Ask HN: Describing skills and competencies in a resume? - <AUTHOR> Dear HN,
I'm starting to look around for a new job, and need to update my resume. In my current resume I have a section called "Skills & Competencies" which includes a mixture of languages (C#, python, Go, JS etc.), products (various DB systems, BPM suites, etc.), areas (front-end, back-end, "cloud"/aws, db) but also practices/skills (project mgmt, TDD, agile development methods, CI, etc)
To me this feels like a mishmash of things and it does not give a clear picture. I'm not sure how to "design" this piece of my resume.
I guess the main point I want to bring across is that I'm an all-round developer who cares about getting things done and uses whatever means are best for the job. I'm able to learn/understand tech quickly but this is just a means to an end. I like to focus on the team and there interaction / openness.
How would you solve this? As interviewers, what would be helpful to bring this point across?
What would trigger you to invite me for either a cup of coffee or a job interview?
Thanks a lot! <comment><USER3> As somebody that has hired a few IT people, it's frustrating when you receive a CV where the main focus is a list of skills. For example, I can receive 100 CVs that all say "I can do JavaScript", but skill level ranges from those who can just about activate a jQuery plugin through to people that could probably build jQuery from scratch. I want to see examples of how you've used those skills, because then I can form my own opinion of your capabilities.

So talk about your achievements, and mention the skills you used as part of that. Be specific, and focus on the most important bits instead of listing every single item. Remember to include human skills like planning and leading.

<comment><AUTHOR> In the experience part of my resume I provide a reverse chronological list of jobs, with bullets that explain my responsibilities and achievements.

Thanks for your suggestion on planning and leading, those are easy to forget (as is elicitation of requirements I guess)

Wouldn't mixing tech/skills with job positions make it more confusing?

<comment><USER3> Remember that you're writing a sales brochure about yourself, not a biography or index card. Nearly every CV that comes in will look identical. You stand out by making your selling points easy to find, instead of forcing me to look for them.

Examples:

* Used Angular and Rails to build an intranet application used every day at Acme Inc by over 200 people, increasing efficiency at the company by 150%. Features included uploading and sharing documents, with commenting system and email notifications.

* Optimised a Java algorithm in the backend of Foobar Corp's service to increase response time by 200%, delivering business value of $60,000 per year.

Here's my fairly up-to-date CV if you want a complete example: [http://dblo.ws/cv](http://dblo.ws/cv) You sound like you're a better programmer than me, so you should have plenty of good achievements.

<comment><USER4> > increase response time by 200%

"Increase"? So now getting the response takes 2x as much time as before? Hardly an achievement... ;-)

EDIT: Also, things like these are hard to quantify (and verify) and even harder to come by - you can work for years without ever being in a situation where your work "increased something by 200%". I have a feeling that many people will read your advice as bullshitting your way through the CV-based selection, to maximize the chance of getting an interview, where you can explain all the details. Which, unfortunately, is not that bad a tactic - <USER2> I don't think it's what you had in mind.

<comment><USER3> You're absolutely right! That's another thing - always get someone to proofread for you.

> bullshitting your way through the CV-based selection ... I don't think it's > what you had in mind.

That's _exactly_ what I had in mind, though I might phrase it as "honing your sales pitch". On something like a CV, you should always be happy to lose a little accuracy and completeness to gain some clarity. That doesn't mean you can make stuff up, but you do need to phrase yourself carefully to highlight your strong points.

You'd be surprised at what you can quantify. See "How to Measure Anything ([https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Measure-Anything-Intangibles- Bu...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Measure-Anything-Intangibles- Business/dp/1118539273/\)") for some ideas. Measurables are the language of those who hire you (and decide your salary) so learning how to show this kind of stuff is essential.

* What was the conversion rate on that page you made before and after?

* How long did it take staff in your company to complete that process before and after you rebuilt it? How many hours have you saved the company?

* How many bugs were reported per day for that module before you fixed it, and how much did it cost the business to process them?

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> I've started writing my resume in a more prosaic form, and dropping the stilted language of resumes past. I talk about not just what I bring to the table, but also what I'm _not_ looking for in an employer. Check it out if you'd like to get a better sense of what I mean.

(It's also worth noting that I have ~12.5 years of experience in the software industry, Seattle—the city where I live—has a hot tech market, and I have focused mainly on iOS software development for the past six years. Relatedly, I never apply for jobs through websites, only through people, meaning that I manage to skip buzzword-skimming front-line recruiters. So YMMV.)

[https://www.dropbox.com/s/0tntyr8isf2l47k/Aaron%20Brethorst%...](https://www.dropbox.com/s/0tntyr8isf2l47k/Aaron%20Brethorst%20Resume%20-%20SC.pdf?dl=0)

Coming at this from the other side of the table, my first reaction to reading most resumes is "so what?" Tell me why I should care that you increased Flibbet production by 22%, or that you decreased bug volume by 19%. What does that translate into in terms that someone who doesn't work at that company would care about?

<comment><USER6> Some initial criticisms:

1\. Avoid saying things that apply to everyone. Example, "I love building products that delight my users." Who wouldn't say that when applying for a job? This, "help create positive social change" is more interesting and should be the focus of your intro.

2\. Avoid useless phrases. Example, "This has manifested itself in many ways during my career." Boring filler.

Overall, you could cut the length of this by 30-50% just by removing cliches and filler phrases. It would immediately become much more readable and emphasize your technical skills.

<comment><USER5> Thanks for the feedback. I do disagree on the 'delighting users' thing though. This is not something that occurs to many engineers.

<comment><USER6> I think you might want to consider how it reads to your audience. I think it's one of those phrases that triggers a "well duh" reaction-- especially since it stands alone without anything that supports it actually being true or unique.

<comment><USER5> You make a good point. Thanks again for the feedback. I'll take another look at it.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> I've been recruiting software engineers for nearly 20 years and started a side resume business (resumeraiders.com) a couple years ago when seeing how much people were being charged for sub-par resumes. Your question is somewhat common.

A Skills section is usually for the purposes of an ATS (automated resume scanner) or a human that will be looking for certain buzzwords, like a language or a framework that is most important to the job requirement. Recruiters know they can go to a skill section and find those things quickly.

I think in your situation, listing specific examples of your accomplishments is going to be even more important. You can tell me "I'm an all-around developer who cares about getting things done..." all day long, but listing specific things you've developed to illustrate that point is much more effective. It's not unlike people who say they have excellent communication skills - don't tell us, show us by writing something or demonstrate it in conversation.

Recruiters and HR are looking for those buzzwords, but engineers reviewing the resumes are looking for an interesting project that they can ask you about. Ideally it will involve a problem the company is trying to solve.

Start with a summary to quantify your experience - this starts the reader off with a big picture of who you are. Don't trust the reader to figure out you're a full stack dev, because the person first reviewing your resume might not be technical at all. They need to be told specifically what you do, and it's your job to do that. Your summary might start "Full stack developer with n years of experience across a mix of languages and platforms in Agile/TDD development environments. Additional skills in Project Management..." or similar.

Next, experience section with responsibilities (the day to day) in a couple sentences in paragraph form, then bullets for your novel accomplishments.

Skills, Education, other projects, community involvement, etc. to follow.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks for sharing. My current take on setting up my skills and experiences is to put them in context of my previous positions. Would that work for an ATS? (For a human, I'll probably highlight the words somehow)

<comment><USER7> The ATS doesn't care where the words are usually, it's just trying to find certain words. If you're applying to smaller firms it's less likely to be an issue. As long as you incorporate any buzzwords (usually languages, tools, frameworks) that are likely to be listed as firm requirements by the company, where they are included on the resume shouldn't matter much.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> It's helpful to list skills at the bottom of your resume for HR departments doing basic pattern matching. However to paint a clearer picture I would:

1\. Write relevant bullet points that show what value you provided for your previous company and BOLD languages along the way.

E.g.

\- Architected a product that does $X revenue with Y languages

\- Stabilized systems of X which allowed throughput of Y% more connections with Z language/framework

2\. Include a summary/objective in your LinkedIn/Resume. E.g. I'm an all- around developer that isn't afraid of X, Y, Z

<comment><AUTHOR> Focusing on the business value is great advice!

