This Week in Jobs: Step into the future with these 20 tech career opportunities
This week we're going back to the early 80s. On this day — June 24 — in 1981, Microsoft quietly licensed a little operating system called MS-DOS to IBM. It wasn't big news at the time, but it would change the course of tech history.
MS-DOS, short for Microsoft Disk Operating System, was a text based OS. No graphics like the Windows or MacOS we know today (the first OS with graphics, FTR, was Windows 1.0, released in 1985). At the time of the deal, Microsoft didn't actually own MS-DOS yet. Bill Gates and Paul Allen had bought an existing OS called QDOS (short for 'Quick and Dirty Operating System') from a small Seattle company, tweaked it, and renamed it MS-DOS.
With the 1981 agreement with IBM, Microsoft retained the licensing rights, meaning IBM would pay to use the software, but Microsoft could also sell it to other hardware makers. The rest is tech history.
A year later, on June 24, 1982, 'Blade Runner' hit theaters, introducing us to a gritty, neon-lit future full of angst and flying cars. The real future was more tied to those little flashing cursors of MS-DOS, at least until generative AI broke in this decade, rewiring how we see science fiction from the past.
This week, we're channeling the energy of quiet breakthroughs and choices that might not seem flashy now but could define your future career.
The News
What is equity crowdfunding, and what makes it beneficial for startup founders?
Would you take this bet? Technical.ly CEO Chris Wink and VC Brian Brackeen made a wager over whether there will be more software developers working next year — winner gets a cheesesteak.
A report from a California nonprofit found that a majority of workplaces do not have a mental health strategy.
Baltimore will keep the CIAA tournament through 2029, officials announced.
ARM Institute welcomed longtime Pittsburgh entrepreneur Jorgen Pedersen as its new CEO.
Pittsburgh food waste startup Clean Plate Innovations teased major deals with national chains.
Partner Spotlight
Everyone deserves a chance to improve their financial future.
Perpay is dedicated to building simple and inclusive financial products that help its members create healthy habits and achieve economic stability.
Learn more about the fintech company's culture and career opportunities on Technical.ly, including Engineering Manager, Business Development Lead and more.
The Jobs
Greater Philly
Perpay is seeking an Engineering Manager.
Capgemini is looking for a Connectivity & NW Engineer – Java Fullstack Engineer.
Software company Certara is seeking a Senior Software Engineer.
Kleer and Membersy is hiring a Director of IT.
DC + Baltimore
BigBear.ai is looking for a Full Stack Developer.
Peraton has a listing for a Senior Cloud Developer.
Deloitte is seeking a Lead UX Product Designer.
Brooksource needs a Linux Systems Administrator.
DataAnnotation is looking for Data Engineers to help train AI models.
Pittsburgh
PNC needs a Machine Learning Analyst.
Duolingo is seeking an Associate Creative Director.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are hiring a Seasonal Creative Video Producer.
Honeywell needs a hybrid Senior Advanced Data Scientist.
Google has a listing for a Staff Software Engineer, Google Cloud.
Meta is seeking a remote Data Scientist, Product Analytics.
LaunchDarkly in Herndon needs a remote .
Canonical is looking for a remote Senior/Staff/Principal Engineer.
Crowdstrike is seeking East Coast remote Senior Engineers (Falcon NG-SIEM).
