Exploring the human factors that make software engineering so unique, so difficult, so important and all consuming. Learning to work with the systems, not against them.
The Human Software 284 - Pluribus
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Aside from being a writer, I'm also an avid film and TV watcher. This week we were blessed by the arrival of Pluribus on AppleTV. It's a speculative science fiction series written by Vince Gilligan, co-creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. He's someone who knows what they are doing when it comes to writing, producing and directing these incredibly successful series. More than that though, he picks the best people and directs them with ease. Here's a bit on when Vince Gilligan knew that Rhea Seehorn would be his next lead: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQxG6OyDfwJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Also, if you're a super fan of Better Call Saul (as I am) then you could do a lot worse then watch some of the table reads. Here is a perfect example of the art of Rhea Seehorn and Bob Odenkirk in action. Pluribus itself? It's great - go watch the first two episodes immediately. It also deserves its own blog post which is already in the works. Talking of promoting new shows, this week I'm embarking on a podcast tour and next week I'll be talking about Human Software in front of some real humans! Eek! You can help me out in the meantime, I hear that if you get 20 followers on Amazon than this unlocks extra insights. Would you do me a favour and visit my author profile on Amazon and follow me! That will help with the algorithm. Thank you! https://www.amazon.com/stores/Richard-Bown/author/B0FRK6KMYW Have a great Sunday! |
The Human Engineer
Exploring the human factors that make software engineering so unique, so difficult, so important and all consuming. Learning to work with the systems, not against them.
January is over. The longest month! I managed to get a break in Chamonix, nominally to do some skiing, but for the most part it was marvelling at the beauty of it all. The world around us. So, I'm in the alps taking a break from the uncertainty of the present and facing my own mortality on the gentlest slopes near Mont Blanc. It's wonderful being up there with friends, I feel very lucky, and I also don't feel any real need to push myself like I would have done in the older days. I went out...
A few weeks before Christmas I asked ChatGPT a series of questions along the lines of "ok, so what next?" I was out of ideas. I was tired. My freelance contract was coming to an end so I was already looking for a new one. Launching Human Software had been exhilarating but exhausting. I'd burned the candle at both ends on social media plus done some podcasts (a few of which are yet to see the light of day) and also put myself in front of bookshops and chased reviews and talked talked talked...
REBRAND ALERT!! So it's been a while since I renamed this newsletter but I feel it's due a slight sidestep following the launch of my book. So welcome to episode 286 overall, but episode #1 of The Human Engineer. Despite me constantly rename this newsletter, over these years the subject has never really varied too much. I talk about software systems and how they relate to human systems. I find my work increasingly focusses on the human side of the this divide - because it is a divide right?...