Jakob Persson ⁽⁴²⁾

Something that caused quite a bit of a stir a while ago was the revelation that Sweden had dropped considerably in OECD’s international PISA school rankings. Politicians were eager to get media attention, pointing fingers at the opposition for this and that, turning it into yet another left versus right blame game. A common theme was a call for more order and a more strict school. I think the explanation is not whether teachers need to seen as authoritarian figures but rather as to whether they help students believe in themselves.

A lot of my work revolves around finding ways to apply technology in a way that helps people be productive and effective in their lives. It’s a fun challenge that gives you the opportunity to learn new things. However, underneath it lies an ages old struggle between two traditions: human vs machine.

One of the things that can relatively easy make your company stand head and shoulders above the competition is great positive customer service. I was reminded of this the past weekend. Cued by the terms in a car rental contract, I immediately thought of the same mechanism could be achieved with less agony for the customer.

A lot of people know me as the “estimates guy” thanks to my conference sessions on estimating Drupal and web projects. But in the years since I’ve had reason to revise my opinion on the use of estimates. These are my realizations and insights since.

The challenges of hiring developers and technical team members keep vexing more and more people. It’s a natural development as technology becomes an integral part of our lives and businesses are more dependent than ever on skilled technical staff. But if you’re not a programmer yourself, hiring one can be a daunting task, whether you’re looking for a technical co-founder or a new developer for your product team.