Why?

I am interested in a variety of unrelated topics - software, technology, business strategy, racial justice, and politics. My plan is to write about whatever interests me at the moment. If, somehow, you are interested in all of these topics, then this will probably work out for you. Otherwise, you’ll want to make use of categories to see just what interests you.

Why software and technology?

I’m a software engineer(ing mangager); manager is a recent transition that I’m still adjusting to. I’ve programmed since I was maybe 10. In order to get a joystick for our computer, I had to be able to type 30 words per minute and be proficient in DOS. Actually, in those days, you had not know how to change your DOS settings to tweak the extended memory or alias drives in order to play some games.

I have a lifelong relationship with technology. Until recently, I was a techno-utopian. I thought that technological progess would always improve society. The last few years have exposed me to the turbulence.

Why business strategy?

A decade ago or so, I got an MBA. The experience and especially the business strategy class opened up a whole new window to understand business structures. Additionally, there were strong parallels between organizational architecture and software architecture.

It’s constantly changing. New technologies allow for new structures, which, in turn, enables different structures around it.

Why politics and racial justice?

Politics may be messy, but it’s how we accomplish things as a society.

My interest in racial justice has multiple facets. First, there is the moral issue; treating people of color as less than full citizens is wrong. Second, race has been the driving factor of our politics for our entire history. Third, as a software engineer, I look for root causes, and I believe that the root cause of our dysfunction is our racial divisions.

Is there a common thread?

I just enjoy trying to figure out how systems work, whether that’s software, business, or governance. I study systems to understand how to make them better.