julianwest.me

Must-Have Mac Apps for Windows Switchers

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0500

Must-Have Mac Apps for a Windows-to-macOS Switcher

One of my oldest friends is, as I write this, watching a UPS truck slowly converge on his front porch. Inside the truck is his first MacBook. After a solid 25 years of Windows-centric computing, he's about to cross over.

I've been on the other side of that crossing for nearly 17 years now.

Windows still pays the bills — that part may never change. But my daily-driver, the place where most of my actual knowledge work happens, sits firmly in the *nix world. And since BSD Unix has always been the core of macOS, I ended up awash in Macs almost by accident. I still run more PCs (Linux and Windows) than Macs in the house — but that ratio is getting closer every year.

Using Obsidian Notes and Claude to Publish to My Blog

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:17:00 -0500

I've tried a lot of blogging setups over the years. Dedicated CMS platforms, standalone Markdown editors, even just raw vim sessions committed straight to a repo. They all worked, technically. But all of them had the usual friction, weren't easily automated, and none of them felt like home.

Then last year I started using Obsidian for everything else in my life, notes, projects, daily journaling, research, and a thought hit me: why am I leaving this app to go write blog posts somewhere else?

Happy 2026

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 01:17:51 -0600

Let’s make it a good one...

Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 06:14:51 -0600

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” - Peter Drucker

Drucker also said: "what gets measured gets managed" --- and if you're measuring and managing the wrong things, your company Culture can suffer.

Culture is usually the LAST thing C-suite wants to figure out, but it's the ONE THING that can make your staff just completely killer-effective. Strategy may talk about "mission", but it's CULTURE that gets any mission MOVING.

Know what also eats strategy for breakfast?

Data over Dogma

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 01:14:51 -0600

It's often said that our perception shapes our "reality"—but in technology we need to work off of facts, not our perception or what we believe is root-cause of an issue. So what happens when our perceptions are overly rigid or not providing a view to actual objective reality? Just the facts?

What usually happens, when we look only for confirmation of what we already think the problem is, is that we aren't getting the whole picture. This is covered in something I recently wrote about in "The Map is Not the Territory". When we find ourselves, during downtime troubleshooting or other related activity, advocating about what "we believe" is root cause, we're not serving our team and we could be engaged in lazy-thinking: holding to a preciously-held dogma of "I saw this broken before, I know what this is".

Advice

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 01:17:51 -0600

"Don't take criticism from people you wouldn't take advice from."

It sounds obvious, doesn't it? Yet many of us still let other people's opinions, judgments, and expectations shape our actions and beliefs. I've certainly done it—letting negativity from people I see as influential creep into my thinking, even when their advice isn’t aligned with my goals.

Too often we hold back our potential by conforming to others' views of what our lives should look like. We're taught as kids to follow a safe, conventional path: university, steady job, mortgage. All good things, but how many of might us might dream of more? How many of us feel a calling beyond the routine?

The Tesla Lightning Rod

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:03:26 -0600

Whichever your political persuasion, each political majority gets its day in the sun (their time in power)—and eventually the politics pendulum swings and "moves the sunshine" to the political minority. That's the whole ballgame in US politics, usually. But when it comes to the two Tesla vehicles I have owned, the pendulum I got to experience was vandalism during two recent eras of our dysfunctional national dialogue. And apparently other current Tesla owners are experiencing the same.

Between Blind Spots and Microscopes

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 10:15:51 -0600

Two management clichés stand out starkly in modern organizational culture - and they're always at-odds:

"You can’t value what you don’t measure."
"What gets measured, gets managed."

While seemingly simple, these phrases capture a fundamental paradox about the way businesses handle—or mishandle—a vital resource: their employees.

The Invisible IT Ops Teams

Let's consider the first assertion: "You can't value what you don't measure." Many organizations suffer from significant blind spots. Managers often intuitively understand that an employee adds value, but they don't bother to figure out how to quantify or track that employee's contributions. The rationale is simple yet flawed—if you're not directly measuring it, how do you truly recognize the worth of someone's efforts?

Ambushes and Retreats

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 22:17:51 -0600

I don't watch the news much. I know a lot of people say that during weird times like these, but it's objectively for me: other than 10pm news (with focus mostly on weather and sports), I am not one to keep-up aggressively with the news. I learned years ago that the "firehose" of real-time news coverage (on social media or anywhere else) is just no way to live. What social media I do use gets curated and filtered timelines, tuning out news and focusing on the things I'm there for: Project Management, Automation/DevOps, Personal Growth, etc. And my filter is of course a defacto mute of all things political, including the toxic culture war extremes involved.

Warehouse Staff-Tracking Tech Hits Office Workers

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 14:15:51 -0600

I wrote about this in December and it's the same now, as it was then: Trust beats invasive employee tracking every time. Focus on outcomes and accountability, instead of badge swipes or snooping metrics. THAT is how organizations can build a culture of effectiveness and responsibility.

But according to Ars Technica, companies are plodding ahead with employer surveillance tech to monitor workers who return from Remote Work. And in some of the most disturbing ways possible.

RAG and "Agentic AI"

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 00:17:51 -0600

Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and Agentic AI (sometimes referred to as “autonomous agents”) are two prominent trends in the AI landscape that I keep getting asked questions about from colleagues. These things build on established large language model (LLM) techniques, but add new dimensions of capabilities and behavior. Below is an overview of each concept and how they’re being used or may be used in real-world scenarios.

Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)

All RAG is, at its core, is generative AI being used with External Data: RAG pairs large language models (like GPT-3.5, GPT-4, etc.) with an external data retrieval step. Instead of only relying on the language model’s internal parameters (its “memorized” knowledge), RAG “looks up” data from external databases, document stores, APIs, or web-based sources.

You Can't Learn What You Think You Already Know

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 00:12:30 -0600

“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”

― Epictetus

When was the last time you said, “I know this already” and glossed over an explanation or instruction? It’s easy to slip into autopilot when we’re comfortable with a topic. Yet, paradoxically, that complacency stops us from discovering the new angles, perspectives, and insights that help us grow. We’ve all heard the phrase “Beginner’s mind,” but not as often do we realize how crucial it is for everyday growth—both personally and professionally.

You Aren't Outnumbered: You're Out–Organized

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 12:17:51 -0600

“We are not outnumbered. We are out-organized.”
— Malcolm X

Most Americans understand that politics and opposition is a pendulum, it spends time switching to extremes. But Americans have grabbed that pendulum (and politics in general) in a forceful way, and sometimes beyond civics in recent history. Our civic processes have become tribal sport—not exactly new territory for the US;however, the problem arises when any resisting movement is disorganized and not seen. The modern equivalent of that is today's mostly "online activism": effective resistance is a contact sport, and must involve what I call the "Power Dynamics of Protest." I worry Gen-Z'ers and Millennials, who are loudly-concerned about these times online, are utterly invisible to the greater world beyond social media bubbles. It seems like our younger people haven't figured out how to organize in the real world.

Quotables for February...

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:10:26 -0600

“Ships don’t sink because of the water around them; ships sink because of the water that gets in them. Don’t let what’s happening around you get inside you and weigh you down.”

— Winslow E. Dixon

“All tyrannies rule through fraud and force, but once the fraud is exposed they must rely exclusively on force.”

— George Orwell

Buddhism's Cartography

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 00:12:30 -0600

Expanding on "Mental Cartography:The Map Is Not The Territory that I published, I discussed how philosophers use the phrase “The map is not the territory” to highlight the gap between our mental representations of the world vs the reality we live in. We use maps—metaphors, models, theories—to help us navigate life, but they remain simplified reflections of the terrain they represent. From a Buddhist perspective, the mental ‘map’ idea is closely aligned with Buddhism concepts. So here is a quick Zen perspective on all this—because Buddhism has an older, and equally-interesting, take on "The map is not the territory”.

Remember, When Everything Is a Priority...

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 12:30:51 -0600

"When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority..." —Karen Martin

And also remember: We Can Do Anything, But Not Everything

Mental Cartography

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 00:12:30 -0600

Alfred Korzybski’s “The map is not the territory” comes from his work in General Semantics (and 1933 book Science and Sanity). At its core, the phrase "The map is not the territory" means that our mental representations (maps) of "reality" are not the same as the “actual territory" of reality itself. We use these “maps”—language, concepts, beliefs—to navigate our world. But maps are still only abstractions, simplified models that leave out infinite details. This principle has parallels in other philosophies dealing with “how things occur” for us, how we form our views, or any perception that is distinct from objective reality.

**Those Who Know, Don't *Say***...

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 12:30:51 -0600

"Those who know, don't say. Those who say, don't know..."

The Chinese Philosopher Lao Tzu (Laozi) expressed the saying above, centuries ago:

Book Review: Is This A Cult?

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:59:51 -0600

In Anne L. Peterson’s book "Is This a Cult?: Confronting the Line between Transformation and Exploitation", the reader is given is a thoughtful exploration of the thin—and often blurred—line between transformational communities and exploitative coercive groups. Peterson uses a blend of personal narrative, historical analysis, and psychological insight to investigate how well-intentioned groups can sometimes veer into manipulation and control. The result is Peterson giving the reader a nuanced examination of what makes a group or movement cross the line from being a helpful, transformative source of empowerment...into something else—especially for voltuneers and passionate supporters.

Looking back at "Now And Then"

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 16:15:26 -0600

...what a thing we received last year. It used AI to separate John's voice from his Piano, allowing for the song to be finished. Glad they released this update today.

Direct Link to Music Video

Jackson In The Sun

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 10:17:51 -0600

Stopped by Facebook to check-in with family—and there was a Memory of our little Jackson from this day, 12 years ago. He loved the sun. We miss him so much...

Sam Altman suddenly remembers what the name OpenAI stood for

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 14:17:51 -0600

Sam Altman: OpenAI has been on the ‘wrong side of history’ concerning open source

“[I personally think we need to] figure out a different open source strategy” —Sam Altman

DeepSeek Lit a Fire in OpenAI

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 12:14:51 -0600

WIRED Article: DeepSeek Has Gotten OpenAI Fired Up

Outside OpenAI, the industry is divided on how to interpret DeepSeek’s success. Earlier this week, shares of Nvidia plunged as investors worried that the industry had wildly overestimated the number of chips needed to work on AI.

We Soon Will Be Closer to 2050 than 2000...

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 01:17:51 -0600

Just in case you weren't feeling aged enough...

From today until 1st Jan 2050 = 9,103 days
From 31st Dec 2000 to today = 8,797 days

Matt Damon Aging GIFfrom Savingprivateryan GIFs

Philosophy In Criticial Thinking

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 01:14:51 -0600

This bears on troubleshooting and criticial thinking, but from a Philosophical point-of-view.

What Does “I Think, Therefore I Am” Mean, Anyway?

René Descartes’ famous statement, “I think, therefore I am,” serves as the cornerstone of his exercise in doubt as a foundation for critical thought.

Descartes displayed remarkable boldness by challenging every assumption. In recognition of his influence, all models of critical thinking are associated with his name.

Carry on while the world burns...

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 13:17:51 -0600

...a theme song for our time.

My Social Media Drawdown

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 12:09:51 -0600

This is an update about my social media whereabouts in '25. If we're friends on Facebook you might've noticed my profile is devoid of posts: just photos and memory events remain...and this blog post pinned to the top of my profile.

The tl;dr of it is: I'm stepping back from day-to-day Facebook use, and closing accounts on other Meta products. Read on for the deets...

What's getting the boot?

• Facebook & Instagram: Still there but I'm going mostly inactive on those, keeping my accounts enabled to check-in with close friends and family from time-to-time. I deleted the apps from my phone.

How AT Protocol and Bluesky Work...

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 14:09:51 -0600

As a continuation of my post the other day about Protocols as a better design approach than Platforms, I want to offer more details about how ATProto and Bluesky work.

So Bluesky is this decentralized social network that distributes control across multiple servers, built on the open-source ATProto framework. Bluesky uses a federated architecture render the familiar client-server model of traditional social media. But Bluesky is anything but "traditional".

Bluesky defines distinct data schemas and API endpoints for ATProto apps, storing each user’s published data in a dedicated repository backed by SQLite. Every user action (such as likes or comments etc) lives in that repository(database). Also each individual user gets their own personal repository (database) that stores primary data (who a user follows, posts the user has created, etc), separate from their actions. So these repositories reside on a data server, exposing the data to the index server and clients via http access (and users can store their personal respository on their own personal data server-we will circle back to that in a bit).

Stargate

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 06:14:51 -0600

Check out this March 2024 Announcement of Stargate, just in case anyone was wondering how / why its data center buildings already exist in Texas, so soon after Stargate "was announced" -- it's because this was a actually a re-announcement / PR boost by the Trump Admin. Sam and Larry (along w/ Softbank) did a bit of a kabuki theater "re-announcement" dance, for all of us. Nice.

No wonder Satya was emphatic the other day that Microsoft is still "good for $80 billion" for this already-existing project. I do think Softbank's stepped-up involvement probably made the "hey look!" re-boost worth it, though.

Protocols > Platforms

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 17:09:51 -0600

More people should read this 2019 Essay by Mike Masnick-and then they should read it again. It is a fantastic write-up that tells us why, in large part, we got to where we are here in 2025-with Bluesky surging, and social media is undergoing major shifts. The other reasons social media is in flux-I'll leave to history to figure out. For me, the fascination is about how Masnick created a burst of technological innovation from this single article.

Microsoft Product Name‐Change Tracking Tool

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 01:15:51 -0600

Here is a useful site listing all recent Microsoft rebranding and name-changes. Bookmark it, because another Microsoft rebranding is probably coming in the next 5 minutes... 🙄

(Image credit: Microsoft / Future)

My Personal Favorite AI Prompts

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 17:17:51 -0600

My Favorite AI Prompts Here

My collection of favorites. I also include a few tips for getting consistent and accurate outputs in ChatGPT, etc.

MDT Hard-Stop In Upcoming CM Update

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 01:17:51 -0600

…been seeing this around for a couple weeks: almost all of my supported Task Sequences are Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT)-dependent, and leverage it most every day. There are PowerShell replacements for MDT features that can be used in a Task Sequence, eliminating the need for MDT for most shops, so that is probably the route we will take. We just aren't 100% Autopilot-ready yet, even with CloudOSD being a thing...

AGI in 2025?

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 17:17:51 -0600

Insane, scary, and historic if the prediction holds...

