My mom taught me that life wasn’t fair. This was her go-to answer when an atrocity such as unequal desert portioning occurred. Random events happen that, for good or bad, affect us.

Philosophy, history, and common sense tell us that it is often preferable to prevent a harm from occurring than to attempt to fix the damage once it occurs. Studies about software defect remediation show varying results, but there is strong consensus among them that finding and fixing a bug during design is much less expensive than fixing it after deployment.

I started a new Coursera course today: Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects.

We all have personal goals. Whether it’s to write that killer app you have been obsessing about, or to finish that book you “started” years ago, procrastination is our common enemy.

"Tell me about your greatest strength..."
Many interviewers asks this question without even knowing why it was originally asked. Experienced interviewers know that the answer is not important, what is important is how the interviewee handles the question. The question is useful in eliciting a reaction. Unfortunately, asking the question insinuates that there is a correct answer when, in truth, the question is based upon a false assumption: that strengths and weaknesses exist in people.

I was recently asked to take over a project that had begun to flounder. After about a week, I was able to piece together a list of problems; causes for the lack of progress.