The Inevitable First Post

Every blog has a first post. This is mine.

What is the meaning behind “Agile Out Loud”?

Agile Out Loud suddenly emerged when I came to appreciate the dynamic of my steady stream of thought. I feel things deeply, particularly about people and Agile, and relish in the opportunity to converse with people. In doing so, my thoughts naturally flow in conversation and listening to others provides a satisfying counterbalance for my assumptions and beliefs. Yet, when I write about my thoughts, I stare at the screen and feel enormous pressure to be intellectual, inspiring, innovative… perfect. Writing becomes a painstaking affair that languishes in neutral, as every sentence is scrutinized for self-demanded poetry that exceeds my ability.

Perhaps this is why I’ve spent years contributing to other peoples’ projects and blogs. After all, a guest blogger has no expectations for frequency of contribution. These same years spent using apathy to hide from the torture of placing letters in sequential fashion to construct words.

It was this appreciation of my thoughts, coupled with the challenge of writing, that sparked an idea when Amitai Schlair asked me if I’ve tried using voice dictation software: the idea of letting my thoughts flow in a comfortable format, then refining the words in a less intense space.

So, I will be doing exactly that. In fact, everything up to this point has been, for the most part, spoken rather than typed. I plan to continue using this technique for the duration of this blog, or I realize it is no longer useful.

This is why the blog is called “Agile Out Loud.”

An Agile Coach rediscovering programming

Recently, I lost my job in rather unceremonious fashion. A mix of politics and less than truthful conversation resulted in an abrupt need to find new employment. As I have a bit of time before my next engagement will begin, I am re-discovering the art of writing requests, instructions, and formulas in computer syntax to create systematic order (“programming” to the layman).

It’s been nearly eight years since I last submitted a line of code, which was in PL1, of all languages. Having never truly experienced object-oriented programming (I wrote programs in college with object-based Visual Basic), I’m experimenting with learning C# from scratch. I plan to blog about my experience in this journey, which seems particularly daunting, given the vulnerability and potential for ridicule I’m leaving myself open to. I have never been particularly talented in writing code, so please be careful with your daggers and barbs (“words” to the layman).