Category: rambling

  • Vote Today!

    Just a reminder from your friend at josh.ev9.org. Do your civic duty today. Get out and vote! Yesterday I spent $14.40 in order to vote, that’s how die-hard I am. My California absentee ballot didn’t show up in the mail until Saturday afternoon, so yesterday I had to ship my ballot via ExpressMail, which arrives…

  • Refocusing the Blog

    So it seems I’ve turned on my most prized readership. When I started this blog, there was one group of people in particular to whom I regularly directed my writing: my family and friends. My posts of late have featured more than a normal amount of Techno-speak, which is not all that fun to read…

  • The First Day

    The first day on a project is always a long one. No matter how hard one tries, there is always just so much to catch up on and learn in order to feel somewhat comfortable with the topic/software/process. This morning I was up at 4 AM, out of the house by 5, and in a…

  • Words Matter

    For the past few days I’ve been trying out some of the music recommendation services out there. I really like the idea that my computer can help me find new music to listen to. When I was using Last.fm I noticed that the words they use for rating music really don’t fit with my mental…

  • Nearly there

    I know, I know. You’re all going to scold me, I’m sure. I haven’t blogged in a while, and you, my ever-patient readership have become quite used to me not spewing out any of the drivel that you’re used to seeing on my weblog. I’ll try to do better. I really will. The past few…

  • UCD @ TW: What You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know

    When I came to ThoughtWorks University a little less than a month ago, I set as my main goal the task of discovering what kinds of User Centered Design practices were occuring at ThoughtWorks, and how I could help progress those tasks. After two blazingly fast weeks of class, I’ve learned a lot, hopefully taught…

  • It’s all starting to come together…

    …a little bit at a time. So yesterday at TWU we had a session called Analysis in Context, which was (for me at least) exactly what I have been looking for in terms of lessons that I can wholeheartedly agree with. During the session, the “dirty secret of software development” was revealed to us. I’ll…

  • My Agile Worry, Part 1: Marrying Code

    So we’ve started delving a little deeper into Agile Development today at TWU. Today we discussed the balance of quality and timebound delivery, as well as iterative software development and adaptive planning. Below I’d like to discuss an issue that is near and dear to my heart, an issue that really worries me about Agile…

  • TWU Expecations

    What are your expectations for ThoughtWorks University, in 30 minutes or less? The only reason for the time limit is the fact that my meeting with one of my coaches in about 30 minutes, so I better get to it. Here goes… I’m just going to put my biggest expectation/goal out there right up front.…

  • Pain in the arms

    This afternoon I started up my vaccinations for my trip to India. I got shots for Hepatitis A, Polio, and Typhoid. Yum. My arms are throbbing. Starting next week I’ll be getting shots for Japanese Encephalitis (sounds fun, no?) and Rabies (we still have to worry about that?). Hopefully the future shots will not make…