Youn Elan, code weaver at large
Youness El Andaloussi
 Senior CSM/CSPO Software Developer
profile for Youn Elan at Stack Overflow, Q&A for professional and enthusiast programmers
At a glance

Certifications

  • Certified Scrum Master
  • Certified Product Owner
  • Project Management (PMP)
  • Leadership

  • 30+ team Coordination
  • Integration
  • Roadmapping
  • Soft Skills
  • SDLC

  • Agile
  • Waterfall
  • CICD
  • Stakeholder management
  • Requirements, Design documents
  • Release Management
  • Devops
  • Architecture

  • Distributed Systems
  • Design Patterns
  • SAAS
  • Multitenant
  • Infrastructure as code
  • Scaling

  • Caching
  • Cloud
  • Reliability
  • Provisioning
  • Databases

  • MySQL
  • MongoDB
  • PostGres
  • Query Optimization
  • Software Development

    • Algorithms
    • Web Apps
    • APIs
    • Processes
    • Sockets

    Lamp Developer

    • Linux
    • Apache
    • PHP/ Python

    PythonPython Development

    • SQLAlchemy, pymongo
    • Django, Flask, Bottle
    • paramiko, urllib, multiprocessing
    • nosetests,pylint,pep 8

    Team Development

    • GIT, Subversion
    • Vagrant, Fabric
    • Jenkins
    • Jira, Liquidplanner, Bugzilla

    Scaling

    • Query optimization
    • Distributed systems
    • Socket programming

    Custom Linux Distributions

    • Writing installers
    • Anaconda Customization
    • ISO customization

    Cloud & Virtualization

    • AWS
    • Azure
    • ESXI
    • KVM

    PHP Development

    • Object Oriented
    • MVC With code igniter
    • DB with MySQLi
    • E-Commerce

    Web Pages

    Nosql

    • Mongodb Mongodb
    • Cassandra
    • Map/Reduce

    Network Monitoring

    • EM7
    • Nagios
    • SNMP
    • Custom development

    CMS

    • Drupal
    • Wordpress
    • Custom Made CMS

    Coldfusion to PHP

    • MS SQL to MySQL
    • Cold Fusion to Wordpress
    • Cold Fusion to pure PHP PHP

    MySQL Databases

    • Database Administration
    • Query Writing and optimization
    • Replication, Galera
    • Procedures, Joins, Views, Triggers

    Linux Admin

    • Install & Configuration
    • Shell Scripts
    • Cron Jobs
    • Command Line interface

    Apache Admin

    • Server Configuration
    • .htaccess rules
    • SSL Certificates & DNI
    • Problem troubleshooting

    Platforms

    • Redhat/Centos
    • Debian/Ubuntu
    • Windows
    • MacOS
    Social Media
    Press space to Play Yountris
    Canvas Tetris
    To start the game press Enter.
    Arrow keys: left/right.
    Spacebar: rotate.
    [ESC]: End game

    On Superficiality

    This is status comment gone long stemmed from a comment that got way too long... haha... essays happen I guess haha :)

     

    As they say, "People criticize beauty for being skin deep... but what do you want, a cute pancreas?"  imho nothing is wrong with  beauty or even showcasing it. When it becomes wrong though is people obessessing to a point of realit...y disconnect when others ideals overpower your own...  but that is not specific to beauty. 

     

    Though indeed vehicled by magazines, superficiality has been around for much longer than that and gutenberg did not unleash pandora's box of objectification. articles in them reflect the current  ideals of society and  not the other way aroun. Indeed, in order to sell, magazines need to appeal to people... and they do that through reader polling and take into account criteria that change through time. For example, surfing on the "anorexic is unhealthy" wave, vogue italy had a cover with more curvy models about a year ago. If people's mind change (and a good way to do that is through education), then magazines will change to increase their bottom line.

     

    Though an easy target, superficiality is not specific to magazines... I have seen people reject a mate because they were shorter than them or were wearing the wrong kind of shoes... seen people litterally starve themselves to death to please other superficial people... sometimes people are with someone else without having anything to say, it is purely physical... superficial people... and these affirmations are voluntarily gender neutral because members of both sexes are guilty of stereotypes... and in a way, stereotypes about gender, race or religion are also a form of being superficial. 

     

    IMHO superficiality is wrong indeed but that is part of a deeper problem... most people do not want to think on their own and prefer relying on others' opinions even if they know very little. Almost half the people will believe what their favorite celebrity says just because they say so. Yet, even if I think it is wrong to be superficial people should be entitled to be if they prefer life that way... as long as their way is not imposed on others, they are entitled to their way.

     

    Going even further, superficiality means different things to different people... and in a way, because we set priorities in life, we all appear superficial to others because we do not value the same things. For example, some people consider Epicurus superficial because his philosophy consisted in living a happy life, ignoring the bad things... but that is a philosophy as valid as any other (even if I personally there is more depth in life than the one he puts forth). Countless artists, inventors and visionaries are considered superficial because their vision was different... yet, years after they are gone, we find value in what they have done.

     

    You will say yes but these people go agains what is mainstream and beauty objectified in medias is a mainstream phenomenon... yes, but even a mainstream opinion is an opinion. You do not necessarily have to disagree with the mainstream accepted idea to have depth in your own thoughts.  

