https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/ Kris Walker's writing on software, leadership, the web, and field notes. en-US https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/develop-good-taste https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/develop-good-taste Thu, 19 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT Having a taste for what's good matters now more than it ever has. The incredible thing is that we can develop good taste. https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/last-day-at-disney https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/last-day-at-disney Wed, 11 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT This ends an 7 year chapter of my life which I'll really miss. But I'm also excited about what's next. https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/invariants-of-great-work https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/invariants-of-great-work Tue, 17 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT The characteristics, behaviors, and mental models which need to be held constant to be able to do our best work. https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/good-takes-effort https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/good-takes-effort Mon, 18 Aug 2025 08:00:00 GMT In software there is incidental work and inherent work. We adopt tools to do the incidental work so we can focus our creativity on the inherent complexity, which is where the value is. https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/woz-happiest-person-ever https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/woz-happiest-person-ever Sat, 16 Aug 2025 08:00:00 GMT Someone commented on Slashdot that Steve Wozniak was a fool for selling and giving away most of his shares in Apple. Woz replied with this gem. https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/how-to-build-a-great-software-engineering-team https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/how-to-build-a-great-software-engineering-team Sat, 24 May 2025 08:00:00 GMT Great teams build great software. https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/make-your-own-luck https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/make-your-own-luck Thu, 18 Jul 2024 08:00:00 GMT Luck plays a role in our successes and failures. But, we can take deliberate action to make ourselves a target for good luck. https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/vintage-software-engineer https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/vintage-software-engineer Thu, 09 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT I tend to downplay new things in software which people are generally excited about. Perhaps unfairly. https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/great-range-traverse-gear-inventory https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/great-range-traverse-gear-inventory Fri, 23 Feb 2018 08:00:00 GMT What I learned during preparation, training, and practice for the Adirondack Great Range Traverse. https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/winter-traverse-of-the-adirondack-great-range https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/winter-traverse-of-the-adirondack-great-range Tue, 20 Feb 2018 08:00:00 GMT Testing the limits of moving quickly over the rugged Adirondack wilderness in the Winter. I learned a lot about myself and the mountains in the process. https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/get-a-multiple-on-your-engineering-time https://www.kriswalker.me/essays/get-a-multiple-on-your-engineering-time Mon, 22 Aug 2016 08:00:00 GMT There is a reluctance work on valuable problems in software because of a bias toward the 'easily' scalable ones.