Much of this has probably already been said but here are some of my observations. First, the lessons page was so long that I wonder whether they have really been learned. Had they been learned it would have been stated in a sentence or two. Rather, what you ended up with is a web page that you _wish_ you could have had weeks ago, to express much of your thinking at the time during the crisis.

The main thing that stuck out was how you seemed to be a programmer as an after thought. Particularly with the voting scheme; did you not have a genuine belief about the right way to pursue certain tasks? Whether from the beauty of a design, or the long standing approach it might have, or from a quick tweak to an existing infrastructure. I also don't think its enough to 'marvel' at two or more viewpoints. Just the fact that they can exist isn't enough, as you do a disservice to both/all parties unless you go with a decision, hopefully one that jives in some way with an internal model of how you see or have come to see things, and thus consistent.

Finally, I got the sense that you were 'hosting a party but constantly worrying about whether people are having a good time'.

These aren't meant to be brutal comments its just I think your series deserves an honest response!