Rands
Encyclopedia
Rands is the pen name
and alter ego
of Michael Lopp (born 1970 in California
), a webcomic
author, software engineering
manager, and blog
ger. Lopp originally used the name "Rands" as his chat room handle
; it became the name of his "grey"-styled alien character in his webcomic Jerkcity, and it is his persona when writing about software management. In 2010, he began working at Palantir
after more than eight years at Apple.
bitsifter.com.
Lopp created the Jerkcity web comic in 1998. In the strip, Rands is the "boring" one among a cast of absurd characters.
In April 2002, Lopp started a blog
titled Rands in Repose. It explains aspects of technological or corporate culture, with particular focus on techniques for improving management skills. For example, one post explains the nuances of an interesting application, and another identifies and names workplace stereotypes. Posts contain a level of observational humor, such as direct explanations of management jargon.
. The essay was the July 2004 post on Rands in Repose titled "What To Do When You're Screwed."
In June 2007, Lopp published a book titled Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager. A supporting website, Managing Humans, gives a brief pitch for the book.
In August 2010, Lopp published his second book titled "Being Geek: A Software Developer's Career Handbook". A website, Being Geek, supports the publishing of the book and includes an original teaser video for the book.
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
and alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
of Michael Lopp (born 1970 in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
), a webcomic
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
author, software engineering
Software engineering
Software Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
manager, and blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger. Lopp originally used the name "Rands" as his chat room handle
User (computing)
A user is an agent, either a human agent or software agent, who uses a computer or network service. A user often has a user account and is identified by a username , screen name , nickname , or handle, which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term.Users are...
; it became the name of his "grey"-styled alien character in his webcomic Jerkcity, and it is his persona when writing about software management. In 2010, he began working at Palantir
Palantir Technologies
Palantir Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with offices in Tysons Corner, Virginia, New York City and Covent Garden, London, is a software company that produces the Palantir Government and Palantir Finance platforms...
after more than eight years at Apple.
Web publications
Starting in 1996, Lopp wrote The BitSifter Digest, a website that published "the more interesting collections of bits which arrive at our desks" once a week, which increased in frequency and became daily by 2001. According to Steve Baldwin of disobey.com's Ghost Sites, it received recognition for its "pioneering use of borderless frames" and "topical, eclectic editorial content", and "was an important forerunner of the 'Blog.'" The BitSifter Digest stopped updating in 2001 and no longer exists at the domain nameDomain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
bitsifter.com.
Lopp created the Jerkcity web comic in 1998. In the strip, Rands is the "boring" one among a cast of absurd characters.
In April 2002, Lopp started a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
titled Rands in Repose. It explains aspects of technological or corporate culture, with particular focus on techniques for improving management skills. For example, one post explains the nuances of an interesting application, and another identifies and names workplace stereotypes. Posts contain a level of observational humor, such as direct explanations of management jargon.
Print publications
In June 2005, an essay by Lopp was published in the book The Best Software Writing I, edited by Joel SpolskyJoel Spolsky
Avram Joel Spolsky is a software engineer and writer. He is the author of Joel on Software, a blog on software development. He was a Program Manager on the Microsoft Excel team between 1991 and 1994. He later founded Fog Creek Software in 2000 and launched the Joel on Software blog...
. The essay was the July 2004 post on Rands in Repose titled "What To Do When You're Screwed."
In June 2007, Lopp published a book titled Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager. A supporting website, Managing Humans, gives a brief pitch for the book.
In August 2010, Lopp published his second book titled "Being Geek: A Software Developer's Career Handbook". A website, Being Geek, supports the publishing of the book and includes an original teaser video for the book.