Life Since the Baby Boom

Life Since the Baby Boom is a Substack by a Baby Boomer with a background in high tech, offering a blend of personal musings, insights into the software and music industries, reflections on pop culture, and career advice. The author frequently explores the intersection of technology, art, and society through various lenses, including their own experiences.

Publishing and Writing Software and Patents Music and Movies Artificial Intelligence Career and Workplace Culture Leadership and Management Social Media and Technology Impact Politics and Elections

Top posts of the year

And their main takeaways
918 implied HN points β€’ 01 Feb 24
  1. Pitching literary agents for fiction work is challenging, with low acceptance rates.
  2. Receiving rejections in the publishing industry is common, even with limited feedback.
  3. Personal stories and experiences can influence career choices and life decisions.
245 HN points β€’ 04 Mar 24
  1. Employees are resisting the return to open offices after the pandemic, showing preferences for private workspaces.
  2. Historically, office designs like cubicles and open spaces were not as effective as private offices for productivity and creativity.
  3. The push for open offices may be influenced by extroverted leadership preferences, despite introverted employees often thriving in private work settings.
229 implied HN points β€’ 11 May 23
  1. The movie Standing in the Shadows of Motown highlights the importance of the original musicians behind famous hits like the ones from Motown.
  2. The Funk Brothers, the jazz musicians in Detroit, played on many Motown hits and showcased timeless music that even younger generations can enjoy.
  3. The movie contrasts the treatment of the original musicians in the music industry with a heartbreaking story about James Jamerson's lack of recognition despite his genius.
229 implied HN points β€’ 11 May 23
  1. The channel reviews music documentaries and recommends which ones are worth watching.
  2. The focus is on American pop music genres like jazz, blues, rock 'n' roll, and folk.
  3. The writer provides links to free movies, suggests which to skip, and includes a YouTube playlist for the songs featured.
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229 implied HN points β€’ 22 Sep 23
  1. The author is working on a new post about gardening.
  2. Thinking of writing about what happened to Creedence Clearwater Revival.
  3. Colleague EZ Prine promised a post about Joe Cocker but hasn't done it yet.
6 HN points β€’ 14 Jul 23
  1. Hired guns in music industry often face uncertainty and challenges in getting recognition for their work.
  2. Surround yourself with top talent to succeed, like Alice Cooper who always hired A-list musicians.
  3. Leaders like Alice Cooper prioritize serving the song and artist, emphasizing teamwork over individual showmanship.
5 HN points β€’ 28 Nov 23
  1. Google tested if people can taste the difference between fresh and old coffee beans. The results were surprising.
  2. Blind taste tests are important to determine if people can actually taste a difference in food or drinks.
  3. Individual experiences can differ from general population perceptions. Try different things to find what works best for you.
3 HN points β€’ 05 Feb 24
  1. Google had a unique approach to interviewing potential employees, focusing on problem-solving and thinking on one's feet.
  2. The author shares their experience of transitioning from an engineer to a technical advisor in patent litigation, emphasizing the importance of creative thinking in legal roles.
  3. Interview questions for patent lawyers and patent acquisition specialists were tailored to test their ability to analyze, think critically, and make decisions under pressure.
1 HN point β€’ 19 Feb 24
  1. Social media apps can negatively impact kids' mental health, so the proposal suggests banning them for children under 18 to protect them.
  2. The proposal focuses on creating an Adult Social App Reporter (ASAR) to detect Adult Social Apps on kids' phones without compromising privacy or requiring physical access.
  3. The strategy is geared towards reducing the attractiveness of social media apps to kids by enforcing rules for Adult Social Apps and involving parents and schools in monitoring and compliance.