Chris Struble Writes

I am working on a non-fiction book called First People. This is a history book that I have always wanted to read but have never found. In the book I will ask a series of questions, like this: "Who were the first people to … ?" I will ask "first people" instead of "first person" because I want to emphasize cultures and civilizations, not individuals. Also, for many of the achievements I want to write about, we don't know individual names, but only when and where that happened. For each question I will give what I consider to be the most likely, scientifically accepted answer, possible alternatives, and myths and legends. I could see a successful book with one question and the answers in a few pages each. There could be perhaps 100 questions in the book. Ready? Here is my first draft of the first question. Let me know what you think. What questions (in form of "who were the first people to ..."?) have you always...

This is an article I originally wrote in 2018. I have updated it in 2019 for a general audience. Hiring Basics In 2108 I completed an excellent course on interviewing from the employer perspective on LinkedIn Learning. It is called Hiring Your Team. An account is required but the overview is public. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/hiring-your-team I appreciated the way the course emphasized respecting the candidate and treating them fairly. These were some of the key points that stood out for me. Have an interview plan so the hiring manager knows the questions that are going to be asked. Make the candidate feel comfortable Treat all candidates fairly and equally Recognize common biases in interview processes and how to avoid them. Wait until all the interviewers have spoken to the candidate before comparing notes. Comparing the tips in this course to some of my past interview experiences was eye-opening. Here are some examples where employers did not make me feel c...

This article is based on an article I originally wrote in 2017. I have rewritten it for a general audience. Enjoy! The Three Laws of Automation I am not a fan ​of self-driving cars. That may seem like a surprising statement coming from me. Since I was 10 years old, I knew I wanted to be an engineer. I was fascinated with all things futuristic. I dreamed of working on rockets, and by 15, I understood the math that explained how rockets and aircraft worked. I earned bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering, and later switched to software engineering. For the past 25 years I have worked as a software engineer. Most of my career has been spent working on automation. From build and deploying software, testing software, and setting up the machine it runs on, I have found ways to make software drive itself without human invention. It is fun, a great fit for my personality and interests, and it has provided a great living to support my family. I believe th...

Welcome to my blog. My name is Chris Struble. I am a father of two, husband, engineer, musician, and author living near Seattle, Washington. I decided to start a new blog for 2020 (a bit early, actually) to consolidate my writing projects in one place. In the coming year, I hope to share my work in progress, including music, several fiction and non-fiction books, and articles on a variety of topics. Enjoy!