A Person, Artist, Software Engineer, Geologist.

In a perfect world I could keep track of what my code touches and the effect my decisions have on others, but I can't. Just like playing chess, the human mind can only track so many steps down the different choice paths that at some point you just have choose a path and go and sometime you may never know. Choosing a new tools set for development is not unlike that.  An engineer may make their best guess, the it must be understood that it is just a guess that may be driven by 1) knowledge, 2) desire or 3 ) whatever.  There will always be side effects. A classic case of side effects is (as it turns out) from a chemical engineer from the middle 1900's.  He had the dubious distinction of solving 2 very complex problems that turned out to have extremely serious side effects decades later.   He solved the knocking of gasoline engines by introducing lead into the fuel and also of using freon as a refrigerant.  Great solutions with worse side effects.   ...

There was the potato famine of Ireland, there was the Wintel consortium.  Both examples of mono-culture where the majority share holder of a segment (food and tech) is owned by a single player.  Sound good, easy to get used to, lots of benefits and, for a while stable.  Also very fragile and prone to sudden collapse. The Irish had it's potato blight.  The Wintel consortium has fought off virus and malware (see a pattern?) to a draw only to be quickly overtaken by a new evolutionary animal (mobile / tablets).  No external asteroid needed, it's just a mono-culture, it's going to happen. You see the same desire in the mobile OS market share today.  Android was all the market share, iOS fans want the market share for them, and Window, well Windows would like to be in the game. But the truth is that the complete market is stronger with a mix of OS's in the market.  Each with their own strength and weakness.  This a plus for everyone. ...

I've been busy doing things for a while.  It can seem that being busy and being productive are the same things.  But my definition of "productive" has changed of late.  Productive in what sense? I fight my mind for which direction I should be going, want to go or am going.  All do not lead to happiness.  As of late, programming / designing as not been my happiness trail.  I'm sure it will be later, but my needs now are on a different path. It being spring may be the motivator for this, but doing little jobs around the house, painting, performing fixes on my neglected car "rattles" and getting the garden ready has brought me pleasant rewards. Sometimes you just need a break from all the media in our lives.  The quick sound bites, images and headlines that never truly satisfy.  In no field is this more true than in the software field.  So much information, ideas and products that are just out of reach, for now.  Time and energy can...

Being a software engineer of a certain age, I get to see the same patterns repeat themselves in this field. One of the patterns is companies repeating statements that sound like they are true, want to believe they are true and try to convince others they are true, when they are not. - Visual Basic is object orientated. - Aspect Orientated Programing is the next big thing. - C (or C++) is dead. - Ruby on Rails is the best for web development. - HTML can handle your mobile app needs. Each has it's strength and segment of truth but have reached beyond their domain.  There is a natural desire the share ones enthusiasm with others but this can be taken to extremes where one starts believing in aspects that are not true and believe their own hype. I've been commenting on the Linkedin forums and have found great benefit in helping others and commenting on questions and issues.  It's nice place.  I use Linkedin web site but not their mobile app.  The web site ask...

I just watched a PBS documentary on the  Spartans.   Interesting at time and always informative.  But it wasn't till right at the end where the narrator Bettany Hughes wrapped up the reason for the downfall of the Spartens.   In a nutshell " The Spartens fatal flaw was that in the pursuit of perfection, they made a enemy of change itself ". What a powerful statement! Looking at current events in the software industry I can see instances of this with the the resent staffing changes at Apple and Microsoft.  High level staff, that was thought to be core to the company, have been let go.  Their dogma that used to be OK for the times, now appears to be so harmful that they needed to go.  Times change, change is powerful can not be denied. This can be seen on the smaller more personal scale in the form of language and process dogma that can be held so tightly.  Statements like "your not doing it right if you are not using X". ...

I'm an old timer in Rock climbing.  Not the Faux climbing in the gym but on real rock with whatever surface erosion has provided for it.  I remember a boulder problem on Mt. Woodson that was called Television Screen (aka, Super Edge).  It was a big rectangular block that was tilted just off vertical with an irregular surface and this wonder edge that also had variations in it.  There was just enough of both to provide light hand and food holds to lie back off of while edging with your feet on the face.  It was rated 5.10 and just on the edge of what I could do with my new (then) EB climbing shoes. I was so proud of finally being able to climb it with my new EB shoes.  Then a friend of mine just scurried up in the running shoes!  I could not believe it, regular shoes and much less effort! The difference between the two of us was the context, me -vs- him.  I could do it but I needed better shoes and it was still hard.  He just needed ...

Life is not static so you have to mix it up a bit to keep it interesting.  Well that is what I've done (at least I try to do) with publishing an iBook using iTunes and the iBookAuthor software.  Nothing better than using a new tool and learning about a new field.  My wife is a writer so I wanted to get a little taste of publishing my self, but I'll never be in her league. A lay persons guide into the messy world of software creation. This provides a basic foundation of what software is and the basic forces in it development.  This should provide the reader with the general development process and the complexities that can arise in the phases of development. Free download of iBook here I wanted to lay a foundation of the messy (dare I say wacky) world of software development.  It sounds so high-tech and science like, but for the most part it's the interaction between people, each with there own issues, desires and feelings that are the primary factors in ...