Bitstop

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Locust: straightway the parasites

Insect Adventures by Jean-Henri Fabre and Louise Hasbrouck Zimm, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . PARASITES CHAPTER XI. PARASITES IN August or September, let us go into some gorge with bare and sun-scorched sides. When we find a slope well-baked by the summer heat, a quiet corner with the temperature of an oven, we shall call a halt; there is a fine harvest to be gathered here. This tropical land is the native soil of a host of Wasps and Bees, some of them busily piling the household provisions in underground warehouses—here a stack of Weevils, Locusts or Spiders, there a whole assortment of Flies, Bees, or Caterpillars,—while others are storing up honey in wallets or clay pots, cottony bags or urns made with pieces of leaves. With the Bees and Wasps who go quietly about their business, mingle others whom we call parasites, prowlers hurrying from one home to the next, lying in wait at the doors, watching for a chance to settle their family at the expense of others. It is something like the struggle that goes on in our world. No sooner has a worker by means of hard labor gotten together a fortune for his children than those who have not worked come hurrying up to fight for its possession. To one who saves there are sometimes five, six or more bent upon his ruin; and often it ends not merely in robbery but in black murder! The worker’s family, the object of so much care, for whom that home was built and those provisions stored, is devoured by the intruders. Grubs or insect-babies are shut up in cells closed on every side, protected by silken coverings, in order that they may sleep quietly while the changes needed to make them into full-grown insects take place. In vain are all these precautions taken. An enemy will succeed in getting into the impregnable fortress. Each foe has his special tactics to accomplish this—tactics contrived with the most surprising skill. See, some strange insect inserts her egg by means of a probe beside the torpid grub, the rightful owner; or else a tiny worm, an atom, comes creeping and crawling, slips in and reaches the sleeper, who will never wake again, because the ferocious visitor will eat him up. The interloper makes the victim’s cell and cocoon his own cell and cocoon; and next year, instead of the mistress of the house, there will come from below ground the bandit who stole the dwelling and ate the occupant. Look at this one, striped black, white, and red, with the figure of a clumsy, hairy Ant. She explores the slope on foot, looks at every nook and corner, sounds the soil with her antennæ. She is a kind of Wasp without wings, named Mutilla, the terrible enemy of the other Wasp-grubs sleeping in their cradles. Though the female Mutilla has no wings, she carries a sharp dagger, or sting. If you saw her, you might think she was a sort of sturdy Ant, gayer in dress than other Ants. If you watched her for some time, you would see her, after trotting about for a bit, stop somewhere and begin to scratch and dig, finally laying bare a burrow underground, of which there was no trace outside; but she can see what we cannot. She goes into the burrow, stays there for a while, and at last reappears to replace the rubbish and close the door as it was at the start. The abominable deed is done: the Mutilla’s egg has been laid in another’s cocoon, beside the slumbering grub or larva on which it will feed. Here are other insects, all aglitter with gleams of gold, emerald, blue, and purple. They are the humming-birds of the insect-world, and are called the Golden Wasps. You would never think of them as thieves or murderers; but they, too, feed on the children of other Wasps. One of them, half emerald and half pale-pink, boldly enters the burrow of a Fly-hunting Wasp at the very moment when the mother is at home, bringing a fresh piece of game to her babies, whom she feeds from day to day. The elegant criminal, the Golden Wasp who does not know how to dig, takes this moment when the door is open to enter. If the mother were away, the house would be shut up, and the Golden Wasp, that sneak-thief in royal robes, could not get in. She enters, therefore, dwarf as she is, the house of the giantess whose ruin she is planning; she makes her way right to the back, never bothering about the Wasp, with her sting and her powerful jaws. The Wasp-mother either does not know the danger or is paralyzed with terror. She lets the strange Wasp have her way. Next year, if we open the cells of the poor Fly-hunting Wasp, we shall find some which contain a russet-silk cocoon, the shape of a thimble, with its opening closed with a flat lid. In this silky covering, which is protected by the hard outer shell, is a grub of the Golden Wasp. As for the grub of the Fly-hunter, that grub which wove the silk and encrusted the outer casing with sand, it has disappeared entirely, all but a few tattered shreds of skin. Disappeared how? The Golden Wasp’s grub has eaten it. One of these splendid-appearing, criminal Golden Wasps is dressed in lapis-lazuli on the front part of the body and in bronze and gold on the abdomen, with a scarf of blue at the end. When one of the Mason-wasps has built on the rock her heap of dome-shaped cells, with a covering of little pebbles set in the plaster, when the grubs have eaten up their store of Caterpillars and hung their rooms with silk, we see the Golden Wasp settle on the outside of the nest. Probably some tiny crack, some defect in the cement, allows her to insert her probe and lay her egg. At any rate, about the end of the following May, the Mason-wasp’s chamber holds a cocoon which again is shaped like a thimble. From this cocoon comes a Golden Wasp. There is nothing left of the Mason-wasp’s grub; the Golden Wasp has gorged herself upon it. Flies, as we have seen, often act the part of robbers. They are not the least to be dreaded, though they are weak, sometimes so feeble that one cannot take them in his fingers without crushing them. One species called Bombylii are clad in velvet so delicate that the least touch rubs it off. They are fluffs of down almost as frail as a snowflake, but they can fly with wonderful quickness. See this one, hovering motionless two feet above the ground. Her wings vibrate so rapidly one cannot see the motion at all, and they seem to be in repose. The insect looks as though it were hung at one point in space by some invisible thread. You make a movement, and your Fly has disappeared. You look about for her. There is nothing here, nothing there. Then where is she? Close by you. She is back where she started, before you could see where she went to. What is she doing, there in the air? She is up to some mischief; she is watching for a chance to leave her egg where it will feed on some other insect’s provisions. I do not know yet what sort of insect she preys upon, nor what she wishes for her children, whether honey, game, or the grubs themselves. I know more about the actions of certain tiny, pale-gray Flies, called Tachinæ, who, cowering on the sand in the sun, near a burrow, patiently wait for the hour at which to strike the fell blow. When the different Wasps return from hunting, one kind with her Gad-fly, another with a Bee, another with a Beetle, another with a Locust, at once the Gray Flies are there, coming and going, turning and twisting with the Wasp, always behind her and never losing her. At the moment when the Wasp huntress goes indoors, with her captured game between her legs, they fling themselves on her prey, which is on the point of disappearing underground, and quickly lay their eggs upon it. The thing is done in the twinkling of an eye; before the Wasp has crossed the threshold of her home, the food for her babies holds the germs of a new set of guests, who will feed on it and starve the children of the house to death. Perhaps, after all, we should not blame too much these insects which feed on others, or on the food of others. An idle human being who feeds at other people’s tables is contemptible; we call him a parasite because he lives at his neighbor’s expense. The insect never does this; that is to say, it does not live on the food of another of the same species. You remember the Mason-bees: not one of the Bees touches another’s honey, unless the owner is dead or has stayed away a long time. The other Bees and Wasps behave in the same way. What we call parasitism in insects is really a kind of hunting. The Mutilla, for instance, is a huntress, and her prey is the grub of another kind of Wasp, just as the game of this other kind of Wasp may be a Caterpillar or a Beetle. When it comes to this, we are all hunters, or thieves, whichever way you look at it, and Man the greatest of all. He steals the milk from the Calf, he steals the honey from the children of the Bee, just as the Gray Fly takes the food of the Wasps’ babies. She does it to feed her children; and Man helps himself to everything he can find to feed his. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Jean-Henri Fabre and Louise Hasbrouck Zimm (2014). Insect Adventures. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/45812/pg45812-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

