Pragmatic Dictator

All seats are taken for what should be a really interesting day’s worth of interaction. But fear not, I’m reliably informed that the presentations will all be posted up on Google Video afterwards.

Nice one Google, many other conferences aren’t that willing to share.

Technorati Tags: google, scalability, conference, distributed systems

There’s truth in your lies
doubt in your faith
what you build you lay to waste
there’s truth in your lies
doubt in your faith
all I’ve got’s what you didn’t take

So I
I won’t be the one
be the one to leave this in pieces
and you
you will be alone
alone with all your secrets
your regrets
don’t lie

Linkin Park – Minutes to Midnight

Technorati Tags: linkin park, music, personal

I realized a while ago that I have this bunch of material I keep to hand at all times – thought it might be worth sharing. It’s in the sidebar on the right. I’ll be adding to it over time, for a start there’s some stuff over on my website that should be in there.

Enjoy.

Update: Added some more links and fixed all the one’s the stupid HTML editor didn’t correctly tag, mutter.

So many times the hardest part of moving things forward is effecting change in culture and habitual behaviours.

Habitual behaviours are the worst because one can accept the need for change, even be making it but also be completely unaware of subconscious behaviours from the old world getting in the way or continuing to drive us.

Self awareness then and being aware of our behaviours (consciously knowing what we are doing) is very important if we are to make key cultural change. It requires mentoring, questioning and motivating. Alas some people simply won’t be able to make the change. Most important of all, these changes happen sloooooowly. Although the more people who “get it” the more amplified the change gets and hopefully the quicker the remainder learn new habits.

So I’m left to ponder, just how often have we really changed things? How often have we fooled ourselves into believing we’ve achieved a revolution when actually we’ve managed little more than a slight evolution. If everyone can understand something so quickly is that not because it fits with existing understanding and behaviours? If everyone gets to carry over their creature comforts (gets what they are used to) have we not re-asserted old world thinking?

Technorati Tags: business, philosophy, technology

…is that it takes forever to achieve and by the time you deliver it, the world you built it for is gone.

Better to make a quick best guess, ship it and then iterate it in concert with the changing of the world.

Technorati Tags: philosophy, architecture, technology, design