Eric Mann @ericmann@tekton.network

On a good day, I'm focused on pushing forward on tech roadmaps. On average, I question how I made it so far in my career.

At worse I suffer from crippling imposter syndrome as I interview folks with PhDs in computer science who, for reasons that escape me, know my work and consider me an expert.

As for the last one, I'm not being hyperbolic. Doubting my own skills induces a paralyzing amount of anxiety. Not just interviewing but MANAGING folks with PhDs makes it even worse ...

#Imselftaught

I originally went to school to be a teacher. Changed gears party way because I wanted to do scientific research. Got in a public fight with a professor that nuked my grades and kept me out of grad school. A postbac in politics later had me focused on international affairs. Followed it with an international MBA focused on marketing.

I know write software, manage devs, and focus on cybersecurity.

#howdidwegethere

Honest question - if you see "web developer" on a resume, what kinds of things come to mind?

Gentle reminder that I built https://swordfish.displace.tech to allow for fully encrypted message sharing between parties. While I host the (encrypted) data, I don't know who you are and have no way to see what you're saying to one another.

Even if I wanted (or am legally compelled) to.

Had a weird dream yesterday where i somehow stumbled upon a way to use a quantum algorithm to strengthen RSA and was awarded an honorary doctorate for the research.

Woke up mumbling about lambdas and imaginary partially non-deterministic numbers and i can't tell if I'm insane or if my subconscious might've been onto something...

Woke up my computer and saw this pop up immediately. Thought you deserved a chuckle as well ...

After months of cooking with both ...

Impossible Burger looks and cooks more like beef.

Beyond Burger just tastes better.

I know it's not real meat and, frankly, I don't care. It's delicious and lower in fat (and cholesterol) so it wins hands down.

Got a comprehensive consumer history report about myself through LexisNexis.

o_0

That's ... a loooooot of information there.

Insurance saga continues. After complaining about rate hikes and shopping around, I talked to my agent. Rather than help me find a matching discount ... he laughed at the competitors' quotes.

That made switching a super easy decision. Especially since, apparently, he'd cut out things like earthquake, flood, and sewer backup coverage from my policy.

Which means I now have BETTER coverage at $1k less per year. Should've looked to switch ages ago.

Nothing like s'mores in the sand with family :-)

Changed the oil, rotated the tires, and topped off the coolant. This is what's called "adulting," right?

We had a woodpecker in our yard. It was kind of annoying because it almost girdled the flowering tree next to the dining room window.

I called an arborist to make sure the tree was ok. He looked, then laughed.

"Most woodpeckers are pecking for bugs. Which could mean the tree is sick. Your tree is fine. This guy was pecking in rows to draw the sap. Which attracted ants. That he then ate."

The woodpecker in my yard had set up a lure. Who knew birds were that smart?

Apparently with Allstate we lack coverage for:
- earthquake
- flood
- water/sewer backup

New agent and insurance company? Grants better coverage than Allstate AND covers all of that. Plus an additional $1MM umbrella policy. Our new premium? Less than HALF of what Allstate has on my bill.

Never have I ever had an easier "should I stay or should I go" decision placed in front of me ...

I've spent the past week or so shopping around. Literally everyone is cheaper. I told him so.

He laughed (in writing) and claimed they were lying. So I got their estimates and compared to the coverage from him.

W
O
W

He "suspended" the coverage of the unused car. It was great! Cut our premium in half. We were happy ... until our house premium started going up. And up. And UP.

Well, auto renewal is next month, so I sent him a standard "WTF?!?" and asked for help again. This time ... not so much.

He suggested I add my wife to their Drivewise program because "you're only getting half the discount."

It's an $18 discount ... seriously?!?!?

Needless to say, no amount of "you're in good hands" marketing could fix that. I was livid. Eventually got in touch with a new agent and moved my account to his office. He was just as incensed by the ordeal as I was. Felt good to finally have someone I thought I could trust ...

Then covid hit. We were paying for 2 cars. One used sparingly on weekends, one stuck in the driveway so long I had to start jumping it weekly to save the battery. Why pay a fortune for insurance for both, right?

Several years later, someone hit the car while my wife was at work. I logged into the Allstate site so I could contact my agent and ... his details were nowhere to be found.

I figured their site was broken and resorted to Google to find his phone number. Instead ... I found news reports.

Apparently he'd been arrested. During a child sex exploitation sting. A year prior.

We'd been without an agent contact for a YEAR because he'd been arrested for trying to rape a kid.

One of the first things we needed to consolidate when we got married was insurance. I had Progressive. She had Geico. We were both relatively happy, but needed to merge our auto policies and cover our new house. I shopped around and, well, it turned out Allstate was the most competitive offer.

So we moved to Allstate.

It was further complicated by someone rear-ending me literally the week before our policies cut over. Made my repair claim a bit messy ... but it worked.

So the door lock I 3D printed ... I'm pleased to say it works as expected.

Relatedly: my son absolutely hates that he can no longer interrupt my meetings.