Strange Wasp have her way

HOW I STOLE THE HEAPS OF QUAP FROM MORDET ISLAND

Hello world! Recently, I have been working on some open hardware projects utilizing Lonero. These specific projects are open source and created to push for innovative usecases of Lonero, and the blockchain. The list of projects are below: The Mining Pool Guide for Lonero The for Lonero is just a generic mining pool setup guide. However, it provides a basic template in order to start customizing a pool and building something off of it. Lonero is already minable, and this was just a guide created for sake of simplicity. It is based off of the , and currently in beta. mining pool guide Cryptonote Universal Pool Kinetic Miner for Lonero Another project, which is one of my favorites, is a for Lonero. Basically, the whole premise of this concept was mine Lonero while riding your bike. It was a fun DIY project I had based off an old concept that was based off of Doug Costlow's bike . As a concept build, I enjoyed it. kinetic miner generator The Lonero ATM Project Another project I been working on, is a fork of Open Bitcoin ATM for Lonero. The project can be seen . I also tried working on for Lonero. A big reason those projects were started was partial inspiration from seeing startups like , and wondering what I can do for Lonero that is open source. Full project description, terms and conditions, and materials can be seen and . here Lamassu configs Bitstop here here There are other hardware projects for Lonero as well. Lonero also may work on an affiliate program, sponsoring some open source initiatives, and some research papers. For updates, it is best to follow Lonero's or its . minds.com homepage The main goal is to not just build things centered around Lonero, but also promote decentralized technology and its use cases. This is something small right now, with many open source pieces of software. It is also primarily self funded or through volunteer time as one will call it. However, I do envision this becoming something big. As long as other developers can be inspired or its makes a positive difference, Lonero will keep doing what it is doing.

Open Hardware Projects Utilizing Lonero: Kinetic Miner and Lonero ATM

How to Train Self-Parking Car Using Genetic Algorithm (<500 Lines of Code)

