In September 2025, I wrote a post on Impacts of Java 25 - what will they learn and focused on how the Java language has changed to the better for new developers. But I never really wrote about the things that make the senior Java developer life better.

It started with a collegue asking me for a way to make some animations for a marketing site.

I was working from home with a terrible head cold that I picked up somewhere. Since I was obviously carrying something that could hurt the people around me, I opted to stay away. While sipping my third cup of tea and working through the second box of tissues I browsed through my notes from a conference and took a rest on the sofa. They were full of great ideas on what to do next and where to take things from here. So I decided to turn the ideas into tracked issues.

Arriving at Waterfront on the morning of a conference always brings with it a special feeling. It is a mix of anticipation to meet both new and returning speakers, a feeling of controlling the chaos that is Stage Hosting, and knowing that at this point we have prepared for everything we can prepare for. The rest: wing it. One thing I know for sure is that I will get to hear smart people talk about new ideas.

A ticket has been sitting in review for nine days. The PR is fine. The author has moved on, assuming Some-One will pick it up. The reviewer is waiting for product to confirm the edge case. Product is waiting for engineering to flag any concerns. Nobody is blocked. Nobody is moving either.

Last summer I was on the track with a group of four riders. I led the fast group, showed them the line through the chicane, braking points, where to look. They got faster. Some of them significantly so. And then Monday came, I was back at my desk, and the track went quiet.

En historia om att lära sig gräva diken.

Every Friday I try to write. Not because I have to. Because it forces me to think.

What happens when you keep a herd of agents when you write?