/\ndy

Vote Agile

Tomorrow is election day here in the US, and if you haven’t already, I urge you to get out and vote.

Here in North Carolina, many of us have already voted—42% of all Democrats, 35% of all Republicans, and 30% of all independents have already voted. I voted last week, and the lines were running a half-hour to an hour even then.

In any race, from the presidential level to the local, I endorse the more Agile candidate. Agility is all about collaboration and adaptability, and taking a pragmatic attitude towards decision-making. Working with other people—even people you don’t particularly like—changing your approach to fit the problem at hand, and avoiding rigid dogma are all hallmarks of agility.

Does your candidate seem the thoughtful, collaborative type? Or more of a shoot-from-the-hip, impulsive sort?

Adaptability means changing your approach according to the situation; some derisively call that “flip flopping.” Frankly, that’s the stupidest charge I’ve ever heard. I want elected officials who will change their minds as needed. A stubborn resistance to accept and manage change is a proven recipe for disaster.

Following a narrow ideology is a dogmatic approach; it doesn’t work in business and I dare say it doesn’t work well in government either. The challenges facing us today require a flexible, adaptable, collaborative approach. A pragmatic and agile leader, not one steeped in repeating the same old dogma.

So please vote, and vote agile.

Thank you,

/\ndy

Speaking in Raleigh 9/15

I'll be presenting material from my new book at the next Java User's Group meeting in Raleigh NC on September 15.

If you're in the area, I'll see you there!

/\ndy

FOO Camp, last chapter of Wetware book done

It’s that time of year again, time for the annual get-together in California known as FOO Camp. This is a bit of a milestone for me; two years ago at Foo camp I gave one of the first of my Refactoring your Wetware talks in an informal setting.

Today, I just released the last full chapter of the book (Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware) as beta. I still have a summary chapter to write, and lots of cleanup of course, but it’s an important milestone nonetheless.

I’ll be talking more about Wetware at FOO, who knows what else. Always an interesting crowd. With luck, I might even blog about it ;-)

Dreyfus Model interview

Folks often ask me for more information about the Dreyfus model of skills acquisition. I’ve got a whole chapter on that in my new book, but for all you auditory learners in the crowd, or if you want to watch me wave my hands while I talk, you’re in luck:

Rich Sharpe interviewed me about the Dreyfus Model at a recent conference, and posted the 15 minute video on his softwareintegrity blog. Drop by and have a look.

My new book, "Refactor Your Wetware", now in Beta

The most popular talks I’ve been giving over the last two years or so are Refactoring Your Wetware, Pragmatic Learning, and Herding Racehorses and Racing Sheep. Folks keep asking for more info on these topics, so I thought maybe it was time to actually write this stuff down.

The first couple chapters of Refactor Your Wetware: Pragmatic Thinking and Learning are now available as a beta book. I plan to add chapters every two weeks or so throughout the beta period.

I’ve written many times that the two most important skills for a programmer (IMHO) are communications and learning. In this book, I’m taking a hard look at expertise, thinking and learning.

The fact is we have to learn new stuff all the time. Not just the new technologies (although that's a pretty big challenge right there), but we have to learn about the problem domain, about the team and organizational dynamics, about the system itself as it stumbles to life.

But what have you ever been taught about learning? If you're like most people, probably not much. Nor are we really ever taught much about how our brains work, or how to take advantage of that. But of course, in our field, all the action is in our heads. The rest is just typing :-)

These are the main chapters in the book:

• From Novice to Expert: Use the Dreyfus Model on the road to expertise
• This is Your Brain: Linear-mode and Rich-mode cognitive processing
• Get in your Right Mind: Cultivating Rich-mode processes
• Debug Your Mind: Recognizing and avoiding cognitive biases
• Learn Deliberately: Practical techniques to learn more, faster, and more effectively
• Working with Knowledge: Managing knowledge, attention, and context

The Dreyfus model, featured in my talk Herding Racehorses and Racing Sheep, has long been a favored topic. It turns out to be a very useful way to begin to talk about building expertise, how to make the journey from novice to expert.

How we think, and how we think about thinking, makes a dramatic difference on your ability to solve problems and invent new solutions. Learning how the brain works (at least, part of it) can really help, so I'll tell you all about the Linear-mode (L-mode) and Rich-mode (R-mode) cognitive processes, how and when to use them, and how to harness more brain power. I know I can use all the help I can get.

I'll be posting more on these topics over the coming weeks, in the meantime, enjoy the first part of the book!

/\ndy

Mac books, Mac authors, Mac World

We've got a bunch of fun and cool new titles in the works (to add to our 45+ titles in print), and since most of us are using Macs these days, we've got a batch of neat Mac-focussed titles coming up as well.

Our own Daniel Steinberg will be at this year's Mac World expo next week. Be sure to track him down and say Hi, especially if you've got an idea for a possible book you'd like to write.

If you're not headed out to Mac World, you can also send us proposals to proposals@pragprog.com.

As for me, I've got my fingers crossed for some cool new laptop announcements :-).

New podcast: Johanna Rothman on how to Manage It.

What should a manager actually do? What does multitasking really mean? What does an MBA qualify you for? Learn the answers to these and other critical questions as Johanna Rothman, author of "Manage It", explains how to really make teams go faster, and discover the importance of practice, feedback, and fun. Plus Johanna reads an except from her Schedule Games chapter, in this latest podcast.

Google Web Toolkit Conference

If you’ve read Ed Burnette’s Google Web Toolkit: Taking the Pain Out of Ajax or are interested in GWT, there’s a conference coming up you might want to look at.

The Voices That Matter: Google Web Toolkit conference will take place December 3-6, 2007 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

They’ll have JavaScript and Ajax workshops, and a keynote by Josh Bloch.

Be sure to register using priority code GWT3363 at checkout for a $100 discount for Pragmatic Bookshelf readers.

Enjoy!

Andy keynoting at Oredev conference

I'm honored to be speaking at this year's Oredev conference in Malmo, Sweden. The conference runs November 13-15; I'll be delivering a keynote and a couple of tutorials. For more information, see their website at www.oredev.com.

I'll be making a few side trips on the way, so if you're in Copenhagen or Stockholm, we might run into each other!

GIS for web developers

GIS for Web Developers: Adding 'Where' to your Web Applications is now available in paperback—in glorious full color!

This is our first full-color book, and it's a real treat. We might be running a little short on copies, so if you are interested, you're better off buying sooner rather than later.

Congratulations to author Scott Davis on a job well done.