Here follows my attempt at giving you an impression of Rick van der Arend.

Personally, I am wary of stereotypes and always try to keep an open mind. I strive to be holistic and I am equally interested in people and everything else. People are so much more than you normally see. Places, animals, things, events have so much more sides to them than the ones I happen to notice at any particular point in time.

Then again, life is too short to be spending it doubting and never deciding. In my opinion, it is best to see, hear, think, talk, listen, have fun, be creative, think again, decide, act, but always be willing to reconsider when new knowledge pops up or is handed to you. While keeping in mind that sometimes finishing something flawed is better than never quite finishing that one thing perfect.

Here is a list of words people have used to describe me: friendly, calm, funny, weird, intelligent, clumsy, industrious, ambitious, sociable, impressive, harmonious, independent, forgetful, analytical, outspoken, serious, silly, self-motivated, adaptable, knowledgeable and very tall.

By the way, it’s only recently I picked up blogging here again. The references to eagles and flying and the dramatic text above all seem a bit over-the-top to me now. When I have the time, I’ll change some of it, I guess. Until then, please ignore if you’re bothered by them.

About the name: CodEagle

The name CodEagle sprang into my mind while I was catching the tram at Amsterdam central station. That actually has nothing to do with the name itself, but it is funny to note where people get their best ideas..

Any way. First of all: it is a contraction, with one letter missing, of code and eagle. This says I am a code eagle. Amongst other things, I write software (I code) for a living and the last part of my family name is ‘Eagle’ in Dutch.

Second. It is a contraction, with one letter missing, of code and agile. So this would read out full: code agile! Well, I’m not that dogmatic, but you can put just that much nuance in only two words.

Third. The tagline connects the two meanings. The first part, Soaring High: an eagle in flight has a broad overview, it is fast and can manoeuvre well. In other words.. it is Agile. However, there is another kind of software professional with the same characteristics: the architect, the kind living in ivory towers. When soaring at high altitude, these architects are agile too.

That’s where the second part of the tagline comes in: the developer and architect I strive to be is one that will get down to catch the details. ‘Catch the details’ is an expression used in, for instance, photography, meaning the picture is crisp and has a high resolution. So in a sense it means: see clearly. In another sense you could say that a good architect and agile practitioner will mimic an eagle fully: the bird will go down to catch the details (prey), to make the kill, swiftly, but decisively and effectively.

Credits for the nice picture of the bald eagle in the background go to Derek Bakken.