Kurt's Thoughts

Elon Musk has sure been making a big stink over artificial intelligence lately.  He was one of the original investors in Open AI, the very company he’s been angry about and passive aggressively trying to take down.

He’s recently even gone so far as to quietly start his own Artifical Intelligence company, despite telling the world that other companies should have a moratorium on AI research.

What could be bothering him much?

• Microsoft: The Unseen Savior of OpenAI | BigTechWire
  https://www.bigtechwire.com/2023/03/25/microsoft-the-unseen-savior-of-openai/
  (Archive: https://archive.ph/cUm0r)
• The secret history of Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and OpenAI | Semafor
  https://www.semafor.com/article/03/24/2023/the-secret-history-of-elon-musk-sam-altman-and-openai
  (Archive: https://archive.ph/J7m7V)
• Microsoft invested billions in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT and Dall-E – Vox
  https://www.vox.com/recode/2023/1/23/23567991/microsoft-open-ai-investment-chatgpt
  (Archive: https://archive.ph/vsbwX)

The most meaningful part of #StarWars #Andor for me is one word:

“Try”

Nemik’s Manifesto validates the 9yo kid in me disliking the unforgiving words of E5, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

That’s… wrong. Everything starts with trying. EVERYTHING!  I always see arrogant immaturity quoting Yoda’s words & it bothers me.

Trying is worth it. If you feel the same… you’re my people. Follow me.  “Remember this. Try.”

• “Nemik’s Manifesto | ANDOR”
  https://youtu.be/aoJILDr94qc​

————-

I hope people listen to the video which isolates Nemik’s speech from #Andor. I also have hope that actor Alex Lawther will orate an audio book version of Karis Nemik’s Manifesto. And that it’ll be written an published in the #StarWars Chronicles series of books.

The donkey told the tiger, “The grass is blue.”

The tiger replied, “No, the grass is green .”

The discussion became heated, and the two decided to submit the issue to arbitration, so they approached the lion.

As they approached the lion on his throne, the donkey started screaming: ′′Your Highness, isn’t it true that the grass is blue?”

The lion replied: “If you believe it is true, the grass is blue.”

The donkey rushed forward and continued: ′′The tiger disagrees with me, contradicts me, and annoys me. Please punish him.”

The king then declared: ′′The tiger will be punished with 3 days of silence.”

The donkey jumped with joy and went on his way, content and repeating ′′The grass is blue, the grass is blue…”

The tiger asked the lion, “Your Majesty, why have you punished me, after all, the grass is green?”

The lion replied, ′′You’ve known and seen the grass is green.”

The tiger asked, ′′So why do you punish me?”

The lion replied, “That has nothing to do with the question of whether the grass is blue or green. The punishment is because it is degrading for a brave, intelligent creature like you to waste time arguing with a fool, and on top of that, you came and bothered me with that question just to validate something you already knew was true!”

The biggest waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who doesn’t care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions. Never waste time on discussions that make no sense. There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the ability to understand. Others are blinded by ego, hatred, and resentment and the only thing that they want is to be right even if they aren’t.

When ignorance screams, intelligence moves on.

The moral of the story is don’t argue with a fool!

(Why “Halo 3: Recon” was changed from being a campaign expansion to a separate title called “Halo 3: ODST” – As told by Marty O’Donnell, in a comment at A Reappraisal of Halo 3: ODST – YouTube)

In July of 2007 we had finally negotiated our way out of Microsoft. I was one of two leaders at Bungie who did the deal directly with Shane Kim (head of MGS). It was supposed to have been simple. We give them Halo 3, and they give us Bungie. It turned out they wanted us to make more Halo so we agreed to make Halo 4 (which became Reach) and we would help with the Peter Jackson Halo game. Not the Peter Jackson Halo movie – the game. There was a clause in the deal memo which said that if Peter Jackson failed to make the game, we would be released from that obligation. Somehow that clause got deleted. MS came back to us and said we had to make another game. We negotiated to make a Halo 3 campaign expansion, using a small team and finish it in one year. We were concerned about taking resources away from Reach which was already in development. MS agreed and we pulled in Paul Bertone and Joe Staten (who had been working with Peter Jackson) to jump on this project. Our plan was to under promise and over deliver. Release the game in the Spring for $29.99 and call it an expansion. Then people would love it because they would get so much more than expected.

