Blog
Weird stories, book reviews, articles, and more.
Hiring from Both Sides of the Table
November 2, 2024
Hiring from Both Sides of the Table
On Tue 29 Oct 2024, I was invited to speak at the October DevOps BCN Meetup in Barcelona about the challenges of hiring software engineers from both perspectives: the hiring manager’s perspective and the candidate’s perspective. I focused on how candidates may tailor their résumés and on how hiring managers may approach screening. I shared my thoughts on my ideal interview process consisting of two steps only: one cultural assessment and one technical assessment. And throughout my presentation I explained my technology-agnostic approach. Here is a summary of my speech.
“The Watchers” by A. M. Shine
September 12, 2024
An open letter to A. M. Shine reflecting on the highs and lows of The Watchers, where brilliance meets frustration.
“Modern Software Engineering” by David Farley
August 20, 2024
“Modern Software Engineering” by David Farley
I have just finished reading “Modern Software Engineering” by David Farley, and I feel like I wasted my time. Here is why.
Hair
July 14, 2024
Hair is an experimental story that blends the genres of erotic horror, psychological horror, dark fantasy, and supernatural fiction. It explores the destructive power of unchecked passion, the heavy weight of guilt, and the terrifying allure of ritualistic ecstasy.
Content advisory: this story contains explicit sexual content and elements of horror; it is intended for mature audiences only.
Vinyl, Cassette, CD, MiniDisc, MP3 & Co.
August 20, 2023
Vinyl, Cassette, CD, MiniDisc, MP3 & Co.
I started writing this article in Italian during February 2022, but I never managed to complete it. It was destined to be published on videohifi.com, an Italian online magazine codirected by my dear friend Francesco Sorino.
Unfortunately, in November 2022, Bebo Moroni, who had founded the magazine in 2003, passed away, and Francesco decided to cease the publications.
Today, I have found the time to translate the article to English and decided to publish it here, even if still incomplete: the section about the vinyl records is complete, the section about the cassette is almost complete, the section about the compact disc is complete, the section about the MiniDisc is barely introduced, and the one about MP3 & Co. is completely missing.
Nerdiness alert!
How Software Excellence Fuels Business Performance
How Software Excellence Fuels Business Performance
I have recently read the article Developer Velocity: How software excellence fuels business performance, published by McKinsey & Company on April 20, 2020, which describes the dimensions and drivers that are used to measure what they call the Developer Velocity Index (DVI).
The article highlights that the four dimensions with the greatest impact on business performance are tools, culture, product management, and talent management.
In my article, I put in my two cents on these four main dimensions, based on my experience.
September 9, 2022
Conduits
April 18, 2022
Conduits is the sequel to Hidden Memories.
Written as a letter from the protagonist of the first story to her psychiatrist, who has now become her mentor, it recounts three visions she had and she believes them to be of utter importance because they relate to the first hidden memory the psychiatrist chose when she started treating her.
Hidden Memories
September 5, 2021
Hidden Memories is my first supernatural horror story about a gifted girl, haunted by some malign entity, who is helped by a psychiatrist blessed and cursed with the same gift.
Holiday Readings 2021
July 18, 2021
During the week of vacation I have just spent in Sardinia, I read five books.
- “Husk” by Rachel Autumn Deering
- “Burials” by Jessica Drake-Thomas
- “Ovum of Risk” by L. A. Mason
- “Helena” by Claire L. Smith
- “Crossroads” by Laurel Hightower
My Grandfather Used to Know How to Fly
February 23, 2021
My Grandfather Used to Know How to Fly
Here is the story of a man who claimed he was able to fly in his youth, and then he forgot how to do it as he grew up.
Almost five years ago I released a song with the same name.
Diary of a Hospitalization
December 27, 2020
I wrote my new story with an Orwellian-inspired society in mind. It is a story of loneliness and profound grief, of addiction and haunting ghosts.
I had previously expressed some of the ideas shared by the protagonist about society in my song Outcast.
The Von Neumann Link
October 31, 2020
My newest story revolves around a science-fictional technology I humbly dedicate to the memory of John von Neumann. It is a story about pandemics and the consequences of lockdowns on people’s mental health.
My Requiem
September 11, 2020
I wrote another weird tale.
Here are a couple of songs of mine that might do well as a soundtrack:
7 Novellas for 7 Days of Holiday
July 27, 2020
7 Novellas for 7 Days of Holiday
During my summer holiday in Mykonos, Greece, I read seven horror novellas.
- “Carmilla” by Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu
- “Dear Laura” by Gemma Amor
- “Halloween Fiend” by C. V. Hunt
- “Rites Of Extinction” by Matt Serafini
- “To Be Devoured” by Sara Tantlinger
- “The Fearing, Book One: Fire & Rain” by John F. D. Taff
- “The Fearing, Book Two: Water & Wind” by John F. D. Taff
Son and Father
July 18, 2020
I wrote a weird tale about a son-and-father based on the lyrics of my song with the same title.
You can listen to the song and read its lyrics here.
Fabio Scagliola,