"We are now confident we know how to build AGI as we have traditionally understood it. We believe that, in 2025, we may see the first AI agents “join the workforce” and materially change the output of companies. We continue to believe that iteratively putting great tools in the hands of people leads to great, broadly-distributed outcomes."

Back-To-Work Reminders for 2025

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 01:17:51 -0600

• Everyone is replaceable—don’t oversacrifice or exhaust yourself for any single job.
• Thoroughly document your work.
• If your skillset becomes irreplaceable, you become unpromotable: refer to the previous two reminders. Documenting and working out a cross-train approach (read my post on that here) is key if you want to be promoted—or find a new opportunity.
• Keep a record of important emails (and interactions, when needed)—proof beats promises & hearsay.
• Free snacks or lunch is not a reward for your hard work. Culture isn’t about snacks, or the chow line: it’s about creating an environment where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to do their best work.
• Minimize "eating in your office" (see previous reminder) and take walks -- this goes the same for when remote-working. It's unavoidable you'll have to eat there sometimes, just don't make it every day.
• Even if you're not super social when at the office—use the breakroom at least once a day. It is an ecosystem of human dynamics that must be navigated, if you are to work out your company culture. Trust me on this.
• Unashamedly use your PTO days, you’ve earned them.
• Family ultimately outranks any job. Always.
• Never stay at one job longer than 5 years unless the pay increase is substantial. Once you've stayed twice that long, even if the money is great, you trade a significant portion of your value in the job-market for comfort. And that's ok, but just understand that's the bargain -- and continue to develop yourself personally, and your skills professionally.
• Focus on your own development (see previous reminder), not just your job. Personal-development drives professional performance!
• Prioritize self-care, put your needs first.
• Never accept a promotion in name, if it doesn't include a bump in compensation. If they can't afford your value, it's not your job to give them a discount.
• Keep personal details about your life under wraps. Don't overshare (I know, I have a blog -- like I'm one to talk 🙃).
• Familiarity breeds contempt: beware coworkers, consultants, or stakeholders who want to know everything about you (see previous reminder). Whether they intend to or not, all humans instinctively judge. Over time, we all surender datapoints. It's just human nature to formulate a view, so don't nurture it! People are inherently good, but work at mastering human dynamics. Life at an office is just like everywhere else (e.g.Congress 😉), so be smart.
• Be kind and don't judge others. Resist the base human instinct I mention above in the previous reminder: everyone you know is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.
• HR is not there to protect you, they are there to protect the company. They're often good people, but HR roles are by-design to serve & protect company interests.

Losing...

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 01:17:51 -0600

In the past few months I managed to shed about 30 pounds. I only know that because I started tracking it 3 months in. You see, my goal hasn't been weight loss so much as wanting to just be healthier. After one too many back doctor visits, and less-than-stellar bloodwork recently, I decided to make a few changes. So far, it's working. But I have lost weight before, only to see it eventually return. This time, I am going to really try and lock-in a s-l-o-w path to a healthier me. The weight-loss is a visual side-effect, not the main event.

Happy 2025

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 01:17:51 -0600

Let’s make it a good one...

Jimmy Carter: 1924-2024

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:03:26 -0600

RIP James Earl (Jimmy) Carter Jr, 39th President.

My Winter "Uniform"

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 23:03:26 -0600

What do Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Fred Rogers all have in common? Aside from obvious and undeniable impacts on society, each of them embraced the concept of a simple personal “uniform” – a singular wardrobe for the everyday. Steve Jobs was instantly recognizable in his black mock turtleneck, jeans, and New Balance sneakers. Einstein famously bought several identical versions of his favorite gray suit. And I grew up watching Fred Rogers come home everyday and pop into the same cardigan and sneakers: a relaxed symbol of calm, kindness, and familiarity for us GenX latchkey kids tuning-in. Sure, it was a TV show-but Fred Rogers was often seen wearing his "uniform" everywhere after the cameras stopped rolling.

A New Windows ADK is out

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 01:14:51 -0600

ADK 10.1.26100.2454 is out and it deprecates the "ADK nobody bothered with, if they didn't have to" - 10.1.26100.1 released in May 2024. The May ADK removed VBScript support -- which every MDT-integrated Config Manager shop had to patch, if they wanted to continue using OSD Task Sequences.

Microsoft ADK and WinPE add-on installers are now current and secure - without sacrificing compatibility that a lot of IT shops still depend on.

Penny...

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 13:17:51 -0600

This majestic little pup, and her human, today...

Github Copilot now Free for VS Code

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 12:14:51 -0600

GitHub Copilot is now free in VS Code, so if you skipped on Copilot the past year or so, there's no financial commitment to get in there and check out Copilot coding workflows in VS Code now.

With so much emerging competition in the IDE space (Zed etc), this is a smart move by Microsoft to keep VS Code as a center of dev toolibg-focus.

GitHub isn't super clear on specific differences in the free tier, other than to say it's "limited access to select features" of Copilot. But not having a subscription is great. Be sure and check it out!

PowerShell Where-Object: Filtering Data in the Pipeline

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 14:13:51 -0600

As I mentioned yesterday, PowerShell is built around objects. And so it doesn't just work with plain text, when selecting data or doing things with it. Objects are everything in PowerShell. And one of PowerShell's greatest strengths is how you can filter those objects in the pipeline. Enter Where-Object, a cmdlet that allows you to filter objects based on specific conditions.

Navigating Blog Posts: Shortcuts

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 11:11:31 -0600

Handy Filters for when Tags aren't enough.

Blog "Best-of" / Tags menu options are always at the top right 👆🏻

📖 "Blog" = the firehose: a descending list of every post on the blog.
⭐️ "Best-Of" = most-read posts, or posts w/ most feedback.
🏷️ "Tags" = posts organized by category, or tag. <-- newcomers start here.

Shortcuts to popular content:

⭐️ Best-Of (no Tech) = "Best-of" without any Tech content.
🌟 Tech-Related = "Best-of" tech-related posts only.
🔝 Top 10 = Top 10 Posts of All Time on julianwest.me.
🆕 Recent 10 = 10 Most-Recent Posts.

PowerShell Select-Object: Filtering and Formatting Output

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 06:14:51 -0600

One of PowerShell’s biggest strengths is how it handles objects. Unlike traditional command-line tools, PowerShell doesn’t just deal with text—it works with objects that have properties you can query, filter, and manipulate.

Me on BlueSky...

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 23:17:51 -0600

...come for dumb content from me like this, stay for the steady stream of tech news.

Those Jersey "Drones"

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 03:03:26 -0600

News: “It happened till about 11:30 at night” (drones).

You know...when planes typically stop landing at airports? 🙄

Man, we a really ARE living in the dumbest of times...

Blog: Nav Shortcuts Page

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 12:17:51 -0600

So I moved the Blog recently, and re-organized it as well. Now that I have 80% of my original blog content imported over here and formatted, I wanted to provide visitors a Navigation tips page. Go here for some handy shortcuts to move around my blog content.

Cheers! -Julian

Thoughts On AI In A DevOps World

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 14:14:51 -0600

People who code and automate things (whether it's for a big tech shop, or a smaller company's line-of-business pipeline) like to think we're all that. We're really not.

We’re digital carpenters who are paid well only because demand outstrips supply...and because a lot of people think what we do is super-complicated wizardry. It’s not - it’s advanced sudoku at best.

Sure you still need to be smart and experienced to get good at sudoku (coding automation pipelines, too). And coding skills are valuable and not easily-learned quickly, but it also isn't the Rain Man + Gandalf undertaking that some might have you believe. But the practice of creatively making...something useful--seemingly out of thin air? That will always be nothing short of magic to a lot of people. Myself included. That said: the tech layoffs of the past 20 months have taught us that coding for automation, site-resilience, and overall operations is slowly going to become... a little less rare in terms of supply. This disruption coming will not only be due to AI and its rise, it will come because people are working hard to get really, really good at creating output pipelines using AI: the earliest looming disruptors in SRE/SE/DevOps are already among us and leveling-up in this area.

Annual 3rd Party M365 Admin Portals Links - Update

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:19:51 -0600

Here's my latest list of MS Admin Portal links, sourced from https://msportals.io (https://github.com/adamfowlerit/msportals.io). I take some things out, and maintain my own list @ GitHub, and sync into this blogpost annually:

Links

Last Modified: December 10, 2024

3rd Party Portals

These portals are not Microsoft owned or controlled, but provide free and useful tools, sourced from https://msportals.io.

Non-Microsoft Owned 3rd Party Portals

Portal Name	URL
[cmd.ms]	https://portal.azure.com
AADInternals Tenant information OSINT	https://aadinternals.com/osint/
Apple Business Manager	https://business.apple.com/
Azure Charts	https://azurecharts.com/
Azure Diagrams	https://azurediagrams.com/
ChangeWindows	https://changewindows.org/
Conditional Access Documenter - idPowerToys	https://idpowertoys.merill.net/ca
Downdetector	https://downdetector.com
Get Security Done Dave Caddick	https://dcaddick.github.io/gsd_public/
Group Policy Administrative Templates Catalog	https://admx.help/
Group Policy Search	https://gpsearch.azurewebsites.net/
IntuneMaps	https://intunemaps.com
KQL Search	https://www.kqlsearch.com/
Message Header Analyzer	https://mha.azurewebsites.net/
Microsoft 365 Maps - Licensing Diagrams	https://m365maps.com/
Microsoft Acronyms Glossary	https://tpm.ms/TLA
Microsoft Portals Where most of this info comes from	https://msportals.io/
Microsoft Token Analysis Tool	https://jwt.ms/
Microsoft365DSC	https://microsoft365dsc.com/
MSShells.net PowerShell modules for M365 / Azure	https://msshells.net/
Office 365 ATP Safe Links Decoder	https://o365atp.com/
Online link generator for Microsoft Store	https://store.rg-adguard.net
Search aka.ms	https://akasearch.net/
Regular Expressions 101	https://regex101.com/
Tenant Availability Check	https://o365.rocks/
URL Defanger	https://trustifi.com/url-defang-tool/
Valimail DMARC Monitor	https://use.valimail.com/ms-dmarc-monitor.html
What is my Azure / Office 365 tenant ID ?	https://www.whatismytenantid.com/
Where's My Tenant ?	https://gettenantpartitionweb.azurewebsites.net/
Tenant Availability Check	https://o365.rocks/

3rd Party M365-Integrated Service Portals

Portal Name	URL
Adobe Admin Console	https://adminconsole.adobe.com
ArcticWolf Admin Dashboard	https://portal.arcticwolf.com/dashboard
Avanan Admin Portal	https://portal.avanan.net/account/login/?next=/
CheckPoint Infinity Security Portal	https://portal.checkpoint.com/signin
Cloudflare Admin Dashboard	https://dash.cloudflare.com/login
CrowdStrike Admin Portal	https://falcon.crowdstrike.com/login/
Devolutions Admin Portal	https://login.devolutions.com/
DUO Admin Portal	https://admin.duosecurity.com/login?next=%2F
MimeCast Admin Portal	https://login.mimecast.com/u/login/#/login
NinjaOne Admin Portal	https://app.ninjarmm.com/auth/?return_to=%23%2FgetStarted#/login
PatchMyPC Customer Portal	https://portal.patchmypc.com/
Trello Admin Mgmt Atlassian	https://id.atlassian.com/login
WebEx Control Hub	https://admin.webex.com/login

Non-Microsoft Owned 3rd Party Scripts

Site Name	URL
M365PSProfile Updates all M365 PowerShell Modules	https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/M365PSProfile/0.5.0

Annual MS Admin Portals Links - Update

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:15:51 -0600

Links

Last Modified: December 10, 2024

Microsoft Admin Portals

A curated list of Microsoft portals, both user and admin, sourced from https://msportals.io.

Annual PowerShell Links - Update

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:14:51 -0600

Here's my latest list of PowerShell links, as found on Microsoft and various sites, that I maintain @ GitHub, and update this post from:

Links

Last Modified: December 10, 2024

This page provides important links for PS mgmt of Microsoft 365 Tenant.

Microsoft 365 PowerShell Modules

Link	Remarks
Azure Active Directory PowerShell V1	Deprecated, installed using PowerShell
SharePoint Online Management Shell
Teams PowerShell module
Intune Graph PowerShell module

Other PowerShell Cloud Modules

Link	Remarks
Azure Cloud Shell	Not a module, quite handy for basic Admin tasks / telemetry queryies etc
M365PSProfile Updates all M365 PowerShell Modules	https://www.powershellgallery.com/packages/M365PSProfile/0.5.0

...on Employee Surveillance Technology

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 23:19:51 -0600

In a world where technology can enable companies to track every click, keystroke, or chat log, it’s tempting for organizations to think staff monitoring is the path to managing a productive workforce. According to one Apple employee's recent lawsuit, even some Apple middle-managers gave in to this fallacy, yet worker-surveillance is already well-known to cause more harm than good: it can corrode trust, disempower employees, and shift leadership’s attention to the wrong metrics. But don't take my word for it.

A Health Insurance Company CEO Was Shot

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 23:17:51 -0600

UPDATE:A person-of-interest was arrested on December 9th (link at the end).

...and he died.

He was murdered in midtown Manhattan. Assasinated.

The killer is at large, and social media is rife with the video and alarming commentary. The commentary ranges from venting to indifference, and worse as there have also been gross celebrations of this tragic event.

I don't agree with the dark responses, but I also cannot ignore that claim denials by health insurance companies may have been a factor inspiring this: reporting on the scene states that the words "delay" and "deny" were written on the bullet casings. That would be a clear reference to this book. It doesn't justify what this murderer did at all, but also two terrible things can be true at the same time: this was cold blooded murder, and some activities health insurance companies engage in delaying and denyingn claims which results in disease-progression and death.

Microsoft Forcing Migration to New Outlook in January

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 14:15:51 -0600

Word erupted back in November that Microsoft would be migrating businesses to the New Outlook client, and the community is responding with Intune remediation scripts, GPO entries (for hybrid "AD-first" endpoints), and Microsoft itself has added new entries within Intune CSPs targeting 365 App config.

RTO Is Backfiring

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 14:14:51 -0600

Another day, another video explaining the obvious...

Site Disclosure & Terms

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 15:04:18 -0600

The opinions expressed on julianwest.me and julianwest.com are solely my own and do not reflect the views of my employer, my friends and relatives, or any other carbon-based lifeform reading this site.

As an Information Technology professional often working under various NDAs, I adhere to all employer and/or client policies governing blogging. Consequently I never discuss employers or related projects, nor will I comment on past or present matters protected by attorney/client privelege.

