Lest you all come to believe – at least more than you do already – that I’m some sort of prematurely Grumpy Old Man, herewith are 10 things that are putting a smile on my face. At least, they are right now (subject to change at any time).
- The Automation:
One of the priorities I’ve had lately has been the automation of a variety of tasks that were previously manual. At this point, I’m very pleased to be able to say that the backup and updating for most of our infrastructure (web, databases, etc)- not to mention my all important music collection – is entirely automated and runs with no intervention required on my part. There’s still room for improvement, certainly, but I’m finally fairly content with the state of our infrastructure and can turn some of my attention to other projects. - The DTM:
AKA the Denver Tech Meetup. It was unfortunate that travel and other distractions have kept this a very sporadic event, but I’m pleased at that folks are going to be taking the time out to attend – and I very much appreciate the support folks continue to show. I’m a firm believer that we need more cross-pollination and socialization in the technology space, and if the Meetup can play some small part in that, so much the better. Really looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday. - The Desktop:
While my recounting of the odd Linux desktop horror story is frightening off a user here or there, I’m very pleased with the continued evolution. Yes, there are issues like suspend that continue to vex me, but the fact is that every platform will have its share of problems. For all its issues, Linux on the desktop is growing more capable – not to mention better looking – by the day. Beryl and Avant-Window-Navigator have combined to make my desktop at once more productive and easier on the eyes – at no charge to me. I’m very happy where I am. - The Holiday:
While Flogging Molly’s Dave King admitted that in his Dublin youth St Patrick’s day was an afterthought at best, it’s hands down my favorite holiday. The celebration of the culture that saw fit to stick an apostrophe in my last name, forever cursing me to break online forms with cryptic but not unexpected SQL errors, is always entertaining, not to mention an excellent excuse to gather even the friends you don’t see all that often for a beer or two. I’m a bit disappointed that I couldn’t make it to Boston for this year’s festivities – they take it really seriously there (for Boston folks, head over to Donohue‘s in Watertown to hang with Edward’s cousins) – Denver’s schedule of events should be good, as a friend of mine is working the day shift over at Cap City on Bannock (come say hi). Speaking of Edward, highly recommend his look at this history behind the music; as someone raised on Irish music, with an interest in the history, it’s been very educational. - The Music:
Music, as it happens, is another big reason that I’m smiling. Between eMusic, The Hype Machine, WOXY.com, and SXSW torrents, music discovery and acquisition has never been easier. I’m hearing great new music every day, not just every week or month. There’s never been a better time to be a music fan, IMO. - The Phone:
Or more specifically, the phone services. As discussed previously, I’m quite happy with CallWave thus far – a hugely convenient service, although Ian has some legitimate questions for them which he’ll hopefully get an answer for. James, in the meantime, has gotten us all local access numbers for each other. Based on Raven’s recommendation, I’ll also be exploring GrandCentral, and at some point I’ll probably look at outsourcing some PBX capabilities to a Fonality host. I’ve dropped the idea of running our own Asterisk instance in house, for many of the same reasons I don’t host our own web infrastructure: I need something more reliable than a Comcast cable line for the functionality. - The Red Sox:
Enjoyed the inaugural Red Sox / Yankees contest of the season last night, and while the result was meaningless (it being spring training), let the record show the good guys won. More importantly, for the Sox fans in the audience, Hansen’s slider may be back. Had great tilt and a nice, sharp break to it. I’m hoping we’ll skip trading for a broken down arm like Armando Benitez or a borderline guy like Chad Cordero, and have a little patience to see if one of the Hansen/Cox/etc arms shows that it’s ready, much as the A’s did with Huston Street. Also, for those of you that – like me – miss the old Stats Scouting Notebooks, highly recommend picking up a Baseball Prospectus. It’s less complete in its scouting details, but worthwhile nonetheless. - The Site:
We are this close to not having to apologize for an antiquated, out-of-date website anymore, thanks to Alex. We’ll be launching the site in beta form in the *very* near future. Can’t wait for it to go live. - The Travel:
Or more accurately – the lack thereof. This is the longest stretch of no travel that I’ve had in at least a year. It’ll be coming to a close soon enough, but it’s been great to recharge the batteries just a bit. - The Weather:
The temperature on my dashboard read 78 today. For real. While that’s a bit hotter than my ideal, it beats the hell out of single digit temps and foot high ice ruts. Today was the kind of weather that made me happy that I chose to get both the stick and the sunroof when I got my car last spring. My reaction, however, reminded me that I’m probably not fit for California living: the weather wouldn’t be this sweet if the winter hadn’t been so miserable. I’m a seasons guy, what can I say.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled frustrations and product complaints.
