iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

ICYMI: I co-authored a book on Rego, the policy as code language, with my always-allow buddies, John Bristowe and Matt Allford. Ger the book with a 60% discount: shop.ingramspark.com... Or grab a FREE digital copy from Octopus: octopus.com/publicat... #Rego #OpenPolicyAgent #CNCF

Rego source code that has a policy set to allow if the coffee is a double-shot espresso.

Exploring Rego: Declarative policy for the modern cloud. An illustration of a blue cuttlefish adorns the cover.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 06/10/2026

Meanwhile in DevOps No.90 This is the modern web. #DevOps #MWID #Loading

In the first panel, the two cartoon programmers are outlines and silver boxes with no faces. The first character has an empty speech bubble above them.

In the second panel, a little more detail is visible. The characters have eyes, and one has an unhappy mouth. The second character responds in confusion, with an empty speech bubble above them and question marks over their head.

In the third panel, there's yet more detail. A fully loaded outline of Blake responds: "I said, the initial cartoon load was super fast!"

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 03/10/2026

I'm speaking at Cloud Native & Open Source Global Summit 2026. The best thing is, the summit is online so you can join wherever you are. I'll be greasing your path into the first break with a talk on addictively fast feedback loops! Come join in!

Cloud Native & Open Source Global Summit 2026

Steve Fenton: AI Has Addictively Fast Feedback Loops
AI-assisted development changes traditional engineering feedback loops

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 01/10/2026

There's a benefit to bundling a bunch of concepts into a single term, as it captures the wisdom in a way we can communicate efficiently. It's easier to say "train" than "a collection of carriages linked together in sequence, running on rails, for the purpose of..."

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 24/09/2026

We keep retreating too swiftly from our meaningful names for collections of lessons learned. When we relinquish our words and their meaning, we lose much of the wisdom that goes with it. We've done it with #Agile. We did it again with #DevOps. The loss is costing us all.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 24/09/2026

Luckily you're not fresh from this conference!

Karl Allen reading the YES pamphlet in the film, Yes Man.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 23/09/2026

What are happiness minutes, and why are we still chasing them over a century later? Find out more from Heidi Waterhouse... heidiwaterhouse.com/...

But anyone who has walked on ice will tell you, frictionless is not the same as easy. It’s a different set of muscles, and reflexes, and dangers. - Heidi Waterhouse

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 22/09/2026

Meanwhile in DevOps No.88 Speak slow. #MWID #Webinars

Ellis is on screen presenting his latest webinar.

"Hello," he begins, pausing for a beat or two. "... welcome... to... today's... session... on... secure... software..."

Later that day, Blake bumps into Ellis in the corridor. He's confused about why Ellis was speaking so slowly on the webinar, but isn't sure whether to mention it. After a deep breath, Blake decides to ask.

"Why did you speak so slow on the webinar today?"

Ellis responds instantly.

"Everyone watches them back at double speed!"

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 21/09/2026

Stumbled across this old and grainy screenshot. Was this how I got into #DevOps and #ContinuousDelivery This was Cruiser, a big information radiator view over your Cruise Control builds and tests. It would run on giant displays, but you could also check it on your Motorola, as shown here.

Cruiser: A dashboard over Cruise Control to show build and test status on information radiators.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 19/09/2026

Enjoy your stay. Your room has snacks, hit the button when the light comes on. If you don't get it at first; we'll electrocute you to help you learn. Welcome to Radical Behaviorism, where the developers most addicted to #AI get rewarded for hurting everyone. thenewstack.io/study...

A "Skinner Box" where a rat is trained to push a button when a green light illuminates to get rewarded with a snack. The floor can be electrified to reinforce the desired behavior.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 18/09/2026

You probably already know I get quite excited by metrics and charts. Did you know there's a secret sauce to healthy measurement in the workplace? All the charts below are just for me to understand my own work and improve it. Keeping them local is the heart of a healthy system.

Distribution of card age. Cards tend to be 0-13 days old, with a trickle at each interval from 14-27, 28-41, and so on... and lots of really old cards that probably won't happen and should be abandoned.

Cycle times captured over the course of many weeks, showing the median cycle time that highlights some volatility in the system.

