Conference blogs

BCS Conference

By Dave Snowden · March 17, 2013 · Conference blogs, News

I started yesterday with a keynote address to the BCS Agile group. I'd accepted the booking some time ago on condition that I was on first so that I could get to Cardiff in time for certain important events but it made for a packed morning. I only got back from Amsterdam late on Friday night and had to start a two week trip to Hong Kong and Singapore on Sunday so time was packed. I made my train from Swindon by the skin of my teeth (and I am praying the speed camera in Wroughton was not active! I had also only realised the...

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Leaving Göteborg

By Dave Snowden · March 5, 2013 · Conference blogs

The conference was much improved today. The opening keynote, Dan North did a lot of context setting, qualifying recommendations with statements about in these circumstances and the like. Bob Marshall, back on his more familiar Right-shifting material was much improved over the previous day. Benjamin (please do not call me Ben) Mitchell was excellent at pointing to multiple hypocrisies. The one I liked best was when he recounted being told his feedback had lacked examples and been negative. He then asked what examples had he...

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Fastbuckitus

By Dave Snowden · March 4, 2013 · Conference blogs

Today was my tuning in day to the Scandinavian Developer's Conference and a chance to meet up with some old friends and be ignored by some old self-appointed foes! The main lecture theatre was only a quarter full even with all streams assembled for the keynote at the start of the day and it was even worse for track sessions. More suitable for a United National Assembly meeting with a tall stage adding to the distancing from the audience. I'm not looking forward to my session tomorrow in consequence. The non 'techie' tracks (and I...

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Every child is an artist. The problem ….

By · January 12, 2012 · Conference blogs

I realised today that an awful lot of the best (or at least the classic) literature (which is not the same thing as stories) comes from the Edwardian period. Winnie the Pooh, Wind in the Willows, Just William, The Jungle Book, The Hobbit and many others. Of course this may just be my age but I think they win out on the quality of the English and the degree to which they depend in imagination. None of the books I have mentioned compromises on vocabulary, and certainly as I child I remember learning the meaning of words such as sinuous...

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Lean or Agility?

By · May 6, 2011 · Conference blogs

I gave a keynote address at LSSC11 this morning looking at the application of complexity theory to software design. I had originally planned a fairly basic 101 lecture on Cognitive Complexity (my name for the fusion of cognitive science and complex adaptive systems theory that I advocate). However I had a chance to tune into the event before arriving so at around 0400 in the morning I decided to take a different tack, building on the day one keynote and directly addressing several issues which had come up. As is common in such...