Blogroll

Since we’ve looked at reasons someone can be a bad IT manager, let’s look at reasons for good ones. 1. You ask staff opinions about technical concerns before trying to make a decision This is relevant if you’re less technical/current than your staff.  It shows you respect them and are a team player. It’s also smart because […]

Life in the corporate world is hugely affected by managers, so we’ll take a look at ten reasons managers can be terrible.  If you’re a manager, watch out for doing these things and earning a bad reputation. 1. You throw me under the bus Managers are supposed to look out for their staff, not screw them […]

There are two kinds of ignoring: passive and active. Passive Ignoring Passive ignoring is the kind you’re familiar with.  This is when we pretend someone is not actually present.  If they speak, we don’t acknowledge this at all.  It’s as if they said nothing.  We don’t look at them, pretending the seat they’re in is […]

If you have tendonitis, there are a number of remedies to try. You should consult your doctor before doing anything. 1. Rest Sadly, your best remedy is rest.  Avoid using your arms any more than needed and be careful how you use them when you do. Behavior modification is crucial to recovery.  If you keep doing what […]

If you’ve ever thought, “If I kill myself, they’ll be sorry,” you’re not alone.  Teenagers are especially prone to this sort of thinking.  It doesn’t mean that you’re really suicidal.  So then why think it? It has a mollifying effect, meaning it makes us feel better.  Maybe we’re feeling uncared for, so we tell ourselves […]

As someone who’s dealt with tendonitis in both arms for almost two decades, I can assure you this injury isn’t something you want.  If you’re not convinced, here are ten reasons you may not have considered. 1. It can ruin your sex life Your hands can stimulate your partner (or yourself) to great effect – until […]

One problem with the term “learning disabled” is that it can give the impression that you not only can’t learn but that you’ll never accomplish much.  Both LD people and those unaware of what being LD means can assume this. To combat that, and to give hope to any LD people suffering the same low self-esteem […]

There are two kinds of conversational interruption: benign and malignant. Benign Interruption Benign interruption is the kind you’re familiar with.  It happens once in a while.  The person doing it often means to help you along or say something related to what you’re saying.  They mean no harm.  Since it’s technically rude, they will often […]

As someone who mumbled from the time I was in 3rd grade until I was almost 30 years old, I can tell you that my inability to speak clearly met with all sorts of rude responses that only made me more likely to mumble in the future, assuming I dared to try speaking again at […]

In August 1996, a severe tendonitis injury (lateral epicondylitis or “tennis elbow”) suddenly appeared in both of my arms. It had been building for up to three years before finally making its presence known. I’ve been dealing with it ever since, along with a second tendonitis injury (this time medial epicondylitis or “golfer’s elbow”), once again to both […]

The phrase “learning disabled” can mean different things.  To quote the Learning Disabilities Association of America’s website, “Learning disabilities are neurologically-based processing problems. These processing problems can interfere with learning basic skills such as reading, writing and/or math.  They can also interfere with higher level skills such as organization, time planning, abstract reasoning, long or […]

My life of introspection has been a well-kept secret despite it dominating my life and outlook. I spent much of the 1990s pacing around after midnight, in turmoil, and in the dark (literally and figuratively), upset about something awful that family, “friends,” or strangers had just done to me. We all have ideas and expectations […]

Last week we looked at ten signs you’re a “bad” IT recruiter, but there are another ten to go through, so here we go! 1. You give me an attitude about anything or make any negative, personal remarks. This is never okay, even if you feel it’s deserved.  You’re at work and can’t do this, especially […]

Like everyone who has it, I was born with ADD, and it’s permanent.  Technically, the name has changed to ADHD, but that’s misleading for me because I don’t have the “H” – hyperactivity. I’ll be blogging about this because it’s part of my overall story in ways more profound than you’d expect.  I hope to shed […]

I’m learning disabled and have been all my life, as it isn’t curable.  It’s just something you deal with and hopefully learn to overcome – every day.  I’ve decided to start sharing my story to give hope to those dealing with it, either because they’re learning disabled or someone they know, like their child, is.  I’ve […]

In May of 2015, public shaming led a girl to kill herself.  Or so it seems. To sum this up, the 13-year-old girl’s father cut her beautiful long hair off as punishment and videotaped her tearful reaction. Someone else got the video and uploaded it to YouTube.  Izabel Laxamana then killed herself by jumping from […]

Recently I did the Ten Signs You’re a Good Technical Recruiter.  This time we look at ten mistakes technical recruiters can make so that programmers don’t respond favorably (or at all) to job postings and calls/emails.  And what recruiters can do to mitigate these issues. If you have comments, please add them at the end. 1. After receiving […]

If you’re having suicidal thoughts, it will not last forever.  You didn’t always feel this way, and while you might feel this way all the time now, this too shall pass.  It’s important to remember this. When I became suicidal, it followed a mental breakdown, and I felt that I had once been one way […]

If you’re prone to suicidal thoughts, you’ve probably noticed that they come and go, often with depression.  During one of those times when you’re feeling better, do yourself a favor – remove easy means of killing yourself from the places where you live or otherwise spend time.  That way, when the darkness comes upon you […]

In the spring of 2014, a 16 year old girl named Maddie Yates committed suicide after posting a YouTube video in which she stated that she’d be doing the world a favor by killing herself.  I can’t disagree more. I don’t know the first thing about Maddie, but I know this dark thought.  I used […]

Speech is something most people take for granted.  And most of those people have little to no understanding of what life is like for those who can’t do it well for whatever reason.  I can’t speak to everything, as I only know about what I’ve experienced, but I aim to help those with similar problems […]

Due to speech problems, I was isolated and often depressed as a teen, but my suicidal ideation turned serious at 18, when someone betrayed me to play a joke at my expense in front of others who’d gathered to watch me be humiliated.  This caused a mental breakdown (or nervous breakdown), made me believe in God […]

As a professional programmer, I’ve interacted with technical recruiters for over fifteen years and have noticed that the good ones share certain traits.  Here are things I like in a recruiter, in no particular order: 1. You send me an email with the following info in the very first one: A job description A fairly specific location […]

Yesterday I launched the site, a new Twitter account, and a Facebook page. Whew! The blogs will get rolling quickly as I have a lot to discuss! The book covers and titles you see are just working ones done by yours truly. The real ones, including blurbs, will be up in 2016 as publication approaches. My focus […]