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It's about the curry

It's about the curry

A talk on craft, survivor bias, and focusing on the details

Ricardo J. Méndez

February 02, 2018
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  1. It’s about the curry
    Ricardo J. Méndez
    [email protected]
    @ArgesRic
    https://mastodon.social/@ricardojmendez

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  2. @ArgesRic http://tiny.cc/rjm
    The biases
    • Software engineer
    • Running teams for ~20 years
    • Running a consultancy for 10+ years
    • Can end up working with 2-3 teams a year.

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  3. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Sure, we all love craft.
    Totally.

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  4. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Can’t define it.
    Some high and lofty artistry-
    focused definition

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  5. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Nobody likes to be an assembly line
    piece waiting to be automated.


    Craft sounds like a good way of not
    getting Mechanical Turk’d.

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  6. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Doing things by hand? Skill?
    Tradition? Quality?

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  7. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Consistently avoiding shortcuts
    so you can get a better result.

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    Survivor Bias

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  16. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    That’s an end state, not a
    process.

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  18. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    "Most people have too exalted an idea of what
    art must be to connect their own impulses to
    create with delivering themselves."
    — David Cronenberg

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  19. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Consistently avoiding shortcuts
    so you can get a better result.

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  20. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Find allies who share your
    aesthetics

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  21. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Everybody can tolerate doing
    something ugly, but for a while.

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  22. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    “Wow, that's nice”
    “I found a beautiful fix for this case”
    “You should see how well this all fits together”

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  23. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Shared aesthetics help with
    definitions.

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  24. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Allies are not just co-workers.

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  26. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Shared aesthetics generate trust.

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  27. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Shared aesthetics make jamming
    easier

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  29. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Your focus is on doing your part.

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  31. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    You’ll need know to pick up after
    others, to help.
    So will they.

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  32. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Enjoying the aesthetics of what
    you're creating is rewarding.

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  33. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Diversity generates interesting
    aesthetics.

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  34. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Running a team?
    You’re not a conductor,
    you’re a stage hand.

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  35. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Shortcuts are tempting

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  36. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Arrange situations so doing the
    right thing is easier.

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  37. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Define best practices.
    Build good habits.
    Train. Repeat.

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  38. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Best practices don’t care if you’re
    having a good day.

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  39. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Allies are part of this support
    structure.

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  40. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    A tolerance for past mistakes

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  41. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Improvement correlates with
    how much you can tolerate
    cringing at your past work.

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  42. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Allies give you perspective.
    Allies challenge you.

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  43. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Yes, you will exert yourself

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  44. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    The wrong people will turn your
    entire day into table-flipping
    o'clock.

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  45. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Crafting is about shaping the
    result

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  46. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Find a place where people see
    the value you provide.

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  47. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    It’s not an extra, it’s the job

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  48. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Focus. Work.
    Consistently.

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  49. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Not the CCO

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  50. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Don’t let the madness
    get lost in the method

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  51. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    You need to bring something
    from yourself.

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  52. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Frameworks are training wheels
    for the mind.

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  53. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Frameworks are other people’s
    choices.

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  54. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Wait, didn’t you just say…?

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  55. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    A certain disregard for authority

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  56. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Whatever experience they have.
    Whomever they are.

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  57. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    *And that includes me.

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  58. @ArgesRic https://tiny.cc/rjm
    Thank You

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