I do think that this would be especially beneficial once you've passed the first screening. I might be wrong here, but I don't think most HR people take business value into account as it is not in the 'official' job description.

<comment><USER8> Depends on the company.

At smaller companies they might not have dedicated HR gate keepers or the person reading resumes might have a combined business/HR role. And at all companies being able to state your accomplishments in terms of business value helps a gate keeper understand your resume better and shows your ability to communicate effectively.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> [http://www.slideshare.net/perlcareers/how-to-write-a- develop...](http://www.slideshare.net/perlcareers/how-to-write-a-developer- cvrsum-that-will-get-you-hired)

Goes in to _great_ detail about exactly what to put in there and why, including a template that will appeal to the recruiter, to the hiring manager, and then to the interviewing developers.

<comment><USER10> Excellent advice. A bit tough to keep everything in one page with this format though.

As an aside, I wish there was a recruiter like Pete, but for Python developers (he focuses on Perl). You should check out his site: [https://opensource.careers/](https://opensource.careers/)

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> My 2 cents as someone who has interviewed a fair number of people,

State your accomplishments. Technical skills can be learned. I feel that learning technology is part of the job, not a prerequisite for the job. on your linked-in, okay list every little thing if you want non-technical recruiters to find you w/ keywords... But as a hiring manager, I want to see someone who can learn and grow into the role. Having technology experience relevant for the role is worth highlighting but not every bit of technical experience. Otherwise highlight technologies you've used in your accomplishments only but focus on the accomplishment itself. Focus more on the activities - what big important features did you implement, not what technology you used to implement the features. The positive outcome of the work is more important than how you got there.

Eg having worked on an open source project, managing contributions from other developers, releasing etc is more important than the project itself.

<comment><AUTHOR> That sounds like good advice. It's also how I feel about software development in general. The tools are a means to an end. Control of the process/project is often much more of a challenge. Thanks!

</comment></comment><comment><USER12> The list of skills is there to catch automated keyword searches. A simple bullet list is fine.

Right above the list of skills I have a 'Summary of Qualifications' which explains my overall caliber.

> I guess the main point I want to bring across is that I'm an all-round > developer who cares about getting things done and uses whatever means are > best for the job.

This is what you put in the summary, written for a resume of course, e.g. "Veteran developer with X years of experience using a pragmatic and goal oriented approach to development. Focused on solving problems and shipping software" etc.

<comment><AUTHOR> The summary of qualifications approach sounds really nice. I guess this could also be 'tailored' to fit the job your applying for. Thanks!

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> I recommend a Summary of Qualifications that talks about what you are able to do. It's the "executive summary" that makes the HR screener want to read more. I can tailor this to the job if I need to do so.

Then I recommend listing work experience focused on acheivements. Recruiters want to see how your past experience will translate to future success so don't list job duties. List accomplishments at the job. How much revenue did the apps you wrote bring in? How many active users did the app you built support? Did you mentor other people and were they successful? Did you contribute to an open-source initiative?

"Built and maintained web applications using Ruby on Rails and React with over 200,000 active users per month."

I do list skills both in context and in a skills section.

My résumé has gotten me an interview every place I've sent it for the last 15 years. These things will never hurt you to do on yours. They will only help you.

I've heard that objectives hurt, and I know that work experience that reads like a job description hurts too. My wife is in HR and I've asked these questions of her network of people and that's the general consensus. So I hope that helps.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks for sharing your insights. Tailoring the executive summary for the job opening seems like a good idea. I guess I could treat movement from cover letter to summary to the rest of the resume as a conversion process, convincing the reader to invite me for an interview :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER14> I like to have a clear title and opening purpose statement at the top, to set the direction for the rest of the resume.

In fact you already have something to work with in this quote: "I'm an all- round developer who cares about getting things done and uses whatever means are best for the job. I'm able to learn/understand tech quickly but this is just a means to an end. I like to focus on the team and there interaction / openness." (but fix the sp of "there interaction")

If the audience sees something like "Senior Software Engineer" followed by the above paragraph it helps them understand how you see yourself fitting into the organization.

Next I would follow with a simple tabular format of skills (languages/frameworks/platforms for example) that is quickly scannable and has been pruned to remove outdated or out of favor technologies.

</comment><comment><USER15> Recently I've tried an approach where I send two documents when asked for a CV:

\- a "classic" CV which describes education, skills, work experience, and "miscellaneous" projects (late night hacks mostly);

\- a second document entitled "friendly CV" but which is actually a short pdf with slides. It is super casual and I explain my previous work with pictures of algorithms and technical stuff. I cut down all the noise and try to speak directly to the inner geek of my potential reader.

From my perspective, I'd say I had quite some success with it.

I think it doesn't matter if you do exactly that. The point is to wake up your reader if you're the 50th CV they're reading this afternoon.

</comment><comment><USER16> Consider that your resume is a landing page for you, the product. A list of "Skills" is, essentially, early aughts SEO... though I suppose it can also double as a feature list.

How are you going to use this resume? Sending in applications, posted online? Would affect my advice.

In general, two types of people will read your resume: hiring decision makers, and their agents/gatekeepers. Ideally the resume speaks to both groups. Gatekeepers use pretty simple filtering, though it won't all be disclosed. For example, if you've got 5 years of experience, and the rest of the applicant pool has 2, and they all went to Harvard and you went to University of Phoenix, you're getting filtered out unless there's something really amazing about you. The "top school" filter may not be disclosed in the job posting, or even known prior to seeing the applicant pool. In some cases these institutional biases are more or less public knowledge, in others not. Worry about passing the obvious, stated filters. It should be clear, in under 3 seconds, that you pass or exceed them. Don't be afraid to ELI5.

For the reviewers giving more than a passing glance, tell a short story. This is like pitching your startup idea, or selling anything, really. Quick, punchy, hook them and let them call you for more.

The resume gets you the call. The call gets you the meet. The meet gets you the job.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks for this. My approach would be to phone the company directly, and have a chat with HR or the person responsible for the job opening. I believe that'll give me a first advantage over others and a bigger chance to get a foot in the door. After the phone call I'll send him/her an email which functions as my cover letter with resume in PDF attached.

Based on your and the other comments, I think a list of skills is 'required', but might be meaningless without context (as in, where did you apply this)

<comment><USER16> Like anything else, consider the audience. If you can engage directly with a decision maker, or even a gatekeeper, great. Not always possible, or helpful.

I would caution that, while generally a solid approach, this does not advantage you in the final hiring, only in the initial screening stage. Not a bad thing, but keep in mind there are multiple stages to getting hired, and avoiding the first filter pass shouldn't be where the majority of your efforts are focused.

Of course, if you're goal is to get into a specific company, vs "any company" or "any of these companies", your approach will be different.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> I like to chime in here with my own observations since I run/own a recruiting software company (SnapHop). We make career portals that sit on top of legacy or existing candidate tracking software (aka ATS: applicant tracking software).

From an apply process a resume should contain keywords and should be easy to parse.

What I mean by parse is that we automatically extract details from the resume and if the resume is too hard to parse this may minimize your chance to be noticed (the ATS does this as well downstream).

So ideally you want your resume to be a small plain document. That is either MS Word, or plain text. You do need the keywords because there are some ranking algorithms that some ATS use and sadly it is based on simple keyword matching. I recommend putting this at the bottom of the resume to keep the parsing happy (ie list of technologies used). Or if your resume you think is large perhaps at the top but a short list in case it is is truncated.

I stress small because the bigger the document the more likely systems downstream can fail (our system can handle 100MB resumes no problem... and yes people will upload resumes that large but downstream systems cannot).

Finally I think including links in your resume of work you have done is also beneficial. I believe it is the future of resumes. We are seeing more folks doing this and we already to some extraction based on this (ie github profile, github projects, blogs, linkedin profiles, etc).

In large part the resume doesn't matter once you have made the initial HR/Recruiter pass. So make sure you get past that.

