Interesting Links for 19-06-2020

[andrewducker]

Warren Ellis Accused Of Sexual Coercion

(tags:WarrenEllis abuse OhForFucksSake comics )

UK virus-tracing app switches to Google-Apple privacy-centric model

(tags:apple google pandemic apps uk privacy )

Trump Facebook Ad Openly Using a Nazi Symbol For "Political Prisoner"

(tags:republicans nazis Holocaust wtf OhForFucksSake USA viaSwampers )

NHS coronavirus app to be scrapped after only detecting 4% of contacts on iPhones

(tags:privacy apple Google pandemic apps )

Masked arsonist might've gotten away with it if she hadn't left Etsy review

(tags:police review Etsy wtf )

This kind of shit is why you can't trust it when people "Just want to ask a few questions"

(tags:OhForFucksSake communication fraud )

How are TV subtitles made? Are they done by a human or a machine? (I could not do this job)

(tags:technology BBC subtitles )

FizzBuzz: One Simple Computing Interview Question

You'd be astounded how many people fail this. People going for computer jobs who actually can't program.
(tags:interviews jobs computers )

Vegetarian? Jewish? Muslim? Government food parcels may not be much use to you

(tags:food pork UK government )

Social progress is at the heart of community politics

(tags:politics community )

UK health ministry has no records on Turkish PPE fiasco and won't say if files destroyed

(tags:UK pandemic OhForFucksSake )

Comments

You'd be astounded how many people fail this. People going for computer jobs who actually can't prog

[doug]

Can confirm. I've done a lot of interviewing people for jobs over the years, skewing very techie. I don't use FizzBuzz itself, but very similar, simple coding tests. They are useful as conversation starters for actually able candidates - getting in to performance and space/speed and maintainability tradeoffs as the requirements might grow and change over time. Indeed, good candidates often want to know about the context before they write a single line of code.

But the main point is to screen *out* the ones who sound utterly plausible in interview, and have an entirely plausible CV, often with coding jobs behind them with good references, but literally cannot write *any* working code for the simplest of toy problems. I am not exaggerating here.

Every time we've had a shortlist of 4-6 coders to interview - and I've never been short of candidates so these are 4-6 good ones on paper - at least one has flunked this test utterly. They'll do absolutely anything to try to avoid actually doing it, and when they do write something down, it's gibberish and can't possibly work. You get them to talk you through it and it's bewildering nonsense that sounds like they're talking about a program but doesn't come close to solving the problem.

I once, near the start of my interviewing career, appointed someone who would have failed that test had we had one, and I was the most junior person on the panel so it wasn't entirely my fault, although I was the only actually technical person so it was to a large degree. It was a miserable, draining experience for everyone for the entire year it took to get rid of them.

The only tip I have for candidates regarding this (assuming you can actually code!) is to be aware that while asking for more context before cracking code can be a very positive sign, stalling on actually writing any code is a showstopping bad sign and you don't want to run close to raising that flag.

[ninetydegrees]

"How are TV subtitles made? Are they done by a human or a machine? (I could not do this job)"

Fascinating and what I got from this is that 1) these people are most assuredly underpaid and understaffed 2) should have better working conditions.

[anna_wing]

I don't know if the UK has a centralised doctrinal authority for Muslims or how strict it might be; most authorities consider that eating what would otherwise be haram, in an 'eat this or starve'-type emergency situation, would not then be an occasion of sin.

Presumably food-parcel recipients in the UK would have other sources of food, so in those circumstances observant Muslims should not eat the haram item. On the other hand, not all Muslims are observant, or would be observant given the choice. I am not entirely comfortable with the idea of helping to impose a religion-based rule on people who may or may not actually wish to follow that rule. Ideally of course individuals would have a choice. In the food-parcel context I appreciate that that might be a bit difficult.

[cmcmck]

A friend's old mum up in Stockton is ninety and getting these parcels- nearly all tinned stuff which she never uses.........

[momentsmusicaux]

I'd love to see some of the examples of the bad FizzBuzz code!

I reckon a lot of people (me included!) would trip up in the order of checking for multiples. You have to check for multiples of 15 first, because otherwise the condition for multiples of 3 or 5 will pass!

[azurelunatic]

A friend of mine expressed excitement about going to a convention and meeting Ellis. She was a big fan. Post-convention, she was no longer a big fan and didn't want to talk about it.

I put him on a mental list of possibly predatory, definitely assholes.

[calimac]

The FizzBuzz coding test was amazingly lucid, in that it made clear to a non-coder 1) what coding consists of, 2) what exactly is complicated about this particular example; 3) how the most important part is ensuring your work is clear so that somebody else coming along later to rework it can edit it properly.

[dewline]

1. As I noted elsewhere: I was a longtime internet camp follower of his. Dealing with an ongoing sense of guilt/complicity here, in addition to other stuff.

3. I am severely tempted to adopt that symbol as a form of "I am Spartacus!" defiance. I'm sure the Trumpists will happily take it in any of several Wrong ways instead, but what of that anyway?

4.Yikes! :-(

[anna_wing]

I had no idea about the designation system for different types of prisoners in Nazi territory. I thought it was a stop sign at first. The easiest way to de-fang that might be to start using it in mundane contexts. Manhole covers, traffic signs ("moose crossing", that sort of thing). If any commercial enterprise has a logo involving a red triangle, it might be persuaded to sue for trademark infringement.

The swastika retains its proper meaning in Asia, since Buddhists, Hindus, Jains etc have successfully resisted attempts by westerners of both left and right to appropriate it (a lot of us were very happy that Japan stood firm against pressure to change the swastika symbol that is used on maps to signify a Buddhist temple (as opposed to a Shinto shrine, which has a torii gate symbol) for the Tokyo Olympics.

re: Trump Facebook Ad Openly Using a Nazi Symbol For "Political Prisoner"

[darkoshi]

The ad was taken down "because it goes against Facebook Advertising Policies."

But it's very interesting/eye-opening/discouraging to look at the other ads in the Facebook Ad library for that advertiser and others. I will make a post with some more info on what I found for future reference.

..

That alphabet song isn't nearly as creepy as some of those other children's videos there were referenced from articles a few years ago. I sort of like it. But it is unusual to hear a children's song in what I would guess is a minor key instead of major.

Edit: Alphabet song link was from your next post. After watching the start of another one of their videos, I agree there is definitely a creepy vibe going on, though they still seems oddly appealing/amusing to me (as an adult viewing them): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4QgcWckL38