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Thursday, August 17, 2017
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Remote Work WORKS
I recently came upon an article on about remote work or working from home by Rebecca Greenfield, The Rise and Fall of Working From Home.
Having unfortunately been laid off recently from a full-time telecommute job with a company that works government contracts (thanks in part to POTUS 45's executive order sloppily implementing a federal hiring freeze back in January), I disagree with the idea that remote work is losing ground. If anything, companies that want good workers should expand work-from-home offerings, not eliminate them.
Prior to losing my most recent job, I would occasionally telecommute only as needed. As a software developer, I'd lug my work laptop home, connect to our office VPN, and have my entire workspace at my fingertips to deploy code changes, monitor automated processes, and other stuff which I either couldn't be there for physically, or where being there in person simply wasn't necessary.
My new full-time telecommute job was game changing. I set up my own furniture, my own belongings (except for the laptop shipped to me by my employer), my own office space exactly the way I wanted. No facilities folks to wait on to fix some broken furniture, no IT guys to hook up my network access or fix my phone, everything just right, right then and there.
I had easy access to my own food and drink. I had access to my backyard where I could easily participate in conference calls on a nice spring day, or just spend a few precious minutes to stretch and collect my thoughts. My employer didn't need to furnish an office, a cubicle, not even a closet (which I have worked in before), just a laptop, credentials, and the usual like salary and benefits.
Occasional telecommute and full telecommute are different animals. Full telecommute by its nature demands a lot more discipline than working from an office. Irrespective of the kind of work, in an ideal home office situation, the employee is free from the distractions of an office; chatty coworkers, strangers wandering around, distracting smells like a fishy lunch being microwaved down the hall or that unpleasant aroma as someone trails out of the restroom, the list goes on. More focus to the job can be provided in the comfort and solitude of a home office than in say a cubicle or open office layout.
That increased focus enabled me to be a more productive worker. Minus the distractions common to previous workplaces, I was able to respond to questions from colleagues through instant messaging and phone without a hitch. With online meetings using software like WebEx and Lync, I could actively participate in meetings with dozens of people in organized chaos.
The key to productivity in working from home is striving to minimize distractions, which some may find difficult, at least at first. There is the temptation to treat working from home as leisure time interspersed with bursts of work, to perhaps not pay full attention to a staff meeting and instead check snail mail or water some plants or do something else not work-related. For employees early in their careers in particular, this temptation may lead them to embrace a poor work ethic early on and turn them into the kind of worker Ms. Greenfield describes.
Employers should realize that they can get a lot more bang from their buck with dedicated remote workers. Being one of this group of individuals, I would frequently work past normal business hours, and make myself available to colleagues for consultations after or between hours without hesitation.
Some prospective employees, myself included, would definitely consider a lower salary given the savings telecommuting offers. The ease of being able to easily flip open my work laptop and engage as needed, and simple relief of not having to get dressed for the office and drive across town, can be a powerful motivator for one who's worked a largely 9 to 5 (and more) on-site that way all their career, like I have.
Given the ubiquitous nature of broadband nowadays and the increasingly sophisticated technology available to do business virtually (especially in IT), employers should take a close look at the costs and benefits of remote work for employees and seriously consider implementing it. It can be not just a boon for the employee in terms of reduced stress and increased serenity, but a tremendous cost savings for the employer if the right mix of convenience and dedication can be struck to help an employee realize how awesome it can be to work full-time from the convenience of their own home.
Of course, not every job in every industry is well-suited to telecommute. IT however is the flagship industry for remote work given that it's all about networking, and that interacting with others over wire and fiber optic cable to add value and deliver products and services is the bread and butter of this business.
Having unfortunately been laid off recently from a full-time telecommute job with a company that works government contracts (thanks in part to POTUS 45's executive order sloppily implementing a federal hiring freeze back in January), I disagree with the idea that remote work is losing ground. If anything, companies that want good workers should expand work-from-home offerings, not eliminate them.
Prior to losing my most recent job, I would occasionally telecommute only as needed. As a software developer, I'd lug my work laptop home, connect to our office VPN, and have my entire workspace at my fingertips to deploy code changes, monitor automated processes, and other stuff which I either couldn't be there for physically, or where being there in person simply wasn't necessary.
 |
| Telecommuting: it's not just for tech support. |
My new full-time telecommute job was game changing. I set up my own furniture, my own belongings (except for the laptop shipped to me by my employer), my own office space exactly the way I wanted. No facilities folks to wait on to fix some broken furniture, no IT guys to hook up my network access or fix my phone, everything just right, right then and there.