<comment><USER18> Could you elaborate on why you suggest an MS Word document? Every suggestion I've seen from recruiters and job placement officers (my experience is limited to applying to entry level and junior positions) is that it should always, absolutely be a PDF.

Is this because MS Word documents are easier to parse (by SnapHop, not humans)?

<comment><USER17> Actually we don't have issues parsing PDF but rather downstream some old ATS are not very good at parsing PDF (particularly MS technology based ones that we push to).

The other issue with PDF is that some cheap PDF conversion tools will just turn into an image and thus characters are lost.

Most apply processes allow you do paste your resume as text and attach. I recommend doing both.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> I just recently updated my resume and was facing the similar issue.

I did few groups of skills I have:

\- Currently focusing on (skills I am interested in and best at)

\- Relevant skills (git, agile development, tdd...)

\- Also worked with (other tech I encountered during my career: DBs, languages, frameworks...)

Hope it helps.

ps. I would love to hear some thoughts on this problem from somebody that actually reads resumes

<comment><USER20> I pretty much follow a similar route and list my skills at the bottom of my resume, grouped into three categories of current experience, past experience and exposure to. In addition, I tend to add a final summary after each of my past jobs with a comma separated list of what I actually learned or utilized on the job during that time.

As a hiring manager, I see a lot of resumes, and I rarely see skills being cleanly defined; so most of the time I parse the descriptions of people's past jobs and determine what they were doing, and what questions I needed to focus on to get the information I needed to make a decision. Additionally, I will use key things in a resume as a reasoning to ask certain things. If someone mentions design patterns, then I will be asking them about design patterns. If someone said they worked on a project, I will ask them what their level of involvement was, and how they worked with others.

Personally I think it would be great to have a clearly delineated list of skills, grouped they way you do it. The reality is, when you look at a ton of resumes, you eventually follow your own 5-second rule. If a resume can't grab your attention within 5 seconds of skimming through it, then it's probably not worth your time (and it might seem harsh, but there's plenty you can pick-up on in that short amount of time).

<comment><USER21> Based on my own experience viewing CV's. 5 seconds is quite a lot. Any CV I've gotten gives a first impression based on formatting, and I tend to dismiss people applying for a developer position that don't realise that maybe 12 different styles and colours mixed together randomly is a bit much.

It made me realise why so many HR agencies request the person's CV only to take the information and reformat it into the agencies style (which is generally boring, but sensible).

Don't get me wrong. I love unique CV's, but given the choice between 'unique' and 'useful' there's only one possible answer.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> First, write your application for the job you're looking for, or at least interviewing for. Also write it for the culture of the team. The language of the job specification should have plenty of hints there, since a hiring manager (aka, whoever will be your manager) probably wrote it. Blog posts, too, if available. This doesn't mean parroting back their language, just try to figure out what makes them tick.

Apply selectively. Construct a narrative about your career that shows an inevitable trend towards the exact role you're looking to fill. Employers are generally looking for someone to shore up a skills gap, or augment an existing team. The job spec generally makes this an open book exam.

Really, the biggest thing is figuring out what sort of role you want, and trying to see your career through the lens of the person hiring for that role.

</comment><comment><USER23> I'm currently recruiting for our startup in Berlin. We receive a pile of applications every day and the ones whose pop in are those who took some care to explain how they used skills on some real projects.

If you successfully can describe your current/last positions, point out how you had used technologies and competencies, you'll highlight yourself.

</comment><comment><USER24> I don't think there's a good reason to have only one resume. Tailor your resume/cv to the position (or type of position) you're applying for. For certain jobs (for your dream job, for example), it may be worth writing a special resume just for them.

Each hiring manager should be able to quickly scan through your CV and check the mental boxes in their head, so that they can move your candidacy on to the next phase. That's really all the resume needs to do. So streamline each resume you submit to make that process as quick and painless for the hiring manager as possible.

Later on, when you're getting to know the company (and they're getting to know you), that's when you can bring in your multitude of experiences that aren't directly related to the job. But there's no reason for that initial submission to be an exhaustive list of all your great qualities.

</comment><comment><USER25> Unless you don't have any experience (fresh grad or something), I would minimize /eliminate the skills section, and focus more on the experience - that way, you are mentioning skills in the context of specific projects and organizations.

Skills on their own (9 out of 10 on JavaScript) don't mean much.

<comment><USER26> I'd actually disagree. While it's important to put skills in context, it's also pretty important to have an easily-scannable list of "stuff I know".

When I'm hiring it's what I look at first to see if there's _any_ alignment on the tech stack at all. _Then_ I check to see what has been used IRL lately, whether professionally ("day job") or not ("side projects").

It's a balancing act.

</comment></comment><comment><USER27> I had always assumed that it was buzzword soup to get past HR/Recruiting (it's sad to see recruiters basically admitting this on this thread). As someone who has hired people I care far more about your experience and what you did at your last job(s) than a list of enumerated skills.

I would say make the skill section brief. Don't list every flavor of SQL you've ever worked with, just put SQL, etc. Or go crazy, but put it at the end. Honestly, I never begrudged someone doing a word dump at the end of their resume, as long as the rest of the resume was good. We all know that recruiters have no clue and might scrap an application if a buzzword is missing.

</comment><comment><USER28> Something I do on my CV. I have a prominent section talking about my "specialties". These are the core skills (not only tech ones) that I want to focus on, and the ones that I am interested in a new job.

It doesn't make sense to put in the same level "bash" and "JavaScript" if you really want to look for JavaScript jobs.

Then, in each of the previous jobs, I put the main tech that I have been exposed to. That gives an idea of the different skills and tools, but making a clear distinction in terms of which ones I am interested or consider that are my core skills.

</comment><comment><USER29> Why not go with the direct method and say exactly what you mean e.g.

"I guess the main point I want to bring across is that I'm an all-round developer who cares about getting things done and uses whatever means are best for the job. I'm able to learn/understand tech quickly but this is just a means to an end. I like to focus on the team and there interaction / openness."

I usually just write working with Java stack / JVM technologies and a few sentences what I (not the team) accomplished in my previous jobs, because I don't think resumes all that important.

<comment><AUTHOR> That might work if you got referred to the company, of if you talk directly to the person who you'll work for. My experience is that HR essentially treats your resume as a checklist, like a first filter.

</comment></comment><comment><USER30> For what it's worth, I recently applied for a few jobs, and did get an offer. On the other hand at least one of the places I applied replied with a "we're not hiring anyone this round" \- so obviously I missed on that one. Probably due to them using a horrible Web based application system and that I forgot to upload attachments (grade transcript etc).

My view is that a CV/resume (non-academic) should list _relevant_ work experience and education. Probably also certifications if relevant for the position.

 _Perhaps_ a section on other experience (leadership/management/responsibilities/achivements in volunteer/leisure activities - eg: successfully guided a hiking trip through a storm, etc).

Then the cover letter should put those experiences in context for the position you're applying for. And it probably should be no more than (half) a page for the letter and one to two for the CV.

Maybe I'm a bit extreme, but I strongly believe in not wasting the time of people doing the hiring (hopefully for an engineering position they're not full time HR and have other things they'd rather be doing).

</comment><comment><USER31> I work in tech recruiting but I tell people to focus their resume on what they are most interested in doing and then list other skills/languages they work with. If you have been working as a .net developer that should be very clear from your resume but linking to the node and react project on your github is a great way to show you are flexible.

</comment><comment><USER32> I did a big write-up for my students on the process of getting/doing technical interviews:

[http://blog.robertelder.org/50-interviews-with-facebook- twit...](http://blog.robertelder.org/50-interviews-with-facebook-twitter- amazon-others/)

You may want to start at the section "How Do I Pitch Myself"

</comment><comment><USER33> For some months, I have been thinking about the same problem as well. From an employer perspective, Hiring is tough. Very tough! People list down tons of skills and qualities they may or may not have on their resume and problem is you need to have good interviewing skills to evaluate them and spend countless hours to have the right candidate. To me, a good measure of someone's skills is their feedback from their current/previous coworkers (if it can be somehow achieved in a profile and which is not biased so it can be anonymous). This way you are able to screen the employees. Not trying to blow my own trumpet here, but I am trying to address this in my startup PleasantFish where you can get feedback from your coworkers and as a user improve your skills by getting latest content based on your skillset in your personalized skills based newsfeed

</comment><comment><USER34> I would structure your resume to focus on your projects, giving them detailed descriptions, in which you can describe the languages, libraries, etc... that you used to implement them. That way, you put the technology in the context of the solutions you were delivering. For example (making this up...):

Selected Project Experience:

Consumer Finance Protection Reporting Database (2014) - Backend Developer. Developed the platform to support a consumer finance protection website that allows users to put a lock on their credit account without navigating customer service telephone lines. Built the backend with Django (Python) and Postgres and implemented a robust API with the Django REST Framework.

