Author: iandick

The last few weeks have been full on, dominated by work and not much else. It niggled me that the weeknotes dropped after only three weeks, but when I kicked these off again I refused to get caught in having to post every week. I’d like to, but if I don’t have the bandwidth or feel in the right headspace to post then I won’t. There’s also a growing list of tasks that I need to put some effort into, but I keep pushing them back a week..or two…or twenty. Reading Ian Betteridge’s weeknote today struck a chord – I have a growing list of somedays that I need to turn into action. Is it an age thing? Is it laziness? I’ve got someday tasks from two years ago – thats really poor.

One interesting focus at work is growing the team, not just in numbers, but with the right training and opportunities. I think I’m getting bogged down in fairness for all with regards opportunities vs those that are  pushing for more and letting them flourish. Also had a few interesting discussions around how we could use and exploit ChatGPT or LLaMA but securely and reliably with confidence. I’ve ended up playing locally at home with LLaMA riffing on Simon Willis’s post on how to get it up and running. It feels even stranger that something running on my Studio is able to parse and have conversations with really good accuracy. Next area to dabble in is LangChain thanks to this post from Matt Webb. This plugged into some corporate data sources could yield interesting results.

I’m happy with my home office. A 34” ultra wide in the centre and a 27” 4k to the side is a great setup that works with the Apple Studio, the work laptop or the gaming PC. I’m much more productive with multiple screens – the more the merrier. The only niggle I’ve had is with the desk itself. One of my long time someday projects is to replace it with a sit/stand offering – something like the Jarvis. I’m more tempted this weekend as the Jarvis is on sale so will decide in the next day or two as it will require a rewire of some of the networking and also probably a paint refresh in the room. Thats why it’s a someday project as it’s not just swapping out the desk…but I do have some holidays coming up. Tempting.

The SNP leadership race is in “tremendous mess”. So says Mike Russell who’s running the race. Wow. When Sturgeon announced her resignation it was clear this was the end of an era in Scottish politics but the in fighting, resignations and stench around the SNP is surprising. We’ll know the winner of the contest and Scotlands next First Minister on March 27th assuming there isn’t more scandal around the process. I wonder if a losing candidate if it’s close will accept the result or ask for a re-run in light of some of the news in the last two days which comes a week after voting started. 

The Last of Us ended this week and did so strongly. A couple of slow episodes didn’t hurt the series which is one of the best in years. Also enjoyed A Man Called Otto. The Whale however was dire. Some other things that caught my attention:

• I love my dad trainers and New Balance make some of the best. This behind the scenes post looks at the past and also what’s next for this famous brand. 
• Stephen Wolfram had a detailed post explaining what ChatGPT is doing and why it works – a lot of detail in this one
• A reminder that Myers-Briggs is basically bullshit
• This is a stunning walkthrough of the Titanic using Unreal Engine 5. Maybe its time to upgrade the pc?
• Neat little video from my favourite movie website, Letterboxd, featuring some of this years Oscar nominees. I was so pleased that Everything Everywhere All at Once won big at this years event. Loved the film and the performances and it deserves to be celebrated. 
• Speaking of celebrating, congratulations to Jason Kottke who celebrated 25 years of Kottke.org. I’ve followed Kottke for years and the site is consistently one of my favourites.
• The Sony Design Library is gold. The minidisc brings back fond memories. The PSP was ahead of its time too. 
• Lander is a nice little browser game that has been blessed with a daily challenge. Todays effort – Daily Challenge #10 – 93.9 point landing1.5mph | 0.8° | 0 flips

Spent some time in Manchester this week meeting strategic partners. Good honest session and lots to take away and work into future roadmaps. Even the trains were on time which is remarkable. I don’t know why but trains are great for getting some work done and doing some country spotting, but the seats are just so uncomfortable for me.

Took the opportunity for an early morning walk around Salford. Media city and the investments there are huge, and it was also great to see Old Trafford in the flesh. Was a lovely crisp morning – spring on the way but love these blue sky cold starts. We also lucked into a great night at Alberts Schloss. Fantastic food but it was the live band that made the night.

Overwhelmed

I’ve lasted longer than normal but had to crack open the work laptop and catch up over the weekend. Not something I wanted to do but mentally I hated being so behind with commitments. Being more public about it than I normally would will get me back into keeping weekends work free. It also meant less media watching this week but did have time for:

• Ambulance – enjoyed it more than I expected. Won’t win any Oscars…and I guess Michael Bay found out about this new tech called drones cause every second shoot was a drone shot.
• Drive to Survive – although F1’s season last year wasn’t as drama packed Netflix still manage to squeeze out every last drop.
• Better – watched 2 episodes so far and it’s kept me interested. Wee bit formulaic.

Also want to thank cancel culture for finally dropping Dilbert from many newspapers around the world. I used to love Dilbert but it’s creator, Scott Adams, has been openly racist and thankfully his public racist rants on his Youtube channel this week have had consequences. I think this was my favourite quote – “This is not a difficult decision,” Chris Quinn, editor of the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, said in a letter to readers posted on Friday. “We are not a home for those who espouse racism.”

Over

Chvrches released their new single this week – Over. A fitting way to close off this weeks post – they just keep getting better and better.

Milder weather, almost springlike, and the crocuses are out around Glasgow. I don’t mind the cold but the slightly lighter mornings and nights are a big thing for me. Arriving home from work not in the dark makes such a difference. Also helps with the walks.

For a few years now I’ve got into the habit of doing a daily walk irrespective of weather. If I didn’t I’d be camped in front of some form of screen for the day. In fact there were days of just a couple of hundred steps which is so poor. So in December and January the walks before and after work are in the dark – its fine really but that little bit of light makes all the difference. The walks are also important for me, not just from a physical health perspective but also mental. A good way to prep or unpack the day.

Org Design

Spent some of this week thinking of my current and wider teams organisation design. Conway’s Law is a well known organisational concept in software design but feel its often overlooked. I stumbled on Chris Fleming’s post this week which references Conways Law but expands on it – some points to consider as Fleming concludes, sometimes there’s no easy answer.

Also had a team member resign this week. Lots to unpack with that one. Most memorable for the wrong reasons was a discussion on health and safety at work. Sobering.

Ticked Off

Mastodon is still working well for me – less politics and news, lots of tech, media and geek. Feels like early twitter. Musk’s paid blue tick nonsense was bad enough, but the removal of 2FA via SMS without much guidance on using alternatives is jaw dropping. Bigger surprise was news today that Meta is bringing in paid verification. For $12 a month (or $15 on iOS) you too can get a blue badge on Instagram or Facebook along with increased visibility and priority support. Your username will need to match an official government supplied ID document and your profile picture must include your face to be verified. Am I missing something or is this just a clone of Musks moves at Twitter? I’ve stopped using Twitter and Facebook and Instagram is heading the same way so this will have little impact on me directly but services now charging for what was free, like SMS 2FA, does not feel right, especially for improved security and protection.

Consuming

• Started watching Shrinking on Apple TV+ and I’m not convinced. Same team as Ted Lasso and can see similar dynamics in a different environment, but the character interaction is contrived and confusing.
• Still enjoying the Steam Deck. A real mix of new, smaller indie games and emulation. Emu Deck is highly recommended – unlocks so many great games.
• Watched Empire of Light and Devotion this week. Both fine films and had some parallels around historical race issues…but they also were strangely flat in pace. Neither seemed to change gear at all.
• Final shoutout to Poker Face – really enjoying the weekly “how to catch them”. Natasha Lyonne is fantastic.