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The accept/reject assessments of the Sarbanes-Oxley world are far too binary, as they don’t allow an architect to record his true feelings about a piece of work. I have therefore decided that in future I will record my assessments using what I have named the “Tevye Scale of Approval”
Author Archives: Andrew
Review: Freakonomics
A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, By Steven D Levitt & Stephen J Dubner
27 April 2007 - Please share: 
Fascinating and fun, but ultimately light on content
This book does two important things – it challenges the reader to really think about the causes of things, and it makes modern economic thinking interesting and accessible to the mass audience. It’s also a good, fun read, and for all these reasons it should be applauded.
In this book Steven Levitt develops ideas about a number of aspects of economic and social development which challenge received wisdom. He then both challenges traditional analyses, and offers solid support for his theories using detailed analysis of a number of unusual but highly reliable data sources.
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Review: Dark Matter
The Private Life of Sir Isaac Newton : A Novel, By Philip Kerr
27 April 2007 - Please share:
Brilliant period piece, with a Sherlock Holmes feel
It is historical fact that Sir Isaac Newton held senior positions at the royal mint from the late 1690s, and with his assistant Christopher Ellis he was involved in detecting and prosecuting numerous offences during a turbulent period in which Britain replaced its money.
Philip Kerr has taken this Newton and his assistant, and turned them into Holmes and Watson, placing them at the centre of a serious intrigue involving financial crimes, political battles and religious atrocities.
It’s a brilliant period piece which explains a great deal I didn’t understand about Restoration Europe. Like his other historical novels Kerr has also carefully used the language of the time, writing in a style reminiscent of Newton’s contemporaries such as Pepys, but always readily understandable.
Some of the period detail is quite gruesome, and can be little uncomfortable. This is not a book for the young or seriously squeamish. However the content is appropriate given the quite dark nature of the story.
I haven’t enjoyed all of Kerr’s more recent works. For example "The Shot", which was a similar kind of period piece, was just too complicated. I have no such complaints about "Dark Matter" – a brilliant historical thriller.
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Review: Examples
The Making of Forty Photographs, By Ansel Adams
27 April 2007 - Please share:
A charming insight into the soul of a great photographer
There are many great books about photography, of which this is just one, but there are relatively few books about how to be a great photographer. On the latter topic this book is exceptional.
Ansel Adams was clearly both a gentleman and a gentle man, who lived to create great images for the pleasure and education of others. We are exceptionally lucky that he left us both his wonderful pictures, but also a few books which explain not only how, but also why some of them were created.
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A Nice Surprise
16 March 2007 - Please share:
| IMG 6483 | |
| Camera: Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL | Date: 16-03-2007 11:25 | Resolution: 3456 x 2304 | ISO: 200 | Exp. bias: -1/3 EV | Exp. Time: 1/100s | Aperture: 4.5 | Focal Length: 33.0mm | Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM | |
I just thought I’d share with you one of my birthday presents today. This is wonderful 🙂
Just a shame that I no longer have my purple Porsche 🙁
Posted in Thoughts on the World
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Annoyance-Based Technology Selection
16 October 2006 - Please share:
I’m becoming increasingly frustrated with some day to day technology, and I’m not alone. When you live with technology day in, day out, what it does well becomes taken for granted. What it does badly becomes its defining features. If the annoyances are too great or numerous you will seek a replacement, or even give up entirely. This article explores my own tales of woe with that most commonplace of technology, the mobile phone…
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Review: Crash and Burn
By The Decoders
15 October 2006 - Please share:
Enjoyable, even if I'm not the target demographic!
I’ll admit up front that I’m probably not the target generation for The Decoders’ music – I know Jon via his mum, and my reference points for music of this style are probably a bit old-fashioned to some ears. That said, I’ve enjoyed "Cellophane Veil" enormously, and I wish the Decoders every success with it.
If I had to sum up the style in a single word, it would have to be "Mod". The band’s influences seem to be drawn largely from the great tradition of guitar-based London bands such as the early Who and the Jam, although some of the vocal harmonies put me most strongly in mind of Secret Affair (without the sax, of course!)
