The Mad Ned Memo

29/09/2021

https://madned.substack.com/p/being-not-so-bad-at-bad-reviews

A reluctant manager's thoughts on the hard parts of managing.

22/09/2021

What happened when I found a game program from 1981, that turned out to be my own.
https://madned.substack.com/p/the-dead-code-diaries

When you find a weird program from four decades ago and realize that it's yours.

15/09/2021

My arguments for why screwing around at work is actually a good thing (sometimes).
https://madned.substack.com/p/the-value-of-screwing-around-at-work

Why getting away with stuff is good for the soul, and good for the stock.

08/09/2021

How less data is often more, especially if you are the producer of it.
https://madned.substack.com/p/how-many-bits-will-make-you-happy

Before you battle the crypto-miners for that fancy new graphics card, think about how much information it takes to entertain you.

01/09/2021

How a programming language I invented 20 years ago might some day rule the earth..



https://madned.substack.com/p/the-coming-age-of-natural-ned

When do programming languages stop being programming languages, and just become languages?

25/08/2021

Some memories of back when Radio Shack was a thing.
https://madned.substack.com/p/trash-eighties-radio-shacks-golden

An ode to the TRS-80, flyer-side chats, and all those overpriced 555 timers I melted with my enormous soldering gun.

18/08/2021

A look at the global supply chain, by an old guy who has visited both ends.

https://madned.substack.com/p/vendor-vidi-vici

An Old Vendor-Antagonizer Finally Gets His Comeuppance

04/08/2021

https://madned.substack.com/p/whats-in-store

Memories of Weird Memories, of Computers Past.

28/07/2021

The KISS of Death! How simple solutions can sometimes kill products.
https://madned.substack.com/p/the-kiss-of-death

If you are building a complex product for a complex problem, you may want to think again.

22/07/2021

https://madned.substack.com/p/what-you-learn-about-management-in

How making bad movies can help your project management skills.

09/07/2021

Is it better to "go wide" or to "go deep" in your tech career? My thoughts, 35 years in..
https://madned.substack.com/p/general-expert-major-havoc

Is it better to go wide or to go deep in your tech career? One industry old-timer weighs in.

30/06/2021

https://madned.substack.com/p/black-hat-exploits-of-the-stupid

I'm not saying there was no computer security in the 1980's but, wait... Yes. Yes I am.

23/06/2021

Can a tech company be built to last? Or is the nature of them to be short-lived?

https://madned.substack.com/p/the-ephemeral-nature-of-tech

Can a tech company create a truly lasting legacy? Often, not ways they expect.

16/06/2021

https://madned.substack.com/p/when-we-all-pretended-we-had-computers

In the 1970's, we already knew we wanted them. And the lack of chips didn't stop us.

09/06/2021

https://madned.substack.com/p/the-case-for-the-liberal-arts-programmer

Are math and science required competencies for programming? Based on my personal experience: definitely, maybe, not.

08/06/2021

For those who missed it, last week on The Mad Ned Memo, I posted a little about my pirate days in the 1980's, and some of the weird copy protection stuff going on back then.

https://madned.substack.com/p/gaming-004-pirates-of-the-7-cds

This week, we're changing gears a bit and discussing computer education requirements. And Mad Ned tries to do away with multiplication, in a bid to bring more math-haters into the world of programming. Check back tomorrow for the details!

Time for a break from work! In this weekend edition of the Mad Ned Memo, we take a nostalgic look back at software piracy and copy protection in the 1980's.

08/06/2021

Welcome to the Mad Ned Memo page! The Mad Ned Memo is a free newsletter covering computer technology and history, and often features nerdy stories of computing past, as well as discussions about more current topics in areas like hacking, engineering and computer gaming.

New issues come out at least once a week, usually on Wednesdays. I'm very excited to extend the discussions to Facebook and reach a wider audience, and I will post updates and highlights from the newsletter here as well. Hoping to build a community of people interested in hearing about and discussing these topics.

Follow this page to get a sample of new content from the Mad Ned Memo. Or go to madned.substack.com to read past articles, and to subscribe to get new ones delivered directly to your inbox.