What a lot of Things

New #podcast episode alert! Do you think we can measure developer productivity? McKinsey think they have found the formula. Listen to Ash Winter's indignation as they immediately target 'Quality Assurance Testers', whatever they are, with their desire to measure. Ian Smith marvels at the engineering involved in the Clock of the Long Now, into which Bezos wants to upload his consciousness to echo through the ages probably. Despite that it makes Ash feel better about the long term future of humanity/his existential dread about nuclear war and climate change. Link in the comments...

Once again, alarming ourselves with consistency and focus, a new episode of the What a Lot of Things #podcast is out now! The show notes are especially good. Ian Smith finds the greatest use for #LargeLanguageModels yet, making enlightening podcasts about documents containing the words 'poop' and 'fart' repeated over and over. #AI truly is coming for our jobs. Ash Winter celebrates getting a new job in the current #technology world, which is fairly hostile to job seekers at the moment. An excellent CV and years of #testing experience or is it the beard? All this and more explored. Link in the comments...

Well, happy birthday to us! 🎉🥳🍾 We've recently passed the five year anniversary of our first episode, which would probably be more exciting if we'd produced the expected 125 episodes of What A Lot Of Things. However we're proud of the 24 episodes we actually have produced! A great deal of water has passed under the bridge since 2019, but we are still going! Here's to another five years 🥂 #podcast #anniversary #whatalotofthings

The unstoppable juggernaut of the What a lot of Things #podcast rumbles on with this new episode in which Ash is, let’s be clear, definitely not anti Figma and Ian definitely is dubious about how economists measure productivity. They both succumb to a terrible temptation to quote Monty Python, while exploring the mysteries of national productivity, car-free utopias, and the perils of presenteeism. From the Protestant work ethic to aerosol cheese, it's another eccentric mix of tech talk and cultural commentary while pondering the absurdities of modern work life. #ProductivityPuzzle #TechTalk #WorkCulture https://lnkd.in/evEdGBXd

The unstoppable juggernaut of the What a lot of Things #podcast rumbles on with this new episode in which Ash is, let’s be clear, definitely not anti Figma and Ian definitely is dubious about how economists measure productivity. They both succumb to a terrible temptation to quote Monty Python, while exploring the mysteries of national productivity, car-free utopias, and the perils of presenteeism. From the Protestant work ethic to aerosol cheese, it's another eccentric mix of tech talk and cultural commentary while pondering the absurdities of modern work life. #ProductivityPuzzle #TechTalk #WorkCulture https://lnkd.in/evEdGBXd

Displaying a consistency that continues to shock even ourselves, another episode of the What a Lot of Things #podcast is out! Ian Smith ponders personal #productivity and the many systems available. We end up delving deep into the Ash Winter Productivity Method, cobbled together from #Agile, #Lean, #Kanban and many worldly experiences. Soon to be available for the low, low price of 19.95 per month, enterprise licences on request. Do you ever wonder why your organisational structure and software #architecture are strangely linked in their ability to nullify meaningful collaboration and delivery of value. Welcome to the world of Conways Law! Ian and Ash discuss examples from their past, trying to pick apart micro/mono/mega/neolithic patterns before realising its a people problem. Available wherever you get your podcasts and linked in the comments...

The (mostly) Dynamic Duo are back again for another episode of the What a Lot of Things #podcast! If you are going to be innovative, does it seem counter intuitive that you have to fill out forms in triplicate to get a little help from the government? Welcome to the #startup world and R&D tax credits. Ash Winter has seen many technical leaders thoroughly frustrated by this process. Should you really use tax credits as part of your startups remaining runway though? Ever wanted to see what its like for a #testing specialist when asked how to do replatforming and new features on a product with no tests? Wonder no more, listen and wince as Ian Smith takes some heavy punishment from Ash, leaving him dazed and wondering if asking was worth the trouble... Available wherever you get your podcasts and linked in the comments...

Imagine if your employer was tracking your every key stroke or how long you spend in certain apps. You don't need to imagine it, the future is here! From Harry Potter themed tooling to Homer Simpsons keyboard bird, Ian Smith's dystopian thing has it all. Its not a model. Its not quadrants. Its not broadcast from a Welsh Castle. Ash Winter brings you the #Cynefin Framework with a side of #WardleyMapping. Another rollercoaster episode bringing you interesting things from the world of #technology, available wherever you get your podcasts and linked in the comments.

Like all those superheroes, the What a Lot of Things #podcast has an origin story. If you like your superheroes beardy and middle aged then you will love this bonus episode! Ian Smith and Ash Winter go for a walk on the famous Ilkley Moor, where their technology banter began. It also ends up where it usually ends up, the delightful Friends of Ham establishment in Ilkley. A smorgasbord of topics are tackled, including the many terrible #testing hot takes from the #Crowdstrike incident. Available wherever you get your podcasts and linked in the comments... Image credits: Tim Green from Bradford, CC BY 2.0 <https://lnkd.in/fkCwTeu>, via Wikimedia Commons

New episode alert! Another gentle meander through the world of technology with Ian Smith and Ash Winter, with the What a Lot of Things #podcast. This time, Ash delves into the #smartphone free childhood movement, while imagining an alternate reality where the smart telegram had become the go to communication device. Ian brings the practice of using pull requests in #software #development teams to the carnival, which leads our two hosts down the #organisation anti-pattern rabbit hole. Available wherever you get your podcasts and link in the comments. 🎧