The Dollars and Sense of Westworld: Recent Episodes
Dollars and Sense of Westworld
We try to figure out if it would be possible to run Westworld as an actual business. This exercise will cover the entire show, so be aware spoilers will follow. It is not a criticism of the story itself, as we do understand there’s dramatic license at work here. Please don’t send us hate mail.
Description
In which we discuss how robots still aren’t people, and they never will be. Meanwhile Pat drops a racially triggered topic and makes all of the cis straight white males uncomfortable.
Description
In which we continue our discussion of the three laws by discussing how we would want them enacted in our potential business model, including which one of the three laws we think may no longer be necessary. Meanwhile, and Joe makes Jew jokes.
Links/Show Notes
- Superuser
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superuser
- Rolling a one
- http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=rolling%20a%20one
- Darwin Awards
- http://www.darwinawards.com/
- The Little Lost Robot
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Lost_Robot
- 4th Law
- https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/21425/are-the-4th-and-5th-extensions-to-the-3-laws-of-robotics-validated-by-asimov
- Fail Safe vs Fail Deadly
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fail-safe
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fail-deadly
Description
In which we explain what the Three Laws are, discuss the difficulties in implementing them in general and in Westworld in particular, all thanks to the help of a special guest. Meanwhile, Chris calls everyone dicks as our editor continues to show he doesn’t actually cut anything out of these episodes.
Links/Show Notes
- Dewey Decimal System
- https://mypages.iit.edu/~smart/halsey/lesson1.htm
- I, Robot - the movie
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Robot_(film)
- Asimov’s story about a non-humanoid robot
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runaround_(story)
- Arizona Iced Tea is always 99 cents
- https://thehustle.co/arizona-iced-tea
- Run, Hide, Fight
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4IJA5Zpzz4
- https://www.policeone.com/active-shooter/articles/190621006-Why-Run-Hide-Fight-is-flawed/
- Mike Pence
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Pence
Description
In which we discuss various aspects of site and operational security, and come to the conclusion that our lack of legal background leaves us with some unanswered questions. Meanwhile, we finally begin demonstrating how our previous discussions contribute to a holistic view of running the park as a business while Chris reveals his safe word to the audience.
Links/Show Notes
- Spinal Column
- http://c8.alamy.com/comp/ADW5KD/spine-surgery-c5-6-and-c6-7-disc-herniations-with-two-level-discectomy-ADW5KD.jpg
- The Great White Fire
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Station_nightclub_fire
- Safeword
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safeword
Description
In which we discuss workplace safety, dismemberment, and antibiotic-resistant infections found in robot prostitutes. Meanwhile, Chris repeatedly advocates victim-blaming as we discuss prospective solutions to the safety issues that run rampant throughout Westworld.
Links/Show Notes
- OSHA
-
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_Safety_and_Health_Administration
- MRSA
-
- https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/
- Chuck E Cheese and Satanism: totally bullshit
-
- http://now8news.com/police-find-satanic-ritual-dungeon-in-chicago-chuck-e-cheese-basement/
Description
In which we discuss why it’s important to establish coding standards in a development organization, as well as the impact of code reviews and testing. Meanwhile, Joe manages to sneak in some shameless self promotion while espousing certain approaches to quality engineering.
Links/Show Notes
- Code Reviews
-
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_review
- Watch People Code
-
- http://www.watchpeoplecode.com/
- Version Control Systems
-
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Version_control
- Linus Torvalds
-
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds
- How to Create a Test Plan
-
- https://blog.testlodge.com/what-is-a-test-plan-in-software-testing/
- Expert Systems
-
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expert_system
- Shameless Promotion
-
- http://qualitytesting.tech/
Description
In which we discuss whether or not Westworld has an HR department (spoiler: the consensus is no). We also discuss the purpose of human resources and some recent real-world HR failures. Meanwhile, Pat and Joe repeatedly try and trick Chris into revealing too much information while we begin to question if there’s anything our editor actually removes.
Notes * The Uber Debacle + https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/2/19/reflecting-on-one-very-strange-year-at-uber * Zenefits and Office Relations + http://fortune.com/2016/02/23/zenefits-sex-office-ban/ * Lots of People have Herpes + http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/herpes/en/
Description
In which we talk about the headless tree that doesn’t make adequately defined roles, purposes, or liability. We also discuss rogue CEOs running wild and real world comparisons to what actually happened. Meanwhile, Chris learns that he’s no longer capable of wrapping up the show.
