Bag of Randomness

The job hunt remains arduous. I’ve had a few interviews, and thought I’d update y’all on how times have changed, at least in my industry as a business analyst.

It seems that every interview involves some component of interacting with AI, and I’m not just referring to AI scanning a resume for keywords. For instance, earlier this week, a recruiter called me to ask me about an employment opportunity. Since I agreed to look at it, he sent me an email with the actual job description.

Since I agreed to move forward, I was asked to take a Feenyx assessment, which is basically an AI tool used by employers. This is how they describe their tool:

The recruiter went on to explain that they get a lot of fake candidates who create AI-generated profiles and then hire cheap labor overseas, so this is their way of preventing that. So, I thoroughly researched Feenyx to gauge others’ opinions about it. Perhaps it appears great from an employer’s perspective, but from a candidate’s perspective, many people have justifiable concerns.

First of all, they want a candidate to install an extension to their browser so that it can track their browser tabs and flags where they may have been using AI. This was a hard no for many people, stating, “Absolutely do not install anything on your personal computer from a potential or actual employer. It’s basically spyware.”

That’s a fair point. For instance, when I installed the plugin, it required permission not only to record audio and video, keystrokes, and the computer screen, but also to access my browser history. There’s no reason why a potential or actual employer should review my personal browsing habits, even if I have nothing to hide. It’s a huge violation of privacy. And if you’re thinking that using Incognito mode or Private Browsing is the answer, note that the tool was designed not to work in those modes. However, I found a decent workaround. I downloaded the Microsoft Edge browser and created a new profile. I then installed the extension only in that new browser, and once I finished the assessment, I deleted the extension, profile, and browser.

Now that I can access the assessment with their extension, I found more privacy issues. It asked me to scan a QR code with my phone, then use my phone to take a picture of both the front and back of my government ID (driver’s license), and scan the barcode on the back of my license. That’s a huge red flag for a lot of people, one person said, “These people are trying to steal PII (Personally Identifiable Information). In no shape or form is doing an initial assessment where you need to show your government ID, which can be stored and copied for a basic assessment.” That’s another fair point, but I went through with it because I’m desperate to find a job after being unemployed for two months. So, I’m at their mercy. After that, it asked me to take a selfie so it could analyze my face and compare it to the photo on my driver’s license.

Finally, it was time to take the assessment. I was asked to answer the following questions while looking into my webcam, as it was recording me and my voice. They were challenging, especially when compared to the BA job description. I showed these to other peers, and the consensus was that they’re more geared toward a senior product manager or DevOps strategist. Here they are:

1. You inherit a C2P backlog where Sales is pushing for a high-visibility feature, while Compliance is pushing a remediation item with unclear scope. In 3 minutes, explain how you would (a) prioritize these items, (b) make the trade-offs transparent to stakeholders, and (c) prepare the next two sprints.

2. You’re asked to introduce secrets scanning and SAST in CI without derailing release velocity. In 3 minutes, outline your rollout plan: pipeline integration points, gating/thresholds, exception handling, stakeholder engagement, and how you’ll measure impact.

3. Product wants CRM “screen pop” and call-disposition sync with a cloud contact center. In 3 minutes, walk through the functional and non-functional requirements you’d capture, the data flows/interfaces, and how you’d validate the solution.

4. The day before production cutover, a critical vulnerability is found in a core dependency. In 3 minutes, explain your decision process to ship, mitigate, or halt using the C2P framework. Include risk assessment, comms, rollback/canary strategy, and prevention steps.

One colleague told me this is designed to stress-test how a person thinks under pressure in real engineering/product situations. That they are essentially executive-level scenario drills, and they’re tough in the sense that:

  • They assume experience in Agile prioritization, DevSecOps practices, product integration, and incident response.
  • Each question is basically: “Show me how you think strategically, balance trade-offs, and communicate under pressure in 3 minutes.”
  • They were dropping you off in the deep end of the pool to see how you react.

He went on to say that most hiring teams know these are incredibly tough questions. They’re watching for:

  • Do you show structured thinking (step 1, step 2, step 3)?
  • Do you acknowledge trade-offs and risks rather than rambling?
  • Do you communicate like a partner to business, not just a coder/tester?

That’s enough to get a “green light” to move forward, even if the technical depth wasn’t perfect.

Oh, and if you are wondering how I did, the recruiter told me my score was “standard,” whatever that means.

Most of the world dials 112 for emergencies. So why did the U.S. end up with 911 instead?