Crack Long-Form Blogs: Complete Guide & Experts' Insights 

Phishing scammers – the bottom feeders of the digital world, the parasites that slither through the vast expanse of the internet, preying on unsuspecting individuals like a virus targeting a weakened host. These digital flea bags think they have mastered the art of deception, employing tactics that would make even the most cunning con artists of yesteryear hang their heads in shame. Let's talk about these insidious creatures who, instead of contributing positively to the online realm, choose to exploit the vulnerabilities of others. The audacity they display is nothing short of infuriating. They concoct elaborate schemes, sending emails that seem like harmless messages from reputable sources – banks, email providers, or hosting services. They play on our trust, using psychological manipulation to trick us into revealing the keys to our virtual kingdoms. Picture this: you innocently check your email, only to find a message that appears to be from your trusted email provider, warning you of suspicious activity. Panic sets in as they claim someone is trying to access your account, and the only way to secure it is by clicking on a link conveniently provided in the email. Little do you know that you're about to step into the web of deception woven by these low-life leeches. Click that link, and you're transported to a meticulously crafted imitation of your email or hosting provider's login page. It's a digital mirage, a wolf in sheep's clothing. The page looks so authentic that you'd swear you've landed on the real deal. Oblivious to the impending danger, you proceed to enter your sacred login credentials, unknowingly handing over the keys to your virtual kingdom to these faceless miscreants. The Drive Behind Digital Parasites What drives these bottom-feeding digital parasites to engage in such nefarious activities? It's a question that boggles the mind. In a world bursting with opportunities to earn a legitimate living online, these scammers opt for the path of deception, showcasing the minuscule size of their moral compass. Instead of contributing to the vast sea of innovation and progress, they choose to ride the coattails of others, siphoning off hard-earned information with no regard for the havoc they wreak on unsuspecting victims. So, Where Do Phishing Emails Most Commonly Come From? The infuriating truth about scam emails has been laid bare by a study from Barracuda Networks, revealing that the dubious honor of being the primary source of these digital nuisances goes to Eastern European countries. Two billion emails were scrutinized in this research, and the disheartening discovery is that the top five countries unleashing phishing attacks with reckless abandon are Lithuania, Latvia, Serbia, Ukraine, and Russia – all proudly representing Eastern Europe. In a descending cascade of cyber mischief, the next culprits hail from the Americas and Asia: the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Iran, Palestine, and Kazakhstan. While the sheer volume of phishing emails pouring out of certain nations is staggering, the report reminds us that the devil is in the percentage details. For instance, the United States, a prolific sender of 129,369 phishing emails, barely scrapes 0.02% of the overall email torrent. Most countries, according to the report, have a phishing probability of 10% or less, making it a relatively tiny villain in the global email landscape. Adding insult to injury, Barracuda also sheds light on the globetrotting nature of these fraudulent missives. Phishing emails, it turns out, prefer a multi-country itinerary, with 80% of them making pitstops in two or fewer countries, compared to a meager 60% for their benign counterparts. In a twist of irony, major players in the tech realm – Amazon, Microsoft, and Twitter – find themselves unwitting accomplices in this nefarious game, unwittingly hosting the highest volumes of phishing emails leveraging their infrastructure. Chris Ross, the Senior Vice President of International Operations at Barracuda Networks, voiced his exasperation, suggesting that while outright blacklisting entire nations might seem absurd, the research could serve as a wake-up call for IT managers and CISOs. He proposed deploying AI-based email security to sift through the digital chaos, flagging anomalies and detecting threats that slip through the cracks of basic email protection. Ross also championed the cause of improving security awareness through training, hoping to fortify organizations against the relentless onslaught of cyber threats in the long run. One can't help but marvel at the irony. In an era where countless avenues exist for legitimate online endeavors – from freelancing and e-commerce to cryptocurrency investments and digital entrepreneurship – these digital fleas decide to devote their time and energy to constructing elaborate ruses. It's as if their cognitive capacities are so limited that they can't fathom the prospect of contributing positively to the digital landscape! The worst part is that, as technology advances, so do the tactics of these online vultures. They adapt, evolve, and refine their methods, making it increasingly challenging to discern between a legitimate email and a cunning phishing attempt. Who do they think they are, invading my sacred email space with their bogus urgency? "Click on this link," they say, "or face the impending doom of your inbox suspension." Oh, please! As if I'm going to fall for that blatant attempt to scare me into submission. Do they really believe I'll be trembling in my virtual boots, desperately clicking away to save my precious inbox? And let's not even get started on the audacity of crafting a webpage that's a carbon copy of my cPanel login. I mean, how dare they mimic the very interface I trust to manage my hosting! It's like a virtual Trojan horse, sneaking into my cyber citadel under the guise of urgency and authenticity. These parasites must think they're so clever, playing mind games with innocent email recipients like me. But here's the thing – I'm not biting. I'm not falling for their phishing expedition. Do they really think I'll just mindlessly surrender my login credentials, like I'm handing out candy on Halloween? News flash, scammers: I'm not your average digital dunce. I've got my wits about me, and I'm not about to let you infiltrate my fortress of security. It's a never-ending game of cat and mouse, and unfortunately, it's the unsuspecting users who find themselves ensnared in the web of deceit. So here's to the parasites of the digital realm, the phishing scammers who thrive on the misery of others. May their schemes be exposed, their digital lairs dismantled, and may they one day realize the futility of their actions. Nice try, but no cigar you goose! I'm not your prey, and my inbox is not your playground. Take your deceitful links elsewhere because this user is not taking the bait! You see, you're up against someone who has fortified their cyber defenses to the max. Do you really think that after all the blood, sweat, and tears I've poured into securing my digital kingdom, I'm going to let you waltz in with your amateur phishing attempts? Think again. Even if, by some stretch of your feeble imagination, I were to entertain the idea of entering my password into your dodgy imitation cPanel login, good luck getting past my two-factor authentication. It's like trying to pick a lock with a spaghetti noodle – not happening. I've got an extra layer of security standing guard, and it's not interested in your cheap tricks. Oh, and did I mention my local and cloud firewalls? Yeah, those are like the impenetrable walls of my cyber fortress, standing tall and strong. You're not breaching that defense. It's like trying to storm the gates of Helm's Deep with a water pistol – futile and laughable. And let's not forget about , my digital bouncer that ensures only the authorized VIPs get past the velvet rope. You think you can just stroll in and cause havoc? Think again. Cloudflare has locked down my login access to a single IP, and you, my friend, are not on the guest list. Cloudflare Even when I send emails, I've got my tracks covered. The sending IP is hidden, wrapped up tighter than a birthday present. You won't find a trace because I've taken the necessary precautions to make sure my digital footprint is as elusive as a ninja in the night. My Personal Message To All Phishing Scammers Alright, listen up, you despicable bottom-feeders, you phishing scam artists. I've got a bone to pick with you, and trust me, it's not going to be a pleasant conversation. You, with your deceitful tactics and predatory schemes, preying on unsuspecting individuals like vultures circling a wounded animal. First and foremost, let's talk about your lack of morals. What kind of person wakes up in the morning and thinks, "You know what sounds like a great idea? Ruining someone else's life for my personal gain!" Your twisted sense of ethics is not only appalling but also a testament to the sorry state of humanity. How do you sleep at night, knowing that you've contributed absolutely nothing positive to the world? And let's not forget your so-called "skills." Oh, bravo, you can send out mass emails, create fake websites, and mimic legitimate organizations. Give yourself a pat on the back for being a tech-savvy leech on society. But let me make something clear – your so-called talent doesn't make you clever or sophisticated; it just makes you a cowardly weasel hiding behind a computer screen. Now, let's talk about the damage you cause. You not only steal people's hard-earned money but also their trust and sense of security. You exploit vulnerabilities, leaving victims in financial ruin and emotional distress. How does it feel to be the cause of someone's sleepless nights, anxiety attacks, and shattered sense of trust in the online world? But here's the thing, despite your pathetic attempts to hide behind the anonymity of the internet, you are not invincible. The long arm of justice is relentless, and as technology advances, so does the ability to track down and prosecute scumbags like you. It's only a matter of time before you're caught in the web you've woven. Dear Phishing scammers, you are the lowest of the low. Your actions are not just criminal; they are a blight on the digital landscape. The internet should be a space for progress, connectivity, and positive change, not a breeding ground for parasites like you. So, do us all a favor – find a more productive use of your time, preferably one that doesn't involve ruining the lives of innocent people. So, to you, Mr. Worthless Waste of Space, and all your phishing accomplices, good luck trying to crack this nut. You've chosen the wrong target, and my cyber defenses are like an impenetrable shield against your feeble attempts. In a world brimming with opportunities, these phishing toss pots choose the path of deception, revealing the true extent of their intellectual shortcomings. In the grand tapestry of the internet, let them be nothing more than a footnote – a cautionary tale for those who dare to navigate the virtual waters.

