Would you bring a beverage to an interview discussion

 There is actually a big debate on a topic for the last few weeks which has made it into the financial times and other major outlets. The bringing coffee to an interview debate.

Oddly enough I was thinking about something similar last year based on my own experience. Funny how it came up.

Early in my career I was assigned to a specialized supervisor for a few weeks. I asked around about her and everyone told me to be careful. How bad can she be I thought.

I wish I could say what she was. In Academia everyone's hand is attached to a coffee cup. Quite normal to be walking around with it.

Day one with Ms. Rude. Had to meet her in her office to discuss my observation. In between buildings I grabbed my Starbucks. A treat to make it through the day and not inexpensive. I sip and savor. We were talking and I sat down my cup on her office table. "It could spill" she said. I apologized and sat it next to my chair on the floor. "No it could spill". She bends down and places the almost full cup in the waste paper basket. "We are going to put it right here". I clenched my teeth and said nothing. (Holy sh...t I'm not a child what's wrong with you?).

We discussed my observations and on my way out I grabbed my lidded cup out of the basket (she'd placed it upright in an empty basket). "No. You won't need it leave it here".

Older me would have opened my mouth. She gave me a bad evaluation no matter how much I groveled anyway.

Petty little things were criticized by her. There was nothing I could do right. She slandered my colleagues. I respected the hierarchy. Fawned submitted stayed polite. Yes ma'am. When I mentioned this to an administrator I was told that yes ms. Rude targets the youngest with the silliest things behaviors like my coffee that had nothing to do with performance.

I was a keen idealistic rookie mature for my age but coffee really? It was a power play. A god complex. I was to walk around and worship her.

There's a name for that now. She was abusive.

Lesson learned. Sometimes I still wish I had said something to this educator who thought she needed to ensure we were created in her image.

Decades later and that mindset still exists

Recently a recruiter for corporate employment instructed on TikTok that job interviewees shouldn't bring their coffee to an interview, they won't be hired.

I've never brought a coffee cup to an interview primarily because between parking and building I don't necessarily pass a coffee place. If I'm rushed don't want to jog with a takeout cup. Always have a water bottle on me though.

My initial reaction was wouldn't want to work for anyone who is that uptight. I interview them as much as they interview me.

The backlash from successful people was fantastic. Anything from "this isnt the 50s" to "are you hiring humans?" And countless complaints about corporate mindsets were you're expected to have the physical needs of a robot. In all fairness, even robots need to charge.

In a sense it's good that people are discussing this now. That things have improved but these are young people just starting out. No reason to mistreat them.

From Quantum physics to Science fiction

 

Source Wiki quantum computer

Quantum Physics is the blanket term

Quantum mechanics is the math and the equations

Discovered by Max Planck in 1900

Then Einstein

Nils Bohr

Einstein branched off into relativity and disagrees with a random universe

Werner Heisenberg comes up with the Uncertainty Principle (1927)

Ernst Schrodinger continues

1950s

Everett proposes the many worlds ie. Multiverse theory

Carl Jung and Physicist Pauli explore human consciousness 30s to 50s Synchronicity

The 1990s

Quantum vibrations and physics are picked up by mysticists like Chopra 

Penrose applies it to human consciousness, opposed by neuroscientists (1990s)

The 2000s 

Quantum cognition and Quantum vibration terminology appears

Quantum computers

Theoretical 1980s, first machines built in 1990s

Proposed by Feynman

There are basically three main theories. Some are thought experiments like Schrodinger cat. These physicists have been debating who is right since the 1920s crossing into philosophy.

IBM and Google have them already. Housed in data centers. Highly sensitive. Huge data volumes are measured in qubits. Must be super cooled (almost absolute zero) and kept separate from normal environment. Prone to error and decohesion. Very slow compared to classic computers. Truly usable in about fifty years.

One example is taking all the data of a chaotic weather system and feeding them into it. It can calculate to predict the weather more accurately. But it does not actually "predict".

