Support your local public library

I remember when I was a kid, Tuesday was my favorite day of the week. That was because that was library day. One of my parents would take me and my siblings to the local public library where we would check out books and magazines, take them home to read, and bring them back next …

Communication lessons from air disasters

I've always had a morbid fascination for air disasters.  (Don't ask me why; I have no idea.)  I'm fascinated by shows such as Air Disasters, Why Planes Crash,  and Mayday: Air Disasters.  Whenever I hear about a plane going down, I'll start thinking about what happened, clues, what might have caused it, and so on.  …

Networking for introverts

I'm sure that many of my friends would describe me as being outgoing, and even outspoken. I've spoken at a number of SQL Saturdays, and (as a musician), I've performed in front of audiences (I've long since lost my fear of performing int front of a crowd). So it might surprise some of you when …

Testing something? What’s the test plan?

Imagine if you will that you've been asked to test a product. The product could be anything -- software, a car, a kitchen appliance, a piece of sports equipment, whatever. For the purposes of this article, we'll say you're working at some company, and you've been asked to test a piece of software. You're told …

Dont rite so gud? Don’t let that stop you

Eye no that a Lot of ppl dont Right to gud. That shudnt keep ppl frum Riteing. Lot's of ppl dont Right gud. Did you have trouble reading that paragraph above? I actually had trouble writing it. The late Harry Chapin had a song called Six String Orchestra in which he intentionally plays badly. I …

Why design matters

"A user interface is like a joke. If you have to explain it, it’s not that good." -- unknown There are two elevators in the building where I work, including one that doubles as a freight elevator -- it has front and back doors for access.  This particular elevator has a bank of buttons shown …

Blind spots

"All I want from tomorrow is to get it better than today..." -- Bruce Hornsby (or Huey Lewis -- whomever you prefer) "You're only human; you're allowed to make your share of mistakes..." -- Billy Joel One of my favorite books is The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks.  For the benefit of those of …

The checklist manifesto

Some time ago, I came up with a new presentation idea that I tentatively titled "The magic of checklists."  The idea is to demonstrate how checklists can improve tasks in any organization.  I have a number of ideas regarding this presentation, and I'll expand upon them in a future 'blog article. As preparation for this …

Two books that influenced my life

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -- Martin Luther King, Jr. "Hold me now; it's hard for me to say I'm sorry; I just want you to stay..." -- Chicago, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" I play the piano in a …