Back in the late 1960s, when rotary phones were still the norm, “1” was the shortest pulse signal on the line — literally one click. Put two of those back-to-back (112) and you risked misdials or interference. That was something I had totally forgotten about – the occasional misdial on the rotary phone. The “9” took real effort to spin, which made it less likely you’d hit it by accident, and the “11” finished things off quickly.

That middle “1” also mattered. In U.S. phone systems, it signaled a special number (think 4-1-1 for information or 6-1-1 for repair). So 911 fit perfectly: fast, distinct, and easy to program.

Fun fact: Most U.S. cell phones will still recognize 112 today and reroute you to 911. And if you want a little telecom trivia, ask someone from Alabama or Alaska who was first to implement 911; both states still claim the crown.

I can’t tell if this is real or AI generated.

Sometimes, The Onion cracks me up with what they can come up with.

Death Of Chopped-Up Woman Ruled A Suicide

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— The Onion (@theonion.com) August 28, 2025 at 12:00 PM

How bad was the Micah Parsons trade? Here’s how one Packer fan reacted. First Luka, now Micah. This sports town is cursed with bad ideas; it’s like they are wearing Bad Idea Jeans.

But hey, here’s the Cowboys uniform schedule for the season.

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Bag of Randomness

I ran across something the other day that encouraged me to watch the 1986 movie Manhunter. It amused me while watching to realize it was one of the prequels to The Silence of the Lambs. Brian Cox, who is probably most famous for being the lead in HBO’s Succession, portrayed Dr. Hannibal Lecktor. And in case you were wondering, in that film, for whatever reason, Lecktor is spelled with a “K”.

I watched it on Amazon Prime. When the film was over, I just let the credits roll and got preoccupied online with something. To my surprise, Red Dragon from 2002 started to play. I wasn’t familiar with it, but noticed it was eerily similar to Manhunter. Well, that’s because after the success of The Silence of the Lambs, the studio decided to remake Manhunter with Anthony Hopkins reprising Hannibal Lecter. The title was chosen as it was the same one used as the book the film is based on. This time, Ed Norton played Agent Will Graham instead of the dude from CBS’s CSI. This film had a different approach to horror. It was less psychological and relied more on gore. There’s one scene with Ray Liotta that will “stick in my mind.” Phillip Seymore Hoffman also had a strong performance. Of course, it wasn’t as good as Lambs, but I was still highly entertained and appreciated seeing what else Hopkins could do with the iconic character. The film helped me realize something I didn’t catch from Lambs. Lecter used to help the FBI for years, tricking them into thinking he was a good guy.

At that point, I figured after watching those, I might as well rewatch The Silence of the Lambs since I was now very well versed with the backstory. And, like I do with every movie, I had to check out the trivia section on IMDB for all those films. Fun fact, in the iconic movie poster, what you think is a skull on the moth is really seven naked women mimicking a Salvador Dali artpiece (bare breast warning).

Here’s another one: The Silence of the Lambs won the “Big Five” Academy Awards at the 64th Academy Awards in 1992, a feat accomplished by only two other films in history: It Happened One Night (1934) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). The film won for Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally).

After that rewatch, I figured I might as well watch the sequel, Hannibal from 2001, to wrap up the movie franchise. Jodi Foster didn’t want to reprise her role as Clarice Starling for various reasons, so Juliane Moore did her best to fill in those big shoes. Gary Oldman contributed in a very unrecognizable role.

At this point, there was only one film left in the Hannibal Lecter franchise, 2007’s Hannible Rising. As you can guess from the title, it’s about how a young Hannibal Lecter became the monster he was, so no Anthony Hopkins. Good, not great, but it was nice to get a back story. Sadly, Gaspard Ulliel, the actor who played the young adult Lecter, died in 2022 in a skiiing accident.

Well, all that’s left to watch is the NBC series Hannible. It lasted three seasons, and there are 39 total episodes. It explores the relationship between Hannibal and Agent Will Graham in a unique way, before he was exposed as a serial killer, with storylines that intersect with and expand upon the events of the novels. For a show on NBC, it is surprisingly graphic and gory. Mads Mikkelsen plays Lecter, and Lawrence Fishborn plays the head of the FBI unit. He and the rest of the cast create their own unique version, which I think is a smart move. There’s no reason to try to imitate those Oscar-winning roles. They would never live up to it, so it’s better to make a different variation.

