Promising premise immediately deflated by the four-square (and then the paragraphoid to over-explain the four-square).
Fine, let's scan over text because the four-square was over-explained. Groan, "Kit heads" -- that's the agon in this essay? Creators vs. consumers, artists vs. amateurs...or something else?
>> Kit heads will often say (or imply) that having the best kit leads to the best performance. That doesn't seem true. I couldn't ski the Lhotse Couloir even on the best gear ever made.
Did he really take this path to get to the "a good musician can play nice music well on a crappy instrument" insight, even if he doesn't quite reach the shore? Really, he made it only to "violinist holding Stradivarius isn't necessarily virtuoso". Never-the-less, I guess it was wrapped in a fit-for-consumption-by-management homily. Crappy kit for all!
>> I believe that one of the most important things an engineer or technical leader can do for their career is to practice, and develop, strong communication skills. It may seem like this belief is at odds with the point of this post.
Not in the way you think, friend. There is a stark difference between actually having an idea and expressing it well. It is quite another thing entirely for an engineer to sort out the muddled thinking of others (a daily job hazard). But I applaud the attempt, especially because I've been so critical. An essay!
[edit: you philistines! or give a cogent rebuttal!]