Archive for August, 2006
Totalitarian Powerpoint
I once received a powerpoint presentation from a colleague; in the business world, powerpoint presentations are often amourously called “powerpoint decks.” Well, this deck was a huge one — 80 pages long. And, no, I didn’t read it, not one single page of it.
I am a huge fan of Edward Tufte. In his book, The Cognitive Style of Powerpoint, he explains why the widespread use of powerpoint isn’t good for any of us. He argues the following:
I once received a powerpoint presentation from a colleague; in the business world, powerpoint presentations are often amourously called “powerpoint decks.” Well, this deck was a huge one — 80 pages long. And, no, I didn’t read it, not one single page of it.
I am a huge fan of Edward Tufte. In his book, The Cognitive Style of Powerpoint, he explains why the widespread use of powerpoint isn’t good for any of us. He argues the following:
Today is the Day!
All — today is the final day to join the Free Amazon.com Schwag Raffle. If you win the raffle, you’ll get [5] free authentic Amazon.com shirts. Details of the raffle can be found here.
All — today is the final day to join the Free Amazon.com Schwag Raffle. If you win the raffle, you’ll get [5] free authentic Amazon.com shirts. Details of the raffle can be found here.
Hooked on Django
Forget what I said earlier. I’m back on Django; and Python is just the best language for what I want to do. My list of current personal projects include work in combinatorial auctions and something else. Django, Python, and MochiKit are what I’ll be using.
Forget what I said earlier. I’m back on Django; and Python is just the best language for what I want to do. My list of current personal projects include work in combinatorial auctions and something else. Django, Python, and MochiKit are what I’ll be using.
Linkedin: A Network of 35% Strangers
I’ve been a user of Linkedin for over a year now. I receive invitations from people for me to join their network and, until recently, I’ve unthoughtfully accepted any invitation that came my way. Well, I looked at my network today, and I honestly don’t know half of these people. Sure, there’s an argument that says that I need to keep a rolodex of folks handy for networking purposes, or whatever. But, it’s network of 35% strangers right now.
I’ve been a user of Linkedin for over a year now. I receive invitations from people for me to join their network and, until recently, I’ve unthoughtfully accepted any invitation that came my way. Well, I looked at my network today, and I honestly don’t know half of these people. Sure, there’s an argument that says that I need to keep a rolodex of folks handy for networking purposes, or whatever. But, it’s network of 35% strangers right now.
12 Questions with Mary Poppendieck
Last week, I invited the readers of shmula to pose questions to Mary Poppendieck, the author of Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit for Software Development Managers (Paperback), which won the Software Development Productivity Award in 2004 and, the sequel Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash (Paperback) which will be available in early September 2006. For this interview, 12 Questions were submitted and Mary was gracious enough to answer them — the reader’s Questions and Mary’s responses are below.
Last week, I invited the readers of shmula to pose questions to Mary Poppendieck, the author of Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit for Software Development Managers (Paperback), which won the Software Development Productivity Award in 2004 and, the sequel Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash (Paperback) which will be available in early September 2006. For this interview, 12 Questions were submitted and Mary was gracious enough to answer them — the reader’s Questions and Mary’s responses are below.
Team Dynamics: Size Matters Redux
I’ve written about the importance of team size before, here, here, and here. Previously, this is what I said:
I’ve written about efficient teams before here and here. At Amazon, there is a concept of a 2-pizza team: no team should be larger than 2 pizzas can feed. It’s a great approach to team size. In my short career, I’ve learned how true that rule is. Here’s another thing I’ve learned –
I’ve written about the importance of team size before, here, here, and here. Previously, this is what I said:
I’ve written about efficient teams before here and here. At Amazon, there is a concept of a 2-pizza team: no team should be larger than 2 pizzas can feed. It’s a great approach to team size. In my short career, I’ve learned how true that rule is. Here’s another thing I’ve learned –
Team Dynamics: Size Matters
I’ve written about efficient teams before here and here. At Amazon, there is a concept of a 2-pizza team: no team should be larger than 2 pizzas can feed. It’s a great approach to team size. In my short career, I’ve learned how true that rule is. Here’s another thing I’ve learned –
- 2 people are smarter than one
I’ve written about efficient teams before here and here. At Amazon, there is a concept of a 2-pizza team: no team should be larger than 2 pizzas can feed. It’s a great approach to team size. In my short career, I’ve learned how true that rule is. Here’s another thing I’ve learned –
- 2 people are smarter than one
5S
5S is part of the Toyota Production System, anglicized in the US as Lean. 5S is a reference for standardized cleanup, order, or tidyness. Defined,
- Sort (Seiri): This refers to the practice of sorting through all the tools, materials, etc., in the work area and keeping only essential items. Everything else is stored or discarded. This leads to fewer hazards and less clutter to interfere with productive work.
5S is part of the Toyota Production System, anglicized in the US as Lean. 5S is a reference for standardized cleanup, order, or tidyness. Defined,
- Sort (Seiri): This refers to the practice of sorting through all the tools, materials, etc., in the work area and keeping only essential items. Everything else is stored or discarded. This leads to fewer hazards and less clutter to interfere with productive work.
WishList: Industrial Design Redux & the MacBook Pro
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Isn’t that just beautiful. I played with one today and I loved it. It’s light, quick, slick, and the Linux distribution is awesome. I’ve played on Mandrake, Debian, and Red Hat, and the Linux distribution on the Mac is just as good as any pure Linux flavor. Not to mention the industrial engineering and design of the MacBook — just awesome.
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Isn’t that just beautiful. I played with one today and I loved it. It’s light, quick, slick, and the Linux distribution is awesome. I’ve played on Mandrake, Debian, and Red Hat, and the Linux distribution on the Mac is just as good as any pure Linux flavor. Not to mention the industrial engineering and design of the MacBook — just awesome.
No More OpenLaszlo
I’ve been playing with OpenLaszlo and my general impression of it is good. It’s very easy to use and you can build quick, rich, applications in no time, with all the fancy-ness of Ajax and Flash. But, it’s not for me…yet.
I’ve been playing with OpenLaszlo and my general impression of it is good. It’s very easy to use and you can build quick, rich, applications in no time, with all the fancy-ness of Ajax and Flash. But, it’s not for me…yet.