Etc...

</comment><comment><USER35> I think the skills-list is not for actual employers. They are more for the first filter of HR people and recruiters who are reduced to checking off lists because they don't have software-specific knowledge.

So try to match the list as best you truthfully can to the one in the job description. If they put languages and skills in one big list, do the same. If they have some other format, use that. Just don't parrot their list so exactly that it looks like you are lying.

As for your main point: make it directly in a summary paragraph somewhere near the top of the resume.

<comment><USER16> There's a few levels to this. I'd say it's important even if you are personally handing the CV to the decision maker.

"Architected a solution and led a team of developers to implement a custom solution for a large merger & acquisition company" doesn't tell the HM whether you know her stack. Depending on other strengths or weaknesses of your application, this may cost you the call. Yes, a great engineer/dev can learn your stack, yadda yadda, but maybe you're hiring because you're the only one who knows it, you're already training the rest of the team, and need someone to hit the ground running, you know?

Good to have all the checkboxes from the job spec covered. Avoid uncertainty on their part.

<comment><USER35> You are right.

But that reinforces the practical part of my advice: don't worry if the skills list doesn't make sense to you, as long as it conforms to whatever the job decription is asking for.

<comment><USER16> Agreed, and I meant to include that in my comment. Your practical advice is absolutely fine.

Just wanted to clarify that it applies to all cases, not just passing recruiter/software review filters.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER36> MY CV - FOR CONSIDERATION TO MR HIRE McHIRING

Name: Cody McCoder E-mail: email@example.com

Profile: "I'm an all-round developer who cares about getting things done and uses whatever means are best for the job. I'm able to learn/understand tech quickly but this is just a means to an end. I like to focus on the team and there interaction / openness."

Skills: "a mixture of languages, products, areas but also practices/skills"

Portfolio: ...links to your case studies with code, rationale, team contribution and comments...

DONE

</comment><comment><USER37> You should not be creating a resume that you will then send to multiple jobs. You craft individual resumes for each job posting, using that posting's own keywords and required/recommended/nice-to-have skill set.

Resume screening is about cutting a stack of 100 down to 10, so it's all about finding a reason to say "No." If the job calls for C# WebApi and Angular experience and you start listing Python or Go projects, that's an easy no.

<comment><USER38> I thought the industry was desperate for talent. This doesn't sound like the kind of mechanism you would use in such a situation.

<comment><USER30> Do you really want to aim mostly for the organizations that are "desperate for talent", or would you like to be contacted by the employers _you_ would really like to work for? (Not that the sets need have no intersections..)

<comment><USER38> I'm under the impression that _everyone_ is desperate for talent. Even the top-tier companies, apparently: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12059056](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12059056). So, are all these people just blowing smoke up out collective asses? I see conflicting statements like the one I responded to here and the one I linked posted all the time.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER39> Don't overthink your resume.

<comment><AUTHOR> This is great advice for me in general. I'd wish overthinking was limited to my resume :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER40> A format I use that I have received compliments on is just a 2-3 column table with headers like this:

New | Proficient | Expert

Or something along those lines. Then list your skills in there and it's super easy for people to very quickly see your skills and how you rate yourself. The New column is a great way to show that you are learning new things on your own. Most recruiters I've showed to it like it.

</comment><comment><USER41> I have a section for skills (project management, leadership, etc...) and a section for Technical Proficiencies (Python, Ruby, PostgreSQL, etc...)

I pretty much keep my work experience the same but change around my Skills and Technical Proficiencies to match the job I'm applying for.

</comment><comment><USER42> I lot of people have various opinions on what does and doesn't constitute a good resume. It'd be nice if some people would post theirs so we could get a nice visual representation of what it would/should look like

</comment><comment><USER43> 1\. Relevant experience

2\. Personal connection</comment>


How to Compete with AWS - <AUTHOR> https://www.lastweekinaws.com/blog/how-to-compete-with-aws/?ck_subscriber_id=512837520 <comment><AUTHOR> Corey is both on-point and hilarious and his newsletter[0] is worth reading. This particular post really resonated with me because AWS gets so much run for being impossible to compete with, but really it's not hard... you just have to pick an appropriate axis on which to compete. It's not likely you'll ever win on availability or integration with AWS services, but the farther you get (in terms of abstraction) from running a data center, there are places where AWS falls flat.

[0] [https://www.lastweekinaws.com/](https://www.lastweekinaws.com/)

</comment><comment><USER2> What's he talking about with the re:invent oil and gas thing? Is there something specific that I can look at that he's referring to?

<comment><USER3> It was a passing snark reference to [https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/20/aws- salesman-pitch-to-oil-an...](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/20/aws-salesman- pitch-to-oil-and-gas-we-actually-consume-your-products.html)</comment></comment>


*SUSE Dev Survey – Please Help Improve OpenSUSE for Developers - <AUTHOR> I would like to hear from Developers using Linux in any way, manner or form, to give feedback and ideas about improving openSUSE for Developers
I've put together this short survey which I'd really appreciate as many responses to as possible
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdKRmRsR_9Ix7RqQfXayji0kZnmOKyac0Qwi6aMHHPah4X8VA/viewform
Please spread the link around to anyone who might also be using or interested in using openSUSE as part of their development work
Any unstructured feedback here is also welcome
Thanks! <comment><USER2> Simple!

1\. Abondon SystemD, while there is still time! (that ship is sinking. Rumor has it many of the SystemD tools develop by governmental agencies for offensive hacking, are focused on the numerous problem with SystemD.

Just 'emerge' the best parts of OpenSuse into a Gentoo Fork. Gentoo is being raped by CoreOS, rackspace, google and a hoard of other commercial interests. So, OPenSuse could easily become the best (secure) distro on the planet, and bring a robust installation semantic to Gentoo, that is so desperately needed. Change 1/2 of the folks on your Board of Directors:: align with the little people.

Gentoo severely needs a robust installer. Then focus on UNIkernel solutions for the cloud that are secure (very small attack surfaces.

Dirt Simple:: Make money off of corporate consulting

</comment><comment><USER3> Clickable [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdKRmRsR_9Ix7RqQfXa...](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdKRmRsR_9Ix7RqQfXayji0kZnmOKyac0Qwi6aMHHPah4X8VA/viewform)

</comment><comment><USER4> I used Debian (Server) and Ubuntu (Workstation) for development till now.

Switching to NixOS these days, because it has dev specific features I really like (Nix, hurrr). I don't see that much benefit from switching from Ubuntu to SUSE or Fedora etc.

</comment><comment><USER2> Just 'emerge' all of the good things of SUSE into Gentoo and help build a better GENTOO linux.

dirt simple::you can then focus on UNIkernel clustered codes that provide little in the way of attack surfaces.

</comment><comment><USER5> I like OpenSUSE! Easily available images of OpenSUSE for Docker and Vagrant would be nice.

<comment><AUTHOR> Did you know easily available Docker images for openSUSE are already in the Docker hub/store?

docker pull opensuse

;)

[https://hub.docker.com/_/opensuse/](https://hub.docker.com/_/opensuse/)

[https://store.docker.com/images/99f9bd45-4c65-4e45-aa36-234e...](https://store.docker.com/images/99f9bd45-4c65-4e45-aa36-234e9150efc6)

<comment><USER5> Nice. What about Vagrant images?

