charity.wtf
Confessions of an Unrepentant Slop Snob
A framework for thinking about when AI involvement is additive or a violation
3 days ago
A framework for thinking about when AI involvement is additive or a violation
charity.wtf
In defense of AI mandates
When you need to execute a coordinated change on a tight timeline, a mandate is the best and most...
2nd Jul 2026
When you need to execute a coordinated change on a tight timeline, a mandate is the best and most honest way to fund it.
charity.wtf
AI enthusiasts are in a race against time, AI skeptics are in a race against entropy
Both sides are grappling with a real existential threat, and both sides feel like they are screaming...
2nd Jun 2026
Both sides are grappling with a real existential threat, and both sides feel like they are screaming into the void. Here's how to close the gap and get everyone pulling in the same direction.
charity.wtf
My (hypothetical) SRECon26 keynote
One year ago, Fred Hebert and I delivered the closing keynote at SRECon25. Looking back on it now, I...
3rd Mar 2026
One year ago, Fred Hebert and I delivered the closing keynote at SRECon25. Looking back on it now, I can hardly connect with how I felt then. Here's what I'd say one year later.
charity.wtf
Martin Fowler told me the second edition should be shorter (it's twice as long)
90% new material, a clearer mission, and a rogues gallery of contributors. The second edition of...
18th Feb 2026
90% new material, a clearer mission, and a rogues gallery of contributors. The second edition of Observability Engineering is almost done.
charity.wtf
Bring Back Ops Pride
"Operations" is not a dirty word, a synonym for toil, or a title for people who can't write code....
19th Jan 2026
"Operations" is not a dirty word, a synonym for toil, or a title for people who can't write code. May those who shit on ops get the operational outcomes they deserve.
charity.wtf
Moving from WordPress to Substack
Well, shit. I wrote my first blog post in this space on December 27th, 2015 — almost exactly a...
14th Dec 2025
Well, shit. I wrote my first blog post in this space on December 27th, 2015 — almost exactly a decade ago. “Hello, world.” I had just left Facebook, hadn’t yet formally incorporated Honeycomb, and it just felt like it was time, long past time for me to put something up and start...
charity.wtf
From Cloudwashing to O11ywashing
I was just watching a panel on observability, with a handful of industry executives and experts who...
24th Nov 2025
I was just watching a panel on observability, with a handful of industry executives and experts who shall remain nameless and hopefully duly obscured—their identities are not the point, the point is that this is a mainstream view among engineering executives and my head is...
charity.wtf
Got opinions on observability? I could use your help (once more, with feeling)
Last month I dropped a desperate little plea for help in this space, asking people to email me any...
13th Oct 2025
Last month I dropped a desperate little plea for help in this space, asking people to email me any good advice and/or strong opinions they happened to have on the topic of buying software. I wasn’t really sure what to expect — desperate times, desperate measures — but holy crap,...
charity.wtf
Are you an experienced software buyer? I could use some help.
If it seems like I’ve been relatively quiet lately on social media and my blog, that’s because I...
19th Sep 2025
If it seems like I’ve been relatively quiet lately on social media and my blog, that’s because I have. Liz, Austin, George and I have been busy toiling away on the second edition of “Observability Engineering” ever since April or May. I personally have been trying to spend 75-80%...
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