Don Mattrick came in (replacing Shane Kim) and started playing hardball with Bungie. Our plan to announce the campaign expansion at E3 (anyone remember the countdown clock?) was cancelled at the last minute https://www.engadget.com/2008-07-15-e308-bungie-net-revealed-countdown-cancelled.html

Then it turned out the top management at MGS decided that the holiday 2009 season had no major titles for Xbox and delayed the release of ODST and also upped the price to $60. They marketed ODST as a full game – not an expansion. Because our negotiated deal had some profit sharing built in, Bungie probably made more money. However, many of us on the team felt like we had been double crossed and felt bad about misleading our fans.

And now you know.

In 1944, the CIA wrote a handbook on how to sabotage (enemy) organizations from the inside. A few interesting tips:

(1) Insist on doing everything through “channels.” Never permit short-cuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions.

(2) Make “speeches.” Talk as frequently as possible and at great length.

(3) When possible, refer all matters to committees, for “further study and consideration.” Attempt to make the committees as large as possible—never less than five.

(4) Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible.

(5) Haggle over precise wordings of communications, minutes, resolutions.

(6) Refer back to matters decided upon at the last meeting and attempt to re-open the question of the advisability of that decision.

(7) Demand written orders.

(8) “Misunderstand” orders. Ask endless questions or engage in long correspondence about such orders. Quibble over them when you can.

(9) Do everything possible to delay the delivery of orders. Even though parts of an order may be ready beforehand, don’t deliver it until it is completely ready.

(10) In making work assignments, always sign out the unimportant jobs first.

(11) Insist on perfect work in relatively unimportant products; send back for refinishing those which have the least flaw. Approve other defective parts whose flaws are not visible to the naked eye.

(12) When training new workers, give incomplete or misleading instructions.

(13) To lower morale and with it, production, be pleasant to inefficient workers; give them undeserved promotions. Discriminate against efficient workers; complain unjustly about their work.

(14) Hold conferences when there is more critical work to be done.

(15) Multiply paper work in plausible ways.

(16) Start duplicate files.

(17) Multiply the procedures and clearances involved in issuing instructions, pay checks, and so on. See that three people have to approve everything where one would do.

(18) Apply all regulations to the last letter.

(19) Do your work poorly and blame it on bad tools, machinery, or equipment. Complain that these things are preventing you from doing your job right.

(20) Never pass on your skill and experience to a new or less skillful worker.

(21) Snarl up administration in every possible way. Fill out forms illegibly so that they will have to be done over; make mistakes or omit requested information in forms.

(22) Give lengthy and incomprehensible explanations when questioned.

(23) Act stupid.

(24) Be as irritable and quarrelsome as possible without getting
yourself into trouble.

(25) Misunderstand all sorts of regulations concerning such matters as rationing, transportation, traffic regulations.

I asked a question about whether there was any relationship between psychopoathic or sociopathic tendencies and leadership roles – government or business.

I asked because I’ve known people in extremely high places that seemingly have no conscience and no limit to what they will do to get their way. Traits I see include:

• I’m-more-obsessively-relentless-than-anyone
• just-how-far-will-I-go-to-win
• you-have-to-lose-for-me-to-win
• small-ppl-think-micro-big-ppl-think-macro
• if-I’m-thinking-of-you, I’m-not-thinking-about-my-success
• I-count-every-penny-cuz-it’s-my-penny

Interestingly, many are former-athletes focused 24/7 on a) making money & b) ‘winning’.

So I asked. Boy, did I get an earful. 

