I had the pleasure of reviewing the
manuscript of Being
Geek: The Software Developer's Career Handbook
by Michael Lopp when it was still in the development stage. To put
it simply, I was really impressed. I'm not a regular reader of Rands
In Repose, so I hadn't seen most of the material before. It didn't
take long before I saw the value in what he wrote, and started thinking
of names of people who needed to read this when it was published.
Contents:
Section 1 - A Career Playbook: How To
Win; A List of Three; The Itch; The Sanity Check; The Nerves; The Button;
The Business
Section 2 - Deconstructing Management:
The Culture Chart; Managing Managers; The Issue with the Doof; The Leaper;
The Enemy; The Impossible; Knee Jerks; A Deep Breath; Gaming the System;
Managing Werewolves; BAB; Your People; Wanted; The Toxic Paradox; The Pond
Section 3 - Your Daily Toolkit: The
Nerd Handbook; The Taste of the Day; The Trickle List; The Crisis and the
Creative; The Foamy Rules for Rabid Tools; Up to Nothing; How to Not Throw
Up; Out Loud; Bits, Features, and Truth; The Reveal
Section 4 - Your Next Gig: The Screw-Me
Scenario; No Surprises; A Deliberate Career; The Curse of the Silicon Valley;
A Disclosure; Mind the Gap; The Exodus; Bad News About Your Bright Future;
Hurry; The Rules of Back Alley Bridge
Index
The author sets out to help the technologist,
one who wonders why the world of people doesn’t run with the same rules
and precision as computers, navigate through the real world of how life
works in an organization. Rather than approach the subject with a
slick methodology meant to be understood by business people, he cuts to
the core of the topics using language and stories that any geek would understand.
And that’s the value here… the techie will say “YES! I struggle/deal
with that exact same problem” as the author has been there, done that,
and thinks the same way they do. It’s written in a no-nonsense,
no-bs style which is just what most techies want.
It seems like too many books on managing
and surviving in a corporate environment assume a certain type of personality
that is closer to the average office worker than the hard-core technologist.
Or books that *do* focus on organizational skills for technology
workers seem to take a process approach or methodology, thinking that a
set of rules to follow will work all the time. The author here assumes
that the real world is messy, nothing fits into neat boxes, and the techno-geek
is a different animal. As such, his advice is much more realistic
than most other books that attempt to cover this topic in some way, shape,
or form.
This is targeted squarely at the person
for whom technology is a passion, not just a job that is 9 to 5. These
people are comfortable with other geeks or on their own digging into a
problem, but they don’t easily or readily grasp the intricacies and realities
of social interaction or corporate politics and gamesmanship. They
need someone to explain what’s going on, why things work that way, and
how they can figure out the rules so they have some shot at surviving long
enough to do what they love to do… build things.
I also appreciate that he tries to cover
the entire scope of a person’s stay with a company or organization. From
being hired to leaving for the next gig, from trying to relate to management
to standing in front of a group making an important presentation, this
book gives you three to six pages on various topics, easily digested when
you need to get a reality check in a given situation.
I’ve seen too many people who were
technically brilliant, but that you didn’t want to let out of a locked
room because you knew they’d get eaten alive in the real world. Being
Geek gives them a fighting chance
to adapt if they care to do so.
Book Review - 11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King
Sun, Feb 12th 2012 8:41p Thomas Duff While I end up liking most of the books
that I read by Stephen King, he isn't an author that I salivate over when
something new comes out. I'm not sure why, as I like the genre and the
style of writing. Perhaps I'll chalk it up to having too many other things
to read. :) Anyway, 11/22/63:
A Novel caught my interest in
terms of what it might be like to go back and prevent an event in history
that changed the world. Once I started reading, I was pretty much hooked.
King put a slant on [read] Keywords:
110
The Companion
Sun, Feb 12th 2012 3:50p Thomas Duff The Companion
Never far way, the companion follows.
An unwelcome traveler, tracking my steps.
I know the shadow is there, but I never
know where.
I run fast, but not always fast enough.
I'm caught, and the shadow surrounds
me.
All is darkness, direction is lost.
I know light exists outside the shadow,
but how deep is the darkness?
