Welcome!

Scott plays bass with the band at our practice studio.

Scott plays bass with the band, Frozen Echo, at our practice studio.

I’m Scott Darlington and this is my personal web site. I retired from IBM Canada at the end of 2015, where I had been a Senior Product Manager for many years. I also spent years at ObjecTime Limited, which was acquired by Rational, which was then acquired by IBM. I may be retired from the high-tech world, but there’s lots more for me to do. Below, you can find out more about who I am, what I do now that I’m retired, and what’s next for me.

Finally, check out my blog posts for the latest information!

More About Me

Under the three icons below you’ll find a list and descriptions of my other web sites.

My Other Sites

A Grey World
AGreyWorld.com dispels the notion that the world is black and white. The major issues that draw polarized positions are usually much more complex than most people realize. This site provides examples and explains how to avoid falling into the polarized traps. It’s often as simple as understanding the underlying reasons for the positions people take.

As a simple example, consider the kerfuffle between the FBI and Apple. The FBI wants Apple to help them get into an iPhone used at work by one of the San Bernardino shooters. If you trust the government, and you really fear terrorism, then you’re likely to favour the FBI in this issue. On the other hand, if you don’t trust the government and really value your privacy, then you probably favour Apple in this case. And if you see terrorism as the least of your worries given how rarely it occurs compared to car accidents, gun deaths, and so on, then you’re really likely to favour Apple.

Very few people understand the technical issues surrounding encryption. So, it’s easy to see why Apple’s position about letting the genie out of the bottle is given little weight. The FBI itself doesn’t seem to understand the issues. They’ve been telling people it’s only about one iPhone in this one case, and that it isn’t about setting a precedent. (In front of a committee, the FBI admitted that, of course, they’d use it as a precedent.) If you trust the government, then you probably trust the FBI, and so you’re doubly convinced that Apple is in the wrong. Then again, Apple has bent the truth in some ways, too.

Once we understand the reasons people hold their viewpoints, it’s much easier to have a reasoned discussion in place of a shouting match. Should you trust the government? Is terrorism a big threat? How important is the privacy of your mobile phone? What would really happen if Apple built a “GovtOS” to help the FBI in this case? Now we can debate the heart of the matter.
In the end, if you can’t fairly articulate both positions and the reasons for them, then you don’t really understand the other side. Therefore, you’re not entitled to a strong opinion!

The following sites all redirect to AGreyWorld.com: AGrayWorld.com, AGrayWorld.org, AGreyWorld.org, GrayIssues.com, GrayIssues.org, GreyIssues.com, and GreyIssues.org.

Darlington Mediaworks
DarlingtonMediaworks.com is the site of my film-making production company. The site was overhauled in late 2016 and the event pages for events done in the past have not been completely ported over from the old site. Those pages will be updated throughout the summer of 2017.
Frozen Echo
FrozenEcho.band is the site for the band I’m in. Watch our video, listen to our music and studio recording, and see our pictures. We recently changed our name from Shades of Grey, still available at ShadesOfGrey.band.
Grey World Productions
GreyWorldProductions.com will host the site for the production company that will produce films related to AGreyWorld.com. At the moment, the site exists but is clearly under construction. I aim to have this site ready by the end of 2017, though I need more content at AGreyWorld.com first.
Master of Leisure
MasterOfLeisure.com describes adventures after retiring from the high tech industry at the end of 2015. This site should help others heading into retirement, or already retired.
ObjecTime
ObjecTime.org is a tribute to a great, successful startup, ObjecTime Limited. Based in Kanata, Ontario, I joined as the sixteenth employee. I stayed through its acquisition by Rational Software which, in turn, was acquired by IBM. I retired from IBM at the very end of 2015.

The site ObjecTime.ca redirects to ObjecTime.org.

Precision Lightning

My web sites try to present balanced opinions that carefully consider the many sides of a debate. The exception was going to be PrecisionLightning.com. Within my circle of friends, I have a reputation for a good rant on a variety of topics. Though I planned to be a bit more tempered than that, the site was going to contain strong, perhaps even acerbic, constructive criticism of politics, policies, or general issues. However, this site was a fairly low priority. I finally realized that I wasn’t going to get around to this site so I stopped renewing the domain. Instead, I refer you to AGreyWorld.com.

Shades of Grey
ShadesOfGrey.band is the former site for the band I’m in. We’ve changed our name to Frozen Echo and can be found at FrozenEcho.band. The old Shades Of Grey site will be changed to showcase the original lineup from the League of Rock, though it currently still holds most of the content from the new lineup. Watch the video, listen to our music and studio recording, and see the pictures from the original, League of Rock lineup of Shades of Grey.

My Daughter’s Site

Serenity's Snakery
SerenitysSnakery.ca is the site of my oldest daughter, Kerry. If you’re into snakes, check it out!

Contact Me

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