For me, the amount of email that arrives is inversely proportionate to my amount of free time. This means the less time I have to read mail, the more mail that arrives. Greater minds than mine have attempted to tackle this unfortunate time management situation, so I’m going to keep it simple. You and I… More
Archives
The Second Test
A quick search of Rands in Repose archives reveals that I have never mentioned Piers Anthony as a major influence. I consumed the Xanth series over the course of several years, and am certain much of a formative teenage wit is based on the literary stylings of Anthony. These books have not aged well, or… More
You’re Not Listening
I don’t want to write this article. I believe there is no way to provide advice about listening without sounding like a touchy-feely douchebag. But I’m going to write this article because there is a good chance that your definition of listening is incomplete, and what I consider to be obvious and simple ways to… More
One More Thing
As each post-Steve Jobs event comes and goes, I wonder whether they’ll ever use “One More Thing” again. For those who haven’t watched a Steve Jobs keynote, “One More Thing” is an anticipatory moment that the Apple faithful have come to expect at the end. Just when it appeared that Steve was done with his… More
Managing Humans, 2nd Edition
I’m pleased to announce the 2nd edition of Managing Humans is now available. I’ve always wanted to write the preface to the 2nd Edition of a book. To me, a new preface implies that something has both timeliness to it, but continues to have more to say. It’s 2012, five years after the initial publication… More
Someone is Coming to Eat You
One of my favorite Apple product announcements happened on September 7, 2005. In an Apple music event announcement, Steve Jobs got on stage, gave the usual state of the business update, and then he did something I’d never seen before. He killed a wildly successful product. The iPod Mini was one of the most popular… More
Please Learn to Write
There’s been lots of buzz on the topic of whether or not you should learn to code. As an engineer, I don’t have unbiased thoughts on the matter. I tweeted Jeff Atwood’s piece because, well, I agree that it’s pretty silly to think that the world is going to be a better place if the… More
Two Universes
You wake up in a small, enclosed glass cube. There’s a bed, a toilet, a radio playing music, and other bare essentials, but no door. You have no idea why you are here or what’s going on. After a few minutes of looking around your tiny space, a calm yet creepy electronic voice begins speaking.… More
10 Years
April 2012 represents the 10th anniversary of Rands in Repose. I don’t normally celebrate these occasions, but serendipity has given me something to talk about. As you might have noticed, I’ve recently made a few design changes to the site. I’m honored to participate in Hoefler & Frere-Jones private beta for their forthcoming web fonts… More
Hacking is Important
Back in the early 90s, Borland International was the place to be an engineer. Coming off the purchase of Ashton-Tate, Borland was the third largest software company, but, more importantly, it was a legitimate competitor to Microsoft. Philippe Kahn, the CEO at the time, was fond of motorcycles, saxophones, and brash statements at all-hands meetings:… More