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Intel Software Guest Blogger Asaf Shelly - About Me

By Asaf Shelly (34 posts) on August 13, 2008 at 10:11 am

It is so easy to tell the difference between the office of a hardware developer to a software developer's. When you visit a hardware engineer it takes forever to find a place for the coffee cup because even the chairs have some box on them with wires coming out. When you visit a programmer you can sit on the table because it is empty, just pick a spot. On the other hand the hardware guy has two windows open on his computer and the software guy has so many open windows that it takes a search engine to find the right one...

My point is – that I am a combination of both. On my hardware side I get lost when there is more than one window open on my computer and my software side says that I get confused when I see a wire that is not fully connected. (not really... of course :-)

I'm simple, there for I have more money than I'd ever need, even though it is never enough :). I think that a scratch makes a perfect thing into your own. It is better to take a few risks than to wake up one day and find out that you have been dead for all your life.

Hi, I'm Asaf and I always try to think big. I'll share a few of my thoughts here so you can get to know me better. Everybody keeps telling me to think out of the box. I found out that this is not possible because the box defines the valid answer. What you should do is create a new box to think inside? This is my art.

For me art is all about creation. You share your creations with people but the core is creating something that was not there before. I ignore "Art" as a way to share your feelings. One is giving the other is taking. Love comes from giving. You want to love someone you give them. Best relationship has both sides willing to give and willing to receive.

I am a "soldier". This is not my job. It is a type of person. I do what I have to do to get to the goal and I'm not afraid of difficulties in the way. When the flag calls I'm there. ... and yes, when I have to actually go to the army I will. It is my life or the life of my family and all the other women and children in this country of Israel.

I work in Hi-Tech. I finally realized that the product is not the algorithms and technology. It is the Fonts and Icons. For the past few years I deal with system design and architecture more than write actual code. I am very good with hardware and software and yet my main focus for the past few years is business development. I really like doing things right and have to follow through to completion. This is why I rarely read and try not to write, because when I do I put some effort and my mind into it. I like sports. I run at least once a week. Some Tennis with the wall - anything I can do spontaneous.

I believe in last minute decisions. This is when you have all the information. Preparing and doing last minutes adjustments means working 120% on a 100% task. Lecturing - I start writing my presentations two days before the event, so that I don't forget anything. Business presentations I do methodically (and Microsoft's events because they insist :)
I do the graphics design for my presentations, websites, and applications. And it is pretty good too.

One time I ran into my 7'th grade teacher. That was a few years after I became a freelance. She asked me what I was doing with my life and was shocked to hear that I worked in computers after I was so gifted in drawing and writing songs. I told her that computers for me is the same kind of art and creation... and started writing a few songs since (with directions of a good friend who is a professional singer).

My 'scratch' is that I can always relate to kids more than to their parents, even if I know the parents for many many years. It is easier for me to look into the mind of a child. Maybe because I am one myself. You have to be if you want to really appreciate life. Family is everything. I have highest respect for my religion and tradition. Walking in the woods, if you don't know where you came from then you have no idea where to go.

I once believed that trying to get lucky is what you do when you don't know what you are doing. You start with trial and error and then you learn how to do things methodically. That is old school for me. In time I learned what napoleon meant when he said that he would rather have a lucky general over a good general. True, you get far and ahead by working methodically, but it is these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that get you really far and ahead. If you are lucky you will get a few in life and if you are really fortunate you will know it in time to make the best of it. The true art is to tilt the balance towards happening over not happening. Narrow the scope so that you can fall on your fit if you fail more that crash and burn. Playing basketball - if you stand not far from the basket (but not under it) you might get a stray ball when you are alone. Stand where you have good statistics and you might even get a lucky shot. Last but not least - you have to be prepared for a stray ball or you will get confused. In business this is called the 'Elevator Chat': Can you run into a chairman of an investment company and convince him to give you his business card? It will probably not happen in the elevator in your home building. It won't happen if you don't talk to people, if you don't look like you walk the walk and talk the talk, and finally - can you really sum up your 30 pages business plan in 3 lines - on demand?
Still working on that art. See? Who said that life is boring?

 Following posts would be somewhere between technical and conceptual, and should be very close to philosophies behind the technical work. I make the best efforts to view the computer world through the same eyes as the real world and will apply the same patterns on both sides. When it comes to Multi-core and Parallel Computing you can easily use SCRAM methodologies. I will demonstrate this in my following posts and we will see how we use terms that relate to management when we design our parallel systems.

Students kept asking for online resources so I had to create one, and you are welcome to visit: http://AsyncOp.com.

Categories: Parallel Programming
Tags: Guest Blog, http://AsyncOp.com, Intro-Level, Parallel Computing

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Comments (1)

August 19, 2008 8:14 AM PDT Aaron Tersteeg (Intel) Total Points: 20,165 Community Manager

Welcome to the Intel Software Network. The team and I look forward to your future posts and learning from your experience.

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