Phishing Scammers – The Bottom Feeders Of The Digital World

Fifty years ago, staying with the same company for your entire career was the dream. Start from the bottom, enjoy a few promotions along the way, and rely on stability over all else. Ambition was still around, sure, but most people would recommend against including a job on if you were there for less than two years. Job hopping was considered a red flag, a sign of employer dissatisfaction. “There must be something wrong with them,” they’d think. your resume Not anymore. Millennials (of which I am one) notoriously keep their eyes open for new opportunities. Only even expect to be in their current position a year from now. half of them In my , a music industry executive who has worked at basically every record company you’ve ever heard of, we discussed never staying in the same place for very long. recent conversation with Benny Pough Benny works from a single principle: “Once you’ve maximized what you can give or what you can get—move on.” That sounds great from an employee perspective. But what about the CEOs and entrepreneurs desperately trying to retain their best people? There are ways around that too. Let’s talk about it. A shifting mindset Let’s go back 50 years to the 1970s, a time of bell bottoms, disco music, and a sense of steady job security. At the start of the decade, the world was buzzing with optimism, and employees felt confident in a job market that offered opportunities for long-lasting, stable careers. But a severe oil crisis and soaring inflation led to plummeting profits and once-healthy manufacturing sectors riddled with uncertainty. As companies scrambled to cut costs and stay afloat, they discovered that they could outsource and offshore jobs to countries with lower labor costs. Seemingly overnight, workers saw their once rock-solid careers vanish, replaced by a growing sense of insecurity. The idea of holding onto a position instead of using it as a springboard was widespread. But it wouldn’t last. By the 1990s, as Millenials entered the workforce, in the United States and Canada started normalizing. perceived job stability This improving sense of led ambitious young employees to start not only hopping jobs but entire industries and sectors. You weren’t tied to a single skill, and the idea of lifelong learning took hold. job security The influence of tech Today, people are more concerned than ever about staying on the cutting edge of technology. Because every industry is constantly adapting and innovating, the fear of being left behind—coupled with the rapid change in the tech landscape—has significantly influenced workers' career paths. You can’t be tethered to a single company for decades and remain relevant, competitive, and employable. Job loyalty vs. career loyalty It’s created an interesting dichotomy between job and career loyalty. You used to be loyal if you stayed at the same company; now you are if you stay in the same industry. Software developers, aerospace engineers, or executive chefs. All three can show loyalty by staying in their respective sector but aren’t expected to be in the same role for long. Gig economies While the gig economy has undoubtedly been a boon for those seeking flexibility and diverse career experiences, it has also left many workers with little choice but to hop from role to role in search of stability. This constant hustle can significantly impact transportation, hospitality, and creative workers. For some, holding onto a traditional full-time job with benefits and long-term security is almost impossible. As companies adopt new business models centered around freelancers, contractors, and part-time employees to reduce overhead costs and increase flexibility, workers traverse a series of short-term roles. While this offers the opportunity to gain diverse experiences and develop a broad skill set, it often comes at the cost of stability and peace of mind. Embracing instability That might sound scary, but there are ways to turn it into a positive. For savvy workers, hopping from role to role can become a strategic career move—using short-term positions and projects as launching pads to propel their upward career trajectory. Embracing instability involves a proactive, adaptable mindset, relishing the chance to gain new skills, expand your network, and diversify your experiences. Don’t fight it; dig in As Benny put it, "Become a student of the game." When entering a new role or project, take the initiative to learn as much as possible about your new surroundings—not just the specifics of your position but also the industry, the competition, and emerging trends. Absorbing this knowledge and staying ahead of the curve allows you to offer unique, invaluable insights that set you apart from others. Diversify your arsenal Seek out mentors and connections wherever you go. Building relationships with thought leaders, innovative colleagues, and experienced professionals at each pitstop in your career journey enriches your professional network and opens doors to new opportunities. Instead of limiting yourself to a specific niche, broaden your horizons by exploring different aspects of your field and learning complementary skills. This versatility makes you more adaptable and widens your career move possibilities. Invest in yourself More than anything else, I see each opportunity as a chance for personal and professional growth. Invest in yourself by continuously expanding your skillset through on-the-job experiences, online courses, or certifications. Observe and analyze how your industry is evolving and capitalize on those insights to ensure you are always one step ahead. Build a personal brand I know, “personal brand” is a buzzword that causes a few wrinkled noses. But I don’t mean buying Instagram followers. Use your unique experiences and expertise to craft a compelling narrative highlighting your adaptability, creativity, and value. Share your story within your industry’s community to assert your presence, gain recognition, and find new opportunities. Networking is to get ahead, even if it’s done a little differently these days. still one of the best ways Lessons from the other side It’s not just ambitious young professionals reading this newsletter, though. We need to talk about it from the other perspective; how to prevent the loss of top talent and avoid constantly trying to recruit replacements. The art of retaining skilled team members is no longer about preventing them from leaving. Instead, it is about creating a corporate culture that fosters career growth, promoting an environment where employees feel empowered to learn, grow, and succeed. Building development strategies By establishing a reputation as a company that nurtures talent, the organization becomes an attractive destination for skilled professionals, thus creating a self-sustaining cycle of high-quality recruitment and retention. To build this reputation, you have to invest in employees' personal and professional development. Provide resources and opportunities for your team members to hone their skills, explore their passions, and continuously evolve within their chosen fields. Adapt and innovate No one chases a job at the stuffy 100-year firm with brown walls and cubicles (even if it is as stable as it gets). Encourage employees to think creatively, take risks, and embrace diverse perspectives. By doing so, you create a stimulating work environment and empower your team members to push their boundaries and unlock their full potential. This approach can lead to groundbreaking ideas and solutions that drive personal success and company growth. The work-life balance equation Nearly would choose a better work-life balance over better pay. Only 15% would chase the better paycheck. two-thirds of American workers definitely Let that sink in for a second. You can’t just offer money anymore. Remote work, flexible schedules, and robust time off policies are changing how the average worker expects to be treated. If you allow your team enough time outside the office to pursue their passion, they may not be so quick to look for something new. Remove the ceiling (glass or otherwise) If you’ve skimmed along to this point—stop. This is the most important part of the whole newsletter. Vital to retaining and attracting top talent is ensuring that all employees, regardless of gender, race, sexuality, or background, have equal opportunities for advancement and success within the company. The ability to rise through the ranks without encountering insurmountable barriers makes your organization more attractive to a diverse talent pool. It leads to a more inclusive, engaged, and productive workforce. That doesn’t mean just interviewing all candidates. It means putting systems and procedures in place to protect their candidacy. Even you—yes, you, who are reading this thinking, “I have no biases”—need to have checks in place to ensure you’re providing fair opportunity. Things like: Adopt blind recruitment and establish fair promotion criteria to eliminate potential evaluation biases. Bias-free hiring and promotion: Establish mentorship and sponsorship initiatives that actively promote career development for employees from diverse backgrounds. Mentorship and sponsorship programs: Regularly provide diversity and inclusion training to all employees, emphasizing the importance of an inclusive work environment and equal opportunities for advancement. Diversity and inclusion training: Incorporate 360-degree feedback in performance reviews, ensuring that employees receive feedback from multiple perspectives, helping to minimize potential biases in evaluations. Inclusive performance review: Communicate clear and transparent career paths for all roles within the company, allowing employees to understand the requirements and expectations for advancement, regardless of their background. Transparent career pathways: It also means getting out of the way if you’re the one blocking advancement. You should be hoping to make yourself redundant by growing employees who can do everything you can—but better. Final thoughts Maybe 50 years from now, these ideas will have completely flipped once again. Maybe a 40-year career with one company will once again be the goal that everyone strives for. But right now, if you put your employees in a holding pattern, you will lose them. Worse, no one will be waiting to replace them. If you want to hear more from Benny on this subject, or the others we touched on in our hour-long talk, head over to . He had some remarkable insight into deconstructing masculinity and fatherhood, something I might want to touch on in a future newsletter (once I fully grasp it myself). the Success Story YouTube page Otherwise, that’s all I have for now. Talk again next week! If you enjoyed this article, I’d love to hear from you. Also published here.