     

    Further, what is mainstream today is not necessarily what is mainstream tomorrow. When the tide changes, do you automatically have to change your opinion to an unpopular idea to have depth in your thoughts? Personally, I think not... but I have seen enough people contradict themselves just because someone else they do not like has an opinion they used to agree with (romney's opinion on romney care is a good example... but so many others, not necessarily in politics).

     

    That said, does it affect people in the end? not as much as you think... Eventually everyone finds people that fit their selection criteria as friends, lovers and acquaintances... Skin color, weight, height, stupidity, strength of character, degree of kindness... they all drive people's decisions... and in a way it does not matter as long as laws apply equally to everyone, all get a fair shot at life and no one is left out because of race, beliefs or being ugly.

    Fun Fact
    It helps to look ahead and visualize where you want to be. A year from now, what would you have wished you did today?
    When a door closes, at least another opens... the problem is we focus too much on the first door to see the others open
    When they ask me what I do, I say whatever it takes. You have to be willing to go the extra mile on your path to success
    A record company told the Beatles they were no good, they sounded old & boys band were a thing of the past. Persist, do something awesome
    Discipline is the bridge between goals and success - Jim Rohn
    To excel is not a destination but a constant voyage - Brian Tracy
    Proceed as if success is unavoidable. A lot of our limitations exist only in our minds
    Before being an entertainment mogul, Walt Disney was fired for a lack of imagination. Persisting always yields results
    One of Edison's teachers said he was too stupid to learn anything. A healthy self esteem is key for success
    Henry Ford went bankrupt 5 times before he succeeded. Never let failure discourage you
    The first person who hired Elvis Presley as a singer fired him the first night, recommending he give up music for a different profession
    One of Einstein's teachers said he was a lost case, too slow and stuck in unrealistic dreams. Never let someone else's opinion let you down
    Tolstoy failed university. They told him he was not capable of learning. Never let failure stop you on the road to success
    When he started, studios told Charlie Chaplin what he did was nonsense. With persistence, a legend was born
    Leonardo de Vinci has never been to school. Always respect knowledge but remember success is not limited to degrees
    One of Bethoven's professors told him he was a pathetic composer. He proved him wrong even if he was deaf
    Be passionate, always. Even if Van Gogh only sold one painting while alive (to his sister), he painted over 800 paintings
    Never push back to tomorrow what can be done today
    Who risks nothing, begets nothing. Sometimes, taking a calculated risk at the right moment makes all the difference
    The best way to predict the future is to invent it - Richard Bandler
    As your self esteem improves, your performance increases too - Zick Ziglar
    What drowns people is not the jump itself but staying under water does - Paolo Cuelho
    With enough persistence, nothing is impossible. Wherever there is a will, there is always a way
    Petit à petit l'oiseau fait son nid. Rien n'arrive du jour au lendemain et persister permet d'arriver à ses fins
    There is only one way to fail, give up before succeeding - Olivier Lockert
    Do not be afraid of being slow, be afraid only to be at a standstill - Chinese proverb
    The word chance is synonym to tenacity of goals - Ralf Waldo Emmerson
    Today is the first day of the rest of your life, a brand new chance to excel. It is never too late to be what you might have been.
    No one can know what they really capable of until they try
    No extraordinary person complains about the lack of opportunities
    Never be afraid of failure. If you want to double your success rate, you have to double your failure rate - Brian Tracy
    If 'O' stands for Opportunity, it's absent in 'yesterday', once in 'tOday', thrice in 'tOmOrrOw'. There's always opportunities waiting tomorrow.
    It is not the number times we fall that matters, it is the number we get back up... because in the end what matter is that we are standing
    After how many times should a baby trying to walk give up? Obviously none. Giving up is not a trait we are born with - Anthony Robbins
    It is better late than never... and it is never too late to be what you might have been
    To be strong cant be equated with physical force but it is more about having a never failing willpower - Ghandi
    No obstacle is unsolvable. It is about dividing each difficulty int as many subdivisions necessary to succeed - Descartes
    The best way to start is to stop talking and start doing - Walt Disney
    Always remember that all those at the top all started and the bottom and persisted until they got their way
    It is nice to have what you want... but meanwhile, always remember to want what you have
    More often than not, we are limited by our attitude and not by the opportunities that come to us
    It is the little details that make a huge difference. Going the extra mile and making an extra effort change everything - Mark Tway
    To have a list of goals is key in life... otherwise how will you ever know you got to where you want to be?
    Failure is the foundation of success and it is by failing that we build - Lao Tzu
    Many times, the one who tries to do too much ends up doing very little - make priorities, focus and get things done - Italian proverb
    The past is behind use, future is very unpredictable. That is why it is important to focus on the present
    Be at peace with yourself... if you can't trust yourself, why would others do it?
    A list of goals that is not written down is like a wishlist
    To succeed, it is key to have alist of goals and remember that for everything there is a cost... and it is not always money
    Obstacles are these horrible things in life that we see when we get our eyes off of our goals
    The best opportunities in life go to those who make sure that things get done while owning up to their responsibilities - Napoleon Hill
    Time is more precious than gold. We can always get more money but wasted time can never be gotten back
    Do not attempt to do too many things. The best way to get many things done is to focus on one thing at the time - Mozart
    Life is a never ending cycle that keeps repeating - every time is an opportunity to fix previous mistakes you made and do things differently