Ask HN: What unattended-to 'housekeeping' would you fix at Google, MS, etc.?
Just curious what little things you feel have been left unattended-to, what things have been left only partially completed.
For me, for example, I am transgender, and Google makes it quite difficult to transition one's everything to an account with your new chosen name.
As part of that, I've noticed GMail has Takeout, but it doesn't complete the thought by offering a clean quick import back of what was exported. You can do some things through a great deal of hassle, but it's definitely an uncompleted thought.
That being just an example - but what "little things" do you feel have been left unfixed?
(And, should you work at one of the Biggies and want to bring this to someone's attention -- I imagine people would love you for it.)
5 comments
[ 3.8 ms ] story [ 23.4 ms ] threadIt's wonderful they're hiring trans folks like yourself, but speaking as someone who fought hard outside the org for equality, it seems like it's a rainbow of people who went to CMU or Stanford (or other top tier school), and absent having a "partner" in the romantic sense to get you in, you'll never be lifted out of the precarity that drove many of us to learn to hack in the 2000s.
(For context, I'm homeless and writing this in a coffee shop with terrible wifi over Tor. I don't begrudge those who are doing well, but I deeply regret that I sit here reading posts like these and feeling like some folks have advantages I never will because I'm "just" a queer, autistic guy from a lower middle class catholic home.)
Google Takeout is a service available to any user that lets you download your user information. I've used it forever to backup my e-mail in case I were ever banned.
Separately, I hope things get better for you. I know that's kind of a generic wish, even sounds to my ear like a generic platitude, but nonetheless I mean it.
Sorry, I saw that and misread. My bad! I wish HN had a delete posts feature.
>I know that's kind of a generic wish, even sounds to my ear like a generic platitude, but nonetheless I mean it.
Believing you doesn't make it hurt less. We had a lot of young folks from queercon pass through the village I attended last I was at Defcon.
I doubt I'll be able to afford to go back, and it breaks my heart that a lot of younger folks don't seem to realize how... violently unwelcoming... people used to be, even in supposedly queer friendly spaces.
It's not fun to spend 16 hours "volunteering" hoping someone will appreciate the gesture enough to give you a fair interview, and instead end up laid of from yet another nonprofit with no nest egg even someone in a non FAANG would have... and thus... homeless, absent support from family.
I believe you, it just makes me sad knowing you're probably being entirely truthful.
Anyways I promised this was a throwaway.
this nym has expired, folks can ping etysyfqw@sharklasers.com if they want to continue the conversation (see bio)
I would modify this email to be human friendly. List the items in the shipment.