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LET'S BE FWENDS ISSUE #54:

HOW WE'RE GONNA WORK IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

"I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours."
~ Jerome Jerome

How (not) to make your job future-proof

(Image source: Sabato Visconti by way of wired)

A freelance programmer hides a switch in a spreadsheet he created for a client that will make the spreadsheet stop working on a given date. Client re-hires programmer to fix the “bug”. This goes on for more than 10 years. A couple of interesting things here (like, 10 years of working with an excel sheet?), but of course the interesting part is the idea of future-proofing your job by making yourself indispensable.

Although this case is extreme, the behaviour is quite common. I know a lot of situations where people arbitrarily make processes and organisations overly complicated to gain an edge over people who lack the inside knowledge of how “things work”.

But does that really protect you and allow you to keep your job until retirement?

Also: Never do anything mission critical in Spreadsheets.

(Image Source: https://xkcd.com/2180/)

101 things, ideas or persons that might change the way we work

When change is an insurmountable force, digging yourself in will not protect you from it.
The BBC has collected a non-exhaustive list of things, ideas, or people that might change the way we (note: who exactly is “we”? Maybe that question should be item 102) work (and what exactly is “work”? That Question could be 103).

My favorites:

The Adaptability Quotient, that puts flexibility before anything else.
The FIRE movement, but mostly because of the extremely risky gambling attitude that lies behind it.
In-office days. When everyone works remotely, when are we going to meet in person and enjoy the high bandwidth of face-to-face talks?
Reverse Mentoring. Not only the young teaching the old, but also the “uppers” getting told by the “workers” how reality works. (Yes, this correlates with humble leadership and the idea of the servant leader)
Universal Basic Income. I’ve touched this before, and it is still a force be reckoned with, especially when combined with other ideas like the 3-day-work-week or the habitual sabbatical.
Unretirement. Wait, what? I thought we’re supposed to work hard, retire early and live a hundred years?

The mounting tension between YouTube and the people who made YouTube great

One thing that is missing from the BBC’s list of what will change how we work is unions. This omission sadly is a fitting comment on the state of the organisations that created the modern European state, with its commitment to welfare for everyone.

The FairTube campaign is trying to unite content creators to demand more transparency from YouTube on topics of search, listings and monetization.

That’s an interesting question: If you crowdsource content creation to make your platform relevant and profitable, how much say should the content creators have in how the platform is run?

Is this comparable to an editorial office of a newspaper?

yes/maybe/no?

Quantum microphone counts sound particles

In their continous efforts to blow our minds, physisists have counted phonons, which are particles of sound.
Astounding is not that they counted them, but that they exist at all.

New airplane seats are coming

I know I did my fair share of business travel in the last couple of years, but my frequent flier account pales in comparison to some people I know.
Working in a consulting or service capacity can make you feel like you’re living in airplanes. So, the jet-based working class might take great comfort in the knowledge that the dreaded middle seat finally gets a makeover.

Besides less anxieties in the poor souls that sit between two of their fellow human beings the new design promises faster boarding times.

While it will not be the fastest way to board an airplane, it might still be a bit faster.

Your daily dose of magic: Get a stuck power cord out behind furniture

Granted, it doesn’t happen often, but if your power cord is ever stuck behind a piece of furniture, here’s how you can get it out.

I had to watch this a couple of times before I understood what was going on. Magic!

Here's a final question for you: Do you embrace change, or do you feel intimidated by it?
And maybe you find the time to think about the reasons why. 🎈

High-fives if you do, and high-fives if you don't!

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