Underserved

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 036, Know thy user for he is not thee Dec 21, 2020

Show notes

Our guest for the Season Three finale is a legend in the User Experience community. Dave Platt started developing because of a love of mainframe games. He graduated to becoming an author of books on various Microsoft programming tools before concentrating his efforts on UX. We talk UX process, evangelism, and Dave's mission to help senior citizens better leverage technology to stay connected.

Ep. 035, Don't drink the Java Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

Bill Scott toured the trades and the military before discovering software consulting as a career. Rather than being yet another Commodore 64 disciple, Bill's introduction to programming is a unique story, one you'll have to hear to believe. We also talk about iOT development/hardware hacking, Extreme Programming, and the push for digital transformation.

Dover Corporation https://www.dovercorporation.com/
Computer Learning Centers https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/5/Computer-Learning-Centers-Inc.html
Rama meditation society https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/20/nyregion/mentor-to-some-cult-leader-to-others.html
Extreme Programming https://www.agilealliance.org/glossary/xp
Lean Business
https://hbr.org/2013/05/why-the-lean-start-up-changes-everything
Digital Transformation https://www.cio.com/article/3211428/what-is-digital-transformation-a-necessary-disruption.html

Ep. 034, From Mixology to Management Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

Jeremy Halperin chased a dream of being in a band, bartending to make ends meet. The progression of life led him to computer science. During his ascension from individual contributor to manager to CTO, he realized that his helpdesk and bartending experience were unexpectedly useful. We talk about the drama formula, watching people hose production servers, and the coolest thing Jeremy has ever done in a job.

Jeremy on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyhalperin/
Rarebreed Veterinary Partners https://rarebreedvet.com/
Using KPI's to drive business https://insightsoftware.com/blog/using-kpis-to-drive-profitable-business-performance-management/
Google: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2019/01/28/google-says-the-best-teams-have-these-5-things/?sh=bc4d4415a302
Radical Candor: https://www.radicalcandor.com/
Inspired: https://medium.com/@damonallison/inspired-how-to-create-tech-products-customers-love-a-book-review-513603a8a533
Thanks for the Feedback: https://thepowermoves.com/thanks-for-the-feedback/

Ep. 033, A journey is time suspended Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

Our guest Brian King is a veteran of many travels, trials, and tribulations. He has seen the technology industry progress through decades, often seeing the same situations reappear repeatedly. We talk about the difficulty of traveling and job hunting during a pandemic, some underrated European travel spots, and how the Hamilton musical is infecting the minds of parents and kids alike.

Brian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianpking/
Ron Chernow book on Alexander Hamilton: https://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Hamilton-Ron-Chernow/dp/0143034758
Blue Highways: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Highways-Journey-into-America/dp/0316353299
Heart of Dryness: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Dryness-Bushmen-Permanent-Drought/dp/B003P2VDZQ

Ep. 032, Don't shoot your insurance agent Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

Unlike most PoliSci majors, Jesse McSweeney started out his professional career chasing down rogue insurance agents who were ripping off clients. We talk about how to avoid being scammed, being a Scrum master without previously being a developer, and why it just might be worth it to fly halfway around the world to Bora Bora.

Jesse's company https://www.iqvia.com/
Jesse on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessemcsweeney/
The Elements of Scrum https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Scrum-Chris-Sims/dp/0982866917/ref=nodl_
Coaching an inexperienced team https://winninghoops.com/article/preparing-to-coach-an-inexperienced-bad-team/
https://www.westfield.ma.edu/
https://www.townofnorwell.net/advisory-board
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-insurance
https://www.rockland-ma.gov/finance-committee

Ep. 031, Death of the sticky note Nov 16, 2020

Show notes

Damien Scott is a recovering hardware guy living in a software world. Similar to previous Underserved guest Ben Szekely, Damien was recruited out of college to work for IBM. We talk about consulting company truths and myths, how to get a bank to sign off on using open source, and how to spot optimization opportunities at your company.