Contact

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 15:00:09 -0600

Contacting Me…

Signal
🦋 BlueSky
GitHub @J-DubApps
LinkedIn

I welcome any questions or comments (good or bad) about content @ julianwest.me, so feel free to write / DM.

I do receive a fair amount of email, so if I don’t respond right away please don’t be offended. I do eventually. My average time-to-response is 45 days. If your email is time-sensitive a DM on one of the sites above, referring me to your email, can't hurt.

Note to IT job recruiters: please do not write my personal email address unless we're already corresponding. I do monitor my LinkedIn profile for that kind of thing, and I normally only respond to cold Recruiter contacts over there. Thanks.

Colophon

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 14:57:42 -0600

This is the personal blog of Julian West. Site Disclosure can be found here.

Hosting = Github Pages.
Blog = Hugo static site generator.
Posts = git-push markdown.md content --> GitHub Actions workflow.
I draft content in neovim or Obsidian in Markdown.
julianwest.me is best-viewed in a standards-compliant web browser: Chrome/Edge/Safari etc.
If you have problems navigating or see dead links, do let me know.🙏🏻

About...

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 14:57:32 -0600

Julian West is a North Texas systems architect, musician, and writer.

Contact Options here...

Trivial trivia 👇🏻

I love technology, art, and good design...and the occasional board game.
For a living I’m an ops nerd working IT network projects & cloud deployments.
I was raised in rural Texas, born to parents who were both born before 1931 (I am late for everything).
I grew up in poverty, nothing unique but I wouldn't trade those early experiences for anything.
I am a self-made man with the past mistakes to prove it. I keep growing and learning every day.
Writing code changed my life, along with tech and curiosity.
Myers-Briggs says I am INTP, but I do like people. At least the cool ones.
My earliest friends call me “Jules”, late-comers "JDub". Strangers' nicknames redacted. 😉
I once met Quentin Tarantino and William Shatner. Not at the same time.
Despite managing Cisco/Microsoft/Linux systems, I am a huge Apple geek. Not that uncommon.
I was an EV fan & Tesla early-adopter, I claim no fanhood for the immigrant oligarch who lost his mind.
For hobbies I write, play guitar/ukulele, and develop messy PowerShell and Python code.

New HomeLab: Dodging Ensh*ttification

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 23:17:51 -0600

Taking a cue from my post from last month about escaping the inevitable enshittification of blog platforms, that effort has shifted over to my aging HomeLab setup.

With exception of a few Cloud sandboxes I run in AWS and Azure, I still run the bulk of my personal learning / test-dev setups here at home, on a couple of beefy mini HomeLab servers. My HomeLab actually resides in my garden shed which has cooling, advanced smoke detection, and ethernet. But the main benefit is no noise in the house. A big no-no for the Mrs. 😬

I can't believe I am about to say this, but...

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 23:13:26 -0600

...I think Ben Affleck is 100% correct, in this spot-on and nuanced take on AI in Hollywood.

47

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 12:34:18 -0600

For any commentary or thoughts, I simply refer you my November 9, 2016 blog post from 8 years ago. It all still applies and is nearly the same event, just with a 4 year intermission...

A lot may have happened in the past 8 years, but also nothing much has actually changed either: one party still endlessly does identity politics and will "be right"—losing elections all the way to the grave. And the other party understands that majorities in this country have always voted with their wallets.

Quotables for November...

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 20:10:26 -0600

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places.”

— Ernest Hemingway

inspired my 2020 post My Hemingway Year...

“To be alive at all is to have scars.”

— John Steinbeck

Intune Policies: A Primer for GPO Admins

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 11:15:51 -0600

For AD shops that are in a configuration where their Windows Device endpoints are sync'ed to Entra ID / Azure, there's an area of Intune that will (eventually) become relevant to you if you plan on leveraging Intune to manage them (and you should).

Kindness

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 23:03:26 -0600

People like to say (myself included) that “it costs nothing to be kind...”

I 💯 believe this; and yet...

...depending on where you're at—in your life circumstances—the daily grind can have a way of draining mental energy needed to stop and express kindness. People rarely hold a deep well of compassion, when their plate is already full—or if they're just trying to keep it together. Maintaining mental health and thick skin, in a sometimes-dark world, it can be a daily struggle for some people. Even the strongest people.

Hello from LA

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 23:17:51 -0600

Farmer's Market in LA. Flew here from DC for work and ELO. And Figure 8 Tea Project. Yum!

More On My New Blog Digs: Dodging Ensh*ttification

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 23:17:51 -0600

So, yeah. As I mentioned yesterday, I moved the blog. Again.

Wait a second, I say that like I do this often but I don't. It's been 10 years since the last move. It's just that I moved this blog 5 times in its 20 years and 3 incarnations.

As for why: I've been tired of the enshittification of Medium. For quite some time now.

Up until a few weeks ago, I wasn't sure about the best replacement. My needs are simple, and my goal was to simplify this thing. Not depending on a 3rd party blog publishing platform was another goal. Over the years this blog has resided on a local PHP CMS, Drupal, WordPress, even SquareSpace before it landed at Medium. For better or worse, each solution was fantastic early-on, but then time passes and that ole "value-extraction cycle" hits. Voila: the afforementioned enshittification inevitably occurs. And I start all over again, lugging my posts over to something less enshittified. And I've learned that, given enough time, ALL things will suck despite the good intentions of platform founders (see: Twitter). It's just a fact of life: every human endeavor eventually degrades. It's like gravity.

Goodbye Faults And Observations - Blog Move

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 23:17:51 -0600

PSA: blog is moving soon from blog.julianwest.me to julianwest.me/Blog. You can actually bookmark or switch RSS feeds now. Soon "blog.julianwest.me" will be no more as the new one takes over.

The blog is also retiring the "Faults and Observations" (FAO) name. It's just "julianwest.me" now. Simplification is the reason.

The blog was hosted on Medium for nearly a decade, and I'll have a separate write-up tomorrow on what lead to the move. It's mainly like I said, simplification. But also Medium kinda sucks now, too. And I need to dumb this thing down: remove friction to ease-of-posting.

Book Review: The Anxious Generation

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 23:17:51 -0600

"The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt" explores the significant decline in youth mental health observed in the 2010s, particularly in Western countries. I found this read to be beyond topical, given many of the challenges I have observed my own nieces and nephews struggle with. Covid lockdown, and 2020 in general, was particularly on many young people -and Haidt's book really puts a clear explanation as to why. Haidt argues that this decline in mental health among our youth is closely linked to two major shifts in childhood: the decline of play-based childhoods and the rise of phone-based childhoods.

Ensh∗ttification Pt 2: Disensh∗ttify or die!

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 14:14:51 -0600

Note: the video embedded here contains colorful language and swearing to make a point in a uniquely Gen-X hacker voice. Please remember this site's Terms of use, and feel free to skip this blog post if it's offensive!

Sequel to last year's talk that went viral from DEFCON, Cory Doctorow updates us about his proposed plan to deal with the "Ensh*ttification of the Internet.

The 30th Anniversary of My Brush With "Scientology Lite"

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 23:45:36 -0600

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on this blog are my personal views, and are not the views of Landmark. Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Refer to this site's Terms of Use for further details.

CORRECTION: I recently found documentation indicating I attended my Forum seminar a few months later than my recollection: making it technically 1995—I conflated the Tuesday Night Intro Session in late 1994 with my actual Forum, which occurred a few months later. Thus the year correction in my articles.

Landmark Forum / est Unofficial Glossary

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 23:02:36 -0600

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on this blog are my personal views, and are not the views of Landmark. Brand and product names are trademarks, or registered trademarks, of their respective owners. Refer to this site's Terms of Use for further details.

Landmark Education Glossary

Preface
Special Notes
INTRO-Terminology
Glossary
FAQ

Preface

This page is a companion piece for my original 3-part special write-up revisiting my attendance of The Landmark Forum (in 1995) originally published to this blog in 2009: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. I regularly get asked questions about word meanings and terminology from readers of that 3-part write-up, even fielding a few questions from FX's team behind "The Americans". Those conversations led to this rough Glossary coming together. I really have nothing new to add about my original Landmark write-ups that hasn't already been said, and I speak with no authority on this topic: just my own personal, unbiased and vivid memory of things from my one-time experience of The Landmark Forum.

Setting up VSCode for PowerShell Work - MacOS

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 14:14:51 -0600

Welcome back! In my previous post I walked you through how to set up a modern PowerShell development environment on Windows with VS Code. Now we're doing again, giving macOS the same treatment. If you’re a cross-platform PowerShell engineer like myself—or just curious how the setup differs on a Mac—this basic starter guide is for you.

Setting up VSCode for PowerShell Work - Windows

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 14:14:51 -0600

So I have recently seen some co-workers running the Windows built-in (and officially EOL / retired) PowerShell ISE tool to write their PowerShell scripts. 😬

Yes, the Cloud is Just Somebody Else's Computer

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 14:15:51 -0600

You’ve probably heard the popular phrase, “the cloud is just somebody else's computer” more than a few times. While factually true, when it comes to DevOps and Enterprise IT that perspective misses a key point: whose computer it is matters less than how well your data is protected, managed, and accessible. Today, the cloud isn't merely "convenient"—it’s a strategic business advantage offering exceptional security, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.

CyberTruck Cancellation

Sat, 17 Aug 2024 23:17:51 -0600

No thanks, Elmo.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since I first reserved the CyberTruck when it was announced. And while most of us old ancient early Tesla investors and early customers have been disappointed by past / recent behavior of the CEO, my main reason has nothing really to do with that. The CyberTrucks I have experienced in person just seemed to no really excite me. I test-drove a friend's CT, rode in a couple of others, and I think this kind of vehicle just isn't for me. Tesla is also having some birthing issues with this first year CT, as well, but overall I am just not into the truck. If I'm being honest, I wasn't really ever into it when they unveiled it. If I do ever end up rolling an EV truck, it would probably be a Rivian or Ford F-150 Lightning. But to each their own. Peace!

Greek Gods Offend: Paris Olympics Run Smack into US Audience

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 09:45:00 -0500

“I think it was pretty clear. There’s Dionysus who arrives at the table...Why is he there? Because he’s the god of feasting, of wine, and the father of Sequana, the goddess of the River Seine.”

Well that clears that up.

Various prominent French actors and musicians led the scene, blending theater, music, and dance to honor the country's artistic traditions. But when you got America watching your little presentation, things can spiral. 😂

Working For Me...

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 23:17:51 -0600

This contents in this post, below, is sourced from a pdf doc I have always kept linked within my online CV-Resume. It exists as a guide to understand how I think and manage teams in PM or Manager roles. 🤓

Leadership Principles

Serving Others. I lead by pu-ng the welfare of the team first. I have a service-oriented mindset to ensure the well-being (and, thus, eﬀectiveness) of my reports, which leads to higher morale and beAer performance. Eﬀective leaders make sure the work is done, yet they also prioritze empathy, understanding the needs, challenges, and perspectives of their team members. This allows leaders to build stronger relationships and inspire loyalty.

Working With Me...

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 23:17:51 -0600

This contents in this post, below, is sourced from a pdf doc I have always kept linked within my online CV-Resume. It exists as a mini-manual to my brain, for any teams that I am working with. 🤓

Leadership Principles

Challenge internally, champion externally. I find it's most helpful when our team is free to be our biggest critics by challenging the status quo, asking "Why?" 5 times, so that our stakeholders don't have to. Once we make a decision, we move forward together.

Quotables for June...

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 20:09:25 -0600

“The second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half.”

— Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Love is granting another the space to be the way they are, and the way they are not”

— Werner Erhard

Note: I know the est guy above is problematic, and advocated flawed teaching -- but I nevertheless hold with this quote.

Karl Wallinger: 1957-2024

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 23:03:26 -0600

Today I heard the very sad news that we lost Karl Wallinger this week.

Karl was one of the reasons I ever picked up a guitar, in the first place. I met him in June of 2015 and got to hang out with him for a bit. One of the most humble, wisest, and most witty people I ever met.

Rest in Peace good man. And thank you for the music.

The Edge in Manhattan

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 23:17:51 -0600

We Can Do Anything, But Not Everything

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 11:14:51 -0600

“You can do anything, but not everything.” —David Allen

In the fast-paced project-laden world that many of us work in, it’s tempting to believe we can accomplish it all—if we just steal a little more time, stay late every night this week, or just "get better at multitasking" (no). The truth is nuanced—and captured in a phrase I repeat regularly to my teams: “We can do anything, but we cannot do everything.” This isn’t a limitation: it’s a guiding principle for sustainable productivity and intentional decision-making, when it comes to working our tasks. When you (or your team) face an overwhelming workload, the key to progress lies in ruthless prioritization.

AI Made Us Do It

Sat, 20 Jan 2024 14:14:51 -0600

"There is going to be downward pressure on general AI salaries as automation of code generation becomes more prevalent in the enterprise, especially with tools like Github Copilot," says Sudhakar.

Interesting Axios Rundown on recent Big Tech's Layoffs.

Book Review: The Coming Wave

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 23:17:51 -0600

“The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-First Century’s Greatest Dilemma” by Mustafa Suleyman is a forward-looking exploration of how rapidly emerging technologies—particularly advanced artificial intelligence and synthetic biology—are poised to transform the fabric of our societies. And boy did I devour this book, and boy should every tech leader and elected person read this book. Suleyman co-founded DeepMind, and has worked at the forefront of AI research and innovation. He uses his insider perspective to illuminate both the unprecedented opportunities and the grave risks these technologies present.

Thoughts On IT: 2023 Edition

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 20:10:26 -0600

This year, something a little different. No opinion-piece on the blog, just 50 notes of hard-earned wisdom. Garnered from funny or painful experiences spanning two decades in InfoTech. Enjoy.

