40 - PATTERNS 101

Summary

I wrote this paper in one sitting in my favorite coffee shop in Boulder Creek, perched out over the creek sipping a mocha (several mochas, in fact). I was trying to come up with a catchy intro. When the time machine idea came to me, the rest of the article wrote itself.

I don't know whether it will reproduce in the book, but in the magazine, the words “Star Trek” in the fourth paragraph were done in the Star Trek font. I was impressed that someone had the time and ingenuity to put in that little touch.

The other lesson in this is that the coffee shop in question closed soon after. The building owner wanted to jack the rent way up once the shop was successful, and the shopkeeper closed down rather than pay. The shop had become a gathering place for the community. Our little town still hasn't recovered

What I take from this is that even though as a businessman I have to pay attention to the bottom line, every decision I make also affects real people's lives. Once you're committed, not following through may have a huge cost for other people.

I was excited when Marie invited me to contribute a gentle introduction to patterns for this issue. Something as down-to-earth practical as patterns deserves the Object Magazine audience of folks trying to get the job done with objects.