About
My name is Michael Gfeller. I’m a cloud architect, platform engineer, software engineer and DevOps enthusiast. In another life, I’d probably be a musician.
I spend a lot of my spare time on music. A long time ago I played recorder, then clarinette and saxophone. Now, I play the accordion (Pigini Master 58/B and Roland FR-1XB) and if I find the time I like to create sounds and rhythms on my synths. My current setup includes a couple of Korg synths: microKORG XL+, Minilogue XD, volca beats, volca fm, and Kaossilator Pro (this one is … different). An Arturia Keystep Pro is used as keyboard and sequencer. Previously, I was also playing around with a Novation Circuit, and a Roland JD-Xa. The latter is a fantastic instrument, but demands more time and space than I have available.
I also sing in a choir called D’Kor.
Books are a Good Thing. Here are some I enjoyed and consulted, both related to my professional work and otherwise.
My Science Trail
My Hackers Trail
In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy
My DevOps Trail
It began when I attended DevOpsCon 2015 in Munich where John Willis gave the key lecture. It was an eye-opener. Until then, I assumed DevOps was a term used to describe specific development tools. It isn’t. And rumours about the death of DevOps are greatly exaggerated.
The Phoenix Project by Kevin Behr, George Spafford and Gene Kim
The DevOps Handbook by Gene Kim, Jez Humble, John Willis and Patrick Debois
Deming’s Journey to Profound Knowledge by John Willis and Derek Lewis
Wiring the Winning Organization by Gene Kim and Dr. Steven J. Spear
Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais: I first read this in 2019, and appreciated they way it organized the team landscape, illustrated with attractive figures. Yet I never saw an actual, practiced and working implementation of it. Team Topologies shows up steadily and lately in conjunction with platform engineering. One of the key points referenced repeatedly is the reduction of cognitive load. Lately, Org Topologies was developed and became popular, openly criticizing Team Topologies. Patricia Aas' blog post The fundamental misunderstanding in Team Topologies I came across recently, resonates with me. I realized that I was far too uncritical about Team Topologies. (Not sure this is part of the DevOps trail, but once you start classifying stuff you end up in inconsistencies and dilemmas.)
My Exploring Trail
You always need a category for entries that don’t fit one. This is it.