It's always DNS.
RTFM.
Always ask: which tech solution, or method, requires the Least Amount Of Administrative Effort. You can accomplish a whole lot more, when you have less to do.
Read-only Friday — Never deploy to prod or make changes on Fridays.
If it can go wrong, it will go wrong.
If given enough time, most tickets solve themselves.
When in doubt, blame the security configs or your predecessor.
Backups don't really exist unless you have multiple copies (3-2-1 rule). Backups always work, restores not so often. Just because the backup said "success" doesn’t mean it backed anything up. Trust, but verify. A backup is not a backup unless you have recently performed a restore from it, better yet do automated restore tests with reports frequently. Always test your backups - otherwise you like playing Russian roulette with 5 bullets in the gun.
Backups will fail, see rule # 8.
RAID is not backup.
Document all the things. If your documentation takes longer to read than to fix the problem, you're doing it wrong.
Automate everything you possibly can (...that you've had to do > 2 times).
Don't make yourself a single point of failure.
Don't let other people make you a single point of failure.
Always check the logs.
Google is your friend. So is ChatGPT.
Test, but verify. It's not just for backups.
Never stop learning.
A lot of end user issues are the direct result of IT focusing on technical solutions and ignoring user experience.
A lot of user experience issues are the direct result of the C-Suite not being invovled in setting IT Priorities & Policies.
IT departments need to remember we’re there to solve business problems: if your solution is amazing technically, but doesn't serve the business, you didn't do you job.
Know where the food is located.
Never EVER let Perfect be the enemy of Good, or prevent forward-progress.
The Infrastructure is not your baby https://github.com/dbeta/RulesofIT/blob/main/Rules/19.md
If you make something idiot proof, the world will make a better idiot.
Nothing is user-proof, either.
There’s no crying in IT. Hyperventilating and panic, yes...but definitely no crying.
If it’s not in the ticket, it didn’t happen.
When it comes to network engineering, coding, or systems management: Design is everything.
Technology does not fix bad design.
If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.
Always mispronounce with authority.
Temporary is permanent: “this bandaid fix on the server is just temporary...” —somebody 5 years ago.
There are no policies, only levels of resistance.
The end user will lie.
Don't acknowledge or provide technical info about an active outage event to users: deflect until the problem is fixed. Nobody gets explanations until after your team analyzes the root cause, after uptime is restored. That's what post incident-reports are for. Don't allow a VIP to bait you into an explanation death-spiral while still troubleshooting: they don't care, and are onto blame-assignment. Reason and patience only return after services get restored.
Don't do special favors because people will expect it everytime.
Redundancy is key: two is one, one is none. Redundancy is key: two is one, one is none.
Get that request in writing.
When estimating time, add at least 50%.
Good, Cheap, or Fast. Pick 1.
Don't chain people on emails where they have to read a week-long thread, to even understand the conversation or context.
Design for uptime and redundancy where you can: if I can’t randomly unplug something in your datacenter, without a production outage, it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
https://xyproblem.info/
https://nohello.net/en/
Remember that we work in a service industry.
⁠Always keep your resume updated. 😉
Work life balance - Set standards with how approachable you are outside of work hours.
Dev is dev and prod is prod. NEVER put anything that impacts prod in your dev environment.
AI won't take your job, someone using AI will take your job.

Bonus. If you're in charge, and you have to tell people you're in charge...you're not in charge.

The A.I. Arms Race That Changed Silicon Valley Forever

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 14:14:51 -0600

"Over 12 months, Silicon Valley was transformed. Turning artificial intelligence into actual products that individuals and companies could use became the priority. Worries about safety and whether machines would turn on their creators were not ignored, but they were shunted aside — at least for the moment."

Interesting NYT article on how we got here so fast.

Thoughts On Coding: 2023 Edition

Sat, 09 Dec 2023 14:14:51 -0600

Time for some yearly hot-sports-opinions about coding...

Tabs are better than spaces. They just are. I said what I said.

Vanilla code is best, frameworks often add unnecessary bulk.

Readable code > clever code.

People, not code, are the most important part of your job.

QA is absolutely necessary and you need non-engineers doing it.

The commodification of AI & ML will increase algorithmic bias; which will increase the marginalization of URMs (UnderRepresented Minorities)

Enable Windows Sandbox on Windows 10/11

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 23:14:51 -0600

A feature a lot of SecOps teams use, but Enterprise IT org teams ignore, is the Windows Sandbox. It has been around for many years now, but you don't hear a lot about it. It can really help in a pinch with work ranging from bonafide DFIR situations, to just getting some low-risk code isolated for a quick review using Sysmon and other tools.

Windows Sandbox provides a lightweight desktop environment to safely run applications in isolation. Software installed inside the Windows Sandbox environment remains "sandboxed" and runs separately from the host machine. And becausae it uses hardware-based virtualization for kernel isolation, it's very secure.

Installing WSL2 on Windows 11

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 23:14:51 -0600

Select Start menu Type cmd.exe in Search Right-click & select "Run as Administrator"

Chilling...

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 23:17:51 -0600

Hello from a beach somewhere...

I am getting some much-needed rest after an annoying random denial of service fix that Cisco created for itself.

Back soon. In the meantime, enjoy this picture...

JDubism: Goals and Metrics

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 11:19:51 -0600

The goal is not the metric: When a metric becomes a goal, it's no longer a metric that can be trusted.

This is my own variation on Goodhart's Law which states:

"When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure."

Stay-tuned for more JDub-isms in the future...

The Lie of "Multitasking"

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 11:14:51 -0600

Multitasking is often glorified as the ultimate productivity "skill", but in reality it's just a low-value hack yielding slow (and often inaccurate) results. Multitasking is a deceptive trap, because the human brain isn’t wired to focus on multiple complex tasks simultaneously. Instead, what we call “multitasking” is actually rapid task-switching—and it comes at a cost. Each time you shift focus, your brain expends energy reorienting itself, leading to decreased efficiency and higher chances of mistakes or delays.

Book Review: Engineering In Plain Sight

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 23:17:51 -0600

When I was in high school I originally wanted to become a civil engineer. Though I ended up in a very different engineering niche, public infrastructure remained an interest for me. So when I read “Engineering in Plain Sight” (An Illustrated Field Guide to the Constructed Environment) by Grady Hillhouse, I found it to be an accessible, visually rich exploration of the infrastructure that underpins our everyday lives.

An Audacious Plan to Halt the Internet's Ensh*ttification

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 14:14:51 -0600

Wild and interesting talk by Cory Doctorow about the "Ensh*ttification of the Internet, and his proposed plan to address it

The Multipad Lifestyle 2

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 23:05:44 -0600

Wrote about The MultiPad Lifestyle a few years ago, and still rolling with it...

The 80/20 Rule

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 11:14:51 -0600

The “80/20 rule” refers to the idea that around 80% of results come from just 20% of contributing factors. It was coined by Vilfredo Pareto and is originally known as the Pareto principle. People usually remember the numbers more than the principle’s name.

Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto originally noticed that 80% of Italy’s land was owned by 20% of its people. Over time, this pattern has shown up in many areas, including business, economics, and personal productivity.

Choosing or Deciding...

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 23:14:51 -0600

Special Primer Note: this post is about self-improvement and building confidence when making tough calls...or not making them. It's about approaching "Decision vs Choice" from a place of empowerment: a mental framework for another possible way to view "decision" as a different domain from "choice". It's a Philosophical distinction of the two words, putting-aside their definitions for the moment. These two words often mean the "same thing" to most people, so for this post I need you to try-on the notion that "decisions are not the same thing as choices" (even if temporarily)! Also, for the purpose of this exercise, options (or alternatives) being considered should exist in the decision domain (again, even if temporarily)! Choice and choosing will be considered an action in this framework. This write-up below is not for everyone—not a "one size fits all" thing—just my own little epiphany I made years ago when faced with making tough calls. If it works for you, great! But it's okay if it doesn't. This is kind of an old exercise often seen in personal-development seminars, or shared by executive coaches.

Piping File Paths into a PowerShell Function

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 23:14:51 -0600

On the heels of writing about the join-path cmdlet the other day, I thought I would demonstrate a real-world task that deals with the file path differently. I saw this in an article on 4SysOps from a few years back, where the author is not using join-path but instead he uses the ‑LiteralPath parameter to get the same thing done.

Using Join-Path in PowerShell

Sat, 10 Jun 2023 23:14:51 -0600

In PowerShell, it’s quite common to be working with file paths when you’re reading from (or writing to) text files. For many automation scenarios involving PowerShell scripts, that means building / constructing a complete path to whatever file(s) your script is working with. There are several approaches to constructing file paths in a PowerShell script or CLI session, and I want to go over a couple here.

Try-Catch in PowerShell

Fri, 05 May 2023 23:13:51 -0600

When you’re writing PowerShell scripts, whether automating a common task or building a complex tool, errors are inevitable. Files might be missing, services might fail to start, or a network might be down. To ensure your script runs gracefully, handles unexpected issues, and provides helpful troubleshooting information, you need error-handling.

PowerShell Strict Mode

Sat, 15 Apr 2023 23:14:51 -0600

One of PowerShell’s greatest strengths is its forgiving nature when it comes to undeclared variables, out-of-scope references, and questionable coding practices. It will just let you stumble along toward a working script in short-order, so you can move on to getting a coffee or whatever else you need to get done.

Hovering Over The Lead Engineer During Downtimes

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 20:10:26 -0600

When systems are on the fritz and everyone is scrambling to restore service, it’s tempting to just hover behind the most experienced colleague—usually your Lead Engineer or nearby Subject Matter Expert (SME)—and observe them in action. The logic seems sound: “Watch what the expert does, maybe jot down notes, and learn advanced troubleshooting techniques on-the-fly.” In reality the classic “shoulder surfing” approach consistently falls flat and can even hinder the diagnostics and troubleshooting. Below I am going explain why this is—and why it’s not always the best way to get cross-training or close skills gaps.

Remote Work and Hybrid Work in 2023

Sun, 05 Mar 2023 23:17:51 -0600

tl;dr: Focus on outcomes & accountability, not office badge swipes!

I have seen the unsurprising news about RTO mandates ramping-up, and this trend may even result in my own team experiencing mandatory Return-To-Office at some point. I have already heard about other legal firms in my space inching toward Hybrid days for their IT staff. Hybrid being a mix of one or two on-premises days, with an "anchor day" thrown in, and the rest of the workweek remote.

How It Started...

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 03:14:51 -0600

... vs how it's going.

TRS-80 CoCo 2, 1987 vs 2022

The Fishbone Diagram

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 20:10:26 -0600

Ever feel like you’re running in circles trying to solve a problem, never getting to the real heart of the matter? That’s where the Fishbone Diagram comes to the rescue.

It's actually originally-known as the Ishikawa Diagram, and I still call it that, but whatever you call it: this practical tool helps you cut through all confusion, organize your ideas, and uncover underlying causes of the challenges you may be facing on a project. It's used with another technique I just blogged about called "the 5 whys".

Gala of Groupthink...

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 11:19:51 -0600

“Gala of Groupthink” is my shorthand for a grand-sounding initiative that dresses up mediocrity in dazzling presentations—until everyone realizes they’re celebrating a collective delusion.

I come up with sardonic turns-of-phrase like that, every so often. This was one I used today when it became clear that several folks on a project were kind of falling into repeated groupthink moments on a project deliverable over the past few weeks. --

The 5 Whys

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 20:10:26 -0600

What Are the "5 Whys"?

The "5 Whys" is a straightforward but powerful problem-solving strategy. It seeks to uncover the true source of a problem by repeatedly asking “why”—usually five times—until you reach the fundamental cause.

In practice, you begin by asking “why” the problem occurred. Each time you find a new explanation, you ask “why” again. This process continues until you’re confident you’ve revealed the underlying reason behind the issue. If this technique sounds a little familiar, you've probably seen it before as a part of the Scientific Method. The "5 Whys" isn't that exhaustive or time-consuming, but is a very popular quick troubleshooting technique.

JDubism: Knowledge and Humility

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 11:19:51 -0600

“I’ve been learning and adding to my knowledge for so long, I almost forgot the biggest secret: the second you think you know more than somebody else, real wisdom slips away.”

Stay-tuned for more JDub-isms in the future...

Roe v. Wade

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 11:30:00 -0500

Coverage on today's news from NPR that Roe is no longer law.

It felt like the moment the Roberts court agreed to take-up Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Roe's days were numbered as law. At least, it was only a matter of time after Barrett's appointment.

This blog is intentionally apolitical, by design, but I have to observe a major event in US Law like this. An event that will affect women for decades.

Writing Resusable Code: PS Function Tips

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 23:17:51 -0600

Creating functions is among the most frequent tasks you will run into when working in PowerShell long enough. PS functions serve a fundamental role, as a component to help us organize and encapsulate our code, and reuse it. Without functions scripts would become overly complex, cluttered with numerous if/else statements or loops and repetitive code segments.

Consensus Catastrophe...

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 11:19:51 -0600

“Consensus Catastrophe” is my shorthand for when every stakeholder signs off on something inherently flawed, simply because unanimous agreement feels safer than honest disagreement.

I come up with turns-of-phrase like that, every so often. This was one I used today when I could see that a VIP's pet project was not going to get re-scoped or adjusted for a risk I could spot a mile-away. I'll talk to them about it, of course, but I was kind of amazed to see how everybody just "went with it"! 🙃 --

NATO Responds as Russia Invades Ukraine

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 07:30:00 -0500

"NATO allies are united in their resolve to protect every inch of alliance territory," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

After months of "will he or won't he" intrigue, Putin has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

As I am still working to get used to life without both my parents in it, I have not really been paying attention to the build-up. But like my father before me, I am fairly anti Russian. And Russia hasn't given me much reason to like about them since they stopped being Soviet Union. In name only, apparently.

Eulogy for Joy Pennybacker West, by her son Julian

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 23:22:51 -0600

Eulogy for Joy Pennybacker West
As spoken by her son Julian at her memorial on January 21, 2022

I want to thank all of you for coming today, and everybody watching over the Internet, to hear me celebrate the life of my mother, Joy Pennybacker West. I wrote this Eulogy for Momma Joy in 2019, because twice that year we thought we were close to losing her. But, you see, my Mom was not someone you could ever predict, and that was one of the many things we loved about her.

Joy Pennybacker West Obituary: 1930-2022

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 23:22:51 -0600

Joy Pennybacker West: 1930-2022

Sun, 16 Jan 2022 23:22:51 -0600

My mother Joy Pennybacker West passed from this world earlier this evening. 8:23pm. I was holding my mother as she took her last breaths. Her favorite music was playing.

She was a great mom to me, and a light in the world for those who knew her. I am not able to find words right now. I just want to thank my mom, for everything she gave me in life.

My Mom Stopped Eating

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 23:17:51 -0600

…and drinking. Her skilled-nursing staff have intervened and started an IV this morning, in an effort to avoid dehydration and see if she will perk-up and eat and drink again. We went through this in 2019 from late June until early August. But back then she weighed a lot more. She has been steadily losing interest in food the past two months, and appears to have lost some weight. I cannot help but feel all these lockdowns and the pandemic were a part of this. We were separated so much, but I also understand that this is part of late-stage dementia. I don't want to understand, though. I just want her to stay longer. But if this is my last Christmas with her, I just can't fathom a world without my Mom in it. I really can't.
Any prayers will be appreciated.

