John Hendow

When I was studying Computer Science, one of my favorite CS Professors was a fan of Steve McConnell’s approach to system analysis and software design. I had read his book Code Complete, which is an industry standard for software design. When I was getting ready to go on the road for a brief tour, my professor suggested I take McConnel’s Rapid Development as reading material.

Side note : I have always been a voracious reader when traveling, particularly on band tours. I would carry a few books with me at the start of any trip, and as I completed a book, I’d look for a bookstore where I could trade it for another title. In some cases, venues provided a “band house” for our lodging while performing several shows in the area. This was especially nice, because it meant we could (1) do our laundry and (2) actually cook a meal. The band houses usually had a small collection of videos and books to keep us entertained. I often would leave books behind for others to read. On occasion I found an interesting book and brought it along for the next leg of the journey. In Victoria, BC, the band house had a copy of Foucault’s Pendulum, by Umberto Eco, which I finished reading as we made our way down the west coast. Ultimately, that book was left in Bend, Oregon. I’m sure it continued its journey in the hands of another musician.

My copy of Rapid Development is from the first pressing. It’s a dog-eared book with post-it notes, and hand-written margin notes. It’s been on my work bookshelf in various cubicles and offices for the past 20 years, and I’ve loaned it out more times that I can count. This is the book that made me want to become a project manager. It also has been a book that I have found useful as a manager and leader.

Among the highly useful principles in this book is the practice of “Function Point Analysis”, which is an estimation technique that is very useful in modern Agile decomposition and estimation. I have adapted FPA for use with my PMO team at Disney, and it’s a good basis for task estimation in software development. In addition, the book emphasizes effective principles for managing high-performing teams, and for business customer satisfaction – which has a strong basis in effective, precise communication.

For Agile development teams, one of the initial opportunities for improvement tends to be estimation. Newly formed teams will not have a baseline velocity, and will not have estimation / retrospective data to feed the continuous improvement loop. Narrowing the estimation error has an immediate effect on normalizing the team’s performance; this is where FPA can be effectively leveraged. After 4-6 sprints, estimation variability versus actuals will be reduced, and sprint loading will become a reliable predictor of the work that will be actually accomplished in each sprint.

This book is worth a read. Steve’s seminars are also interesting, and he has established a good curriculum for technology thought leaders.

I have long held the belief that “very few things in the world cannot be improved by the introduction of sea monsters”. It’s as true today as ever. The original Jane Austen text  of Sense and Sensibility bears far too few reference to tentacles, Cthulhu, and ravenous water-dwelling horrors. Until now we had to read between the lines and infer the presence of the lurking aquatic menace. Ben Winters has thoughtfully corrected Ms. Austen’s unfortunate omissions, neatly revealing the crucial subplot.

Let the record show that I heartily appove of this book. It’s currently available as a paperback. Even if you don’t like Jane Austen or sea monsters (what are you… utterly devoid of culture?) the book is well worth reading just for the double-takes from fellow train commuters.

In order to help the finer details sink in, the co-author thoughtfully includes some discussion points in the appendix to the novel. Some selected gems:

2. In Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, painful personal setbacks often occur at the same moment as sea-monster attacks, suggesting a metaphorical linkage of “monsters” with the pains of romantic disappointment; for example, Marianne is rebuffed by Willoughby at Hydra-Z precisely as the giant mutant lobsters are staging their mutiny. Have you ever been “attacked by giant lobsters,” either figuratively or literally?

5. Which would be worse: being eaten by a shark or consumed by the acidic stomach juice of a sand-shambling man-o’-war?

8. Have you ever been romantically involved with someone who turned out to be a sea witch?

10. Is Monsieur Pierre a symbol for something? Name three other well-known works of Western literature that feature orangutan valets. Are those characters also slain by pirates?

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Genius, truly. I already have my copy of Pride and Predudice and Zombies, which I’ll be reading next. And after that, I’ll get a copy of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  Literature + monsters = better literature.

Last week I started reading This Is Your Brain On Music by Daniel Levitin. It’s a fascinating examination of the neurological and psychological processes that are in play when listening to music. I’ve read the first half of the book while riding the bus and several people have commented that they also read the book and found it interesting. That seems like a good endorsement. Then again, most of the people on my bus also work downtown in the same area as me. So it could be something in the water.

Over the weekend I started reading the third book of the Dark Tower series. My daily bus ride allows for great reading time, and it’s easy for me to drop right into my seat and begin. For a moment this morning I glanced out the window as the bus was on the viaduct, noticing how beautiful Elliot Bay looks in the dark blue light of 7:00 AM. The Waste Lands continues the story of the Gunslinger and his companions, and sets the stage for journey via mass transit (of a sort). Thus it’s entirely appropriate for bus reading.

Last night I finished the first book in the Dark Tower series and have now begun reading the second. I’d forgotten the turmoil of this book. It’s interesting to review some of the sections of the story with the benefit of knowing the full plot arc from my previous reading. There is little doubt that this is Stephen King’s finest written work. He really has infused his characters with a lot of conflict, and there is a lot to keep track of. I haven’t been able to confirm whether J.J. Abrams is indeed making a movie of this series, but I am hopeful… it would be quite a thing if true.

Last week I began to re-read Steven King’s Dark Tower series, a seven book epic he begun in 1970 and ultimately finished in 2003. I read the first few novels in the series in the early 80s while on tour with my band. In those days we frequently spent several hours each day in the tour van driving between gigs. Consequently I was a voracious reader on tour, going through books every few days and always keeping an eye open for used bookstores along the way where I could trade old for new. I had read a number of Steven King’s novels and picked up the first installment in the series out of curiosity. Pretty quickly I reached the point where I had read the completed installments in the series and had to wait for the next book to be published. Unfortunately just a few books were completed and when he stopped writing them.

In 1999 when the author was struck by a van, it was a scary moment for his fans. Once it was clear he would recover, my concern shifted to the well-being of the book series. Would we ever know the ending of the story? One of my personality traits is that I am fiercely loyal. This extends to family, friends, bands, jobs, activities, books and even video games. I’m such a bulldog for completing books and games that I will slog through to the end even if I’ve lost interest, simply because I can’t leave it unfinished. This book series was something that held my interest and I really wanted to continue the journey of reading them.

Fortunately King returned to writing the series with renewed vigor. Apparently he decided the story was his life’s work and needed to be finished. The final book arrived in 2003. Because it had been so long, I started to read the earliest books again in 2000 When I finished the series in 2004 I had a strange conflux of emotions. If you have read the books you may understand my meaning.

And so I have decided to revisit the entire story from end to end. I am nearly finished with the first book The Gunslinger and have discovered strong elements of foreshadowing that I hadn’t picked up on previously. King weaves a good tale, and I’ve always enjoyed reading his books. Steven King fans will discover the Dark Tower series is threaded with references to other books he has written; familiar characters and places are woven into the universe of the Dark Tower. If you are up for the adventure, this series is worth the time. A few years ago I had the opportunity to hear the author speak and answer questions. One member of the audience expressed their gratitude to him for completing the series and I echo that sentiment: thankee-sai.

UPDATE: This afternoon I was reading Wikipedia to refer to something about The Gunslinger. I’m surprised to discover that J.J. Abrama (Lost) is considering a movie adaptation of the series. It seems pretty unlikely he would undertake such a huge endeavor until the Lost series is completed. Still, quite amazing to me. I wondered if anyone would ever attempt to convert this epic tale into a screenplay.