Will I break out into light with the
next step,
or will the journey out of the dark
be long?
I'll keep moving, keep hoping that the
n [read] Keywords: traveler
71
Book Review - Curse of The Narrows: The Halifax Disaster of 1917 by Laura M. Mac Donald
Sun, Feb 12th 2012 1:31p Thomas Duff I'm always amazed when I run across
a major event or disaster that I've never heard about before. That happened
last year when I was on a cruise that had a stop in Halifax. It was there
that I learned about the 1917 Halifax explosion that nearly leveled the
town. To get more information (and based on the recommendation of a friend),
I went to the library and picked up Curse
of The Narrows: The Halifax Disaster of 1917 by
Laura M. Mac Donald. It's not an easy read due to the overwhelmi [read] Keywords: mac
87
Book Review - How Do You Kill 11 Million People?: Why the Truth Matters More Than You Think by Andy Andrews
Sun, Feb 12th 2012 10:50a Thomas Duff How
Do You Kill 11 Million People
by Andy Andrews is one of those books that, on the surface, has a title
that seemingly begs to get people riled up. The mind quickly goes
to politics, ethics, religion, or a myriad of other issues that cause instant
controversy and division in today's society. But if you take a step back
and clear your mind, the message here is one that is true and transcends
labels that we place on people and groups. In short... how do you
kill 11 million people?
[read] Keywords:
384
Would you like to win a free copy of the IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Administration Guide?
Mon, Feb 6th 2012 6:08a Thomas Duff Do you like to win a free copy of the
IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Administration Guide?
Well, all you need to do is visit IBM
Sametime 8.5.2 Administration Guide
and tell us the one feature that makes you want to own this book in the
comments section below. Make sure to enter your email address, so that
I can in touch with you. Two individuals who have mentioned the best reasons
will be provided with an e-copy each.
This drawing will run through February 19th, and we'll select two winner [read] Keywords: administration
ibm
lotus
sametime
email
Managing your message at a social conference by deleting comments... Really?
Mon, Jan 16th 2012 11:27a Thomas Duff So I'm out on PlanetLotus, looking over
the blogs for today's OGS and such, when I find this blog entry from Avabiz
and ReduceMail: Come
talk to ReduceMail Booth 320: IBM’s Showcase Customer Went to Outlook.
I find that a little odd that a vendor
at Lotusphere would be taking that particular angle as a blog entry to
promote their product. But looking at all their blog entries, I see
the same pattern. People are defecting from Notes, so come talk to
us about our mail prod [read] Keywords: ibm
lotusphere
notes
outlook
planetlotus
156
Book Review - 1,000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, and Change Your Life by Linda Cohen
Mon, Jan 9th 2012 7:00a Thomas Duff One of my goals/resolutions for 2012
is to incorporate intentional acts of kindness as a regular part of my
daily life. About the same time I committed to that, I ran across this
title that became available at our library... 1,000
Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, and Change Your
Life by Linda Cohen. What perfect
timing... This gave me some ideas and inspiration for things I could do
above and beyond the "say something nice to someone" efforts.
It also caused me t [read] Keywords:
170
Book Review - Stories From Jewish Portland by Polina Olsen
Sun, Jan 8th 2012 8:27a Thomas Duff Portland has a colorful past, with varied
influences from multiple ethnic groups and cultures shaping the city over
the years. One group I hadn't seen covered much from that angle is the
Jewish community. How did they make it to Portland? What role did they
play in the city? What struggles and triumphs did they have? Polina Olsen
helps to answer some of those questions in her book Stories
From Jewish Portland. Olsen writes
a column called "Looking Back" for the Jewish Review, and here
[read] Keywords: community
office
897
Book Review - Micro: A Novel by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston
Mon, Jan 2nd 2012 5:35a Thomas Duff It's been a while since I've picked
up a novel by Michael Crichton. When our library put Micro
by Crichton and Richard Preston
into circulation, I grabbed a copy in order to try and catch up a bit.
I was a bit surprised when I read the intro and found that Crichton had
died and Preston took over to finish the novel. I think I probably heard
or knew about his death at one point, but I certainly hadn't remembered.
So how does this Crichton/Preston novel fare? I'll be honest... to
try [read] Keywords:
