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We Are a Campfire, Not a Family
The “we are a family” pitch in hiring is a trap. It demands loyalty and sacrifice without asking, and creates silence when things go wrong. The alternative is the Campfire model. People gather, contribute, and leave. The fire endures. Stop pretending otherwise.
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AI Imposter Syndrome: The Wave You Can’t Skip
Every previous tech wave had an escape hatch you could skip and your career was fine. AI does not. 72% of mid-career engineers report AI fatigue. This piece breaks down the five-step spiral from loss of authorship to burnout and offers interventions that work: retrieval practice, AI free days, and deliberate skill use over passive rest.
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PE has an inventory problem; AI is not the solution
Private equity faces a massive inventory crisis, with thousands of companies sitting unsold as easy multiples vanish. Instead of solving this pricing problem through true innovation, firms are falling into an “Efficiency Trap” using AI to cut costs while simultaneously destroying the premium value that makes assets attractive to buyers.
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Quality
Quality is a multifaceted concept recognized through tangible attributes, such as performance, reliability, and aesthetics. In software, quality is critical, impacting user experience and operational safety. By adhering to quality dimensions and maintaining vigilance in development, teams ensure high standards, preventing failures and fostering client trust essential for business sustainability.
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Consistency
The importance of consistency in both bourbon production and software development. It emphasizes that, like distillers who maintain quality through careful processes, software developers must ensure strong quality control at every stage. By taking individual responsibility for output quality, producers can enhance consistency and overall effectiveness in their work.
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Empathy
The importance of empathy in product development, encouraging creators to consider the end user’s experience. By understanding users’ perspectives and needs, developers can enhance productivity and create solutions that resonate emotionally. The goal is to foster a positive connection with users, ensuring outputs are accessible and valuable.
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Art of Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS)
We, humans that is, love to complicate things and it seems to come naturally without too much effort. The longer we work with a given project, the more complex it becomes. I am not just talking about software engineering, but pretty much anything we undertake. Yet how does this seem to happen? The short answer is that we slowly turn up the heat on ourselves, each little turn feeling like…
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A day in the AI life of a CTO
Let me take you through a typical day in the life of a Chief Technology Officer in the age of AI and how it has woven itself into every aspect.
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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.
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Simplicity and power of UUID v7
UUIDv7 addresses performance issues associated with earlier UUIDs by embedding a timestamp, ensuring better data sorting in databases. Discover how to use this powerful variation in your auditing and logging tables
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Why I Love Leonard Cohen: Insights and Musical Highlights
Reflecting on my admiration for Leonard Cohen, sparked by a song heard years ago on a flight. This appreciation deepened through Cohen’s profound poetry and storytelling in music, which deserves focused listening.
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Inside the FTX Scandal: Michael Lewis on a Crypto Catastrophe
The book recounts the rise and fall of the FTX crypto exchange, led by Sam Bankman-Fried, resulting in a $8B loss and his 25-year imprisonment. Michael Lewis explores the complexities and naivety of those involved but leaves the true story unclear. The narrative is engaging but feels incomplete due to ongoing developments.
the legend that is, Alan Williamson
For over 24 years, I’ve shared my thoughts here on this blog 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, learning each day and enjoying every second.
