The Bee Sting by Paul Murray 📚
I don’t enjoy novels that switch between voices but this book did it brilliantly. I admired the unconventional use of punctuation and chapter structures to convey the characters. I didn’t love them but stayed invested. Alas, I got to the end and … threw my kobo. Nope.
Upgrade: A Novel by Blake Crouch 📚
I enjoyed a story that doesn’t simplify intelligence into “I can win at Jeopardy.” Along with the protagonist, we experience emerging neurodiversity, the way social experience and perception shifts. A bit too much exposition for me but still a fun puzzle to solve.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood 📚
I consumed the Twilight series like potato chips. So it was with Bride. Yes, it’s a “vulnerable woman who’s actually independent and strong falls for a pseudobadguy who maybe wants to kill her” story. But a top Bookseller Recommendation, not just another pretty face.
I’ve been reading novels every night. Since Covid, I’ve needed stories, no nonfiction. So I’ve let myself go on this journey. I’ll share some reviews in the coming days.
Looking for something good to read? I rely on IndieBound to help me find new titles. www.indiebound.org/indie-bes…
Playing on repeat to improve my Wednesday energy.
This talk “presents a new lens to understand our contemporary world” and “a set of tools that honor and leverage emergence in order to have agency and impact.” It’s not about technology. But if I didn’t tell you that, you’d probably think it was.
Let’s face it, software systems are messy … that’s what makes them work.
After watching the movie Anatomy of a Fall, I couldn’t sleep. It is a psychologically chilling, and familiar, experience of what happens when a woman is vulnerable to the judgement of men. The tone and patterns are the background music of our lives. I’m grateful it exists, it turns up the volume.
6am, sitting on the couch together, drinking coffee. Macbook Pros & noise-cancelling headphones. Wordle scores posted in the family Slack channel. He’s studying for the K8s exam. I’m writing the last chapter of my O’Reilly book. I’d say something snarky about “geek love” but this really is wonderful
Why turning off Messages before you begin your focus session is important. Your friends are interesting or they wouldn’t be your friends.
Andrew Harmel-Law is writing Facilitating Software Architecture while I am writing Learning Systems Thinking. Today we started a 30 day challenge using Writing Analytics. I’m not usually motivated by data tracking but this tool has improved my focus significantly. app.writinganalytics.co
Well, that’s a thing. 2023 was quite a year.
If you do the thing you most want to do – the thing you fear you can not do – you’ll discover your blockers. Success isn’t achieving your goals; goals are changed by experience. Success is transforming your relationship to whatever is holding you back.
Early in my career as a systems architect, I felt alone with the challenges I faced. Now, I am surrounded by people who understand. The key to our success is learning from each other and sharing insights. We are all in this together.
A New Years Love Note to my Friends
I haven’t done a great job staying connected – for reasons I’ve described here. But I want you to know that I’m with you and feeling grateful.
Part 3 of Learning Systems Thinking has been added to the early release. It’s delightful to be this close to finishing the book. I look forward to your feedback! www.oreilly.com/library/v…
Snark is the best medicine. I’d already read every Murderbot book. Thank goodness, when I needed a Covid book friend, there was: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi 📚
2024, Not a Great Start
Over the holidays, I had Covid. Symptoms began two weeks ago and I am still not recovered. For the first time in my career, I’ve had to cancel engagements and travel. This is both heartbreaking and a lesson. We need rest and self care. Whatever “push through it” career strategies we had before 2020, they are outdated.
The good news is, I’m reading more. Finished: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson 📚
Hello World