<comment><AUTHOR> [https://atlas.hashicorp.com/bento/boxes/opensuse- leap-42.1/](https://atlas.hashicorp.com/bento/boxes/opensuse-leap-42.1/)</comment></comment></comment></comment>


New York Isn't Silicon Valley. That's Why They Like It. - <AUTHOR> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/technology/07reboot.html

<comment><USER2> I organize Hackers and Founders SV, and I'm finally heading out to NYC in a couple of weeks to check out Hackers and Founders NY. I'm really looking forward to checking out the startup scene.

BTW, I'd love to be able to crash on someone's floor the night of the 25th after the meetup. Ping me if you're interested. I promise to be a good guest. :)

<comment><USER3> If you don't get an offer, check out :

<http://www.airbnb.com/>

<comment><USER2> If it doesn't work out, I already have a place picked out on AirBnB. I'd just like to hang out with a HN reader if possible.

<comment><USER4> You can crash on my couch - email in profile!

<comment><USER2> Thanks for the offer, aditya. I just accepted an offer a couple of hours ago. I'd love to catch up if you're going to be at the Hackers and Founders, though.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> There are Bootstrapper Breakfasts (<http://www.bootstrappersbreakfast.com/> ) in Silicon Valley four times a month, and twice a month in San Francisco as well as monthly in Minneapolis and San Diego. I think the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial ecosystem is richer and much more complex than the queue at Sand Hill Road. And that similar opportunities for serious conversation with other entrepreneurs exist in many cities around the world.

<comment><USER6> If you're going to blatantly self-promote your event, how about a little disclosure?

<comment><USER5> It's in my YC profile: I am not trying to hide anything.

I mentioned them in response to an article about breakfasts for entrepreneurs in New York, so that folks who might be interested in similar events in Minneapolis, San Diego, San Francisco, or Silicon Valley would know.

<comment><USER6> Mate, take a tip from iamelgringo. Call it out upfront and state clearly what the organization is. From what I see Bootstrappers Breakfast is a lead generation opportunity for your business.

Many events in the valley are run by current founders for current founders or run by angels as leadgen. The assumption is that you're either an investor or a founder that wants to give back. If you're doing it for contract leadgen (e.g. the startups you engage with are paying for your services in cash or stock) and you're not calling that out upfront you're treading on assumptive good will.

In short: If you're going to use news YC as a venue to self-promote, then be upfront.

<comment><USER5> Candidly it's not a leadgen for my business. We run it as a service to the bootstrapping communities in the cities that we operate. And San Francisco, San Diego, and Minneapolis are moderated by other folks and often the Silicon Valley Breakfasts are moderated by other folks.

I know Jonathan Nelson (iamelgringo) and appreciate what he is doing. I have been to several Hackers & Founders events and found them worthwhile. It's nice to be able to meet for breakfast as well. I have been on YC for perhaps four years now and contributed I hope a number of useful comments and links.

I have no idea who you are from your YC profile or why you have jumped to the conclusions that you have. I ask that you take me at my word and otherwise accept that reasonable men may differ.

<comment><USER6> Jonathan runs Hackers and Founders as a sideline to something else he does. He does it for love and the desire to be around others like him.

You run a consulting firm that feeds on startups.

Your breakfasts are a marketing/leadgen program. That's fine if you call it out, but you're deluding yourself if you try to claim it's a community service. It may benefit the community as a side effect, but that's not why you do them.

ProTip: When you have a conflict of interest, call it out upfront. Anything less dilutes your legitimacy.

<comment><USER5> We've never met to my knowledge so I don't believe that you know me.

I am an entrepreneur and enjoy conversations with other entrepreneurs. I had a photography business in my teens and did my first startup in Silicon Valley in 1979 when I was still in college. the resources that were available then were minimal.

The breakfasts attract a broad range of folks: 20 year olds to folks in their 60's, men, women, the entrepreneurially curious, people in startups, serial entrepreneurs, consultants, and others. We don't turn anyone away as long as they want to talk about real issues related to bootstrapping.

I started them because I was fed up with attending evening events that were either about hearing a VC speak or were in bars and involved bullshit networking. I wanted to take part in serious conversations about entrepreneurship, in particular bootstrapping a business, because there were too few discussions about real problems.

We have a unique format for the breakfasts that foster one conversation on a range of topics proposed by those that show up. We have guest speakers sometimes, but they only have prepared remarks for about 6-8 minutes at which point they take part in the conversation. We have invited a number of entrepreneurs to talk about lessons learned from successes and failures including the inventor of MacProject, Writely, Wowzamedia to name a few.

I am not sure how you have reached the conclusions about me that you have but you are mistaken in your characterization of my motives. In particular I reject "everything you do is for business." There are no pockets in shrouds: not everything has to be about money.

<comment><USER6> Unless you've started a product company recently that you're not sharing with us, all the above plus your website says you're not an entrepreneur anymore. You may have been one 30 years ago, you may like being around entrepreneurs, but catering to them is not the same as being one today.

Today it seems you're a consultant/service-provider.

Although not original, your breakfasts may be good. Just please for the sake of our patience, call out your conflict of interest when posting here. There are many charming ways to do it. Denial or dismissal isn't one of them.

If someone calls you on a conflict of interest and there's even a remote chance there might be a conflict, just say something like: "Forgive my oversight. ...". Then graciously move on.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> I'm moving to Brooklyn this summer and get very excited to keep seeing articles like this. I'm also going to be in town at the end of March, what are some "must see"s in the scene?</comment>


SpaceX on Twitter: "Planning to Send Dragon to Mars as Soon as 2018" - <AUTHOR> https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/725351354537906176/photo/1 <comment><USER2> Comments moved to [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11582605](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11582605), which seems to be the most substantive version of the story.</comment>


A mobile phone that respects your freedom [video] - <AUTHOR> https://media.ccc.de/v/Camp2019-10238-a_mobile_phone_that_respects_your_freedom#t=448 <comment><USER2> Skip to 20:06 to see the first public images of the actual PCBs that are going to be going into phones!

I'll still be flabbergasted if they actually manage to ship phones within the next 34 days, but they haven't yet admitted that the shipping date will have to change.

EDIT: At the end, the speaker briefly tries to demo the devkit, only to find that it has inexplicably turned off, and she states "it's pretty hot -- power management is still an area we have to work on". I can't wait to receive my Librem 5, but there is no way this is shipping Q3 this year.

<comment><USER3> One of the things I have started to feel as I read their recent design posts is that the phone will ship but be described as in a basic dev state and not ready for consumer use.

I have written and seen written several posts on twitter at purism that have consistently been replied to as recently as last week saying that pre-orders are still on track to ship before end of Q3.

It makes me feel like the hardware is ready and built and they are working through software management issues like power management before a launch date.

<comment><USER4> The same thing happened with Openmoko. Neither company focused on a single UI stack, and (last I checked with purism) instead shipped 3+ semi-working UI demos (gtk, qt and enlightenment).

If they focused on one stack, they'd be much more likely to ship solid product, which would lead to revenue. That would give them runway to build support for a bigger ecosystem.

<comment> em-bee i can't agree enough. i got an openmoko second hand after a friend who got it gave up on it because he couldn't use the device for actual phonecalls and messaging. he was very frustrated and disappointed. i managed, after trying a few stacks to find one that mostly worked (it was the qt one).

i am now using /e/ which tries to add more privacy to lineageOS, and they manage to produce a much more polished experience than raw lineageOS.

it makes a huge difference. things that i was struggling with on lineageOS, like searching addresses and getting directions suddenly work out of the box and if anyone asks for recommendations for a privacy oriented phone i'd point them to the models that e.foundation sells with /e/ preinstalled.

i do hope that someday i'll be able to recommend a purism model too.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Excellent talk. I can't wait for this phone (Librem 5) to be available. Only wish the specs were slightly better (higher screen rez for ex). But the privacy and security features more than make up for that.

<comment><USER6> I can't see it working unless they support WhatsApp and friends. No network effect means it will die. Unfortunately.

<comment><USER7> The Librem 5 isn't designed for people who use WhatsApp. Signal and some other actually private messengers should work as they already have official Linux clients.

