Stuff I Have Found Interesting Today

The Management Myth

I great read and a must read for any one who buys too many management books. If you read it all the way you will find a few gems (e.g. "In a sense, management theory is what happens to philosophers when you pay them too much.")

 

Rules no one teaches but everyone learns

Fascinating little story about how a non-native speaker learns the order of adjectives in English. I hope I remember this next time I am writing.

 

Google server and data center details

Iteresting how they save money, energy & get more out of your hardware in their newest data center. Those Googlers sure are smart. 

 

Re: How much refactoring?

Ron continues with an even better anology for software and refactoring: Driving a car and steering. Followed by some back and forth and ending in post 38044 by Ron again. Good stuff for those that aren't rock solid on Refactoring.

 

Rehire Every Employee, Every Day

Jurgen's latest. Good point for those managers out there. I'm not sure how well this would work in a larger organization, but take the information for what its worth.

 

What Do You Want?

Oswald Chamber's daily devotional was quite enlightening to me today.

 

I discovered a new blog assertTrue() and thus a list of his posts:

• Two techniques for faster JavaScript
  I learned some tricks and a new piece of jargon "Memoization" 
• Can you pass this JavaScript test?

  I didn't do well, but I was close on a few that would have pushed me over the line. If you have javascript on your resume, so yourself a favor and take this.
• Automatic Update Hell Must End

  Funny look at those annoying automatic updates.
• Where are the RIA "killer apps"?

  Interesting and humorous take on RIA and how AIR has a head start.
• What the heck is a meme anyway?

  The title says it all.

 

Another blog, recommended by the overlords at Google: Gemba Panta Rei

• Ask Gemba: Nuts and Bolts of the Andon System Interesting becuase it talks about manufacturing, but the answers are not so narrow (e.g. "A blame-free culture. It is completely safe to expose problems. Leaders ask "Why?" and not "Who?" ") 
• The A3 Thinking Blog
  More marketing their book that anything, but I learned something about A3 thinking (e.g. there are 7 elements):

1. Logical Thinking Process
2. Objectivity
3. Results and Process
4. Synthesis, distillation, and visualization
5. Alignment
6. Coherency within and consistency across
7. Systems viewpoint

• Plan Do Czech Act 
  More for the pictures of Prague, but I like the opening:

  If there are three things I can't resist they are:

  1. Creating lists,
  2. Teasing the possibilities out of words, and
  3. Attempting to inject levity and fun into teaching kaizen.