Manager-speak

* Great idea, how can I help you do that? * What do you want to set as your goals? * Are you happy? * Do you need anything, that I can legally provide within the bounds of this company? * You did an awesome job with X! I really liked how you Y and

Denver, Colorado

New Zealand Chelsea Buns

I've made one batch of these from my mother's recipe, I made a few mistakes but they were still delicious. //embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js Ingredients for the bun * 8oz flour (I used whole wheat flour) * 2 teaspoons of baking powder * 3oz unsalted butter * 1

Now, year end edition

Thinking aboutI've been doing the Elements of Focus course from Shawn Blanc, and it's been really good. Lots of titbits on how to set tomorrow-me up for a productive day, and making today more useful. Day 15 made me think of the Cynefin Complexity model (it&

Agile Transformation

My employer lets take one day a year as a "Day of Caring" to be used at a non-profit organization of our choosing. I did mine with an associate pastor of Life Community Church in Columbia IL. I've spent two and a half years immersed in

Notebooks

I work in a software company, but I couldn't do my work without paper notebooks. I'm running several at once: Five Year Diary A gift from Paul six years ago and again last Christmas, this book from Levenger gives me five lines a day, for five

Learning a sketching habit, day 14

I want to be someone that sketches on a regular basis. I have drawn something in my sketchbook every day for the last two weeks. Nothing is a masterpiece, but I've been experimenting with letter forms, faces that show emotions, lots of spirals, some cartoon roses and tulips,

Now - Friday 13th October 2015

Reading: (updates and archives) John Scalzi "Lock In" (murder mystery set in near future, with part of the population unable to communicate except online or via android stand-ins) Knitting/Craft:A small drawstring bag to carry my worry stones (things to carry and fiddle with), made from lime

Now - October 26th 2015

I used to do snapshot posts a while ago of what was on my mind and what I was working on. I read Shawn Blanc's Now page, which refers to Derek Sivers Now page, so I'll put mine up periodically. Link in the sidebar or these

What makes a good software QA person?

We have a few quirks, a hint of obsessive compulsive disorder, and we’re brutally honest. We never lie to our developers. We don’t sugar-coat, soft-shoe, back-peddle, exaggerate, or outright lie. We can’t. Our job requires us to be utterly truthful. We’ll tell it to you straight,