The movies and science fiction:

Avengers endgame was a great example of a multiverse and Quantum physics using magic and superpowers.

Other series were Asimovs foundation, Paradise and probably Devs. (Many others whose name I can't recall).

Quantum Physics is fascinating at the subatomic level but cannot be applied to a human life or the brain. Sorry?

A Quantum computer won't be able to predict anything ir examine past present future because we don't live in a predetermined universe that's set in stone.

Eg. If you mix all the ingredients to bake a cake you will get a cake. That's not prediction but a logical conclusion. A Quantum computer won't be able to predict that one outcome is that you burned it because you forgot to check on it. Not a prediction but a confirmation after the fact.

Unfortunately all the movies are great storytelling and a supercomputer that can tell us what will happen is an interesting story, but remains science fiction. We live in an indeterminate universe, random, chaotic that keeps reorganizing itself into a semblance of order. Almost all series/movies show us a deterministic universe; human lives have one path and all the choices keep us on that path.

Untrue because all the choices everyone else makes could interfere with that path. Free will basically.

More movie reviews

 I recently started watching Devs (Developers) by Alex Garland of Ex Machina and Annihilation fame.

Only 2 episodes in I can't spoil it. He's a thought provoking director with consistently incredible imagery analyzing current themes.

So far he's dealing with the concept of a popularized quantum mechanics deterministic universe that is branched as a multiverse. Everything was meant to happen and foretold.

Similarity of interpretation in Asimovs Foundation series.

This theoretical physics proposal was popular in the 1950s but opposed by the Copenhagen model. Interesting nonetheless.

In it a bereaved father offers the following thought. I'm Paraphrasing. His little girl died so one exists in a quantum state initially where the loss is inconceivable but also grieving the loss at the same time.

Relatable, but not quantum physics just shock and grief.

I'm watching it slowly because garland has a tendency to hide clues in his puzzles.

Another very original movie is The last house. Have not seen or read this before. It's not great movie but I enjoyed it because it's very different. If octopi co-evolved what would be the outcome. Themes are cooperation empathy climate change.

What is Karma?

 Every time I get sick I become contemplative. The recent topic: Karma. It comes up a lot and I frequently question what I was taught about it.

I've mentioned it before but one of the individuals I spoke to about it is an Indian buddhist with a confusing system of castes and reincarnation. He's deeply religious/spiritual but his culture is so very different from mine our approach to Buddhism so very different.

 He's basically waiting to reincarnate as the only purpose to his life.

As I watch the current state of the world, I see not very good people lead long healthy lives. Did they do so well in the last that this is the reward?

I also experience very good people who treat others well have terrible lives of hardship. Are they paying for the previous? If they endure this one, will they be "kings" in the next?

And where did all the extra souls come from? Another realm? The animal kingdom?

But above all, if one is an evil person with intent but successful in subsequent reincarnations do they become a different person? Doesn't that change their personality?

Obviously it's not that simple.

Any thoughts?

Tested gravity. Yup. Its still there.

 Careful everyone. Gravity has increased. Took a bit of a tumble which is not blogworthy but...

For the last two weeks people have been discussing improving homes through handrails and other renos to make them more accessible.

Just yesterday I was reading a thread by a famous writer who is relatively fit but had decided at 40 to start putting in hand rails to prevent injury. Not something 40 year Olds think about but probably a good idea and I like prevention, especially when cats enjoy the tripping game. Strange topic.

I'm not prone to falls. Years of sports training gave me the muscle memory to quickly catch myself except now. Caregiving injuries covssh heatwaves and another covssh and i was just telling spouse yesterday that I feel wobbly.

So. On my way to the bathroom I moved an electronic device aside In the hallway and suddenly ended up on the tiled floor in the bathroom.

There's a brief moment of disorientation. For a few minutes I just lay there stunned and surprised. What just happened? Very little pain so maybe I was alright?

When I had moved the electronic device the extention cord had looped I stepped into it, got caught and thump.

Stupid things happen. Coulda shoulda woulda have done something about the extension cor but i didn't. 

