April 2023 – Spring break, work travel, and other stuff
Spring Break
No school for the kiddos next week, so we’re headed to the beach. I have a couple of side projects that will keep me busy while I’m not thinking about work: a new article on Always Encrypted, and helping someone get their customers onto Azure Synapse Link. I’m also going to try out a couple of mechanical keyboards (I’ve been using tactile from Logitech / Macally for years): the Logitech MX and the Keychron K2.
The Good Old Hockey Game
Was great to see the Bruins hold off the Leafs last night in overtime. Even better was seeing Alex Ovechkin get officially eliminated from the playoffs. I haven’t been able to stand this guy since his worst cherry-picking and no-back-checking season in 2013-14. How do you score 79 points but end up -35? And how is that not a crazy outlier? Team player award, am I right?
And before you say “well, some of those Capitals teams were just really bad.” Sure, but almost every one of them made the playoffs. Anecdotal perhaps, but true team players can do a lot better than that, even on bad teams. Here are some recent years from the Bruins’ big three, some on bad teams that missed the playoffs (or weren’t good enough to get past the first round):
Yes, I cherry-picked (ha!) Ovechkin’s worst years, but it doesn’t take much to pigeon-hole yourself as one of the most selfish hockey players I can think of.
A few games ago he had a hissy fit and got a game misconduct. While I won’t deny he is a talented player, his garbage attitude toward other players is unwatchable (not really helped by the environment he’s in, eh, Tom Wilson?). I hope the league continues making him an example when he acts like a baby, instead of giving him a pass because star power or whatever.
Buy Me a Coffee
Every time I leave a tip at a restaurant or coffee shop, I wonder, why can’t I get tips for the original content I produce? Probably 20 years late, or at least well after the Patreon wave, I finally signed up for Buy Me a Coffee. Like my little rinky-dink T-shirt shop I put together mostly for my curling events, I don’t expect to retire early, but it’s at least a way that folks I’ve helped can say thanks.
ChatGPT for LinkedIn
It’s hard to think of any call to action ever aimed in my general direction less appealing than this one:
Do you want to learn how to use ChatGPT to win more on LinkedIn?
Maybe if they also mentioned blockchain?
Work travel
Toward the end of the month, I’m headed out of town for a work get-together. For privacy reasons, I won’t be able to share any details about that until after the event is over.