James Thomas
@hiccupps.bsky.social
📤 549
đź“Ą 180
đź“ť 85
Software tester. Hiccupps:
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/
Don't rush to deciding how to test, be intentional about why first. Blogged: Why Test, Test What, Then How?
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2026/02/why-...
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Why Test, Test What, Then How?
There was a time when testing was all about the mnemonics . Well, we had no AI back then so thinking about our human craft and how to share ...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2026/02/why-test-test-what-then-how.html
4 days ago
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When everything is always changing and when your product is non-trivial how can you decide what to test, how much to test it, when, and how? I built tooling to amplify my exploratory testing. Blogged: Infinite Loop * Infinite Space
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2026/02/infi...
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Infinite Loop * Infinite Space
The Wikipedia page on infinite loops in programming describes them as "a sequence of instructions that, as written, will con...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2026/02/infinite-loop-infinite-space.html
13 days ago
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Enjoying my work when I'm not enjoying my work. Blogged:Challenges and Wins
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2026/01/chal...
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Challenges and Wins
I was guest speaker for a software testing class at EC Utbildning  a couple of weeks ago. I talked about one of my hobby horses — using ...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2026/01/challenges-and-wins.html
26 days ago
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A few thoughts on proof in testing inspired by Simon Willison's blog. Blogged: Reasonable Doubt
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2026/01/reas...
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Reasonable Doubt
In Your job is to deliver code you have proven to work  Simon Willison writes: As software engineers we ... need to deliver code that works ...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2026/01/reasonable-doubt.html
about 2 months ago
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On the value of looking outwards. Blogged: Incuriosity Killed the Project
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/12/incu...
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Incuriosity Killed the Project
In yesterday's Angry Weasel newsletter, Leadership is a Constant Experiment , Alan Page was explaining how, as a leader, he gets better resu...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/12/incuriosity-killed-project.html
3 months ago
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I was at the Cambridge Tester meetup for a session on leadership last night. Blogged: On Herding Cats
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/11/on-h...
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On Herding Cats
Last night I was at the Cambridge Tester meetup for a workshop on leadership. It was a two-parter with Drew Pontikis facilitating con...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/11/on-herding-cats.html?spref=tw
3 months ago
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You don't have to wait for knowing when you could be learning. Blogged: Waist Management
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/11/wais...
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Waist Management
I bought a belt recently. Unexpectedly, it came with a tool for making holes and the notice above. My initial reaction was to ch...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/11/waist-management.html
3 months ago
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Get your kicks where you can. Blogged: The Joy of Clicks
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
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The Joy of Clicks
It's all relative. There's enough wrong in the world that having an imperfect job in tough economic times is still a privilege that many w...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-joy-of-clicks.html
4 months ago
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Habitual value starts with valuable habits. Blogged:
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-...
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The Momentum of Doing It
It's 14 years since I first posted on Hiccupps and one since I wrote about about using trees for my mental health . Both practices are ongo...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-momentum-of-doing-it.html
4 months ago
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How Doctors Think, how they could think, and how we can also think. Blogged: Open Your Mind
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/10/open...
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Open Your Mind
Jerome Groopman, in How Doctors Think , reviews ways in which doctors can make poor choices, identifies potential causes, and su...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/10/open-your-mind.html
4 months ago
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Learning? Find your own path. Blogged: I Wish I Could Sprechen Sie Deutsch
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/10/i-wi...
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I Wish I Could Sprechen Sie Deutsch
I'm slowly learning German ... for fun, believe it or not. To limit my time commitment I've been mostly studying with lessons on a...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/10/i-wish-i-could-sprechen-sie-deutsch.html
5 months ago
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It is worth trying to define quality engineering, quality assurance, and testing? Blogged: Q What, Mate?
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/09/q-wh...
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Q What, Mate?
I'm enjoying The Vernon Richard Show  a lot recently because the vibe Vern and Richard have created is one where two knowledgeable...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/09/q-what-mate.html
5 months ago
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Must, Should, Could, Won't? Blogged: Prioritise we Must
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/08/prio...
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Prioritise we Must
Over on the Agile in the Ether  Slack instance one of the Ethernets recently asked: MoSCoW: Does anybody have a simple way of expl...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/08/prioritise-we-must.html
6 months ago
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Where do the constraints on your work come from? Where *should* they come from? Blogged: Bottom-up or Top-down?
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/08/bott...
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Bottom-up or Top-down?
The theme at LLEWT this year was Rules and constraints to ensure better quality.   My experience report concerned a team I'd been on...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/08/bottom-up-or-top-down.html
6 months ago
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We agree. Or do we? Blogged: Projects I've Bean On
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/07/proj...
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Projects I've Bean On
It was my wedding anniversary recently. The picture at the top is the front of the card I got for my wife. Yeah, I know. Somehow she still l...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/07/projects-ive-bean-on.html
7 months ago
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Exploring a quote to try to understand why I found it so instantly compelling even while it nagged away at me. Blogged: The Best Testing I Could
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-...
