Alan Williamson

Observations on software, leadership,
and thinking like a CTO

  • Open Source Means Never Being Stuck

    Reflecting on the advantages of open source software in development, using a recent experience with the libvips library as an example. Faced with limitations I adapted and improved the library, significantly enhancing performance. Open source provides autonomy and opportunities for contributions, embodying freedom and progress.

    ·

    Open Source Means Never Being Stuck

  • Tequila Sunrise (1988)

    There are some movies that you remember fondly, sparking memories of the time, but yet, after a re-watch nearly 25 years you wonder what it was about the first outing that made it seem a classic. We have Mac (Mel Gibson) the drug dealer who is trying to go straight, even though his oldest best Read Post ⇢

  • Man Up (2015)

    This was a movie I never knew existed until I stumbled upon it in a list of Simon Pegg movies for 2015.  Having no idea what it was about, I had a quick look at the trailer and was intrigued.  A British romantic comedy that isn’t written by Richard Curtis?  What an interesting concept.  I Read Post ⇢

  • Magic Mike XXL (2015)

    I recall watching the first Magic Mike movie and remember enjoying it at the time.  However, I am somewhat at a loss as to what it was.  I need to go back to it at some point in this yearly movie marathon I have embarked on.   Because, after watching XXL, I can’t remember it Read Post ⇢

  • Dirty Dancing (1987)

    My 40th review in this series and we land here.  Aaah, You’ve had the time of your life, happy memories.  This dancing genre has so many casualties with way more misses than hits.  Dirty Dancing, however, can proudly be ranked up there at the top with the likes of Flashdance and Footloose.   This Oscar Read Post ⇢

  • Everest (2015)

    Based on the true story of the Everest disaster in 1996, when two expedition parties got into major trouble when a storm suddenly came in and 12 people in total from each group, including their leaders, were lost to the mountain. Jason Clarke plays Rob Hall, the much loved, leader of the New Zealand group, who Read Post ⇢

  • Waking Ned Devine (1998)

    If you loved Local Hero then you will love this tale of a village set in western Ireland, who discover that one of the 50 odd residents has won the lottery.  However at first they don’t know who, but soon discover it is the one person that didn’t come to the party.  Poor man had Read Post ⇢

  • Air America (1990)

    The first time I seen this movie in a theater in Suchiehall Street Glasgow, when I was at university and I recall laughing my ass off.  I let this one sit and age on the shelf and with a little nervousness I dusted off the cover and took it for another spin.  Fortunately it has Read Post ⇢

  • Tomorrowland (2015)

    Oh Disney, where did this go so wrong?   You have such talent available at your finger tips, such vision, huge resources, and this is the best you can do?  A disjointed, mess of a movie, with a story line that only “clicks” about 10 minutes from the end, and I say click barely. I actually don’t Read Post ⇢

  • Up in the Air (2009)

    Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a business man that spends the vast amount of his time in the air, flying some 360,000 miles a year and 322 days away from home for a company that specializes in helping companies to downsize, or in other words, he’s sent out to fire the staff. He is at Read Post ⇢

the leg-end that is, Alan Williamson.

For over 20 years, I’ve shared my thoughts whenever the muse strikes. It’s unpredictable, honest, unedited, and occasionally witty. I’m living the best years of my life, working harder than ever, and enjoying every second.