Knowing When to Call it Quits: The Power of Letting Go and Moving On

Hey there, tech nerds! Grab your glasses and hold onto your keyboards. We're diving into the world of (LCDPs)! Picture this - creating apps with the least amount of manual coding possible. With a visual interface so easy, even your grandma could do it. Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? But like all things in life, LCDPs have their ups and downs. So, buckle up as we're about to embark on a rollercoaster of benefits, drawbacks, technical jargon, use cases, and best practices! Low-Code Development Platforms Benefits of Low-Code Development Platforms LCDPs are like a turbo boost for your application development race. They reduce the pitstops (read: manual coding), letting you zoom straight from ideation to deployment. Imagine the satisfaction of seeing your app go live while your competitors are still debugging their code! But that's not all. LCDPs can slash your development and maintenance costs like a ninja. Less code means fewer bugs and less time debugging, giving your developers more time to binge-watch their favorite series. Netflix LCDPs are also your secret weapon to bridge the gap between your tech team and the business folks. They can collaborate and contribute directly to the development process. No more miscommunications, just smooth sailing. Drawbacks of Low-Code Development Platforms Now, onto the dark side of LCDPs. While these platforms let you speed past your coding tasks, they can also put a damper on your creative coding spree. Customization and complex functionalities often take a backseat. You might also feel like you've sold your soul to the platform provider. Any changes they make can ripple through your development process and might even break your apps. Talk about a nightmare! Moreover, LCDPs might not be able to keep up when your business needs go from 0 to 100. They can also give you a serious headache when it comes to security and compliance issues. And let's not forget about vendor lock-in. You may find yourself trapped in a platform that's as hard to leave as your favorite bed on a Monday morning. Technical Details of Low-Code Development Platforms LCDPs are a tech lover's playground. They've got drag-and-drop interfaces, pre-built components, and visual modeling tools. It's like playing with LEGO blocks but for apps! From OutSystems to Mendix to Microsoft Power Apps, there's a platform for every tech enthusiast. Whether you're aiming for a quick and dirty automation solution or crafting an intricate enterprise app, there's a platform out there that's got your back. Use Cases for Low-Code Development Platforms LCDPs are a godsend in industries where time is of the essence. Healthcare, finance, retail - you name it! One minute you could be building a patient management system, and the next, an inventory management application. It's like being a coding superhero, saving the business day in, day out! VI. Best Practices for Low-Code Development Platforms Choosing the right LCDP is like picking the right weapon for a boss fights in a video game. You need to weigh up the capabilities, usability, integration potential, and scalability of each platform. And remember, every boss fight requires a strategy. So, know what you're up against, plan your moves, and be aware of the potential pitfalls. Conclusion LCDPs are like a double-edged sword. On one side, you've got speed, cost-efficiency, and collaboration. Conversely, you've got limitations, vendor dependence, and security concerns. But one thing's for sure, LCDPs are making waves in the tech industry. So, strap in and enjoy the ride!

A Wild Ride Through Low-Code Development Platforms: Speed, Thrills, and Spills

Data self-service, the ability for stakeholders in the organization to answer their own business questions with data, is a top initiative for nearly every data leader I’ve spoken to this year. It’s so foundational to creating a data-driven organization, that most of the questions surrounding its focus on the “when” rather than the “why.” That’s why we were surprised to hear it became such a passionate debate at our New York IMPACT event, which included some of the area’s top data leaders working on some of the most complex challenges facing our industry today. When we asked a member of our panel what they were struggling with the most, a data engineering leader at a multi-billion dollar company with a modern stack said: “I am drowning in from the business.” ad-hoc questions They weren’t alone! Everyone in the room started scribbling notes–clearly the panel had struck a nerve. So we posed the question, “is self-service a lie?” It immediately divided the room and evoked strong opinions. Even on our three-person panel, we were deadlocked with one person agreeing, one disagreeing, and one rejecting the premise of the question entirely. This is an important question with real ramifications as self-service is at the core of two of the hottest trends in data: the and the decentralization of the data team. data mesh In this post, we will showcase both sides, and leave it to you, dear reader, to determine what makes the most sense for your organization. Let’s start by hearing from the prosecution. Self-Serve Is A Lie The argument goes something like this. The number of questions that people can come up with is truly infinite. The very nature of data, and really the scientific method in general if you want to get grandiose (we do), is the minute you present the answer to one question, it sparks another. And for those who have spent any time working on a data team, you know the inevitable way the business operates is that an executive needs an answer to a very particular question –and you are the path of least resistance. now Of course, the inevitable emergence of the data question fire drill is not entirely the fault of our data-consuming colleagues. Let’s be honest with ourselves. Data engineers have a love / hate relationship with being a . data wrangler For example, one customer told me, “10% of my job is answering questions about our data and I hate that part of my job” while another one said they really enjoyed being the go-to source for data decisions. It’s a matter of perspective and degrees. No one enjoys being interrupted and being asked a million questions or . really treated like a data catalog On the other hand, deep down, do we love being the smartest person in the room? Do we take some professional pride in being the go-to star who can swoop in to put out fires and save the day? Does that stunt some of the natural inclinations of data consumers toward self-service? sometimes Well, it’s complicated. But, perhaps the most compelling argument regarding self-service as one of data’s biggest lies is the potential for it blowing up in your face. Everyone who has worked in data has had that moment where they thought they gave a consumer enough context to empower them to complete their project, only to then have that person do something completely unexpected and egregious with the data (with the best of intentions, of course). So instead of spending 20 minutes directly holding their hand, you pointed them in the self-serve direction and now you’re working late re-doing their work. For example, my colleague worked at a company with a CEO that was very involved with the data, which was a tremendous benefit. As they grew from a 50 to a 500-person company, the CEO by necessity was pulled in many different directions and couldn’t be as close to the data as they used to be. When the CEO (admirably!) went to do a bunch of analyses directly and pull data for board slides, they hadn’t realized the data they once knew well had changed. The slides ended up pretty far from reality and had to be redone just hours before the board meeting. This type of story is common and can happen with even the most benign and standardized data. For example, could have a batch of data that accidentally double surveyed the same people or had the wrong time window due to one large historical load into a table creating wrong timestamps. Or they could simply be using an older, deprecated table. NPS survey data Self-Serve Is The Truth Now it’s time to hear from the defense. The argument goes something like… If perfect is the bar you need to clear, then you will never start any data initiative. And just like your will never be perfect, neither will your self-service mechanisms. And despite this realization, you still need to make the effort, otherwise you’ll have larger problems on your hands. marketing attribution formula If you don’t at least try to implement a self-service motion, you will need to start initiatives from scratch every time you lose a data engineer with that particular bit of tribal knowledge. That can’t scale. Besides, it’s not just the destination that has value, but the journey itself. Along the self-service path are the pitstops of data documentation, literacy, discovery, and quality. All incredibly important to an organization in their own right. We’ve also seen that centralized data teams are far from perfect. Often it’s the domain analysts who are closest to the data who can be the most effective and wring the most value from it. Finally, if there was ever a time to invest in self-service it would be today with all the tools available across the modern data stack. The cloud data warehouses and lakes make data access easier than ever while tools, like platforms, that automatically collect and surface up-to-date lineage and metadata provide more context than ever before. Tools such as and truly democratize data so the less technically skilled stakeholders can model and query data without the use of code respectively. data observability dbt ThoughtSpot Not only is self-service possible, but it’s an absolutely necessary exercise for the organization to agree to common standards, definitions, and metrics so they can actually become data-driven. Verdict: Iterate and let the business help you help them With self-service, as with many things in data, it’s about the definitions you create and where you draw the line. In fact, it’s rarely the case that self-service needs to be defined as every person in the company being able to answer every question they can think up without having to involve anyone in data engineering. If that’s the case, where do you draw the line between those that need a higher level of self-service or direct data access from those that don’t? The consensus that emerged on the panel was data analysts are going to form the bedrock of your self-service and data democratization efforts. It’s important they are or They need to be both equipped and empowered to answer the questions they field as they sit closest to the business. become fluent in writing SQL. Unfortunately, there is often a wide gap between the engineering and analyst teams. Ironically, self-service initiatives can actually exacerbate that distance and so careful forethought needs to be given to the process of ensuring data producers and engineers are still communicating and staying close to their customers. One popular strategy for bridging this chasm is to leverage analytics engineers to serve as the layer between your messy, behind-the-scenes production database and the data consumer-facing data warehouse or instance where the cleanest, most documented data lives for wider exploration. Another solution is to train data consumers to leverage what is typically an unused goldmine of information about a company’s data: Slack. A quick Slack search for a table name before asking a question can save tons of time. We also recommend your self-service platform and customer base start small. On the platform side that could mean certifying tables for self-service or leveraging a . data product framework On the customer base side, just like self-service doesn’t require everyone at the company to write SQL queries, it also doesn’t mean everyone across the data team needs the same level of service. As former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden said, “Fairness is giving all people the treatment they earn and deserve. It doesn’t mean treating everyone alike.” In other words, there are going to be some domains that are more mature and require more self-service capabilities than others. Start with one team, make them deliriously happy, and scale from there. Finally, another self-service approach worth considering is to flip the traditional paradigm on its head and start with your data consumers first. Work with them to understand their needs, write a , create data SLAs and deliver the data pre-modeled. data contract Ultimately, if we MUST preside as the judge in this courtroom, we’ll declare that self-service is a worthwhile endeavor and an obtainable goal for most data teams. But, we’ll also concede it’s a good idea to understand that reality will dictate those last-minute ad-hoc requests will never be eliminated and it’s better to have a process to accommodate them than force everything into a self-serve world. What do you think? This article was co-written with Francisco Alberini. Also Published Here

