This is a follow-up article to my recent article on Senior Software Engineers. The reason why I’m doing a follow-up so soon is because some interesting and useful points came up in a Twitter conversation about it, and I want to capture and build on those. The points concern different ways of looking at power … Continue reading Senior software engineers, power and freedom
Category: Rambling
CV tips
A friend recently asked for some advice in writing her CV (résumé) and suggested I turn what I told her into a blog post, so here it is. I don't claim to be an expert in CV writing; these are just the ramblings of some random bloke on the internet. I hope you find them … Continue reading CV tips
Senior software engineers, authority and ability
Some Senior Software Engineers feel they must win every argument, which I think is a bad idea. Not only is this bad for the team, it’s bad for the Senior Software Engineer as an individual. In this article I’ll explore this a bit, with the analogy of Top Trumps. It’s also related to the strong … Continue reading Senior software engineers, authority and ability
A prayer before going online
Are you always your best self when you’re online or otherwise using your computer / tablet / phone? No, I'm not either. Given how much of life is moderated by a screen, and how imperfect a window to the world that screen can be, is it any wonder? This imperfect window hides from us important … Continue reading A prayer before going online
Influences on me as a programmer
In this article I will talk about two things that have influenced how I approach my craft, which is programming. They appear to be contradictory, but I think I can live with both at once. This is an area where everyone has to work things out for themselves. I’m not trying to preach; just talk … Continue reading Influences on me as a programmer
Measurements that matter?
I talk about data a bit here, but this is a bit different from what I normally write. I was opening the packet inside a box of cereal and wondered how many times I'd done that over my life. These thoughts started rattling around my head, so I've put them down here partly to get … Continue reading Measurements that matter?
The Struggle with Learning to Code
This post is, belatedly, inspired by the Ministry of Testing blog idea: The Struggle with Learning to Code. I have a Computer Science degree, and have been programming for a while. (I started doing it as a hobby, and then studied it, and then got paid to do it.) I struggle with learning to code, … Continue reading The Struggle with Learning to Code
The compounding value of information
Information is one of those things where sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. That is, you get extra value from combining bits of information, on top of the value from the separate bits of information on their own. I’ll illustrate this with an example to do with spies, but then … Continue reading The compounding value of information
Customers, suppliers and fences
In my previous post, I contrasted two different terms for thinking about how people interact with your organisation – Customer Experience (CX) and User Experience (UX). Rebecca Brown (a CX expert I mentioned in the post) kindly explained her view of CX to me, which got me thinking of some quality and process things that … Continue reading Customers, suppliers and fences
Language, discrimination and software development
I recently noticed myself using gendered language to talk about computer things where gender was irrelevant. This got me thinking about language, and prejudice and discrimination, more broadly. Beyond the obvious, decency-related reasons, being more open to how people are different from you could help you do your job in IT. Gendered magic The trigger … Continue reading Language, discrimination and software development
Random Tech Thoughts 