• A study found one in five CEOs are psychopaths https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/psychopaths-ceos-study-statistics-one-in-five-psychopathic-traits-a7251251.html
• CEO is the number one career; also civil servants, clergy, media, sales people, surgeons, cops and special forces https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyclay/2013/01/05/the-top-10-jobs-that-attract-psychopaths/?sh=4662e6e4d80d
  These folks represent only 1% of the gene pool… and they are hugely disproportionately in prison and the upper class.
• “Well-designed governments encourage good behavior and bar against the potential for evil.  They treat 100% — not 2% or 10% or 80% — of elected officials as potential psychopaths.  Elections are made open and verifiable.  Bribery is forbidden.  Powers are checked and balanced.  Abuses are exposed and punished.  Secrecy is curtailed and openness required.  War powers are placed in a legislature or the public, or war abolished. …” https://davidswanson.org/can-we-really-blame-sociopaths/

I’ve discovered that many extremely experienced & smart people still commit common interviewing faux paxs.  Here’s some things I’ve learned over the years:

1. ALWAYS GET REFERRALS
   The best roles come from referrals. Never rely on job postings. Asking people to refer you should be the minimum, however people referring you for jobs unsolicited are the best.  Your professional network is one of your most important career tools.
   [Sidenote: Incidentally, the same holds true for buying a home. Never rely on the public listings or the MLS. The best home buying opportunities are the ones your real estate agent gets you before they are publicly listed.]
2. REQUIREMENTS = SUGGESTIONS
   Never choose not to apply for a position because you don’t think you have all the job requirements listed.  No one does.
3. EXPERIENCE = FOOT IN THE DOOR
   Your skills & experience for a role is only 50% of the hiring criteria. Interviews are granted based on key skills & experience but after that, it’s everything else that matters.
4. PROFESSIONALITY + PREPARATION
   Soft skills, research & networking can fill a lot of holes in one’s resume.  Use your network to learn as much about the position, the team, the company & especially, the hiring manager.
5. NEVER STOP INTERVIEWING
   Even if you get passed up for job #1, keep in mind that the hiring team may give you a referral for job #2.  (See bullet 1 about referrals)
   [Sidenote: This is how I got my current role. I was referred by the San Francisco office to the Los Angeles office for another role. I’ve now been here 27 years.]
6. IT’S NEVER “JUST BUSINESS”
   Careers are extremely personal. For me, the individual that coined the phrase, “It’s just business,” isn’t the kind of teammate I’d want to work with.
7. INTERVIEWING IS A 2-WAY STREAK
   They’re not just interviewing you: You’re interviewing them. Check to make sure the manager is strong & supportive, the team is made of good people, the company is ethical & the role is as advertised.
8. BEWARE RED FLAGS
   If you’re frustrated because of a poor interviewing process/experience, is this honestly a role you want?  You’re giving them your time & potentially your talent – they should respect that.
9. CAREFULLY CRAFT YOUR RESUME
   Resumes matter.  If you’re fortunate enough to have a recruiter or hiring manager actually check your resume, know that resumes tell a lot about a candidate beyond skills & experience. For example:
1. Can they communicate effectively & concisely?
2. Did they research what we’re looking for & have they made it a point to highlight that in their experience?
3. Do they want to hop to another job every year & if so, are they worth onboarding?
4. Can they be honest about their skills? How will their skills hold up upon direct questioning?
5. Are they a details person or a big picture person?

How to make great French Press coffee:
(Stolen from AllRecipes & some other YouTube sources)

1. Grind beans as fresh as possible
2. Coarse grind about like coarse salt – NOT PRE-GROUND
3. Ratio: 60g to 1L of water/16g to 250ml (See below for table)
4. Heat water to a boil then remove from heat to settle from 212F to 195F
5. Pour some boiling water into decanter to pre heat for even brewing & consistency, swirl & dispose
6. Pour coffee directly into press decanter & then pour water over covering all grounds – do not stir with a spoon or agitate beyond the pour
7. Let sit for 4 minutes in open air: grounds will settle
8. Remove top layer / crust with a spoon being careful not to stir coffee
9. Cover press decanter but do not press down!  Instead for a smoother flavor, simply use top UNPRESSED as a filter and pour ALL coffee into cups or thermos. (Pressing will reagitate the coffee, produce residue in your cup & make it more bitter)
10. Stir cups/thermos & serve

General rules for coffee/water ratio:

• 1 cup water (8 fluid ounces) — 2 tablespoons coffee beans (14 grams)
• 2 cups water (16 fluid ounces) — ¼ cup coffee beans (28 grams)
• 4 cups of water (32 fluid ounces) — 1/2 cup coffee beans (56 grams)
• 8 cups of water (64 fluid ounces) — 1 cup coffee beans (112 grams)

I really had to double click on this because I was as astounded at the move as everyone else was.

