I spent the last few years of my life building tools to help fairly technical people analyze data. The experience has given me a certain amount of perspective over what the landscape of data looks like. Let’s get the first thing out of the way, I’m not impressed with what we have achieved: while our… Continue reading Data for the people
Author: Luca Candela
Born in Italy, after a MS in Computer Science in Torino, Italy, I moved to Madrid first, then to California to pursue my dream of working in the epicenter of the digital revolution, the Bay Area.
I'm currently the Head of Product Management at Treasure Data. I'm passionate about Agile development, User Experience and social media. In the rare occasion when I'm not working, I like to play electric guitar, ride my mountain bike and enjoy Asian food.
A gun isn’t a tool
A gun isn’t a tool – it’s not a hammer or a drill that you can pick up, use to solve a problem, and put away until you have the next problem you want to solve. It’s an instrument, like a guitar or piano. It requires constant care, it requires checking and tuning before each… Continue reading A gun isn’t a tool
On logo design
Surprising to many, the subject matter of a logo is of relatively little importance, and even appropriateness of content does not always play a significant role. This does not imply that appropriateness is undesirable. It merely indicates that a one-to-one relationship between a symbol and what it symbolized is very often impossible to achieve and,… Continue reading On logo design
A fragile democracy
Speaking with my US friends, I never detect any hint of fear for the current situation of the democratic system. There seem to be some kind of assurance that no matter how dysfunctional this country becomes, it could never backslide or change radically and become, let’s say, Putin’s Russia. I am deeply worried that’s not… Continue reading A fragile democracy
Why clean data never stays clean
“Many companies implement large ERP systems only to find that the employees have drifted away from the software and back onto spreadsheets. As a result, investment in ERP software, process re-engineering, and training is lost within two years. ERP becomes a huge burden instead of the solution. The system must be configured and the processes… Continue reading Why clean data never stays clean
Cargo cultism and design
Cargo cult is defined as a religious movement that exhibit belief in the imminence of a new age of blessing, to be initiated by the arrival of a special “cargo” of goods from supernatural sources—based on the observation by local residents of the delivery of supplies to colonial officials. If the cargo is expected by… Continue reading Cargo cultism and design
The Agile Estimation Process
The Big Redesign In The Sky
Disclaimer This article was originally posted by one of the single smartest people in software development known as Uncle Bob on 1/9/2009. Sadly his blog seems unreachable and has been for a long time, so I’m reposting the original content in its entirety as a public service. I make no claim I have anything to do… Continue reading The Big Redesign In The Sky
Focus on Now, forget Later and burn Never
Web startups have to overcome incredible challenges to become successful, the biggest of which is probably figuring out a way to prioritize a seemingly endless list of things you would like to do. How do you prioritize effectively, balancing the business objectives, consumer expectations and your ability to deliver (resources)?
We don’t have time to do things right.
Everybody working in software development in one way or another has heard this at some point: it would be really nice to do things the right way, but right now we’re busy, there will be time to fix the problem later on.