I write about software development, tools, and people.
And how marketing makes it all better.
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Frank and Lillian Gilbreth kind of invented efficiency as an industrial measurement. And then they had a big fight with Frederick fucking Winslow Taylor about it. See, Taylor wanted humans to be part of the machine. The Gilbreths wanted the…
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Book Review: The Psychology of Software Teams by Cat Hicks
I read the first half of this book all in one sitting, and then the second half the same way. Which is a lot of psychology all at once, but it flowed so naturally and logically together that I never…
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Word of the year: Context
What contexts am I choosing in my life, and are they what I want?
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Smokejumping
What does a chronological interview say about the person you want to hire?
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Saying the same thing, differently
In the view of capital, developer experience is like creating steam-powered mills. Sure, there’s a risk of mangling the workers, but look how much more productive they are, and how it drives costs down for everyone!
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How guardrails enable you to work at AI speed
On December 10, I’m joining a bunch of cool people on a LeadDev panel to talk about guardrails and AI use. Register to join us! As we were doing the pre-panel discussion, I started thinking about the metaphor we were…
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Political: Whistle Work
What to do If you have a 3D printer, choose a design and print whistles. If you’re going to distribute yourself, add lanyards and flyers explaining them. If you hear a whistle and you are in the “slightly safer” demographic…
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Upcoming appearances
Upcoming appearances at ETLS, LeadDev panel, and Monktoberfest, with some book signings!
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Communications is so big
Communications jobs are siloed in organization charts, but most of them share basic skills, and the specialization lies in the various audiences and tools. Communications is a continuum from UX to support.
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No useless knowledge
It started two years ago, on a street in Dublin. They have a cool program where notable historical figures get a little bio on walls. The key part was this: She invented a unique uncrushable linen fabric by backing handkerchief…