I am applying for jobs - a quick blurb - an outlet for my frustration

I am nothing short of being completely discouraged. I have a sense of nausea thinking about networking, on or offline, and having to search for work once again. More than 6 months after having applied to "desperate for staff" government agencies, which were considered pretty good bets, tell me that they have fallen through.

As I look at my resume, I try to think what is it that I want to do? Is there something that I am able of doing? Realistically, there isn't anything that anyone can't do. I know I have no interest in finance, marketing or the design or development of consumer junk goods. Would I be good in the health field? I don't know as I would be uncomfortable with the fact that I may tend to judge people. Work in a day care? Well no, but I could learn how to.

Another thing that I am considering is not whether or not someone would be willing to hire me.

Self-criticism is necessary here. As I look through my blog posts, I acknowledge that there are grammatical errors, incomplete sequences of ideas, and even an exposure of my interests which might fail to interest a prospective employer. Then again, this blog is semi-anonymous.

I am going for a walk. 

Job hunting just doesn't make sense

We live in a world where evidence based science has improved our housing, transportation, communications, medical practices, etc.
However, looking for work has nothing with science or methodology. Although there are thousands of books and articles on the internet on the creation of the perfect resume, job search strategy, personal profile etc, they always reflect the trends of the times and are subjective pieces of advice.

The use of sites like Linked In does add a certain degree of standardization.  An prospective employee can be checked for references, work experience etc. There is no reason to assume that everybody will get on the social networking bandwagon. Who wants to spend time online more than they have to?

How true is it that the job seekers qualifications fail to meet the requirement of the market? Has there been any studies of what information educational institutions share with government and industry? Would a centralized database to match job seekers and employers be of any use? Would people be willing to give up some of their privacy to improve their chances of gaining employment?
What have journalists found when a name is changed from an African, Middle Eastern, South, or East Asian, to a "Western European" name?

A job - looking for that thing at which I don't suck

I am still at it. Looking for work. There is no time in the past 10 years that I can remember where more than a month has passed by without having thought about my search for employment.

While I do have a lot of education and varied work experience, I have yet to find something that is reasonably satisfying. Either, I could not be inspired enough to seek new challenges within the field, or that the amount of effort I put in relative to others for a quality of work which was significantly inferior, told me that I should consider something else. Hard work is very important, but I recognize there is a point of diminishing returns, or the fallacy of sunk cost, which means a new path must be taken.

This may be a chicken and the egg problem. I have been single about my whole life. The time that I wasn't did not forecast me being in a couple for much longer. Doing things alone makes it more difficult for me to plan, dream or even dedicate myself to a given objective.

Should my life be easier because I am not motivated by money?

Being unemployed for some time now, I have volunteered at different locations in order to be part of the community as well as improve my chances of networking to find employment. Discussing my experiences and objectives, one person told me that I am lucky by the fact that I am not motivated by money. Although I am well aware of the freedom that money can bring in certain circumstances, there is a trade-off when money and resources are plentiful : stifled creativity and innovation. I have no plans to own a sailboat, a house on the seaside or even a nice car. In fact, ownership is a fleeting experience. That latter statement is contradictory : the only things we can own, that is that no one can take away from us are experiences.

Ironically, since I have been unemployed, my spending has gone out of control. While the use of old or discarded objects will be used for repairs or new construction, I am also acquiring new tools to keep myself busy. There is some enthusiasm with regard to appreciating the tools, as I like the experience of using a tool, modifying it (ie. add a hour counter on my compressor, changing the wiring for a bench grinder).
Unfortunately, there is a solitary aspect to my learning how to use different tools or construction projects. To make things worthwhile, a sharing of the knowledge and experience would make it all more sensible.

Dragon Age Inquisition - DirectX function GetDeviceRemovedReason failed with dxgi_error_device_hung

If you are experiencing random crashed in Dragon Age Inquisition, please try the following. They have worked for me :

1. Disable 'Origin in game'
2. Close background programs.
3. Graphic settings :
• Reduce Texture Quality - this frees VRAM
• Tessellation  : Disabled
• Ambient Occlusion : Disabled
• MSAA : Disabled

Avoid

• Switching applications to the desktop
• Opening new applications which may make specific hardware instructions that could cause conflicts. When using Firefox or OpenOffice, I had some strange window behaviour such as a title bar with a blank window, artifacts in Inquisition and of course this crash. 

Links (updated 07-MAR-2015)

http://www.princessstabbity.com/dragon-age-inquisition-bugs-issues

Really, can computers do anything at all?

Going online to get the news is a different experience from picking up a newspaper, turning on the radio or the television, or heading out the local bar(or church) to take part in the gossip. Yet, computers permeate our lives in so many ways without doing much or anything at all. I would not discredit the conveniences achieved with energy generation, automation of flights, telecommunications, and certainly the Google self-driven vehicle, etc. however, it is difficult to pin point what computers can do.

A computer cannot repair the handle on my cooking pot, prepare a meal, make my bed, do my laundry, rake the leaves etc. It could be argued that computers are just tools to assist in the completion of the tasks above, making them more efficient, or less labour intensive.
While I could praise the work of coders who made the Auto Awesome, it still comes down to people having made a piece of software for a function that would have been done by hand. As I try to think of what app could be of any use to me, it comes to no surprise that just about all the apps that I have installed on my phone are web site equivalents.