An elderly relative of mine believes that quantum computing is causing the internet to turn into reality. Makes no sense, but the synchronicity was weird.

I got up grabbed a bag of chips sat down on the bed and munched like a child. So far a scraped knee and some pain. We'll see.

Not impressed.

Linus Pauling effect and supplements

 This is a very superficial quick post on this topic because it recently came up and will continue to come up.

Supplements

 if interested look up

-controvwrsy around supplements, recalls and lawsuits

Linus Pauling wiki biography

Most of the research into vitamins and micronutrients dates back to the 50s. Vitamins became available in pill form and every so often scientists and physicians want to have that market regulated. The big push for regulation started in the 70s. Big natural is big business and so far they're still considered a food product rather than medication.

Regulation means

Stop describing it as natural most of them are synthesized

 list adverse effects

List the ingredients

List how much of the active ingredient is actually in it

Use pharmaceutical quality control

Etc.

Jameson claimed that vit c cures the common cold. Canada issued a recall on that claim in addition to finding that their tablets contained 10% vit c and 90%filler

I'm mentioning vit c as an example which includes the linus pauling effect. Pauling was a genius in chemistry and physics and received two Nobel prizes. He laid the foundation for molecular genetics and most of his ideas turned out to be correct. Except vit c. Vit c was the first vitamin to be synthesized. Pauling believed that megadosing vit c led to improved health.

The human body cant make or store it and as subsequent research revealed can only absorb 250 MG at a time. The rest is excreted. However in many individuals especially seniors the body doesn't excrete it sufficiently and health problems can happen.

Pauling made the mistake that just because he was exceptional in chemistry and physics didn't mean that what he observed in a lab or deduced applies to the biochemistry of the human body. He claimed to have taken 18000 MG a day for optimized health. If he did he was lucky.

Vit c interferes with chemo. Has dangerous sideffects in high doses and does actually feed cancer cells.

Pauling died of prostate cancer at 93 years old.

Some people do need them for certain medical conditions. Ideally we'd have good lab work on deficiencies and better research before it goes on the market with unproven claims.

Enriching processed grains (like pasta and corn flakes) with vitamins is a good idea but randomly ingesting them probably not.

Travel and memories

 Travel was easier when I was younger. When I travel to a destination with a lot of sightseeing I prepare by looking at everything, I might want to visit, prioritize a list of must sees, check opening hours and then visit whatever I'm in the mood for that day.

A perfect day is waking up, eating a slow breakfast then let impulsivity and mood guide me. Sometimes I visit a famous museum discover a nice court yard café sketch and let the sights work their magic.

I went to venice with a group when I was a teen. We saw the main sites, but there was no meandering and discovering. The second time I went I took my time wanted to take a glass making workshop, it was mostly glass blowing which I'm not interested in, but did manage to buy murano glass candy.

On another trip with my mom we visited the cote d'azure and took day trips. My mom wanted to see the casino in monaco an absolutely stunning place. Back then despite the fact that we visited during the day we couldn't get in. I wore a nice tshirt shorts, but the dress code didn't permit shorts. Wasted trip. I also didn't know that monaco had a oceanographic museum.

Monaco museum of oceanography, built on a cliff.

I recently checked. The casino has lifted its dress code, but the museum sells prepurchased tickets. My memory of Monaco is of looking at rocky beaches, disappointed that I didn't get to visit the casino. I've been to several time window famous exhibits with pre booked tickets and didn't like it. Three hours of shuffling through a packed exhibit, without the time to sit in the museum cafe write my impressions and return to the exhibit is neither relaxing nor inspiring.

Venice recently started limiting tourist numbers, I've heard that the booking system of letting the city know you're coming is chaotic and I thought about how easy everything used to be.

The entire point of a vacation is to relax and not have an itinerary. Somehow, at least to me, spending a vacation trying to book tickets in advance is losing that freedom to enjoy the day. I once bought a ticket to a famous traveling exhibit then couldn't attend. Impossible hassle to switch the day.