Kyle Hebert

Hello and Welcome!

I'm Kyle Hebert, an engineering leader who spends a lot of time connecting dots. I work across multiple teams, focusing on technical health, system-level risk, and making sure product ambition lines up with what engineering can actually sustain. I’ve learned the hard way that authority isn’t the point—initiative is. I care about making good software, and even more about the people who make it.

In my spare time I dabble in a lot of hobbies like video and board games, reading (mostly fiction), and attending as many live music shows as I can sustain.

I live in Minneapolis, but I was born and raised in Louisiana. It's pronounced a-bear.

Here's what I wrote yesterday:

Weekly Retro #18

So, yes, I’m technically writing this one on Monday, but! it’s Memorial Day weekend, and I was fortunate enough to have the day off, so this is more like a Sunday than any of the previous Mondays.

I realized about mid-way through this week that last week when I wrote that my exercise streak was still in tact it—in fact— was not. It ended on May 15th. I know I at least went for a walk on the 15th; I just failed to log it into the Peloton app. I only realized later when during a ride I earned the 3-day streak badge. I’ll be honest, not having to maintain the streak was freeing at first. Reflecting back on the week and how much exercise I did though, I’m sensing it may have been a little too freeing. So far this week I’ve managed four days of “exercise”, but only two of those were bike rides. One was an outdoor walk that I logged, and the fourth was a mediation session. I haven’t logged any exercise since the 23rd,

I kind of knew this was coming. My brain isn’t wired to be flexible like that. Doing fewer Peloton-based exercises was always going to result in me doing zero Peloton-based exerices, which will eventually lead to me doing fewer exercises of any sort, and finally no exercise if I’m not careful. The plan this week is to re-double my efforts: get back on the bike, do the mediation and stretching exercises, even if I go for a walk or whatever.

The comic book back log read down continues. I’m now all caught up on Absolute Green Lantern (it was nearly two years worth of issues) and now I’m reading my way through Absolute Martian Manhunter. The to-read pile is getting thinner and thinner.

On Thursday night we saw The Joy Formidable at a little venue in walking distance of our house. It was a lovely, cozy show from a loud band. At one point they unplugged their instruments, came down off the stage, and stood right in front of us while they played. One of the more memorable experiences of my concert-going life.

We spent most of this long weekend outdoors, working in the yard and around the house. I finally got around to cleaning our windows with a squegee kit I bought at least two weeks ago if not longer. (That’s how it goes with me. Projects take time to actually get moving, and when they do it’s in fits and starts). We also planted flowers in our window box, which has become our annual Summer kick-off activity.

Things I enjoyed this week

  • We watched “Nirvana The Band The Show The Movie” this weekend and oh my god was it great. I knew very little going in, and I think that’s the best way to see it. Just when I thought I knew where it was going they went another direction. A must see.
  • The latest Forza Horizon game came out this week and I’ve been having a blast. I’m not a car guy or a racing sim guy, but the Horizon series is still tons of fun. It’s got all the stuff the sim-folks want it to, but also full of silly things like smashing into stuff for points. I love it.

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