But upon investigating the rationale behind UCLA/USC’s move to the Pac-12, the opportunity is an absolute no-brainer for both the Big 10 and the two Los Angeles universities.

CONFERENCE CONSOLIDATION
First of all, conference changes are happening everywhere. See: https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/conference-realignment-tracker-ranking-top-moves-for-the-upcoming-2022-2023-college-basketball-season/

What you see is universities taking advantage of the opportunities in front of them & consolidating to put themselves into the best positions possible strategically & financially for their programs.

So why are conferences consolidating?

It’s simple: You can make more money together in volume, than you can negotiating separately.  If you have a lot of marquee names, you can negotiate for things like TV rights much more effectively than small market names.  And university athletic programs are being forced to find more ways to make money to be viable/effective in the future.

But why did UCLA & USC, who have such big brands go to the Big 10?

SEVERAL REASONS FOR UCLA TO MOVE TO THE BIG 10:
I’m sure there’s more than this but this is just what I’ve been able to research so far:

• NIL & ADVERTISING DEBT
  The Supreme Court NIL ruling put the power to make money into the hands of the athletes.  Conversely, the NIL ruling has taken a massive revenue generation stream away from the colleges. $100Ms of dollars, in some cases & that has to be replaced or the programs will go bankrupt.
  https://trace.tennessee.edu/jasm/vol13/iss2/8/

• PLAYOFFS
  The College Football Playoffs represent $600M for the 4 playoff teams today, with $2B on the horizon with the 12-team expansion coming. Schools MUST vie for a spot in the playoffs to be a relevant contender in football and that requires poll & playoff votes & exposure. UCLA needs to be on a national stage to get those poll & playoff votes & that requires playing teams that have a major athletic budget & marketing commitment to football regularly like Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State, etc.
  https://www.forbes.com/sites/terencemoore/2021/07/06/the-ncaa-hadnt-a-choice-but-nil-rule-will-damage-college-football-and-basketball/?sh=6926d80d2c0d

• MARQUEE NAME REVENUE
  ESPN, Fox & service providers pay more for marquee match ups of big markets (Los Angeles, Michigan, Ohio) not small markets (Corvallis, Pullman, Arizona) Separating from lesser known Pac-12 conference members for marquee names in the Big 10 negotiates much bigger revenue for TV game rights. Bottom line: Playing conference games against Michigan, Ohio St, Michigan St, Wisconsin, Penn St, Nebraska, Iowa, Purdue, Illinois, etc. brings in far more revenue from national networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN, FOX.
  https://archive.ph/VPS1O

• CONFERENCE NETWORK REVENUE
  
  The Pac-12 Network brings in drastically less than what the Big 10 Network brings in & redistributes to it’s members.  In 2017, the Pac-12 distributed just $2.5M per member for ALL GAMES vs the Big 10 which distributed $8M per member.
  https://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/la-sp-pac-12-networks-20170726-story.html

• RECRUITING – EXPOSURE
  
  Recruits/Athletes go to colleges for exposure & the best exposure is being on TV every weekend on the most TVs. The Big 10 has 60M viewers.  The Pac-12 Network has 18M viewers.
  https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/02/13/think-the-pac-12-networks-are-struggling-with-audience-and-revenue-the-reality-might-be-worse-than-you-imagined/
  https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/04/19/how-changes-to-the-ncaas-nil-rules-will-impact-brand-marketing/?sh=1fb9bead7f89

• RECRUITING – NIL REVENUE
  
  NIL marketplaces/exchanges are far more profitable for athletes – even for Los Angeles – when the athlete’s visibility is broad. The more eyeballs, the more money. And recruits come to the universities where they can make the most money.
  https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2021/09/20/Upfront/Name-Image-Likeness.aspx
• THE BIG PINK ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: “UNDER ARMOUR”
  Signed in 2017, UCLA had a 15 year, $280M athletics sponsorship deal with Under Armour… who renegged on the contract in 2020 and was subsequently sued by UCLA.  While the matter was in litigation, no money is coming in from that sponsorship & UCLA is out $19M in revenue annually.  And even with UCLA signing a new $46M/6yr contract with Nike ($7.7M/year), that’s not enough to fill the revenue hole left by Under Armour.
  Reportedly, the move to the Big 10, with the new Big 10 TV contracts being negotiated, can net UCLA $100M in revenue EVERY YEAR.
  https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/ucla-under-armour-drop-opposing-lawsuits-over-defunct-apparel-deal/ar-AA1052vW

Man, ain’t this the truth.  John Oliver discusses tech monopolies, and how to address the hidden harm they can do.

