Tralfaz

Day: February 17, 2016

  • Skype fun

    Skype fun

    Way back in 2008 or 2009, I worked at a place that wanted everybody to use Skype for instant messaging, and for impromptu phone calls. Ostensibly to “save money”. So I was a good doobie, and got me a Skype account. My handle is gander2112.

    I used it off and on for a year or so, then I left, and frankly, except for when someone insisted upon using it, I didn’t even have it installed on my computer.

    Last summer, I got a few people hitting me through non-standard channels that my Skype account was spamming them. Alas, it had gotten hacked, and taken over. (more…)

  • Five little words

    Five little words

    Five little words. “That feature doesn’t sell products“. Seems innocuous enough, but it is the death of product development when uttered by engineering.

    Product Management is tasked with defining what a product should do, what features are needed, and how to compare/differentiate vis-a-vis with the competitors. We write requirements, and guide them into and through the development process.

    All to have engineering remove features that they don’t believe drive value. Unfortunately, engineering often isn’t cognizant the concept of “whole product“. That beyond the core widget are the services and traits of the product that extend the offering, and provide the unique value proposition, thus enticing the customer to choose to purchase your product or service. (more…)

  • Review: The Story of Maths

    Review: The Story of Maths

    A couple of weeks ago, I got a “recommendation” from Netflix about a show called “The Story of Maths“, so I tossed it on my list to watch.

    Last night, I was playing bachelor, so I fired it up. It is a BBC created series, with 4 one hour episodes (57 – 58 minutes each), with an engaging host, Marcus du Sautoy, who provides a lively narration. I watched the first two episodes (The Language of the Universe, and The Genius of the East), and was impressed.

    The focus is on the story, and he tells a (brief) compelling tale around the origins of mathematics, and the contributions of the Babylonians, the Egyptians, and the Greeks in the first episode, and then moves into the Chinese, Indians and Arabs in the second, before the West becomes a significant contributor. (more…)