Field notes
Essays we assign before cohort kickoff
Each piece lists limitations on purpose so you know where classroom time stops.
2025-11-12
Runbook Rhythm for Sleep-Deprived Rotations
Why the best runbooks read like playlists, not novels—and how to keep them honest when vendors change flags overnight.
runbooks · on-call · documentation
2025-09-03
Patch Windows Without Winning Every Argument
Negotiating maintenance without fake urgency—using calendars, blast radius math, and language that keeps partners cooperative.
change windows · coordination
2024-12-18
Metrics That Survive Audit Week
Cardinality discipline, honest SLIs, and dashboards that still make sense when someone prints them in grayscale.
monitoring · SLOs
2025-02-27
Access Reviews That Stick After the Meeting
Turning quarterly access reviews into lightweight habits—without turning them into checkbox theater.
access · identity
2024-08-09
Drills for Disk Alerts That Cry Wolf
Teaching teams to separate slow growth from emergencies—and when to stop tuning thresholds and fix the app instead.
storage · alerting