I had easy access to my own food and drink. I had access to my backyard where I could easily participate in conference calls on a nice spring day, or just spend a few precious minutes to stretch and collect my thoughts. My employer didn't need to furnish an office, a cubicle, not even a closet (which I have worked in before), just a laptop, credentials, and the usual like salary and benefits.
Occasional telecommute and full telecommute are different animals. Full telecommute by its nature demands a lot more discipline than working from an office. Irrespective of the kind of work, in an ideal home office situation, the employee is free from the distractions of an office; chatty coworkers, strangers wandering around, distracting smells like a fishy lunch being microwaved down the hall or that unpleasant aroma as someone trails out of the restroom, the list goes on. More focus to the job can be provided in the comfort and solitude of a home office than in say a cubicle or open office layout.
That increased focus enabled me to be a more productive worker. Minus the distractions common to previous workplaces, I was able to respond to questions from colleagues through instant messaging and phone without a hitch. With online meetings using software like WebEx and Lync, I could actively participate in meetings with dozens of people in organized chaos.
 |
| Lync (aka Skype for Business) provides an instant messaging client as well as the ability to host and participate in meetings with phone and networked participants, and video chat. |
The key to productivity in working from home is striving to minimize distractions, which some may find difficult, at least at first. There is the temptation to treat working from home as leisure time interspersed with bursts of work, to perhaps not pay full attention to a staff meeting and instead check snail mail or water some plants or do something else not work-related. For employees early in their careers in particular, this temptation may lead them to embrace a poor work ethic early on and turn them into the kind of worker Ms. Greenfield describes.
Employers should realize that they can get a lot more bang from their buck with dedicated remote workers. Being one of this group of individuals, I would frequently work past normal business hours, and make myself available to colleagues for consultations after or between hours without hesitation.
Some prospective employees, myself included, would definitely consider a lower salary given the savings telecommuting offers. The ease of being able to easily flip open my work laptop and engage as needed, and simple relief of not having to get dressed for the office and drive across town, can be a powerful motivator for one who's worked a largely 9 to 5 (and more) on-site that way all their career, like I have.
Given the ubiquitous nature of broadband nowadays and the increasingly sophisticated technology available to do business virtually (especially in IT), employers should take a close look at the costs and benefits of remote work for employees and seriously consider implementing it. It can be not just a boon for the employee in terms of reduced stress and increased serenity, but a tremendous cost savings for the employer if the right mix of convenience and dedication can be struck to help an employee realize how awesome it can be to work full-time from the convenience of their own home.
Of course, not every job in every industry is well-suited to telecommute. IT however is the flagship industry for remote work given that it's all about networking, and that interacting with others over wire and fiber optic cable to add value and deliver products and services is the bread and butter of this business.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Washed Out Color With NVIDIA Graphics
I recently purchased a brand new ASUS VE278H 27" LED-backlit monitor.
While a wonderfully big and bright display (especially paired with my NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 video card), once set up (using the DVI interface) dark colors, particularly blues and blacks, appeared washed out.
After some research (most of which seemed to focus on display issues related to using the HDMI interface), I did find a solution which seemed to help in my case.
Generally with NVIDIA I install their Control Panel to tweak cards with an NVIDIA chipset. There's a setting under Display => Change Resolution called Output Dynamic Range which purports to preserve shadow and highlight details.
By default this setting is "Limited", but by changing it to "Full" and then clicking Apply, I was rewarded with the beautifully silky-smooth blues and blacks I expected.
Why not have this set to Full by default? It is a mystery for NVIDIA to address. 🤔
While a wonderfully big and bright display (especially paired with my NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 video card), once set up (using the DVI interface) dark colors, particularly blues and blacks, appeared washed out.
 |
| BEFORE: Blue / black wallpaper on DVI, note the rather nasty gradients. |
After some research (most of which seemed to focus on display issues related to using the HDMI interface), I did find a solution which seemed to help in my case.
Generally with NVIDIA I install their Control Panel to tweak cards with an NVIDIA chipset. There's a setting under Display => Change Resolution called Output Dynamic Range which purports to preserve shadow and highlight details.
By default this setting is "Limited", but by changing it to "Full" and then clicking Apply, I was rewarded with the beautifully silky-smooth blues and blacks I expected.
 |
| AFTER: Significantly richer, silkier color. |
Why not have this set to Full by default? It is a mystery for NVIDIA to address. 🤔
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Prickly Pear Cactus Helps Hangover
Opuntia ficus-indica, otherwise known as prickly pear cactus, is called nopal, and in the U.S. at least the fruit are oddly called "tuna".
