Traditionally the Technical Lead has been synonymous with lead programmer, senior software engineer, or senior application developer. They serve as both the primary contact and technical representative to the agency, as well as the lead architect and engineer on the project with direct responsibility to the outcome of the product. Within the context of a dedicated software development organization this makes sense as the hierarchy may support a unit, team manager, and business analyst. Within the context of an agency, however, the weighted importance of several key factors of the functional role shifts. This shift redistributes the weighting of both technical and non-technical skills the Technical Lead must retain thereby altering the fundamental role requirements and definition of success within the role. Read the rest of this entry >>

A few years back, while working on the “before & after” gallery for Chrysaliz Design, I got to thinking about the artistry that went into decorating the homes in the photographs.  This idea stuck in my brain such that I began considering the artistry of everything around me eventually focusing on the technical solution I was providing.  I consider this one of my Monolith moments as my approach to technology solutions became less analytic and more artistic. Read the rest of this entry >>

So there I was writing iPhone code when deja vu hit me.  Relatively slow processor, manually managing memory to decrease the overall footprint, relatively small harddrive, concern for data throughput.  I’ve been here before.  Hey, it’s the mid-90′s again and I’m sitting at my old Dell trying to write applications in C, only this time I have access to a lot of really cool technology.  So what would you have done in the mid-90′s to change the world that you can actually do today?

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Chip Heath & Dan Heath. (2007). Made to Stick. Random House.

This book is a great source of inspiration for marketing professionals and anyone else who needs their message to stick. In their organized approach to sticky communication, the brothers Heath take their own advice in writing a Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Story. Okay, it wasn’t that emotional, but they didn’t stop there. Read the rest of this entry >>