What is Reactive Programming? https://developers.redhat.com/blog/2017/06/30/5-things-to-know-about-reactive-programming/#:~:text=Reactive%20programming%20is%20simply%20to,in%20a%20sequence%20over%20time.
Example of why Damien has always leaned towards more remote work: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/five-business-priorities-for-the-future-of-work/?_lrsc=5b896a85-a766-4b71-9678-d50815a4ef13&utm_source=Linkedin%20Elevate&utm_medium=Content&utm_campaign=Linkedin%20Elevate
RP.com Leadership Page: https://www.rightpoint.com/company/leadership/damien-scott
NY Announcement: https://www.rightpoint.com/news/2020/08/20/riding-a-wave-of-growth-rightpoint-expands-its-capabilities-in-new-york?_ga=2.61208300.1992843015.1604671745-1930859806.1604671745
Low Code/No-Code: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adrianbridgwater/2019/03/18/what-no-code-software-really-looks-like/?sh=1790a36f96ce

Ep. 030, What's next for US? Nov 09, 2020

Show notes

Our guest Paul Krasinski mentored some kids while attending Brown University, and their experience changed his perspective. We talk about playing professional basketball in Europe, the science of tracking audience engagement, and the struggle for companies to engage consumers without being creepy. Paul also discusses his plans to move online relationships into the real world, developing a collaboration and connection space in Plymouth, MA.

Newton South High School - https://www.newton.k12.ma.us/nshs
Hope High School - https://www.providenceschools.org/hope
The Second Mountain - https://www.amazon.com/Second-Mountain-David-Brooks/dp/0812993268
Epicenter Experience Founder Video - https://www.thepeopleplatform.com/story
The People Platform Consumer Journey - https://www.epicenterexp.com/the-consumer-journey
The People Platform - 2020 Top 20 Most Promising Customer Experience Management Solution - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/593e9b6b1b10e33a7a3ed578/t/5e878dfdc8cf637f75d23aef/1585942019815/Epicenter+Experience%28H%29.pdf

Ep. 029, Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto Nov 02, 2020

Show notes

Brandon Kindred's dad redirected his excess energy and curiosity to learning programming with a teach yourself in 24 hours book. The same thing happened in school, where a chance encounter (getting caught programming) led to a spot on the robotics team. We talk about lessons learned from robotics competitions, using AI and ML to improve software testing, and where the soft powder is in Colorado.

The FIRST robotics organization https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc
Brandon's company https://www.look-see.com/
Autodesk's 3DS Max - https://www.autodesk.com/products/3ds-max/overview?support=ADVANCED&plc=3DSMAX&term=1-YEAR&quantity=1
The conference that recognized Qanairy for Best in class for Transfer learning - https://aidevworld.com/
The company where Brandon's Dad is CTO - https://sqad.com/
The insurance group run by Brandon's old sales mentor Adam Schwartz - http://afoxassoc.com/our-family/

Ep. 028, Paint me a picture of tech Oct 26, 2020

Show notes

Our guest Jed Maczuba grew up reading 2600 - The Hacker Quarterly (as did your humble narrator). His curiosity about phone systems and computer systems led him to become a Mac user and an IBM employee. We talk about the most underrated skill in management, steering management to best leverage technology, the struggle to exceed the industry average for successful projects (as low as 10%!), and how oil painting is a surprisingly technical hobby.

Link to Jed's article on Agile : https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-does-agile-work-jed-maczuba/
Most Underrated Skill in Management: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-most-underrated-skill-in-management/
Examples of System Dynamics:
- https://mitsloan.mit.edu/shared/ods/documents/Repenning_JN_2001_TippingPoint.pdf&PubID=14333
- http://web.mit.edu/nelsonr/www/Repenning%3DSterman_CMR_su01_.pdf
Oil painting master Yayoi Kusama: http://yayoi-kusama.jp/e/information/

Ep. 027, People are not good at search Oct 19, 2020

Show notes

Adria Kyne was in Seattle pursuing a Ph.D. in Chinese Archaeology when the Dot Com boom pulled her into the software industry. Search engines were at war and Microsoft was determined to win the battle with a combination of human curation and machine classification. This led to a 20-year career bringing rigor and truth to search technology and search marketing - an industry often rife with snake oil salesmen and pseudoscience. We also talk about larping and how that hobby led to Adria appearing on a reality TV show.

History of Google Updates with explanations
Duche de Bicolline (EN version)
"How to Learn SEO" - Adria wrote this at ASICS Digital
"Lies, Damned Lies, and Search Marketing Statistics"
"Future-Proofing Your SEO"
"The Quest Revived as Disney Plus Brings Back ABC Fantasy Reality"

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