The music ranges from rock to ballad, but with a common sound courtesy of Blake Feehan’s crisp vocals, and, in many cases, a driving rhythm guitar. Most of the tracks work well, but my personal preference are the tighter, upbeat, "bouncy" numbers. If I had to pick a favourite it would be Plastic Lullaby, but the opening track, Crash and Burn, runs it a close second.
The musicianship of all three Decoders is excellent. Jon Flint’s drums are spot on, and I’ve already mentioned Blake’s tight, melodic vocals, but these two would be nowhere without Martin Lister, who apart from a guest appearances on a couple of tracks plays all the other instruments, including bass and lead guitars, as well as occasional keyboards and additional vocals. The drawback, if there is one, is that it is impossible for the band to recreate this multi-handed approach in live performance, unless they recruit some extra musicians. However, having seen them as a three-hander live I have to admit that they manage the difficult feat surprisingly well!
The inventive lyrics vary to fit the songs, from "angry young man" political commentary to balladic love song. I wouldn’t claim to understand them all, but I particularly enjoyed the humorous observation of how what a man wants in a woman changes over time, in Plastic Lullaby.
As I said, I wish The Decoders every success. Keep up the good work!
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Enterprise Architecture Conference 2006 – My Paper
20 June 2006 - Please share:
I’ve just spent three enjoyable days at the 2006 Enterprise Architecture Conference in London. IRM did their usual excellent job of making it run like clockwork, and my good friend Sally Bean helped them develop an interesting and varied programme. To my mind the best speakers were Jeff Scott, and Chris Wilson of BP. Another encouraging sign was the presence of a great many International delegates.
I presented a paper on Agile Architecture. If you regularly read my work you’ll recognise many of the ideas, but I’ve managed to bring them all together for the first time. You can download my slides and script here.
What was very interesting was how the thrust of the material has changed from a few years ago. No-one was claiming that a given framework, process or toolset can solve EA problems. At the risk of being uncharitable I thought John Zachman’s ideas sounded very tired, and there was almost no mention of alternative frameworks such as TOGAF. I may have self-selected by not attending any vendor sessions, but there was also no promotion of tools or technology. A common view was that EA, SOA and many supporting concepts are currently entering the trough of the hype cycle.
Instead the focus was largely on people-related problems and approaches. The labels varied, but several speakers introduced ideas familiar to agile architects. Maybe we’re doing something right after all.
Posted in Agile & Architecture, My Publications, Thoughts on the World
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You Need Architects…
24 May 2006 - Please share:
Just in case you haven’t already seen it….
Why you need architects, in song and dance.
Enjoy!
Best Practices in Test Automation
23 May 2006 - Please share:
I am looking for one of my clients into how costs can be reduced, or quality increased, by increasing the extent to which testing is automated.
As a first step, I am trying to develop a comprehensive list of test automation “best practices”, grouped roughly by life-cycle (or iteration) stage. I’m trying to find practices which are broadly independent of specific methods and technologies, although obviously tool support may vary depending on the chosen technology.
This article is my first draft of such a list.
I’d welcome suggestions from my readers if you think there are any omissions (or if you substantially disagree with anything I’ve included).
Thanks
Andrew
The Agile Architect at EAC 2006
22 March 2006 - Please share:
If anyone is interested in hearing more about my views on architecture, and how agile methods apply to the work of the architect, please sign up for the 2006 Enterprise Architecture Conference in London in June.
I’m presenting a paper entitled “The Agile Architect”. This focuses on both how agile projects can have a strong architecture, and how architects can learn and benefit from agile approaches. I take a rather different approach to some recent papers with a similar title (e.g. at this week’s otherwise excellent Microsoft Architecture Insight conference), which suggest that agile projects can “do away with the architect”.
I look forwards to seeing you there.
Andrew
Who Are the Architects?
19 January 2006 - Please share:
There’s a perennial discussion in architecture forums like the WWISA about the role of the architect, and the discussion regularly degenerates into a debate between the broad and narrow views of what the architect does.
But I’m not sure that’s the key question. I think the right question is “Who are the architects?”
Somehow, a number of tasks must be discharged, but how varies from project to project. In the last year I’ve had a modest building project which tells an interesting story about how different people contribute to “the architecture”. Read more here…
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