That said I currently don't plan on buying it, simply because right now I'm not heavily relying on the phone. It is however the first phone released in the last ~5 years that I'd call interesting and unique.

<comment><USER8> In many regions, using WhatsApp is not really a choice.

<comment><USER9> This is one of the problems the Librem 5 is designed to solve.

<comment><USER10> How? If you are stuck in one of the countries where more than 90% of citizens use WhatsApp, your choices are not to use WhatsApp, or to get an Android or IOS smartphone.

Individuals might be willing to contact you via other channels, but group chats won't move to another platform unless you are dealing with people who actually care about their privacy.

I don't use WhatsApp (can't use it due to not having an approved smartphone, and not wishing to accept Facebook's terms of use), and I miss things. Not a lot, and nothing critical, but my partner and I do miss out on some social things.

<comment><USER11> > How? If you are stuck in one of the countries where more than 90% of > citizens use WhatsApp, your choices are not to use WhatsApp, or to get an > Android or IOS smartphone.

So you decide for the former.

<comment><USER10> That is fine, but it doesn't answer the question how Librem is purportedly solving that problem.

<comment><USER11> > That is fine, but it doesn't answer the question how Librem is purportedly > solving that problem.

By not supporting WhatsApp, it forces the user to solve the problem that he/she makes a very bad decision with respect to his/her privacy.

<comment><USER10> I fully support that approach, but this effectively means accepting that the majority uses a tool you cannot or will not use. Librem is never going to be in a position with sufficient market share to counter the network effect of WhatsApp in countries that are hooked on it.

Hence my question in response to gregknicholson's statement:

>> This is one of the problems the Librem 5 is designed to solve.

> How?

<comment><USER9> By providing a coherent set of easy-to-use, privacy-respecting alternatives.

It makes it easier for those who _want_ to switch, but don't have the confidence/skill/energy to figure everything out on their own.

Similarly, Disroot made it easy to switch away from Google, by providing a complete (for my purposes) drop-in replacement; Ubuntu made it easy to switch from Windows.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> 101 videos from the CCC 2019 ? This is a good day.

<comment><USER13> CCCamp was last week, I believe.

</comment></comment><comment><USER14> The phone is relatively thick compared to typical modern smartphones, which I assume is primary due to the separation of the cellular radio onto an M.2 card. I wonder whether it would have been possible to avoid this by putting the M.2 card to the side of the mainboard with an edge-to-edge connector, or re-embedding the components into the mainboard. I imagine flattening out the design would also help to distribute heat.

<comment><USER15> I wonder if they used an off the shelf cellular radio on m.2 card or maybe if they're planning on making it available separately which would be sweet.

Edit: I see the dev kit uses a 3rd party modem, not sure if the final production Librem 5 phone will as well. It looks like the website for the modem they're using that they link from the Purism dev kit page is broken as well.

</comment></comment><comment><USER16> i hope it materializes; i try to avoid pre-ordering but the quality of their tech updates and blog posts, along with this talk have nudged me into ordering.

thanks for the work you are doing Purism

</comment><comment><USER17> If you want true freedom, get a Nokia 8110 - I felt a weight off my shoulder using the device. Atleast for the week I've used the device.

Then, life caught on. You can't manage kids' activities, work schedules and your social life without a smartphone these days.

<comment><USER18> _You can 't manage kids' activities, work schedules and your social life without a smartphone these days._

May I ask where you live? Or did you mean 'without a computer'?

Works perfectly for me in Western Europe.

<comment><USER19> My office requires 2fa login. You can set up text notifications but all our documentation mentions smartphone apps. My bank used a smart phone for 2fa, no text or card reader options available. My credit card is app only. Parking in my city is discounted using their app. Real time transport information (bus and taxi) is app only. It's possible to do without but things are much less painful with a smart phone.

<comment><USER11> > My bank used a smart phone for 2fa, no text or card reader options > available.

Switch your bank.

<comment><USER20> Why? TOTP is the one form of 2FA I would _want_ to be the only option, were I limited to one.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER21> Obligatory mention of PinePhone which

● has a very similar CPU (but at 1.152Ghz instead of 1.5Ghz),

● also runs free software,

● also has hardware kill switches,

● also has USB C with video out

● has less memory (2GB vs 3GB) and

● has a similar screen size and same resolution (720x1440)

● has a 2MP / 5MP front/back cameras (vs 8MP / 13MP w/ LED flash)

● will cost only 150€ (vs $699 - was $599)

[https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/](https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/)

<comment><USER3> This project is clearly still super early days but looks very cool.

It feels to me like these phones have very different audiences.

<comment><USER22> They've already shipped dev kits (like Purism), and they're building on a platform they already understand (previous ARM boards).

They've also made what I think is the sensible decision to focus on producing open hardware, and leave the problem of software to the community.

Why do you say they have different audiences?

<comment><USER23> > Why do you say they have different audiences?

> They've also made what I think is the sensible decision to focus on > producing open hardware, and leave the problem of software to the community.

That ^ is my guess.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> [https://www.paypal.com/webapps/hermes?flow=1-P&ulReturn=true...](https://www.paypal.com/webapps/hermes?flow=1-P&ulReturn=true&token=0HM22550VL090105J&useraction=commit&mfid=1567655408097_68fce9ae99a89&country.x=KW&locale.x=ar_EG4507783159962506/checkout/voooltdj)

</comment><comment><USER25> With all those hardware switches, would adding one more for locking the bootloader be a good idea to increase security?

<comment><USER23> What would realistically be the point of that? Doest that defeat the purpose of "locking" a bootloader, if it can be unlocked with a hardware switch?

<comment><USER21> It could protect you against a rootkit.

<comment><USER26> Hi, I have firmware rootkits (I think they hide on hdds, nics, etc) So if you can help me I could pay you (a little) with criptocurrencies. Email me please nais.thc at gmail.com

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER27> How do they ensure that this modem (Gemalto PLS8 3G/4G) is truly respectful of your freedom?

<comment><USER3> probably failing to explain this with total accuracy but any chip on the board for which they don't have 100% control of the firmware runs through in isolation through a proxy. The talk mentions the modem firmware as well as some initialization firmware for the DDR4 as being specific problem areas that they had to isolate.

</comment></comment><comment><USER28> How does it compare to UbuntuPhone?

<comment><USER3> it has been said various places that the hardware will be able to run Ubuntu Phone. That being said I would guess they are behind Ubuntu Phone in polish but that as a company that has already built a number of FOSS hardware devices they are probably in better shape at a lower system level.

</comment></comment><comment><USER16> so how do you get a phone number for this phone, do you just buy service / sim card from a regular carrier and then plop it in or what?

<comment><USER29> Never bought a phone outside of a contract?

<comment><USER16> i suppose not, so how does it work?

<comment><USER30> You buy a SIM card from a wireless provider, register your service, and you're connected to that provider's network. Depending on which country you live in, you may be asked to provide evidence of your identity to varying degrees.

For example, to set up my service in Australia, I bought a SIM card in a little packet at a corner store for A$40. The SIM card was from a specific wireless provider (Telstra, in this instance), but it was sitting side-by-side with SIM cards from other providers in the store. It came "pre-loaded" with 35GB of data to use on their network, plus unlimited SMS and voice calling, which was described on the packaging. When I put the SIM in the device I was prompted to go to a website to register my service, where I input a code from the SIM card packet to link the SIM itself. I was asked to provide my driver license number or passport number. I was then able to choose between three pre-selected phone numbers that were displayed on the screen. Click Finish, and my cellular service started working on my phone. Every month I have the option to renew my plan under the same terms, or choose a plan with different terms (more or less GB of data, for instance), or throw the SIM card away and switch to a different wireless provider.

<comment><USER16> thanks for the detailed reply

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER31> "What do you need to build a phone?"

The answer forgot to mention software. That was the main problem with the Ubuntu phone.

</comment><comment><USER32> Kabelsalat ist gesund.

<comment><USER33> Entschuldigung, was?

</comment></comment><comment><USER34> The pentagram at the bottom left of the video is an instant deal-breaker for millions of regular folks...

being aware of social sensitivities is a big part of being successful for projects that aim for broad adoption.