I continue to adjust to the Anglican church. Church members who will have a birthday or anniversary in the week ahead are printed in the bulletin or order of worship. After the homily (a short sermon compared to what I’m used to), they are asked to come to the altar for an individual blessing. Well, that was a first for me. Of course, I’m familiar with “a blessing” from what I’ve seen on TV and film, but not in the Anglican or Catholic way. It was “interesting” to have someone do the sign of the cross on my forehead, I think with either holy water or anointing oil. Just something different. And, I guess if I were looking for something different to do for my 50th, receiving my first birthday blessing would be unique. It’s nothing like climbing my first mountain on like I did on my fortieth, but it’s still something. When I walked into Sunday school, the whole class stopped what they were doing and sang me Happy Birthday. It was a good way to start my birthday week. Hopefully, I can find a job this week and won’t have to experience my birthday as an unemployed man going through a midlife crisis.

When I was part of the Baptist, Bible, and Presbyterian churches, people often brought their Bibles. Less so during my Presbyterian days, because of technology, I assume. But in the Episcopal church, it’s very rare for anyone to bring their own Bible. They either use what’s printed in the order of worship or what’s in the pews. In Sunday school, there’s a stack of them, and they are passed out. The priest teaching the class also spent his formative years in the Baptist church, and we both kind of laughed at how out of place we felt when we brought a Bible, and felt that we had to leave it at home. I don’t want to imply anyone was pointing out someone bringing a Bible; it was just us who felt out of place.

Well, the priest has a PhD in biblical languages, and he works full-time in Bible translation. He asked that we bring our Bibles as we go through this new series that’s focused on Luke, but he also wants to take the time to teach and discuss various translations. I’m familiar with most, as I once taught a Sunday school class many moons ago about what the difference is between the King James Version (KJV), the New International Version (NIV), the English Standard Version (ESV), the New Living Translation (NLT), and a few others. He showed us his version of the NET Bible. I was aware of that Bible from a friend in seminary about 20 years ago, but I thought it only existed online, as it’s full of translators’ notes. The priest informed us that it was intended to be an online only Bible, but many people pushed for a physical version. How full of notes is the NET Bible? Here’s an example. The green squares you see below contain Scripture; everything else you see is translators’ notes. Talk about lost in translation!

I thought this was a joke or an article posted on April 1st, but no. It’s almost heartbreaking for his fans.

John Williams finally admits he “never liked film music much” – The 93-year-old composer, who penned the themes to Star Wars, Jaws, and Harry Potter, doesn’t think much of film music.

Just ask 93-year-old John Williams, widely considered the greatest composer of film scores who ever lived, and who admits in a new biography, “I never liked film music very much.” Imagine how good the score to Harry Potter or Schindler’s List would be if he did. “Film music, however good it can be—and it usually isn’t, other than an eight-minute stretch here and there,” the five-time Oscar-winning composer of the theme to Jaws continues. “I just think the music isn’t there.”

Per The Guardian, biographer Tim Greiving, whose John Williams: A Composer’s Life will be published in September, was shocked to find out that Williams considered his life’s work “just a job.” However, he tempers that by saying we shouldn’t take Williams’ words at face value. Williams, he says, took the job of composing film music “as seriously as anyone in history ever has.”

 

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Bag of Randomness

This was a very nostalgic week for folks our age who loved sports. One of those weeks that we become grateful for the gift of where and when we were born. You guys have done a phenomenal job talking about the Netflix series on Jerry and the ’90s Cowboys. But something else happened this week that allowed us to relive our youth.

For the first time in 22 years, Rich Eisen hosted SportsCenter. And because they also went back to the old graphics package, music, and intro, it was a refreshing trip down memory lane. Seriously, how lucky were we to live in this area and at a youthful age to experience the Greek tragedy of the Dallas Cowboys? Think about how fortunate we were to have Madden and Summerall cover almost all our games. And then be able to watch the highlights on SportsCenter when it was at its best, as well as NFL Primetime with Chris Berman and Tom Jackson. On top of that, we got to experience the rise of the NBA with Magic and Larry and then soak in the greatness of Jordan and the Dream Team – when pro basketball was played at its best, when defense was played, and men drove the lane. Gentlemen, it was a hell of a time to be alive, and I hope we’re all grateful for when and where we were born. And I’m sure I’m leaving a lot out, like everything between O.J. on the run and the dominance of Michael Phelps and the Miracle on Ice.

If you haven’t seen any of Eisen and SportsCenter, here’s the intro that will give you all the feels and an article with a Twitter thread of the highlights of the show, which includes a nice tribute to Stuart Scott.

