In 1981 Robert Cox came up with a slogan for Ford; “Quality is Job 1”. It has always stuck with me. In the software industry there are few slogans could be further from the truth. C-level’s and other customer facing types frequently proclaim the “quality” of their products, but they aren’t the ones making the product. They’re frequently not even the ones using the product. In software there are two viable ways to release quality software.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Scuttlebutt lately (see my Why Scuttlebutt post), and Srol just wrote a great post about how Mastodon makes the internet feel like home again. There’s a lot of good reasons for people to use tools like them for socializing online, and I don’t want these services to just wither as their users wander off. I want there to be options that aren’t controlled by large companies, but at the same time services that require servers (like Mastodon) need someone to pay for those servers.

At its core, being a manager is about power. I feel that many managers fail to understand what that power is for. A manager is a lot like being the King or Queen of a tiny, tiny kingdom. The sovereign of a country can impose their will upon their people, but that’s not their job. A sovereign’s job is to keep their people safe, happy, and prosperous. The more prosperous the people become, the more power they gain.

The thing about today is that we have the power. We, can destroy this fear. Not by being stoic. Not by being “strong”. By smiling. By being human. By being the neighbors we wish we were surrounded by. Go outside. Smile at a stranger. Ask someone how they’re doing and mean it. Listen. Yesterday’s act was horrific, but I will light up this mother fucking town with smiles, because we are alive, and this world is filled with brilliant people with warm hearts, and their own 200 watt smiles, just waiting to shine.

I just turned down an interview with Apple. There are a few companies who, when they call with a job offer you’ll respond with “fuck yes”. Apple is on that list for me. And yet… A recruiter called me the other day. Apple needs someone and my particular skillset and background. It seemed to be a pretty good match, and she’d been looking for a while. An internal tool building kind of job, in a language I enjoy, for a company I admire?

This post was written as response to The Travel Chica’s post about the flooding of the Atacama The Travel Chica just discovered that “the driest place on the planet is flooding”. The two most beautiful places on my itinerary for Chile have experienced environmental disasters just before my arrival. First, there was the fire in Torres del Paine. And now the driest place on the planet is flooding. … I just spent US$100 on a bus ticket to get here, dealt with the discomfort of an overnight bus ride, and left a city I loved and wanted to explore more.

… and it reminded me of everything I hope for. The man in question had serious physical disabilities. His left foot pointed almost directly inward. His legs didn’t seem to be oriented in the way that yours or mine are. I suspect his spine didn’t curve in a typical direction either. He walked forcefully, arms flailing out to the sides. His feet stamped their way into the concrete. With every step you feared he might topple forwards, but he didn’t.