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The Best Testing I Could
Maaret Pyhäjärvi posted the quote above on LinkedIn a few weeks ago. It speaks strongly to me so I asked Maaret if she'd writ...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-best-testing-i-could.html
7 months ago
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A peer conference on rules and constraints for quality that explores social, technical, and organisational issues? Yes please. Blogged: LLEWT 2025
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/07/llew...
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LLEWT 2025
I attended LLEWT 2025 at the weekend. LLEWT is a peer conference  hosted by Chris Chant, Joep Schuurkes, and Elizabeth Zagroba...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/07/llewt-2025.html
8 months ago
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Is your test data getting in the way of your testing? Blogged: Real vs Clear
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/07/real...
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Real vs Clear
I'm been working on an application that will orchestrate data from multiple services. As the developers add clients for those services, th...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/07/real-vs-clear.html
8 months ago
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Learning a little is usually better than learning nothing. Blogged: Don't be that Mug
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/06/dont...
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Don't be that Mug
I've spoken to a couple of friends recently about testers they know who continually express a desire to "learn automation" and continually f...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/06/dont-be-that-mug.html
9 months ago
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We might not be the end users of our product, but we are the end users of our tests. Blogged: Users of Unit Tests
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/05/user...
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Users of Unit Tests
We are generally not the target users of the software products we work on. That's not to say we never use our applications or that we have ...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/05/users-of-unit-tests.html
9 months ago
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I try to be intentional about my use of tools and it turns out that includes using unfashionable and arcane utilities if they suit my needs. Blogged: Where Bash Fits for Me
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/05/wher...
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Where Bash Fits for Me
My friend Mirek wrote an interesting post recently: Where Rust fits for me . In it, he made a hierarchy of the programming languages he re...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/05/where-bash-fits-for-me.html
10 months ago
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The map you make while exploring probably isn't the map your colleagues need for comprehending. Blogged: Going Underground
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/05/goin...
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Going Underground
The map is not the territory. You've heard this before and I've quoted it before . The longer quote (due to Alfred Korzybski) from...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/05/going-underground.html
10 months ago
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38x better in a year? Well, no, but don't discount the value of intentional practice and the compounding effect. Blogged: Compound Interesting
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/04/comp...
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Compound Interesting
In simpler times you had to go out of your way to find useless motivational banalities. There'd be an aisle in the shops that you could ea...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/04/compound-interesting.html
10 months ago
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How did I come to buy a pair of Superstars every year for the last 20 years? A post for The April Cools' Club. Blogged: My Adidas
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/04/my-a...
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My Adidas
If you've met me anywhere outside of a wedding or funeral, a snowy day, or a muddy field in the last 20 years you'll have seen...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/04/my-adidas.html
11 months ago
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Third post inspired by Kill it with Fire by Marianne Bellotti. This one on trends in tech, the hype cycle, and who drives the market. Blogged: New Again Or
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/03/new-...
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New Again Or
I told you how much I love Kill it with Fire by Marianne Bellotti in This is Fire and you can see it in my copy above too. It's a...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/03/new-again-or.html?spref=tw
11 months ago
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Project management gems extracted from Kill it with Fire by Marianne Bellotti. Blogged: Putting the PR in Project
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/03/putt...
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Putting the PR in Project
Kill it with Fire is ostensibly a book about legacy systems but is packed with good advice about managing any significant project. In one...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/03/putting-pr-in-project.html?spref=tw
12 months ago
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Why you should read Kill it with Fire by Marianne Bellotti if you are in the software business. Blogged: This is Fire
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/03/this...
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This is Fire
Kill it with Fire is by Marianne Bellotti is a truly awesome book about dealing with legacy systems. If you're in softw...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/03/this-is-fire.html
12 months ago
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Simultaneously embarrassing and flattering to have my work called out on a podcast, but I *do* love making just enough tooling to answer the questions I have.
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/02/love...
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Love My Work
In a recent episode of the Vernon Richard show , testing's dynamic duo were inspired by Valentine's Day to talk about their love for our cra...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/02/love-my-work.html
about 1 year ago
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Nine approaches to work that I find are valuable more often than not. Blogged: Heuristics for Working Today
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/02/heur...
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Heuristics for Working Today
Whatever our workplace constraints, we have agency over our own actions and the choices we make impact us, those around us, and the wo...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/02/heuristics-for-working-today.html
about 1 year ago
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I've been repeatedly asked a question about testing AI, so I made some notes to help me answer it. Blogged: How do I Test AI?
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/01/how-...
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How do I Test AI?
Recently a few people have asked me how I test AI. I'm happy to share my experiences, but I frame the question more broadly, perhaps some...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/01/how-do-i-test-ai.html
about 1 year ago
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Gently venting about school IT policy, implementation, and Microsoft. Blogged: HS MS BS
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/01/hs-m...