The End
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Technical.ly
a day ago
- Technical.ly
Vesteck aims to turn aortic aneurysm surgery into a one-and-done procedure
When it comes to treating potentially deadly aortic aneurysms, medicine has come a long way. One Philly biotech startup aims to make those outcomes even better. Minimally invasive surgery on an aortic aneurysm — an enlargement of the heart's main artery that can cause a fatal rupture if left untreated — requires intensive follow-up care, with additional surgeries often required after two to five years. The likelihood of having to repeat the surgery is a reality that patients have to live with, but it doesn't have to be that way, said Joseph Rafferty, CEO and cofounder of Vesteck, a company that has developed a procedure that can reinforce aortic aneurysm surgery with high-tech stitches called endosutures. 'Physicians tell us, if it was their mom and dad having a procedure like this, they would want a device like this to make sure that they're not going to have to come back for a second procedure,' Rafferty told Using a simple catheter-based approach, Vesteck addresses this critical challenge in treating aortic aneurysms with a developing technology that has the potential to help patients with other medical conditions. Proud Philly roots West Chester-based Vesteck is a global startup with three founders from different parts of the world. But at its core, it's a Philly company. 'I'm a Philly guy, Delaware County, Temple [University] grad,' Rafferty said. 'We have very strong and very, very proud roots in Philadelphia.' Those Philly roots, he said, included a strong work ethic. 'I'm second-oldest of nine, and my wife is seven of 11, so we all understand the concept of 'pumping the pump,'' Rafferty said. 'If you don't pump the pump, money doesn't come out. So we all learned at a very young age that you need to go work and make your money.' When he attended Temple in the 1970s, Rafferty majored in communications and journalism. 'I was a writer with the concept that in whatever business you go into, if you can articulate your thoughts appropriately, it's amazing how many different businesses that skill set can translate to,' he said. After graduating in 1979, Rafferty soon found himself in the booming medical device industry, where he was surrounded by 'the best and the brightest' physicians and surgeons making an impact on patients' lives. 'You can make a very nice living at it if you're willing to make the sacrifices,' Rafferty said. '[It involved] lots of late nights delivering devices.' By the late 2010s, Rafferty knew the medical device industry well and was looking for the next big thing. Through a friend, he met John Edoga, a general surgeon from Columbia University. 'Dr. Edoga shared with me the concept that is Vesteck,' Rafferty said. 'But more importantly, he shared with me the challenges in the aortic repair space.' Along with a third cofounder, French cardiothoracic surgeon Thierry Richard, Vesteck was founded in 2019. Securing the post-surgical health of aortic aneurysm patients At the center of Vesteck's biotechnology is its proprietary endosuture called Suture-Tight. Endosutures allow surgeons to stitch a patient internally using an endoscope, a less invasive surgical tool that enters the patient's body through the groin rather than cutting the patient open. After the initial grafting surgery on the aortic aneurysm, a surgeon using Vesteck's technology re-enters and 'stitches' the grafts in place by attaching the Suture-Tight endosutures. These endosutures, which resemble tiny hoop earrings, are made of nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy known for its shape memory. Since modern coronary stents are commonly made of nitinol, the FDA and physicians are already very familiar with its properties. Nitinol stents are crimped down to be tiny enough to deliver into an artery, then, once released, they return to their original size, propping the artery open. The same property makes it possible to insert Vesteck's sutures. The extra layer of stability after the suturing procedure can potentially improve physical outcomes and psychological ones, too, Rafferty said. Without sutures, 'it's kind of like the sword of Damocles hanging over your head, because you think you got cured, but you really didn't,' he said. Progress and setbacks, as funding has become scarce Vesteck isn't available for clinical use yet, but the team has used the Suture-Tight procedure on 14 patients so far in Europe, Canada and Australia. 'Our first human patients are doing very, very well,' Rafferty said. 'The aneurysm sacs are stable or shrinking, and there's no migration, no leaks, no suture fractures.' The procedure is so simple, he said, that one of the first to use the device on a patient, a physician in Australia, successfully stitched four sutures in four minutes. For physicians with endovascular skills, it's a relatively easy procedure with little learning curve. In the US, the Vesteck team has met with the FDA six times and is ready to start the 100-patient clinical trial that would move the technology closer to being used to treat aortic aneurysm patients. Just one thing is holding them back: funding. ' Venture capital funding is way down since COVID,' Rafferty said. 'Part of that is because of the economy. For the last four years, the IPO market has been all but stagnant.' As a result, many medical device companies can't do much more than wait for money to come back into the venture capital market. 'We're kind of on hold,' Rafferty said. On the local level, several Philadelphia investors have been as enthusiastic about Vesteck as Rafferty is about Philadelphia. BioAdvance, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Grays Ferry Capital and Robin Hood Ventures are all supporters. Still, a company like Vesteck needs big-time, global-scale funding to move forward. 'You get to a point where you need to bring in some of these larger investors,' he said, 'and that's what we're trying to do.' Beyond aortic aneurysms Despite the funding roadblocks, Rafferty is optimistic about Vesteck and its potential impact on the medical world. Physicians who have seen the technology have suggested other potential use cases, including as part of heart and vein procedures. 'A big part of our culture is keeping an open mind and understanding that different patient populations around the world have different needs, and [asking] how can we adapt this technology to suit those needs,' Rafferty said. 'That's one of the things we've learned: stay interested and stay humble.'
