fpdavis

You listed some good Discord channels so I feel obligated to post some Lemmy Communities...

  - Game Development@programming.dev
  - GameDev@lemmy.blahaj.zone

That is a very high volume, especially for being in development. Here are a few things we have done...

  * Use local machine learning models wherever possible.
  * Summarize and consolidate calls whenever possible (i.e. reduce token sizes using language analytics). 
  * Log all calls/responses so it is possible to reuse them and/or to train your ML models. This can cut down on duplicate calls.
  * Monitor your API call logs to make sure the system isn't making calls it shouldn't.
  * Throttle your calls by introducing delays/bottlenecks in the user interface (by far my least favorite).
  * Charge more for your services to decrease demand.
  * Contact your account rep and see what options they have to offer with a higher price tier.

I have developed a few small games using Unity and one in pure Javascript but nothing commercially. I have never completed one. I never thought it would be financially lucrative so never took them as anything more than a hobby. Here is one I did in Javascript that can be played on line, of course I never finished it either...

https://fpdavis.github.io/Nibbler-Twisted-Tale/

I had a relatively inexpensive 2019 Leaf that got into a fender bender and it was totaled. It was mostly cosmetic damage and air bags. I really miss that car. With the rise in car prices the amount the insurance company paid wouldn't cover a 2019 replacement and with Covid I no longer drove as much so didn't need a second car for the family.

I have worked on a lot of complex systems but my favorite project was a Memcached compatible server for Windows written from the ground up.

I just tell my spouse. They love to plan.

I agree with 3minus1, you should definitely know why you were fired. New managers seldom want to fire someone without cause and typically have HR hoops they need to jump through to do it. I have never let anyone go that wasn't first given verbal warnings, daily check-ins and at least one formal write up that outlined the job requirements and what was needed to set things right. Hiring good people is hard and it is better to get the most out of the people you have before giving up on them. Of course this isn't always the case but some of your managers or HR should have shared something with you.

How many jobs are you applying to each week? I would think 1 or 2 each week would be a minimum.

Do you have a portfolio? Some code you can point to online, any open source projects you work on?

How many interviews do you average each month? If you are applying to tons of jobs and not getting any interviews, this is a reflection that your resumes might need work. Resumes, plural, in that you should probably have several depending on what type of job you are applying for and what skills you need to emphasize. Maybe you need to drop some jobs off of it or rework it to look more like you have been courting contract or short term work and now you are ready to "settle down". Have you filled gaps with additional university courses? Pursued a Masters degree? Certifications? Traveled the world? Volunteer work? Freelance/Started your own business?

If you are getting interviews, but not job offers then this indicates it might be a problem with your interview style. You mentioned depression, could this play a factor? Hopefully you don't bring up medical conditions during interviews. It could be some of the things you say during the interview process, not saying enough, questions you ask, what you wear... any number of things. I almost didn't hire someone because of the socks they wore but my team defended their choice of footwear and we hired them in the end... though the guy in the Christmas sweater wasn't as lucky :)

Have you tried teaming up with a recruiter? A good one would help you with your resumes and interviewing skills. Are you keeping in touch with former classmates, colleagues and managers? Not just email, set up lunch dates with them to stay in touch. Set up a small lunch reunion from a company you worked at where several people were all laid off or have since quit. They may have leads from time to time. Looking for a job can be a full time job in itself!

Good luck!

Mastadon support in xBox would be a massive boost for Mastadon and a clear signal to Twitter.

I would love to see this happen. Netflix DVD is one of the only reasons I never suspend my Netflix account. We use it to get movies and other content that are not available on any of the (many) streaming services we subscribe to. I don't understand a businesses shutting down outright rather than selling the business to someone that would be happy to take it over, assuming it is still, or could be, profitable.

I never use CarPlay in my EV. I don't like that it takes over the phone. All I need to do is send audio through bluetooth.

Pics or it didn't happen.

At that price it should land too (shout out to BPS)! I am shocked it took them this long to release a Falcon model. And no Falcon Heavy either.

The file system was designed to hold documents and does a pretty good job of it, there are several to choose from depending on what OS you run. Backing them up and restoring them is easy. An API to retrieve documents is trivial to write and customize or there are a few tools and APIs already available.

What is interrupting you? My guess is that your side projects and blogging are eating up more time than you may realize. Honestly sleep, work, eating, chores and general health and hygiene eat up the majority of a working persons week. If you have kids, pets, a house, loved ones to care for, then kiss any spare time you might have goodbye.

Yes, but it depends on how they are utilized and if they actually do the job as intended [by Scrum]. In my company the Scrum-Master also manages the team members as well as all of the normal Scrum-Master duties. I find that this gives the position enough power and responsibility to enact change. If you are saying "No" then I feel that you have not had a good Scrum-Master and/or the company didn't fully embrace Scrum.

Based just off the headline, I don't see a problem with this.

Yes

The Federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act or WARN Act, offers protection to workers, their families and communities by requiring employers (with 100 or more full-time workers) to provide written notice 60 days in advance of plant closings, mass layoffs and/or sale of a business.

I don't have one big thing, but several small things that I am proud of having done. I wrote an application to assist in comprehensive cardio and vascular screenings that has been used to [hopefully] save many lives. I wrote an application to process prescription orders using HL7 for a national hospital system to print out shipping labels for their prescriptions. I designed a never implemented system to allow patients to securely control, share and revoke, their medical information between pharmacies, doctors, and other health care providers (if such a system were ever implemented it would have a tremendously positive effect for a lot of people). I wrote a Memcached port for Windows. A couple of libraries to assist other developers. My proudest accomplishment though has probably been mentoring new software developers.

