Comments for Fiat Lux http://www.rluxemburg.com It's Latin for "Let there be light" Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:07:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 Comment on Only In San Francisco by seamus http://www.rluxemburg.com/2008/07/19/only-in-san-francisco/#comment-3873 seamus Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:15:54 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1365#comment-3873 The more I think about this, the more I feel bad for the disrespected workers at the sewage plant. The more I think about this, the more I feel bad for the disrespected workers at the sewage plant.

]]> Comment on Open To Growth by Katie Lipka http://www.rluxemburg.com/2008/07/06/open-to-growth/#comment-3869 Katie Lipka Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:54:39 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1361#comment-3869 Hey Rachel, I've been seeing Dr Dweck's name come up a lot recently regarding her work on praising children. Apparently kids who are told they are smart do worse on tests than kids who are told they work really hard. Adults have a tendency to reflexively praise kids and she has shown that that is not necessarily healthy - that falling from the pedestal issue. Fear of proving the adults wrong - that you aren't actually smart. If you try and fail they'll realize you're a fraud. It took me a while to get reflexive praise out of my standard speech to the kids! It's harder than you would think! :) When I was growing up in Berkeley and my dad was teaching at SF State I learned from some very intelligent and successful people that it's not the school you go to, it's what you choose to get out of the experience. Talk to you soon! Hey Rachel,
I’ve been seeing Dr Dweck’s name come up a lot recently regarding her work on praising children. Apparently kids who are told they are smart do worse on tests than kids who are told they work really hard. Adults have a tendency to reflexively praise kids and she has shown that that is not necessarily healthy - that falling from the pedestal issue. Fear of proving the adults wrong - that you aren’t actually smart. If you try and fail they’ll realize you’re a fraud. It took me a while to get reflexive praise out of my standard speech to the kids! It’s harder than you would think! :)

When I was growing up in Berkeley and my dad was teaching at SF State I learned from some very intelligent and successful people that it’s not the school you go to, it’s what you choose to get out of the experience.
Talk to you soon!

]]> Comment on Open To Growth by lux http://www.rluxemburg.com/2008/07/06/open-to-growth/#comment-3757 lux Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:31:46 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1361#comment-3757 @ntsc -- I agree Desert Song has an insipid plot but the two productions I did of it also count as high notes for me -- because the music is f***ing amazing. But getting to the bigger issue, there's the whole process versus product issue of theater (and TV too i daresay). You can love the one without necessarily loving the other. I suspect I'll do a blog post about some of the issues raised in comments here. :) @ntsc — I agree Desert Song has an insipid plot but the two productions I did of it also count as high notes for me — because the music is f***ing amazing. But getting to the bigger issue, there’s the whole process versus product issue of theater (and TV too i daresay). You can love the one without necessarily loving the other.

I suspect I’ll do a blog post about some of the issues raised in comments here. :)

]]> Comment on Open To Growth by ntsc http://www.rluxemburg.com/2008/07/06/open-to-growth/#comment-3753 ntsc Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:48:09 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1361#comment-3753 "How can you do something for so many hours of the day when you don’t even like it enough to touch it outside of work?" Lux, I think commercial television is a vast wasteland (to use a famous line), I've been happily employed in commercial television, usually at the bleeding edge, for over 30 years. TV is as close to what I really wanted to do, legit technical theater, as I could get. This doesn't even come close to answering your question. The plot line of Desert Song is dreadful, boring and obvious, nevertheless doing Desert Song, both times, were high points of my theatrical experience. “How can you do something for so many hours of the day when you don’t even like it enough to touch it outside of work?”

Lux, I think commercial television is a vast wasteland (to use a famous line), I’ve been happily employed in commercial television, usually at the bleeding edge, for over 30 years. TV is as close to what I really wanted to do, legit technical theater, as I could get. This doesn’t even come close to answering your question.

The plot line of Desert Song is dreadful, boring and obvious, nevertheless doing Desert Song, both times, were high points of my theatrical experience.

