summing up 54

i am trying to build a jigsaw puzzle which has no lid and is missing half of the pieces. i am unable to show you what it will be, but i can show you some of the pieces and why they matter to me. if you are building a different puzzle, it is possible that these pieces won't mean much to you, maybe they won't fit or they won't fit yet. then again, these might just be the pieces you're looking for. this is summing up, please find previous editions here.

  • patterns of software, a collection of essays on patterns, software, writing, business, and my life story. the two essays habitability and piecemeal growth and the bead game, rugs and beauty alone are worth reading the book. highly recommended (pdf)
  • the internet with a human face, one of the worst aspects of surveillance is how it limits our ability to be creative with technology. it's like a tax we all have to pay on innovation. we can't have cool things, because they're too potentially invasive. imagine if we didn't have to worry about privacy, if we had strong guarantees that our inventions wouldn't immediately be used against us. highly recommended
  • finding the right job for your product, by clayton christensen. it appears that the precipitating event that allows the winning strategy of an emerging company to coalesce is the clarification of a job that customers need to get done for which its product is being hired. it is only when the job is well-understood that the business model and the products and services required todo it perfectly become clear. then, and only then, can the company "take off". recommended (pdf)
  • a conversation with werner vogels, giving developers operational responsibilities has greatly enhanced the quality of the services, both from a customer and a technology point of view. the traditional model is that you take your software to the wall that separates development and operations, and throw it over and then forget about it. not here. you build it, you run it
  • "there is always a well-known solution to every human problem - neat, plausible, and wrong", h. l. mencken
  • paths of hate, short film by damian nenow

Want more ideas like this in your inbox?

My letters are about long-lasting, sustainable change that fundamentally amplify our human capabilities and raise our collective intelligence through generations. Would love to have you on board.