Paul enters Filippo’s office, takes his MacBook Air from his bag and wedges it side-ways on its corner in-between the table and a low shelf. So the thing is literally only resting on one of its corners, upright. It was awkward and tense. Me and Filippo stop discussing drop shadows on the text and look at Paul, who’s got his ‘fuck you’ face on. He was making an entrance switching up the tone from ‘safety’ to ‘danger’. We all laugh.
Paul had told me not to mention the three things we wanted Filippo to add to Story (but weren’t in the original spec) until he got there. He begins.
“Okay. So, we’ve got one week left and, Filippo, I know you want to have a chat with us about not being cowboys with changes etcetera etcetara but can I just tell you a little story?”
Filippo winces and nods his head one time.
“Okay. So. There’s this guy ‘Marty Cagan’. Works for Google. He commissioned some people to go away and make a prototype of those Google glasses. You know those glasses Google are making?”
Filippo nods again with his hands in a prayer position under his nose.
“So he gave them the exact details of how he wanted the glasses made. These guys go away, they spend a few weeks making this thing and they come back and unveil the prototype and he’s like, “Don’t like it.” The guys are like, “But it’s exactly what you commissioned.” And ‘Marty Cagan’ is like, “Yeah and I didn’t know I wouldn’t like it until I saw it. And now I see it I don’t like it”
Filippo is frowning. His nods had been slowing down throughout the story until he was almost motionless.
Paul carries on, “So yeah. Not saying I hate Story or anything, obviously, but just, like, yeah. Bear that in mind.”
“Okay…” Says Filippo.
I stare at the MacBook Air that is still wedged in the weirdest position. It’s starting to look like the monolith from 2001.
Paul keeps going, “Soooooo…” He lowers his head and rubs his forehead. “With that in mind…”
Ah, I get it. Paul’s about to tell Filippo about the extra stuff we want in the app. And he does. And Filippo, in a real nice way says no. He explains that he wants to help us. He wants Story to be as good as it can be. But this particular feature, like, he could do it, but it will take a lot more time and more money. I go in for the rebound and ask for one of the things I wanted. I get a no. I mutter the final feature we want. And he said sure no problem. Great!
We spend the next couple of hours going through everything that needs to get done. There is only one week left of development.
When I get home I text Paul asking if he’s feeling good. He says yes.
