This week I have learned:
- three engagements coming to a close (or to significant milestones) at the same time has been a bit overwhelming. Partly because of the workload, but I think also because of the confluence of three sets of endings where team members will disperse off to do other things.
One of the biggest sense of reward I get from my work is the part I have to play in building teams that work well and get on with one another. As a result the disbanding stage I find hard. Three at once trebly-so. - I’m fascinated by the way in which software development is changing (or not) in the light of generative technologies. It strikes me that the less-ambiguous nature of software code compared to human language should make it much more susceptible to being done by machines.
I’m using Notebook LM to do quite a bit of writing at the moment, and it’s amazing as a starting point, particularly when you are trying to distill loads of prose, but the quality of the words is quite underwhelming when you start to really read them. Will this be the case for code? Maybe… - I had a conversation with a friend about toxicity in workplaces this week. It’s amazing what we are expected to put up with. The concept of employment, and the mythology of its security, really does constrain agency.
You’re only employed for as long as your notice period. - Been doing quite a bit more thinking about what makes for a good consultant. It’s all trainable, apart from the bits that aren’t…
- A client this week said that he’s realised that the problems they face aren’t technological, but people and structures and process. This was a huge validation of the work we’ve been doing.
There are no such things as “technology” problems. They are the manifestation of human issues, and they cause human problems. You can’t simply “fix the technology”.
The UK government in its current wave of techno-optimism should take note. - Anyone who things that Elon Musk has only recently gone bad really needs to take a long, hard look at Musk’s history.
- I’m unduly excited about this week’s Cardstock.
- Doing daft things with rubber ducks on LinkedIn keeps me sane.
The week in media
Read:
Listened:
- been getting back into Billy Nomates
Watched:
- Hattie, the docudrama about Hattie Jaques on the iPlayer. Ruth Jones is wonderful in the lead roll.
- Last one Laughing on Prime. Very amusing.
- The Residence on Netflix. A beautifully-constructed murder-mystery in a similar vibe to Knives Out films.
Next week
Wrapping up stages.
The week in photos:
mmitII 