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Top 2009 Music

Here’s my top 2009 music, presented in 3 categories (descending order):

Cat1: Superb – Surprising – Strong – Sparkling

1. I’ve put Editors at #1 with In This Light And On This Evening, thanks to the Cuttings II bonus CD. That’s what avoided an ex aequo with Starsailor. Going beyond this evening into This Night. Increased experiments of multi-layered electronic rock.

2. Starsailor‘s All the plans just happens to be a true masterpiece that combines, reinforces and pushes all that they’ve done before to a higher… plan… and beyond. The Deluxe acoustic bonus shows the melodic strength to their songs. My second best #1.

Cat2: Surprising – Strong – Sparkling

Some artists caught my interest and took me by surprise:

3. Bat for Lashes highlighted the shadows of Two Suns with her ethereal tunes of enlightened darkness.

4. Florence + The Machine produced an incredible debut that rages as an auditive storm pulling out the air of our Lungs.

5. The Horrors have painted a bunch of wild and dark songs in Primary Colours outgrowing ancient influences.

Cat3: Surprising – Strong or Sparkling

Familiar faces, sometimes hiding behind new masks, have given evidence of their musical qualities without necessarily transcending it.

  • Julian Plenti showed up saying he Is… Skyscraper. Although his voice says Paul Banks, his musical incarnation says differently.
  • Axl Peleman heeft ons een prachtig tweede plaatje in zijn sappig Aantwaarps In ‘t Gezicht gesmeten.
  • Peter Doherty showed a great song writer side to his talents on the fabulous Grace/Wastelands.
  • Brett Anderson has over merely 3 solo albums evolved to an extraordinary artist, with Slow Attack to prove that he definitely no longer needs unlimited electricity to be very powerful.

Cat4: Here to stay

Familiar names that have produced decent work, but had no desire to look for groundbreaking experiences:

Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club – The Beautiful Untrue / Laïs & Simon Lenski – Laïs Lenski / Sting – If on a winter’s night / Arctic Monkeys – Humbug / Franz Ferdinand – Tonight / Morrissey – Years of Refusal / Rammstein – Liebe ist für Alle da

Cat5: Out of competition

  • Cecilia Bartoli gave new life to great compositions from the Napolitan School of castrati on Sacrificium
  • British Sea Power gave new life to the old life of a Man of Aran
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Plastic Image (very unlimited)

Once upon a time I used to drive my parents (especially my father) totally mad with the existentialist screaming and the early experimentalist patterns of musical chaos of John Lydon and his (in)famous Public Image Ltd (PiL).

My recently purchased Plastic Box compilation truly shows all incarnations of this influential, staggering, daring, confronting and adventurous band. The perfect introduction with enough tasty special stuff (mixes, limited editions and live tracks) for the connoisseur.

Rotten’s personal post-punk Public Image anthem starts off the journey into the psychotic, provocative, multiwoven soundscapes of First Issue and subsequent albums. Groundbreaking. Dragged into a world of drums, dub and percussion based madness to be fast forwarded into -what seems- danceable rock music against a poptoned horizon. Down the charts with it. The genius of Cassette / Album / Compact Disc. End up sweating on hard Happy (?) rocking energy, culminating in the live assaults (at the BBC) of That What Is Not …joyful.

Cynical to date. Unlimited. Striking. But conventional? NEVER. Mind.

I guess mr. Lydon himself wasn’t too enthusiast about this record company spawned PVC box because the booklet is a mashup of some of his public quotes, intended to look like he wrote a full text.

Just a little example of Lydon’s sense for adventure:

Continue reading Plastic Image (very unlimited)

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Engagement of a project manager

Is there a hidden secret to the success of software projects?

Of course there is not. No silver bullet. But often was I asked for such a secret and often have I wondered on the subject.

My My.Fragility framework grew out of an attempt to describe my recipe. And although I firmly believe in this toolbox, there is simply… more. An undefinable extra?

Intrigued by the term ‘Engagement Manager’ I ran into a great blog post that essentially states that a Project Manager must be involved in Sales. And Legal, technology, Accounting, etc. To act cross-functional.

