Monthly Archives: November 2015

Agile and Scrum Balance Needs of Different People

I first encountered the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator in 19(cough, cough…) and have done quite a bit of reading about it since. I’m aware of its weaknesses but the primary interest for me is its role in making me aware … Continue reading

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Solving the Right Problem

The cover of the June 2010 issue of Mechanical Engineering magazine asked the question, “Can Visionary Engineers Revive Industry in America?” Here’s the question I would ask: Did engineers break industry in America? To ask the question is to answer … Continue reading

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Artists and Technicians

A lot has been written about learning styles but there are questions about how meaningful it is and I’m not an expert anyway. I have, however, always felt that there are two opposing approaches to learning that each end where … Continue reading

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How and Why I Got My Certifications

For years I never worried about getting certified in anything. I was steadily developing skills and picking up new things. I already had the jobs I wanted. I was able to learn what I needed from books or the occasional … Continue reading

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Getting “In The Zone”

I worked on nuclear power plant training simulators at Westinghouse with up to 250 colleagues. I obviously didn’t meet or get to know them all but I worked with and hung out with a bunch of them and some clearly … Continue reading

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What Can and Cannot Be “Homebrewed”

Americans (and many independent-minded people elsewhere) have always enjoyed solving problems on their own. There is nothing they won’t experiment with if they think it’ll do them some good. People have always worked with metal, wood, stone, leather, and cloth … Continue reading

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Right People, Right Analyses, Right Decisions

Some time ago I found myself in a gathering somewhere in the bowels of a large, very bureaucratic organization for which my company was doing some work. The room was full of forty or so senior managers and analysts, many … Continue reading

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End-of-Life for Old Computers

Many of the Level 2 systems I wrote were for new mills but a few were replacements for older systems. Replacements were sometime sought simply because the newer versions were more efficient and saved more fuel, but sometimes there was … Continue reading

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Three Plates of Spaghetti

Spaghetti is great for a meal but not so much for code.  I’ve had to deal with three major plates of spaghetti code in my career.  Here’s how they went and what I learned. I got to write all my … Continue reading

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Listen, Listen, Listen

I’ve heard it said that you can learn from anyone, but you can only do that if you actually listen to them. If they aren’t talking, ask. Even if you choose not to take anyone’s suggestions they’re likely to be … Continue reading

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