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• From POTS to TOTS

  My father’s “Programming on the Side” company and my own love of solving hard problems have me wondering about building an objective, principle-based system of troubleshooting.

• Disconnect the Batphone

  I tell the story of a lone hero engineer who fixes the crisis at 2:37 AM and gets grilled instead of thanked, and argue that needing heroics is a sign of a sick company.

• Joining Together

  A tribute to Michelle Young of Bristol, PA, who accepted my proposal in December 2001, with the wedding set for July 12, 2003, 134 days away.

• Rest In Peace

  The obituary for my father, Joseph E. McAllister (1948 to 2003)