– Hey! That’s not new. That’s my way of doing Project Management.

– Okay, okay. I understand. Finally. It’s not the traditional view.

So, there you have it. My secret. Vision and attitude. Beyond pure delivery. A continuous and steady focus on satisfying and lasting working software, beyond politics, small talk and short-term reactivity.

Dedication, engagement, commitment. The will and the force to be more than a Project Manager, to be… Engagement Manager.

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Definition of… Scrum

Is there a way to check on the correct application of Scrum?

Most attempts end up in complex questionnaires or big assessments. This is strange as Scrum is a simple process and has distinct definitions of roles, artefacts and meetings. And I also distinguish core principles.

When presenting Scrum as the core process of my My.Fragility framework I always show my Scrum Diamond, a graphical representation of the 3 essential elements for each of the 4 Scrum ceremonies:

It makes an assessment of Scrum simple: check whether the process and the above ceremonies are in place!

And remember: Scrum prescribes a minimal, but tightly coupled, set of ceremonies. Skipping even only one implies affecting the essence of Scrum. Doing so does not necessarily mean that you are not Agile or don’t perform well, but don’t call it… Scrum.

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Duchenne (Heroes met Filip Meirhaeghe)

Al enkele jaren wordt in Nederland de Duchenne Heroes mountainbike sponsortocht georganiseerd. De bedragen die de sportieve deelnemers, gedragen door een volledig vrijwillige organisatie, verzamelen (1.015.000 € in 2009) gaan naar diverse onderzoeken naar behandelingen van de Duchenne spierziekte die ook onze oudste zoon heeft.

In 2010 (12-18 september) wordt ook een Belgische variant georganiseerd met de geweldige steun en inzet van de immer beminnelijke Filip Meirhaeghe:

Neem een kijkje. Neem deel. Of sponsor een team of deelnemer. Word partner. Ga helpen. Denk aan onze kinderen met Duchenne.

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Stay tuned to My.Fragility

My.Fragility is my framework of Agile practices for flexible delivery of software development projects.

  • It started in 2003 with eXtreme Programming
  • In 2004 I started using Scrum and certified as a ScrumMaster
  • I’ve always applied personal practices for fixed timeframe projects
  • To prepare projects I use a Product Backlog Estimation model
  • I track development with my Product Backlog Tracking model

I have started distributing my documentation on it, beginning with my overall presentation: My.Fragility – The Essential Scrum and beyond (handouts) (4 MB).

It includes:

  • an introduction on the general position, maturity and adoption of Agile as a software development method
  • a focus on the process of Scrum
  • the specific elements (and additions) of My.Fragility
  • addenda on eXtreme Programming, references and the roots of Agile

Find all my notes on my framework under the tag my.fragility.

Or stay really tuned via RSS http://en.wordpress.com/tag/my-fragility/feed/

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Definition of… Agile Testing

Poppendieck - Implementing Lean Software DevelopmentThe book Implementing Lean Software Development (from concept to cash) by Mary and Tom Poppendieck gave me an additional perspective and language (terminology) on quality and testing, thus enriching my existing insights.

Traditional testing is focused too much on bug hunting, mostly after a development cycle and including a devious rewarding or penalty policy. There is too little attention for verification of quality while building.

The development process should be oriented towards creating quality upfront (i.e. before UAT, release or whatever post-process control), and verification during the development process. If verification reveals a defect, the ‘line’ is stopped, the cause identified and resolved.

logo-myfragilityMy My.Fragility framework holds Quality Loops. These are performed continuously and at least daily. It is based upon eXtreme Programming practices. They serve as engineering standards within the Scrum process that is at the heart of my framework. It shows our focus on quality and integrated testing:

My.Fragility - Quality Loops


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Jigsawmentallama

A character. Dublin roads. Obsession. Meeting people. Sort of… insane. Slightly touched. Could be a Virgin Prune, but is… Jigsawmentallama. Inspiration for a song that was included on the Over The Rainbow album, originally a Virgin Prunes ‘compilation of rarities’ of 1981-1983.

