Autism spectrum disorders and a career in IT: personal experience
"I'm stunned by the illogicality of others, and they are stunned by the fact that I'm a robot"
In a new article, an author shares their personal experience of navigating the world and an IT career with an autism spectrum disorder. For a long time, they felt like an alien, unable to understand the seemingly irrational actions of others while being seen as strange themselves. This is a personal story about the journey from feeling like a "withdrawn, gloomy dude" to understanding a unique perspective.
"I'm stunned by the illogicality of others, and they are stunned by the fact that I'm a robot"
In a new article, an author shares their personal experience of navigating the world and an IT career with an autism spectrum disorder. For a long time, they felt like an alien, unable to understand the seemingly irrational actions of others while being seen as strange themselves. This is a personal story about the journey from feeling like a "withdrawn, gloomy dude" to understanding a unique perspective.
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AI Slop Coding: The Rise of Ridiculously Long Attack Chains
Threat intelligence research has uncovered a series of unusual, targeted attacks using GitHub repositories to store both malicious files and victim data.
The campaigns, active since at least September 2024, don't rely on complex malware. Instead, they use ridiculously long chains of very simple scripts that appear to be heavily AI-generated.
This approach combines the strategic thinking of an APT-style attack with the low-effort execution of a "script kiddie," creating a bizarre but effective new threat.
Let's dive into the anatomy of these campaigns and see how AI enables this new breed of attack.
Threat intelligence research has uncovered a series of unusual, targeted attacks using GitHub repositories to store both malicious files and victim data.
The campaigns, active since at least September 2024, don't rely on complex malware. Instead, they use ridiculously long chains of very simple scripts that appear to be heavily AI-generated.
This approach combines the strategic thinking of an APT-style attack with the low-effort execution of a "script kiddie," creating a bizarre but effective new threat.
Let's dive into the anatomy of these campaigns and see how AI enables this new breed of attack.
Beyond ora2pg: A Better Way to Migrate from Oracle to Postgres
Migrating schemas and data from Oracle DB to Postgres Pro Enterprise is a notoriously rocky road, full of countless pitfalls for administrators and developers.
Interestingly, Postgres Pro Enterprise includes extended features specifically designed to mimic Oracle's mechanisms and smooth out this very process.
However, the widely-used open-source utility ora2pg doesn't support them. This gap led to the creation of ora2pgpro, a tool built to leverage these unique features for a more seamless transition.
Let's explore the specific migration challenges and see what makes this new tool a better fit for the task.
Migrating schemas and data from Oracle DB to Postgres Pro Enterprise is a notoriously rocky road, full of countless pitfalls for administrators and developers.
Interestingly, Postgres Pro Enterprise includes extended features specifically designed to mimic Oracle's mechanisms and smooth out this very process.
However, the widely-used open-source utility ora2pg doesn't support them. This gap led to the creation of ora2pgpro, a tool built to leverage these unique features for a more seamless transition.
Let's explore the specific migration challenges and see what makes this new tool a better fit for the task.
A Guide to the UX Researcher's Role
UX research is the essential foundation of great user experience design. It moves beyond assumptions to systematically study a product's target audience and understand what they truly need.
The process involves collecting and analyzing data about user behavior, their expectations, and how they interact with a digital product to find paths for improvement.
This guide covers the key skills and daily responsibilities of a UX researcher, offering a clear path for recent graduates and those looking to break into the field.
Let's explore the skills that define a great UX researcher and the first steps to start a career in this critical discipline.
UX research is the essential foundation of great user experience design. It moves beyond assumptions to systematically study a product's target audience and understand what they truly need.
The process involves collecting and analyzing data about user behavior, their expectations, and how they interact with a digital product to find paths for improvement.
This guide covers the key skills and daily responsibilities of a UX researcher, offering a clear path for recent graduates and those looking to break into the field.
Let's explore the skills that define a great UX researcher and the first steps to start a career in this critical discipline.
PostgreSQL 18: Part 5 or CommitFest 2025-03
PostgreSQL 18 has been officially out for a month, but the feature autopsy is just now concluding. This is the grand finale of our review series, and it tackles the final boss: the March 2025 CommitFest. This last development sprint is traditionally the biggest, the one where all the juiciest features get crammed in right before the gates close.
This review is a big one, precisely because the patch itself was massive. This isn't just a minor update digest; it's a deep look at the richest part of the new release. Let's dig into the most powerful new toys and capabilities that made the final cut.
PostgreSQL 18 has been officially out for a month, but the feature autopsy is just now concluding. This is the grand finale of our review series, and it tackles the final boss: the March 2025 CommitFest. This last development sprint is traditionally the biggest, the one where all the juiciest features get crammed in right before the gates close.
This review is a big one, precisely because the patch itself was massive. This isn't just a minor update digest; it's a deep look at the richest part of the new release. Let's dig into the most powerful new toys and capabilities that made the final cut.
Shardman: Π° quick guide for the architect
The myth of the magical fast=true parameter is still alive and well. In the world of distributed databases, it has a new contender: distributed=true. Spoiler: neither will save you. This isn't a game you win by flipping a switch; itβs a game that demands you rethink your entire schema, sharding keys, sequences, and queries.
This is a clear-eyed guide to the real trade-offs. Weβll walk through every corner β from colocated tables and CDC to topologies and foreign key constraints β to find out where performance actually improves, where it gets much more expensive, and how to deal with the fallout.
The myth of the magical fast=true parameter is still alive and well. In the world of distributed databases, it has a new contender: distributed=true. Spoiler: neither will save you. This isn't a game you win by flipping a switch; itβs a game that demands you rethink your entire schema, sharding keys, sequences, and queries.
This is a clear-eyed guide to the real trade-offs. Weβll walk through every corner β from colocated tables and CDC to topologies and foreign key constraints β to find out where performance actually improves, where it gets much more expensive, and how to deal with the fallout.
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