Just kidding. I get the concern. I spend way too much time online too.

By the way, out of coincidence, I just came across this interesting article this morning:
http://www.nme.com/news/gorillaz/53816. This is one piece of iPad creation I can’t wait for. The three Newton boys are huge Gorillaz fans.

Cheers mate,
Mark.

But: Those apps you list are for creating, I agree, but not the content I need to create. Although, as a former young hobby drummer I would probably spend some time with iElectribe, that drum machine on drugs app. Wait, stop! I just made my point again! That’s playing (pun intended). I don’t need to play. I need to create (value).

But I’ll gladly hand it to you (and Steve): It’s a p r e t t y slick machine. Part of me wants it, no doubt about that, but just not big enough a part. I’m not getting one. (…yet ;)

Seriously: It’s not just the creating. It’s the not constantly consuming. Here’s a story for you (written two+ months after I wrote this one). If I would’ve bought an iPad, that’s the story I (wish I) would’ve written two weeks later:

“Peter Bregman – Why I returned my iPad”
http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2010/06/why-i-returned-my-ipad.html

There are many apps that make iPad more than just a consumption device:
 Pages, Numbers & Keynote
 http://www.brushesapp.com/
 http://www.korg.com/ielectribe
 http://j.mp/aNJkew

Thing is…it also makes your consumption time more natural and enjoyable.

You’re a geek guy. I suspect you’ll get an iPad sooner or later. Then, when you do, you’ll wish you got it sooner.

You know it’s true.

Reading about your background as a jock yourself brought a smile to my face, thanks for sharing that :) Actually it’s not really _my_ fight for recognition either. When writing this post I tried to decide: We or They? I even started to write a “disclaimer” on the decision of chosing We. I ended up dropping that disclaimer not to lose focus.

So, here it is in a comment version instead :)

Reasons for using We: It’s including; I’m a part of this too. After all, according to my CV, it’s what I’ve been doing for years now.

Reasons for using They: I’m not smart and analytical enough :) Well ok, I’m smart, but not to the extent that I’ve felt excluded. I’ve never been a loner, and certainly wouldn’t call myself introverted – au contraire. Add to that that I’ve always been fairly good at sports and that I studied philosophy, pedagogy and communication at university and you have another one not quite fitting the traditional developer bill.

As you might tell from the above, large parts of me leaned towards They, but that wouldn’t have been very loyal, would it? Plus, it really doesn’t matter what side you and me would choose to put ourselves on personally. As long as we’re in the business of creating software we need to be aware of the importance of expressing ourselves in a way that doesn’t enforce an external view of us as nerds and loners.

That said, go ahead and write an Apprenticeship Patterns sequel. Please (pretty please, with sugar on top) do! I love your book and I learned tons from it. And, I must add, the craftsman/apprentice metaphors worked wonders for me too.

“Internally”, within our community it’s all fine. It’s up to ourselves to find metaphors that work. And these do. As do “fail fast”, “let it crash” etc. But, again, when we talk to people on the outside…

Hey, you know what? I just realised we might need to separate the two parts of the goals of this “movement” (in the sense I used it in my post). The part of “raising the bar of professional software development” (SCM), by “improving software developers themselves, through deliberate practice and constant learning” (Fraiteur) is very well served with these metaphors. I think the reception and reactions by our community have proved that. The “goals of achieving a larger recognition of software development as a profession” part however, needs different tools, mainly because that part is highly dependent on how the outside world perceives us.

Hmm, in retrospect I should have kept those goals apart writing the post. But, what are retrospects for, if not to identify the areas of improvement for the future?! Sounds like another blog post coming up, wohoo. Good times :)

On a final note; when you said you “couldn’t relate very well to your “fight for recognition” thoughts”, you did mean you as a person, with your background and your characteristics, didn’t you? In that case, we’re cool. I covered that above. However, if you, with your background in psychology, can’t relate professionally to my conjecture of tying the characteristics of software developers to an (over-)eagerness to achieve recognition I’d love to hear some more on your thoughts on that.

Leaping lizzards, this became a blog post in itself. Thanks again for the inspiration Dave :)

I couldn’t relate very well to your “fight for recognition” thoughts. I happen to have a different background than a lot of software developers. I was one of those schoolyard jocks myself (albeit an introverted one) who went on to play college football, then became a family therapist, and then taught myself about software development. Yeah, it’s a strange story, and sometimes it makes it hard for me to relate. So, like my helpful self-label “software craftsman”, if thinking about “fighting for recognition” helps you bridge gaps, then stick with it, because we certainly need plenty of bridge builders. :)