1<!doctype html><html lang=en-US dir=ltr class="mdx-wrapper mdx-page plugin-pages plugin-id-default" data-has-hydrated=false><head><meta charset=UTF-8><meta name=generator content="Docusaurus v3.10.2"><title data-rh=true>Ris Adams</title><meta data-rh=true name=viewport content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"/><meta data-rh=true name=twitter:card content=summary_large_image /><meta data-rh=true property=og:image content=https://img.risadams.com/social-card.png /><meta data-rh=true name=twitter:image content=https://img.risadams.com/social-card.png /><meta data-rh=true property=og:url content=https://risadams.com/about /><meta data-rh=true name=docusaurus_locale content=en-US /><meta data-rh=true name=docusaurus_tag content=default /><meta data-rh=true name=docsearch:language content=en-US /><meta data-rh=true name=docsearch:docusaurus_tag content=default /><meta data-rh=true name=author content="Ris Adams"/><meta data-rh=true name=keywords content="blog, Career development, mental health, software development, personal growth"/><meta data-rh=true property=og:site_name content="Ris Adams"/><meta data-rh=true property=og:locale content=en_US /><meta data-rh=true name=twitter:title content="Ris Adams - Ship Code. Stay Human."/><meta data-rh=true name=twitter:description content="Software developer, writer, and advocate for mental health and career growth. Passionate about creating elegant code solutions and sharing knowledge with the community."/><meta data-rh=true property=og:title content="Ris Adams"/><meta data-rh=true name=description content="Software engineer, Scrum Master, dad, and person who thinks a lot about how we work and why it matters."/><meta data-rh=true property=og:description content="Software engineer, Scrum Master, dad, and person who thinks a lot about how we work and why it matters."/><link data-rh=true rel=icon href=/img/logo.svg /><link data-rh=true rel=canonical href=https://risadams.com/about /><link data-rh=true rel=alternate href=https://risadams.com/about hreflang=en-US /><link data-rh=true rel=alternate href=https://risadams.com/about hreflang=x-default /><link rel=preconnect href=https://www.google-analytics.com><link rel=preconnect href=https://www.googletagmanager.com>
vendor: 63 bytes, line 1
1<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=
1G-MSPLKEYGGR
vendor: 11 bytes, line 1
1"></script>
1<script>function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments)}window.dataLayer=window.dataLayer||[],gtag("js",new Date),gtag("config","G-MSPLKEYGGR",{anonymize_ip:!0})</script>
1<link rel=alternate type=application/rss+xml href=/blog/rss.xml title="Ris Adams RSS Feed"><link rel=alternate type=application/atom+xml href=/blog/atom.xml title="Ris Adams Atom Feed"><link rel=alternate type=application/json href=/blog/feed.json title="Ris Adams JSON Feed"><link rel=alternate type=application/rss+xml href=/recipes/rss.xml title="Ris Adams RSS Feed"><link rel=alternate type=application/atom+xml href=/recipes/atom.xml title="Ris Adams Atom Feed"><link rel=alternate type=application/json href=/recipes/feed.json title="Ris Adams JSON Feed"><link rel=icon href=/img/logo.svg><link rel=manifest href=/manifest.json><meta name=theme-color content=#424242><meta name=apple-mobile-web-app-capable content=yes><meta name=mobile-web-app-capable content=yes><meta name=apple-mobile-web-app-status-bar-style content=black-translucent><link rel=apple-touch-icon href=/img/logo.svg><link rel=mask-icon href=/img/logo.svg color=#424242>
1<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9290211346209107" crossorigin=anonymous></script>
1<script type=application/ld+json>{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","founder":"Ris Adams","logo":"https://img.risadams.com/logo.svg","name":"Ris Adams","url":"https://risadams.com"}</script>
