Values

1. I would rather say nothing than something poorly.
2. I value simplicity and am willing to sacrifice other values in favor of.
3. I value craftsmanship over artistry.
4. I value efficiency over hard work.
5. I enjoy building things instead of buying them.
6. Now is better than never, but never is often better than now.
7. Whimsy.

What I don't have patience for

1. Lateness.
2. Wordiness.
3. Peremptoriness.
4. Pretentiousness.

How to communicate with me

1. I am a contrarian, but also a pragmatic - if you have difficulty persuading me, try to appeal to my pragmatism.
2. I value succinctness.
3. I value transparency - say what you mean, don't drop hints or try to imply something.
4. I like to have time to digest information which is why I prefer reading over listening.

How to help me

1. If I have headphones on then I am concentrating - if it isn't urgent please slack me.
2. I find it hard to be creative on the spot - so receiving notes/agenda ahead of meetings help me prepare.

What I wish people knew earlier

1. I am a contrarian - which I think is perceived as pessimism and skepticism, but isn't necessarily true.
2. I sometimes laugh or smile at odd things - sorry. I am trying to stop this.
3. I start my day earlier than most and end my day earlier than most. I am aware that I am the outlier, but I do enjoy not having meetings past 4pm.
4. It takes me 5-10m to switch gears from programming mode to social mode.
5. I am emotional and I tend to wear those emotions visibly.

Influential Readings

• I am a very slow thinker - Derek Sivers
• The Rise of Worse is Better - Richard P. Gabriel
• Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind - Shunryu Suzuki
• Unix Philosophy - Doug McIlroy, Dennis Ritchie, Ken Thompson et al.
• Zen of Python - Tim Peters
• Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Richard Feynman

Quotes

Je n’ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n’ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte. ~ Blaise Pascal

Which roughly translates to

I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter.

Which is often mordernized

If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.

Which is attributed to many different people.

Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. ~ unknown

The only way to be an expert is to remain a student ~ unknown

Afterword

I like the pithy nature of some parts of this document, because they make you to think. However, taken at face value, they are abstract and confusing.

On "I value craftsmanship over artistry.":

An artist leaves a trace of their ego in the work that they produce. A craftsman leave behind nothing but their work. When an artist needs to change their work, they need to change their ego. A craftsman need only change their work.

I'm certain that this has been inspired from somewhere, though I cannot find a single origin. The words however are mine.

On "Now is better than never, but never is often better than now.":

This comes from "Zen of Python" mentioned in the influential readings section. It is written as an aphorism. My interpretation is something along the lines of "it is important to find balance in prioritization". There are many things that if you don't do now, you will never do. There are many things that if you do now, then you forsake other "things" where the most important "thing" is focus. Neither of those statements are absolutes and a balance needs to be found.