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.