Module 2 Learning Journal 1-19-21

 2021-01-19

Summary of Thomas Friedman's - New Rules - In a word, working hard is no longer good enough, we have to go above and beyond working hard, relating this philosophy to meanings extracted from ex-presidential quotes.

Summary of Trends in Computing 2021 (21 predictions for 2021) - This article grazes the surface of supposed (debate-ably) cutting edge technologies offering educated opinion regarding what is at the forefront and what will fall behind. Cloud computing, AI, blockchain among other debate-ably forefront technologies are mentioned and predicted about.

Summary of the Introduction to Project Management video - This video explains how programming gets done in a medium to large size corporation with emphasis on the project management role. There are lots of programmers and programming that falls outside of this model (Linus Torvalds did not have a project manager telling him how to create Linux, and you could name lots of others, myself as well, Klaus Knopper is another one that I'm pretty sure works on his own inspirations) but the video's discussion is how corporate programming is done in our modern corporate paradigm. I personally fall outside of this paradigm, but I live near Silicon Valley and know at least two project managers personally, and so I know it's true they exist in corporate environments. The video explains how the task of programming is spread from corporate leader to programmer through the project management role. Again I would point out that in many cases one programmer is fully capable of performing all roles - user (user need), designer, programmer, project manager, marketer, CEO, investor (time, money, resources, commitment, vision), user (again, the final user) I personally am one example of this, in fact, I'm more than one example of this (AccountBlaster, Super Bomb Reversi, AppraisalBlaster, Santa Cruz Appraisal Factory, CompBlaster, Santa Cruz Web Factory, WebBlaster, BlastBlaster, Santa Cruz Software Factory, BeeVersi, Opal Cliff Trading Co., ZuluK.com, Santa Cruz Abalone Works, MoneyBlast.us, MoneyBlast.me, Pleasure Point Skateboards, CheapSk8s.com, ArlonArriola.com - all of these endeavors are separate projects in which I was every role - primarily the programmer - but also every other role too ...not so much the marketer I guess perhaps.) So even though project managers may be necessary in the modern corporate paradigm they are not inherently necessary in the birth or life cycle of software, but the project manager allows a corporation to become a programmer. Whoever talks to the programmers is the project manager. Whether that is the only role that person performs depends on the project. The video explains the role and why it's needed. The reason it's needed is because CEO's aren't programmers and they also for some reason use project managers to communicate with programmers. 

Why they do is debatable and could lead to further discussion. For example, I have theorized that this model actually is a revenue sink for corporate stability. There is a rock climber, Alex Honnold (ispo.com, 2021) that figured out he could free climb much, much faster alone without someone belaying him. It might not be as safe, secure or stable, but he can do it much, much faster than everyone else, and has broken world records because of the realization. This is like the corporate sink I'm talking about vs. the independent programmer. The corporation is employing 1,000 people (figuratively speaking) to do the same thing that one programmer can practically do all on their own. So it creates a huge finance sink, which in turn creates overall stability for the corporation. So my theory is that one underlying purpose of the project manager role is actually also (maybe even just) for corporate stability. The reality is the CEO is probably perfectly capable of performing the role but needs to get more money from investors for stability - creating more roles within the corporation like 'project manager' fills in the head count and assists in the overall stability of the financial flow, like a water tank, but with money in it, like a financial water tank, based on total salary/cash flow of the corporation. This aspect of the perspective on the project manager role is not in the video, but is only my opinion, based on the observation that one programmer can and often does do what, or sometimes even more than, what an entire corporation of programmers can do. There is even a quote by Fred Brooks (2021), "What one programmer can do in one month, two programmers can do in two months."

References Page

Sources

ispo.com Free Solo: 10 Facts About US-Free-Climber Alex Honnold (08/18/2020) Retrieved 01/19/2021 from

    https://www.ispo.com/en/people/alex-honnold-10-unbelievable-facts-about-free-solo-climber#:~:text=Alex%20Honnold%20is%20one%20of,fame%20outside%20the%20climbing%20scene.

defprogramming.com Quotes By Frederick P Brooks (2021)  Retrieved 01/19/2021 from

    https://www.defprogramming.com/quotes-by/frederick-p-brooks/#:~:text=Brooks%20%7C%20def%20programming&text=What%20one%20programmer%20can%20do,can%20do%20in%20two%20months.&text=There%20is%20no%20single%20development,%2C%20in%20reliability%2C%20in%20simplicity.

Reflection on Study Skills page http://www.adprima.com/studyout.htm

This page lists many points, based either on opinion or hopefully actual statistics regarding effective study and includes general and specific tips on how to study effectively. One of my favorites which it lists near the end they label 'memory dump' and it refers to the fact that you, as a student, are allowed to write down whatever you want on a test right when you sit down. The way our memories work is that short-term memory is different from medium and long term memory. A lot of times when we memorize something it could be in a combination of short and medium and/or long term memory slots in our brain. So if you memorize something you can sit down at your test and flip the test over and write it on the back just in case you forget it, being distracted by the actual test or anything in it. I personally love this tip and have used it many times. It sort of feels like a cheat, you know, flipping over the test and writing on the back of it first thing. But it's allowed!

