What the Hunting Licence Reveals About Systems, Tradition, and the Discipline Modern IT Lost
The French hunting licence is not a recreational certification. It is a demanding, consequence-driven system refined over more than fifty years. It embodies principles that modern IT has repeatedly forgotten.
The Day I Stopped Lowering the Bar for Anyone
Two cats gone. Lola first. Minette now.
Both died with their eyes open, and with a level of dignity that people in positions of responsibility no longer even attempt to match.
Monday Myth: “Engineering Must Know Everything in Advance”
A stubborn myth persists in tech: engineering must foresee everything before writing a single line of code. Perfect requirements. Perfect risk maps. Perfect predictability. It is not professionalism. It is fear.
Friday Fun: The Gollums of Tech
Every organisation has at least one Gollum. Not evil. Worse. Someone who clings to a system, a domain, or a piece of code with a devotion completely disconnected from reality.
The System Lives Longer Than You
In every mature engineering discipline, the creator disappears and the system remains. Railways, bridges, aircraft, industrial plants, power grids, and
Monday Myth: The Cult of Belief
The modern workplace has mistaken belief for competence. Leaders preach that unless you “believe in the mission”, “feel aligned”, or “find your spark”, you cannot deliver excellence. Emotional alignment has become a moral test. But this doctrine has produced fragility, not performance
