Below is an excerpt from previously private google doc (April2023)

Weekend mornings are nice

Because it’s quiet and distraction free, and I can just gaze outside with a clear mind and think about the days ahead. I want to do fitness on the days when I am working from home - and I should make a reminder for myself in my work calendar to make it concrete.

On the engineering side, I was just thinking that it would be nice

  • To use python/spyder correctly: only re-run changed code / cells
  • Winning some swisscom bounties would be cool
  • Spend more time reading DSM code or trying spring boot (I’ve been thinking about this for ages now!)

I am very happy that we were able to book most of the Italy trip itineraries yesterday very painlessly. Maybe the preparation helped, or maybe we are both tired of the various negotiations. One of the nicest things so far is that it may not turn out to be very expensive after all.

At some point, I need to think about the summer plans in more detail - where can Luke do a nice football camp for people his age and skill group?

Retrospective and daydreaming

Once again I am trying to think about what makes me happy, and I conclude the same thing almost every time. Coding, writing, and creating is what gives me the most satisfaction. Generally, overcoming technical problems or puzzles seems to be most satisfying.

I was also reading about how much difficulty FAANG is having laying off large groups of people in EU countries, and I wonder what kind of layoff compensation I would get, if UBS decided not to take over the security department of Credit Suisse. I really like Luke’s joke about CS over-investing in fidget spinners.

What technology or programming language should I focus on in my spare time?

  • Python - seems to be used by a lot of cool projects these days
  • Golang - love the speed and responsiveness (although probably few opportunities)
  • Java - already know a lot, but would probably be easiest
  • Scala - already know the basics, comp may be interesting
  • C/C++ - could be a dark horse
  • Rust - I’d be starting from scratch
  • Cloud - seems to have the most potential from employment viewpoint

Thoughts & Ideas etc.

  • Good opportunity to really focus on myself:
    • mental health
    • Physical fitness
    • Learning
  • Maybe also a chance to re-evaluate career & try new things:
    • YouTube or generally recording videos of myself
    • Dictation
    • ChatGPT - more than a fad?
  • Learning
    • Security certification
    • Blockchain: remix / solidity
    • Online courses - i.e. mainframe that I actually paid for!
    • YouTube: various channels from so-called influencers