Yup! I still remember my engineering mentor showing me my first white paper in 1995. I didn't understand a word of it (for real it was way over my head but he was a savant). But I knew someday, I too would share my learnings with the world.…
Back in late 1998, I was running one of the top πππππ¨π§ππ¬ fan websites called "ππ πππ’πππ‘ππ¬". I was just a Sacramento kid, completely obsessed with Deftones, the hometown band who felt like they knew me πΈ The site wasn't just some side projectβit was my heart and soul,…
(Continued from: "Your Technical Interviews Suck!" ) I get together with a group of engineering leaders regularly, and this topic continues to come up and we roll our eyes and laugh. πππ ππππ ππππ π€ Since 1996, Iβve never found myself in a situation where Iβm working, then suddenly brought before…
I get emotional, knowing that the blankets of memories Iβm making with my family will one day come to an end.Β I recognize all they will have are these blankets, and I hope they snuggle with them, reflecting on what we created together. These memories are all I am…
Claiming your company uses or features AI is π§π¨π a. selling. point. or. a. bonus. Thank goodness when we bought our cars, the salesman told us that they use robots in the factory! When I pick a restaurant, I make sure they are bragging that their kitchen has ovens. Our banks…
When I was their age, I was a legend in the 80s and 90s...... lets take a step back for a moment. I Dug Tunnels. My baseball cards were organized in their boxes, carefully collected through incredible trading skills, and treated like gold. I'd trade for my favorite…
The Future of Oral Care Is Agentic! Story time!! Lets go back to my California roots. The California Gold Rush, retold to be historically accurate today. Nobody found gold. A guy wrote "GOLD" on a rock and got funded. A man who had never touched dirt gave a…
"AI Architect" even though all that's happening is words are being slapped into a system prompt. I'd love to see that job description. Hrmmmmm... on that note, I must be a "Civil Engineer" because I drove over a bridge today. Time to…
I meet regularly with engineering leaders. Startups to Series C. 25-30+ years in the game. WE'RE OLD, OK? GET OFF MY LAWN! Anyway, the same topic always comes up: hiring. Engineering leaders!!!!! Your PRs get more scrutiny than your candidate. You seem to spend 3 weeks debating a…
My son is an AEMT at a local fire department, and I just learned, that they use software I built in 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Circa 2011, I had an idea and pitched it to everyone who would listen, securing a $1M investment. I wasn't trying to conquer the world nor…