<comment><USER35> _The pentagram at the bottom left of the video is an instant deal-breaker for millions of regular folks_

Yeah, it's a little tone-deaf.

I understand it's meant to be tongue-in-cheek and all that. But if, for example, they used a swastika, even if they were using it in the context one of the dozens of cultures for whom it's a normal symbol, it would still be tone deaf.

A lot of people here are saying it's just a symbol, etc... But if it was a Christian cross, I bet a lot of HN readers would flinch with "I'm not supporting some fundy company!"

<comment><USER36> One of the clear messages I get from looking at the past couple of thousand years of history is that I should really try and avoid getting hung up on symbols. Also looking to history, it is remarks such as this that will probably lead to that outcome.

<comment><USER35> That's great if you're Mr. Spock and the rest of the world is a bunch of Vulcans who can control their brains in the most logical way. But human beings create connections in their brains, and the whole purpose of symbols is to create a connection.

If you use a symbol that has a particular widespread meaning, then people are going to think of that meaning when you use the symbol, even if they then figure out what you really mean a second or two later.

That's why companies trademark logos, and why other companies trying to associate themselves with those companies try to make their logos look similar. (Think of all the knock-off Starbucks-themed coffee shops around the world.)

<comment><USER36> Oh this _is_ fun. I'm going to wait just a little longer...

<comment><USER37> This section of the comments is... interesting. I wasn't expecting to read about this kind of stuff on HN today. But it's not over-the-top or obnoxious, so it's interesting to learn a little about what other people do/believe/practice.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER38> Reddit discussion on this topic:

[https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/cje7vg/dont_use_pu...](https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/cje7vg/dont_use_pureos_or_the_librem_5/)

<comment><USER37> Not exactly on this topic as it appears to be a hit-piece about the company making the phone. There's been a few hit-piece comments here on HN made by new accounts on other Librem 5 posts too.

Anyway, I'm not an expert about most of that stuff, but they wrote:

> They aren't shipping firmware updates.

Uh... the phone hasn't even been released yet!

<comment><USER39> They have ensured by design that what remains of proprietary firmware on the phone can't be updated, because they want a FSF Free hardware certification, and that's the only way to get that and have non-free firmware components. Not updateable non-free firmware is tolerated as being "part of the hardware" in a way, updateable firmware is software and required to be open.

<comment><USER37> Which proprietary firmware?

<comment><USER39> Parts of the memory interface have been mentioned previously: [https://puri.sm/posts/librem5-solving-the-first-fsf-ryf- hurd...](https://puri.sm/posts/librem5-solving-the-first-fsf-ryf-hurdle/)

Similarly, they seem to have choosen the Wifi and Bluetooth chips as well because they have no downloadable firmware, and the isolation for the baseband probably ensures the same there: [https://puri.sm/posts/librem5-2018-09-hardware- report/](https://puri.sm/posts/librem5-2018-09-hardware-report/)

If those would have meaningful updates is a good question, and clearly it only applies to some of the firmware, but I suspect that's what the exagerated original claim is based on.

<comment><USER37> Okay, thank you.

Is there any way to mitigate this if one wants to keep Wifi and Bluetooth?

I guess if one really wanted to be pure then, they could just keep the second (of three, see below) hardware switches off, and even possibly de-solder a connection, to ensure they aren't accidently flipped on.

Hardware Switches:

\- cameras and microphone

\- WiFi and Bluetooth

\- cellular baseband

(When all three switches are off, power is also killed to sensors a la "Lockdown Mode")

<comment><USER40> > When all three switches are off, power is also killed to sensors a la > "Lockdown Mode"

Personally, with all these switches off, I'd still want GPS for offline navigation.

<comment><USER37> Maybe there are two contacts you could bridge. Are you good with a soldering iron?

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER37> Their mirrors are forcing my mobile browser to open the video file instead of downloading it. That's not very helpful. I'm surprised they didn't offer a torrent for the video, that would actually help me (and help them on costs/mirroring).

EDIT: Another user provided the solution: press-and-hold/long-tap the video in the new tab to get an option to download.

<comment><USER41> wget [https://mirror.eu.oneandone.net/projects/media.ccc.de//event...](https://mirror.eu.oneandone.net/projects/media.ccc.de//events/camp2019/h264-hd/camp19-10238-eng- A_mobile_phone_that_respects_your_freedom.mp4)

should do the trick

<comment><USER42> He is on mobile ^

<comment><USER43> Since this is an article about an Android phone, I realise giving an iOS solution for this may not be that helpful. For anyone using iOS, the Apple Shortcuts app has an action "Get Contents of URL". You can use this to make a shortcut to save the contents of any URL similar to using wget. I often find this useful, and highly recommend the Shortcuts app in general. It's not perfect, but helps add missing functionality.

Been a while since I used Android regularly, but there will be a similar (easier) method for a shortcut to download the contents of a URL.

<comment><USER44> > Since this is an article about an Android phone

It is not an Android phone. It is built on top of PureOS: [https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/](https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/)</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


Show HN: Redshift to Snowflake – Python - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/jimmylowell/rs_to_sf <comment><AUTHOR> I've been writing code for a while now, but have always meant to share more. Also write once in a while...

TLDR;

I wrote some python+SQL to move data from Redshift to Snowflake:

[https://github.com/jimmylowell/rs_to_sf](https://github.com/jimmylowell/rs_to_sf)

This would not be possible without:

[https://github.com/awslabs/amazon-redshift- utils/blob/master...](https://github.com/awslabs/amazon-redshift- utils/blob/master/src/AdminViews/v_generate_tbl_ddl.sql)

I edited "v_generate_tbl_ddl.sql" to convert Redshift data types to Snowflake. The script will CREATE the table(s) in Snowflake, UNLOAD from Redshift to S3, and finish with a COPY into Snowflake.

Default values+sequences are not brought over. The SQL file has some comments on how to get them from Redshift in Snowflake format, but I (un)fortunately do not have access to a RS instance anymore for further development. When using this at my job, I would edit the SQL to get sequences first, then make sure I had the DDL to include default values. Some REGEX was involved. You could then run this script without creating table ddl and load data with table sequences and default values! I tried to include this along with several other improvements on the github page, but again, I am brand new to sharing my code. : )

Thanks for reading!

Jimmy

<comment><AUTHOR> Blog post with more writing... [https://myjimmyweb.com/index.php/2020/02/05/redshift-to- snow...](https://myjimmyweb.com/index.php/2020/02/05/redshift-to-snowflake- python/)</comment></comment>


A new Stephen Hawking presentation about black holes - <AUTHOR> http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/08/25/stephen-hawking-believes-hes-solved-a-huge-mystery-about-black-holes/?tid=sm_tw <comment><USER2> I don't understand what's new about these theories. Both the holographic principle and Hawking radiation have been known for years, decades even. If there's something about those theories the article doesn't explain what it is exactly.

<comment><USER3> "Nobel laureate Gerard t'Hooft, who was present for the discussion, has been thinking about information loss in a similar way, and he cited several papers he has published on the subject. It will take more discussion — and much comparing of math equations — to establish what's new about Hawking's theories in relation to t'Hooft's, and whether Hawking has overcome some of the issues associated with earlier iterations of the idea."

<comment><USER4> So is Hawking even claiming it's new or was he simply discussing the existing theory but the article misconstrued that?

<comment><USER5> As I understand it, he is redefining what is called the event horizon, because it is a relativistic concept that doesn't work well with quantum mechanics.

One consequence of that redefinition is that humans could theoretically survive crossing it, contrary to the firewall hypothesis (well, if they were in a sustainable capsule with a large gene pool, and the hole was rotating just right), by waiting long enough on top of it until the hole evaporates (from the capsule's point of view).

Time would indefinitely slow down for them, so they would see the rest of the universe speed up until the hole dies.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> I don't know if there's something new in there, but Leonard Susskind wrote a book in 2008 exactly on that matter - "The Black Hole War" [0]. He describes his "battle" with Hawking on whether the information is lost in the black hole, and Susskind is the one who's against information disappearing.

