Great video of Malcolm Gladwell talking about the challenge of hiring in the modern world. While some of his sporting examples are a little questionable, I completely agree with the basic premise that the combine, and other similar measures of performance in other industries, are inherently flawed. I would add, too, that I think the way we promote people to management in the United States is idiotic. The idea that someone who performs very well in his/her job makes them a good candidate for a promotion to management is flatly absurd. The skills needed to be a great manager are drastically different — and in some cases, at odds with — the skills needed to be a great worker. Visit site »
James Bennett has another great piece on frameworks, this time discussing the difference between the full-stack (i.e. Django) approach and the glue (i.e. TurboGears, Pylons) approach to design. The key take away point (with apologies to Malcom Gladwell) is that there is no perfect framework, only perfect frameworks. Visit site »
What makes someone a racist? What differentiates the remarks of Mel Gibson, Michael Irvin, and Michael Richards? When is it okay to make a joke about a racial stereotype? If said stereotype statistically defensible, is it more appropriate to joke about? Gladwell is, as per usual, brilliant. Visit site »
Malcom Gladwell rocks my world. In this video, he discusses the concept of algorithmic analysis of music and movies in order to predict success in the marketplace. Thanks, Nathan (for making me stay up and hour and half longer than planned). Visit site »