An “extremely strenuous”, “double black diamond” rated hike up a mountain in the middle of the desert in 110 degree heat seemed like a good idea at the time. While traveling to Phoenix for work, I didn’t want to just be stuck inside the whole time. After a long and dreary spring in New Jersey where summer never seemed to come, I just wanted to get some sun. I found it in abundance in Phoenix, […]
I’ve only owned my Tesla Model 3 for a couple of weeks now, but it’s quickly become my favorite car I’ve ever had. A huge part of that is the set of unique features and software first approach to design. Of course the electric motor itself is a huge feature, but I found so many other great features that come from the on-board smarts of the car. Tesla may not (smartly) herald itself as a […]
When I began managing teams, I started with the team I developed software on. This meant that I knew the domain well, and was intimately familiar with the actual software and systems. Later, I moved to a team where I had limited experience with the actual code, but it still supported my old team and used a similar stack, so I was able to adapt quickly and understand it well. Recently, I jumped to a […]
I always joked about my one time visiting Brazil, setting foot inside the Embasy in Washington once when I was younger as part of a student leadership program, which technically constituted sovereign soil. I never thought I would actually visit Brazil though, especially for work. When the opportunity arrived to go to the capital and one of the world’s largest cities, Sao Paulo, to help with interviews and training, I jumped at the chance. I […]
Some of my most enduring memories from early childhood were formed from experiences in and around Washington D.C. Born in the area and living there until I was five, I spend many of my formative years around the nation’s capital, so many of my ideas of what young kids should do for fun were built there. It seemed the perfect place to bring my just-about-three-year-old twins for a bit of early summer fun in the […]
When my car lease ran out, I had to make a difficult choice on what to replace it with. I could either get another traditional gas-powered sedan, probably another BMW that I knew would fit my needs, or I could do something entirely different. I wasn’t completely sure, but I felt just confident enough that electric vehicle technology had advanced to the point where it made sense to own one over a gasoline car, especially […]
For the last decade or more, I’ve traveled almost extensively with others. Whether wife my wife, our kids, or coworkers, there’s always been someone else with me. Trust me, it’s very hard to feel alone when traveling with two demanding two-year-olds. On a recent work trip to Sao Paulo, I was alone for a full week and I can’t remember another time feeling so alone. I travel pretty frequently, inheriting a passion from my […]
Growing up in the late 80s, I had a ton of exposure to optimism around huge scientific breakthroughs and progress. In particular, air and space travel seemed to be making huge leaps and bounds on a yearly basis. After a recent visit to the Air and Space museum in Washington DC though, I was reminded of just how much progress was promised, and how little actually happened. Have we entirely stalled progress and does that […]
Last summer, my wife and I flew to Portugal with our then two-year-old twin boys. We thought we had flying with toddlers figured out. Huge bags full of toys and games were barely even needed while the boys kept themselves occupied nearly the whole flight with watching the other planes and the ground go by through the windows. A trip to Seattle last fall when they were just under 2.5 was similar. But this year, […]
When Game of Thrones started, I wasn’t a parent, didn’t have a dog, a house, or even a wife yet. It’s incredible to see how much has changed during the nearly decade long run of the show. After so long, it’s finally over. While the debate on how it ended will likely continue for years, there’s no denying it had a huge impact on the world from a cultural standpoint, existing as one of the […]