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Blog

The road less travelled - from the dijkstras shortest path to the least visited path

python

mapping

graphs

algorithms

android

What if you are not interested in getting as fast as possible from A to B. But you always search a new path. A python adventure to discover new places.

How domain driven design makes software development concrete and abstract

storytelling

technical

software design

domain driven design

In the world of technology it’s worth examining whether abstraction truly helps us connect. If anything, abstraction often obscures, complicating both understanding and memory. Concreteness, on the other hand, breaks through barriers, simplifying communication and amplifying retention.

Engineering presentations that stick

storytelling

software engineering

Make your next presentation remarkable

Which cheese are we eating?

machine learning

python

computer vision

Did you ever wonder what kind of cheese you should buy? They all look the same. And then the embarrasement when you can just point and say: that one. Meet the cheese classifier.

Your mind and machine learning, the base rate effect

storytelling

mental models

machine-learning

bias

Discussions about bias and discrimination in artificial intelligence (AI) are growing louder. Critics argue it is unethical for technology to display discrimination.…

Successful teams strike the right Balance between Immediate Needs with Long-Term Architecture

management

software engineering

In the world of software development, frustration often emerges when a product behaves in a way that users find counterintuitive or outright inconvenient. When questioned, the response might be disheartening: It’s in the requirements. This sheds light on a deeper issue—the conflict between immediate deliverables and long-term system health.

Object oriented programming for AI Projects

python

data science

software engineering

technical

Discover what can can transform your AI project into clean, efficient, and scalable software

How Poor Architectural Understanding is Impacting the German Software Industry

management

teams

Weak software architecture can topple even the most promising projects, inflating costs and frustrating everyone from CFOs to developers. Explore the failure of quick fixes with me and what a tortoise has to do with it.

Top-Down Thinking is Holding Back Software Innovation

management

software engineering

A thought about dependency inversion.

Be careful using python’s dataclass

python

Python’s @dataclass is a powerful tool for creating data containers with minimal boilerplate code. However, it introduces a subtle pitfall when working with mutable defaults like lists or NumPy arrays. This article explores this common issue, its root cause, and how to fix it effectively.

Milestone vs Activity Planning: Finding the Right Approach for Your Project Management

management

leadership

teams

I was at a pivotal point in my project management career with a high-stakes project on the line. I needed to find the key to keeping my team focused and motivated. As I explored milestone and activity planning, I discovered valuable insights about each approach. In this article, I’ll share my journey and how it led to a turning point in my career.

Decision paralysis at a McDonalds

storytelling

mental models

Stuck staring at the McDonald’s menu, always ordering the same thing? You’re not alone—it’s called decision paralysis, and it’s sabotaging more than just your lunch. Discover how it’s creeping into your work life and learn how to stop it before it derails your next big project!

Precision/Recall vs FN/TN/FP/TP

machine learning

technical

Precision, recall, and the confusion matrix help evaluate machine learning models. Learn to Understand their tradeoffs, especially in imbalanced datasets, and optimize your classifier for better results.

What is wrong about the pattern tell them what you are going to tell, tell and then tell what you told

storytelling

presentation

Tired of dull, repetitive “tell them, tell them, then tell them again” messaging? Learn how to break the mold with surprising twists and curiosity-driven storytelling. Discover why planned unexpectedness, knowledge gaps, and challenging common sense can make your ideas stick and keep your audience hooked.

The Stickiness Improvement Plan

storytelling

management

Based on the book Made to Stick, I provide a plan of question to evaluate your idea’s stickiness. Comes with keywords for further improvements.

Get huge benefits for minimal costs after reading

storytelling

The ultimate goal of creating a sticky idea is to make people care. To achieve this, bridge the gap between what they already care about and what they don’t yet care about. Here I provide a checklist to evaluate the stickiness of your ideas.

The one thing missing in your perfect presentation

storytelling

management

mental models

Sticky ideas are those that capture attention, linger in the mind, and inspire action. Learn the principles of creating messages that are not just understandable but also memorable and impactful enough to drive change.

Three basic plots - my take

storytelling

management

Learn how the three basic plots are alternative to the hero’s journey

Blogging with quarto

blogging

I recently switch from WordPress to quarto. Learn why and how to integrate it in an Obsidian based workflow.

