/reader

But — and I admit this is a me issue — once a title starts becoming mainstream, I want to use it less and less.

I was never totally sure why I felt this way. Shouldn’t I be happy a title I prefer is gaining acceptance and understanding? Do I just want to rebel against being labeled? Why do I feel this way?

These were the thoughts simmering in the back of my head when I came across an interview with the comedian Brian Regan where he talks about his own penchant for not wanting to be easily defined:

I’ve tried over the years to write away from how people are starting to define me. As soon as I start feeling like people are saying “this is what you do” then I would be like “Alright, I don't want to be just that. I want to be more interesting. I want to have more perspectives.” [For example] I used to crouch around on stage all the time and people would go “Oh, he’s the guy who crouches around back and forth.” And I’m like, “I’ll show them, I will stand erect! Now what are you going to say?” And then they would go “You’re the guy who always feels stupid.” So I started [doing other things].

He continues, wondering aloud whether this aversion to not being easily defined has actually hurt his career in terms of commercial growth:

I never wanted to be something you could easily define. I think, in some ways, that it’s held me back. I have a nice following, but I’m not huge. There are people who are huge, who are great, and deserve to be huge. I’ve never had that and sometimes I wonder, ”Well maybe it’s because I purposely don’t want to be a particular thing you can advertise or push.”

That struck a chord with me. It puts into words my current feelings towards the job title “Design Engineer” — or any job title for that matter.

Seven or so years ago, I would’ve enthusiastically said, “I’m a Design Engineer!” To which many folks would’ve said, “What’s that?”

But today I hesitate. If I say “I’m a Design Engineer” there are less follow up questions. Now-a-days that title elicits less questions and more (presumed) certainty.

I think I enjoy a title that elicits a “What’s that?” response, which allows me to explain myself in more than two or three words, without being put in a box.

But once a title becomes mainstream, once people begin to assume they know what it means, I don’t like it anymore (speaking for myself, personally).

As Brian says, I like to be difficult to define. I want to have more perspectives. I like a title that befuddles, that doesn’t provide a presumed sense of certainty about who I am and what I do.

And I get it, that runs counter to the very purpose of a job title which is why I don’t think it’s good for your career to have the attitude I do, lol.

I think my own career evolution has gone something like what Brian describes:

• Them: “Oh you’re a Designer? So you make mock-ups in Photoshop and somebody else implements them.”
• Me: “I’ll show them, I’ll implement them myself! Now what are you gonna do?”
• Them: “Oh, so you’re a Design Engineer? You design and build user interfaces on the front-end.”
• Me: “I’ll show them, I’ll write a Node server and setup a database that powers my designs and interactions on the front-end. Now what are they gonna do?”
• Them: “Oh, well, we I’m not sure we have a term for that yet, maybe Full-stack Design Engineer?”
• Me: “Oh yeah? I’ll frame up a user problem, interface with stakeholders, explore the solution space with static designs and prototypes, implement a high-fidelity solution, and then be involved in testing, measuring, and refining said solution. What are you gonna call that?”

[As you can see, I have some personal issues I need to work through…]

As Brian says, I want to be more interesting. I want to have more perspectives. I want to be something that’s not so easily definable, something you can’t sum up in two or three words.

I’ve felt this tension my whole career making stuff for the web. I think it has led me to work on smaller teams where boundaries are much more permeable and crossing them is encouraged rather than discouraged.

All that said, I get it. I get why titles are useful in certain contexts (corporate hierarchies, recruiting, etc.) where you’re trying to take something as complicated and nuanced as an individual human beings and reduce them to labels that can be categorized in a database. I find myself avoiding those contexts where so much emphasis is placed in the usefulness of those labels.

“I’ve never wanted to be something you could easily define” stands at odds with the corporate attitude of, “Here’s the job req. for the role (i.e. cog) we’re looking for.”

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I promised myself I would cut down on buying books this year. Lucky for me things, I backed on kickstarter ages ago are arriving.

Today after quite a bit of back and forth with the postman, the cards for Downcrawl 2E a game by designer Aaron A. Reed finally arrived! So its time to log this new game rulebook into the library.

Downcrawl is a tabletop roleplaying toolkit that lets players build and explore a weird, wondrous underworld together.

Evocative prompts help frame your stories of dangerous journeys through forgotten labyrinths, strange folk trading dangerous fungus, and subterranean cities so far from the surface that that sun has become mere legend.

Revised and expanded from the original edition (a DriveThruRPG Platinum seller), Downcrawl 2E features new rules for solo or collaborative play, and an optional deck of idea cards that makes sparking weird underworld adventures easier than ever.

The post Accessions | 230425 appeared first on thejaymo.

The issue was almost certainly accumulated scale and a clogged three-way solenoid valve. I’d watched a video demonstrating the necessary teardown and it terrified me, and so I put it off. But, working endless days on knotty client problems forced me into impromptu Saturday night action. I went for it.

I’m documenting this because of how I went about things. In these situations, I’ll typically be impatient, become frustrated and start swearing. But, I made sure I had the right tools and products, and addressed each step methodically. I maintained my composure, stayed organised, and followed the video precisely.

The old machine could still benefit from a new pump and gaskets for optimal performance, but... I got it working and we have espresso again. I don’t know, I guess I was proud of myself for doing things slowly and carefully, and I learned something about how to tackle these things going forward.

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If you're a young person contemplating a career in tech, great! It's fun, and you can help people doing this. But please don't listen to the VCs and entrepreneurs who say it's all about changing the world. Instead think of it this way -- you're going to create tools for people who may change the world, in collaboration with lots of other people. No one person is that smart and experienced that they know what's best for the world. The stories you heard about great inventors probably aren't true. And the ones who actually changed the world, may not have changed it for the better. Look at what happened with Twitter as a cautionary tale. Imho it would have been better if the founders had made less money, and opened the door for lots of competition right from the start. That's the philosophy of the web. Instead they captured the web, amputated all its good features, and locked it in the trunk and then cut off its air supply. That was inevitable given the path they went down. Yes they changed the world, and in turn are creating a lot of misery. You don't want to do that, brilliant young tech person, right? Let's make the world better, one little evolutionary step at a time. More about this in yesterday's post. #

A video demo that shows how to set categories in WordLand, and I ramble through lots of philosophy and trivia. But the answer is right up front so you can skip all that michegas. ;-) #

Many good points in yesterday’s unusual Olbermann podcast, but the one that stuck with me is that at some point Republican incumbents will figure they don’t have a future in what Trump is trying to create and thus have everything to lose if he prevails. He thinks senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) may already be there.#