Civ 4
Apparenly this game absolutely requires to ability to get into 1024x768 direct x full screen mode in order to launch. I'm using my Samsung DSP HDTV as my monitor while I recover from surgery, so it won't run (the Samsung supports 1280x720). Lame. I'll try it again when I can move back to my normal monitor.
The Fiefdom Syndrom by Robert Herbold
I read about 75% of this book during the wait for the flight and the flight back home yesterday. I'm really enjoying it, I vaguely remember the guy's name from when he was at Microsoft, but it is clear both in his direct and unattributed examples that he did spend the time here. It is giving me a lot of food for thought both for my personal career and for the impact I want to have on my new team.
As I've mentioned, I have worked with many on the team before, but I am still an outsider coming in to the team in a fairly senior role. I need to prove myself to those who haven't worked with me enough already and find ways to get things done that often I can't do alone. I had some sense of the 'personal fiefdom' Mr. Herbold talks about in his book, and I very much have seen that in action in the company, and although I knew I wanted to avoid that kind of situation I didn't have as concrete an idea what I was trying to avoid.
The book has also made me rethink a proposal I made to development management on the team before vacation, when I gt back I'm going to retract that one and rethink a better way to accomplish the same basic goals (which are important).
I recommend this book in general, it is important for those who want to make a broader impact but also for people who want to avoid career pitfalls.