A cumulative flow diagram showing the progress of completed vs open items over time.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 17/09/2026

On the most significant contributions to workplace culture EVER was Ron Westrum's concept of "Generative Culture". It's like a law of nature where the same elements that make a workplace great for employees also makes it better for employers. A true win/win. #Culture #DevOps

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 16/09/2026

We all have to stop treating technical practices as a side quest when they are, in fact, the mission. "If the only problem were translating the cost of AI tools into end-to-end value, it would be serious enough. But something far worse is happening..." thenewstack.io/ai-co...

A chart showing two potential cost curves. The traditional one is low at first, because time is saved by not doing technical practices, then it climbs with increasing rapidity. The second path invests up front in technical practices and prevents the rapid ascent, keeping the software sustainable over the long term. This was the premise of Extreme Programming.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 15/09/2026

Meanwhile in DevOps No.87 Innovationmaxxing. #MWID #Innovation #Culture

Doug has gathered the team for an important update. His clipboard has been polished and Doug has a graph clipped to it. As he speaks, the team look increasingly uncomfortable.

"We need you all to be more innovative," Doug begins. "We've only received one F-572 innovation form this month... and only the first 16 pages were completed."

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 12/09/2026

Tinned mackeral doesn't contain mackeral any more. It turns out that fishing above the advice if scientists results in population crash and ruins the sustainability of your mackeral market. 1/2

Chart from the Financial Times showing advised catch, and consistently higher actual catch from the North Atlantic.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 11/09/2026

Limiting passwords to 15 characters... in 2026... really?!

An error message that says "Password does not include enough variation" and the reason given is "password cannot be more than 15 characters".

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 10/09/2026

Why #DevOps isn't dead, even if you want to stop using the name. If you still think you should remove friction between silos, it's not dead. If you still think software needs solid technical practices, it's not dead. If it still needs dependable deployment pipelines, it's not dead.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 08/09/2026

Meanwhile in DevOps No.86 Performative outrage. #MWID

A man is walking along a hallway when he comes across a poster from a Drag Show. He recoils in horror.

"Oh no," he exclaims. "I'm so offended by this poster. I'm going to call the police!"

Ellis, coming along the hallway from the other direction, stops in surprise.

"Dude," Ellis says. "Why are you even in my house?"

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 07/09/2026

Is DevOps dead? What's in a name? That which we call DevOps By any other name would flow as smooth; So DevOps would, were it not DevOps call'd, Retain that dear perfection which it owes Without that title. DevOps, doff thy name, And for that name which is no part of thee Take all myself #DevOps

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 05/09/2026

The best set-up Waterfall team I worked on could leave an average Agile team in their dust. How did they do it? In the inside there was a super smooth cadence where the Waterfall docs all arrived just at the right moment. Each phase was one step ahead of the downstream one. 1/4

A Kanban board for a book writing project (Pro TypeScript) with pink index cards held on with magnets, with constrained column sizes and magnetic signals to highlight useful information.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 02/09/2026

Who doesn't like a great preview feature! Slow web page? Open the network tab, watch the waterfall, and find where the time goes. Slow deployment? Open the Octopus waterfall view and see where your deployment time actually goes. #Deployments #DevOps

Once you've completed a deployment in Octopus, you can see a waterfall chart that shows each task, it's duration, and how tasks overlapped (i.e., was it in sequence, or in parallel).

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 01/09/2026

Meanwhile in DevOps No.85 Stinkin' badges. #DevOps #MWID #Security

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 23/08/2026

Rain has been scarce these past months and a Jet Wash used 50 to 100 litres of water to clean a car. I bought a hand-pumped water spray and cleaned my car with 8 litres (applying the cleaner/preserver between two rinses).

A metallic orange Dacia Duster glistening in the evening sun after a low water wash.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 21/08/2026

All the things we asked for as developers (and didn't get) are being given to coding agents. What does that tell us about organisational culture? thenewstack.io/codin... #AI #AgenticAI #Culture

Quote: "Organizational leaders sure are eager to please the machines, where they were reluctant to solve these problems for developers, and that, for me, is a telling signal." - Steve Fenton

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 19/08/2026

We know that platforms with breadth bring more benefits, but only if the breadth is a response to real problems. We don't just want "more pizza" we also care about the toppings. #PlatformEngineering #Feedback

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 18/08/2026

What type of dog is this swimming in the lake out the back of our cabin?

A polar bear diving and surfacing in a lake as it looks for nibbles or other interesting things in the water. As he bobs up, his fur is slicked down.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 18/08/2026

Meanwhile in DevOps No.84 Semantic infusion #MWID

Two people are approaching a lush green forest past old gnarled trees.