Technical.ly
3 days ago
- Technical.ly
Meet Summer, American Girl's entrepreneurial doll of the year from Maryland
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Technical.ly
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Microsoft's big lie: Your computer is fine (and you don't need to buy a new one)
This is a guest post by Tim Allen, principal engineer at Wharton Research Data Services at the University of Pennsylvania, a member of the Readers Council and an organizer of the Philadelphia Python Users Group. Microsoft has a long history of playing fast-and-loose with the truth. And that's again the case with Windows 10 coming to its supposed 'end of life' this fall. In the mid '90s, Microsoft claimed Internet Explorer was part of the Windows operating system, leading to one of the most famous antitrust cases in history. The company's claims about 'your privacy being their priority' became laughable when Windows 10 was released and aggressively started collecting user data, including contacts, calendar info, and increased telemetry. At the time, in 2015, the company also said Windows 10 would be the 'final' version of the operating system, continuously updated as a service. Guess not. Because now Microsoft is trying to convince millions of users across the world that if they don't upgrade to Windows 11, their computers will become trash, and no longer be viable to use. This couldn't be further from the truth. Before the turn of the millennium, computer hardware was advancing so quickly that upgrading your machine every few years made sense, because you got so much more power than just a few years prior. That rapid evolution has ended; the average home user (excepting hardcore gamers and crypto miners) should only need a new machine every decade, if not less frequently. Any computer bought new in 2015 should be perfectly capable of running an operating system, a web browser, email, video meetings and an office suite without feeling slow. Microsoft suggesting people have to toss their devices is not only discriminatory — not everyone can afford to do this — it's also horrible for the environment. E-waste is one of the world's fastest-growing waste streams, and while some of it is being repurposed, the trash piles are rising a reported 5x times recycling efforts. So what's a Windows user to do? There are options. Stopping support for Windows 10 despite its popularity Microsoft is starting to aggressively nag users to upgrade to Windows 11. The company plans to sunset support for Windows 10, with a stated end date for all updates, including important security patches, on Oct. 14 of this year. Yet it's still the most popular version being used, per StatCounter: Windows 10 — 52.94% Windows 11 — 43.72% All other Windows versions — 3.34% Previous Windows upgrades haven't had strict 'requirements' checks; they were more like 'recommendations' or 'suggestions.' That changed with Windows 11: a large portion of Windows 10 users are being told their computers will no longer work, full stop. Microsoft's proposed solution? To buy a new computer, and send your current one into the landfill, creating unnecessary ' techno-trash.' The company has also threatened that not upgrading could cause damages to the user's PC that wouldn't be covered by the manufacturer warranty. The campaign exhibits Microsoft's increasing use of deceptive dark UI patterns. Its upgrade prompt provides options for 'Remind me later' and 'Learn more' without an option to 'Never show again.' This further erodes what little trust Microsoft had remaining as a good actor. But there are ways to mitigate this, even if you already upgraded to Windows 11. They include using tools to remove unnecessary resource hogs (details below), or even maybe making the move to Linux! Security excuse or forced obsolescence? The checks Microsoft runs before allowing Windows 11 installation to proceed exclude most PCs manufactured before 2018. The operating system has become so bloated (with crapware and data collection spyware you don't need) that these requirements are far higher than they need to be. The other two checks are the real problem, however: they are far too aggressive, unless you're storing highly sensitive data on your home machine. And remember, most home users have been running without these features for decades without an issue. A summary of the requirement checks for Windows 11 installation: System resources: RAM, CPU and storage are all checked to ensure minimums are met. While these are reasonable checks, the requirements are much higher than they need to be. Trusted Platform Module (TPM): This is where things get problematic. TPM 2.0 is a relatively new hardware-based security feature; a chip that provides secure storage for cryptographic keys. It is a good security feature, but not necessary for most home users. TPM 2.0 was not consistently standard on computers until 2018, with some manufacturers adopting even later. Because of purchasing and production cycles, that means new computers bought as recently as 2022 might not be able to install Windows 11. Microsoft has shown some signs of backing off this requirement. Secure boot: This is a problematic feature that may attempt to keep you from installing an operating system other than Windows on a computer, and should not be a requirement. While it offers some nice-to-have security features, it is absolutely not necessary for the average home user. There are many options for Windows 10 users other than buying a new computer, but I will focus on the two that I believe will allow people to continue to use their machines with the least amount of friction. Option 1: Give Linux Mint a try Linux Mint is a desktop version of Linux that is meant to appeal to people familiar with Windows. It comes with everything the average home user needs, and just works. I would argue, in fact, that switching from Windows 10 to Linux Mint is less jarring than switching from Windows 10 to Windows 11. The user interface is actually more similar. Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition comes with a familiar start menu, runs Zoom just fine, and has drivers for most common devices. It includes key programs most users will need, like Firefox, and can run any of the popular web browsers (instead of Chrome, try Brave!). It also comes with LibreOffice. This free, open-source office suite is highly compatible with Microsoft Office. I have yet to see a home user who requires any features that are not included. It comes with Writer (like Word), Calc (Excel), Impress (PowerPoint), Base (Access) and more. It is compatible with the formats Microsoft uses (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx). One of the biggest features is what Linux Mint does NOT have, and that's all the Microsoft baggage. There's no data being collected, there's no telemetry, there's no advertising being thrust on lock screens and start menus, and you are in total control of your computer. Linux used to be hard — it used to be made by nerds, for nerds. But that has changed over the past decade, and it is now more accessible than it ever has been. I would argue it's now significantly easier for casual computer users than Windows 11, especially with Microsoft desperately trying to force a dozen things, all named Copilot, down everyone's throats. Linux Mint will run smoothly on almost any laptop purchased in the past twenty years. To test this, I installed it on a Dynabook Tecra A40-G with a Celeron processor and 4 gigabytes of RAM which you can currently buy on eBay for $68. These specifications could barely handle Windows 7, let alone a modern Windows version. Linux Mint runs smoothly and without lag, even on this underpowered configuration. There are certain situations where using Linux Mint won't be easy. Certain applications are only made for Windows, or are difficult to run on Linux (for example, Steam VR, if you're into virtual reality headsets). But if you're using email, an office suite of apps, Zoom, and nothing too exotic, it should work well. You can even use your company's Office 365 web versions! Option 2: Force Windows 11 to Install You can force the upgrade to install on your machine, even if it would 'fail' the supposed system requirement checks. Microsoft supports a file called which pre-answers the questions asked during the Windows 11 installation process. It also gives several options that aren't available during the typical installation. Here is an example of an file you could drop in the root of a Windows 11 USB installation key. Want more control? There's a handy program (again, free!) called Rufus that provides a nice interface for you to customize how you want to install a Windows 11 installer on a USB key. Rufus allows you to remove the checks mentioned above, eliminate the requirement for a Microsoft account, and disable some data collection with a few easy checkboxes. After installing Windows 11 and running updates, I highly recommend continuing to the next section to run Windows 11 Debloat and O&O ShutUp. Already have Windows 11? There are options to take back control A large part of the reason for the requirements around system resources is because of how bloated Windows has gotten. Microsoft provides a tool to PC manufacturers that allows them to 'customize the Windows experience' for their users. PC manufacturers use this opportunity to preload all kinds of sub-par software for a fee. This includes unnecessary tools like subscription-based virus scanners and anti-malware programs, usually with a short free trial, as well as other low-rated, even malicious applications that are incredibly hard for the average user to uninstall. Since Windows comes with its own protection, these programs do nothing but use the computer's system resources — and charge the user a monthly fee. In his trademark bombastic style, Ed Zitron bought the bestselling laptop from Amazon and reviewed just how sluggish an experience this creates. 1 minute and 50 seconds for the setup screen to appear and nearly an hour to get to the Start menu. Linux Mint would run smoothly on that laptop; I know because I have it installed on one that has worse specifications. Much of this sluggishness, or 'lag,' comes from Microsoft adding ever-more advertising and tracking. If you're stuck on Windows 11, and absolutely don't want to give Linux Mint a try, here are two essential (and free) open-source programs to help: Windows 11 Debloat: This community-driven project allows users to run one straightforward program to ditch most of the junk. It removes a wide-variety of preinstalled apps, disables telemetry, diagnostic data, activity history and app-launch tracking. It disables targeted ads, ads in the start menu, notifications, file explorer and the lock screen. It disables and removes Bing web search and Cortana from Windows search, Copilot and Windows Recall. You can review a full set of the changes on GitHub. O&O ShutUp: This handy tool changes Microsoft's thousands of settings to your advantage, rather than Microsoft's advantage. The recommended defaults have never steered me wrong. It is recommended you run this once per month, after the monthly Windows updates are applied. Is it finally the year of the Linux desktop? I tried several times over the past decade to use DuckDuckGo for search, rather than Google. The first few times, it didn't stick. But I'm now a DuckDuckGo regular, and rarely fall back to old habits. This isn't so much because DuckDuckGo has gotten much better. It's because Google has gotten much worse. Windows 11 has hit that same threshold. There has been a long-running joke in tech communities that 'this will be the year of the Linux desktop,' because it never seems to actually happen. But Windows 11 has become a hostile experience that doesn't respect the user's intelligence or privacy, and the Linux options have blossomed over the past decade. Linux Mint provides such a superior experience, the tide might actually start to turn. I've been running Windows, macOS, and Linux side by side for 15 years now, as part of my responsibilities as the principal engineer of my team. Part of that role is to ensure our developers can use whatever operating system they like, to be most efficient. This could be an ideal time for you, your family, and your friends to give Linux a try, and Linux Mint is an easier jump from Windows 10 than Microsoft's own product.