JDubism: Self–Reflection

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 11:19:51 -0600

“Everyone gets the same personal mirror to look at themselves. The reflection is free; the Ego is what charges a fee.”

Stay-tuned for more JDub-isms in the future...

Book Review: Leaders Eat Last

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 23:17:51 -0600

"Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek focuses on creating an environment where trust and cooperation are nurtured for the well-being of the organization and its people. It was a fantastic book given to me by a colleauge who recently moved on to bigger and better things. While I greatly miss working with LeAnn and our talks about leadership and personal-development, she left me a great roadmap.

Here’s my summary of the key leadership principles I got from this:

The Circle of Safety Leaders must create a safe environment where team members feel protected, fostering trust and collaboration. This environment encourages individuals to take risks and innovate without fear of retribution or failure.

JDubism: Enlightenment

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 11:19:51 -0600

“I only know enough to remember this: once you call yourself ‘enlightened,’ the real thing just packed its bags and left!”

Stay-tuned for more JDub-isms in the future...

Vertically-Stupid...

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 11:19:51 -0600

“Vertically-stupid” is my shorthand for a thoroughly misguided idea or decision that manages to climb through the ranks of an organization, before anyone realizes how worthless it truly is.

I come up with these goofy sardonic turns-of-phrase, every so often. Here's one that I just used today (and thought "hey I should write this down!") --

It’s akin to creating a new initiative, shiny tool, or even business vertical (pun intended) that, in hindsight, turns out to be completely useless to producing any value. So useless, in fact, that someone in a boardroom somewhere asks "who TF thought of this?!" (I have seen this actually happen in project meetings, with nobody in-attendance owning the vertically-stupid idea).

PowerShell ErrorAction and Error Handling

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 23:14:51 -0600

Errors are inevitable when writing PowerShell scripts. Whether it’s a missing file, a failed command, or an unexpected input, handling errors effectively ensures that your script can recover gracefully or at least fail cleanly with a meaningful message.

Book Review: Start With Why

Sat, 10 Jul 2021 23:17:51 -0600

"Start with Why" by Simon Sinek centers around the concept of The Golden Circle—a framework for inspiring leadership that explores why some individuals and organizations are more innovative, influential, and profitable than others. This is my second read by this author, and I have come believe he fundamentally gets leadership in a way that is accessible, and sorely needed for our modern workplace teams.

Here’s a summary of the key leadership principles outlined in the book:

The Golden Circle
-Why: The core belief or purpose that drives an individual or organization—essentially, why they exist beyond making money.
-How: The process or specific actions taken to realize the Why.
-What: The tangible outcomes, products, or services that result from those actions.

Some IT Jokes

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 23:17:51 -0600

Ask a question...

A novice will give you zero answers,
A professional will give you one answer,
An expert will give you two questions.

A consultant will bill you and give you answers you already had.

In order to understand recursion you must first understand recursion.

If you put a million monkeys on a million keyboards, one of them will eventually write a Java program. The rest of them will write Perl programs.

Log Your Scripts! Pt 2 - Live Use-Case

Sat, 22 May 2021 23:17:51 -0600

The other day I posted a quick primer on logging in our PS scripts. Here I will expand on that, with a use-case example I just wrote code for yesterday. Here is a registry-reading function I bashed together, as but one example of something I needed to accomplish in reading in a setting and logging it. Thus allowing me to keep a thorough, auditable record of registry changes during an automation task.

Log Your Scripts!

Thu, 20 May 2021 23:17:51 -0600

We're automating so much these days, post-Covid. It's how we survived, and thrived, as the small IT shop we are.

Remote Working in 2021

Sun, 25 Apr 2021 23:17:51 -0600

I was just thinking about this today, in terms of just the breathtaking amount of work I have accomplished in he past year. With lockdown drawing to a close, I wanted to go on-record for some of the benefits I have observed personally. Here are a few key benefits I have experienced since working remotely, which has lead to my producitvity skyrocketing.

Ability to Iterate and Test New Technology

When we decided to rull an OS update to our users in 2020 during Covid lockdown, people thought we were crazy. But they didn't understand: every decent IT engineer either has a lab at home for VM operation, or other test environment. Me? I had my own test Intune tenant in the cloud, and my own SCCM server with test Endpoints of my own, to validate new OSD Task Sequence deliverables from our MSP. Having my own lab and not having to live in the office 12 hours a day, for such a large and rapid rollout, improved my quality of life tendfold. Working remotely in my isolated lab also allowed me to catch and intercept issues related to the OSD overhaul of that project, further saving time. And with our always-on VPN available during 2020, sending new replacement laptops to remote workers for a swap to their updated OS and apps -- became a minor issue. I couldn't have done a managed rollout that quickly, without a lot of long and late hours at work. We're talking many after-hours OSD and Task Sequence and Autopilot testing. Remote Work made that rollout happen faster than it ever could have, otherwise.

The Ever Given: A Ship Blocks the World’s Arteries...

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 08:15:00 -0500

A ship ran aground in the Suez Canal, and it's brought shipping to a halt.

I particularly enjoyed the Photoshopped “helpful” excavators, meme-transfereed to help the poor ship on Twitter. Social media remains undefeated in calling-out the absurdity of a situation.

HW3 Upgrade / Retrofit

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 23:17:51 -0600

So Blueberry got her HW3 Retrofit done awhile back, and I completely forgot to blog about it.

The upgrade went smooth, no complaints except that we have no normal Autopilot for highway drives for awhile during Tesla's prep for the upcoming FSD software updates targeting HW3 cars. One interesting item of note: during these upgrades, Tesla has not been installing the interior cabin camera on all Retrofits for Model S and X cars. That new camera was introduced with Model 3 and Model Y cars. Apparently we S and X drivers will still need to "check-in" with the steering wheel when using FSD, as we have always done with Autopilot in the past. And apparently the Facelift Model S, and upcoming Facelift Model X, both get the cabin camera to round everything out.

When They Raided The Capitol...

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 23:17:51 -0600

This isn't the title to some kind of 1860s Civil War tale. No, it was the scene earlier today at our nation's Capitol Building. Apparently a lot of MAGA people, along with various other kindred groups, crashed barriers and broke into the building causing pandomonium and injuries to several police officers (and resulting in the killing of a protestor attempting to rush into a secure Congressional area). All due to an unproven theory that the 2020 Election was somehow stolen.

More on the PowerShell Requires Statement...

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 23:14:51 -0600

PowerShell has a robust scripting environment that allows for quick and flexible code creation. But what happens when a script that relies on PowerShell 7 or specific modules gets executed on PowerShell 5.1? It fails, often with confusing errors. Enter the #requires statement—a feature that allows you to preemptively enforce prerequisites for your scripts.

The final beard photo...

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 12:30:51 -0600

If you've been tracking my beard progress, it has...well, progressed further.

But this will be the final beard photo of 2020, as I am cutting it back to pre-Pandemic size this weekend. And getting a haircut.

Maybe I'll grow it back again someday. It was fun, and a helpful indicator that I made it through a very weird time...

Requires -RunAsAdministrator in PS

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 23:13:51 -0600

When writing PowerShell scripts, whether automating a common task or just sending a colleague a script -- it is easy to forget if your script required Admin mode or not. The person at the other end will figure it out pretty quickly; however, people new to PowerShell might not. Here's a way to save yourself that trouble at the onset, when sending a .ps1 script over to somebody to run.

Beware the "Post Hoc" Trap

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 20:10:26 -0600

Flag on the play: lazy troubleshooting!

In the world of DevOps and InfoTech, every day is a puzzle of interconnected systems, configurations, and software components. The pace of change is fast, the stakes are high, and the pressure to quickly resolve issues can be intense. When facing a critical outage or a performance bottleneck, it’s easy to latch onto the most recent change and assume it’s the culprit. This mental shortcut—the idea that if something happened right after any event, the event must have caused it—is known as the “Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc” Logical fallacy. See also: Correlation does not imply causation.

My Hemingway Year...

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 12:30:51 -0600

“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places."

—Ernest Hemingway ("A Farewell to Arms")

One of the toughest realities I’ve encountered in adulthood...here in 2020...

...is that we have to press on...

...even when our spirit gets crushed by this weird, confusing, world.

Thoughts On IT: 2020 Edition

Sun, 05 Jul 2020 20:10:26 -0600

-In IT or any technical Knowledge Worker arena (Software Engineering, Systems Srchitecture, or technical Product/Program/Project Management), learn First Principles of whatever technology you work in and around. If you learn & know the basic concepts, design patterns, architectures etc...then all that is left is to learn the syntactical differences and workflows that make any new upcoming technology or framework unique.

put another way...

-"Learn the fundamentals, then learning new things is easier."

My Vim Cheatsheet

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 20:10:26 -0600

Vim is a very efficient text editor that I . This blog Cheatsheet covers Vim 8x shotcuts, but the latest can be found at devhints.io -- where I found this originally. Also see the bottom for more handy Vim links.

And after using this Cheatsheet you don't have to be the butt of any "Exit Vim" jokes, ever again:

Note: For shortcut notation, see :help key-notation.

Getting started

Exiting

Shortcut	Description
`:q`	Close file
`:qa`	Close all files
---	---
`:w`	Save
`:wq` / `:x`	Save and close file
---	---
`ZZ`	Save and quit
`ZQ`	Quit without checking changes

Navigating

Shortcut	Description
`h` `j` `k` `l`	Arrow keys
`<C-U>` / `<C-D>`	Half-page up/down
`<C-B>` / `<C-F>`	Page up/down

Words

Shortcut	Description
`b` / `w`	Previous/next word
`ge` / `e`	Previous/next end of word

Line

Shortcut	Description
`0` (zero)	Start of line
`^`	Start of line (after whitespace)
`$`	End of line

Character

| fc | Go forward to character c | | Fc | Go backward to character c |

PowerShell Compare Operators Cheatsheet

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 20:10:26 -0600

Comparison Operators

The following operators are all Case-Insensitive by default:

-eq Equal
-ne Not equal
-ge Greater than or equal
-gt Greater than
-lt Less than
-le Less than or equal
-like Wildcard comparison
-notlike Wildcard comparison
-match Regular expression comparison
-notmatch Regular expression comparison
-replace Replace operator
-contains Containment operator
-notcontains Containment operator
-in Like –contains, but with the operands reversed.(PowerShell 3.0)
-notin Like –notcontains, but with the operands reversed.(PowerShell 3.0)

To perform a Case-Sensitive comparison just prefix any of the above with "c" for example -ceq for case-sensitive Equals or -creplace for case-sensitive replace.

George Floyd

Sat, 30 May 2020 09:00:00 -0500

"Please, I can’t breathe." — George Floyd

From this article.

Disturbing and haunting final words, and not the first time. This feels 100x worse than Fergusson Missouri. And it should.

PowerShell -WhatIf and -Confirm Switches: A Net for Newbies

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 23:17:51 -0600

Here's one that came up at work, and I thought I would put here on the blog for co-workers and other IT friends who might just be getting into PowerShell.

What Comes Next…just before "Next" Happens

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 23:17:51 -0600

Here is some data comparing US and Italy cases during each country’s ramp-up...

From DataIsBeautiful Reddit user brnko.

Based on this chart we are approximately 11 days behind Italy’s first experiences of extreme Healthcare System stress. And, yes, our rates are currently higher at this stage than Italy; however: this chart does not yet account for per capita rates or population-variance per region — so my hope here is that our staying-home continues to DELAY and/or LESSEN the coming inevitable wave of emergency-care surges. What we are doing, right now, is about to finally be measurable in a few days.

How Our Doctors Might Save The Vulnerable in April 2020 (If We Lockdown through summmer)

Sun, 15 Mar 2020 23:17:51 -0600

I’m an information nerd.

Instead of toilet paper, my own personal way of feeling in-control during a pandemic is reading-up on the Enemy. Not just how we beat it (washing hands, staying home, etc), but how we can save the lives of our most vulnerable in the unfortunate event they get infected with COVID-19. By now most of us have read about the math of COVID-19’s exponential spread, based on what they experienced in China and Italy. We know if we can keep the coming ER explosion from becoming Advanced Triage (where Doctors have to choose which patients to save, due to lack of supplies) we can save lives. In the same vein, perhaps the best incentive to make us stay home is understanding the struggle Doctors will have saving COVID-19 victims in severe respiratory stress in the coming weeks.

Lockdown

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 23:17:51 -0600

Well Covid-19's spread is upon us, already having hit Canada and parts of the US. Meanwhile my doctor tells me I probably already had this, upon his reviewing my mystery illness from December last year. This thing was probably already over here, in certain areas, just not at the level it is now. At this age I think I have lived through two pandemics? But they seemed like tiny bumps in the road, given what CDC and others say is upon us for the next few weeks.

Welp. I may have had Covid-19 Already

Sat, 15 Feb 2020 23:17:51 -0600

Today I had a follow-up appointment with my doctor, who saw me last month after I flew home recovering from that weird illness I had over Christmas and New Years. He says that I very well may have had this scary new virus Covid-19 already, right as it's apparently going into Pandemic mode. Since nobody could figure out what I had, and because it was so severe and lasted as long as it did, I think my doc is probably right. In Austin in December, I was briefly in contact with people who had been traveling from the area in China where this thing first hit. And then a few days later I was at the international terminal at DFW Airport. So who knows?

Merry Christmas from the weirdest Flu ever

Fri, 27 Dec 2019 23:17:51 -0600

The fever broke yesterday, the day after Christmas, but I still feel like a train hit me. And the cough is insane. It leaves me feeling like I can't breathe.

I know stress and work can lead to a lowered immune response, but this has been ridiculous and has to be some kind of virus. On the one hand, it feels like the Flu, but on the other hand there's no nausea. It's bizarre, and the clinic here in Las Vegas I went to had me testing negative for flu and strep. I truly feel like I picked up some kind of virus when I was in Austin, or at DFW airport flying out. Who knows?

Bash Cheatsheet

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 20:10:26 -0600

I picked this Bash cheatsheet from a GitHub site recently, can't recall where but it immediately made its way into my personal Markdown notes. Keep handy if you work with 'nix OSes on-the-daily, or just need a refresher.