Aside from its culinary uses and being decorative fauna, there is actual research which suggests that chemicals in nopal can actually help reduce the effects of alcohol hangover.
In a study reported by Scientific American, a group of healthy volunteers consumed an extract of prickly pear cactus prior to drinking alcohol. Compared to those who took a placebo, those who took the cactus experienced noticeably less nausea, dry mouth, and loss of appetite.
Further, researchers found that recipients of the cactus concoction had lower levels of C-reactive protein, associated with inflammation in the body.
Although prickly pear is a popular ornamental plant, it's not necessary to grow your own or pilfer some from your neighbor's yard and run it through your blender. It does exist in tablet, capsule, even oil and syrup forms.
Yet another example of nature's fascinating repertoire of flora that science discovers has the potential to ease human suffering, even the self-inflicted kind. 🙂
Aside from its culinary uses and being decorative fauna, there is actual research which suggests that chemicals in nopal can actually help reduce the effects of alcohol hangover.
In a study reported by Scientific American, a group of healthy volunteers consumed an extract of prickly pear cactus prior to drinking alcohol. Compared to those who took a placebo, those who took the cactus experienced noticeably less nausea, dry mouth, and loss of appetite.
Further, researchers found that recipients of the cactus concoction had lower levels of C-reactive protein, associated with inflammation in the body.
Although prickly pear is a popular ornamental plant, it's not necessary to grow your own or pilfer some from your neighbor's yard and run it through your blender. It does exist in tablet, capsule, even oil and syrup forms.
Yet another example of nature's fascinating repertoire of flora that science discovers has the potential to ease human suffering, even the self-inflicted kind. 🙂
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes Review
An acquaintance asked me to get in on Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and help their group of galactic rabble (aka "guild"). I've played it off and on for several months now, and I think I can safely say that thanks in large part to EA, this game has no soul.
Built on the free-to-play model, GoH to it's credit ties in closely with the Star Wars universe. Many of the classic heroes from the franchise are present; Darth Vader, Yoda, Emperor Palpatine, Luke Skywalker, the list goes on. Even the new characters from The Force Awakens and Rogue One make appearances in special limited-time game events, a trend likely to continue with future Star Wars movies.
A recent update brings in some of the iconic ships from Star Wars, including the X-Wing, TIE fighter, Star Destroyer, even the Millenium Falcon.
The characters and ships each have classes and unique abilities; tanks are damage sponges, attackers attack, support characters support, and so on. Abilities vary widely and the trick is to gather characters and ships whose abilities complement and augment each other. For example, Darth Vader, Yoda, Princess Leia, and other "legendary" characters possess so-called leadership abilities which enhance statistics or provide other benefits for your entire squad.
Some abilities are buffs that can positively affect your character or their teammates. Teebo, an ewok tank, has a percentage chance to have your characters acquire the stealth ability for a few turns. Luminara Unduli in addition to decent damage-doing potential has a potent heal ability.
Debuffs can have similar but detrimental effects, such as the Royal Guard's ability to stun a target or the irritatingly effective ability of Darth Sidious and others which prevents a character from being healed. Emperor Palpatine's lightning can deal damage to your entire squad in a single turn.
A few exact a toll on their users, such as Talia's Water of Life ability which heals other squad mates at the cost of a percentage of her own health.
Gameplay involves turn-based combat with a squad of up to 6 characters you choose from among those available in your profile versus another squad controlled by the game, and battle consists of advancing through progressively challenging rounds of combat in various familiar Star Wars locales like Tatooine, the Death Star, Hoth, Endor, and others.
Player-versus-player "arena" style combat with another character's squad is available, which really puts to the test your ability to create a squad that can handle the opposition. Helpfully prior to battle you can analyze the opposing squad's abilities and compose your squad accordingly. I really like the challenge of meshing character attributes and abilities.
Rewards in battle include in-game currency (used to train your characters, purchase and equip gear and mods (bolt-on devices which are unlocked when your character reaches level 50), arena, guild and cantina credits (used to buy stuff in the arena, guild and cantina stores, respectively) and crystals, which can be earned through completing achievements and certain battles or events, or by forking over real money.
The game, to EA's credit, is quite faithful to the Star Wars franchise. Visuals from the neon glow of light sabers to sparks as blaster bolts find their mark are wonderfully vivid and hearken to the movies. Sounds are similarly faithful, all that's missing are character voices as far as I'm concerned. Those players of Star Wars: Battlefront who appreciate its cinematic spectacle will probably be similarly pleased with this much smaller-scale game environment.
