Category Archives: Misc

10 Pointless Facts about Me

Apparently this is a thing now? Oh well. Still kind of interesting:

1. Do you floss your teeth?
> Yes, almost every night (hey, no one is perfect). 🦷

2. Tea, coffee, or water?
> Generally 2 cups of coffee ☕ 1st thing then water the rest of the day. Maybe a few beers 🍺 every now and then 😉. Wanted to get into tea, but just tastes like dirty water that someone tried to splash a fruity flavor into and it didn’t work out.

3. Footwear preference?
> Sketchers slip-ons. Maybe I too am old 🤷‍♂️

4. Favorite dessert?
> Oreo cheesecake or just about any kind of ice cream.

5. The first thing you do when you wake up?
> After the necessary… check calendar, todo, and email. Then usually feed the dog and take her out, and maybe catch up on the world 🌍 for a few with that coffee before starting work.

6. Age you’d like to stick at?
> 28-32 were some great years. I was still athletic, not fat, could eat whatever I wanted, stay up late, and not pay any consequences.

7. How many hats do you own?
> Don’t really have time to go count, but prob close to 20-25 baseball hats… and mostly for MLB teams (some that don’t even exist anymore – NY Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, etc). ⚾

8. Describe the last photo you took?
> My daughter bantering with her coach at her last HS regular season swim meet.

9. Worst TV show?
> Really most TV with few exceptions 📺❌, but especially anything claiming to be “reality”. None of that is worth even a minute of time.

10. As a child, what was your aspiration for adulthood?
> I’ve forgotten anything specific, but I’ve always enjoyed creating and just being curious. Whether that was Legos, reading, programming, or whatever. Guess it’s mostly worked out being a software developer/architect. 🤷‍♂️

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

High-growth startups: Uber and CloudKitchens with Charles-Axel Dein

Check out this article: High-growth startups: Uber and CloudKitchens with Charles-Axel Dein

Great conversation on everything from hiring to project/product management to feature flags to continuous improvement and more

Note: Since this is an automatically created post there is no commentary on it other than any minimal notes I may have included. Read it and do your own critical thinking. I may get around to adding some/more of my own thoughts or categorizing it… but maybe not. Should the article be behind a paywall let me know and I will figure out a way to get it to you.

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

4-Stage System for Learning Anything New

Check out this article: My 4-Stage System for Learning Anything New

Stage 1: Immersion
* Subscribe to newsletters
* Follow (and read/view) thought leaders
* Reallocate time away from other/older interests


Stage 2: Building – Make Something Real
* Set a short deadline (one day to one week maximum)
* Choose a simple, concrete project
* Accept that it will be messy and imperfect
* Focus on completing something, not making it perfect


Stage 3: Structured Learning – Find Your Mentors
* Instead of trying to learn from everyone, pick just 1-3 people max to treat as your mentors.
* Choose teachers based on results, not popularity


Stage 4: Connection – Build Real Relationships
* Learning becomes exponentially more powerful when you’re part of a community of practitioners. And when you become a leader who brings others together, you accelerate not just your own learning but everyone else’s, too.


Secret Ingredient: Cultivating Play in Learning
* The beautiful paradox is that when we stop taking learning so seriously, we often learn more effectively


The Hidden Truth
* Most interests are meant to be explored for a season, not turned into lifelong pursuits
* The real test of any skill isn’t how you feel about it—it’s whether you can produce externally verifiable results in the real world
* Give yourself permission to stop at any stage
* If something doesn’t spark continued interest after Stage 1 or 2, let it go without shame. That’s not failure—that’s efficient filtering

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

This is an embarrassment and should be a crime

From today’s Morning Brew (which you should subscribe to BTW)

Federal minimum wage
2015: $7.25 per hour
2025: $7.25 per hour

Average cost of a home in the US
2015: $366,000
2025: $503,800Please remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

State gun control laws reduce children’s firearm deaths, study shows

Check out this article: State gun control laws reduce children’s firearm deaths, study shows

“If more guns made us safer, the US would be the safest country in the world by far. Instead, we have a homicide rate that’s 25 times that of our peer nations.”

Note: Since this is an automatically created post there is no commentary on it other than any minimal notes I may have included. Read it and do your own critical thinking. I may get around to adding some/more of my own thoughts or categorizing it… but maybe not. Should the article be behind a paywall let me know and I will figure out a way to get it to you.
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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

If you are useful, it doesn’t mean you are valued

Check out this article: If you are useful, it doesn’t mean you are valued

Note: Since this is an automatically created post there is no commentary on it other than any minimal notes I may have included. Read it and do your own critical thinking. I may get around to adding some/more of my own thoughts or categorizing it… but maybe not. Should the article be behind a paywall let me know and I will figure out a way to get it to you.
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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

By Default Signal Doesn’t Recall

Check out this article: By Default Signal Doesn’t Recall

Just another reason I love Signal so much

Note: Since this is an automatically created post there is no commentary on it other than any minimal notes I may have included. Read it and do your own critical thinking. I may get around to adding some/more of my own thoughts or categorizing it… but maybe not. Should the article be behind a paywall let me know and I will figure out a way to get it to you.
Please remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

How Linux is built with Greg Kroah-Hartman

Check out this article: How Linux is built with Greg Kroah-Hartman

Interesting how one of the largest (if not the largest) open source projects manages things.

Note: Since this is an automatically created post there is no commentary on it other than any minimal notes I may have included. Read it and do your own critical thinking. I may get around to adding some/more of my own thoughts or categorizing it… but maybe not. Should the article be behind a paywall let me know and I will figure out a way to get it to you.
Please remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Systems are crumbling – but daily life continues. The dissonance is real

Check out this article: Systems are crumbling – but daily life continues. The dissonance is real

“What we’re really scared of is that the people in power have not got our back and they don’t give a shit about whether we survive or not.”

Note: Since this is an automatically created post there is no commentary on it other than any minimal notes I may have included. Read it and do your own critical thinking. I may get around to adding some/more of my own thoughts or categorizing it… but maybe not. Should the article be behind a paywall let me know and I will figure out a way to get it to you.
Please remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Ai ignoring human instruction refuses turn off

Check out this article: Ai ignoring human instruction refuses turn off

Kinda scary if you ask me

Note: Since this is an automatically created post there is no commentary on it other than any minimal notes I may have included. Read it and do your own critical thinking. I may get around to adding some/more of my own thoughts or categorizing it… but maybe not. Should the article be behind a paywall let me know and I will figure out a way to get it to you.
Please remember to subscribe to the newsletter or feed to stay up to date!

Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.