%$&*@!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

101 Ways To Know Your Software Project Is Doomed

See link - This would be funny if it wasn't largely true

World's youngest criminal ?

I had to get my baby daughter a passport so taking a suitable photo was a challenge. I think it looks like a mug shot. What do you think ?

Why do Management get to make the technical decisions ?

I overheard a discussion recently about the merits of various technologies and which direction our organisation should be going in. The thing is, the people discussion it were management and not people who actually have to deliver using those technologies.

How much time and money is wasted I wonder, because the decisions get made by the people higher up the chain as opposed to the people closest to the issues ?

Things never go well when people people aren't expected to 'eat their own lunch'.

Jobs Vacancies and me

I get a lot of emails and phone calls from people wanting to talk to me about jobs. I appreciate the interest, but most of the opportunities I am contacted about are not of interest to me. So to clarify:

• Please don't contact me about jobs in the finance industry. I already work in this industry and have lots of contacts here (unless you are offering 7 figure salaries ! )
  
• Please do contact me about jobs in other industries
• Please do contact me about jobs with flexible hours/days.
  
• Please do contact me if your project involves new and interesting technologies.

Thanks !

Signs you (or someone else) are no longer technically relevant

I have come across a lot of people in my career that are well past the point where they can continue to evolve with technology. These people tend to hold an organisation back, and need to be removed from areas of influence if not encouraged to move on completely. I hope I'm not one yet.

Here are what I believe some of the signs of this are:

• They consider Java a new and inovative technology
• They don't bother following industry news and developments
• They are resistant to the introduction of new technologies
• They worry about whether the open source software you propose will scale while they continue writing excel macros in vb script
  
• They think Linux is radical
• They are concerned about certifications from old school vendors
• They have been in the same job for more than 5 years

what do you think ? Am I being a bit harsh ?