forced is the wrong word. I think maybe thinking of it as fostered or purposeful vs organic friendship. You can't force someone to be your friend but you can purposefully spend more time with someone. I did that recently with a person I got introduced to and it worked out well. We met at a neighborhood party and I really liked his personality and wanted to hang out more. I learned he liked biking, as do I, and invited him on a ride. Turns out he was even cooler than at the party! We decided to bike with more frequency together and I learned that he open water swam and couldn't find people to go with him. Open water swimming scares me but I thought, hell I bet I can do that and then we might end up closer. Turned out I was right. Locally he's one of my best friends now.
You can put yourself in the position to hang out more, but it doesn't mean you'll get along. But if there is alignment there you can definitely foster it so that you become closer friends than you would have otherwise.