Paths to Production Confidence, Part 1 of N 8 Aug 2013 | 05:23 pm

This started out as a short note explaining the unifying theory behind the Etsy development practices. Then it got out of hand (see also, Mark Twain’s “If I had more time…”). As such I’ve made it “Par...

Surviving being senior (tech) management 17 Jul 2013 | 06:55 am

I’ve got a short list of things I tell people they need to do to survive being senior management. This list has come up a bunch in the last week talking to different folks. So I’m writing it down so I...

Novels, Yes And Improv Comedy 25 May 2013 | 08:42 pm

So, here’s the insight I’m currently tossing around in my head: The problem is that software isn’t built; it’s written. The final product is not like the Bay Bridge. It’s like a novel. – Don’t build. ...

Mr Chaturong Nakmamee – Koh Tao, Thailand 19 Mar 2013 | 06:38 am

I met Mr. Chaturong this morning. It was 6:30am and he was waiting with his taxi and his 7yr old son to drive us to our dive spot. It was a peaceful morning, up a small mountain, some dew still on the...

Going on a honeymoon, be back soon 5 Mar 2013 | 07:40 am

The one thing that’s worked so far 11 Feb 2013 | 01:32 am

I gave a talk last October at the First Round CTO Summit on what we’d learned at Etsy about hiring great engineers and in particular great women engineers for our team, and a little bit about the prom...

Competence! 11 Feb 2013 | 01:26 am

When I first started sketching out the “Minimal competence” blog post in my head, I imagined it as part of a series. The series had three real functions: To layout a theory about our obligations as bu...

Are you here? A feature on the side 4 Feb 2013 | 01:44 am

I was talking with Aaron and Blackman a week or so ago about the state of reverse geocoding. This is the business of turning a lat/long into a named place. Besides a neat party trick it turns out that...

entrepreneurship, it’s also not just hacking up a website 8 Dec 2012 | 08:01 pm

“People think entrepreneurship is about sitting in a dreamy studio gazing out at nature whilst sipping a latte. In reality, it is a place like your studio, or sitting in your dining room in your pajam...

remembrance engines, from the comments 8 Dec 2012 | 07:57 pm

“I’d like to find a site that invites you to populate your own archive – a bit like Facebook does for you on its timeline, but in a more customisable way, and in a way that allows you to share with pe...