So, what the Podduck is it all about?
Authors note: With our company mascot, the humble rubber duck, getting so much attention lately we wanted to remind you why it's our mascot. There is a reason behind it, we're not just crazy duck lovers here at Podfather. The following was originally shared on the 2nd March 2023, enjoy.
As a Podfather employee, one of my most prized possessions is my Podduck which was given to me on my first day in the business. I was a little bewildered at first, to say the least, but when you visit the Podfather HQ in Edinburgh you start to notice that these little ducks are everywhere. So why is that
Ask a technical engineer
Here at Podfather, we develop software solutions that help fleet operators simplify the complex problem of planning and managing a vehicle fleet. Being a software company we have a large team of highly clever individuals who are responsible for creating the solution that is helping companies run more efficiently, and paper-free, every day.
Now if you are a software engineer reading this then you might know where I’m going. But if you aren’t then I’d like to point you in the direction of The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master, a book about computer programming and software engineering, written by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas, published in 1999. I don’t suggest you read it if you don’t have an active interest in programming, but it does feature an interesting concept that we, here at Podfather, have embraced.
Rubber duck debugging
When it comes to debugging, many programmers turn to the tried and true method of rubber duck debugging, a concept outlined in the aforementioned book. Basically, the concept is this… if you can explain your code to a rubber duck (or any other inanimate object) it forces you to think through each step in a logical way and, voila, it can help you identify problems with your code that may otherwise be hard to detect.
You must be quackers?
So, I’m sure this is all very interesting but I’m pretty confident that if you’ve read this far, you’d like me to get to the point. In short, what started as something to help developers here at Podfather has become a concept that goes across all departments in our business. The notion of taking something complicated and being able to explain it in a simple, effective way to an inanimate object really does help you think more clearly. So, whether that be an email you are trying to pull together or a presentation you are trying to write it’s worth giving it a go.
The same concept applies to us when we’re dealing with customers and contacts. After all, anyone who is talking to us here at Podfather is trying to simplify what is an inherently complicated process so the duck concept applies.
Podduck on tour
About 18 months ago we took a flock of Podducks to a tradeshow and they flew off the stand (if you’ll pardon the pun). Their bright colours and squishy texture (yes, we have stress-busting ducks for those moments when you really can’t find the right code or word) are a big hit wherever we go. Customers have them, employees take them on holiday for the photo opportunity (you’ve got to love social media) and wherever Podduck goes we take the story with it of how the duck came to be.
Who is Podfather?
You can be forgiven for thinking that, having read the above, we are a group of technically minded folk who spend their time talking to ducks but I can assure you that is not the case. We are a dedicated team who are working together for a common goal, to deliver great software to companies and make a big difference to how they operate. There are quite a few of us and in pre-Covid times you’d find us in our office in Edinburgh but these days we are pretty much all home-based. We’ve been in business for over 21 years and our core product offering - an out-the-box solution that offers route planning, vehicle checks, customer notifications, driver tracking and /feature/epod - is taking the UK logistics market by storm.
If you have made it to the end of this article, and you want to know more about us, or even request your very own Podduck just get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
