ABC Interviews Sir Kieth Winemaker

"Our guest today is Sir Kieth Winemaker and we talk about love, inspiration, boating and of course, the important stuff, wine. Mr Winemaker welcome" "Oh please Kerry, Mr Winemaker was my father. Just call me Sir Kieth" "Well Sir Kieth lets go back to the beginning because you didn't have the easiest start in life"...

Testing, Observability and Functionality as the Holy Trinity

I had a thought that testing - preceding all as in Test Driven Development - fits the role of the father, demanding the outcomes it lays down and rejecting discrepancies ruthlessly (automated testing anyway). Observability is like the son, comes after the fact, has inside knowledge and spreads the word as to what is going...

Mental Tricks – Empathising with Stakeholders

Sometimes stakeholders can be difficult people to get along with. It's helpful to imagine them in a vulnerable position when you need to work hard to cover them, especially if you don't have much time for them personally. One trick I find useful is to imagine them on the wrong end of a telephone line...

Regurgitating Platitudes

I've known a few people to be devotees to one cult or another. It's uncomfortable to watch someone who doesn't really understand, or who thought that they understood when the guru was explaining it but when pressed end up realising live that they are only regurgitating undigested platitudes. Worse still is when no one challenges...

The Hobbies that Offer Meaning

There is a class of activities that on the surface dubiously offer some kind of health benefit but beneath, implied, is a claim they will make you happy. When I was a teenager these activities were Yoga, meditation, vegetarianism and Pilates. Now it's fasting, cold plunges, carnivore diet, free diving or anything else that a...

1993 Rugby World Cup

It is 1993 and we are in the stadium watching the world cup final. The clock shows no more minutes - we are in overtime. New Zealand trails to Australia by 4 points and have possession in Australia's half. Talking heads ~: NZ Hooker: I remember there was a lot of confidence. We knew what...

Good Times Hey

Hey hey, let the good times roll A circuit breaker come to save my soul There will be many days, you'll be sitting all alone Thinking the goods times hey, the good times roll