Ruby Video
Talks
Speakers
Events
Topics
Leaderboard
Sign in
Talks
Speakers
Events
Topics
Use
Analytics
Sign in
Suggest modification to this talk
Title
Description
Date
Summary
Markdown supported
The closing keynote at RailsConf 2016, delivered by Nickolas Means, focuses on the impressive legacy of Lockheed's Skunk Works, a division known for its innovative aircraft designs. Means shares his lifelong passion for aviation and contrasts it with his career in software engineering, illustrating lessons on collaboration and efficiency drawn from the world of aeronautics. The talk emphasizes the importance of freedom in creativity and the significance of trust in team dynamics. **Key Points Discussed:** - **Introduction to Skunk Works:** Means introduces Skunk Works, highlighting its origins with Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson, who advocated for innovative aircraft design without bureaucratic constraints. - **Early Achievements:** He recounts the development of the XP-80 Shooting Star and its quick turnaround, showcasing how the team rented a circus tent to facilitate collaboration in a top-secret environment. - **U-2 Development:** Means discusses the U-2 spy plane's design and its significance during the Cold War, featuring its remarkable capabilities, including flying at 70,000 feet with a high-resolution camera. - **A-12 and SR-71 Legacy:** He provides insight into the creation of the A-12 and SR-71 aircraft, stressing their roles in reconnaissance and the engineering innovations that enabled them to achieve unmatched speed and altitude records. - **Stealth Technology Evolution:** The talk transitions to the importance of stealth technology, citing how prior designs informed the creation of modern stealth aircraft such as the F-117. - **Lessons for Modern Engineering:** Means concludes that the principles of trust, collaboration, and efficient project management pioneered at Skunk Works can greatly benefit contemporary technical fields, particularly software engineering. **Conclusions and Takeaways:** - Collaboration and a focus on individual team competencies lead to innovation. - The legacy of Skunk Works teaches us to balance creative freedom with effective project scope management. - The philosophies instilled by Kelly Johnson and Ben Rich are applicable beyond aviation, resonating significantly within modern tech and engineering practices, reinforcing that innovation thrives in environments that embrace flexibility and trust.
Suggest modifications
Cancel