Blogs

The Black Company Cover - reproduced under Fair Use In the realm of fantasy literature, where dragons often hoard gold and knights in shining armor rescue damsels in distress, Glen Cook’s “The Black Company” emerges as a stark outlier. This novel, the first in a series that bears the same name, introduces us to a world that is as morally complex as it is dark. Through the eyes of its characters, Cook offers a narrative that diverges sharply from the traditional paths of high fantasy....

When ChunkHost, a hosting provider I’d been using since the mid-2010s, announced its closure last year, I missed the warning emails. This oversight could have spelled disaster but, on reflection, it was a serendipitous push towards reevaluating my hosting needs and expenses. This experience, while initially seeming like a setback, turned into an exploration of more sustainable and cost-effective hosting solutions. Hosting, especially on dedicated servers or virtual machines, can be a significant overhead for anyone running websites or online projects....

In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology and finance, a new cultural practice has emerged, one that promises to redefine the way organizations manage their cloud costs. This practice, known as FinOps, represents a blend of finance and operations, specifically tailored to the unique demands of cloud computing. It’s not just a strategy or a set of guidelines but a profound shift in organizational culture, where cross-functional teams—spanning engineering, finance, product development, and beyond—collaborate to achieve a common goal: maximizing the value derived from cloud investments....

In the realm of productivity, few practices are as simple yet transformative as the weekly review. It’s a ritual that, at first glance, might seem like an additional task to a already packed schedule. Yet, those who have integrated it into their routine know it’s not just another task; it’s a lever for intentionality, clarity, and progress. David Allen, the mind behind the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology, distilled this practice into a fine art....

In the realm of computer peripherals, the keyboard stands as a testament to the evolution of human-computer interaction. Among the myriad of designs, the split keyboard emerges as a fascinating study in ergonomics, customization, and the relentless pursuit of typing comfort. At the heart of the split keyboard’s design is a simple idea: that the traditional, monolithic keyboard layout does not cater to the natural positioning of human hands and wrists....

In a world brimming with distractions, achieving peak productivity seems like a Herculean task. Emails ping, Teams messages flutter in, and before you know it, the day has slipped through your fingers, leaving behind a trail of unfinished tasks. Enter time blocking, a deceptively simple yet profoundly effective technique that promises to reclaim your day and enhance your focus. This approach has saved me as I moved into a much larger role within my professional life, while juggling a new family and renovating a house - while trying to remain sane....

Thoughts sparked from Sarcastic Sounds “Someday Soon” It’s a common refrain, almost cliché: you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Yet, this simple line captures a profound truth about human experience, one that’s both paradoxical and universal. It speaks to our inability to fully appreciate the present until it becomes the past, to understand the value of what we have until it’s no longer ours. This idea, while seemingly straightforward, reveals deep insights into how we perceive and interact with the world around us....

In the landscape of technological evolution, 2023 marked a significant milestone with the advent of readily available AI tools, ushering in an era where artificial intelligence applications burgeoned, promising to redefine how we tackle everyday tasks. These advances cut through, to the point where everyone and their Nan had heard of ChatGPT. Yet, amidst this digital renaissance, a paradox emerged—not of capability, but of integration. The true challenge lay not in the power of AI itself but in weaving it into the fabric of our daily lives....

I’ve been trying to improve my overall fitness for some time. It took about 6 months from birth of our Daughter to the point where I felt there was time to start committing solidly to a exercise schedule and not the ad-hoc approach taken up to that point. I found that I enjoyed running during the Covid lock-downs where exercise, and time outside the house, were a luxury. I would, however, always get injured....

What’s the problem? I use my phone to much. This is likely the modern refrain. If it’s not phones then it was TV before it and before that, heck, it was newspapers. For as long as we have been exploiting technology there has been a fear that perhaps, just maybe, that technology might be exploiting us. I feel this way about my phone. I spend way to much time daily on a device that I fear gives me little to no value for the investment put into it....