ZeroWater Filter - not as illustrated - no validated claims

Yesterday, I was curious to see what was inside my ZeroWater filter cartridge. ZeroWater claims to have a 5 step filtration system. There has been some debate online, so I decided to investigate for myself.
Here is the illustration on the ZeroWater website:

 The table below illustrates what I found inside. 

Zero Water Claim	What's inside
001 Activated carbon infused micro cloth	At the very top of the filter there is a fine plastic cloth(Right - broken pieces of the grill are in bottom of the picture). It can stop large sediments, but if it is carbon infused, it will become saturated from the first use. An adhesive is used to glue the mesh grill to the cartridge wall. What kind of glue is it? Is it safe?
002 Multi-layer system using carbon and oxidation reduction alloy	There are no metals in the filter thus there is no alloy to be found. What is "Oxidation reduction" ? There is a piece of black foam often found in air or water filtration systems to remove large particles. While there is no information from the manufacturer, it appears that the foam is to prevent the charcoal and silica gel (described below) from coming to the surface of the filter. This type of material is found in a shop vac when using it for picking up water. It may be used in the water filter for assembly  purposes.
003 Distributor that maximizes contact time	A round plastic disc with 4 large holes (centre). It cannot do that much to distribute the flow of water down the filter.
004 Comprehensive ION EXCHANGE array	Under the black foam, the distributor tops the mass of small particles. I dumped the contents of the filter in a bag. They seemed oddly familiar. Upon drying on my wood stove, it was clear that the clear beads are silica gel. This is the only section of the filter that may actually do something to filter the water. There is a layer of activated charcoal and then a large amount of silica gel. As seen in the photos, the reddish or orange colour may be from the iron in the water, or a dye added to the silica gel to indicate it has adsorbed water and must be replaced. In any case, "ION EXCHANGE" is not scientific and  marketing language.
005 Activated membrane to remove fine particles	Below the silica gel, here is a fine mesh with a grill. A plastic filter. At the very bottom of the filter there is a synthetic non-woven fabric, like those found in packaging or the liner of running shoes. It would make as much sense putting this fine particle filter at the top of the cartridge as well. The logic of having the filter at bottom to prevent the silica gel or charcoal from plugging the outlet at the very bottom.

"NSF Independently Certified to Reduce Lead and Chromium". I searched the NSF database and found the listing about ZeroWater. Reduction can also occur from pouring water through a coffee filter or an unglazed ceramic pot.

Is it worth your money? If you feel that your water tastes better, maybe. Will it make your water safer? No. There are no studies that demonstrate the claims of the manufacturer. A regular filter which costs less than a dollar a piece will most likely have the same effect to remove the taste of chlorine or sulfur. Crushing a block of charcoal and putting it in a non woven pouch in the filter would be just as effective. One thing must be considered when going for a water filtration system: thousands of cups of super filtered water won't make much difference to your health when you may be breathing the exhaust of a gasoline powered lawn mower, the dyes for clothing or hair or sitting in your vehicle in heavy traffic.

(Note : Why did I put this on my blog? I was inspired by Stephen Lower on his article about alkaline water. It frustrates me that people are spending their hard earned money on pseudo-scientific claims. Regulations must be in place and enforced to prevent the wasteful practices of a wide array of designers and marketing firms.)

2015 en route - Lessons learned

Great! A new year, and at this time, like at any other, it is necessary to reflect on past experiences. I hate reading lists of rules or advice for life, but here are my most recent bits of wisdom :

1. Be positive. First impressions are important.
2. Smaller expectations lead to less disappointment should things not turn out as planned. 
3. Ambition is not for me. At the time being, I am as ambitious as a porcupine.
4. Never offer unsolicited assistance.
5. Never provide unsolicited criticism for others about something that doesn't affect you or others. Unless of course, the actions are causing harm. Tact and diplomacy are necessary.
6. Never respond or react to personal attacks or criticism. It can be an entertaining challenge to respond with snarky comments, however restraint is more important. An assessment of the power dynamic may mean curling up in a little ball in the corner. Staying out of harm's way is part of life.
7. Never go on the defensive. If a fault of your own doing is indeed the case, fessing up is acceptable. There is no need to cry and make a dramatic apology. Detailing the reasons why a given action was taken allows for yourself and others to learn from the mistake. 
8. Don't apologize if you don't mean it. Apologies used to be polite are often insincere.
9. Being human means being expendable. Giving your heart to somebody may feel like the right thing at the time, but I have learnt that I should be prepared to be hurt. 
10. Screaming is never appropriate. Feeling upset, getting angry, or mad, is fine. An expressions in a controlled and calm fashion is better. Loud sounds, making oneself appear bigger is part of our evolution to improve our chances of survival. In western culture, like most societies, a public display of anger is a sign of a lack of restraint. 
11. Holding a grudge just makes things worse. 
12. Live and let live. Looking down at people is a way to miss out on the world. There is only one true democracy that no one escapes.