Philosophy Mondays: Human-AI Collaboration
Today's Philosophy Monday is an important interlude. I want to reveal that I have not been writing the posts in this series entirely by myself. Instead I have been working with Claude, not just for the graphic illustrations, but also for the text. My method has been to write a rough draft and then ask Claude for improvement suggestions. I will expand this collaboration to other intelligences going forward, including open source models such as Llama and DeepSeek. I will also explore other moda...
Intent-based Collaboration Environments
AI Native IDEs for Code, Engineering, Science
Web3/Crypto: Why Bother?
One thing that keeps surprising me is how quite a few people see absolutely nothing redeeming in web3 (née crypto). Maybe this is their genuine belief. Maybe it is a reaction to the extreme boosterism of some proponents who present web3 as bringing about a libertarian nirvana. From early on I have tried to provide a more rounded perspective, pointing to both the good and the bad that can come from it as in my talks at the Blockstack Summits. Today, however, I want to attempt to provide a coge...
Philosophy Mondays: Human-AI Collaboration
Today's Philosophy Monday is an important interlude. I want to reveal that I have not been writing the posts in this series entirely by myself. Instead I have been working with Claude, not just for the graphic illustrations, but also for the text. My method has been to write a rough draft and then ask Claude for improvement suggestions. I will expand this collaboration to other intelligences going forward, including open source models such as Llama and DeepSeek. I will also explore other moda...
Intent-based Collaboration Environments
AI Native IDEs for Code, Engineering, Science
Web3/Crypto: Why Bother?
One thing that keeps surprising me is how quite a few people see absolutely nothing redeeming in web3 (née crypto). Maybe this is their genuine belief. Maybe it is a reaction to the extreme boosterism of some proponents who present web3 as bringing about a libertarian nirvana. From early on I have tried to provide a more rounded perspective, pointing to both the good and the bad that can come from it as in my talks at the Blockstack Summits. Today, however, I want to attempt to provide a coge...
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I am a fan of using puzzles in interviews, especially for developers. But it is important to do it right and to draw the right conclusions. Here are some things that I have learned over the years.
1. Puzzles should be just one of many different parts of the interview.
2. Try to find a set of puzzles that works for you and use the same puzzles with many candidates to get better comparability.
3. Focus primarily on approach and behavior and only secondarily on outcome.
4. Unless the position specifically calls for ability to think under stress (e.g. certain ops positions), try to put the candidate at ease. Being in an interview is stressful for many folks.
5. Ask for a vocalization or visualization of the thought process.
So what are some of the things that I believe can be learned from puzzles?
- Is someone naturally curious?
- Do they think before talking?
- Can they explain how they are thinking about a problem? Verbally? Visually?
- Does someone get easily frustrated?
- Do they ask for help if they get stuck?
- How does someone react to getting an answer wrong? Give up or persist?
If applied right, I believe puzzles can provide a lot of insight along these lines into how candidates will approach problems they encounter. I was reminded of all of this by the Amazon booth at OSCON. Every day they provided a new code puzzle. I enjoyed solving them, but possibly even more enjoyed observing the reactions and approaches of others!
I am a fan of using puzzles in interviews, especially for developers. But it is important to do it right and to draw the right conclusions. Here are some things that I have learned over the years.
1. Puzzles should be just one of many different parts of the interview.
2. Try to find a set of puzzles that works for you and use the same puzzles with many candidates to get better comparability.
3. Focus primarily on approach and behavior and only secondarily on outcome.
4. Unless the position specifically calls for ability to think under stress (e.g. certain ops positions), try to put the candidate at ease. Being in an interview is stressful for many folks.
5. Ask for a vocalization or visualization of the thought process.
So what are some of the things that I believe can be learned from puzzles?
- Is someone naturally curious?
- Do they think before talking?
- Can they explain how they are thinking about a problem? Verbally? Visually?
- Does someone get easily frustrated?
- Do they ask for help if they get stuck?
- How does someone react to getting an answer wrong? Give up or persist?
If applied right, I believe puzzles can provide a lot of insight along these lines into how candidates will approach problems they encounter. I was reminded of all of this by the Amazon booth at OSCON. Every day they provided a new code puzzle. I enjoyed solving them, but possibly even more enjoyed observing the reactions and approaches of others!
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