My favorite challenge is a turn-around situation where the software product or team needs revitalization or a new direction. Team me with a CTO or tech lead who has ideas and technical depth and I'll provide the right level of organization and management to succeed.
Best wine related quote of 2011 from Jay Mcinerney at the WSJ: http://on.wsj.com/rO37yd
Try to get this nasty Burgundy habit under control. Burgundy is like the girl from Bennington who made me miserable my sophomore year at Williams College: She keeps breaking my heart, but I’m obsessed, crazed with lust, spending ridiculous amounts of money on the object of my desire. Because when she’s good, she’s very, very good…
Good productivity tips. I know I use item #3 a lot. http://ping.fm/vYCVe
I often run into a question about the difference between User stories and Epics. Here’s one good explanation. http://bit.ly/vVUFG3
Just completed modifying my Dutch health insurance policy on-line. While it’s really not all that notable, it’s a big deal to me because:
1. I didn’t have to call or speak to anyone on the phone. (Saving me trying to communicate in very basic Dutch, having someone tell me curtly - “Oh just speak English) or worse, not understanding me or not able to speak English and having to get someone who does.)
2. I could make changes and see what impact they’d have on care and cost before I committed to them.
3. I could navigate through everything slowly, using Google Translate when necessary to understand the info (everything was in Dutch).
4. I didn’t have to fill out any paperwork and mail it in.
There was some work to do in getting an on-line ID and in understanding where to click to make changes (the UI is pretty basic), but the experience was positive one. Good job VGZ.nl. Now if only T-mobile let me do the same.
At last! Purchasing a book on B&N US website will allow it to be downloaded to my iPad in NL. They used to block this. Small victory.
I love European open air markets. Just back with some delicious black figs & dutch cheese.