Bash Shell Cheatsheet

The main topics of this cheatsheet include an intro to the shell, navigating around the shell, common commands, environment variables, connectors, piping, I/O redirection, permissions, and keyboard shortcuts.

Introduction to the Shell

The shell is a program, in our case, called "bash" which stands for Bourne Again Shell. How the shell works is it takes your commands and gives them to the operating system to perform. In order to interact with the shell, we use "terminal emulators" such as the gnome-terminal, eterm, nxterm, etc.

Projects Are People

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 20:10:26 -0600

Over the course of managing enterprise IT initiatives at various scales, I’ve encountered challenging stakeholders, unexpected obstacles, and projects that (at the time) seemed determined to push everyone past their limits. In retrospect, during many of those turbulent times I am in wonder that we still delivered meaningful outcomes. Over the years, I’ve distilled a few lessons that continue to shape my approach on hectic Ops and Infra projects. Before I get into it, here's the main takeaway early: Projects Are People and are are the key focus ahead of whatever it is your team is delivering.

Thoughts On IT: 2019 Edition

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 20:10:26 -0600

-In IT, redundancy in your critical infrastructure should follow the old Army rule: Two is One. One is NONE..

-Tracking tasks, escalation tickets, and project status from e-mail threads in Outlook = the most inefficient way to track work since God gave Moses stone tablets. Get your team tools to manage your work pipeline, the best tools for each activity in your IT services portfolio, and email is not it.

We Are Not Orphans, We are Champions

Sun, 28 Apr 2019 23:04:22 -0600

In February 2019, I took a DNA test. I took the DNA test for my mother. And as it turned out, I would unexpectedly unlock a family connection that I wondered about for over 35 years.

And together my wife and newfound cousins would help me answer my mother’s 89 year-old adoption mystery, along with another separate adoption, in our family. That DNA test changed my life, and several other lives, forever.

Empowering Independence (and Effectiveness) in Teams

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 20:10:26 -0600

In a dynamic world of IT Systems Ops and DevOps, effective cross-training is a constant challenge. Skill-ups are essential for both individual growth and team success. Over many years of experience as a PM, manager, and mentor I have developed a philosophy that emphasizes self-reliance, initiative, and continuous learning. Found below is my (imperfect, but usually effective) personal manifesto on cross-training. In writing my own contribution to what I believe is key to developing proficient and empowered teams, I have seen what does and doesn't work. Below is my own still-evolving approach which has had success...

Skill Gap

Sun, 03 Mar 2019 20:10:26 -0600

Skill Gap

You may have heard me use this term a time or two. Let's define it:

A skill gap, or skills gap, refers to the discrepancy between abilities you currently possess, and those required to perform a task-or fill a company role or position. By pinpointing the differences between your existing skill sets and additional competencies needed for various roles, an organization or team can devise training to foster skill development. Furthermore, recognizing these gaps (on our own) enables us to identify where we need to learn, and become equipped with the qualifications necessary to meet an organization’s demands.

Hire Slow, Fire Fast

Fri, 02 Nov 2018 11:19:51 -0600

I have shared this Harvard Business Review article far and wide, for years: in my opinion hiring slow, and firing fast is the MOST IMPACTFUL team-building activity you can undertake, when needing to establish a cohesive team in any startup or high-performing group.

And in the interest of equal-time, here is a counterpoint to the above, which I enjoyed reading even though I didn't 100% agree (never just go for the confirmation bias, y'know!).

The Americans EST Episodes

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 23:02:36 -0600

After my recent post about the FX series “The Americans,” where a PA and writer reached—out to discuss my Landmark Forum posts, I have heard from people asking which episodes of “The Americans” features Erhard Seminars Training (EST) scenes. So I compiled a list of them, found below.

EST plays a notable role in the character development of Philip Jennings, who actually uses Werner Erhard's self-improvement seminars to (ironically) experience Authenticity and try to become centered—while at the same time being a specialized killer spy who practices deep inauthenticity: something that would probably have given Werner Erhard a breakdown. It was wild to imagine people in service of the Soviet KGB taking American self-improvement seminars while under deep cover. An interesting juxtaposition, and a credit to the writers for adding that est / Landmark angle.

My Tiny Contribution to FX's "The Americans"

Thu, 16 Aug 2018 23:02:36 -0600

Well I just remembered (read: mourned) that one of my absolute favorite TV shows, FX's "The Americans", wrapped earlier this year-ending its six-season run. And that also reminded me: I am no longer under a lid to talk about how I was contacted by a PA at this TV show. I got to make a (tiny) humble, but fun contribution to the show as Season 5 aired-and as Season 6 writing was apparently underway.

My Approach To Documentation

Thu, 02 Aug 2018 20:10:26 -0600

In a busy IT environment, speed and clarity are everything. When it comes to internal IT documentation, the best practice is to keep it short, sweet, and accurate—focusing on the location of systems (“WHERE”) and the function they serve (“WHAT”). Including detailed explanations of the “WHY” behind a setup or the step-by-step “HOW” to do something -- within a single KB or documenation system --- will turn your documentation into a sprawling novel that is difficult to maintain! More importantly, it dilutes the primary mission of documentation: to guide you (or your team) quickly to just the facts.

Goodbye, Tessie...

Fri, 20 Jul 2018 23:17:51 -0600

After 3 fun years with my Tesla Model S we are saying goodbye. That was always the plan, as we own 3 cars and the Model X was a big lift for our little household.

Enjoy this fun little send-off I threw together using my drone & Final Cut Pro last month... with thanks to "They Might Be Giants"

Hello, Blueberry...Pt 2

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 23:17:51 -0600

It is bittersweet since we lost little Jackson last month, but life must go on and I got the call that our Tesla Model X had arrived. To be honest I had completely forgot.

So we went down to the Tesla Service Center on Cedar Springs in Dallas and picked Blueberry up.

It isn't a bad little crossover SUV. It can seat 7 humans (with the rear folding seats option) and make 0-60 in 3.9 seconds.

A Letter to our Dog

Fri, 18 May 2018 23:17:51 -0600

Dearest Jackson, The moment we first met you, you stood up on two legs and raised a paw to greet Kimberly. It was like you recognized her. It was like you picked us.

You were maybe 8 or 9 months old. Just quietly hanging out, while all the other dogs were noisy and barking in their crates. It was October 4th, 2003. Your crate had your name on it: Jackson. We instantly wanted to take you home with us, but you were on-hold for an adoption. We were crushed. We spent a little more time with you, then we had to say goodbye.

Free HW3 Retrofits for recent HW2.5 FSD Buyers

Fri, 20 Apr 2018 23:17:51 -0600

So Blueberry, our Tesla Model X, came with Tesla's "HW2.5" Full-Self-Driving computer and sensor suite when we bought it last year.

And earlier this year HW3 was leaked, then announced, just a few mere months after I bought our car and paid in-full for FSD. ARGH!

Turns out that Tesla will indeed honor those FSD buyers with a HW3 retrofit later this year or next year.

I'll take it. Thanks for doing right by your customers, Tesla.

Hello, Blueberry...

Fri, 20 Apr 2018 23:17:51 -0600

My next EV…

...is a Tesla Model X.

Our second Tesla is headed our way in a couple months, after manufacturing. Meet Blueberry:

She'll be a blue 2018 long-range 100 kWh model, with the white interior. Blue and white is a slick combo, let me tell you.

What made me jump, partially, was a promo Tesla is running that includes lifetime free Supercharging (free long-distance drives, for the life of the car). And even though I am dubious about FSD really ever happening I went ahead and sprang for that, too.

Thoughts On Project Management: 2017 Edition

Fri, 01 Dec 2017 20:10:26 -0600

Having managed IT projects for over a decade now, and ringing the bell on the PMP, I have come to appreciate my non-agile experience, as a lost art. Here are a few hot-sports-opinions I have developed over the years about PM'ing projects in professonal services firms.

IT middle-managers tend to mis-identify IT contractors and outside project augmentation as "consultants", and it means they have probably never worked with a top-notch consultant. In tech, Contractors deliver to defined requirements (that is, whenever companies bother to define them). A consultant is subject-matter expertise and experience both wrapped-up in an advisory secret-weapon role, when you have good ones. They are not there to manage your project, though some can. No, best consultants are there to help you get your blueprint and scope properly-defined (in my experience). Any good PM can pick-up what a consultant is laying-down, and turn that into a proper Scope and WBS. You can always tell the good subject-matter experts who consult by their past work, and their rates. I have inhabited both the SME and PM role, and never at the same time. And if you want me to give you direction/advisement AND scope out your project AND do some or all of the work...you better not be shopping on-the-cheap.

iPerf Cheatsheet

Thu, 10 Aug 2017 23:17:51 -0600

iperf3 a TCP, UDP, and SCTP network bandwidth measurement tool

iperf is a free tool for active measurements of the maximum achievable bandwidth on IP networks. It supports tuning of various parameters related to timing, protocols, and buffers.

For each test it reports the measured throughput / bitrate, loss, and other parameters.

Command line arguments

The following arguments are the one that we used in the workshop. All will work in iperf3 version 3.1, or newer. All of them will work on Windows, Linux, and macOS. There are a few others, that might be plattform specific.

OSI Model Cheatsheet

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 23:17:51 -0600

OSI Model Cheatsheet

The OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) Model is a seven-layer framework for standardizing network communication.

1. Application Layer (Layer 7)

Purpose: Provides network services directly to user applications.
Functions:
- Enables interaction between software applications and the network.
- Handles protocols for user interfaces.
Examples:
- HTTP, HTTPS (Web Browsing)
- FTP, SFTP (File Transfers)
- SMTP, IMAP, POP3 (Email)
- SNMP (Network Management)
- Telnet, SSH (Remote Access)

2. Presentation Layer (Layer 6)

Purpose: Ensures data is in a readable format.
Functions:
- Data translation (e.g., ASCII to EBCDIC).
- Data encryption and decryption.
- Data compression and decompression.
Examples:
- SSL/TLS (Encryption)
- JPEG, PNG (Image Compression Formats)

3. Session Layer (Layer 5)

Purpose: Manages communication sessions between applications.
Functions:
- Session establishment, maintenance, and termination.
- Synchronization (e.g., checkpoints in a data stream).
Examples:
- NetBIOS
- RPC (Remote Procedure Call)

4. Transport Layer (Layer 4)

Purpose: Ensures reliable or fast delivery of data.
Functions:
- End-to-end communication.
- Error detection and correction.
- Flow control and segmentation.
Protocols:
- TCP (Reliable, connection-oriented)
- UDP (Fast, connectionless)

5. Network Layer (Layer 3)

Purpose: Determines data paths and logical addressing.
Functions:
- Routing and forwarding of packets.
- Logical addressing (IP addresses).
- Packet fragmentation and reassembly.
Protocols:
- IPv4, IPv6 (Logical Addressing)
- ICMP (Diagnostics)
- RIP, OSPF, BGP (Routing Protocols)

6. Data Link Layer (Layer 2)

Purpose: Manages node-to-node communication over the physical medium.
Functions:
- Framing of data packets.
- Error detection and correction (not recovery).
- Physical addressing (MAC).
Examples:
- Ethernet
- Wi-Fi (802.11)
- PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol)
- VLAN Tagging (802.1Q)

7. Physical Layer (Layer 1)

Purpose: Transfers raw binary data over physical media.
Functions:
- Transmission of bits (1s and 0s).
- Defines hardware specifications.
- Determines data encoding and signaling.
Examples:
- Cables (Ethernet, Fiber Optic, Coaxial)
- Connectors (RJ45)
- Radio Frequencies (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
- Hubs, Repeaters

OSI Model Summary Table

Layer	Key Function	Examples
Application (L7)	User interface, application	HTTP, FTP, SMTP
Presentation (L6)	Data formatting and encryption	SSL/TLS, JPEG, PNG
Session (L5)	Session management	RPC, NetBIOS
Transport (L4)	Reliable delivery	TCP, UDP
Network (L3)	Logical addressing, routing	IPv4, IPv6, OSPF, BGP
Data Link (L2)	MAC addressing, framing	Ethernet, Wi-Fi, VLAN
Physical (L1)	Signal transmission	Cables, RF, Connectors

OSI Model Visualization

[ Layer 7: Application (User Interaction) ]
↕
[ Layer 6: Presentation (Formatting, Encryption) ]
↕
[ Layer 5: Session (Session Management) ]
↕
[ Layer 4: Transport (TCP/UDP) ]
↕
[ Layer 3: Network (Routing, IP) ]
↕
[ Layer 2: Data Link (MAC, Framing) ]
↕
[ Layer 1: Physical (Signals, Media) ]

TCP Model Cheatsheet

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 23:17:51 -0600

TCP/IP Model Cheatsheet

The TCP/IP model is a concise, four-layer framework used to understand and implement network communication.

1. Application Layer

Purpose: Interfaces between the network and user applications.
Functions:
- Provides network services to user applications.
- Handles high-level protocols.
Protocols:
- HTTP, HTTPS (Web Browsing)
- SMTP, IMAP, POP3 (Email)
- FTP, SFTP, TFTP (File Transfers)
- SNMP (Network Management)
- DNS (Domain Name Resolution)
- Telnet, SSH (Remote Access)

2. Transport Layer

Purpose: Ensures reliable communication between devices.
Functions:
- End-to-end communication.
- Flow control and error handling.
- Multiplexing and session management.
Protocols:
- TCP (Transmission Control Protocol): Reliable, connection-oriented.
- UDP (User Datagram Protocol): Fast, connectionless.

3. Internet Layer

Purpose: Handles logical addressing and routing.
Functions:
- IP addressing.
- Routing and forwarding of packets.
- Packet fragmentation and reassembly.
Protocols:
- IPv4, IPv6 (Addressing and Routing)
- ICMP (Error Reporting and Diagnostics)
- ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)
- IGMP (Multicast Management)

4. Network Access Layer

Purpose: Interfaces with physical network hardware.
Functions:
- Encapsulation of IP packets into frames.
- Physical addressing (MAC).
- Access to physical transmission medium.
Technologies/Protocols:
- Ethernet, Wi-Fi (LAN Technologies)
- PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol)
- Frame Relay, ATM (WAN Technologies)
- MAC Addressing

TCP/IP Model vs OSI Model Comparison

TCP/IP Layer	Corresponding OSI Layers
Application	Application, Presentation, Session
Transport	Transport
Internet	Network
Network Access	Data Link, Physical

Key Characteristics

Layer Independence: Each layer operates independently while passing data to/from adjacent layers.
Protocol Suite: Flexible and adaptable for various applications.
Connection Types:
- TCP: Ensures reliability through acknowledgments and retransmissions.
- UDP: Optimized for speed, no error recovery.