Can Your Organization's Data Ever Really Be Self-Service?

Skyrim’s come a long way in the last decade. Thanks to its extensive modding community, there are thousands of  new things to add to the game such as Skyrim weapons, magic and even . Just about every part of the game can be modified and expanded on to varying degrees letting every playthrough be as different as you want it to be. Skyrim’s combat mods are no different and have a massive impact on the game. So, if you’re wondering what to pick for your next playthrough, just keep reading. body mods 1. Wildcat - Combat of Skyrim by EnaiSiaion EnaiSiaion/Skyrim Nexus Wildcat is one of several Skyrim Combat mods that offer a comprehensive combat overhaul for Skyrim in a single mod. The general aim of the mod is to improve Skyrim’s combat experience by making it more difficult and more complex. The stamina system has been adjusted to add costs for the various actions one might take in combat such as swinging a sword or drawing an arrow. This adds weight to the combat by discouraging mindless spamming at enemies and adds tension to combat. This is taken a step further by the improved enemy AI that has been made more aggressive and the injury system which makes prolonged fights more dangerous as the risk of taking a massive injury is never far away. Special mention should be given to the configurability this mod brings. The Mod Configuration Menu is expansive enough to let you tweak its many features to provide you with just the right experience and helps it work with any other mods you would want. The mod author, EnaiSiaion has released multiple overhauls which work together. We covered . Odin, his Skyrim magic mod Download here: | Skyrim Skyrim SE 2. TK HitStop by tktk1 tktk1/Skyrim Nexus Skyrim’s melee combat often feels like the Dragonborn is using an uncooked hot dog as their weapon of choice as they slap their enemies repeatedly with very little feedback. TK HitStop addresses this by adding a short and subtle pause and shake to the camera whenever a blow is landed. This effect adds the illusion of weight to each swing and adds a degree of tension that makes combat feel more satisfying. This mod is lightweight, meaning that it is unlikely to cause problems for your game once installed and is a must-have. Download here: | Skyrim Skyrim SE 3. TK Dodge by tktk1 Dodging has become a mainstay in modern melee combat and is something that is lacking in Skyrim’s dated system. Out of all the Skyrim Combat mod options out there TK Dodge is one of the oldest ones and just works well. It can be effectively customised through a MCM menu, though there really isn’t much to say about it. If you want to dodge, you can’t go wrong with this. Download here: | Skyrim Skyrim SE 4. Combat Gameplay Overhaul by dservant dservant/Skyrim Nexus This Skyrim Combat Mod isn’t meant to change damage values or altering perks. Instead, CGO is all about changing the options you get in combat. It’s an all-in-one mod that combines commonly modded features such as dodge rolling, switching between one- and two- handed grips and dual wield blocking. It even comes with some altered animations In practice, it changes the way your combat plays out completely by giving you more defensive options through the dodge roll and dual wield blocking (which also works with channeling magic in your off-hand) letting you avoid or reduce damage in previously impossible ways. It’s hard to describe the way it has changed the way combat works by simply listing out the features. Suffice it to say, it will shake up the way you will approach combat with its many features, especially in third person. Download here: | Skyrim Skyrim SE 5. Archery Gameplay Overhaul by DServant DServant/Skyrim Nexus This mod, as the name suggests, overhauls Skyrim’s archery system from the stiff nocking and drawing to something much more modern. New animations create a faster, more fluid feeling by almost halving the time needed to draw an arrow and by having archers move with an arrow nocked in the bow when the weapon is drawn, as opposed to walking around with the arm flopping about weakly as vanilla skyrim does. The mod also adds new mechanics like enchanted arrows that give yet more things for you to spend your resources on while letting you get a little closer to being Hawkeye. One particularly interesting mechanic is the change to arrows that have them remain stuck in targets, forcing them to bleed so long as an arrow remains lodged in them. It adds enough consequence to discourage players from turning into pincushions. Download here: | Skyrim Skyrim SE 6. Attack Behavior Revamp by BOTuser999 and NickNack BOTuser999/Skyrim Nexus Changing mechanics, giving weight to attacks and adding options for the player to use are all well and good but they don’t actually change the way the player can attack. Attack Behavior Revamp does. Unlike other Skyrim combat mods that change gameplay, this one adds new animations in conjunction with a new combo system for the player to take advantage of to change how Skyrim’s combat feels. Instead of the simple left-right swipe and power attack moves available to the player, this mod goes further, adding 10 new combos and inputs to use including a basic five-hit combo, directional power attacks and even complicated combos that weave animations together. This mod takes itself a step further by adding custom animations for some of Skyrim’s more unique weapon mods such as a rendition of . You can even add your own animations to the game through ABR which can be helpful, if time consuming. Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir Unfortunately, Skyrim was never meant to be played this way. The mod works, but it can feel clunky in the middle of combat. ABR is compatible and is partially designed around CGO. Personally, I think they should be used together. Download: Skyrim SE 7. Maximum Carnage by D-Won A key part of the combat experience is what happens once someone loses the fight. In vanilla Skyrim, we can see people fall over in some funny ways or enter Nirn’s orbit. With Maximum Carnage installed, we can see them get absolutely demolished. Maces split skulls, swords spill guts and spells leave charred remains behind. This mod really isn’t for the faint of heart but it can make things more satisfying. It doesn't always work well though. Some finishers added by the mod Violens add some strange interactions such as a curb stomp causing the stomach to somehow rupture and let the guts out. Download: | Skyrim Skyrim SE 8. Inpa Sekiro Combat by InpaSkyrim The video above has some animation mods loaded that aren’t included with the mod. Inpa Sekiro Combat overhauls Skyrim’s combat to an imitation of FromSoftware’s legendary Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. As someone who’s never shut up about Glock Saint Isshin, I can say that it comes as close as it can. The sounds and visual effects are basically the same as Sekiro’s which means that it looks and feels as satisfying as the game itself. The animations don’t carry over but that’s easily fixed. Attack Behavior Revamp is helpful in that respect. Gameplay wise, stamina has been reworked into Sekiro’s posture system. Blocking attacks will gradually fill the bar. Once filled, the victim is an NPC, they would be left open to a killmove. If it happens to you, enemies will have a window to batter you. It works in practice, only that I felt that combat was just a frame too slow to react in time. It might have because I had one too many scripts going and had some script lag. A latency tester did show me I was about the same as a stripped-down mod list that was just the mods needed for this mod to work well. I have no clue if it’s just me. Despite my slight issues with the mod, I still had plenty of fun duelling a bandit chief on a tower in the rain. Felt like I was back in Ashina Castle. Give it a shot if you like punishing gameplay, though you’ll want to find some animation mods to get the combat a little more fluid. And a dodge mod, but we have you covered for that one. Download: Skyrim SE FreeStyle Katana Kustom by elysees This mod is truly absurd. It adds new combat abilities that are practically taken out of anime. At a press of a button and at the cost of some magicka, you can spin and unleash magical slashes around you. It looks glorious, lets you damage enemies in a circle around you and might kill your companion if you aren’t careful. Sorry Lydia. Download: Skyrim SE Death Alternative - Your Money or Your Life by BralorMarr BralorMarr/Skyrim Nexus Winning is cool and all but what happens when you die? Don’t ask Loverslab. Take this combat mod instead. When you run out of health, you are put into a state where NPCs might take your equipment, drag you off to jail or leave you out in the woods. No more throwing yourself into impossible odds until you win. You’ll need to take combat much more seriously now. Download: | Skyrim Skyrim SE Final thoughts on these Skyrim Combat Mods These five mods will certainly make your next playthrough different and hopefully in a good way. Skyrim’s original combat style is functional but not complicated. These mods should change that for you and give you a brand new experience, if you haven’t used these before. More in Gaming: Is the Pokemon Hidden Fates Elite Trainer Box Worth Investment? Warframe Kuva Lich Guide: How to Make them Experience Requiem Back 4 Blood Trailer Details Unique Game Director AI & Card System

