Cool Consulting, LLC
Two months ago, I got laid off. I was ready for this possibility: that’s not what this is about. I knew I was looking at a few months of leisure that I had to intentionally balance with professional and personal growth. After a full day of burning off emotions by splitting firewood, I sat down and set up a plan: making sure that while I take the needed vacation, I’ll keep the momentum. I set…
Are you maximizing a fulfilling environment for your engineers? If you’re reading this, you probably care about your organization’s engineering culture. I’m available on a full-time and contract basis to help you: shoot me an email ! An engineer’s needs Communication Daily routine Ease of engineering Bureaucracies Projects Growth Compensation Feedback process DevEx Further reading Conclusion An…
Documentation is only as powerful as its reader. Bring your writing closer to your audience with a few extra steps. Make it READABLE: R eadable, E njoyable, A ccessible, D ocumentation is A lways B etter than L azy E ntertainment. Ok, yeah, that’s silly, but more about that later. Individual need Use your silly voice How to come up with an acronym Simple structure and flow Automate instead of…
I lived in Yerevan for the month of November 2021. These are my findings and notes. Overall Yerevan The Alexander Hotel Livingston Malkhas Jazz Club American Hot Wings Beatles Pub In Vino Pahest33 A random Jazz club Wine Republic Paulaner Park Cafe Yerevan Tavern Jazzve Lake Sevan At Semo Dilijan Lake Parz Restaurant Ureni Haghartsin Monastery Garni Garni Temple Overall Locals learn Armenian as…
This post was originally published on the SADA Engineering Blog . In my numerous job hops over the last few years I’ve experienced all ranges and types of interviewing. At SADA, we’ve been able to build out interview scaffolding that has proven to be effective for both parties—the interviewers and the candidate. This post is a rough outline of how we move engineering candidates from recruiting to…
Buying a house for the first time, I ran into obstacles that I feel my agent should’ve voiced. Hindsight is 20/20, so next time I’ll be in better shoes - doesn’t mean these things should remain secret to the world. I’m obviously not a lawyer so please don’t pretend I’m giving an internet rando legal advice. Overall process House searching Agents Manufactured homes Submitting an offer Loans…
I was born and lived in Moscow until 2006, when I was in my early teens. I wasn’t able to make it back until 2021, fifteen years later. The city managed to stay the same in all regards important to me, while vastly improving infrastructure. Moscow remains my absolute favourite city. Generics Getting around Payments Cell phone and bank accounts Restaurants Хинкальная 777 (Khinkalynaya 777) Ресторан…
This post was cross-published on the SADA Engineering Blog . Once upon a time, as I was starting at NordstromRack.com | Hautelook as a Platform Engineer, I found myself impressed with a requirement stated in our Employee Handbook: a requirement of generating Excellent Code . I haven’t been able to confirm its existence in the current handbook (not that I tried very hard), nor did I find a similar…
Law enforcement happens to be a hot subject in this time, but ideas I mention here are older than dirt. While it’s fairly obvious that race affects the subject’s perception in the eyes of a police officer, I think there’s merit for a deeper discussion on the subject. Police officers have become primary judges. Every interaction with a law enforcement agent allows for their lenience: they’re…
I spent too much time in San Diego as a teenager. The downside of that was being a teenager, though the upside was finding all the inconspicuous sights . A buddy of mine moved there, so here’s a list of places to see, things to do. Breweries & Bars The Dog Aero Club Bar Karl Strauss Brewing Company Tasting Room Mission Brewery Mother Earth Brewing Company Restaurants Pomegranate Karl Strauss…