Confessions of a Necromancer
hintjens.com
hintjens.com
Very true.
technology is a slave to personality. It doesn't matter how good the design, when there are unresolved problems in the organization.
Amen. And that's exactly what a lot of the latest project management styles try to fix.
I almost never dread technical challenges (especially in the cookie-cutter LOB apps I build in my day job), but I do fear organizational dysfunction.
Basically any modern project management style focused on people and needs instead of reams of documentation.
I've unfortunately never worked at a place that does this right, but I had the strong impression some really good companies do it right - I was blown away by Guidewire back when I was in the insurance business, for example, they really seemed to do project management right ( see https://www.guidewire.com/blog/best-practices , and stuff like this - https://www.guidewire.com/blog/best-practices/implementation... , Scott Hatland really impressed me as a guy that lived this kind of person-first approach ).
Since it's more of a people and organization thing than a formal "project management style" thing, I don't know if there's one "style" that does this above all - Agile, Scrum, Kanban, can all be twisted by people who don't understand the core concepts.
I think teams that succeed do so despite using Agile (or any other management fad). A cohesive team that communicates well can succeed using Agile, sure, but the process is incidental; they would succeed using most any methodology. Survivorship bias leads people to believe that Agile (or whatever methodology-of-the-week is in play) is causative, when it is actually epiphenomenal.
I would suspect that a small percentage of all projects undertaken are good, according to these criteria. Yet I can't help but think that, while these good projects might engender an enjoyable experience for all involved in its' development, that it wouldn't necessarily lead to a successful product in the marketplace.
What I'm getting at is I wonder good project, while nice to work on, leads to a good product. I am guessing most products probably didn't arise out of a good project, so from a business standpoint, how much is it worth to worry about attaining all these aspects.
Perhaps one of the hardest lessons to live by, but of immense value.
There is no silver bullet in social interactions either.
Or perhaps the ideals fail and you just need to bare your teeth at them. But return to civility; no reason to senselessly burn bridges. (What if they're just horrible? Then leave. What if you just can't walk away quietly? Well, just try not to burn bridges as a first resort, at least not while you're standing on it ;)
To me it means to try not to act out of malice, hurt, or anger towards others, even when they seem to be acting that way towards you. You can calmly and rationally explain your position, and hold firm, while trying to avoid negative emotions. Easier said than done, but it can be incredibly powerful.
After reading all these war stories from Pieter I'm definitely going to weigh his book on the subject of psychopaths far higher than any controlled experiment psychology BS (those guys can't even reproduce their results most of the time.)
Hey, noted you writing about not being into this "fight this thing" ("neighbor") but curious how this turn of event alters your views. Just purely in the emotional and psychological sense, does this all of a sudden having an extended expected horizon, doesn't [it] seem like future could be anything in the realm of possible. (I apologize if this is too personal.)
So, clearly, things are not getting better. I'm dying and it is just a matter of what bed I die in, and whether it'll be a vital organ like the liver that gives up first, or euthanasia if the breathing gets too hard, and the pain too much.
What the extended horizon does is let me write a little more in that article (there are still stories to tell) and wonder if maybe it'll be enough for a book.
Weirdly the main emotion I feel is a kind of embarrassment at raising a false alarm that gets so many people worried. Also, happiness of course to still be alive and see my family & friends and chat a little more with people on the Internet :-)
You know what's frighten me? When i read him, i kinda connect with him, his beliefs, fears, opinions, view points ... his soul. Problem is: guy is (physically) dead for over a decade. But when i read his books, it's like if he is alive.
I started reading Confessions of a Necromancer and boy! it's amazing. I'm sure, deep inside, it's a masterpiece and a way for your mind and soul to survive all difficulties you are facing now.
So you are not dying, indeed, you are probably living more then most of your entire life before. Even if your body is in a bad shape, you true self are getting better and better.
Sorry for saying this like that, but keep up the good job!
Some years back, after watching someone very near and close go through and eventually succumb to a situation similar to yours, I used travel as one of my coping and recovery mechanisms.
Came a point on the trip where I found a very high and sheer promintory. I took the opportunity to consider just what it was that made staying alive worthwhile. Few if any religious or philosophical justifications do much for me.
The Talking Heads lyric, "heaven is a place where nothing ever happens" came to mind. And with it the realisation that there's only one sure-fire way to find out what comes next, and that's to be there for it. Regardless of whether that's good, bad, or indifferent.
I've found the argument convincing to date.
I'm also loving your posts and engagement. I've thanked you for them before, but here it is again: thanks.
That said, I'm not entirely sure I'd accept your travel recommendations, at least not uncritically.
OT: Is foundation better than pebble in the sky and his short stories? I like his philosphical views, but his science ideas feel real outdated to me.
Clarke was a bit more grounded in the harder science fiction disciplines (Fountains of Paradise with its space elevator) while Asimov tended more to the software side looking at psychology and sociology, empires and the people.
Your writing is delightful, thank you for sharing it with us.
Still having fond memories of installing Xitami as a kid :-).
:) For what it's worth I wish you the full measure of more comfort and happiness.
So in terms of your legacy, I was wondering a while back regarding the split in ZMQ & the news of your health that do you feel you have achieved your broader goal of establishing governance model driven OSS as the basis for new organizations, taming the beast of ego :) More to the point: do you think ZMQ, as an undertaking, will continue to evolve as intended? (Kinda of like Apple: is Apple really Apple without Steve Jobs, so of Q.)
I now know your name, placed you in my list of idols, decided to remember some of your advices, and am generally more happy than I was when I woke up.
Thank you, for what your represent, for what you aspire, and for what you decided to teach us.
Legacy isn't just for novel writers and building architects and big name visual artists - it's for anyone who creates things. "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants" Isaac Newton 1676
You have to make the best of the time you have and you don't know how much it is, even if you're smarter or richer than most people on earth.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to write this down!
> It took me decades to realize that technology is a slave to personality. It doesn't matter how good the design, when there are unresolved problems in the organization.
It's not just that a good technology design needs to fit the needs of the organization; even a design that would be a good fit will be hard to deploy if the organization pushes against it.
I'm most impressed by just how much work ends up flushed down the toilet. Makes me feel so much better about all the dead-ends I have been involved with. Actually my sense of the industry is that the majority of projects tank for one reason or another. I guess that's fine if you are just doing it for the money, but if so, then you are probably not a top-level dev.
> Which was when someone decided to bluff the project, sign it for the budget the client was willing to pay, force DEC to accept whatever solution we came up with, and then hire me to make it all work.
> And why pizza with ketchup and mayo is a Good Thing.
and as an Italian I ought to dissent.
oh that is kind of strange.
- Necromancer guy