What problem are you trying to solve?

This is the key question that should be asked every time that someone is asking you for help with something. Frequently requests for help are to do with the details of a problem. Without knowing the context of the problem you may be working on the wrong thing.

On October 31, 2011 MF Global filed for bankruptcy.

On July 27, 2026 I received the latest update listing the 3rd and final distribution to the unsecured creditors. This is strange as the letter states the balance due is zero.

MF Global was only spun off as a distinct business in 2007. Thats 4 years of trading and now 14 years of bankruptcy.

KPMG arrived en-mass to take over the company. Anyone without a support role was instantly dismissed. I heard horror stories of the way the accounts were settled. KPMG would give instructions to the remaining mangers who then told the staff to act. No information ever flowed up. MF Global was the first big case after some new legislation had come in so KPMG wanted to  build the process. It helped that their offices were only 4 buildings away.

In the 3 month extension I had 3 days when any work was required. We started off using our Pluralsight accounts to train at x2 speed. We then started taking phone interviews at our desks. This even allowed is to pass around details of failed interviews to other candidates.

The day after the bankruptcy I got a rather odd call passed through to my desk by reception. Aparently ‘America’s Next Top Model’ wanted to talk to me. This was obviously a recruiter who had paniced when asked who was calling.

We managed to arrange some group meetings with recruiters (one of which set up a session in a nearby pub and bought us all lunch).

I just bought a new apple laptop. At the checkout I was told that the power adapter is a distinct item that I need to buy.

This would make sense if the power supply were a commodity item like for a mobile phone. However Apple decided to require a custom magnetic plug and needs a 70w supply. You can’t argue that you are using standard components then require  a custom one.

There is not even the option to buy a sensible setup where the adapter is a distance from the plug.

I don’t bother with the apple mouse, which has the charging point on the underside so the mouse cannot be used while charging.

I have generally had good results when asking about details of a large codebase. Having tests keeps everyone honest. It may not always get the right answer on the first try and sometimes only does a partial job (find all other instances like the fix you just made).

Things go wrong when working with new external APIs as the AI will have read pote tial fixes that were never implemented. I have found that asking to see the documentation for a feature is a good way to avoid guesses.