Show Notes
- Reddit Org Chart
- http://dollarsandsenseofwestworld.com/img/reddit_org_chart.jpg
- When the board of directors of Apple forced Jobs out
- http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/06/technology/john-sculley/
- Explicit vs. Implicit org chart/structure
- http://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/organizational-structure.asp
- The Best Disney Org Chart We Could Find
- http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_A4grLYnNdu4/SBKpP35ZwSI/AAAAAAAAAWU/flmkKqxMOPo/s1600-h/20080426+Summer-Fall+1972+Foods+Division+Org+Chart.jpg
Description
In which we discuss the reasons why a company would both retain and discard data, as well as the policies and groups that inform such decisions. Meanwhile, we try (and succeed) to set a new record for both acronyms used in the podcast and episode length, and also thank the NSA for listening.
Show Notes/Links
- GRC Explained
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governance,_risk_management,_and_compliance
- How the NSA Handles Data Retention
- https://www.justsecurity.org/19308/congress-latest-rules-long-spies-hold-encrypted-data-familiar/
- Target Machine Learning
- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html
- The Crux of PII
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personally_identifiable_information
- Snapchat's Ownership of Your Stuff Privacy Policy
- https://www.snap.com/en-GB/privacy/privacy-policy/
- CIA, Telegram, and Your Phone
- http://telegra.ph/Wikileaks-Vault7-NEWS
- A Sample of the Glamour Shots Joe Sends Chris
- Do you really want to click this?
Description
In which we discuss whether or not testing in production is a viable business approach, while also further musing on A/B and usability testing. Meanwhile, Joe struggles to maintain his composure while providing a constructive real world example.
Show Notes/Links
- Environments
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deployment_environment#Architectures
- A/B Testing
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A/B_testing
- https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/06/the-ultimate-guide-to-a-b-testing/
- Flesch-Kincaid
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesch%E2%80%93Kincaid_readability_tests
- Average Reading Level in the US (or how Chris was right and Pat was wrong)
- https://cdn1.sph.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/135/2012/09/doakchap1-4.pdf
Description In which we cover failures in both our world and Westworld that could have been prevented by monitoring. Meanwhile, we discover that Chris regularly takes life into his own hands while ending the episode within the first minute and a half.
Notes * Stuxnet Breakdown + http://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/43677/malware/new-revelations-stuxnet-attack.html * Markov Chains + http://setosa.io/ev/markov-chains/ * AWOL + https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/AWOL
Description In which we discuss the importance of logging, including persistence, immutability, and log levels. We also discuss why logs should always contain the truth. Meanwhile, Pat claims to know what course of action our editor will take and is proven incorrect.
Notes * Graylog + https://www.graylog.org/
Description
In which we once again meet Pinocchio, who tells us that warnings are unnecessary. We discuss why that’s not true, as well as logging, monitoring, and zombies. Meanwhile, Pat reveals what prompted the idea behind the podcast following Tom’s eloquent defense of Westworld’s systems.
Show Notes
- Iridium Satellite Network
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_satellite_constellation
- CDC’s Disaster Preparedness
- https://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies_novella.htm
Description
In which we discuss the process failures that Westworld had, what they do right, why it’s important to identify the root cause, and prostitution. We also dive into what happens when the process allows failures to continue happening, how to improve a broken process, and why it’s important to verify that something was fixed. Meanwhile, Pat takes a couple potshots at product owners while forgetting he happens to be one.
Show Notes
Bricked Apple Watches
https://arstechnica.com/apple/2016/12/apple-watch-update-bricked-devices/
Description
In which we discuss the value of automation, as well as when it does and doesn’t make sense. Meanwhile, we completely ignore the opportunity to discuss the ethics of host slave labor.
Links/Show Notes
Host Intake Protocol:
http://www.delosincorporated.com/images/intra/host_intake_protocol.jpg
Branching narrative software examples:
http://www.inklestudios.com/inklewriter/
http://www.storynexus.com/s
Description
Welcome to the Dollars and Sense of Westworld podcast where we try to figure out if it would be possible to run Westworld as an actual business. In this episode we setup the goal of this podcast as well as giving a brief introduction of the hosts.
In which we learn Chris repeats business terminology to sound smart (it fails), and Joe has the most wooden delivery since Pinocchio.
Links/Show Notes
Dollars and Sense of Westworld Website
Dollars and Sense of Westworld on Facebook
Dollars and Sense of Westworld on Twitter