Bits of Chris: Augment, Stay Human

In this episode, I talk with Sophie Sithole about her journey building Ofstaff, an AI-powered onboarding and performance management solution. We explore the challenges of effective employee onboarding, and get into a deeper discussion about customer development, active listening, and handling vulnerability in business. Key Lessons Effective Onboarding * Alignment and clear expectations between all...

I recently joined a research team building time series Transformer models and have become infatuated with the field of deep learning. As a former trader, turned data engineer, I am now trying to understand the AI side of things. And this week I just hit my first significant milestone: building my first neural network from scratch, using no machine learning libraries. Today, I want to share this mi...

Key Lessons * Real-world experience and domain expertise can be your edge as a data analyst. Understanding the domain leads to better understanding the data. * AI can’t replace data analysts who understand the context of their data and have the communication skills to share results. * Using AI tools effectively requires clear & specific prompts while also understanding the limitations of LLMs. * W...

Today I’m joined by my brother Greg Lettieri, a corporate aviator with over 15 years of flight experience. We discuss the role of automation in flying, life as private jet pilot, the basics of LLMs, and how to handle FOMO around AI (hint - you’re not too late, just experiment). Enjoy! Key Lessons * Consistency is crucial, whether it's maintaining fitness while traveling or pursuing a long-term goa...

Staff Engineers! Are you overwhelmed by the constant need to learn & adapt? AI's making it worse, right? Time to build your Second Brain! 🧠 Here's a quick start guide: * Pick ANY note-taking app (I use Obsidian) * Create 3 folders: * Inbox: Quick capture - save anything worth keeping. * Reference: Curated highlights from your sources - only what resonates. * Notes: Think & write in YOUR words fro...

Today I sit down with Eugene Weinstein, a speech recognition researcher and Engineering Director at Google where he leads an organization that productionizes speech recognition technology across various Google products. We discuss the evolution of speech recognition, the impact of Transformers, and the challenges of deploying models in production. This episode is packed with insight. A few things...

Key Ideas * Learning compounds over time - small changes result in remarkable things. So be consistent, be slow and steady. * Embrace the discomfort of learning something new. The struggle and discomfort is you learning, seek that out and appreciate it. You will look back and see the growth, but in the moment it’s hard to recognize. * Learning is a long term game - slow down. Back up and go deep o...

As a Staff Engineer, how do you consistently identify and pursue the most impactful opportunities? This talk introduces the Listen-Act-Share framework, a powerful tool for evaluating and acting on high-impact projects. Through real examples-including the migration to a data lakehouse architecture—you'll learn how to: - Find high-impact opportunities - Invest your time where it counts - Iterate and...

Key Lessons * AI can free up time for higher-order thinking tasks and more creative, human-centric activities in various professions, including teaching and software engineering. * AI in education can enhance individualized learning, allowing teachers to become facilitators rather than just content providers. * Educators using AI tools like ChatGPT can create customized curriculum content and asse...

In this episode, learn how your personal values and Homework for Life can help you spot problems in your day-to-day faster. I share how I overworked this week but thanks to self-awareness I quickly corrected course. I then provide an example in my 11 years of marriage of how awareness again helped me break out of toxic mindset. Key Lessons * The importance of self-awareness in managing work stress...

Augmented Intelligence for Engineers [00:00:53] * How to adapt to AI as a Staff Engineer * Use AI as a tool, but stay human and keep doing the work. * Let it free you up to focus on learning, thinking, creating. * Don’t use it to write for you - writing is the best way to improve your thinking. * Using AI for learning and augmenting your thinking * Focus on AI for distillation to go faster rather...

In today’s episode I am joined by my long time friend and Account Executive at Johnson Controls, Ryan Burwell. We cover: * The basics of how AI and large language models work, so less technical folks can leverage these tools professionally. * Critical soft skills, such as empathy and effective listening. * How to use AI tools like ChatGPT to augment rather than replace human skills and thinking. *...

The morning I saw the news, I instantly thought developer mistake. It never occurred to me it would be a hack. But in talking with family and friends, I see how so many of them assumed it was a malicious attack. In this short episode I break down what happened with Crowdstrike on July 19th and why it had such a devastating impact. Resources * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_CrowdStrike_incident...

Key ideas discussed in the podcast: * AI-generated content and its implications * The future of human interaction in a digital world * The role of AI in creative processes * The importance of human connection and authenticity * Adapting to AI while maintaining humanity * The potential impact of AI on trust and information consumption * The concept of “being augmented" and AI-assisted creativity *...

This is a personal story I was going to share at a live story telling event. * The Moth * The Moth Podcast My name was not called that night, but here’s the story. Enjoy. Related is episode 32: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bitsofchris.com

In this episode, you’ll learn: * About the book Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks. * Benefits of storytelling at work and in your personal life. * That a story is really just a 5 second moment of change. * How to find stories, slow down time, and spot patterns in your life each day doing Homework for Life. Links: * Checkout the book Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks. * See his Ted Talks to learn more about...

I’m joined today by my son Ethan. In today’s episode, you’ll hear: * All about turning 4 * How much he loves to push buttons * Some robot roleplay * And how Ethan intends to grow big and strong This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bitsofchris.com

Time to take a break and then onto my next project, AI for Data Engineers. In this episode, you’ll learn: * The benefits of podcasting for 30 days * How most days were a challenge * What I’m planning to do next * The consume, create, think balance This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bitsofchris.com

Do you want to connect with others? Are you actually listening or just waiting for your turn to speak? In this episode, you’ll learn: * Key ideas from Supercommunicators by Chares Duhigg * The three types of conversations we have and how to know which one you are in * Reciprocating vulnerability builds connection This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or...

One day, you’ll read a story to your kid for the last time. You’ll see an old friend for the last time. Time is our most precious resource. Do you ever look at how you invest your time? In this episode, you’ll learn: * What metric to use to optimize your time spent * Building awareness into you invest your time * High ROTI (return on time invested) habits * Diminishing returns on binge watching *...

If there’s one super power I’ve developed over the past year, it’s taking notes in a way that gets exponentially more powerful over time. I’ve combined Zettelkasten, How to Take Smart Notes, Second Brain, and Getting Things Done into a method that works for me. In this episode you’ll learn: * The Zettelkasten Method popularized by How to Take Smart Notes * The Second Brain method * How to combine...

Simplicity + Consistency = Compounding Wealth But it’s hard to stay consistent when you’re a human. In this episode, you’ll learn: * The simple formula to investing wealth * How to stay consistent by automating and ignoring * What to do if you feel like being more active * Why being consistent is so hard in the markets but how that’s all you need to do This is a public episode. If you would like t...

Full-Time Employees can indirectly grow their careers and by creating content Part-Time. Even if the content has nothing to do with your industry. Part-Time creators are free to explore, learn, and enjoy without the pressure of making money. In this episode, you’ll learn: * My struggles with finding a niche * Why Part-Time Creators don’t need to worry about a niche * Four Reasons Why Full-Time Emp...

Change is hard. But it’s necessary. In this Data Engineering episode, you'll learn: * Hive tracks data as folders, Iceberg tracks data as files * How this key distinction enables Iceberg with powerful metadata operations * What a data lakehouse is in Data Engineering * Iceberg’s schema evolution, partition evolution, and better query pruning This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss t...

Today’s episode is a personal story about the night I met my wife. It’s a story I might use in a month at a Moth storytelling event. This is the first time I told it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bitsofchris.com