Strongman and Mary released it as Artfuck on New Rose, but Gavin Friday turned back to its original title with the 2004 re-issue of the complete catalogue.

The 1983 intent was to show the band beyond If I Die, I Die… and Hérésie. The 2004 edition applies that vision to their complete existence. It officially says 1981-1984, but it includes recordings from preparing The Moon Looked Down And Laughed.

Down The Memory Lane left out (it does belong uniquely on Hérésie). Just A Lovesong kind of switched with White History Book (The Moon…).
The vibe-akimbo mix of Pagan Love Song added (before on the 1993 EP). The LP version of Love Lasts Forever finally marked as a rarity. The Faculties Of A Broken Heart included (got it originally on 45″). And despite not re-issuing The Hidden Lie (what I firmly regret) Gavin did add Blues Song from the album as a… hidden track. Speaking of forbidden fruits.

Given its new use (for The Moon…) the cover artwork was replaced with blue If I Die images. It fits because of the omnipresence of The Beautifull House.

YEO5CD is more than an expanded version of Over The Rainbow. It feels more essential. And it adds the last jigsaw pieces to the beautifull and gigantic Virgin Prunes puzzle.

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Metal plating for industrial body

Das erste Song von Rammstein an ihre neuesten CD Liebe Ist Für Alle Da ist eine richtige Hymne. Klar: eine Rückkehr muss gefeiert wurden.

Dieser Song, Rammlied, ist nicht nür eine Metapher für dieser Album aber gleich für Rammstein sofort. Es fängt an mit einige schwere metallische Riffs, offensichtlich Klischee. Obschon es sehr schnell klar wird dass Rammstein das Genre mit Vorbedacht über-seriös nehmen wodurch sie es gleichzeitig übersteigen. Das Rammlied entartet weiter in eine Metal Oper mit symphonische Atmosphären, wie patentiert von Faith No More.

Humor war der Grund auf wem ich sie seit der frühere Rosenrot Rammstein meine Liebe schon erklärte. Mariachi trompeten. Fremdsprachen (Spanisch, Französisch). Und während sie immer noch kräftig festhalten an die deutsche Sprache, können sie Englisch (wie in Pussy) auch wie eine fremde Sprache bestätigen (nicht slecht für eine weltweit renommierte Rockband).

Ihre Artwork is auch wieder so komplet (Hülle, clips, site). Barock, horror, clair-obscur ob Helldunkel, neo-romantik, Freaks. Geht gut zusammen mit den sehr ausdrückliche Gesangweise. Orgasmus.

Ein Tier das noch nicht sterben muss.

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A flexible approach to a… fixed price

Despite maybe chaordic circumstances, most (all?) customers are very attached to having a good upfront price indication. Even as a convinced Agilist and Scrum Practitioner I still want to serve those customers.

My My.Fragility framework tries to align both views upon a well-defined (Agile) Project Life Cycle:

During a (timeboxed) Pre-game staging effort, an initial Product Backlog is created, estimated and given a total price/elapse time (following my Definition of Agile Planning). The Product Backlog and Release Plan (split up of elapse time into monthly Sprints) is included in all proposals and contracts. It is the formalization of a mutual understanding and trust of what is included and what is not.

During implementation, the full Scrum process is applied, but the number of Story Points is kept in balance with the estimated number. I.e. when changing or adding User Stories, the priority of a comparably sized effort (in Story Points) should be adapted. And, yes, this might result in not implementing the lower priority Stories. Unless impact on timing and budget is accepted.

Keep track of the changes (delta) in a Delta Backlog.

Play the Planning Game with the customer to maintain the balance:

  • During a Sprint, refine next priority Stories and assess their estimates upon the actual knowledge
  • Let the customer decide on the selection of Stories for the next Sprint. Intervene as little as possible. Assist
  • Iterate until the selected #Story Points matches the available #Story Points

So, Agile techniques may well be used to deliver total results in a fixed timeframe, when adding the notion of Negotiable Scope.