I used to use Squirrelmail and later HMailServer for a while. Both were good but I got tired of maintaining the infrastructure so I relented and switched to gmail for a long while. Finally I decided that something I use all the time is worth paying for so I started using Proton Mail and I love it. I migrated all of my mail without any issues. I like their emphasis on security, I wish email in general was more secure than it is.

If Scrum is failing developers in your environment, then it is being implemented wrong. Fundamentally it should give more control to developers, break down large tasks into smaller tasks, and help management determine better what projects/tasks to direct resources to.

Here are my expected turn around times during regular business hours and excluding weekends holidays, and out of office replies. This is also the order in which I escalate communications...

* Email: Within 24 hours

* Instant Message/Chat: Immediately, Within 2 hours.

* Phone: Immediately, return a voice mail within 4 hours.

* Scheduled meeting: Give at least 24 hour notice.

If you really need a response, pick up the phone, multiple times if necessary. You could also schedule a meeting with the person. For some people/situations I know I will need to include someone else on their team, sometimes a supervisor, to get any traction.

You should escalate on the third non-response by including their supervisor on an email, group chat, or meeting. Include previous communications with dates. Take this advice with a grain of salt and take into account previous interactions with the person of course.

If you have a ticketing system, copy and document each communication into the system. In some situations you may want to start with the ticketing system even if you could send the request directly to the person to begin with.

The higher up on the food chain the better your chances will be. I would shoot for a management role, assuming you are qualified for the role and it is something that interests you. Stay technical though so you understand the systems you are working with.

We have enough people, money, and resources to do all these things all at once.

Convert an RV or large van into a mobile office and rent a place to park and power it... but really, for anyone interested, I would recommend investing in a home office. It is well worth spending a little extra on your housing if you need to. I have seen home offices in spare bedrooms*, bonus rooms*, sun rooms*, part of the master bedroom*, under stairs, stair landings*, utility rooms*, hallways*, dining rooms, converted garages*, converted attics*, sheds, and even modified RVs parked in the driveway (had an office in each *). It is pretty cheap/easy to build a small room just big enough for a desk and some cabinets in a large garage and still have space to park a vehicle. Of course it is best to dedicate a separate area for it. If you are looking for background activity/noise, well there is always getting out for a few hours a day to a community center, park, cafe/restaurant, bowling alley, etc. with your laptop, but it might be better to just focus on a social life after work. If you are concerned about feeling isolated at home, setup near a window, if that isn't possible place some cameras outside and setup a large monitor to display the live feeds WITH sound. If the concern is too many distractions at home, invest in sound proofing your home office.

10+ applications isn't that many... Over the years I have sent out well over 100 resumes with no responses. I am a hiring manager and for a given software engineering position will receive 60+ applicants. In a different area and industry I would probably get double or even triple that many applicants. We don't use any type of automated filter. Of those, there are usually less than 15 that I feel are a good fit for the position. Even 15 is too many for me to contact and begin the interview process with so I have to narrow it down even further.

I can't tell you why your resume has been rejected without them contacting you, but assuming it is a well written and accurate resume, it is because there were other candidates that were a better fit for the position. Meaning they had direct experience with the technologies involved, worked in similar industries, they were physically close, didn't appear to be over qualified (I wouldn't bump them off the list for this without first talking with them), and were well rounded. Some things can get your resume rejected quickly by the hiring manager, this could include not being local to the company (even for remote work if there are plenty of candidates that are close), missing experience, spelling errors, poor layout, poor communication, over qualified, non-relevant experience being included, stuck in the same position/job too long, etc. I don't even want to get into age, gender, and race discrimination which can come through in the resume in the form of dates and names.

Bottom line is, for best chances, you have to customize your resume for each job you apply for. This is time consuming and usually doesn't feel like something you should have to do or that it pays off.

I think technical debt is accurate. Too much or the wrong kind is bad, too little and you probably aren't making the best choices and moving as quickly as you otherwise could. Technical Debt doesn't have anything to do with aesthetics, it is more about what short cuts you took to get where you are, short cuts that could hamper future improvements or reduce the quality of the work.

I don't like the walled garden that Spotify has for podcasts. I used to listen to and watch a couple of podcasts that moved to Spotify (Rogan and Science VS). I no longer listen/watch them unless they release something openly which they sometimes do. I also agree that I want my podcasts, music, and audio books in separate applications. I think it is because each media type requires a slightly different optimized interface.

EpicWin - RPG Style to-do-list... hasn't been updated in way too long and is ad supported, but otherwise is an entertaining to-do-list app.

I have had similar employees and sometimes they just aren't a good fit. But first, are you following all of the Scrum/Agile methodologies? Are you doing DAILY STAND UPS so the TEAM can help hold individuals accountable? Are you performing RETROSPECTIVES at the end of each SPRINT... you are doing short sprints right :) Is the team making the assignments (as they should) or are you? Also, get away from estimating in days and go with generic units, the Fibonacci Sequence would be my suggestion. Make sure the team is defining the tasks and voting on the effort required for each task. I would do this for a couple of months to let the team get into a flow and begin to learn how to estimate things. Then observer how your problem employee votes to see if they are particularly high or low and see how many tasks they complete compared to the rest of the team.

If after all of that there is still a problem, setup an End-of-Day meeting each day with the individual to go over what they accomplished that day... actually having them show you code, interface, documentation, something that they had accomplished that day. In collaboration with the employee setup reasonable expectations and goals that you (hopefully) can both agree on. If the goals are not met, write them up, rinse and repeat. After a couple of write ups suggest that they are not a good fit and should think about moving on, after three or so you should let them go.