So I skipped last week’s entry without any notice. Easter weekend kept the family and I plenty busy. Spring warmth has finally arrived here in central Virginia, a nice seasonal note to follow up Easter. Hope this week’s missive finds you well. Here are some reads that got me thinking this past week.
Charity Majors wrote some thoughts on how to build trust as a software vendor. As an engineer who has sat on calls with vendors, I can confidently say that her advice is commendable. I especially appreciate her last point about being generous with expertise — the knowledge and experience of those selling the software I was working with (HT to Timescale and Tabular) definitely helped steer my colleagues and I towards more productive ends.
Matt Crossman wrote about his experience at a "GrowRuck" training event. Having recently undergone an "Impact" ruck myself, which is a milder, abbreviated form of the overnight hell he endured, I remembered my experience fondly while reading his piece. That word, "fondly", may sound odd, but once you know, you know. I'm hoping to write about it in more detail at another time.
I completely share Warren Ellis' concerns about Substack's new "notes" feature. I really hope the "enshittification" of Substack hasn't begun — I've been a fan of this service as a writing platform for a while. But, the brief glance I took at notes certainly looked similar to the hellscape of the Bird App. It's a bummer to see writers I respect engage in the snip and snark that this format seems to necessitate. See also Alan Jacobs' recent experience of Substack's poor privacy defaults.
Ted Gioia calls trust the scarcest thing in the world. In the digital realm, I'm inclined to agree. Score one more for print books and embodied relationships. HT Alan Jacobs.
Clare Coffey's "How to Make Friends" was an absolute delight to read. I co-sign on every item in here. The need for serendipituous, casual interactions is one reason I find myself working out of a coworking space right now, and something I genuinely miss about having an office. I'll need to write more about that in the future.
Robbie