Non disclosure agreements, closely held ownership, and elusive secrets to success are almost cliched hallmarks of the start up world of innovation and entrepreneurship. But it is the "in the open" accessible world of open source software that has driven the new reality we find ourselves living in.  Many people started working remotely last year due to the pandemic. Enabled by readily accessible technology, most people may not be aware how much of that tech is built upon foundations powered by open source software.
 

Can you remember when you first heard about communities of practice? I wish I could. I know I've had Etienne Wenger & Co's book "Cultivating Communities of Practice" on my shelf for a long time.  I may have "borrowed" it from my Mum. (Thanks Mum).

I'm currently (finally) reading Accelerate. So when I stumbled on this McKinsey report about Developer Velocity, I thought "Snap!", just as one does when playing that childhood card game when you see a match.

So what's the match?

It's still Ada Lovelace Day somewhere, so it's not too late for me to pause to honour a few extraordinary women who tech.

Farewell friend.

Marcus & Claire

I can't quite recall the last time we met. Was it at the Auction Rooms in North Melbourne, just before you joined RMIT? No - it was after that, you were at RMIT and we were talking about some Drupal sites you'd inherited. Or perhaps we just spoke on the phone? I wish I could remember that moment, now that you are gone.

I keep thinking about the opening lines of HG Wells' War of the Worlds.

So I grabbed it from Project Gutenberg (yay for the public domain) and read it out loud and recorded it.

Linked below if you want to hear it too.

Decision making is hard.  

I often worry if I'm making a good decision, or a snap judgement. 

There's an itchy tickle in the back of my throat.

I saw a doctor. She confirmed that yes, I probably have an upper respiratory viral infection, and no, I probably don't have COVID19. As I've not been overseas, or been in contact with anyone confirmed to have the novel coronavirus strain causing this global pandemic, I don't need to be tested.

For now. 

Doc says rest, fluids, and stay at home.  The usual prescription for colds and flu. But if it gets worse, or doesn't improve in a few days, come back and get another check up.

Speaker notes from my keynote at linux.conf.au 2020

Video - Slides

Who is watching? 
Why are they watching? 
Why does it matter? 
Why does it matter to you? 
Why does it matter to us ? 
And why might it matter to me?