Julie and I have experienced a miscarriage. We found out we were pregnant in early November. On Thanksgiving, an episode occurred that demonstrated Julie’s life might be in jeopardy as well as the life of the baby. There was a glimmer of hope that all could go well though; we had to give it time. A week before Christmas 2017, we learned that our second child wasn’t going to make it. We had a miscarriage. ...
I had the opportunity to participate in All Things Open this week. It was quite an experience. 3300+ people who are all part of the open source software community all in one place is truly moving. Even better they let me take a mic on one of the main stages to give a modified version of my DevOps README.md talk. I can’t thank the opensource.com crew enough for the opportunity. This is also available at devopsreadme.com ...
UPDATE: According to Kara Swisher at Recode, Google has fired James Damore, the author of the memo that is the topic of this article. On Friday, August 4, 2017, several Google employees took to Twitter to discuss a ten-page document that was circulating internally at an alarming rate. The manifesto focused on the topic of “ideological diversity” replacing Google’s current diversity policies. The author states, “Women on average show a higher interest in people and men in things.” Needless to say, the manifesto (screed) was not well received but had a fair number of supporters inside Google that bolstered the author’s position. Google’s response was tepid at best, “Part of building an open, inclusive environment means fostering a culture in which those with alternative views, including different political views, feel safe sharing their opinions. But that discourse needs to work alongside the principles of equal employment found in our Code of Conduct, policies, and anti-discrimination laws.” Not exactly what you want to see when this manifesto has you questioning why you’re at a company not denouncing the opinions expressed in this screed. I’m all for free speech (I pay for my defense of it every day). But, the First Amendment is a construct to prevent government silencing of dissent. The First Amendment does not apply within the confines of a company. Free ideas are great so long as they do not cause harm to those around you. ...
The open organization community at Opensource.com (of which I’m a member) is pleased to announce the immediate release of its newest book, The Open Organization Guide to IT Culture Change. As IT teams around the world rise to these new challenges, they’re realizing that radical change isn’t a matter of tools alone. It’s also a matter of culture—the values that underpin behaviors, influence problem-solving capability, and facilitate truly revolutionary potential. Those values are open values. ...
“Fear leads to anger… Anger leads to hate… Hate leads to suffering.” Jedi Master Yoda On Saturday, my wife Julie, son Max, and I attended church. This was a very special mass as it was the mass at which Max was being baptized. Julie’s family was present as were friends of ours. As a lot of my friends know, I’m not religious. My stance on religion is that I choose complete freedom over being beholden to humans interpreting what they believe to be the word of God. I have seen religion twisted to a few extremes in my days on this earth therefore I choose not to be a follower. However, I am not going to sway people to see things my way. I wholeheartedly support my Catholic wife and family in their choices. ...