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HS MS BS
My daughter's high school requires its students to have access to a laptop at home for school work. The school's trust is a Microsoft ...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/01/hs-ms-bs.html
about 1 year ago
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reposted by
James Thomas
Simon Tomes
about 1 year ago
Repost with a cool song that’s under two minutes. Basmati (Live) – Chilly Gonzales.
tidal.com/browse/track...
add a skeleton here at some point
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On why you should watch Hillel Wayne's talk on Empirical Software Engineering from DDD Europe. Blogged: Don't Know? Find Out!
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/01/dont...
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Don't Know? Find Out!
In What We Know We Don't Know , Hillel Wayne crisply summarises a handful of research findings about software development, describes how the...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2025/01/dont-know-find-out.html
about 1 year ago
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Don't prevaricate any longer. Start the thing you've been putting off today with a first tiny step. Blogged: Write Now!
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/12/writ...
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Write Now!
Some friends of mine are talking about starting to blog. They know why they want to blog, they have topics to blog about, and they are thoug...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/12/write-now.html
about 1 year ago
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You can keep taking the next valuable step even when you're not sure of the destination. Blogged: Iterate, Add Value, ...
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/12/iter...
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Iterate, Add Value, ...
A couple of months ago, in Can You Hack It? , I wrote about how I increased the testability of a service by changing it in a way that allowe...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/12/iterate-add-value.html
about 1 year ago
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When to YAGNI? Blogged: We Actually Did Need It
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/11/we-a...
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We Actually Did Need It
You Ain't Gonna Need It, YAGNI. A helpful tool to remind us to carefully consider building no more than we need to solve the problem in fron...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/11/we-actually-did-need-it.html
over 1 year ago
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On finding somewhere to be calm inside. Blogged: Not a Happy Place
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/10/not-...
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Not a Happy Place
A few months ago I stopped having therapy because I felt I had stabilised myself enough to navigate life without it. For the time being, a...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/10/not-happy-place.html
over 1 year ago
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Because we all know how projects /should/ be run, right? Blogged: Your Fantasy or Mine?
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/10/your...
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Your Fantasy or Mine?
I recall a time where I was moved to dig up this aphorism and share it with my colleagues: Poor planning on your part does not necessit...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/10/your-fantasy-or-mine.html
over 1 year ago
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13 years of blogging at Hiccupps. And I'm not stopping. Blogged: Lucky for Some?
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/10/luck...
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Lucky for Some?
This month marks 13 years of Hiccupps and this is the 660th post. It's traditional for me to mention in my anniversary posts ...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/10/lucky-for-some.html
over 1 year ago
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Until last week I hadn't seen my university dissertation in 20+ years, but it turns out I did some testing for my final project ... Blogged: What the L?
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/09/what...
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What the L?
The other day my dad showed me a copy of my BSc. dissertation that he's had in a folder somewhere since 1992. I remembered vaguely that it...
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/09/what-l.html
over 1 year ago
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Testability is low. Do you put up with it? Blogged: Can You Hack It?
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/09/can-...
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Can You Hack It?
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/09/can-you-hack-it.html
over 1 year ago
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Heuristics for working summarised from a talk by Dan Terhorst-North Blogged: The Best Programmer Dan Knows
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-...
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The Best Programmer Dan Knows
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-best-programmer-dan-knows.html
over 1 year ago
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As the crowdsourced book, Navigating the World as a Context-Driven Tester, adds its final entry I look back on my contributions. Blogged: Around the Testing World in 28 Ways
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/08/arou...
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Around the Testing World in 28 Ways
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/08/around-testing-world-in-28-ways.html
over 1 year ago
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Pairing and ensembling are a waste of time, aren't they? Blogged: The Way to Test?
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-...
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The Way to Test?
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-way-to-test.html
over 1 year ago
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It's not exactly Crowdstrike, but ... Blogged: Olivestrike!
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/07/oliv...
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Olivestrike!
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/07/olivestrike.html
over 1 year ago
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ELF is a micro-framework for assertive communication and I layer it with congruence and the Satir Interaction model. This post is a summary of my experience report from LLEWT 2024. Blogged: Express, Listen, and Field
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/07/expr...
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Express, Listen, and Field
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/07/express-listen-and-field.html
over 1 year ago
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My mindmap and sketchnotes from the LLEWT 2024 peer conference on Communication. Blogged: LLEWT 2024
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/07/llew...
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LLEWT 2024
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/07/llewt-2024.html
over 1 year ago
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Take your philosophy from wherever works for you. Blogged: Need to Know
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/06/need...
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Need to Know
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/06/need-to-know.html
over 1 year ago
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Whose work is it anyway? Reflections on creating with AI and non-AI tooling. Blogged: An AI Red Light
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/06/an-a...
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An AI Red Light
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/06/an-ai-red-light.html
over 1 year ago
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Yeah, you should test everything all the time. Blogged: Software Sisyphus
qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/06/soft...
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Software Sisyphus
https://qahiccupps.blogspot.com/2024/06/software-sisyphus.html
over 1 year ago
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