I started my career as a hardware engineer, then software engineer, then complex system design. It was a good career at first, but then I started hating it. I got to really hate geeks. Firstly, a male monoculture, almost no women. (I was a straight man at the time). Secondly…

I recently finished reading the book “An Ugly Truth, Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination”. My top line takeaways: Zuck isn’t evil, he’s just an uber nerd who has zero interest or knowledge in “society”. He doesn’t want to be evil and has many of the same concerns as us regular…

My friend asked me about this because he is contemplating a new career in cybersecurity. I’m sharing my response here: There are good and bad things about a career in cybersecurity. Good in that there are a lot of jobs out there if you understand the tech. Bad in that…

I recently released this book. The title and subtitles pretty much speak for themselves regarding what the book is about! Info at https://www.mariakonner.com/new-book It was quite a lot of work, but a labor of love, and I wanted to capture the excitement of living in San Francisco while transitioning, including…

For years I wondered if I was a woman, or just a sensitive guy. When I lived 100% as a guy, I remember always feeling the tug of humiliation almost every time I expressed the way that I felt about something, especially to other guys. …

A glossary for discussing these times is helpful, especially for our young people. Stoking / Stoker Somebody who makes a mountain out of a molehill, finds division when there isn’t any, etc in order to get power. Often Stokers will create a problem (without people knowing) and then claim to be a solution…

I have to refresh my supply of guitar picks regularly. I’ve never solved the puzzle regarding how they just vanish all the time. The prevailing theories are: Conversion to pure energy: They literally just disappear. The matter in them suddenly ceases to exist. Most people argue that’s impossible because according…

I’m not quite sure how democracy really works considering that it’s pretty much impossible to have a productive detailed discussion in a group with more than 4 or 5 people. Just think of how hard it is to choose a place to goto dinner with your family. And then talk…

This is probably obvious, but we have to always remind ourselves what game is really being played so the ensuing drama doesn’t overcome us. And set any respectful debate in the right context, free from the emotional manipulations of the mediocre. …