Alan Williamson

Observations on software, leadership,
and thinking like a CTO

  • New Years Resolution for the CTO

    The new year offers a chance to reset initiatives, but studies show 88% of resolutions fail due to overly ambitious goals. To combat this, tech leaders should adopt small and simple achievable resolutions.

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    New Years Resolution for the CTO

  • Moon (2009)

    Think more 2001 less Star Wars, as this one-man thriller will take you through the longevity of loneliness while challenging what you perceive as real and fiction and what it means to hold onto hope. Sam Bell, played excellently by Sam Rockwell, is an engineer that has been stationed on the Moon for a 3 year Read Post ⇢

  • She’s Funny That Way (2015)

    Every so often a gem of a movie comes along that comes out of nowhere that completely surprises you and makes you wonder how you missed the publicity for it in the first place when it was released. She’s Funny That Way is what I would call a comedy farce. A movie that builds on Read Post ⇢

  • A Few Best Men (2011)

    Oh Olivia Newton-John, what were you thinking when you signed up for this script?  What is an actress of your gravitas and legendary status doing in this disaster of a movie that invokes memories of the Sex lives of the Potato Men with its below toilet humor.   Tell me there was a nasty tax bill Read Post ⇢

  • The Gunman (2015)

    Sean Penn takes the lead in this truly cliched story with all the predictability of a Scooby Doo cartoon.    He is part of a team that is providing security for a company in Africa.  Naturally the security is a little more, especially when a hit on a government official is ordered and his team is Read Post ⇢

  • The Guard (2011)

    Brendan Gleeson wraps himself into the type of role he was born to play, an unconventional, no nonsense, highly amusing Irish man.  Gleeson here is a country sergeant in the local police (called the Garda in Ireland) who manages things in his own delightful way. From the opening scene, where he simply lets a car Read Post ⇢

  • Apollo 13 (1995)

    One of my all time favorite movies that never fails to deliver on one of the most dramatic incidents in the Apollo space missions.  Tom Hanks proves he is one of our generations greatest actors as he slips into the character of Jim Lovell, who was also a technical adviser on the movie. James Horner Read Post ⇢

  • Kill Me Three Times (2014)

    This popped up on Netflix and I will confess to not knowing about this Simon Pegg comedy thriller he made last year in Australia.   It isn’t the best of his output and one can’t help but feeling he was lending his name and box office draw to this rather low budget local country movie. Read Post ⇢

  • [review] Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World

    Bruce Schneier has recently released his latest book covering the use of data in our modern day world. Taking a deep dive into the world of privacy, surveilence and encryption this was a real page turner, resulting in it really difficult to put down. I had to keep reminding myself this was not fiction. This Read Post ⇢

  • We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy

    Just finished the excellent book, “We don’t need roads: the making of the Back to the Future” http://amzn.com/B00OZ0TN6I that was recently published.   It chartered the journey from inception right through making of the final film. I am a huge fan of the BTTF and can proudly quote pretty much every line so I  was excited to 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.