[0] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Hole_War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Hole_War)

<comment><USER7> I loved that book. One of the best books on cosmology/space-time/quantum- general relativity. Susskind's thought experiments are mind boggling, and he is a great writer, able to explain complicated physics in a clear and thoughtful manner.

<comment><USER8> Is this a book that someone with no background in the sciences involved can enjoy? Is it for the layman, or requires some knowledge of the facts involved to appreciate enough to read?

<comment><USER6> It's written in pretty easy way, you just must be interested in this stuff, then you'll enjoy it :)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> Wait, hasn't this holographic theory been arround for years? What's new?

<comment><USER10> "It will take more discussion — and much comparing of math equations — to establish what's new..."

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> I don't know a thing about black holes, but every time I see him I'm impressed that someone with such severe disabilities is still able to accomplish so much.

<comment><USER12> Not that I want to take anything away from his impressive achievements, but it would only be fair to point out that he doesn't work solo on these theories. Much of the maths is done by his team.

I can't even imagine how frustrating his condition must be for him though. To have full mental capabilities but have so little (and slow!!) means of communicating his ideas.

<comment><USER13> Beyond being slow at communicating his idea, he is also largely limited to his working memory. I can't imagine doing any sort of serious intellectual work without the assistance of paper (or similar technology) to augment my working memory.

<comment><USER12> In fairness that is something you can get better at with practice.

In IT we tend to train our brains to commit processes (eg ways to research information) rather than facts. But we also have the luxury of being able to be lazy (internet, functioning limbs so can write notes, etc). Heck, before IDEs and the internet I used to remember every function name and order of parameters for any particular programming languages I was proficient in. These days I just learn the function name and let the IDE remind me of the rest (sometimes I don't even learn the function name and just search for it in the package namespace).

<comment><USER14> And in our defense, I think this is the only sane way to go about programming given that all the APIs and tools we use are just unfathomably deep layers of human constructs. There's no real point in remembering so much detritus. It naturally benefits from a completely different mindset to the problem of studying the deepest mysteries of the universe.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> Does physics have some "conservation of information" laws that I missed the memo about? Can anyone recommend some introductory reading about this?

<comment><USER16> The laws of physics conserve information in that sense that two initially distinct states will always remain, at least in principle, distinguishable for all times, i.e. two distinguishable states A and B will never evolve into the same state C. This is equivalent to the statement that the laws of physics are time reversible, i.e. if you would end up in state C you could not tell whether the system came from state A or B.

If you, for example, start a pendulum with different initial displacements the pendulum will always end up at rest due to friction but if you could take into account the exact states of all the molecules in the air and the joint and so on you could in principle figure out in which exact positions you started the pendulum.

You could actually just very precisely measure the temperature of a pendulum in a box and infer the initial displacement from that because different initial displacements imply different initial (potential) energies and therefore different final temperatures after all the energy became thermal energy and everything in the box had time to reach the equilibrium temperature. You just couldn't figure out whether the pendulum was started to the left or to the right of the rest position with this method.

<comment><USER15> Fascinating. Do physicists generally believe this? The idea that both the infinite future and the infinite past are all encoded into any snapshot of the universe is blowing my mind.

My layperson's understanding of QM always gave me the impression that it does the opposite: that it gives non-determinism a place to "hide," so-to-speak. My impression was that religious believers could use QM to argue that their unseen God, for example, does actually have a physically plausible mechanism by which he/it could intervene in the physical world. But if I'm understanding this theory correctly, unless God is a physical thing, there is no way for God or any other supernatural force to affect the physical world without itself being physical.

This theory also would seem to deny the existence of free will.

<comment><USER17> QM does away with any notion of conservation of information. Time reversibility (T symmetry) is usually talked about at macro scales where QMs effects are vanishingly small. IANAP

Regarding free will -- rigorously define it for us, without evoking the supernatural, and as distinct from pure randomness and absolute determinism, and it should be easy to tell whether the law of conservation of information allows for it. Before spending too much time in e it, though, note that such a definition is widely considered impossible. IANAP

<comment><USER15> To me, a lack of free will would mean that a mind's future state is entirely determined by its current state. "Free will" would mean that its future state can be altered by some nonphysical entity (whether you call that a soul, consciousness, or whatever).

<comment><USER17> I said _without_ evoking the supernatural. The concept of a soul is supernatural. There's no reason to think consciousness is anything other than physical in nature -- but to the extent that you mean it in some kind of supernatural, extra-physical way, it's not part of this conversation.

By all means go on thinking there might be some supernatural thing called a "free will" if you want. But if it's supernatural, then the utterly natural laws of QM wouldn't have much to say about it.

<comment><USER15> > There's no reason to think consciousness is anything other than physical in > nature

Consciousness is not the same thing as agency. It is possible that we are conscious but do not actually have free will / agency.

> By all means go on thinking there might be some supernatural thing called a > "free will" if you want. But if it's supernatural, then the utterly natural > laws of QM wouldn't have much to say about it.

I am not sure I agree. If QM implies a strict determinism, to me that rules out free will. For free will to be plausible, there has to be a place for non- determinism to "hide." If QM can rule that out, to me that rules out free will.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> Something that is hard to mention but is worth knowing is that Hawking is not at the leading edge of his field.

<comment> iso8859-1 How do you know this?

<comment> T-A Maybe from the "Einstein index"? [1]

[1] [http://www.science20.com/hammock_physicist/who_todays_einste...](http://www.science20.com/hammock_physicist/who_todays_einstein_exercise_ranking_scientists-75928)

<comment><USER19> So top 7 =/= leading edge?

<comment> T-A Top 7 among those whom the author chose to compute his "Einstein index" for.

Something not accounted for by that illustration is age ~ proportion of realized potential. Maldacena is 47, Randall 53; no longer promising youngsters, but with decades of index-climbing potential left in them. Weinberg and Glashow are both 82, and owe the bulk of their index position to work done in the 60s and 70s. Witten is 64 and peaked in the 80s and early 90s. Polyakov is 69; for him it's 70s and 80s.

Hawking is 73. His index-driving contribution is black hole evaporation, from 1974. After that, he's mainly been a popularizer.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment> guard-of-terra It seems that matter usually doesn't fall through the event horizon: due to time dilution it will take infinite time for matter to reach the horizon from our point of view.

That's what I've got on Physics stack exchange. There's those collapsars that look exactly like black holes but are made of matter around the event horizon, infinitely falling in.

Is this right, wrong, or irrelevant?

<comment><USER20> That is correct. From the point of view of the infalling object, however, nothing changes as he crosses it except his position in space.

I say who gives a shit about the point of view of the infalling object. :-)

<comment><USER21> It seems to me, intuitively, that the infalling object should experience inverse time dilation and extreme blue-shifting of the outside universe as it approaches the event horizon. Due to length contraction, that energy would be increasingly perpendicular to the object's trajectory, approaching a point where it is bombarded with enough energy to either knock it off its trajectory or "smear" its particles into orbit around the massive object (basically another sort of firewall).

Presumably the mathematical descriptions tell a different story because I never see it described like this.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> A video of Hawking's presentation is available at [https://www.kth.se/en/aktuellt/nyheter/hawking-offers-new- so...](https://www.kth.se/en/aktuellt/nyheter/hawking-offers-new-solution-to- black-hole-mystery-1.586546)

</comment><comment><USER23> How come quantum indeterminacy doesn't preclude information preservation?

<comment><USER24> All the information about the state of a particle is contained in its wavefunction. The uncertainty comes from the fact that the wavefunction can only tell you the probability of getting each value of a specific quantity when you make a measurement of that quantity, which doesn't mean you lack information about the state of the particle.

<comment><USER17> _which doesn 't mean you lack information about the state of the particle._

Yes it does. Quantum observations (sometimes called "collapse of the wave function") are not time symmetric. Once you've experienced one you can't derive where you were before it. Otherwise you wouldn't be using the word "probability".

This inability to recover a previous state is, by definition, the loss of information.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER25> "You wouldn't technically lose any information if you kept all of the ashes in one place, but you'd have a hard time looking up the capital of Minnesota."</comment>