Posted by Brooke on 11 Jan 2009 | Tagged as: Usability
Short post.
The effect of driving while talking on the phone, whether using a hands-free device or not, are the same. Cognitive responses are overloaded and equivalent to driving while drunk. Maybe these people can get some legislation passed.
Put down the phone. Let it roll to voicemail. Try not to kill someone.
Posted by Brooke on 10 Jan 2009 | Tagged as: Consulting
In the past decade the most successful development projects that I’ve been a part of have always been on small, high functioning teams. Large projects are often too bureaucratic and meandering in focus to hit deadlines and produce even core functionality according to the project plan.
And here’s some proof of that happening, once again.
Why is it that great things are usually built on the sly, cheaply and simply, by one or a handful of people?
I think it’s because when it’s only a few people there is more personal accountability. Everyone has to contribute and be productive. Anyone is exposed as a fraud quickly and easily if they can’t contribute; the wheat is separated from the chaff efficiently. Communication is improved because you’re probably all sitting near each other or know each other well enough that you’ve developed a short-hand that obviates some of the usual barriers of understanding.
But if you’ve got 5 layers of management then it’s easy to pass the buck, and humans can be quite lazy creatures. Lots of people want to come to work just to go through the motions. Good for them, but stay out of my way, ok?
I’ve heard them called SWAT teams before; I think that sounds goofy. We’re not taking the building before the hostages are shot, we’re writing code, we’re building an interface. But I do like the notion that we’re not a large group, we’re all highly trained, we all have very specific things we do and don’t do, and we all agree on a process to help control the natural chaos of the event.
So it’s never been my dream to run a giant department or have a ton of direct reports. That doesn’t appeal to me right now. I’d rather work with a few very smart, very capable people. We’ll get more done. I promise.
Posted by Brooke on 25 Dec 2008 | Tagged as: Personal
It was Fall 1999, the West Village, New York. My friend Liza was having a party and my date and I arrived as the party was in full swing. She greeted me at the door with, “Holy shit, Taye Diggs is at my party.” You know, the actor from ‘Stella Got her Groove Back’? At least that was his biggest role back then.
That was my first party with a famous person and so I had to get a look at him.
My impression: very handsome, very fit, very short. Seriously. Not an inch over 5′4″ and that might be generous. How do I know this? I’m 5′6″ without a slouch and when he walked right past me I had to look down a little bit to meet his eyes.
So I was surprised to see this bit of biography information on Mr. Diggs today. Seriously, I need an agent - I’ve always wanted to be 5′10″ too!
When I let this stuff percolate in my brain alongside some of the other things in there like this, this, and this I start to think about perception.
What is perception? A simple definition from dictionary.com
immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition; discernment: an artist of rare perception.
If Taye Diggs says that he’s 5′10″ and I say that he’s 5′4″ why does the difference exist? Let’s ignore the simple explanation that all actors want to seem taller than they are. Instead let’s turn to a more nuanced discussion of difference. Oh wait, nuance schmuance.
Maybe it is just a case of me being an unreliable witness, an issue being discussed at length by the judicial community.
But I’m confident in my ability to discern the difference of 6 inches in the height of a man. What then?