From:

• The tyranny of exclusive App Store control by 2 monopolies that charge anyone who wants to publish an app 30% of their earning
• The complete control over the order of Search Results of a search & advertisement company with 90% market share
• The total ownership of the retail marketspace by a single online company

This is pretty grim.

• Tech Monopolies: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXf04bhcjbg

[I previously wrote this for LinkedIn but I’m posting it here as well.]

In my Senior year of high school, I’d gotten all my acceptances from every other school I’d applied to – all nice fat packets of literature – but nothing from UCLA. I was in San Diego coming off a concert performance & my parents drove to pick me up with the goal of touring the campuses of UCSD, UCI & UCSB.

As we headed to UCSD, I asked, “Did we hear from UCLA?” The car got quiet & my Mom said, “Yes” & handed me a thin envelope, then saying. “I’m sorry, son,” knowing UCLA was my #1.

I was on a high from the concert still, removing my suit & I said, “It’s okay Mom,” and I sat in the backseat with the envelope for a minute. Then I opened it & my eyes were a little teary & only saw one typewritten word on the page:

“Congratulations!”

And just like the Bruin Bound videos, I yelled, “I got in! OMG, I got in!” The next few minutes could only be described as chaos in the family station wagon as we tried to figure out what to do. Next thing we know, we’re hightailing it up the I-5 to Westwood stopping only for food & a payphone call to UCLA trying to arrange an impromptu campus tour to learn about the potato tree & where Mr Janss was buried.

So my 1st interaction w/ UCLA was getting punked by Admissions. I mean, sending a LETTER of congratulations? DUDE.

With the speed of business today, there’s a need for broad experience to be ingrained across teams for guidance, best practices & to avoid disastrous pitfalls in real-time.

• “The Kind of Smarts You Don’t Find in Young People:” – The Atlantic https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kurtshintaku_the-kind-of-smarts-you-dont-find-in-young-activity-6905210238010568706-d37U

A while back, I found a medical supply store that would sell 3M “designed-for-medical/surgical-use” N95 masks by the crate (440 masks) at roughly $1/each.  This is still a very good deal however it surprises me that more people haven’t adopted N95 masks when it’s been made excruciatingly clear that:

1. Wearing a paper surgical mask and/or a cloth mask is VERY EFFECTIVE at protecting others from contracting COVID-19 from you;
   It is LIMITED in protecting the wearer from contracting COVID-19 from others.
2. Wearing an N95 mask is VERY EFFECTIVE at protecting others from contracting COVID-19 from you; 
   It is VERY EFFECTIVE at protecting the wearer from contracting COVID-19 from others.

This article from Scientific American lays out why people should be getting N95 masks, as well as detailing the differences between:

• N95
• FFP2
• KN95
• KF94

I’ve also written about 3M’s documentation on the different mask offerings they have, and the differences between each here:

• INFO: Understanding the differences between N95 respirators
  https://kurtsthoughts.com/2021/05/28/info-understanding-the-differences-between-n95-respirators/

Read the article from Scientific American which I find very compelling:

A wealth of evidence has shown that wearing a face mask helps prevent people from spreading the virus that causes COVID, SARS-CoV-2, to others and from becoming sick themselves. But there has been less guidance from public health officials on what kind of masks provide the best protection.

Early on in the pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization told the public not to wear N95 respirators, a type of mask that is made from high-tech synthetic fibers and provides a high level of protection against virus-laden airborne particles called aerosols. That was because there was then a shortage of such masks—and health care workers desperately needed them. At the same time, both agencies said there was little risk of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2. They recommended cloth masks or other homemade face coverings that can stop some relatively large virus-carrying droplets even as it became clear that SARS-CoV-2 commonly spreads through aerosols—and as the supply of better-quality masks increased.