1<meta property=og:url content=https://risadams.com/><meta name=twitter:site content=@[email protected]><meta name=color-scheme content="light dark"><meta name=theme-color content=#9f1158><meta name=robots content="index, follow, max-image-preview:large"><meta name=application-name content="Ris Adams"><meta name=referrer content=strict-origin-when-cross-origin><meta name=format-detection content="telephone=no"><meta name=msapplication-config content=/browserconfig.xml><meta name=apple-mobile-web-app-title content="Ris Adams"><meta http-equiv=Content-Security-Policy content="default-src 'self'; base-uri 'self'; script-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval' https://*.google.com https://*.googleadservices.com https://*.googlesyndication.com https://*.doubleclick.net https://*.googletagmanager.com https://*.google-analytics.com https://*.gstatic.com https://*.googleapis.com; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://*.googleapis.com https://fonts.googleapis.com; img-src 'self' data: blob: https://img.risadams.com https://*.google.com https://*.googleadservices.com https://*.googlesyndication.com https://*.doubleclick.net https://*.googletagmanager.com https://*.google-analytics.com https://*.gstatic.com; font-src 'self' data: https://*.gstatic.com https://fonts.gstatic.com; connect-src 'self' https://*.google.com https://*.googleadservices.com https://*.googlesyndication.com https://*.doubleclick.net https://*.googletagmanager.com https://*.google-analytics.com https://*.gstatic.com https://*.googleapis.com; frame-src 'self' https://*.google.com https://*.googleadservices.com https://*.googlesyndication.com https://*.doubleclick.net; media-src 'self' https://*.google.com https://*.googlesyndication.com https://*.doubleclick.net; worker-src 'self' blob:;"><link rel=stylesheet href=/assets/css/styles.d71b80e3.css />
1<script src=/assets/js/runtime~main.33ea2ed1.js defer></script>
1<script src=/assets/js/main.cfe7d314.js defer></script>
1</head><body><svg style="display: none;"><defs> 2<symbol id=theme-svg-external-link viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path fill=currentColor d="M21 13v10h-21v-19h12v2h-10v15h17v-8h2zm3-12h-10.988l4.035 4-6.977 7.07 2.828 2.828 6.977-7.07 4.125 4.172v-11z"/></symbol> 3</defs></svg>
4<script>!function(){var t=function(){try{return new URLSearchParams(window.location.search).get("docusaurus-theme")}catch(t){}}()||function(){try{return window.localStorage.getItem("theme-901")}catch(t){}}();document.documentElement.setAttribute("data-theme",t||"light"),document.documentElement.setAttribute("data-theme-choice",t||"light")}(),function(){try{for(var[t,e]of new URLSearchParams(window.location.search).entries())if(t.startsWith("docusaurus-data-")){var a=t.replace("docusaurus-data-","data-");document.documentElement.setAttribute(a,e)}}catch(t){}}()</script>
4<div id=__docusaurus><link rel=preload as=image href=/img/logo.svg /><svg aria-hidden=true width=0 height=0 style=position:absolute;width:0;height:0;overflow:hidden focusable=false><defs><filter id=wc-edge x=-20% y=-20% width=140% height=140%><feTurbulence type=fractalNoise baseFrequency=0.012 numOctaves=3 seed=4 result=noise /><feDisplacementMap in=SourceGraphic in2=noise scale=14 /><feGaussianBlur stdDeviation=0.6 /></filter><filter id=wc-bleed x=-30% y=-30% width=160% height=160%><feTurbulence type=fractalNoise baseFrequency=0.008 numOctaves=2 seed=7 result=noise /><feDisplacementMap in=SourceGraphic in2=noise scale=40 /></filter><filter id=wc-grain><feTurbulence type=fractalNoise baseFrequency=0.9 numOctaves=2 seed=3 result=noise /><feColorMatrix in=noise values="0 0 0 0 0.1 0 0 0 0 0.08 0 0 0 0 0.06 0 0 0 0.35 0"/><feComposite in2=SourceGraphic operator=in /><feBlend in=SourceGraphic mode=multiply /></filter></defs></svg><style data-jsx=true data-global=true>.mdx-page-wrapper li p{margin:.5em 0}</style><div role=region aria-label="Skip to main content"><a class=skipToContent_fXgn href=#__docusaurus_skipToContent_fallback>Skip to main content</a></div><header><nav aria-label=Main class="navbar navbar--fixed-top transition-transform duration-fast ease-in-out"><style data-jsx=true data-global=true>@media (width<=996px){.navbar__title{display:none}}@media (width>=997px){.navbar__items{padding-bottom:.5rem}.navbar__item{padding-left:1rem;padding-right:1rem}}</style><div class=navbar__inner><div class=navbar__items><a class=navbar__brand href=/><div class=navbar__logo><img src=/img/logo.svg alt="Ris Adams" class="themedComponent_mlkZ themedComponent--light_NVdE"/><img src=/img/logo.svg alt="Ris Adams" class="themedComponent_mlkZ themedComponent--dark_xIcU"/></div><b class="navbar__title text--truncate">Ris Adams</b></a><span class="md:flex md:items-center hidden"><a class="navbar__item navbar__link" href=/blog>Blog</a><a class="navbar__item navbar__link" href=/recipes>Recipes</a><a aria-current=page class="navbar__item navbar__link navbar__link--active" href=/about>About</a></span></div><div class="navbar__items navbar__items--right"><span class="md:flex md:items-center hidden"><a href=https://github.com/sponsors/risadams target=_blank rel="noopener noreferrer" class="navbar__item navbar__link">sponsor â<svg width=13.5 height=13.5 aria-label="(opens in new tab)" class=iconExternalLink_nPIU><use href=#theme-svg-external-link /></svg></a></span><div class="toggle_vylO max-md:hidden"><button class="clean-btn toggleButton_gllP toggleButtonDisabled_aARS" type=button disabled title="light mode" aria-label="Switch between dark and light mode (currently light mode)"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width=24 height=24 aria-hidden=true class="toggleIcon_g3eP lightToggleIcon_pyhR"><path fill=currentColor d="M12,9c1.65,0,3,1.35,3,3s-1.35,3-3,3s-3-1.35-3-3S10.35,9,12,9 M12,7c-2.76,0-5,2.24-5,5s2.24,5,5,5s5-2.24,5-5 S14.76,7,12,7L12,7z M2,13l2,0c0.55,0,1-0.45,1-1s-0.45-1-1-1l-2,0c-0.55,0-1,0.45-1,1S1.45,13,2,13z M20,13l2,0c0.55,0,1-0.45,1-1 s-0.45-1-1-1l-2,0c-0.55,0-1,0.45-1,1S19.45,13,20,13z M11,2v2c0,0.55,0.45,1,1,1s1-0.45,1-1V2c0-0.55-0.45-1-1-1S11,1.45,11,2z M11,20v2c0,0.55,0.45,1,1,1s1-0.45,1-1v-2c0-0.55-0.45-1-1-1C11.45,19,11,19.45,11,20z M5.99,4.58c-0.39-0.39-1.03-0.39-1.41,0 c-0.39,0.39-0.39,1.03,0,1.41l1.06,1.06c0.39,0.39,1.03,0.39,1.41,0s0.39-1.03,0-1.41L5.99,4.58z M18.36,16.95 c-0.39-0.39-1.03-0.39-1.41,0c-0.39,0.39-0.39,1.03,0,1.41l1.06,1.06c0.39,0.39,1.03,0.39,1.41,0c0.39-0.39,0.39-1.03,0-1.41 L18.36,16.95z M19.42,5.99c0.39-0.39,0.39-1.03,0-1.41c-0.39-0.39-1.03-0.39-1.41,0l-1.06,1.06c-0.39,0.39-0.39,1.03,0,1.41 s1.03,0.39,1.41,0L19.42,5.99z M7.05,18.36c0.39-0.39,0.39-1.03,0-1.41c-0.39-0.39-1.03-0.39-1.41,0l-1.06,1.06 c-0.39,0.39-0.39,1.03,0,1.41s1.03,0.39,1.41,0L7.05,18.36z"/></svg><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width=24 height=24 aria-hidden=true class="toggleIcon_g3eP darkToggleIcon_wfgR"><path fill=currentColor d="M9.37,5.51C9.19,6.15,9.1,6.82,9.1,7.5c0,4.08,3.32,7.4,7.4,7.4c0.68,0,1.35-0.09,1.99-0.27C17.45,17.19,14.93,19,12,19 c-3.86,0-7-3.14-7-7C5,9.07,6.81,6.55,9.37,5.51z M12,3c-4.97,0-9,4.03-9,9s4.03,9,9,9s9-4.03,9-9c0-0.46-0.04-0.92-0.1-1.36 c-0.98,1.37-2.58,2.26-4.4,2.26c-2.98,0-5.4-2.42-5.4-5.4c0-1.81,0.89-3.42,2.26-4.4C12.92,3.04,12.46,3,12,3L12,3z"/></svg><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width=24 height=24 aria-hidden=true class="toggleIcon_g3eP systemToggleIcon_QzmC"><path fill=currentColor d="m12 21c4.971 0 9-4.029 9-9s-4.029-9-9-9-9 4.029-9 9 4.029 9 9 9zm4.95-13.95c1.313
41.313 2.05 3.093 2.05 4.95s-0.738 3.637-2.05 4.95c-1.313 1.313-3.093 2.05-4.95 2.05v-14c1.857 0 3.637 0.737 4.95 2.05z"/></svg></button></div><style>.navbar-search-container:empty{display:none}</style><div class="navbar-search-container max-md:absolute max-md:right-[var(--ifm-navbar-padding-horizontal)] md:p-[var(--ifm-navbar-item-padding-vertical)_var(--ifm-navbar-item-padding-horizontal)]"><div class=navbar__search><span aria-label="expand searchbar" role=button class=search-icon tabindex=0></span><input id=search_input_react type=search placeholder=Loading... aria-label=Search class="navbar__search-input search-bar" disabled/></div></div></div></div></nav></header><div id=__docusaurus_skipToContent_fallback class="theme-layout-main