Life Imitates Code

Essays in business, design, coding, testing and teaching

2016

How about a refactorthon? Coding, December 2016
What's the greatest piece of advice you've ever received? Business & Work, November 2016
Why sports matter to some of us Business & Work, November 2016
Camraderie and recognition inside the development team Coding, October 2016
Make good decisions Coding, September 2016
Finding comfort in the uncomfortable Business & Work, September 2016
There are rockstars and there are bands Coding, August 2016
The mythical couch-lift Business & Work, May 2016
Sometimes archaic technology is the most effective kind Business & Work, May 2016
Finding those “clear glue” moments Teaching, May 2016
The unintended byproducts of refactoring code Coding, May 2016
Why I (still) write code Coding, March 2016
How the evolution of baseball stadiums might inform the future of web design Design, March 2016
Hiring into boundaries Business & Work, January 2016

2015

The psychological battle of big refactorings Coding, September 2015
Why it is hard to write about code Coding, September 2015
An homage to strict coding Coding, August 2015
A primer on delivering a good presentation Teaching, July 2015
The personal lessons I've learned in business Business & Work, June 2015
The overlooked benefits of making yourself busy Business & Work, June 2015
Building the optimal users database model Coding, May 2015
Where automated testing should (and shouldn't) fit in your strategy Testing, April 2015
Do what you love, but know what love is Business & Work, April 2015
Programmers should be a part of the design process Design, February 2015
Give away the punchline Teaching, January 2015

2014

Cut the problem in half Testing, November 2014
The hard thing about testing Testing, October 2014
The face on the other side Business & Work, July 2014
Programming's three life lessons Coding, July 2014
A remote-first approach to the workplace Business & Work, June 2014
The least you can do Coding, May 2014
Want fewer bugs? Test these five cases Testing, April 2014
Quiet please: The benefits of online chat Business & Work, March 2014
A fast code culture Coding, February 2014

2013

Thinking through your problem Business & Work, August 2013
The by-products are everywhere Business & Work, April 2013
Humility is at the heart of every problem solver Business & Work, March 2013
There will never be a programmer in the White House Coding, February 2013
The golden rule on creating rules Business & Work, February 2013
Write code to read it, not bow to it Coding, January 2013
Create your own sense of urgency Business & Work, January 2013
Reaching programmer's nirvana Coding, January 2013

2012—

Teach abstraction through concreteness Teaching, August 2012
Legacy code is good for your company culture Coding, August 2012
Who is the new business programmer? Business & Work, April 2012
Time your details Teaching, December 2010
Treat time as an ingredient Coding, February 2010
Being your own boss is about being your own employee Business & Work, January 2010
Building an ISV on top of a client business Business & Work, August 2009
The fallacy of first impressions Design, January 2009