I write regularly about writing itself, with the human challenges of software engineering and sketches of things I’m thinking about for the future. Many of these blog posts have a technical nature but the thread is that they are all deeply human.
Popular posts by category are shown below. If you want more then be sure to check out the full archive.
Craft and Creativity
Posts about the craft of writing. Essays on storytelling, writing prompts, lessons from the writing process and books I love.
- Why I Wrote a Novel Instead of Another Business Book
I’ve read a lot of books about software engineering. More than I care to count. The Phoenix Project. The Unicorn Project. Dozens of others with subtitles promising to transform your organisation, revolutionise your delivery, or unlock… Read More »Why I Wrote a Novel Instead of Another Business Book - The Myth of The Ideal Reader
There is a theory that says you should have your ideal reader (or watcher) in mind when you write. All the experts say you need to find an ideal reader. So do you? And how do… Read More »The Myth of The Ideal Reader - Writing Like Murakami
I walk into the corridor. It’s long and bright, with glass walls to little cubicles on either side. He walked slowly, balancing carefully on the soles of his feet, as he made it towards the kitchen… Read More »Writing Like Murakami
Human Stories and Inner Worlds
Personal essays, life experience, reflections on identity, change, memory, and growth.
- Why does the tech world always appear as dystopia, utopia or a joke?
Pick up almost any novel or film about the technology industry, and it will fall into one of three categories. It will be a warning with the systems winning, humans crushed under the weight of progress… Read More »Why does the tech world always appear as dystopia, utopia or a joke? - Why Your Colleagues Aren’t Your Friends
A thread on the Rands Slack recently caught my eye. It was top of mind, given that I had just started a new role, and because it had been concerning me throughout my career. Why do… Read More »Why Your Colleagues Aren’t Your Friends - Legacy Systems and the Cost of Hidden Technical DebtOne of the most important recurring technical themes I explore in Human Software is how chronic underinvestment in core legacy systems, in favour of either aggressive expansion or assumed obsolescence, leaves engineers having a terrible time.… Read More »Legacy Systems and the Cost of Hidden Technical Debt
Ideas and Meaning
Long-form contemplations on life, purpose, systems thinking beyond tech, philosophy, social dynamics and cultural patterns.
- What Made Me Code
The feeling of control is complete. I have a world that I can control in miniature. I can add things to it. I can remove things. I can test how it reacts. I can simulate nature.… Read More »What Made Me Code - James Cameron’s Terrible Art is a Warning To Us All
I got into an argument with AI the other day because I didn’t like a piece of art. Specifically, I didn’t like the art in the film Titanic. The drawings that the character “Jack” makes in… Read More »James Cameron’s Terrible Art is a Warning To Us All - The Real Value of Team Topologies
What is Team Topologies? Is it a framework? Is it a set of principles? How can you start using it without having a big-bang, top-down approach? And is that ever the right approach? Two years ago… Read More »The Real Value of Team Topologies
Imagination and Speculation
Thought experiments, alternate worlds, future possible realities, essays blurring speculative fiction with real life.
Conversations and Interviews
Dialogues with writers or thinkers, reflective interviews and guest posts.
Fiction and Narrative Experiments
Serialised fiction, speculative essays, character sketches, short stories and narrative prose.
- Making Her Smile
There was only one problem. The tree wouldn’t fit through the door. I try again, but it would be a case of losing too many needles, not to mention paint, wall ornaments and that table looks… Read More »Making Her Smile - My Dispassionate Friend
On that day, I took the usual train away from my normal station to another place. A place out on the promontory, the shell and shingle bank that runs between the chalk cliffs of this land.… Read More »My Dispassionate Friend
Leadership
Legacy articles about leadership.
- No one Knows How These Systems Are Supposed to Work
I’m on a call where it’s obvious that no one knows how to fix this system, because no one is confident in their understanding of it. How many times have you been on that call? When… Read More »No one Knows How These Systems Are Supposed to Work - It’s not all Plain Sailing
To sail is to be in constant uncertainty. The sea is never the same twice. The conditions are never the same twice. There are no two boats alike. Crews change. The experience is never the same.… Read More »It’s not all Plain Sailing - The Secrets of Quiet Leadership
I’ve been reading Quiet by Susan Cain. Only a few pages in I’m reminded about a story that makes me ashamed and a little sad. I was a new engineering manager trying to establish myself in… Read More »The Secrets of Quiet Leadership
Architecture
- Emergent Architecture and Beating the Monolith
What does it mean to support, extend or even replace a monolith and should we even try? I explore the landscape as it is now – when we feel under pressure to “do microservices” yet we… Read More »Emergent Architecture and Beating the Monolith - Do Bounded Contexts and Domain Driven Design even matter?
One of the core concepts of Domain Driven Design (Eric Evans) is the Bounded Context. According to Martin Fowler: Bounded Context is a central pattern in Domain-Driven Design. It is the focus of DDD’s strategic design… Read More »Do Bounded Contexts and Domain Driven Design even matter? - Causes of Tech Debt and Legacy
I have talked about this on the podcast but wanted to break out a list of potential items that cause tech debt and legacy into groups to be used as a reference. Do you recognise any… Read More »Causes of Tech Debt and Legacy
Engineering
- The Passive-Aggressive Pull Request
When I first wrote this post, in May 2024, I was reacting to a visceral experience I’d just had at work. As was my way at the time, I was trying to expand that feeling into… Read More »The Passive-Aggressive Pull Request - The Case for Sufficiency in Software
For years, our industry has tried, to some extent, to make computing greener. It’s done by encouraging developers to write more energy-efficient software. We have created Green Software initiatives. We’ve embraced FinOps, carbon reporting, server utilisation… Read More »The Case for Sufficiency in Software - The Data Centre Fight isn’t Really About AI
Brian Merchant’s piece on the data centre rebellion on his Blood in the Machine substack is worth reading in full and carefully. It’s a fascinating and nuanced look at who profits from the arrival of data… Read More »The Data Centre Fight isn’t Really About AI