Code PaLOUsa Day #1

In the spirit of “have a garage sale of code”, I’m posting these without “finishing” them:

  • Excellent presentation on scaling out applications, where to scale first, when is consistency important.  Example: Craigslist 30 minutes before your post shows up is actually front side caching (from listening to a podcast did I gather that).  (add attribution here)
  • I saw bits and pieces due to full rooms of Knockout / CoffeeScript and once again caught the last half of @ReverentGeek’s MongoDB presentation.   (more attribution)
  • I verified my hopes (and fears) about automated database deployments, turns out the approach I’m using for scriptwriting for DDL changes is a fairly valid one.  (this could be a post by itself with code)
  • I “manned up” and put down a request for an Open Circle:   “Why should I blog?   Why do I blog?”
  • I chatted with the professional Videographers from InfoQ!   They took my card.  They pay $300 for a gig, but I have to supply my own equipment (I think).
  • Had maybe 20 minutes of comparing first computers with some people from my relative computer generation.
  • I got to hear Richard Campell’s David and Goliath story.

On Blogging.  IT WAS A HUGE CIRCLE!  (omg thank you guys) (and gal) (who showed up later)

  • If nobody ever reads my blog.. was it worth it.. to me?   It has to be stuff I love, or is relevant to me. 
  • Affirmation: yes, today’s market,  I can probably represent myself better via a blog than via my resume.
  • Affirmation: It is possible to write about stuff while keeping things anonymous.  If everybody knows where you work and thus anonymity is defeated, get prior buy-in from work first just to be sure (I think that’s what we arrived at)
  • Devil’s advocate: If I am writing a blog just to have followers / standing / market myself, why not hire followers? (eww) (obviously, my intentions do not lean in those directions)
  • Some talk about WordPress vs Drupal – we had a Drupal seasoned veteran who had some hard times with migrating WordPress content.
  • Later on, a lady from a worldwide recruiting company was talking about how she wanted to change the nature and content of their company blog – to be something more real? relevant? honest? not-just-a-piece-of-marketing?
  • Several of us referred to Hanselminutes a lot, most specifically the “I am a Phony” post.
  • Is my contact information actually on my blog anywhere?
  • Reminder to self – I have a presentation I made internally on “surviving managing a project” that I could anonymize and post.
  • Internal take-away:  yeah, I’m certainly not famous, but if I am a bit further along than some other folks, who have stories inside yearning to get out.. If there is ever any way I can be of service to you..  bring it.   I can promise you dedicated readership for AT LEAST a year.  And comments if you want them.   Smile  <—unprofessional smiley face.

Double duty: I ran across the street and picked up my race packet for the Half Marathon as well.

  • I’ve decided not to record the entire race, as.. it won’t fit on my 32G SD card, and I have not trained with that additional weight, and it rubs against the chest strap heart rate monitor.  Instead, I’ll carry the GoPro in a pouch on my belt.
  • There’s at least one or two other guys at CPL13 who are also running the Half Marathon.
  • The November Half Marathon is back on.   I think I’ll be training for it, especially starting in September.
  • Extra security – due to the explosions – cannot check a backpack, so I have to make sure that my motorcycle gear fits into one of those plastic bags.  I checked.  It does.  I’m good.

Complications:   The brake lights on my car are broken.  All three of them.  (Thank you officer for helping me figure that out, and giving me an opportunity to put that little red sticker on the license plate, yesterday).  Research shows it might be more than just bulbs or a fuse. As a result, I don’t have my car; and my wife and kid are out of town; so I’m left with the scooter. It gets cold riding a scooter.  But the jacket makes me look awesome.  People who know me well were punching the armored shoulders all day. 

Times up.  Gotta get some laundry going, get all my gear put together for tomorrow..  maybe I need to hire UPS to do my logistics for me..  Later!