slowbluecamera
JessamynMade a short post on my blog about Tracy Kidder and the nostalgia hole I've been in over the past few days.
john fink ok!! :goat:@jessamyn this was a good read. I sorta avoided pinging you about Tracy because I didn't know if it was a sore thing and all.
Weird Socks@jessamyn
This is where I kind of hate how flat social media is.
Any other comments should be more visible than mine.
Thank you for your post. I vividly remember the book cover and the title among my dad's books. I think my dad falls squarely among the men you mentioned who talk about the book.
Until today, you have been Jessamyn of the humbling but wonderful imdefinite length string of book reviews.
This is where I kind of hate how flat social media is.
Any other comments should be more visible than mine.
Thank you for your post. I vividly remember the book cover and the title among my dad's books. I think my dad falls squarely among the men you mentioned who talk about the book.
Until today, you have been Jessamyn of the humbling but wonderful imdefinite length string of book reviews.
Marcin Wichary@jessamyn Thank you for writing this! It reminds me of this saying: the reward for good work is more work.
Sean Boots@jessamyn Thanks for sharing!
Sasha 
I absolutely loved Soul of a New Machine.
Jim Spath@jessamyn I adored that book, and the author, maybe not so much the protagonists.
Another Tracy Kidder winner:
https://paulenglish.com/truck/
And that protagonist is atypical.
Another Tracy Kidder winner:
https://paulenglish.com/truck/
And that protagonist is atypical.
Giovanni - ZL2GX@jessamyn I do like the quote
*"I'm going to a commune in Vermont and will deal with no unit of time shorter than a season."*
from the post https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/03/26/1628201/tracy-kidder-author-of-the-soul-of-a-new-machine-dies-at-80
*"I'm going to a commune in Vermont and will deal with no unit of time shorter than a season."*
from the post https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/03/26/1628201/tracy-kidder-author-of-the-soul-of-a-new-machine-dies-at-80
Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine', Dies At 80 - Slashdot
Ancient Slashdot reader wiredog writes: Tracy Kidder, author of "The Soul of a New Machine," has died at the age of 80. "The Soul of a New Machine" is about the people who designed and built the Data General Nova, one of the 32 bit superminis that were released in the 1980's just before the PC dest...
@jessamyn from one of those men^H^H^H ex-boys (nerd 70’s, BU ‘84, RT128 80’s) looking over from my own nostalgia hole and deeply appreciating your post. Helps me love, but not miss, those years when tech ate my life-out-of-balance. Thank you.
SamuelJohnson@jessamyn I still have the hardback from when it was first published and, although I never used a DG computer, always felt the book was an iconic snapshot of the industry, of America (being great) with it, and of, course, the cast of characters. I will re-read with nostalgia. It meant a lot to me (DEC user at the time w a lot of respect for rivals).
Winced at the "He's married?" story. Work/life fallout the too often hidden price of success. Nothing lasts forever... but glory endures. Respect!
togdon@jessamyn you replied in a thread to someone recently (@gknauss I think?) about how SoaNM was always a cautionary tale, which, despite being “in tech” for 30+ years, is how I read it. I really appreciated your reflection on Tracy and his passing, and the little nuggets of info you’ve mentioned in passing here and on MeFi about him and your dad. I think a lot about how my spouse and kids will think of me and my time in tech, and I try to make sure that those memories are on the whole positive; SoaNM certainly contributed a lot to that.