Visualization

[ User Data/Application ]
↕
[ Transport Layer (TCP/UDP) ]
↕
[ Internet Layer (IP/ICMP/ARP) ]
↕
[ Network Access Layer (Ethernet/Wi-Fi) ]

The Multipad Lifestyle

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 23:05:44 -0600

I recently heard the term “multipad lifestyle” on Accidental Tech in relation to CGPGrey and the holy-grail of what Apple will do with window-mangement on the iPad. It seems to be a good term describing my use-case with my iPad Pro lately.

If it can be said that early PCs adopted the typewriter analog early on, it can be said iPad Pro is more akin to a notebook or clipboard. Both productive tools, but up until recently I have only seen my iPad Pro as a pricey tool for taking notes or drawing with Pencil (a fantastic writing experience, I might add). I liked my Surface Pro 3 for the same use-case, but iPad Pro’s smoother stylus won out and now I have begun to press further into what is possible on the device. One possibility that emerged is using iPad Pro as another studying location for CCIE labbing. It turned out to be easier than I thought it would be.

10 Years Ago...

Wed, 11 Jan 2017 23:17:32 -0600

Steve Jobs introduced iPhone (if you haven’t ever seen this video, or if it’s been more than 5 years, give it an hour and be amazed at Jobs in his prime Apple-comeback era).

Of course the world didn’t change overnight, but by 2008 I was seeing this little device devour our local IT group’s Blackberry usage, then our users’ Blackberry devices disappeared. By 2010 1 in 3 of my end-users were carrying an iPhone or Android phone, and by 2012 I was retiring our BES server. At first nobody saw the potential of a multi-billion dollar Apps market, but by the time the App Store launched it was all over and we were living in a new world of Uber, Yelp, and GrubHub (to name a few of the many disruptors that emerged).

Jackson

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 23:17:51 -0600

Our little puppy is 14 years old now, and he is hanging in there. Love this dog, got me through some really tough times.

He’ll always be our favorite.

Rogue One

Fri, 16 Dec 2016 23:11:47 -0600

Went to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story with some friends, and I think we all agreed it was really good (that ending!!). Without getting into any spoilers, I will say they tried to set the tone of it being separate from the main Star Wars movies. And I think they largely succeeded. There’s no opening crawl, and the rhythm of the story is very different from traditional Star Wars. Yet, at the same time there was a LOT of effort to place continuity between the people and events of this movie and the opening seconds of A New Hope.

45

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 23:11:47 -0600

Well...I can’t imagine this morning there are any more stickers and flags going onto Susan B. Anthony’s headstone, now that it’s all over. Like most Americans, I stayed up last night to watch the returns and, like half of America, I turned the TV off before midnight. By then (and really since about 10pm Eastern) it was pretty clear who won. To me, the stickers on Anthony’s headstone was symbolic and a tragic optic that many women will remember about Election Day 2016. Many women (and many men, too) thought another level of the glass-ceiling was as good as smashed. The perils of making the Oval Office an indicator of progress for women (or any group), was always a risky proposition.

Dallas Police Memorial

Tue, 12 Jul 2016 23:16:02 -0600

Today was the memorial for our fallen DPD officers.

President Obama and VP Biden came, as did local retiree Bush 43. They had to, but I’m still glad they came. It helps.

I can’t imagine another era, or President, that has had to contend with so much public violence. It must be frustrating, because there’s little that can be done in the world of politics, I think — this seems like a cultural and societal issue, left to the people at-large to work out. Maybe politics has a part to play, but not this week. And not anytime soon. The people of the US have much work to do.

Dallas July 7th 2016

Sat, 09 Jul 2016 23:04:49 -0600

My city is in shock. 5 Officers dead and 11 people wounded.

On Thursday we had a peaceful march by Black Lives Matter and other groups, just a regular peaceful gathering to protest the recent high-profile police brutality cases around the country. It was a remarkable event long before any shots rang out: our police welcomed them to march, protected the protestors, and there was repeated scenes of police speaking with many of the protestors. Clearly in an effort to try and get more understanding and maybe foster some healing. Our city’s police department was already among the best in the nation, this way, big into community policing and trying to not have all DPD police living in faraway suburbs. Towards the end of the march, before the brutal shots rang out, you could see many protestors and police marching together.

"Last-Mile" Vehicles & Using Them In a City that isn’t NYC, San Francisco, or Los Angeles.

Fri, 06 May 2016 23:04:49 -0600

Back in January I made an impulse-purchase of a Boostedboard Dual+. And no, I wasn’t inspired to do so from watching Casey Neistat videos (although I discovered Casey’s vlog after searching Youtube for riding tips for my new toy — and now I’m a fan). I attended a Tesla Supercharger ribbon-cutting and got to see this epic electric longboard in action, and I just had to have it.

Hi, Paris...

Fri, 22 Apr 2016 23:17:51 -0600

Some scenery...

Hello from London

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 23:04:49 -0600

Been a hard few months. I needed this...

More Parliament Scenery...

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 23:04:49 -0600

Network Topologies Cheatsheet

Sun, 10 Jan 2016 23:17:51 -0600

Network Topologies Cheatsheet

Network topologies describe the physical or logical arrangement of network devices.

1. Star Topology

Description: All nodes are connected to a central device (switch, hub, or router).
Advantages:
- Easy to set up and manage.
- Fault isolation (failure of one node doesn't affect others).
- Scalable by adding new devices to the central hub.
Disadvantages:
- Single point of failure (central device).
- Requires more cabling than bus topology.
Use Cases:
- Home networks.
- Small to medium-sized office networks.

2. Bus Topology

Description: All nodes are connected to a single backbone cable.
Advantages:
- Easy and inexpensive to set up.
- Requires minimal cabling.
Disadvantages:
- Backbone failure affects the entire network.
- Difficult to troubleshoot.
- Performance degrades with more devices.
Use Cases:
- Legacy LAN setups.
- Small networks with limited devices.

3. Ring Topology

Description: Nodes are connected in a circular fashion, with data traveling in one direction (unidirectional) or both directions (bidirectional).
Advantages:
- Predictable data transmission (deterministic).
- Easier troubleshooting compared to bus topology.
Disadvantages:
- Failure in one node can disrupt the entire network (unless dual-ring).
- Difficult to reconfigure or scale.
Use Cases:
- Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI).
- Token Ring networks (now obsolete).

4. Mesh Topology

Description: Each node connects to every other node, creating multiple redundant paths.
Advantages:
- Highly reliable (no single point of failure).
- Load balancing possible.
Disadvantages:
- Expensive to implement.
- Complex to manage and maintain.
Use Cases:
- High-performance and fault-tolerant networks (e.g., WANs, military systems).

5. Tree (Hierarchical) Topology

Description: A combination of star and bus topologies, with a root node and hierarchical branching.
Advantages:
- Scalable (allows hierarchical grouping).
- Fault isolation within branches.
Disadvantages:
- Backbone failure disrupts the entire tree.
- Higher cabling costs compared to star topology.
Use Cases:
- Enterprise networks.
- Large-scale LANs.

6. Hybrid Topology

Description: Combination of two or more topologies (e.g., star-ring, star-bus).
Advantages:
- Flexible and scalable.
- Can optimize topology for specific needs.
Disadvantages:
- Complex to design and manage.
- Higher cost due to mixed technologies.
Use Cases:
- Data centers.
- Modern corporate networks.

Topology Summary Table

Topology	Advantages	Disadvantages	Use Cases
Star	Easy to manage, fault isolation	Central device failure affects network	Home and office networks
Bus	Simple, cost-effective	Backbone failure disrupts all devices	Small/legacy LANs
Ring	Predictable, efficient data flow	Node failure affects network	FDDI, Token Ring
Mesh	Highly reliable, fault-tolerant	Expensive, complex	WANs, high-reliability networks
Tree	Scalable, hierarchical organization	Backbone failure affects network	Enterprise LANs
Hybrid	Flexible, scalable	Expensive, complex	Data centers, corporate networks

Visualization of Topologies

Star Topology

1
2
3
4
5


[Node] [Node]
 \ /
 [Switch]
 / \ 
[Node] [Node]

Bus Topology

1

[Node] – [Node] – [Node] – [Node]

Ring Topology

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12


+-----+
| |
| |---------
| | |
+-----+ |
 | |
 | |
+-----+ +-----+
| | | |
| |-----| |
| | | |
+-----+ +-----+

Tree Topology

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8



 . 
 | 
 .--+--. 
 | | 
 .+. .+. 
 | | | | 
 1 2 3 4 

Hybrid Topology combines any elements of the 5 topologies listed above.

Mom Update

Fri, 27 Nov 2015 23:13:34 -0600

It has been a difficult Thanksgiving. Sick family members, separations, it hasn’t been easy. But my Mom continues to improve and is about to move out of the Rehab into her permanent residence. The private residence part is where things got really difficult for me this week.

Although Mom is more mobile now, and has more energy, she must stay in a wheelchair. And this may be permanent. She is still not steady enough to use her walker or other assistive device. Because of the wheelchair and strength/coordination issues, she cannot move into the Assisted-Living wing of the community she is moving into.

My Mom Is Sick

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 23:14:48 -0600

I don’t know how to start this blog post, except to say that my mom is in the hospital with kidney failure. She has been in a slow but steady decline these past 4 months, having had 2 falls, and her balance had worsened. What led to the hospital stay is the faster decline this past two weeks: her appetite has been nonexistent and she has lost weight and energy, so I called 911 and they took her to Parkland.

Surface Pro 3

Mon, 03 Aug 2015 23:12:16 -0600

I wanted a lighter PC to use in various network IDF & Datacenter locales, for Wireshark caps and other nerdery, so I headed to Best Buy to see how the other half is living lately. I considered getting a Macbook Air or the new Macbook, but since my main computer is a 15" Macbook Retina I decided to give a PCs a shot.

I have to say notebook design in the PC space is as bland and ugly as it as ever been, even more-so with many of the laptop/tablet hybrid Windows devices. Using them was a reminder of why I was drawn back to Apple’s take on a notebook. HP and Dell have some great Macbook-like designs, but they weren’t quite a fit.

False Flag

Wed, 29 Jul 2015 23:12:16 -0600

It isn’t wrong to place a flag of a long-dead and short-lived nation into a museum, and let it be only allowed at federal government battlefield monuments. As a Texan, I don’t agree with the Southern Revisionism of the past 50 years where the historic Confederate flag was mis-used as a self-identification of southern pride. The flag was not viewed that way by the Civil War veterans from the South after Reconstruction: it was only used by veterans during battleground anniversary ceremonies and parades commemorating the end of the war. Each parade with Southern vets made damn sure the United States flag was first ahead of the Confederate flag — and always held higher than the Confederate flag. And then it was put away, either in family heirlooms or museums. It wasn’t until about 80 years after the war, in the 1940s, when Southern “Dixiecrat” politicians used the Confederate flag as a symbol to rally people to support racial-segregation laws. From the 40s right up through the Civil Rights protests, the flag began to adorn state and government flagpoles. It’s use as a symbol of racism only increased tenfold since then.

Windows 10 is out. If you hated 8, go get it.

Wed, 29 Jul 2015 23:12:16 -0600

So I’ve been running the Insider Preview since February and, although OSX is my jam, I am impressed. It addresses most of the gripes that I had with Windows 8, and I think it will be a hit for Microsoft. Windows pays the bills in corporate IT, so I keep a Windows VM as a daily-driver and so far I haven’t had one single blue screen of death (or whatever color it is now) and I find this version to be rock-solid.

He'll Be Himself

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 23:04:49 -0600

“And if you try a little kindness,
Then you’ll overlook the blindness….
Of narrow-minded people,
on the narrow-minded streets.”

I watched the Glenn Campbell doc tonight. Some tough feelings watching it, but some deep happiness in there too. What an incredible human being, and what a talented and brave guitarist and songwriter to go and do that last tour. And he rocked it.

While my mother is blessed with a slower decline, I can relate to some things that his family are talking about…and the one thing in common is that nothing beats love. Nothing.

Karl Wallinger

Fri, 26 Jun 2015 23:03:26 -0600

Last night I met one of my musical heroes for the second time, Welsh singer-songwriter Karl Wallinger who is the well-known frontman and genius behind World Party. I owe Chris Cannon, another singer-songwriter and one of my best friends, for the tip that Wallinger was headed to Dallas. I grabbed tickets for the show the second I heard about it, and even managed to meet Karl after the show (thanks to another tip from Chris — Karl is cool and happy about meeting fans when he can). Same guy I saw all those years ago, just a little older. Like me.

A Final Word on My Chevy Volt

Tue, 19 May 2015 23:12:16 -0600

As I said a couple weeks ago, I truly loved and enjoyed my Volt every day I drove it. It may not quite be in the same class as a Model S, but the car still gets looks and questions from interested people regularly. If it would be practical to have a third car once my Model S arrives, I would keep the Volt no question. Chevy Volt remains an amazing car with highly-innovative and affordable plug-in EV powertrain technology, which absolutely bests other plug-in hybrid EVs coming from anyone else right now (my opinion). The Volt has driven me to work, roundtrip, for over 30,000 all electric miles. I may be driving a Tesla soon but I will always be a huge fan of, and rooting for, this car.

Drive The Car Around The World

Sun, 10 May 2015 23:17:51 -0600

Emjoying the new Model S, and I figured I would throw together a little video with one of my favorite World Party (Karl Wallinger) songs.

EVs could very well be the way. Enjoy...

Originally published at julianwest.me on May 10th, 2015. Since then we sadly lost Karl Wallinger in March of 2024.

One Relevant Watch Use-Case

Wed, 06 May 2015 23:12:42 -0600

Checking the AC, opening the sunroof. You know, just regular car stuff.

. . .

Originally published at julianwest.me on May 1, 2015.

Apple Watch—One Week In

Fri, 01 May 2015 23:12:42 -0600

I am a watch guy. Whatever I’ve done in my crazy life I almost always would be wearing some kind of timepiece. I am unashamed to say I wore a Casio calculator watch in the 80s way, way past when it stopped being cool. If it ever was. This is quite a bit different than that, yet also similar.

Until this past week I had been wearing a Timex Iron Man, because being an out-of-shape nerd with an athelete’s watch is just how I roll. Apple Watch can do stopwatch and all the other functions that my Timex does. Plus I can now track my heart-rate while thinking about exercising, too.

