Panoramic View: Tracing an Application Flow | Ramblin' & Amblin' | Oct 26, 2026
Ramblin' & Amblin' Field Notes with Mike Hall (Staff Software Engineer)
Recorded on the move: engineering observations, systems architecture, and software craftsmanship reflections.
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Spoken Overview:
"So I had this initiative that I codenamed Panoramic View, which was about tracing a flow through an application and mapping out the strata layers for each interaction, identifying where business decisions happen and where the..."
Recorded: October 26, 2026
The Interviewer
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
So I had this initiative that I codenamed Panoramic View,
which was about tracing a flow through an application and
mapping out the strata layers for each interaction,
identifying where business decisions happen and where the
flow of information through a system is and across the
layers. That led me to OpenTelemetry and really Panoramic View has
been, like at first also one of those things that was
almost silly and now it's like kind of my defining approach
now with AI. Again, it's starting off with something where it wasn't
recognized in the beginning as a first mover on something
in my space and it didn't get really recognized and I gave
it this kind of silly name, Panoramic View, you know,
because it was supposed to be you're looking at the Panor
amic View and believe it or not, it was largely inspired by
this one wallpaper that I had of Rick and Morty. Again, all this is before the Dragon episode and I should
say around that time, I don't remember when the Dragon
episode came out, but what we learned about Justin Roiland
later and all of that drama, I don't know all of it.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
But I do know I stopped listening to watching Rick and Mort
y for a long time and I came back and I recently re-watched
one episode that was the Evolution episode where Morty and
Rick have to escape a cycle of rebirth and renewal. It's post Justin Roiland, as far as I understand, it was
such a fun episode, but the point was that there's this
picture where it's Rick and he's on the bottom left hand
and it really reminds me of Taoist art because in Taoist
art, the person is very tiny and you have to look for them. It's almost like a Where's Waldo for art, like the Kanagawa
wave where there's just these boats that are just getting
tossed about and you just see these little heads poking up. This is so cool.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
The Rick and Morty poster was like that where it was Rick
was on the bottom left hand corner and Morty was behind him
as always looking a little bit dazed and confused following
Rick as Rick was gesticulating up towards the horizon and
the horizon is this massive panorama. The star, the star, the sun, whatever, and all the weird
alien colors and strange shapes of that environment and it
's one of my favorite pieces from the show and it inspired
that panoramic view because at the time, again, I was
watching Rick and Morty and I'm working on building this
map of a system and
And, again, I was thinking about going from one side
starting on the left. What am I doing? It's fine.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
It was meant to be there. I'm going to put it back on the leaf. I'm also part of nature. And, uh, yuck.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Okay, listen. Here. Do I take it or not? No.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I'm not. Because I don't know what has been done with that tissue. I don't have any way to pick it up cleanly. And where am I going to put it?
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
In my pocket? And, you know, who knows? Maybe that thing's full of snot. I'm sorry.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I've picked up a lot of trash. But that one I'm going to leave. And that's the thing. It's like...
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I would have normally beat myself up out of it. And some people might watch this and be like,
Oh, you piece of garbage. You should have picked that up. I know.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I know. But, uh, okay. So, anyway. The point was is that it was inspired by the panoramic view
concept.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
It was inspired... The name was inspired by this picture. And I... Because I didn't have a name yet for it.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And I'm looking at this art. And I'm thinking about how he's going from the left to the
right. And he's pointing up and down and across. And there's layers stacked up.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And as I thought about the exercise I was doing,
Going from left to right in the system,
Entering at the acquisition point,
And then following through to completion and resolution. Now, like, there's no more to be done in this system. It goes off to somewhere else. And, um,
That was it.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
It was this... You exit stage left. And I enter stage left. Exit stage right.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And, um,
And then you cross the stage up and down as you go. Um,
But, yeah. That was... That was a silly inspiration for the name of that project.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Because it was a panoramic view. Left to right. Up and down. All the layers and strata
That you have to pass through.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Um,
And that it is... We're just a small,
Little,
Insignificant speck in this massive... Scene in front of you. But even then,
You know that it's just a tiny little stamp on that world.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
There's a tiny little planet in that system. There's a tiny little system in that galaxy. And, et cetera, et cetera. Um, but that was fun.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I don't know. I just wanted to share that. Alright, thanks. Bye.