“Let’s walk through the carnivorous forest,” the first person suggests.

“Ha ha,” their friend replies as the nearest tree starts to wake up. “You mean coniferous!”

The tree eats them both.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 17/08/2026

Now, I will be writing a review of this soon, but I'm 144 pages in and it's another smack-in-the-chops success. Not heard of Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw? Go get The Puppet Show and read this series in order so you can catch me up! #Books #CrimeBooks #DetectiveFiction

A book casually tossed onto a sofa. It's The Killer's Mark by M. W. Craven. There's a picture of an alley dimly lit by orange lights on the cover.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 15/08/2026

I love this Tufte quote, which in his work is always accompanied by an assertion that it requires telling the truth.

Graphical excellence is that which gives to the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space.

Edward R. Tufte

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 14/08/2026

Some of the most successful platforms are invisible. They work like magic and don't get the credit for all the positive effects they have. That's all wonderful until the person with the budget makes a giant mistake. #PlatformEngineering #DevOps

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 12/08/2026

Here's my shot of the solar eclipse!

A screenshot of my rooftop solar generating just 63 watts!

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 12/08/2026

People share this certification to get a laugh, right? RIGHT?!

Certified AI-Empowered SAFe® Product Owner/Product Manager. Certification Criteria 1) Attend the SAFe® Product Owner/Product Manager course. 2) Earn the AI-Empowered SAFe® Product Owner/Product Manager certification

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 11/08/2026

Meanwhile in DevOps No.83 Chuck it over the fence. #MWID

Ellis and Blake are reviewing their code changes and burning their new software version to CD.

“We’ve made this pretty hard to test,” Blake says.

“Never mind,” Ellis replies. “Check it over the fence to DevOps.”

Ellis flips the CD like a Frisbee, where it arcs through the air and smacks Blake on the head.

“Ouch!” Blake exclaims. “You know that we are DevOps, right?”

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 10/08/2026

This is the most true celebration of Brits I've seen for ages and I'm here for it. Less "flags on lampposts" and more of this, please. The Red Arrows display team got delayed in Canada due to weather, so these heroes stepped up. The Red Barrows. rnli.org/news-and-me...

The Red Barrows are a display team who use wheelbarrows rather that airplanes

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 08/08/2026

The book we wrote on Rego is unexpectedly chonky when you get the real physical thing! #Rego #OpenPolicyAgent #OPA

The front cover of Exploring Rego, by Bristowe, Fenton, Allford. The cover features a colourful cuttlefish design.

Shown on the bookshelf you can see the chunky size of Exploring Rego.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 06/08/2026

Why do microservices cause so much pain? Common reasons: → Solving a problem you don't have, you get costs, not benefits → You didn't think about team design, so architecture fights reality → And the classic one: Excessive coupling! From Episode 1 of the Continuous Delivery Office Hours podcast.

Steve: "I spoke to a team that spent a ton of money migrating to microservices, but each time they deployed they had to do each service in a specific order."

Bob: "That's not microservices. That's just hiding your monolithic code across lots of repositories."

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 04/08/2026

Meanwhile in DevOps No.82 Continuous improvement. #MWID

Blake arrives at the office, filled with energy.

“I’ve spotted a cool improvement opportunity,” Blake says. “When’s our next retrospective?”

“There isn’t one,” Ellis responds. “We already did all our continuous improvement in 2019.”

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 03/08/2026

New data center location plans just dropped.

Met office map showing most of the UK below 50% of average rainfall. A tiny area in the north of Scotland shows slightly above average rainfall. An arrow has been added pointing to this location with the annotation "new data center plan"

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 02/08/2026

We’re all for protecting these incredible, intelligent creatures. An Octopus belongs on the reef! #SaveTheOcean #ProtectMarineLife

Plans for the world's first octopus farm have been abandoned. As the controversial project folds, several nations and US states are banning octopus farming before it even begins.

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Steve Fenton @stevefenton.co.uk · 25/07/2026

The bigger your to-be-read pile is, the less chance there is for the book to be snatched by a political ban or an AI ingest-and-pulp deathbot. Hoarding unread books is resistance. Future historians will thank us.

Book shelves stacked with books, with good chunk of unread books waiting for the right moment to shine.

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