There is now a cornucopia of high-filtration respirator-style masks on the market, including N95s, Chinese-made KN95s and South Korean–made KF94s. They have been widely available and relatively affordable for months and provide better protection than cloth or surgical masks. Yet it was not until September 10 that the CDC finally updated its guidance to say the general public could wear N95s and other medical-grade masks now that they are in sufficient supply.

…

Full article here:

• SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN:
  PUBLIC HEALTH:
  Why We Need to Upgrade Our Face Masks—and Where to Get Them
  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-need-to-upgrade-our-face-masks-and-where-to-get-them/

My son asked a question as little boys do
Of me in my wisdom and all that I knew.

“Is there a dog that is perfect?” he asked on a whim,
Well, I thought and I thought about where to begin.

“He’d have ears that were floppy… or cropped and alert
And eyes that were sleepy… or perky and pert,
He’d leap like a bunny or sit in your lap
And run fast as horses… or opt for a nap.

“A dog that is perfect would be covered in spots
Or maybe one-color … and then have spots-not.

“He’d be small as a teacup… or big as a house,
With a nose that seemed flattened … or long like a mouse,

“He’d swim and he’d hunt with a coat flying free
Or be dainty and delicate … and ‘He’d’ be a ‘She’

As I struggled to answer, and not with a clue,
My son, with a smile, said, out of the blue,
With the wisdom of children, what he already knew…

The dog that is perfect … is the one next to you.

– John O’Hurley

Research shows that not only is a cutthroat environment harmful to productivity, but that a positive environment will lead to dramatic benefits for employers, employees, and the bottom line.

• “Proof That Positive Work Cultures Are More Productive” – HBR
  https://hbr.org/2015/12/proof-that-positive-work-cultures-are-more-productive

“Google sought to use an August 2019 meeting with fellow tech giants Apple, Facebook and Microsoft to stall federal efforts to strengthen a children’s online privacy law, attorneys general for Texas and other states alleged in newly unsealed court documents on Friday.
Google also bragged about “slowing down” new privacy rules in Europe that would apply to digital services like services such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Microsoft’s Skype, according to internal documents quoted by the states. But the search giant expressed concerns that Microsoft, which had been making “subtle privacy attacks” on its Big Tech rivals, might not go along with its plans.”

• POLITICO: Google sought fellow tech giants’ help in stalling kids’ privacy protections, states allege
  https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/22/google-kids-privacy-protections-tech-giants-516834

Excerpt:  Taking time for silence restores the nervous system, helps sustain energy, and conditions our minds to be more adaptive and responsive. For example, silence is associated with the development of new cells in the hippocampus, the key brain region associated with learning and memory.

But cultivating silence isn’t just about getting respite from the distractions of office chatter or tweets.  Real sustained silence, the kind that facilitates clear and creative thinking, and quiets inner chatter as well as outer. Try going on a media fast, sitting silently for 2 minutes during the middle of your workday, or taking a long walk in the woods — with no phone. The world is getting louder, but silence is still accessible.

…

Read the full article here:

• The Busier You Are, the More You Need Quiet Time (hbr.org)
  https://hbr.org/2017/03/the-busier-you-are-the-more-you-need-quiet-time

Employees’ mental health is quickly becoming a top concern for companies as they try to hold on to workers through the pandemic.

Why it matters: The firms that confront mental health are poised to win the war for talent.

“These days there are worker shortages everywhere,” says Chris Swift, CEO of The Hartford, a financial services and insurance company. Mental health is a massive contributor to that, he says.

…

Read the entire article from Axios here:

• AXIOS: Mental health is the next big workplace issue
  https://www.axios.com/mental-health-is-the-next-big-workplace-issue-3d0959f0-f5a0-4e62-bfac-714fae3ce5c0.html

Headline: “Your company could be spying on you: Surveillance software use up over 50% since pandemic started.”

Yeah, that’s not unsettling at all. <sarcasm>

I’ve had more than a half dozen customers ask me, “How can I monitor the keystrokes of my employees?”

WHAT?

