Tom DeMarco on YouTube: Adrenaline Junkies

Check out Tom DeMarco's video on YouTube; he discusses the ideas behind his new book, Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies, coauthored with his consulting partners Peter Hruschka, Tim Lister, Steve McMenamin, James Robertson, and Suzanne Robertson:

Click the image or visit YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=YHREsyKK5Nw
Read more about Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies, download PDF chapters, find reviews by Joel Spolsky, Alistair Cockburn, Ed Yourdon, and others:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

Tom DeMarco et al. on ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES

Tom DeMarco, Peter Hruschka, Tim Lister, Steve McMenamin,
James Robertson, and Suzanne Robertson -- the authors of our
new book ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES
-- have posted comments on the Website of their consulting firm,
The Atlantic Systems Guild:

"The so-called 'patterns movement,' has so far concentrated
entirely on patterns of the software itself. But there is another
set of patterns that we need to take account of as well: patterns
of projects and teams, the typical ways that they behave and
interact. Just as Gamma et al. deal with the technological aspect
of patterns, the Guild authors have focused on the sociological
side. If you believe, as we do, that the sociological is often as
important or even more important than the technological, then
this book may be for you. . . .

"The book identifies 86 patterns that characterize project and
team behavior. All of the patterns don't apply to your project,
but some surely will. Some of the patterns are constructive ­
they help you get meaningful work done. And other are
destructive ­ they get in your way. Like many of the patterns that
control our behavior as individuals, project behavior patterns are
often invisible. They are the unwritten rules that govern us. We
don't think about them, but we don't think to violate them either.
(Are you skeptical about the existence of such unwritten rules?
Consider then walking up to a team mate and touching his face.) . . .

"Each pattern is named (the authors have tried to choose a name
that is memorable but also fairly accurate) and numbered. There is
an iconic graphic to go with it, something to facilitate quick
association. And there is a short essay about the pattern to offer
advice about why some projects tend to fall into its particular
groove, why they need to be aware of it, and what actions may
be prescribed."

Read the authors' comments at
http://www.systemsguild.com/GuildSite/Books/ajtz.html

Read more about ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

. . . both pages link to a free PDF preview of the book . . .

DevSource.com on OBJECT-ORIENTED COMPUTATION

Author and technical editor John Mueller recently posted a
review on DevSource.com of Conrad Weisert's book
OBJECT-ORIENTED COMPUTATION IN C++ AND JAVA:

"Most of the programming books I've read tend to gloss
over the numbers. . . . If you've found yourself wondering
how to make the math work, this is a great book to get.
Instead of giving you a couple simple math examples that
don't reflect the real world, you'll find yourself working with
code that fully demonstrates practical math techniques.
". . . The author does warn you that this book is intended
for experienced programmers and I must admit that he
challenged some of my programming skills later in the book.
. . . The book is well organized and relatively easy to read,
but the author also doesn't candy-coat the complexity of the
topic. You'll find that you learn quite a lot. . . ."

Read the full review on DevSource.com:
http://www.devsource.com/c/a/Languages/Review-ObjectOriented-Computation-in-
C-and-Java/

Read more about Conrad Weisert's Dorset House title
OBJECT-ORIENTED COMPUTATION IN C++ AND JAVA:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ooc.html

Joel on ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES

Joel Spolsky reviewed ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE
ZOMBIES, the new book by Tom DeMarco, Peter Hruschka,
Tim Lister, Steve McMenamin, James Robertson, and Suzanne
Robertson:

"Another masterpiece from the folks who brought you
Peopleware. Anyone who has survived a software project or
two will surely recognize many of these patterns and will be
able to learn from most of them. Adrenaline Junkies and
Template Zombies is a real joy."
--Joel Spolsky, author of JOEL ON SOFTWARE

Read Joel on Software:
http://www.joelonsoftware.com

Read about ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html
You can download a PDF preview there.

Yourdon on ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES

In the Yourdon Report, Ed Yourdon reviewed ADRENALINE
JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES, the new book by Tom
DeMarco, Peter Hruschka, Tim Lister, Steve McMenamin,
James Robertson, and Suzanne Robertson:

". . . utterly delightful . . . These 'patterns' are grimly familiar
to anyone who has worked in project-related organizations;
and unfortunately, they can be found in small companies as
well as large ones. Fortunately, some of the patterns ('Rattle
Yer Dags' and 'Nanny,' for example) are good ones, and should
be encouraged. Sadly, though, far too many of them ('Dead
Fish,' 'Project-Speak') are not only depressingly familiar, but
astonishingly destructive to productivity, quality, and the
morale of the project team. . . .

"I really love this book, not the least because each pattern
can be read and understood in a moment or two, since they
take only 2-3 pages to explain. The real trick, I think, will be
getting people to be brave enough to call them out when
they are seen. Here's a prediction: if you can encourage a
few brave souls to shout "J'accuse!" whenever they see one
of these patterns occurring in your organization, you'll soon
be able to remove all those Dilbert cartoons from the office
bulletin board. If ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE
ZOMBIES gets the attention it deserves, Scott Adams may
have to return to Corporate America and get an honest job
as a project manager."

Read the full article in The Yourdon Report:
http://www.yourdonreport.com/index.php/2008/01/19/adrenalin-junkies-and-temp
late-zombies/

Read more about ADRENALINE JUNKIES AND TEMPLATE ZOMBIES:
http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/ajtz.html

In Memoriam: Rodger D. Drabick

With great sadness, we report the passing of Rodger D.
Drabick on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2007. Consultant, author,
and noted expert on quality engineering and systems testing,
Rodger worked for 30 years at Eastman Kodak; most
recently, he served as a software quality assurance engineer
at Lockheed Martin. He wrote Best Practices for the Formal
Software Testing Process, published by Dorset House in 2004.

Dorset House authors -- including Karl Wiegers, Randy
Rice, and Norm Kerth -- are sharing their memories of Rodger.
Visit http://www.dorsethouse.com/authors/drabick.html#tributes
Following are comments from William E. Perry:

"Rodger was a long-time friend dating back to when we both
worked for the Eastman Kodak Company. He was a giant in the
field of software testing, starting from the days when we tested
without a plan, and from those early days, he helped develop
software testing into a respected career. We will miss you,
Rodger."
--Bill Perry, coauthor of Surviving the Top Ten Challenges of
Software Testing

Rodger is survived by his wife, Karen, his mother, two daughters,
three grandchildren, and his four siblings. An obituary is posted
here: http://www.mountvernonnews.com/notices/12/11/03.html

The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, 120 Wall St., 19th Floor, New York,
NY 10005: https://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm

We opened a forum discussion about Rodger -- please join in:
http://dorsethouse.com/rc/viewtopic.php
c&highlight=