Clarke Ching - Split Infinitives and Beyond.

Skiing, Heart Attacks, and Software Development

It's All Downhill From Here.

Hey!  How exciting!  I've just had a look on www.stickyminds.com and it turns out that I wrote this weeks weekly column.

Summary: When a man suffered a cardiac arrest on a ski slope, a medley of medical personnel from different countries and backgrounds mustered together to take charge of the man's health. Despite language barriers, they were successful in stabilizing the man. While this incident may seem to have little to do with software development, Clarke Ching sees that the makeshift emergency team shared specific characteristics found in all strong software development teams. In this week's column, he details these characteristics and how applying them can turn your team into a more successful team no matter how dissimilar individual teammates may be.

More rocks roll downhill - new chapters 32 - 38

I've just added another 7 chapters to Rolling Rocks Downhill.  That's another 12,000 words, btw - not that I'm counting.

Steve is convinced that the VSP project will deliver on time.  In fact, he's feeling rather pleased with himself because he believes that he's now in a good position to roll out his team's new approach to other BigFin projects and - hopefully - save his department from being outsourced.

If only life were so easy ...

... Steve is about to discover that no one wants to buy his new mouse trap.

Top Gear Caravaning

And this is one of the funniest segments of ever seen on TV. I remember when I saw it on television, I rushed up stairs at the end and told my wife all about it ... she asked me if it was - perhaps, said in a totally non-condescending way - made up. BBC's Top Gear presenters go caravaning. [also via http://smashingtelly.com/]

Bullshit! The Numbers

This is delightful ... a video, from Google Video, where "Penn And Teller go after numbers and statistics, and how people and organizations skew them". [via the brilliant http://smashingtelly.com - which shares excellent, quality TV and movies available from Google Video].

The Johari Window - try this

The Johari Window is (according to wikipedia):

... a metaphorical tool created by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955 in the United States, used to help people better understand their interpersonal communication and relationships. It is used primarily in self-help groups and corporate settings as a heuristic exercise.

When performing the exercise, the subject is given a list of 55 adjectives and picks five or six that they feel describe their own personality. Peers of the subject are then given the same list, and each pick five or six adjectives that describe the subject. These adjectives are then mapped onto a grid.

It took me about 5 minutes, using Kevan Davis's interactive online tool to prepare the quick Johari Window for myself using my input and my wife's input.  It was very simple: I picked 5 or 6 adjectives that I thought most described myself and my wife chose another 5 or 6 .  The "Arena" box shows the attributes where we overlapped, the Blind spot shows the attributes my wife chose but I didn't, and the Facade box shows the attributes I chose but my wife didn't.  Obviously she meant to choose "witty" but forgot, in the rush.  The Unknonw box isn't all that significant for a sample of 2.

Arena (known to self and others) friendly, intelligent, trustworthy

Blind Spot (known only to others) complex, relaxed, warm

Façade (known only to self) extroverted, witty

Unknown (known to nobody) able, accepting, adaptable, bold, brave, calm, caring, cheerful, clever, confident, dependable, dignified, energetic, giving, happy, helpful, idealistic, independent, ingenious, introverted, kind, knowledgeable, logical, loving, mature, modest, nervous, observant, organised, patient, powerful, proud, quiet, reflective, religious, responsive, searching, self-assertive, self-conscious, sensible, sentimental, shy, silly, spontaneous, sympathetic, tense, wise

... 

Created by the Interactive Johari Window on 20.1.2007, using data from 1 respondents.
You can make your own Johari Window, or view clarkeching's full data.

 

The tool is very quick easy to use and (I find) the results quite illuminating.  Give it a go.

If you often read my blog and you feel that you know me, just a little, can I ask a favour?  Would you add to my online profite - it takes about 2 minutes - because I'd just love to know what kind of impression I put through in my writing? 

To add to Clarke Ching's Johari Window: click here.

Gullible?

Contrary to popular belief the word gullible is in the dictionary.

Wouldn't you just love to delete it though?

In case you didn't know

google.com/search?q=define%3A+condescend

Two free good quality online books

1.  Happy Hour is 9 to 5 - Learn How To Love Your Job, Love Your Life and Kick Butt at Work By Chief Happiness Officer Alexander Kjerulf

So far I've only read the first chapter but I'm going to finish the rest.  It's very, very good so far and a pleasure to read.  You can buy it in paper for $29, in pdf for $19, or read it for free, in HTML, on the link above.

2.  Conversation Marketing - Internet Marketing Strategies by Ian Lurie. 

I've not read much of this book, but I like Ian's blog and his thinking.  You can buy it for $19.95 or you can read it free online.

Karl Scotland's Excel TDD presentation

Karl Scotland works for a big name internet company.  One you'd know.  I'm not sure if I'm allowed to name the company so I'll be cautious and not mention it.  [Update: Karl says it is okay to mention he works for Yahoo].

Anyway, he's recently used my TDD in Excel example at work to demonstrate the value of TDD and the importance of keeping software "soft" ... and he said it works "really well". 

Part of that may be down to the excellent way he has presented it [1.5 M ppt].  Very nice!

If you want to contact karl his personal email is: kjscotland at yahoo dot co dot uk

Friends

You know how, when you watch a rerun of an early episode of Friends on television,  you think to yourself don't they look young! ...

Bad news: they're not the only ones who have aged.

I'm feeling old today.  How 'bout you?