main-wrapper mainWrapper_z2l0"><main class="container--fluid margin-vert--lg container"><div class="row justify-center mdx-page-wrapper"><div class="col col--8 prose prose-watercolor prose-img:mx-auto"><h2 class="anchor anchorTargetHideOnScrollNavbar_vjPI" id=hey-im-ris>Hey, I'm Ris<a href=#hey-im-ris class=hash-link aria-label="Direct link to Hey, I'm Ris" title="Direct link to Hey, I'm Ris" translate=no>â</a></h2> 5<p>I live in Pittsburgh. I write software, coach teams, read too many books, and make a pretty solid oat milk latte. I've been building things on the web since 2004 and writing code in some form since '96.</p> 6<p>By day I'm a Scrum Master at <a href=https://gdmissionsystems.com target=_blank rel="noopener noreferrer">General Dynamics</a>. Before that I spent nine years as lead developer on <a href=https://www.builtforyou.com target=_blank rel="noopener noreferrer">ArchiTECH</a>, and I used to maintain the <a href=https://selectize.dev target=_blank rel="noopener noreferrer">Selectize</a> project, among other things. I've always been drawn to open source and the way small contributions compound into something bigger than any one person.</p> 7<p>This site is where I write about the things I care about: software engineering, Agile, DevOps, mental health in tech, and the messy work of growing a career without losing yourself in the process.</p> 8<style data-jsx=true data-global=true>.contains-task-list{list-style:none}:not(.contains-task-list>li)>.contains-task-list{padding-left:0}</style><ul> 9<li><i class="fa-brands fa-linkedin liquid-glass-icon" aria-hidden=true></i>Â LinkedIn: <a href=https://www.linkedin.com/in/risadams target=_blank rel="noopener noreferrer">@risadams</a></li> 10<li><i class="fa-brands fa-bluesky liquid-glass-icon" aria-hidden=true></i>Â Bluesky: <a href=https://bsky.app/profile/risadams.com target=_blank rel="noopener noreferrer">@risadams.com</a></li> 11<li><i class="fa-brands fa-mastodon liquid-glass-icon" aria-hidden=true></i>Â Mastodon: <a href=https://hachyderm.io/@risadams target=_blank rel="noopener noreferrer">@[email protected]</a></li> 12</ul> 13<hr/> 14<h2 class="anchor anchorTargetHideOnScrollNavbar_vjPI" id=the-short-version>The Short Version<a href=#the-short-version class=hash-link aria-label="Direct link to The Short Version" title="Direct link to The Short Version" translate=no>â</a></h2> 15<p>I'm a problem solver. That's the thread that runs through everything I do, whether it's untangling a gnarly deployment pipeline, helping a team figure out why their sprints feel off, or debugging a recipe that refuses to come together.</p> 16<p>I've spent most of my career in web tech, data modeling, and human-computer interaction. I also coach and mentor developers who are early or mid-career. If you've ever felt stuck and wished someone would just talk through it with you, that's a thing I like doing.</p> 17<hr/> 18<h2 class="anchor anchorTargetHideOnScrollNavbar_vjPI" id=the-longer-version>The Longer Version<a href=#the-longer-version class=hash-link aria-label="Direct link to The Longer Version" title="Direct link to The Longer Version" translate=no>â</a></h2> 19<p>In January 2020, two things happened at once.</p> 20<p>My son Lyric was born. He's incredible, and he came into the world with medical complications that rewired how I think about time, priorities, and what "important" actually means. A few weeks later, the pandemic hit and rearranged everyone else's life, too.</p> 21<p>I'd been heads-down in code for years. Good at the work, not great at the self-reflection. Lyric changed that. I started reading more, having harder conversations, and paying attention to the parts of my career I'd been running on auto