“Yeah, we wanna make sure that they’re working while they are remote.”

ACTIVITY IS NOT PRODUCTIVITY
This is the most common scenario I’m told is the reason companies are looking for ways to monitor their employees computer activity.

Which if course is ridiculous.  Computer activity is never a measure of productive work. 

The urge to monitor employees however is an indicator that management doesn’t know how to measure employee productivity or their success – and that’s a failing of management, not their employees.

Who cares if the employee works only 3 days a week if they’re not required to be at a physical location?  If they do their job with excellence – why should anyone care? 

EXAMPLE: SALESPEOPLE & QUOTAS
Sales jobs often do exactly this:  They have sales quotas that they have to meet for the year as the metric of their job performance.  I’ve met numerous salespeople that have completely blown out their quotas in the 1st half of the fiscal year… then effectively went on vacation for the remaining 6 months.

Some say this doesn’t translate to other jobs: I disagree.  The majority of jobs do in fact have measurable outcomes.  Everyone has quantifiable goals that their job requires.  And there are tasks that are necessary to attain those goals.  Simply identifying when employees complete those tasks & ultimately, reach the goals & outcomes of their jobs are simple metrics that every manager can establish & do every month, quarter, and review period.

If you can’t verifiably measure an employee’s productivity or excellence, maybe you should spend time & effort on that before you think of doing something as valueless as monitoring employee computer activity.

• Use of employee surveillance software has jumped over 50% since the pandemic started
  https://fortune.com/2021/09/01/companies-spying-on-employees-home-surveillance-remote-work-computer/?n5h26i

For years, my DirecTV DVR would show a floating DirecTV logo as a screensaver when TV was “paused” for 5 minutes.  This was great because it’d prevent burn-in on people’s projection or OLED TVs and I appreciated that. 

THE DAY DIRECTV GOT DESPERATE
One day, instead of a floating DirecTV logo after “pausing” for 5 min, the DirecTV Genie DVR started showing still image advertisements for future TV programming, pay-per-view shows, and sometimes even products.  These rotated every so often and were pretty obnoxious.  I didn’t like this but it wasn’t that distracting.

But THEN, during the pandemic, my DirecTV “Genie” DVR started playing 30 second VIDEO ADS when live or recorded TV is paused after only 30 seconds. Suddenly, 30 seconds after pausing the TV program, “Lily from AT&T” is on a loop pitching completely irrelevant business phone service on my screen.

Video ads during a pause?  Now that’s distracting and extremely annoying.

GETTING “ADVICE” FROM AT&T/DIRECTV
So the question is, how do we make it stop?  I contacted DirecTV and of course their people gave me completely irrelevant & incorrect advice which is inline with the kind of guidance they’ve given me in the past:

• First, they said to “turn off power savings” – which has nothing to do with the ads that run during paused TV.
• Then they actually told me to “turn off” my DVR and turn it back on, providing the worst, most embarrassing tech support I’ve gotten in years.

I resorted to Internet searches at this point.

BLOCKING ADS ON DIRECTV GENIE DVR
The short answer is I found out that you can block the following domains on your DNS or your home router and it will stop the ads from appearing during paused TV:

• xaaf-be-live.att.com
  Blocking this one domain will prevent the full motion video ads from playing after 30 seconds of paused TV.  You will still see still-image ads after 5 min of paused TV. (I’ve tested this and it works perfectly when I block this domain on OpenDNS, my DNS provider)
• Blocking the list of domains below will reportedly prevent still-image ads from appearing.  The only thing you should see, assuming you’ve blocked both domains is a moving DirecTV logo screensaver. (I haven’t set this up yet but many folks have confirmed that it works.
• xaaf-be-live.att.com
• xandrssads-sponsored.akamaized.net
• insights-collector.newrelic.com
• dtvstb-screensaver.secure.footprint.net
• iw.dtvce.com
• callback1-stb.dtvce.com
• cmd.dtvce.com
• stb-plugin-akamai.directv.com.edgesuite.net
• bbvds.dtvbb.tv
• ums-stb.dtvce.com
• analytic.rollout.io
• itv-pxy.dtvce.com

I’ll update this once I’ve entered in all the domains above to block in OpenDNS.