]]> Comment on Open To Growth by John Dowdell http://www.rluxemburg.com/2008/07/06/open-to-growth/#comment-3747 John Dowdell Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:08:54 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1361#comment-3747 <em>"So why do we, as a society, value infallibility so much?"</em> uhm, "I don't know", is that the right answer? (Gosh, I'll be so embarrassed if it's not.... ;-) jd “So why do we, as a society, value infallibility so much?”

uhm, “I don’t know”, is that the right answer? (Gosh, I’ll be so embarrassed if it’s not…. ;-)

jd

]]> Comment on Open To Growth by Cory Johnson http://www.rluxemburg.com/2008/07/06/open-to-growth/#comment-3746 Cory Johnson Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:41:18 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1361#comment-3746 Steve Yegge From Google also posted something similar to this a while back : http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/06/done-and-gets-things-smart.html Very insightful. I thought you might enjoy the read. Steve Yegge From Google also posted something similar to this a while back :

http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/06/done-and-gets-things-smart.html

Very insightful. I thought you might enjoy the read.

]]> Comment on Open To Growth by lux http://www.rluxemburg.com/2008/07/06/open-to-growth/#comment-3745 lux Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:09:53 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1361#comment-3745 @Sean, never making a mistake = not pushing hard enough -- agreed 100% @Steve, nice quote! @Mike, at one long-ago job, I ran across a number of developers who told me they did not even have computers in their homes. More recently, I had co-workers at Starbucks that didn't even like coffee. It's an approach to work I have trouble understanding. How can you do something for so many hours of the day when you don't even like it enough to touch it outside of work? @Sean, never making a mistake = not pushing hard enough — agreed 100%

@Steve, nice quote!

@Mike, at one long-ago job, I ran across a number of developers who told me they did not even have computers in their homes. More recently, I had co-workers at Starbucks that didn’t even like coffee. It’s an approach to work I have trouble understanding. How can you do something for so many hours of the day when you don’t even like it enough to touch it outside of work?

]]> Comment on Open To Growth by Mike Harman http://www.rluxemburg.com/2008/07/06/open-to-growth/#comment-3743 Mike Harman Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:00:32 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1361#comment-3743 I agree that too much emphasis has been placed on finding the few talented ones as opposed to those with passion. Of course, the ideal would be both talented and passionate but that is more rare than either individual characteristic. I once worked on a team with one of the most talented developers I have ever known, but he lacked passion - even disliked computers. He was a major obstacle to team advancement. On the other hand, another developer on the team, extremely passionate, consistently pushed the boundaries and was responsible for many team development advances. I believe that mistakes, if analyzed and learned from, lead to innovation. This trait is one of the significant differences between the passionate developer and the talented one. The passionate one learned many ways how not to do things and in doing so, discovered new ways things would work. I agree that too much emphasis has been placed on finding the few talented ones as opposed to those with passion. Of course, the ideal would be both talented and passionate but that is more rare than either individual characteristic. I once worked on a team with one of the most talented developers I have ever known, but he lacked passion - even disliked computers. He was a major obstacle to team advancement. On the other hand, another developer on the team, extremely passionate, consistently pushed the boundaries and was responsible for many team development advances.

I believe that mistakes, if analyzed and learned from, lead to innovation. This trait is one of the significant differences between the passionate developer and the talented one. The passionate one learned many ways how not to do things and in doing so, discovered new ways things would work.

]]> Comment on Open To Growth by Steve Howard http://www.rluxemburg.com/2008/07/06/open-to-growth/#comment-3742 Steve Howard Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:55:37 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1361#comment-3742 When you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it - this is knowledge. --<em>Confucius</em> When you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it - this is knowledge.
–Confucius

]]> Comment on Open To Growth by Sean Corfield http://www.rluxemburg.com/2008/07/06/open-to-growth/#comment-3741 Sean Corfield Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:59:20 +0000 http://www.rluxemburg.com/?p=1361#comment-3741 I believe that there are naturally talented people - geniuses - but I don't see that at odds with learning from your mistakes. Just because you're talented or a genius doesn't make you infallible. I try to live by the mantra of "learn something new every day" and I find I learn as much from younger, newer developers as from older, seasoned developers. Some who never makes mistakes isn't pushing themselves hard enough... I believe that there are naturally talented people - geniuses - but I don’t see that at odds with learning from your mistakes. Just because you’re talented or a genius doesn’t make you infallible. I try to live by the mantra of “learn something new every day” and I find I learn as much from younger, newer developers as from older, seasoned developers. Some who never makes mistakes isn’t pushing themselves hard enough…

]]>