What I'm up to now

Dug a hole & filled it

Labored by hand and shovel over several weeks to dig out 15 x 23 x 1 feet of dirt, then fill the hole I left with nicer things that cost money. 🙈 Getting it completely level on a 1-degree slope was a back-breaking challenge, but hey, the result is a nice-looking patio. Thanks to ORCA for the made-to-order Earthen pavers, instructions, and the encouragement!

Home reno inching along

Our home is now 90% finished with this year's patio & flooring. 🙌 Still reeling from the cost overrun (it ran double) which left us cash-strapped (hence inching the last mile). Our contractor Sean Wilson and his crew were awesome (shout out to other Jeremy, Ivan, Matt, Nate, Ernie, Noah, Rick, Ed, Maui Mike, and more). Highly recommend.

Using artificial intelligence every day

The limit on these technologies is our lack of imagination for when and where to use them, not what they can already do. What do I use it for? Second opinions, troubleshooting, brainstorming, reviewing and editing, first drafts, an estimate of the wind speed based on a picture I gave it, and more all the time.

Took a class

Did a 3-week class on the premise that the normal mess of software development is not something we have to accept. A hundred thanks to Ryan Singer for inspiring insights and fruitful questions over the years. A thousand more for this class: Shaping In Real Life.

Two foundational concepts are "timebombs" and "hill climbs."

Ryan also put me in touch with his mentor, one of the creators of "jobs to be done," who schooled me quickly on his basic approach to research. Now I also have 9 months of experience applying all of this at a small startup. Do the techniques work? Hell yes, but other things can still derail these efforts.

Built custom shelves, plopped a turntable on them

Resurrected my old Technics turntable SONY receiver, and wired it to our little mighty Audioengine speaker. The setup is a little glitchy, but it's a sweet "proof of life." 🎶

TOTK strategy

My 7th grader got me hooked on Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. He watches me 30% impressed, 70% eyerolling. My general strategy is, as one friend put it:

"Look! I've gotta see what's inside that hut over there!"

It's all about the journey, guys.

Book rush!

New Murderbot! New Ann Leckie! Binging Brubaker & Phillips graphic novels from Comicopolis.

Building a basketball app

Still chipping away on the side on a labor of love. Here's a proof of concept built this past weekend.

This is my now page. I recommend one!