Science2Art, a lesson in artful prompt engineering

generative AI

prompt engineering

How can physical equations be expressed in a paintings? In the beginning I only had a few ideas and the whole process was very effortful. Then in 2023, I discovered ChatGPT. And it become a lesson in the art of prompt engineering.

Clean coders use lambda expressions

python

c++

clean code

technical

In modern programming, lambda expressions have become an indispensable tool for concise and efficient code. They have their origin in functional programming but have made it to many programming languages. But how, when, and why should you use them? Let’s dive in.

How to fight computer eye strain

health

android

python

At least for your eyes and your back computer work puts a tremendous strain. This is what can help.

Premature optimization and the importance of algorithms

clean code

data structures & algorithms

technical

DSA is unknown to many developers. Learn why this is a big mistake.

Here is what I learned from thinking fast and slow.

storytelling

book summary

A summary with link to the previous posts

Taylorism in complex environments

storytelling

software engineering

project management

Studies show that over 70% of businesses rely heavily on KPIs for decision-making. Yet, there’s a story that illustrates how this reliance can sometimes lead to unexpected and counterintuitive outcomes.

Unlock the Power of Metaphors at Work to Captivate Your Listeners!

storytelling

writing

speaking

I’ll be sharing a simple yet effective approach to finding and creating your very own metaphors. Learn to apply metaphors more frequently.

Waterfall management is a strict recipe, while agility is improvisational cooking.

storytelling

management

In a world where information is fleeting, generative metaphors are the secret weapon. They don’t just simplify complex ideas; they reframe understanding, sparking fresh insights and lasting impressions. Think of a metaphor not as a mere comparison but as a doorway

From Challenges to Champions: Unsticking Negative Workplace Stories

storytelling

Stories stick. But what can unstick a story?

Effective Story Spotting

storytelling

Unleashing the Power of Storytelling How Our Team Overcame Remote Work Challenges and You Can Too

How Playing Zelda Teaches Us the Importance of Audience Engagement in Interactive Storytelling

storytelling

It’s been countless hours since I first embarked on my journey in the magical land of Hyrule, and I can’t help but ask myself, “Why is this game so addicting?” Zelda, at…

Intellectual Dishonesty: Recognizing and Combating Toxic meeting culture

storytelling

management

Learn how to spot dishonest behavior in other people’s replies and your arguments.

The story of Covid and Plato’s cave allegory

storytelling

management

office

Remember the time before Covid? We all went to work and were happy. Despite all the talk, we will never all go back to the office.

Use risk policies and avoid common planning fallacies in software development

storytelling

project management

agile

Even though most methods tell you otherwise, always use a rule of thumb in software planning.

Investors are living from the greatest of all treasures, which is Hope

storytelling

finance

Rising prices in the stock market show that the recession is coming.

Everybody wants more money and thinks inflation is unfair

storytelling

finance

Today inflation is rampant. The cost of living in many countries is close to or above 10 %. Many people perceive this as a bad sign.

Sticking in a shitty job, deprives you of rich experiences

storytelling

growth

If there are no extremes bad/good we can not make lasting memories.

Good managers are immune to survivorship bias

storytelling

management

Learning the golden truth from the one successful projects is rarely possible. Always keep your starting position in mind

The perfect way that projects will never be planned

storytelling

project management

software engineering

There is a profound difference between selling and planning a project—the order of these two phases matters.

The SAFe confidence vote reveals the state of emotional security in your project

storytelling

management

agile

If you have confidence in a plan, there should be a uniform vote for this plan. The question is if your endeavour is predictable.

Look at your industry’s state and then decide if you want to become an expert

storytelling

growth

software engineering

The t-shaped engineer is a human centipede. These modern software engineers are different than traditional experts. Which one is better? And what have foxes to do with it?

Trust me; I am an expert

storytelling

management

The issue is not whether you are an excellent expert, but expert knowledge can not be trusted in an irregular environment.

You should go back to the office, to help your boss understand you

storytelling

management

office

Shadows are lurking behind your working-from-home chair. There is one big one big disadvantage egoistic developers fail to see.

Use mental anchors to determine the start position of high-stakes discussions

storytelling

The next time you find yourself in a tricky situation, try to influence the discussion by anchoring at another reference point.

Time-dependent algorithms usually have one major issue. The starting value heavily decides the outcome. The same applies to your mind’s thinking process.

