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, […]
It’s been a while coming, but this week finally broke the straw for me. I’m sick of giving tech companies my private information, personal data, or contributing content to them for free for whatever limited functionality I get from them. Instead of the promised convenience and supposedly better and better “personalization”, all we’re getting it more invasive targeting, sales and leaks of our personal data, and building up more giant companies with the free content […]
If Phoenix is meant to rise like the legendary bird from the ash, it will probably be because of the heat there. On my first visit to the surprisingly massive southwest city for work, the temperature never dropped below 100 degrees and during the afternoon it peaked at nearly 115 degrees. Thankfully, the city provides numerous places to get out of the sun and cool down with some food and drink. Phoenix surprised me with […]
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 […]