Here unfortunately is where the novelty of the game ends.
The cantina (depicted below) is the game's lobby. The idea is that you're a patron and you play the different games at one of the various holo-tables. Every time you visit the cantina it's the same thing, time after time. The decor is dingy and the ambient light dim. The twi'lek bartender (aside from being your guide in your earliest levels as a player) has a never-ending one-sided conversation with some dude standing at the bar. Two guys perpetually smack the table as their arena combatants duke it out. A droid mounted with a tray full of drinks trundles among the tables.
Sound familiar? It reminds me of a divey Vegas casino, and the investment in time and effort unfortunately ends up being very similar to sitting at a slot machine.
EA is notorious for exploiting the free-to-play model (the mobile reboot of Dungeon Keeper is just one example). While GoH isn't as obviously greedy for cold, hard cash, it still can be tempting to shell out cash to get that juicy legendary character or ship or refresh one of the numerous time-limited events.
GoH is faithful to the Star Wars universe in some very obvious ways, but I'd argue a distinct lack of detail reveals EA's true focus is getting a crack at players' wallets. Take light sabers versus blasters. Any Jedi or Sith worth their salt could easily deflect blaster bolts, but here the I think the game developers could've gone the extra mile but don't, because there's no sophisticated light saber technique used to deflect blaster fire akin to how "real" Jedi for example do in the films. Instead of elaborate animations showcasing the art of light saber combat, you're given text messages like DEFLECTED. Ho hum!
It's like EA delivers this game and says "Hey everybody, we have Star Wars characters! We have light sabers! We have visuals and sounds from the franchise!" Superficially yes, that's true, but it could be so much more. Similar to how the rebooted Battlefront compares to its old-school predecessor, there's a lot left to be desired here in terms of gameplay.
Speaking of which, for someone who never has (and never will) plunk down cash money for crystals in this game, here's how a typical day plays out.
At least it isn't as maddening as the new Dungeon Keeper and that game's absurdly long build timers, but it's still sadly lacking in fun. Certainly, by design it has replayability; there's always that little psychological rush of completing a battle tier or maxing a character's level, which at least serve to motivate one to complete the daily activities. There's also satisfaction in collaborating with your guild mates to share in raid and other rewards, as well as help lower-level players fill their gear requests. Aside from these it lacks substance, and for myself and I'd wager many other Star Wars fans the visuals and sounds while certainly satisfying in the short term quickly give way to boredom.
In the mainstream gaming market EA dwells (and sometimes takes a dump) in, this model of free-to-play is arguably the new normal, and that's sad. If and when I ever become a grandparent, I foresee myself wistfully sharing a tale with the grandkids about how many years ago you could pay for a game once and be provided hours and hours of fun, until the new normal and the almighty dollar helped free-to-play take hold, like cancer.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Built on the free-to-play model, GoH to it's credit ties in closely with the Star Wars universe. Many of the classic heroes from the franchise are present; Darth Vader, Yoda, Emperor Palpatine, Luke Skywalker, the list goes on. Even the new characters from The Force Awakens and Rogue One make appearances in special limited-time game events, a trend likely to continue with future Star Wars movies.
A recent update brings in some of the iconic ships from Star Wars, including the X-Wing, TIE fighter, Star Destroyer, even the Millenium Falcon.
The characters and ships each have classes and unique abilities; tanks are damage sponges, attackers attack, support characters support, and so on. Abilities vary widely and the trick is to gather characters and ships whose abilities complement and augment each other. For example, Darth Vader, Yoda, Princess Leia, and other "legendary" characters possess so-called leadership abilities which enhance statistics or provide other benefits for your entire squad.
Some abilities are buffs that can positively affect your character or their teammates. Teebo, an ewok tank, has a percentage chance to have your characters acquire the stealth ability for a few turns. Luminara Unduli in addition to decent damage-doing potential has a potent heal ability.
Debuffs can have similar but detrimental effects, such as the Royal Guard's ability to stun a target or the irritatingly effective ability of Darth Sidious and others which prevents a character from being healed. Emperor Palpatine's lightning can deal damage to your entire squad in a single turn.
A few exact a toll on their users, such as Talia's Water of Life ability which heals other squad mates at the cost of a percentage of her own health.
 |
| Ahsoka Tano (the plucky Jedi from the sadly unfinished Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series) makes an appearance in GoH. |
Gameplay involves turn-based combat with a squad of up to 6 characters you choose from among those available in your profile versus another squad controlled by the game, and battle consists of advancing through progressively challenging rounds of combat in various familiar Star Wars locales like Tatooine, the Death Star, Hoth, Endor, and others.
