kaitco @ kaitco @lemmy.world

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2 yr. ago

Which is really saying something, isn’t it?

Like, the fact that she’s a “good” one and that so many of the Republicans still hate her just tells you such much about the Grand Old Party. But, they knew Trump was going to destroy them and let it happen anyway, so whatever.

While you will commonly hear that you shouldn’t use Excel as a database, it happens all the time.

Excel is generally more accessible than something like Access or other proprietary database applications, and given that a lot of initial data originally lives in a spreadsheet, it’s the simplest solution that doesn’t require something like SQL coding knowledge to access.

Basic spreadsheet features are all you should ever use spreadsheet software to do anyway.

It depends on what you mean when you say “basic”. A spreadsheet with filters or maybe some pivot tables? A spreadsheet connecting to 12 others with refreshes created using VBA code so that end users just need to click a button and see their data? A spreadsheet that connects to a database, runs several queries, and spits out data in an easy to read form? There are folks who consider pivot tables and the use of any code to be “advanced” use of Excel. There are also folks who have made full-on applications with Excel and consider those to be made with only “intermediate” grade knowledge.

I’ve found that the more you know about an application like Excel, the more you realize what you don’t know.

Many scientists are based out of corporations or universities who contract with Microsoft, so Excel would be the default solution for working with spreadsheets.

Also, when it comes to “office” applications, there is no real substitute for Excel. Word processing, presentations, email, notes; there are many open and closed source alternatives that will do the same if not better than MS Office applications. Excel, however, is the exception.

LibreOffice Calc, G-Sheets, Apple’s Numbers, or the myriad of competitor office solutions have never matched Excel for in-depth analyses or overall function. For just basic features, one could limp by with most alternatives, but doing real analytical work within spreadsheets requires Excel.

That’s because it’s so impossible to find anything I’d use on a normal Google search that you have to add “Reddit” to your search to find anything relevant.

Of course, post-API debacle, a fair amount of the responses you’d have needed are deleted, but ya know…

lurks even harder

The show was “Zombie House Renovations” in case anyone was curious.

“We”. Not everyone. You poor plebs, stay at the bottom to lick our boot heels. “We” the already uber-rich will be even richer and living in some Star Trek-esque paradise.

Given what was done with the IP for the Gollum game, I’ve got low hopes at this point, but I’d love to be pleasantly surprised once it launches.

The IP has changed hands, so it can have little that appears like what we got from the films, but it was a nice touch bringing John Rhys-Davies to do the narration for the opening.

Hey man! Facts don’t sell! They don’t move content and they don’t generate clicks.

You and your accuracy are out of place!

So, now there’s going to be an increase of strays of a breed viewed as dangerous just wandering around?

Also, euthanizing healthy animals who’ve not done anything wrong sounds just plain barbaric. Why not just stop the sale or adoption of the breed instead of just abandoning or killing them?

I could see that being a huge benefit. It became a matter of principle for me when it came to getting that screw off in the end. 😬

That said, they could just not put that screw in there that prevents people from doing what they want with their equipment.

5% of 400…

I’m so ashamed that the numbers clearly present me as one of those “but, it’s on sale!” buyers who then only play 3 games year after year.

Just run Ubuntu or Mint on the old Chromebook and be done with it.

Linux turns a Chromebook into a fully functional machine, and since they are so cheap, you can get a halfway decent “Linuxbook” for less than $200.

… they've gotten comfortable with looking for superficial signs of whether or not people appear to be productive.

This is really the crux of the issue. Rather than adapt the way that people are managed, it’s easier to simply stay with the status quo.

The worst part of this managerial style is that it’s so easy to “fake” work. I like to write and I wrote some of my best stories while at “work” in the office. Someone walks by your desk and sees you furiously typing away at a document that fills a whole page, and they think, “Wow! Look at her go!” despite the fact that I’m writing my 450K word fanfiction novel on company time. When the 2048 game craze took over, I had an Excel document that looked like something legit, but actually had the 2048 game in the middle of rows that talked about volume variances and efficiencies.

The appearance of work doesn’t account for anything. Managers need to account for production, i.e., here is the work that is expected, and have these employees completed the work. Even increasing the workload over time can get a good amount of work out of any employee if employers are so utterly concerned about a moment of the workday spent doing anything other than “work”.

Yes, you’re going to have employees who will just go MIA for three hours and you find out that they went out shopping or stepped out to hit a few balls at the driving range, but that is - again - a manager’s ability or inability to check-in with their team, to know what their people are working on, and ensure that deliverables are met.

And before you say they can just call/message. Sure, but they won't. Even in the office I have to go up to junior staff and only then do I get the 'well while you're here'.

Honestly, this is where I’d put the onus on you as a manager. The senior staff may not need as much interaction, but the junior staff are the ones that will require more if your time. Daily check-ins with the junior staff can ensure the necessary “face time” and interactions that would spur additional questions from the “while I’ve got you” perspective.

Remote work requires a full paradigm shift, especially from managers. I’m in constant contact with my manager, my peers, and other related teams throughout the day. My manager “comes up to me” by pinging me on WebEx to ask for clarification or to request a task. Sometimes, he’ll ping me and we’ll jump on a call. The interaction is the same as when I was in an office, and a senior manager would come to me and ask questions.

Working remotely does not mean working in a vacuum. Instead of walking across a room to ask Lisa a question, you ping her on instant message instead, and honestly, in my last position, we worked with so many people across the country and across the world that pinging “Lisa” was the only option because she’s in Manila while I’m in Ohio.

Outside of work that requires physical labor like running a forklift or operating a physical machine, a lot of positions simply need to reconsider how they interact with employees rather than making blanket statements about how “we work better together in the office”.

You didn’t know? Only the most patriotic Americans would support the violent overthrow of a democratically elected government.

If they allowed control of the games through third party controllers that work through mobile phones, I could see a small niche taking off from this service. They’ve already avoided the pitfall that the Stadia saw in allowing the game to be “free” with the current subscription.

I was about to cancel my Netflix when I saw that I’m grandfathered into $10/month for ad-free. The only thing I find worth watching there are K-Dramas these days and that’s roughly the cost of a Viki Rakuten account, so I’ve decided to keep it…for now.

The second anything requires me to change from my current sub, that’s a wrap.

Brea Culpa! This time, Britain gets to take up the Euro!

But Rock Band 4 still lets you buy and play songs from the first three Rock Band games and those were from the X360 era.

Interestingly enough, Harmonix still releases new music for the game that was released the sams year as the first Xbox One.