What started it all for me was listening Eisen reflect on his experience of what it was like hosting SportsCenter again.

People miss the good ‘ol days so much, they want more.

Rich Eisen Will Host More ‘SportsCenters’ After Standout Return – Eisen’s nostalgia-oriented Monday “SportsCenter” drew rave reviews. The NFL Network anchor will be back on ESPN for more editions.

NFL Network’s Rich Eisen will return to his old stomping grounds in Bristol, Conn., to shoot another special edition of SportsCenter for ESPN this fall.

The former SportsCenter anchor, who drew rave reviews for his first appearance on the show in 22 years Monday night, will headline “periodic special editions” of ESPN’s flagship show moving forward, according to an ESPN spokesperson.

ESPN says Eisen’s Monday edition averaged 708,000 viewers. That’s 67% higher than the average 11 p.m. ET SportsCenter—and slightly higher than the last SportsCenter Eisen anchored on the network in 2003, which drew 670,000 viewers.

The good ‘ol days for some is a matter of perspective.

White House Says Slavery Is Being Taught Wrong, Should Not Be So Negative

And to think, two weeks ago I received my new liscense in the mail with the “old” design.

Taylor Swift’s new album comes on cassette. Who is buying those?

In 2023, 436,400 cassettes were sold in the United States, according to the most recent data available from Luminate, an entertainment data firm. Although that’s a far cry from the 440 million cassettes sold in the 1980s, it’s a sharp increase from the 80,720 cassettes sold in 2015 and a notable revival for a format that had been all but written off.

Cassettes might not be experiencing the resurgence of vinyls or even CDs, but they are making a bit of a comeback, spurred by fans wanting an intimate experience with music and nostalgia, said Charlie Kaplan, owner of online store Tapehead City.

Yeah, I’m all about the 90’s today. This Instacart commercial made me smile.

Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick threatens to expel those who won’t stand for Christian prayer

As the Texas Senate convened its second special session Aug. 15 — primarily to gerrymander five more Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick threatened to remove anyone who doesn’t stand for the invocation.

Sen. Angela Paxton — estranged wife of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — delivered a Christian invocation “in the name of Jesus, who has saved us, who keeps us safe, and who is coming again.” The Paxtons are members of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, although she recently filed for divorce, “on biblical grounds.”

After her prayer, Patrick admonished members of the public gallery who had remained seated: “For those of you who didn’t stand, next time you come to the gallery, you stand for the invocation. It’s respecting the Senate. If you don’t stand for the invocation, I’ll have you removed. We asked you to stand. I’ve never seen a gallery ever have any members in my 17 years of people who refused to stand for the invocation. It will not be tolerated.”

Needs coconuts

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— Newfie912 (@newfie912.bsky.social) August 18, 2025 at 3:30 PM

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Bag of Randomness

Anytime I use witch hazel, I start to think about and audibly sing Earth Angel, specifically from Back to the Future. And as you can guess, I substitute “witch hazel” for “earth angel.”

While grocery shopping on Friday morning, I saw a flyer about Lewisville ISD’s job fair. However, it was going to be over in 50 minutes. So, after putting the groceries away, I put on some respectable clothes, printed a few resumes, and headed that way. It didn’t amount to anything, especially since I’m not a certified teacher. There were some supporting roles I could have taken, but I couldn’t fulfill my obligations on those salaries.

Starship Bagel, not even a half-mile away from my house, has been invited back to New York City Bagefest to defend their Schmear of the Year and Best Bagel titles. And to think, when I first found them in 2021, when I moved to this older neighborhood, I thought there was no way they were going to make it because of the location. It looked like something Saul Goodman would set up shop. So, I used to go there several times a week, thinking I was helping keep them afloat. Of course, having one of the most adorable women I’ve ever encountered didn’t hurt.  Despite never introducing myself, I appreciated how the owner used to call me by name. But I bet business has really picked up since June 6, when it was featured on Food Network’s ‘Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives’ with Guy Fieri (video below). It was also nominated for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Baking, the first bagel shop to be nominated in that category. I wonder if the Back to the Future toys they had displayed in the rear of the restaurant are still there.

They also had a good write-up in D Magazine last year: How Lewisville Became the Bagel Capital of America – One man’s obsessive quest to restore a bread to its Jewish roots is transforming North Texas food culture—and beating New York’s bagels on their home turf.

 

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I like how Norway’s powerlifting team created a barbell logo that resembles their country’s flag.

 

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