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Screen-Time, Dangers and Fallacies
Reading Time: 5 minutesParental Struggles with Screen-Time
As a parent, the general notion of screen-time is challenging to disregard. I spent a lot of time thinking about it, as it is a concept that bothers me. It is also an important concept that cannot be ignored as it hides real risks. What troubles me is not the widespread concern about the dangers of screen-related obsessive behaviors; that concern is healthy, and I share it. The problem I have is more about semantics, generalizations and dangerous nuances.
Screen-time is an expression that describes any time spent in front of a screen. Watching TV, playing video games, reading e-books, using social media, reading or watching the news, watching videos, coding, etc. It is all technically screen-time; but, is all screen-time bad? ...
Doodle Tuesday: Abstract Landscapes and Extrusions
Reading Time: 1 minuteIt’s Doodle Tuesday again!
I have been an active (amateur) landscape photographer for well over twenty years. I took a break from photography a couple of years ago due to time limitations. However, glimpses of impossible abstract wide-angle landscapes crop up in my doodles, merged with three-dimensional objects.
I am not sure what this is, but it appeared on my page during a meeting.
Doodle Tuesday: Hole
Reading Time: 1 minuteIt’s Doodle Tuesday again!
As you might already know, I switched to a reusable notebook and Frixion pens a few weeks ago, and I still love it. I don’t think that I’ll go back to a Moleskine and conventional indelible ink anytime soon.
Now, looking at my most recent doodles, the underlying theme appears to be “gaping holes,” or something like that. I am not sure why. My subconscious makes that kind of decision without giving any explanation to my conscious.
This Tuesday doodle is part of that series (the first one I publish). What do you think? ...
Product Vision, Agile, and Going to the Moon
Reading Time: 6 minutesVision:
(noun)
a vivid mental image, especially a fanciful one of the future.
A Clear Vision
Everyone who lived before witnessing the Apollo 11 mission on July 20th, 1969, could only dream of touching the Moon. In 1865, Jules Verne, a French novelist, had that dream in the form of a novel that he titled “From the Earth to the Moon.” He told a story of a group of gun enthusiasts and their attempts to build an enormous space gun to launch three people to the Moon.
It took 104 more years for humanity to find a way to realize that dream. When it happened, it was one of humanity’s proudest achievements; a glorious moment that required an immense amount of planning and work. ...
Doodle Tuesday: Smoke
Reading Time: 1 minuteIt’s Doodle Tuesday again!
Sometimes I just feel like doodling a smoke tower, spewing a cloud of black smoke. A dark figure standing next to it. Call me a “ray of sunshine.”
Avoid Design by Committee: Generate Apart, Evaluate Together
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe tech industry thrives on innovation. Building innovative software products requires constant design and architecture of creative solutions. In that context, I am not a fan of design by committee; in fact, I believe that it is more of a disease than a strategy. It afflicts teams with no leadership or unclear leadership; the process is painful, and the results are abysmal.
Usability issues plague software products designed by committee. Such products look like collections of features stuck together without a unifying vision or a unique feeling; they are like onions, built as a series of loosely connected layers. They cannot bring emotions to the user because emotions are the product of individual passion. ...
Doodle Tuesday: Weeping Hat
Reading Time: 1 minuteIt’s Doodle Tuesday again!
My doodles are generated somewhere in between consciousness, dream and deep focus. I am not sure where this one got its characteristics, but it turned out slightly disturbing. It was a long day.
11 Essential Elements to Build High-Performing Engineering Teams
Reading Time: 7 minutesBeing able to build high-performing engineering teams is a non-negotiable skill for engineering leaders. It is the difference between successful and failing technology companies.
I have been thinking about this topic for many years, studying and decoding what exceptional leaders do to create great teams. During this time, I refined a list of what I believe are 11 must-have elements. I kept it in one the many thousands of Evernote notes that organize my life, and I finally decided to share it.
First, let me give you the summary of the elements in the form of a MindMap infographic. I debated between publishing this view at the beginning and at the end of the article. I decided to go for the beginning, as I hope it will spark your curiosity for the many details that you’ll find in the rest of this post. ...
8 Engineering Leadership Roles Explained
Reading Time: 4 minutesLike most industries, tech doesn’t have a standard for roles and titles, even in the area of engineering leadership. However, some patterns can be found replicated in most software companies. I’ve discussed the technical side of this equation in Software Engineering Job Titles Explained and 19 Types of Developers Explained.
In this post, I am focusing on engineering leadership roles and what they are accepted to mean. Depending on the company, some of these roles are also job titles; others might correspond to one or more job titles, might not exist at all or might be implicit functions. ...
10 Top Leadership Anti-Patterns
Reading Time: 7 minutesWhat Is a Leader?
Leadership is a poorly understood concept that is often confused with position or title. The confusion is due to the expectation that someone with an influential role must be a leader. However, that expectation represents an ideal, not always a reality.
Some people who climbed the ladder end up being weak leaders at their new level. They get there because were competent in a different role and one of two things occurred: either they reached a point where the power they acquired corrupted them, or they were promoted into a level of incompetency, fulfilling the premise of the . ...