10 Skyrim Combat Mods Well Worth Installing

The sports drama Ford vs Ferrari teaches a lot about product leadership especially the “4 P's”: Product, People, Place and (I replaced Promotion with Pitch) Pitch The movie is an inspiration to watch from product aspect, though the story is about car racing enduring 24 hours car race – Le mans, France, I believe it is about building solid product and leadership that wins over the competition. Warning: Mild spoilers ahead. Pitch In the opening scenes, the movie talks about how Ford Jr wants innovation in his units and asks his men to come up with ideas. One executive, Lee Lococca passionately pitches that they have been thinking wrong and insists on building a product that could inspire customers. He also says that Enzo Ferrari will go down in the history as the greatest manufacturer not because Ferrari produces more cars but due to the fact Ferrari means “Victory and Speed”. Though Ford Jr was reluctant to accept this, he listened to Lococca’s passionate pitch and let his team pursue the objectives. Convincing others to believe the problem statement we are selling is great skill to possess. Pitching to your potential customers or investors or your team is critical in selling your ideas and making the team work for you as you get only one chance to make good impression and it has to be right the first time. The key to pitch is about self-analysis, detail orientation, focus and presenting fluidly and confidently to audiences. The pitch was attention grabbing, clear, single-minded and highlighted benefits setting foundation for others to believe in the problem statement and way forward to Ford. People Apart from top notch acting, the movie shows the elements of a successful team such as: skills, trust, leadership, culture, communication, adapting best practices, making decisions, creative problem solving, and commitment, amongst few more. Culture Ford has a corporate culture and Shelby's is individualism with entrepreneur skillset.  Both teams understand that to win Le Mans speed is critical, and their car should be faster than whatever Ferrari shows up with that year. This results in creating a culture prompting both teams come together to build a winning product. Choosing a Team When Lococca approaches Shelby to build a car in 90 days time that can win the Le Mans, Lococca knows Shelby can build a car since Shelby won Le Mans race and builds high performance cars for a living. He approaches a person with right skills to build a product. Shelby chooses Miles who is passionate to win car race and has a skill behind the wheels to control car at high speeds. The skills of Shelby and Miles are demonstrated successfully upon which trust is built. They both knew when to push the car at 7K RPM and control the car when needed. Trust A leader will have to pick his team and support his team in challenging situation. Ford Jr trusts Shelby and grants autonomy to build a car even when they failed in their first attempt at Le Mans. Similarly, Shelby demands that Miles should be included in the team if they would like win the race even when Leo Beebe Head of Car Racing at Ford dislikes Miles for being “too pure, or rather, not a Ford driver”. Leadership is about trust and taking risks in a calculated manner. Ford Jr, Shelby and Miles trusted each other. Leadership is all about choosing a winning a team and empowering them to reach the objectives. Adapting Best Practices In the Daytona car racing, the Shelby team learns that another Ford Team has a “faster pitstop” as they are using NASCAR team. When we look outside our work area creativity improves and we learn better things, this happens in organization where they adapt success stories from market leaders, it is better to look outside for inspiration and adapt best practices saving time and reinventing things. Commitment The team is highly committed, when Leo Beebe asks Miles to slow down thinking it would be great to show all three Fords coming at same time Miles does it, he is satisfied and thankful for participating in Le Mans even though he was laps ahead of other Ford and coming second in the race. Miles would win easily as he had complete support from Shelby but showed great team commitment and gratitude. The team that builds products should be highly committed and self motivated to achieve the objectives. Product Building product start with a vision and strategy. Shelby’s team build a product with an objective of winning the race, this shared vision brought in ideas to improve the product and create "Speed, a value proposition" at Le Mans. No need to build new products always, we can leverage the existing one and make it better. We spend lot of time on a new product that is not sustainable in the long term and key is understanding the product market fitment, this is a vital to success. Shelby never compromised on Speed, team did everything to ensure their car is faster than what model Ferrari will be driving at Le Mans. Shelby’s team assess the GT40 Mk I and improves car by understanding all of the design flaws, the team studies technology behind the car and address aero dynamism problems to improve its performance. A Product team will need to understand the technology that goes into building the product, this understanding will let them to fine tune the products as per needs and make it suitable for customers. The product should be tested very well and any weakness is identified team to come up with a mitigation plan - Shelby did the same, they knew brakes had problems and must be replaced when needed. Knowing the strength and weakness of your product helps to position the product rightly. Place Building products can be easy at times, an engineering team can be good and can get creative but understanding the market is key to success. The market has seen great companies fall when they fail to respond to the ever-changing demands. Shelby’s team know what it takes to win Le Mans, it is a 24 hours endurance car racing, winner covers maximum distance without mechanical failure in 24 hours. The team studied the rules very well and played by books pushing the competition to limits and kept pressure on Ferrari until Ferraris faced mechanical failure and dropped out from race, this lets all top three positions taken by Ford cars. The movie shows how competitor creates a disruption with a new product, Ferrari didn’t have problems that year, Ford-Shelby triumphed as they built a solid product, team trusted each other, understood the problem area and pushed the competition to limits that costed Ferrari the championship. Conclusion In today’s world we have many new players threatening market leaders, the market appreciates those who understand demands and agile in creating winning culture. Ford still remains the only American car company to win 4 time at Le Mans. Ford is highest selling sports cars in 4 seat category and sold over 10 million sports cars - phenomenal achievement and trust created in the market. Many thanks for reading this far. Previously published here . Lead image by Felix Mittermeier on Unsplash.

