Why I am retiring from the Microsoft MVP program

Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals, or MVPs, are technology experts who passionately share their knowledge with the community. They are always on the “bleeding edge” and have an unstoppable urge to get their hands on new, exciting technologies. They have very deep knowledge of Microsoft products and services, while also being able to bring together diverse […]

Can we stop the toilet paper math?

If you have been shopping for toilet paper or paper towels lately, you have noticed that the rolls keep getting bigger. I don’t know what the board that sets the standard measurements of toilet paper rolls is, but every package you see claims that the rolls it contains are four times bigger than standard rolls. […]

I want to go to the zoo

One thing I was not prepared for as a dad was the feelings that come as your kids grow up, and you miss the things you used to do with them when they were younger. When your kids are young, it seems like your life is consumed by things like watching animated tv shows and […]

Ambiverts unite! (but not too much)

Am I the only one out there who doesn’t identify as an introvert or an extrovert? I see people describing themselves as either social butterflies, always out there getting energy from other people, or as introverts curled up in the corner reading a book and not wanting to be around anybody else. I’ve always disliked […]

Being a parent in a digital world

Note: multiple friends have asked me what I use for screen time monitoring with kids/teenagers, so I am writing about it here. Being a parent is a great and challenging experience. This is especially challenging in the digital world, as kids and young teens want to interact with their friends online and in social media. […]

“Last night, you became flagrantly psychotic. It will happen again tonight. Before you reject this diagnosis, allow me to offer five justifying reasons. First, when you were dreaming last night, you started to see things that were not there—you were hallucinating. Second, you believed things that could not possibly be true—you were delusional. Third, you […]

On rocket science and software testing

I recently read “Firing a Rocket” by James R. French. Mr. French is an engineer who was involved in the early American space program, working on developing engines and combustion devices used in the Saturn 5 rocket and Apollo space missions. He served as the Lead Development Test Engineer on the Lunar Module Descent Engine. The […]

Podcasting Part 3: Recording your podcast

This is the third in a periodic series of posts about podcasting. Read part 1: Why I podcast and part 2: Microphones. Now that you have your microphone, you need to record your podcast. This post describes several available options, along with my recommendations. Recording software The software that I use for recording podcasts differs based […]

How I stopped procrastinating

Earlier in my life I had a big problem with procrastination–putting off doing things that I needed to do. I think I mainly did this because I was anxious about actually doing the thing, or I felt I would not do a good job, which prevented me from getting started or finishing. In the latest […]

Attn: PR People

When you write blog posts about technical topics, you will receive a bunch of emails from PR people who want you to cover their clients’ products and services. However, most of these don’t usually pertain to the topics that I blog about. This post is free advice to any eager PR folks out there–target your […]