Posts

Nearly three years ago I wrote about my ideas on Agile. Those ideas have evolved a little since then. It’s honestly just getting closer to Extreme Programming (XP).

I’m back to using Kanban at work and I can’t imagine going back to Scrum. At least for the ongoing maintenance combined with feature work I am doing currently.

What do I think now?

Just bin sprint reviews. Opt for just talking to people about what you’re working on. Maybe have a periodic session for knowledge sharing but only present stuff you think will be interesting or useful to other teams. Not just a list of tickets you’ve finished.

I was on my first podcast in years! The ASOS Tech Podcast.

I was interviewed about Tech Develops which ASOS’ monthly professional development time. Give it a listen, it’s a breezy half an hour.

A new edition of Warhammer 40,000 is out. To continue the tradition (8th 9th) here’s a post about it.

Since WarhammerFest my thoughts have solidified. I just don’t care for GW stuff at the moment[0] and that’s fine. The models in the Leviathan box look nice but I know I’d never paint them. In fact I’ve put all my Warhammer in the loft to make space for 15mm Second World War stuff. If you’re hyped and enjoying 10th, more power to you. I’m interested to see how the rules refresh plays out. I just don’t want to find out for myself 😂.

Another John le Carré (I’ve started the next one before posting this) and it’s another banger. The Yikes-O-Meter got going a few times but I expect this will be true for all of them.

Man, I fucking hate Carne and everyone from the Gown. It’s not difficult for me to dislike such establishments but JlC renders an odious place.

It’d be great to know if Smiley ever goes back to pick up the dog. That’d be very nice. Seems like he could do with a dog.

I had the urge to read some John le Carré so I picked up the first book featuring George Smiley. It’s actually great. A breezy 170 odd pages. A nice tight mystery that’s resolved very well. It’s definitely from a different age. At one point Smiley pops into a pub for a whisky and then goes off in his car.

I really appreciate that era of technology for a mystery. There’s no need to remove mobile phones arbitrarily. Post cards can become key plot points. It’s just very cool.

I played guitar for a while as a child and teenager. From 8 to 18 I had classical then contemporary lessons. I was alright at it. Teachers wanted me to practice more. I just wanted to be good enough to play Joe Satriani songs.

I didn’t take a guitar to university. When I went back to my parents I’d noodle around but my skill was fading. In the years after I sold my guitars.

Still on the military history kick. This time another Antony Beevor. Once again something I had a vague idea about but no details. Very good.

I’ve picked up another Beevor so expect that post in a few weeks.

I’ve been watching a lot of Storm of Steel for TooFatLardies related content. Alex does a lot of First World War scenarios which led me to realise I didn’t actually know much about the period. Secondary school history covered some of the lead up and the aftermath (knowing Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points were definitely worth a few marks in exams) but not a lot else.

There’s a lot of chat about Lions Led By Donkeys which is a position I’d been aware of but not held because frankly I didn’t know enough to have a stance. The Great War by Peter Hart puts a lot of evidence forward to dissuade you from such a position.

Golden Demon

As predicted in the previous post I didn’t win a Golden Demon. I made a good go of it despite losing enthusiasm fairly quickly.

I “finished” Fire Support the day before submitting it. After a crunchy fortnight beforehand. Photos below:

Under the nice lighting of the Golden Demon display case I thought it looked quite good. I didn’t feel like I had let myself down.

I read Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton after reading Terence Eden’s review of it.

I thought it was fine. Probably a really good intro to this sort of speculative fiction about tinkering with biology with a nice change of perspective for the protagonists.

Glad I’ve read it but I doubt I’ll re-read it. The ultimate fence sitting review. Just holding myself accountable to posting when I’ve wrangled my brain to pay attention to an entire book.