diff --git a/assets/css/extended/posts.css b/assets/css/extended/posts.css index 16a3dacda..ff3e9e0af 100644 --- a/assets/css/extended/posts.css +++ b/assets/css/extended/posts.css @@ -29,6 +29,13 @@ article.post-single img { text-align: center; } +.post-content .bordered-note { + border: solid 1px; + border-radius: 4px; + padding: 10px; + margin-bottom: 20px; +} + .post-content p.indent-1 { margin-left: 2%; } diff --git a/content/posts/2022-06-06-the-mission-matters-moving-to-climate-tech-as-a-data-scientist/index.md b/content/posts/2022-06-06-the-mission-matters-moving-to-climate-tech-as-a-data-scientist/index.md index a7e41b24e..1bcd27243 100644 --- a/content/posts/2022-06-06-the-mission-matters-moving-to-climate-tech-as-a-data-scientist/index.md +++ b/content/posts/2022-06-06-the-mission-matters-moving-to-climate-tech-as-a-data-scientist/index.md @@ -28,9 +28,13 @@ So we are facing the most consequential fork in the road. If we continue as now, But we can only choose it this decade. Our parents did not have this choice, because they didn’t have the capital, technologies and understanding. And for our children, it will be too late. So this is the decade and we are the generation. {{< /blockquote >}} -Multiple factors contributed to my decision to leave Automattic last year. One factor was that [the company's mission to _"democratize publishing and eCommerce"_](https://transparency.automattic.com/) doesn't resonate with me:[^berkshire-hathaway] First, publishing and eCommerce are already widely accessible. Second, despite decades of increased access to a wide variety of publication tools, [global democracy is declining](https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/02/09/a-new-low-for-global-democracy). Third, a corollary of the mission is [hosting publications by the likes of News Corp Australia](https://wpvip.com/case-studies/unlocking-power-and-efficiency-for-news-corp-australia/), an organisation [that is harming Australian democracy according to former prime ministers from both sides of politics](https://www.theguardian.com/media/commentisfree/2021/oct/29/news-corp-opponents-team-up-to-fight-cancer-on-democracy). Fourth, I believe that there are more pressing problems I can spend my time on.[^mission-awareness] +Multiple factors contributed to my decision to leave Automattic last year. One factor was that [the company's mission to _"democratize publishing and eCommerce"_](https://transparency.automattic.com/) no longer resonated with me: First, publishing and eCommerce are already widely accessible. Second, despite decades of increased access to a wide variety of publication tools, [global democracy is declining](https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/02/09/a-new-low-for-global-democracy). Third, a corollary of the mission is [hosting publications by the likes of News Corp Australia](https://wpvip.com/case-studies/unlocking-power-and-efficiency-for-news-corp-australia/), an organisation [that is harming Australian democracy according to former prime ministers from both sides of politics](https://www.theguardian.com/media/commentisfree/2021/oct/29/news-corp-opponents-team-up-to-fight-cancer-on-democracy). Fourth, I believed that there are more pressing problems I could spend my time on.[^mission-awareness] -One such problem is the climate crisis. I was fortunate to have spent a small amount of time on it at Automattic, where [I co-founded a sustainability employee group and led the company's first purchases of carbon offsets and removals](https://wordpress.com/blog/2020/09/21/toward-zero-reducing-and-offsetting-our-data-center-power-emissions/). However, this was a side gig.[^murdoch-offsets] +

+ Update (2024-08-20): Following the October 7th (2023) attack on Israel and its global aftermath, I have a more nuanced view of the above. In Australia, News Corp ended up playing a balancing role in the face of misinformation, under-reporting, and the anti-Zionist & anti-Jewish sentiments that were on display by left-leaning publications like The Guardian and The Australian Broadcasting Corporation. I still think News Corp over-sensationalises many items and is completely off on climate and other topics, but I now see that no single news source is reasonably trustworthy. As such, I see broad access to publishing as better than the alternative of a handful of gatekeepers deciding what deserves coverage. +

+ +One such problem is the climate crisis. I was fortunate to have spent a small amount of time on it at Automattic, where [I co-founded a sustainability employee group and led the company's first purchases of carbon offsets and removals](https://wordpress.com/blog/2020/09/21/toward-zero-reducing-and-offsetting-our-data-center-power-emissions/). However, this was a side gig. When I left Automattic, I was hoping to get involved more directly in climate and environmental action. Having recently joined [Orkestra](https://www.orkestra.energy/) – a company whose mission is _"to power the world's energy decision-making"_ – I figured it's time to share some thoughts on the climate tech space, along with resources that others may find useful. @@ -98,9 +102,7 @@ Finally, what about the work I do with Orkestra? I can't share much yet, but I c {{< figure src="rectangular-nightmare.png" link="https://twitter.com/zookmann/status/927894679663898624" alt="Tweet by Jesse Zook Mann: The jury is still out of what is causing depression to surge in the past decade. Showing a meme that says that 'after a nice long day of typing stuff into my nightmare rectangle at work, I like to come home and stare at my portable nightmare rectangle'." caption="Rectangles are useful, but we also need time without them." >}} -[^berkshire-hathaway]: In addition to the mission, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has shared [his vision of making Automattic the Berkshire Hathaway of the internet](https://ma.tt/2021/06/day-one-at-automattic/), a goal that I find even less inspiring. -[^mission-awareness]: While I was aware of the mission when I joined Automattic in 2017, it [wasn't a critical criterion for me](https://yanirseroussi.com/2017/07/29/my-10-step-path-to-becoming-a-remote-data-scientist-with-automattic/). Over the years, I've become more conscious of the role online platforms play in destabilising societies. I now believe that it's important for platforms to acknowledge their responsibilities and delegate power to external regulators, e.g., as [Facebook is doing with their Oversight Board](https://oversightboard.com/) (which is still an imperfect solution). -[^murdoch-offsets]: It's also an open question whether it's possible to offset things like the harmful work of the Murdoch press. +[^mission-awareness]: While I was aware of the mission when I joined Automattic in 2017, it [wasn't a critical criterion for me](https://yanirseroussi.com/2017/07/29/my-10-step-path-to-becoming-a-remote-data-scientist-with-automattic/). Over the years, I've become more conscious of the role online platforms play in destabilising societies. I now believe that it's important for platforms to acknowledge their responsibilities and delegate some editorial power to external regulators, e.g., as [Facebook is doing with their Oversight Board](https://oversightboard.com/) (which is still an imperfect solution). [^2018-data-science]: I still like the 2018 definition, so hopefully I'm done with defining data science. [^boring-data-scientists]: According to [a recent study](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-21/which-jobs-and-hobbies-are-the-most-boring-surprising-results/101050190), data science is seen as an incredibly boring job. Not sexy at all. [^flights-suck]: Despite this, I wasn't particularly looking forward to going back to frequent long-haul flights – [it was an aspect of Automattic work I never liked](https://yanirseroussi.com/2018/11/03/reflections-on-remote-data-science-work/). This made the prospect of post-pandemic work with Automattic less appealing, even without considering the climate impact of so much flying. diff --git a/content/posts/2023-05-26-how-hackable-are-automated-coding-assessments/index.md b/content/posts/2023-05-26-how-hackable-are-automated-coding-assessments/index.md index 236d3d6c4..678586e24 100644 --- a/content/posts/2023-05-26-how-hackable-are-automated-coding-assessments/index.md +++ b/content/posts/2023-05-26-how-hackable-are-automated-coding-assessments/index.md @@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ tags: - software engineering --- -
+
Update (2024-06-19): -