My favourite German language podcast, Schlaflos in München, is back after a break of almost 3 months. Annik Rubens (nom de pod), its creator, took a break after 400 episodes of the original SiM. Unlike the original, which was released on most weekdays, the new format is weekly and divided into different sections such as… Continue reading SiM ist wieder da!
Agile Day in Munich
I’m in Munich again visiting my major new agile enablement client. Today we discussed the most likely candidate for a pilot project, the makeup of the team (4 developers, 1 tester, the customer, the ScrumMaster and myself as coach and mentor) and Sprint 0 activities. These will include training the team, establishing the development and… Continue reading Agile Day in Munich
New agile projects in the UK and Germany
The demand for agile method consultancy seems to be growing. I’ve secured two new clients during the last two weeks: one in Stevenage, UK and the other one in Munich, Germany. This week I’m with the UK client, doing a Scrum Quick Start. Last week I introduced agile to some of the key stakeholders. Today,… Continue reading New agile projects in the UK and Germany
Alan "Fluff" Freeman
The DJ Alan “Fluff” Freeman has died at the age of 79. Alan was known and loved by many for his BBC Radio 1 show “Pick of the Pops” which was broadcast from the launch of Radio 1 in 1967 until 1972. Alan relaunched the show with an oldies chart format in 1989. His catchphrases… Continue reading Alan "Fluff" Freeman
Bedtime Stories
One of the things that I enjoy about fatherhood is sharing bedtime stories with my son. When he was younger I made the stories up. They were filled with dinosaurs, hobbits, elves and wizards. I spun tales which mixed the universes of J.R.R. Tolkien and Anne McCaffrey with a little smattering of Jurassic Park for… Continue reading Bedtime Stories
The Dysfunctional Scrum: An Exercise in the Management of Scrum Smells
The Dysfunctional Scrum exercise normally goes down very well as part of agile training. It’s great fun but, more importantly, lets participants experience the World’s worst Daily Scrum. The exercise can lead to a useful discussion on how to deal with common Scrum smells. Read more here. Technorati Tags: agile, scrum
DAB is back to 192 kbps on Radio 3
I'm back in the UK for a couple of days and on turning on my DAB radio this evening, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that BBC Radio 3 is being broadcast at 192 kbps again. A few months ago, the BBC dropped Radio 3 to 160 kbps to make room for a 24/7 looping… Continue reading DAB is back to 192 kbps on Radio 3
Berlin shops can open round-the-clock on weekdays
buntklicker.de: “Die Berliner sind mal wieder von der schnellen Truppe: Berlin ist das erste Bundesland, in dem ab heute der Ladenschluß an Werktagen vollständig aufgehoben ist.” Great to see Berlin leading on opening up the archaic German shop opening laws. Hopefully the next step will be movement on Sunday opening.
4×4 drivers face huge charge rise
BBC News: “Vehicles causing the most pollution in central London are to face huge increases in the congestion charge, mayor Ken Livingstone has announced. The daily charge for vehicles in carbon emissions band G – which includes 4x4s – is to rise from £8 to £25 from 2009. In 2008, the charge will be removed… Continue reading 4×4 drivers face huge charge rise
Drop Scones
Drop Scones Originally uploaded by sjroberts. As children we looked forward to autumn and winter Sunday teatimes. There would often be something special and sometimes that would be drop scones. Here's a simple recipe: Ingredients (serves 2-3): 150g of self-raising flour or plain flour with a little baking powder 25g of caster sugar 25ml of… Continue reading Drop Scones