Author: viczaz

--Originally published at Coder Bebop

It is always hard to say goodbye to a story, especially one that teaches you something elementary. Even with a unidimensional character such as Webster Tompkins, who strives for greatness through the help of his friends (not very different from other characters). I suppose this was made be so average readers can identify with someone ordinary in an extraordinary situation.

I liked the ending, I would have expected it to be a lot flatter, so it was rather surprising to see this little twist. Though, there is very little development on her relationship with Webster, so you can’t really say we earned this. But meh, it was a happy ending for an ever uplifting story about true management, simple details.

On a side note, it would have been funny if Laksa had contracted herpes from her Belok mischief, too.

--Originally published at Coder Bebop

Not too much happening here, it was funny seeing Tompkins get back at Belok and having his top-of-the-world moments with tthe magazine journalist as well as giving Bill the idea to buy th US.

--Originally published at Coder Bebop

I was craving for these two chapters to end so I could complain about the anticlamatic way the Belok affair was taken care off, but the author saved himself from getting burned in the last two pages of chapter 21.

Miracles may happen (but don’t count on them).

Webster Tompkins

Guess that is one way to teach a pseudolesson (?).

Just a few paragraphs before we were having an explanation on how if we do a terrific design from the beginning, there is not even need to do inspection in the end, which was nice, but did they need two whole pages to say that? I think the author spent more time looking into technical details such as function points et cetera, rather than give us a better resolution to the hierarchical problems. I literally skipped all that and perfectly understood how the progress was going.

--Originally published at Coder Bebop

I would have loved doing something different for this reflection to go out with a bang, but I fail to understand how some of my classmates, mostly those with higher grades than I do, have enough time to even make a half-hour video for a reflection. I would have liked to write a song and maybe play a guitar, but I would very much rather be finishing my other works on time. I simply do not have the mental agility of greater people. I wish I had. I have always been slow. That is why I sometimes feel afraid I will not move as quick as I should when the crisis hits (which I am certain will). I am unsure if I will be able to get a summer job, or if learning something new will be of any use for the post-covid world, one can only close his eyes and expect the best.

For what I can see, at least in Mexico, we are getting closer each day to becoming a Venezuela 2.0, and it is just so sad. This was such a promising country, but little by little, these corrupt a*****s chipped it piece by piece. It all starts with a spark, and ends with a wildfire. And it is what saddens me the most still, all it takes is one uneducated person to raise even more uneducated people and ruin everything for everyone else. I have wanted to work in some software company for a long time, but I feel my grade, both of knowledge and academically, do not look as bright as some of my classmates. I try to act tough all the time and find a way out of bad situations all the time, but how long will I get to do that before Continue reading "Final Exam Reflection"

--Originally published at Coder Bebop

So what are we doing in this chapter really? Do they mean to tell us that overstaffing teams (which was not recommended by Tompkins in first place) does not get things done? I really do not understand what they try to say with all the technicalities about work divisions and tarara. What seems to be the point of it? We already knew Belok’s idea was awful and he should die, so why do they keep complaining about the overstaffed teams? Should they not have seen this coming from the beginning?

That is all the complaining I have got for today, sorry. Nothing really happened in this chapter besides Belinda nagging at Webster to assign more people to other teams, even though, you know: HE WOULD BE PUTTING HIS LIFE ON THE LINE! Or rather, the deadline (badum-tss). If they so desperately wanted to get Belok off their backs why not try to reach for NNL or Lakhsa? But like, really really tried? With the contacts Mr. T seems to have, and the greatness of Bill Ga… I mean, NNL, it should not be that hard, should it? I mean, his life depends on it. But whatever, as Belinda says: “Priority to the project” or something of such.

--Originally published at Coder Bebop

We are getting into fields I honestly was not expecting to get into in this book. It is a book about management, yes. With an environment set on a tech company, correct. But I did not expect there to be much about problem solving between employees. Now that I think about it, have they ever mentioned a human resources department in this book? As far as we have read, Belinda seems to be the closest thing to an HR Director, though she basically just looked at every employee and said “Hired” or “Not hired”, and her official role has not been cleared. Webster just calls her and Markov (whom I thought would be an antagonist when I first saw his name and description) the “Management Dream Team”. If my hypothesis is correct, they should totally get an HR Coordinator.

--Originally published at Coder Bebop

The thing I am taking with me from this partial I would say is Jorge Suarez’s outgoing and loudmouthed way of expressing, I was raised in a household where they do not let us use many swearing words (even until now, being 21 years old, my father shows strong dislike when I use them). Seeing someone like Jorge gave me some awareness of the different styles people use to communicate.

--Originally published at Coder Bebop

I have come to terms with this story appearing half-caricature half-reality, in a way. It is very hard to portray a highly complex working environment and boil it into an interesting story at the same time. I have no experience whatsoever on these types of business, and the reasons for things happening in a certain way make sense the most if not all of the instances. I am saying this because I still would find it hard to believe, as we read in this chapter, that ONLY ONE PERSON REALIZED THE SPECS WERE BALONEY!

And this is sometimes what I mean when I say I am not sure about Webster as a protagonist. Sure, it is a confusing environment (with him being kidnapped and brought on to reconstruct a country through tech), and he needs to maintain a firm grip and assurance that what they are doing is no-nonsensical, but him not admitting that he did not understand the specs himself appeared weird to me; I suspect it had to do with the way the author presented the situation. Let’s remember:

Webster had just taken three hours to read the RGS spec before joining the group at day’s end.

The Deadline, Page 205

That is all the information we are given about the specs before turning them into a major conflict in the chapter. Would it not have made more sense to see Webster actually try to read it? I mean, if someone just spent three hours reading a book, you would automatically expect that person to bring in some knowledge on it, right? Especially if that reading is going to be trouble for later. We could have seen Webster have some struggles with the read, maybe even get a glimpse of what the specs sheet says that is so Continue reading "The Deadline – Chapter 16"

--Originally published at Coder Bebop

So we might as well wrap up the chapter with this quote:

What do you call a guy who
tells you something you should have known a hundred years
ago, but didn’t.

Webster Tompkins, Chapter 15, Page 195

Is the author trying to excuse himself for making a chapter revolve around pressuring people and then self-realizing: “Doy people do not work as good under pressure.” Have we not had conversations like this one in the story before? Good incentives are always better than bad incentives. Whatever has Webster been doing as a manager all these years if he is just figuring it out until now? I feel I am terribly misunderstanding the point of this chapter. I do not really feel it was a waste, but I am wondering where it is going most of the time with all the graphs and the corelations between previous works, Binda’s graph, etc. since we end up with a “well, duh” note in the last few pages.

All this work just to make everyone see that Belok is more of a douche who not only abuses of workers but also abuses his kids (if anyone would dare to have kids with such a person)? Perhaps the author’s intention was more of a showcase to the readers and I am just distressing on “why are they working so hard to figure out pressure is not good”.

On a sidenote: I am feeling

--Originally published at Coder Bebop