Player-versus-player "arena" style combat with another character's squad is available, which really puts to the test your ability to create a squad that can handle the opposition. Helpfully prior to battle you can analyze the opposing squad's abilities and compose your squad accordingly. I really like the challenge of meshing character attributes and abilities.
Rewards in battle include in-game currency (used to train your characters, purchase and equip gear and mods (bolt-on devices which are unlocked when your character reaches level 50), arena, guild and cantina credits (used to buy stuff in the arena, guild and cantina stores, respectively) and crystals, which can be earned through completing achievements and certain battles or events, or by forking over real money.
The game, to EA's credit, is quite faithful to the Star Wars franchise. Visuals from the neon glow of light sabers to sparks as blaster bolts find their mark are wonderfully vivid and hearken to the movies. Sounds are similarly faithful, all that's missing are character voices as far as I'm concerned. Those players of Star Wars: Battlefront who appreciate its cinematic spectacle will probably be similarly pleased with this much smaller-scale game environment.
Here unfortunately is where the novelty of the game ends.
The cantina (depicted below) is the game's lobby. The idea is that you're a patron and you play the different games at one of the various holo-tables. Every time you visit the cantina it's the same thing, time after time. The decor is dingy and the ambient light dim. The twi'lek bartender (aside from being your guide in your earliest levels as a player) has a never-ending one-sided conversation with some dude standing at the bar. Two guys perpetually smack the table as their arena combatants duke it out. A droid mounted with a tray full of drinks trundles among the tables.
Sound familiar? It reminds me of a divey Vegas casino, and the investment in time and effort unfortunately ends up being very similar to sitting at a slot machine.
EA is notorious for exploiting the free-to-play model (the mobile reboot of Dungeon Keeper is just one example). While GoH isn't as obviously greedy for cold, hard cash, it still can be tempting to shell out cash to get that juicy legendary character or ship or refresh one of the numerous time-limited events.
GoH is faithful to the Star Wars universe in some very obvious ways, but I'd argue a distinct lack of detail reveals EA's true focus is getting a crack at players' wallets. Take light sabers versus blasters. Any Jedi or Sith worth their salt could easily deflect blaster bolts, but here the I think the game developers could've gone the extra mile but don't, because there's no sophisticated light saber technique used to deflect blaster fire akin to how "real" Jedi for example do in the films. Instead of elaborate animations showcasing the art of light saber combat, you're given text messages like DEFLECTED. Ho hum!
It's like EA delivers this game and says "Hey everybody, we have Star Wars characters! We have light sabers! We have visuals and sounds from the franchise!" Superficially yes, that's true, but it could be so much more. Similar to how the rebooted Battlefront compares to its old-school predecessor, there's a lot left to be desired here in terms of gameplay.
Speaking of which, for someone who never has (and never will) plunk down cash money for crystals in this game, here's how a typical day plays out.
- Check mail for arena or guild or other bonuses and friend requests.
- Challenges / arenas. Play / sim, repeat until daily limit reached.
- Cantina / light / dark / mod battles. Burn through daily energy to meet daily goals.
- Guild raid. If available (highly dependent on guild participation), ~5 battles.
- Galactic war. Play until victorious or character pool decimated.
- Redeem credits, buy character shards, gear, mods, levels.
- Close to a promoting a character or completing a gear level? Spend crystals to regain energy, repeat step 3 until energy exhausted.
- Check achievements, redeem any available.
- Done.
At least it isn't as maddening as the new Dungeon Keeper and that game's absurdly long build timers, but it's still sadly lacking in fun. Certainly, by design it has replayability; there's always that little psychological rush of completing a battle tier or maxing a character's level, which at least serve to motivate one to complete the daily activities. There's also satisfaction in collaborating with your guild mates to share in raid and other rewards, as well as help lower-level players fill their gear requests. Aside from these it lacks substance, and for myself and I'd wager many other Star Wars fans the visuals and sounds while certainly satisfying in the short term quickly give way to boredom.
In the mainstream gaming market EA dwells (and sometimes takes a dump) in, this model of free-to-play is arguably the new normal, and that's sad. If and when I ever become a grandparent, I foresee myself wistfully sharing a tale with the grandkids about how many years ago you could pay for a game once and be provided hours and hours of fun, until the new normal and the almighty dollar helped free-to-play take hold, like cancer.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Alternative Facts
Big Donald J. Trump is watching you...
#MAGA
#Trump
#TrumpTrain
#MakeAmericaGreatAgain
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