This concept is also called anchoring

Try to establish your next planning predictions on well-defined reference points

storytelling

project management

agile

Here is a new method to relate software estimations to a related base rate.

The good storyteller is a travel guide through the listener’s memories.

storytelling

growth

Stories act as a simulator, allowing the reader to live the story mentally.

You are most likely overinsured

storytelling

finance

Not all insurance cost is transparent, if you are very careful, you forgo good opportunities.

There are no losses; just costs for profits

storytelling

finance

The best guide to selling anything, or so they say.

Regression to the mean reshapes our memories

storytelling

mental model

data storytelling

Why to tomorrow will always be better (or worse).

Why engineers do not understand stories

storytelling

software engineering

As engineers, we love details. Nothing can be too complex. It is complexity itself that attracts us. What you should do instead.

Experienced engineers stay away from the flow zone

storytelling

software engineering

Flow is the process that happens when no deliberate control of attention is necessary for a mental task.

Avoid spending mental energy as if would be limitless

storytelling

mental models

Know if you unwisely exhausted your mental energy supply for the day.

A new writer’s easy guide to find the perfect headline

blogging

knowledge work

So far, I have written 13 stories on medium over the last six months.

Providing fake reliability with statistics

Discover two intricate ways statistics can influence the perception of the truth.

storytelling

data storytelling

audience

Statistics can help us to make the pro points more potent and the contra points weaker. The statistics serve as a quantitive anchor to your position. Read on to learn how you can twist statistics to your cause.

Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do

How a good mood helps to smoothen things

storytelling

management

Whether we communicate with other people verbally or non-verbally, our brain processes any sensory input of our senses.

World Sensation, Why remarkably nobody has built your leadership

storytelling

leadership

growth

The truth: you do not focus on accomplishments, and you do not empower others.

Effective leaders listen for stories that touch the heart and mind

storytelling

storylistening

knowledge work

leadership

growth

The management literature has known it for a long time. Leadership is not identical to management.

4 powerful secrets medium user need to know about leadership

storytelling

leadership

growth

Today everybody talks about leadership. Just do a quick search on Medium. But is everybody talking about the same thing?

The world requires influential engineers with a passion for stories

storytelling

Everyone wants their ideas to strive, even engineers.Engineers are often depicted as uncommunicative cavemen. The talking is best left to other people, isn’t it?

Successful cross-functional teams need the luxury of confidence and trust

storytelling

management

Today, the cross-functional team and entrepreneurial organization are one of the stock solutions to solve complex problems.

Three old but trusted ways to reveal your team’s common story

storytelling

How do you unify a bunch of random people to follow a common cause? Quick answer: provide a common identity and, at best, a shared history.

Good presenters embrace these psycho tips in their life

storytelling

growth

We all give presentations, talks, speeches, or dinner toasts. Sometimes we fail to engage with our audience. Try to remember these tips for your next presentation.

The science of influence and storytelling

storytelling

In my previous blog post, I asked different questions.

Try these 9 tips to get more and stronger follower growth

storytelling

influence

humour

Did you ever wonder why you have problems getting your point across? On the other hand, somebody else quickly confers the message?

Knowledge advice: 2 Ways to read a book and improve your understanding

blogging

knowledge work

Do you read? Yes? Then this post is for you.

Try these priceless mental tricks to gain the upper hand in pointless conflicts

storytelling

Imagine your last stressful situation. Your face is getting red. You start to stammer and justify yourself. What if you had some superpowers…

Quotes about storytelling

storytelling

Sometimes one person said it all. You read a phrase and it is all there. This is my selection of quotes on storytelling.

How find material to read and how to dig through it.

blogging

knowledge work

What are the best sources to read on your topic.

Under construction Gut ist der Vorsatz

blogging

The resolution is good, but fulfilling it is difficult.

How technical is too technical

c++

book review

When you read and write about software, there is always a balance to be struck how technical the books should be. I have read Effective Modern C++, which I found a little too technical.

Why yet another storytelling blog

blogging

So you want to do storytelling? Telling tall tales? But how to start? You are probably much in the same situation as I was in late 2019:

I only understand trainstation

humour

If you a native English speaker you certainly got confused by the heading. The phrase was double dutch to you. But fear not you are not alone.

Finding your personal blogs purpose and name

blogging

In this article I want to share some thoughts about creating a personal blog. A blog needs two things:- The blogs main purpose- A name for the blog