Wow, that’s cool! I keep thinking of Red Mars and Hiroki and the farm team of colonist hippies.
And this part made me go “Awwww…”
Fresh fruits and vegetables could help improve mental health by giving astronauts something to nurture. They also give astronauts a little piece of Earth to bring with them on long journeys.
Source: Space vegetables are on the menu for the first time at the International Space Station | The Verge
I read recently that Netflix was producing a new prequel series for the cult movie Wet Hot American Summer. I’d never seen it before, but I knew that it had Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd and a bunch of other famous people in it. And then I found out it that it was created by the guys from The State, which I absolutely loved. ($240 worth of pudding, anyone?) So last weekend I watched the original, and it was just as silly and rude as I expected. I can see how it would get funnier every time you watched it with friends. The Snook didn’t watch the whole thing, but he caught a few bits and was mildly amused.
Then this week we started watching the new prequel series, and it’s even better than the original. I love how it provides some backstories for the returning characters, but also introduces new ones (which keeps you guessing what will happen to get rid of them). Here’s a guide to some of the callback jokes. Elizabeth Banks’s retcon is so well done, and I loved her super high-waisted jeans. We both lost it when Paul Rudd wafted a fart at Katie in an attempt to flirt. And then Michael Cera said this, and we had to pause it because we were laughing so hard. Soooooooooo funny (and stupid, but funny).
And then yesterday I watched the documentary, which is more silliness. They were all so young! And yet not as young as their characters, even back then. And I finally found out how to play Snaps, so that’s something.
Last Monday I attended a Negotiation Workshop put on by Women Who Code Sydney. The speaker (Megan Cook from Atlassian) walked us through the reasons why negotiation is particularly difficult for women, along with a framework that we can use for negotiation in the future. Her approach was very similar to the one from Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, a book that I read in the Mi9 book club last year. The idea is that instead of viewing negotiation as a zero-sum game (where if I win you lose), we should instead approach it as a collaborative attempt to solve a problem. People asked questions like how you handle an offer from a startup versus an established company, and thorny ethical issues like whether you should lie when they ask your previous salary. (That one was mine, and FWIW I come down on the “Either lie or decline to give an answer” side of the spectrum.)
Coincidentally, on Friday I had breakfast with a friend who is starting out in her tech career and has a few competing offers to weigh up. I found myself advising her to push harder than I’ve done myself in previous negotiations. (That was a common thread at the workshop – the fact that women feel more comfortable negotiating on someone else’s behalf than their own.) I acknowledged as much, telling her my own history and the times I’ve regretted not asking for more. I’m also in the unique position now of having spent more than a year hiring developers for a team, so I’ve seen firsthand how it works from the other side of the table. “I know what you’re worried about,” I said, “and they won’t not like you if you negotiate. Trust me.” You can even turn down jobs and still remain on good terms with the company you rejected. It’s not as personal as you think.
And just to round out a negotiation-themed week, I found a couple great links that should be required reading for anyone weighing up a job offer from a tech company:
Hopefully you find them as useful as I did!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAMATekiRUs
Hey Dad, next winter you should totally build the Boner Lake Ice Carousel!
So instead of feeding my cat, I hide these balls around the house…
Source: Monkey the Cat Hunts for Dinner
Wow! A guy trained his cat to find RFID-enabled whiffle balls, then built an Arduino-powered feeder that rewards him for returning them.
Work hard, know your shit, show your shit, and then feel entitled. Listen to no one except the two smartest and kindest adults you know, and that doesn’t always mean your parents. If you do that, you will be fine.
Source: Mindy Kaling’s Guide to Killer Confidence: Glamour.com
Mindy Kaling speaks THE TRUTH.
Interested in public speaking? There are a couple very good opportunities coming up.
It started out ironic, but then it wasn’t. #shameless #chairdancing
This. It enrages me. And don’t even get me started on what I spend on hair dye, when the Snook’s grey hairs simply give him additional gravitas.
Women who wear makeup earn more and are treated better. This has steep costs, in both money and time.