21pilot. The thing that helped most? Writing about it. And then sharing what I wrote.</p> 22<p>I revived this blog and started producing actual content instead of just constantly tinkering with the design. I started mentoring. And a weird thing happened: helping other people think through their careers made me better at my own. More focused. More intentional. Less afraid to say "I don't know" out loud. I'm still learning and figuring it out, but that's the point. The process is the product, and I'm here for it. I'm radically human, and open about the fact that I don't have it all together.</p> 23<p>That's still what drives this site. I'm not here to broadcast wisdom from a mountaintop. I'm here to think out loud, share what I've learned (and what I'm still figuring out), and maybe make someone's Tuesday a little less lonely.</p> 24<hr/> 25<h2 class="anchor anchorTargetHideOnScrollNavbar_vjPI" id=outside-the-terminal>Outside the Terminal<a href=#outside-the-terminal class=hash-link aria-label="Direct link to Outside the Terminal" title="Direct link to Outside the Terminal" translate=no>â</a></h2> 26<p>I'm not only a keyboard. Here's some of the other stuff:</p> 27<p><strong><i class="fa-duotone fa-thin fa-dog liquid-glass-icon" aria-hidden=true></i> Dogs.</strong> I have two: Sasha, a teddy-bear, and Bibi (we call him Bean), a Maltese. They have strong opinions about my meeting schedule.</p> 28<p><strong><i class="fa-duotone fa-thin fa-music liquid-glass-icon" aria-hidden=true></i> Music.</strong> I play several instruments, none of them particularly well, and only for myself. It's one of the purest creative outlets I have because nobody's grading it.</p> 29<p><strong><i class="fa-duotone fa-thin fa-book-open-reader liquid-glass-icon" aria-hidden=true></i> Reading.</strong> I go through books in waves. Some months it's technical stuff, some months it's fiction, some months it's whatever the library algorithm throws at me.</p> 30<p><strong><i class="fa-duotone fa-thin fa-pot-food liquid-glass-icon" aria-hidden=true></i> Cooking.</strong> I genuinely love food. Making it, eating it, talking about it. There's a whole <a href=/recipes>recipe section</a> on this site because I couldn't help myself.</p> 31<p><strong><i class="fa-duotone fa-thin fa-film liquid-glass-icon" aria-hidden=true></i> Movies & music.</strong> I consume a lot of both. I like the way a great film or album can change how you see an ordinary afternoon.</p> 32<hr/> 33<h2 class="anchor anchorTargetHideOnScrollNavbar_vjPI" id=working-with-me>Working With Me<a href=#working-with-me class=hash-link aria-label="Direct link to Working With Me" title="Direct link to Working With Me" translate=no>â</a></h2> 34<p>If you're curious about how I think, communicate, and collaborate, I wrote a more detailed <a href=/readme>README</a>. It covers my personality type, working style, communication preferences, and the assumptions I bring into every interaction.</div><div class="col col--2"><div class="max-h-[calc(100vh-(var(--ifm-navbar-height)+2rem))] overflow-y-auto sticky top-[calc(var(--ifm-navbar-height)+1rem)] text-secondary thin-scrollbar md:block px-4 hidden"><div class=mb-4><h4 class="font-medium text-[1.1rem] mb-2 text-text">On <i>This</i> Page</h4></div><ul class="table-of-contents pl-0 space-y-1.5"><li><a href=#hey-im-ris class="table-of-contents__link toc-highlight">Hey, I'm Ris</a><li><a href=#the-short-version class="table-of-contents__link toc-highlight">The Short Version</a><li><a href=#the-longer-version class="table-of-contents__link toc-highlight">The Longer Version</a><li><a href=#outside-the-terminal class="table-of-contents__link toc-highlight">Outside the Terminal</a><li><a href=#working-with-me class="table-of-contents__link toc-highlight">Working With Me</a></ul></div></div></div></main></div><footer class="theme-layout-footer footer footer--dark"><div class="container container-fluid"><div class="footer__bottom text--center"><div class=footer__copyright>Copyright © 1996 - 2026 Ris Adams · made with ink & caffeine</div></div></div></footer></div></body>
Line numbers count LF bytes from the start of the resource, as the search results do. Vendor segments are library code the classifier recognised; they are stored but not indexed. Bytes are shown as Latin1 characters, one per byte.