That is my favorite, they list a few others I like too, like, don't study right before sleep (I would add to that - nap as needed -if you need to - if it's possible - some people don't nap - some people do.) and they also mention avoiding distractions and having everything handy. That goes without saying, if you could get everything handy - I mean - this is where procrastination comes in 'getting everything ready' - there is a balance. Make sure you recognize priorities, realizing obviously things you might not label as things are actually priority, safety, cleanliness, hygiene, responsibilities, comfort, etc. are all things you may not realize are things until you're not focusing on a deadline you should be focusing on. Don't spend too much time putting your pencils in place, but organization is a thing. The balance is totally different for everyone, some people are comfortable disorganized, which is also a skill because life is naturally chaotic.

I guess I would say my top three weak points are the meals one, perhaps the sleep one if you count naps, I think everyone's different. What if you're living, eating and sleeping school. It's different for everyone but they do make valid points overall. And top third weak point I guess maybe would be simultaneously a weak point and a strong point because distractions are distractions, if they weren't distractions they'd be called not-distractions.

Activity log:

Date/Time Activity Description - How I Feel - Duration - Value

1/14 5:30pm Team Meeting - Squishy - [Unknown+Private] High

1/16 Industry Analysis Draft Post - Squishy - [Unknown+Private] High

1/17 5:30pm Team Meeting - Squishy - [Unknown+Private] High

1/13-1/19 All of Module 2 Submissions - Squishy - [Unknown+Private] High

Project Management Basics Videos Summaries

Introduction to Project management video 1 summary:

This is a five minute video explaining what the word project and term project management means. The reason this is important is essentially corporate accounting. Labeling a project and the components of projects allow the accountants to itemize costs and pass around projects in folders at top finance levels. The video presents project management as a thing, I think to familiarize us with corporate structure. In modern corporate paradigm programmers have project managers to give them their projects. I would of course also point out that in the real world programmers are free to come up with their own projects all day long if they want to, without a project manager. The video is just referring to the paradigm within the modern corporate structure with regard to how corporate programmers get their projects assigned, it's through someone called a project manager and the project is all itemized accounting-wise.

Video 2: Project Management/ work breakdown structure.

This video further itemizes project management as a corporate list of terms essentially for the accountants and finance departments. It is presented in an extremely confusing manner - perhaps intentionally - and I think the whole entire point that she is trying to say is: guess what: accountants and financiers are passing programmers and programming projects and components of their programming projects around like Magic Cards. We get it. And so I guess they have a bunch of fancy corporate terms they use to define all this for the accountants and financiers. I'm not sure she even knows exactly what she's saying. But that is quite a list of terms she was able to spit out in a seemingly sensical way describing how corporations define projects and break them down into components for a)the programmers but really actually for b) the financiers and accountants. What all this is, is, a financial sink for corporate stability. Did I say that already? Layers upon layers upon layers upon layers of corporate structure to be a sink for corporate cash so the corporation as a whole has a higher level of overall stability. A single skilled programmer could lay the entire corporation to waste with an independently well written program. Here's an example: Linus Torvalds->Microsoft. 

Video 3:

This is a third video about corporate project management, with relation to a specific type of chart called a Gantt Chart, invented by Henry Gantt. This assigns specific terms to project components and a method for including time estimates and inter-dependencies so you can chart projects including time estimates. Again this is for corporate programming, helpful for expressing, manipulating and analyzing projects as entities.

Three Previous Capstone Reflections:

Name - Project Type - Well done - Do I Like - Can the Project Be Improved

SpillB - Social Media for Rappers - Yes - No - Yes: just make it a Facebook game.

LIA - Web Based Specific Image Manipulation Function - No - No - Yes: You can just use the Gimp, there's already a plugin for that. You could have just made a page with how-to instructions, it would have been more helpful overall.

Date and Be Safe - Dating Site - No! - No! Yes: I could make a very long list. I will design it for them if they want help, there is definitely need for a dating app outside facebook because facebook's not for dating. But what about PlentyOfFish? I would just let there be PlentyOfFish. There should just be one, anyway.

These are of course students so I don't mean to be hard on them, imposing my opinion is a required assignment, for me.

Summary of What I Have Learned This Week

This week I have practiced references and I am really appreciating the new skill, it was long needed! The topic should be review for all of us, I think I remember doing this in third grade but it is great to be able to refresh the knowledge and be able to apply it and use it in writing. I feel a lot more official being able to state facts. The flip side is you could say stuff that's not true because someone else did, so it might be good to emphasize lots of checking of facts including common sense, cross checking and cross checking the cross checks.