Scott Magdalein

I help smart people make smart things. 



July 3, 2009

"Developer productivity is key..."

Josh Turmel posted a link today to an article by David Green about developing applications for the iPhone versus developing for the Android platform. The article is super-technical, over my head, and long, but thoughtful articles from talented developers always catch my attention because I work with that crowd on a daily basis. One sentence from the article caught my attention.

"Developer productivity is key — anything that takes away from the flow of a developer in the zone is a real problem."

Since I spend most of my time handling web development projects with a talented team of developers, this remark is especially important. Understanding the value of a developer when he/she is "in the zone" is key to understanding the potential of that developer.

Most developers are ADD-types. They may not be diagnosed with the disorder, but their high level of intelligence mixed with a heavy dose of curiosity makes them easily distracted. The slightest interruption, whether that comes from an unexpected bug or a pesky project manager, can completely derail a whole day's worth of development time.

So, the take-away is: give your talented developer direction and stay out of the way.

(PS - I know the article is not about project management, but that's my lens.)

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July 3, 2009

This really happened this morning at Jax Beach.

We have a large (and growing) homeless population in Jacksonville Beach. They mostly gather near the pier, but I'm not sure why.

SurfJaxPier is a surf report site that posts pictures of the waves every morning (and afternoon if things change). This morning, the images were posted along with the following video. Not sure what to think. Is this mean or is she trying to help?

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July 2, 2009

The Darkside of Contemporary Worship Music






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June 30, 2009

Boyd's personal pulpit.

If you've ever met @theboydbettis, you know that he's a huge preaching geek. I told you the other day that he bought his own pulpit, and here it is. It's one of those cool kinds that only cool preachers use, which is perfect for Boyd.

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June 30, 2009

My Evernote/GTD Setup

I'm not sure how Posterous handles links from Screencast.com, but here it goes. Worst case, click on the link to watch the video. (Because I'm lazy.)


http://screencast.com/t/FY9G6dGY3O

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June 30, 2009

Video from this morning's surf report = sad

Here's a video of a couple guys trying to surf an impossibly small swell this morning at Jax Pier South. I feel sorry for them.

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June 29, 2009

My photos of our tornado last week.

I've never seen a tornado before, so this experience was cool for me. I took some photos and then picked up Erica from the condo to follow it.

       

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June 29, 2009

Unauthorized Remix: Steve Harvey (from @theboydbettis)

  

Boyd, my brother-in-law, has a serious artistic flare. He found a video of Steve Harvey "introducing" Jesus Christ, stripped the audio, and created his own mixdown using a keyboard and some audio software. The guy's got talent.

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June 28, 2009

My wife tells a joke.

  

Erica and I were sitting in our car in the rain because we just like sitting together. This is what we do when we're bored.

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June 28, 2009

Many Kinds of Geeks

The title of "geek" is opening up to include more than just tech-heads, gamers, and gadgeteers. We're seeing more and more geeks spring up in all realms. My dictionary defines a geek as, "a person with an eccentric devotion to a particular interest."

For example, I would classify my brother-in-law as a Preaching Geek. He eats, sleeps, and breathes preaching. He watches preaching. He listens to preaching. He dreams about preaching. He even owns his own pulpit so he can preach anywhere God leads him. (Yes, it's true.)

There are movie geeks (like my friend Tim), celebrity-gossip geeks, reality-TV geeks, motorcycle geeks, and even sports geeks. The term "geek" is no longer reserved for computer fanatics only. So, what kind of geek are you?

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