‘Ford Vs. Ferrari’: A Film About Product Leadership Lessons

Why (and how) our startup spends $10K on our annual retreat

Ferrari F1 Pitstop https://youtu.be/aHSUp7msCIE?t=30s Want your product teams to function with the focus of Formula 1 pit crews? It’s magical when you stop wasted time, avoid wasted decisions, and perform at elite levels as a product team. First, here’s what a great F1 pit stop looks like (23 people changing 4 tires in 2 seconds) Ferrari F1 Pit Stop Mesmerizing. While product teams have a lot more variability in most of their work, I’ve learned key lessons for product teams from studying formula 1 pit stops. These lessons illustrate why help product teams perform at elite levels. sprints 1. Everyone knows their role All team members know their role, what is within their control, and what others depend on them for. No one is standing around wondering what’s going on or how they can contribute. Key question: Can you describe your role? What are you accountable for? 2. Flow is important Knowing the goal, knowing the process. These are important to get and stay in a state of flow. The perfect pit stop is fluid compared what most of us experience when we need to change a tire — lots of awkwardness, pausing and wondering, obvious that we don’t do this often, etc. Key question: Where aren’t you fluid? What could you do to better get into flow? 3. The driver isn’t the star This is about a team functioning as a single unit. Support is critical. HR, IT, marketing … all support functions are critical to building great products. If a pm or dev has to take half a day to fix some benefits issue or has a computer issue that IT can’t get to because they are backlogged, that impacts the team. Just because someone is the driver doesn’t mean others aren’t critical to making sure everything runs smoothly. Key question: Do you support your support team? 4. Focus on the right thing at the right time Practice is critical. Everyone knows their job and knows what needs to happen. give you stability and clear process so that you can focus on the unknown. Sprints i.e. If you spend hours doing releases, you’re wasting time. There’s a better way (please read any post/ on devops). It’s like you’re a pit crew from the 50’s (see the video below). book Key question: Are you wasting time on a process that happens weekly or monthly? 5. Prioritize “Fewer things, done better” was our mantra at LinkedIn. Easy to say and very hard to do. One key ingredient of great pit stops is only doing a few things. Limit what you’re doing to increase speed and accomplish the goal (get back out on the track). They used to refuel, but no longer do. Removing that step was a major piece of getting to the 2-second pit stops of today. Key question: What can you stop doing? 6. Preparation A woodsman was once asked, “What would you do if you had just five minutes to chop down a tree?” He answered, “I would spend the first two and a half minutes sharpening my axe.” Let us take a few minutes to sharpen our perspective. — Anonymous Woodsman (not Abraham Lincoln) ( source ) Toyota made its system great by working on the system. Spending more time on infrastructure is key. That’s what formula 1 pit crews have done exceedingly well. They have the right tools, right training, right communication, etc. Everything has been planned and tweaked. And if someone said “hey, I think I know a way we could do this better,” I am sure everyone would take a second to listen. “Poor preparation is a lousy excuse for a last-minute selfish frenzy. That frenzy distracts us from doing it right the next time.” Seth Godin Also related to preparation, great teams use retrospectives. The best retrospectives are small (only the members of a close team) and many times have only the team, not leaders attending. Why? You have to make it safe to bring up flaws. That is a very difficult environment to create. But done well, will yield meaningful improvement in the team. Key question: What could you prepare that would give you power during performance time? 7. Make it visual The main job of is safety. management Williams Martini F1 Pit Stop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFwcq5lf0wU These guys are controlling. The crew member at the front is watching everyone do their jobs. He is there to address any problems and control the traffic light. This is similar to the decider in a sprint — they control the light and signal to the rest of the team when needed. Key question: What could you make visible that is currently assumed or hidden? 8. Know evolution can happen This 5 minute video shows 13 formula 1 pit stops from the 50s to 2017. In 1950 the announcer says “Just 67 seconds!” Amazing to think that the best times today are more than 30 times faster. 30x improvement over time may seem crazy, but here’s what Mark Zuckerberg said about the best engineers. “Someone who is exceptional in their role is not just a little better than someone who is pretty good. They are 100 times better.” ( ) NY Times Marc Andreessen pointed out something similar — “The gap between what a highly productive person can do and what an average person can do is getting bigger and bigger. Five great programmers can completely outperform 1,000 mediocre programmers.” ( ) HBR While something may seem great today, there are major breakthroughs to be made. In 20 years, we will look back on how many product teams function today and laugh at the clunkiness of it all. The best product teams today are already making exponential gains in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. This is why growth mindset is key. If we are fixed in our thoughts about what we can do, we may stop at a 67-second pit stop and think we are great. Don’t stop improving. Key question: Is there something you’re already doing well that you could improve more? 9. Failure hurts This is what it looks like when done poorly. For product teams, we have to be careful talking about failure. Even with elite teams, most product ideas won’t create the results you’re looking for. You actually want a decent failure rate when coupled with a healthy learning and testing culture. That means you’re getting closer to knowing what works. The failure you want to avoid on product teams is failure of process. Not that an idea didn’t work. But that it was just executed poorly. A little process, adhered to, can take away the clumsiness of not having a clear problem statement, not involving all functions early enough in the process, getting a top-down edict to build something that’s “already been vetted”, or solutioning too early. One last look at what this can be when done well Key question: What does failure of process cost your team? It’s magical when you stop wasted time and wasted decisions, and perform at elite levels as a product team. Hope these questions are helpful to you and your team. If you really want to geek out about this, watch this full breakdown of a pit stop — Originally published at Sprintwell Want more like this? for a simple, monthly digest email with 3 articles worth reading about technology, family, and success. Sign up

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