Exactly 10 years ago, we got a red foot tortoise as a pet. Ningami was a friendly creature who liked to have his shell rubbed and would do a little dance when he was happy. He roamed around my floor and patio eating lettuce and hiding in cardboard boxes. He…
Joe Biden gave a speech the other night at the DNC convention in Chicago. I can not exaggerate how much I think this speech was a lost opportunity for him to cement his legacy as one of the best presidents ever. I imagined a better speech for him. This is…
I made a presentation recently of the evolution of software. From desktop applications (from way back like VisiCalc and XTreeGold) to modern web applications. The thing I find interesting was the split in designers who make applications look like “websites” (with a sitemap) and those that make the application look…
I recently heard someone say that using a design system took all of the creativity away from the designer. I found this point of view troubling and ultimately think it leads to unhappy designers and poor software. Many designers get into design as a career because as children they liked…
I have been a political observer since 1980. I remember watching Reagan beat Carter and Anderson on TV. My political leanings have always been towards empathy, logic, helping the most people, and progress. Between Republican and Democrat, democrats have more closely aligned with this point of view. This is not…
I don’t smoke or drink or go on fancy vacations. I do have one expensive vice though. Once every 8 years or so I will purchase the latest greatest television experience. I bought a 250 lbs 55” HDTV monster in 1998 before HD content was even available. In 2013, I…
Whenever I see people disagree about anything, I look for the differing predictions baked into their points of view. I blogged previously about why people disagree. Last Thursday, Biden and Trump had a debate. Objectively, it was a bad night for Trump and a horrific night for Biden. Trump lied…
We have all these names of people born at different times. We make generalizations about every generation from their preferences, their work ethic, their morality, fashion, and more. Personally, I think every generation is exactly the same as the previous one. For definition sake here is a wikipedia chart. Recently…
I just watched the documentary Brats on Hulu produced by Andrew McCarthy. I really, really wanted to like this because these movies really meant alot to me growing up. Unfortunately, I hated the whole thing, nearly every second of it. For those of you who don’t know, I’ll give an…
There is a philosophy of management I believe in called Servant Leadership. The easiest way to think about it is that the goal of a leader is to help those around them succeed rather than focus on themselves and their own aspirations. Notice, I didn’t say manager. Anyone can be…
It’s weird advice, I know. This comes from a person who has (mostly) been working for 35 years straight. There were several moments in my career when I optimized for happiness, and I regret almost all of those decisions. Ill explain my logic. Financial Independence The reality is that life…
I just watched Jim Henson, Idea Man on Disney+. I feel like he needs no introduction, but if don’t know who he is, you can certainly read about him or watch the documentary. To me, Jim Henson has been my Patron Saint and idol since I was a child. I…
Curiosity is the hallmark of a great teammate. When I am recruiting people, I will often look for signs of an inquisitive mind. Do they ask questions? More importantly, How do they ask questions? A person who is truly interested in a topic will ask questions in good faith. One…
I saw a post on LinkedIn that said, “Micromanaging is a sign of a lack of trust. If you don’t trust your team, you will never achieve great things.” This is exactly the kind of thing that gets tons of likes. Unfortunately, I think it’s highly misleading and taken literally…