Contemplation

It's been another day without much opportunity to get out with the camera. I was at least able to take a quick walk up to the Lower Tarn this morning before catching the train. It was beautifully clear and I fancied getting a shot of the Cow and Calf Rocks from the West, having previously posted the more familiar views from the East. The shape the rocks present from this side is very different, but it's quite a long way off so it stretches the zoom capacity of my little camera. This is a bit of an experiment really, but I think it works as an effective image. It would have been rather lovely to have been sitting up there on the rocks myself, with time for contemplation, as opposed to having to rush into work.

It will be readily apparent if you've been following my write-ups that I'm suffering a few frustrations at the moment. That's really down to not being able to do what I'm good at and what I enjoy most. I'm a creative soul at heart and my 'thing' is coming up with ideas and innovative solutions. But the good ideas have now become converted into products, used by thousands of people in the area of Public Health, and the job has become rather more mundane. I seem to spend most of my time grappling with problems to do with other people's software. When I began to work in this profession as a software developer you had ultimate control. You were able to write straight to the metal (direct to the processor) with nothing between you and the logic gates which implemented your code. That's a little frightening now and I've no idea as to how I was ever able to do that! But the modern reality is also somewhat frightening. There are now so many layers of abstraction between the code you write and the binary that runs on the processor that it feels like you have very little control left. That is the heart of my frustration at the moment. Too much complexity! Compounded by the fact that I'm starting to forget how my own software works. That's actually a little worrying ... although I'm trying to frame it as an opportunity rather than a big problem! I'm getting ready to hand the mantle over to younger, more agile minds.

You'll excuse me if I post this and turn the computer off for the night. I've had enough time at the keyboard for one week. Thank you again for all the wonderful feedback, and for helping me to escape to focus on the wider world out there. You're all stars! I wish you all a wonderful weekend