Let’s just say I was testing the bounds of society. I was just curious. –Jim Morrison (1943 – 1971) I’ve been contemplating experimenting with some change, but I’m not really sure what is going to work and what won’t. In some ways that dilemma mirrors my coding style. Often when I embark on a project, I’m not entirely clear whether or not what I’m doing will work or not. I mean, I think it will work…but I’m really not absolutely positive. When I code…stuff happens. I guess I

A post on “Executable Design” from Chris Sterling inspired me today. I’ve started running TDD workshops with the teams that I work with. It’s one of the most challenging things I’ve done in a while. Part of the challenge lies in exercising my technical skills – nothing exposes you to a group like coaching directly on coding techniques. Developers can smell your fear… However I find that technical issues aside, acceptance of TDD lies in doing a lot of listening. And I mean a L

OK, so by now, many have read my first missive regarding my annual sado-masochistic ritual of decorating the house for Christmas. I’ve just finished the whole embarrassing production once again. Time for a little retrospective: So let’s start by reviewing our objective… Goal: To win the Elf Award for the best Christmas lights in my subdivision so that I can revel in the glory and adulation of my neighbors and idle passers-by. What Went Well: More lights than last year Key dis

Every once in a while I have one of those, “Science catches up with reality.” moments. Take, for example, this weekend. I was putting the Christmas lights up on our house. You know, that yearly ritual where an otherwise sane man will risk life and limb in the pursuit of putting more lights on the outside of his house than his neighbor has. I fall victim to this peculiar form of insanity about once every 12 months. So there I was, cursi