Bulldozer00's Blog

I keep finding myself being drawn more and more into circular Twitter debates with self-proclaimed software development gurus, many of whom who write books and give speeches for a living. On the upside, I’m thrilled that Twitter gives me the opportunity to interact in near-real-time with people I never thought I’d have the chance to otherwise communicate with. On the downside, I do not enjoy the increasing amounts of time and energy it takes to steer these oft head-banging conversations toward a graceful closure where neither side feels dissed.

The topic of software development is simply too context-dependent to arrive at a sweeping consensus on almost anything of non-trivial importance. Trying to get someone who develops software in the context of the aerospace & defense industry to fully agree with someone who develops IT web sites or mobile game apps for a living is like trying to get republicans and democrats to agree on… anything.

But alas, I’m such a sucker for instigating and perpetuating incendiary, no-win, arguments. Like this famously hilarious scene in OFOTCN between Taber and Harding, I’m genetically inclined to frequently behave online (and offline) as an obnoxious “poker“:

If you’re a natural born “poker“, deploy your poking skills at work only on peers. My experience has been that the practice of “poking” management, at any level in the hierarchy, never works – ever. It doesn’t matter what your message is. The fact that you’re delivering it with the tip of your poker is the only thing that matters. So, when it comes to management, keep your poker in your pants.