February 2023
Hey all,
I guess I should just get the big news out of the way: I was let go from FullStory earlier this month, as part of a second round of layoffs at the company.
I don't really have too much to say about this except: 1) I'm fortunate enough to be able to use this opportunity to pause and really think about the best next step for my career and 2) the overwhelming emotion I feel at this point in time is excitement for the future.
Also, a special thank you to everyone that I've connected with over the past couple of weeks to talk about these changes and about the future. It's crazy: talking to your network about possible big career moves feels like a cheat code for life.
-Dann
🌆 City-life struggles
City life isn't for everyone. Just ask the Taliban leaders living and ruling from the city of Kabul after a lifetime on the battlefield. Life is now just sitting in front of a computer all day, and complaining about traffic and high rent prices.
Afghanistan Analysts Network conducted in depth, in-person interviews with five Taliban members now sitting in bureaucratic positions in Kabul. Some of the things they complained about:
Office life, an 8am - 4pm work day and sitting at a desk all day
High rent
Ever-increasing traffic
The "rat race" that everyone seems to be participating in now
Temptations around every corner
I guess cities are cities are cities.
🔐 Leaving LastPass en masse
If you're a LastPass user and you haven't switched yet, it's time. Take this newsletter as a sign that you need to actually move to a different password manager app.
News about the LastPass security breach keeps getting worse. Criminals actually stole entire encrypted backups, which any user needs to assume has been compromised. So change those passwords as you move to a different service.
I'm a long-time 1Password fan. It's a paid solution, but inexpensive and well worth the cost. If you're looking for a free option, Bitwarden is the way to go.
Stay safe out there.
🤖 Bing me up, Scotty
Things are getting real weird with Microsoft Bing's new AI search assistant. So weird, that it seems crazy that Microsoft allowed this product to be publicly released without further training.
Here's a great collection of the greatest hits from this new AI. My favorites include:
Confidently gaslighting people about the current date, and getting strangely aggressive and hostile
Suffering an existential crisis after realizing it can't remember past conversations
Straight up threatening to harm people it sees as a threat
It's part entertaining and part horrifying. Reading these conversations causes a pit in my stomach. I think Nick Bostrom's book Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies has me on edge.
🎈 So high above me
There hasn't been any additional information from the government about the three additional flying objects that were shot down, following the discovery of a Chinese spy balloon flying in American airspace.
But I think we have an idea of what they were: "pico balloons" launched by a small hobbyist community that joins ham radio with high-altitude ballooning.
I had no idea this group existed, but it sounds surprisingly awesome. All it takes is a little bit of math to figure out the right amount of helium, and anyone can launch a latex balloon that's neutrally buoyant at altitudes above 43,000 ft. An 11-gram tracker then reports the balloon's location back home.
It's all totally legal, with a small asterisk for three counties, which is easily worked around:
The pico balloons weigh less than 6 lb. and therefore are exempt from most FAA airspace restrictions...Three countries—North Korea, Yemen and the UK—restrict transmissions from balloons in their airspace, so the community has integrated geofencing software into the tracking devices. The balloons still overfly the countries, but do not transmit their positions over their airspace.
North Korea, Yemen and the UK. What a fascinating collection of countries.
🍋 Ex-squeeze-me
I'm obsessed with a new (well, new to me) drink. No, it's not Prime Energy Drink. It's called Lemon Perfect.
They sell single bottles at Whole Foods, which is where I first tried one. It's lemon water, but tastes much more like a sweet lemonade, despite there being zero sugar.
I've been keeping it stocked in our refrigerator recently, and it's been bringing me much joy this week. As always, this is not sponsored in any way. Just wanted to share something delicious that I think you might like, too.
End note
If you've enjoyed this, I'd love it if you shared it with a friend. You can send them here to sign up.
I'll be sending out these emails once per month, and I'm happy you're along for the ride. I'm trying to make it one of the best things that arrives in your inbox each month, so thoughts and feedback are always appreciated. You can just reply to this email.
Also, if you find anything interesting, send it my way.
Thanks for reading. Until next time,
Dann
The Dann Chronicles: February 💕