Affording a mid-life crisis

Tue, 28 Apr 2015 23:12:16 -0600

I have already been asked if I robbed a bank or something to be driving a Tesla (for the record, no). Among questions I get from people (How far can you go?, How does it drive? etc), the majority center on affordability. Even though my close friends and family won’t ask for for details, and I am kind of a low-key and private guy, I get the impression people want to know more. So here is a a quick post on how relatively-affordable a Tesla Model S may actually be.

Tesla FAQ & Myth-Debunkery

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 23:11:47 -0600

Tesla’s Model S has held my interest in a way no other cars have. Gas or electric (still love ya, Chevy Volt). But it’s early days and there are a lot of myths and questions that I hear about this car, and EVs in general. Here are my answers to the most common ones.

FAQ

“I don’t know a thing about these cars. How are they quiet and fast? What else is special about them?”

Teslanomics

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 23:11:47 -0600

Let’s forget the higher price of Model S cars for a moment and look at its long-term costs, broken down using the dark arts of “Teslanomics” or, as I like to call it, rationalizing.

Using my old 20mpg BMW as a reference:

15,000 miles/yr divided by 20mpg = 750 gallons of gas/year:

@ $2.50/gallon x 750 = $1,875 per year spent on gas. @ $3.00/gallon x 750 = $2,250 per year spent on gas. (and Exxon predicts $3.50+ gas by mid-to-late 2016)

Danger, High Voltage

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 23:04:49 -0600

My next EV…<br /

…is a Tesla Model S.

?!!

No joke. In spite of my pragmatic miserly nature, I did in fact adopt a Tesla Model S 70D with Autopilot a couple weeks ago. Tesla: the very same energy storage tech start-up that also just happens to build amazing electric cars. Crazy. It arrives in about 4 weeks.

whiskey. tango. foxtrot. It’s still sinking in…

I loved driving Bob Lutz’s brainchild these past few years, and I guess I am looking forward to driving Elon Musk’s brainchild next.
Gawd Bless 'Murica.

2016 Chevy Volt

Mon, 12 Jan 2015 23:13:15 -0600

It’s been nearly three years since I wrote a series of posts about giving up my 3-series for a 2012 Chevy Volt, and in about that time I have enjoyed a gas-less commute to work. In the last 2 and a half years I only stop at convenience stores for, well, convenience things (soda, chewing gum, etc). The gas pump and me just don’t hang out that much anymore.

Hello From a Stack of Books

Thu, 25 Dec 2014 23:10:38 -0600

This time last year I posted an article about the most in-demand and respected certifications in IT. Three weeks ago I obtained one of them, the Project Mgmt Professional credential (PMP). Right after I wrote my article, I kept thinking about getting the PMP more than any of the certifications I listed. I managed several projects with multiple deliverables, often staffed by consultants or serviced by vendors. I had more than the required number of PM hours under me (PMI requires that you have about 4500 hours of project management experience, and even more if you do not have a college degree), and I had deep experience in at least 4 of the 5 domains covered by the PMBOK Guide.

PMI Certified PM Professional

Wed, 10 Dec 2014 23:10:16 -0600

This past weekend I passed the Project Management Professional exam to earn the certification awarded by PMI. Feels really good to have it done. The PMP is one of the most difficult designations to obtain in my industry, so it was a worthwhile effort and I studied for it on and off for the better part of a year. Project management is a valued skill for systems architects and senior engineers, but to me it was a great way to personally validate my own knowledge that have I developed these past 15 years managing various IT projects.

Claude E. West 1935–2013

Fri, 29 Nov 2013 22:07:36 -0600

Yesterday I received the terrible news that my uncle Claude West has passed on.

My uncle was an incredible human being. His life impacted three generations of Wests in ways that none of us could ever fully measure. He was a hardworking and generous man who loved his family, and he was the most authentic person I ever met. The earliest memories of my entire life are those of my uncle Claude. Going back to age 3 or 4 I can clearly recall this tall, strong guy with big hands and deep voice saying “howdy” and waving while he walked up the tiny sidewalk of our house on Lilac Lane in Irving. He was like this towering super hero who would scoop me up and make me laugh and I was always happy around him. I remember him so vividly, and I always looked forward to when he and my Aunt Mildred would visit or whenever I went to their house. My father Edgar West, his brother, passed on in 1975 not long after I showed up…and my uncle Claude became a father figure for me. My uncle knew so many things, and he was such an incredibly warm and outgoing person that he was never wanting for friends. He was clear spoken and direct as well, so you always knew where you stood with him. He was as pure a Texan as you could find and, while you might say he had a larger than life presence, he was also completely real and grounded. He also had this sense of humor that was totally infectious and you always felt lighter around him. We shared many laughs over the years.

So this is 40

Fri, 29 Nov 2013 22:07:36 -0600

After a uniquely crummy 39th summer in 2013, I have a few thoughts about this psychological waypoint in my life...

-I have breathed air on this planet for approximately 14,600 days, 350,400 hours, and some odd 21 million minutes. -The words “middle-aged” now invite a whole new concept in my head. -Suddenly I am placing my glasses on my head & squinting at the fine-print. -I don’t care what people think. Not that I ever gave a shit what other people think, but now I really don’t care or get embarrassed by much. -My 20s flew by and all my stupid mistakes and behaviors are now stories I tell. -I did all my stupid stuff before the Internet. Take that Millennial generation. -My 30s — where the hell did they go? How do I slow down this ride?! -My back hurts. -My Chuck Taylors that I wore on and off for the past 35 years may be causing flat feet. I need to find out how Chris Cannon and Eric Neal survived this. Speaking of shoes…I have shoes older than some people I know. -Women under 35 address you as “sir” or “mister”. -This is when they aren’t looking through you. Single or not, you no longer got game. -I actually read my 401k statements now. -Stretching is something you now do whether you’re going to exercise or not. -Speaking of stretching, my back hurts. -Doctor’s give you crazy drugs when you’re 40. Statins: yuck! Tramadol: ooohh! -You actually DO care about your lawn now. -I have actually stopped taking my health for granted and, as a result, may be on track to being in the best shape of my life. Irony. -Speaking of irony, clothes I wore in high school are now worn by Hipsters. -I stopped thinking that I can, or should, change anyone’s mind about anything. -My back really does hurt. I wish I were kidding. -I feel more fortunate to have accumulated good friends in my lifetime. A beer with good friends is more interesting to me than anything else. -I turn down the stereo more than I turn it up. -I have absolutely no clue what is on TV these days. -It’s a known fact that accumulating birthdays will one day result in death — eventually you don't feel like counting them. Or making lists like this. Do it anyway.

My Mom and Dad Passed THIS Close to JFK's Killer. Three times.

Thu, 21 Nov 2013 23:08:47 -0600

Tomorrow is the 50th Anniversary of JFK’s assassination in Dallas, and my 83 year-old mother Joy West remembers November 22nd very well. She and my father lived at 406 Lilac Lane in Irving, Texas…..five houses down from Ruth Paine’s home where Marina Oswald lived in the fall of 1963. Lilac is a short street that curves and becomes West 5th Street, where the Paines lived at 2515.

Lee Harvey Oswald never stayed overnight, just coming to the Paine home to visit his estranged wife and their daughter. But on the night of November 21st, however, he came unannounced and spent the night, having stored that infamous rifle in the Paines’ garage. My mother and father never knew any of these things until after the horrible event when law enforcement descended on their neighborhood.

Of Zen, Wine, and an IT Career…

Mon, 14 Oct 2013 23:17:51 -0600

A co-worker asked me this morning, after an IT fire-drill, “why is it nothing ever rattles you?”.

Weird observation because stuff does rattle me.

I suppose if there’s anything that gives me a chill approach to IT fires it boils down to three words: Zen Meditation & Cabernet (or beer in a pinch).

Seriously though, I’m a human like anybody else and I feel the stress when the wheels fly off during an IT project. Especially during product or infrastructure deployments I am PM’ing. But I work hard to keep perspective and balance so that when the unplanned happens, as it does during any complex project, I have the energy to analyze and respond. You can’t really do that well when your emotions show up. If I keep my head, chances are the project workers will keep their composure as well and Next Actions and a resolution will develop during unplanned events. If I keep my head, my co-workers and colleagues are more apt to communicate both good news and bad news during a downtime event.

Computers are too difficult...

Fri, 27 Sep 2013 23:17:51 -0600

I read this on a blog today, by Baldur Bjarnason:

Computers can both be too complex and people can be too lazy to apply themselves in computing. You can both criticise people for taking pride in ignorance and criticise computers for being needlessly complex. Despite what many commenters seem to think, pointing out the latter does not invalidate the former. And, conversely, pointing out the former doesn’t invalidate the latter.

Yoda Was Right About Fear

Thu, 26 Sep 2013 23:06:05 -0600

The Star Wars prequels were among the least-enjoyed by myself and several of my ancient Gen-X friends, while my Gen-Z nephews love them. But, for me, there is this fantastic Zen observation in Episode I which few people notice or think about much.

It's where Yoda discusses fear and attachment in Episode I. In the scene Yoda asks Anakin how he feels, and he observes Anakin’s fears about losing his mother. Anakin asks what fear has to do with anything — to which Yoda answers:

Ben Rasberry: 1978–2013

Wed, 28 Aug 2013 22:07:36 -0600

This past Friday I lost a good friend.

Ben Rasberry was truly one of the great ones. An original thinker, a creative individual, and one of the funniest guys I have ever known. He was 35 years old.

I have been trying to collect my thoughts and write about Ben for a couple of days now. Each time I start, I get sidetracked thinking about all the great times we had. It’s easy to do, because there are some really great memories there. And at the same time, there aren’t enough. We live our lives thinking that we have all the time in the world, and we get reminded that we don’t. Sometimes in the worst ways. I still cannot believe my friend is gone.

F*ck Cancer

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 17:07:36 -0600

My uncle’s biopsy results came in. Prognosis is not good.

After my mother-in-law, that's two family members fighting glioblastoma. Rare brain cancer. How can this be?

Originally published at julianwest.me on August 1, 2013.

My uncle

Sun, 28 Jul 2013 19:07:36 -0600

Today he needed to have an urgent surgery with very short notice. After doctors "saw something" after a scan.

Family have been texting me updates all day. I am in shock.

After this just happened last year, with my mother-in-law, I just can't think right now. I am just going to drive over to Tyler and see him when he wakes up.

I haven't always been the praying type, but I am praying hard right now.

Tired...

Fri, 05 Jul 2013 23:17:51 -0600

While getting a break this July 4th holiday from work, I just realized this summer means I have worked in tech (in some form or another) for 20 years. That is two decades of various projects, rollouts, and all manner of random tech knowledge worker activities.

I have never felt old, really, but today upon realizing the above? I feel kind of old. And tired.

Originally published at julianwest.me on July 5, 2013.

Mom's 1973 "Tumor"

Sat, 25 May 2013 23:07:36 -0600

Somewhere in February or March 1973 my mother, Joy West, went to her doctor with some complaints.

She was 43 years old, and concerned about nausea and some pain in her stomach.

The nausea and pain was so bad she and my dad (in their 40s) worried that it could be the "Big C". She convinced herself it was something really bad.

But instead of cancer... her doctor informed her that the "tumor” was none other than yours truly.

New Julianwest.me Digs

Wed, 01 May 2013 23:11:47 -0600

I moved my domain & content from Squarespace 5 over to Squarespace 6. Basically “across the hall”, in server terms. Much more flexible CMS and template system, allowing me to customize or code my own add-ons. I think I’m gonna like it here. Much respect to the Squarespace team on a job well done. I wholly recommend them for anybody wans to publish a professional looking site, but doesn’t have the skill or money to do so.

MLK Jr

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 23:17:51 -0600

So today Barack Obama was sworn in for term # 2, and I want to agree with the talking heads on TV who say that country has come a long way. But then I see things that show me we haven't come all that far.

Irrespective of today’s event, we're still unchanged in so many respects.

It weighs.

I adopted a tradition from an attorney friend, of re-reading and sharing the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” on MLK day. I think it’s the single best education anyone can get on exactly who Dr. King was, and strived to be.

The 5 Best IT Certifications in 2013 (plus one)

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 23:10:38 -0600

IT Certifications are often a fact of life in IT. Unfortunately, beyond some of the gifted external Consultants & SMEs I manage or work with, not many of my co-workers frequent the training/IT cert treadmill. I can’t say I blame my them, keeping up certs can be a pain. Even so, I find myself doing at least one or two IT certifications every couple years. I get bored if I am not learning something new and growing. So in figuring out which certs I’m going to tackle next, I thought I would share my very own personal list of the best IT certs you could have in 2013.

Happy 2013

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:17:51 -0600

Let’s make it a good one.

Originally published at julianwest.me on January 2, 2013.

Merry Christmas

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 23:17:51 -0600

Snow this Christmas in Dallas, for the first time since 1975.

Originally published at julianwest.me on December 24, 2012.

Lincoln

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 23:20:51 -0600

Speaking of the topic in my last blog post, I saw the movie Lincoln this past weekend and I have to say it was the best movie I’ve seen in a long time.

We all know Steven Spielberg can tell a great story and loves history, but you can really see an attention to detail for this moment in history that I can’t remember was ever shown in any other movies. The movie was just that fantastic. Lincoln really reminds people just how creative our leaders could be in difficult times, and I think this reminder is critically important in our current Culture War era.

Secession Discretion

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 23:07:36 -0600

In Texas (and other states) there is all this talk of Seceding (do I capitalize that word?) by people angry with the election results. I think those petitioners should see the movie Lincoln that just came out, or read about history and law. Our differences usually are fought out in the legislature and in each election — and civil discourse and airing of disagreements usually make our country much stronger than secession ever could. Just ask Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee and over 600,000 if secession is any kind of good idea.

MG Siegler: Here’s To The Crazy One

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 23:07:36 -0600

Great article by MG Siegler worth revisiting. Hard to believe believe it’s been a year since Steve Jobs passed.

Originally published at julianwest.me on October 5, 2012.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I Give You Jeff Lynne

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 23:07:01 -0600

For better or worse (and a few people who know me would say “worse”), I’ve always been a sucker for Traveling Wilbury/ELO whiz Jeff Lynne’s music. I even ran a Jeff Lynne fan site many moons ago, which tracked his every move and had a discussion forum where people would endlessly talk and obsess about Mr Lynne.

His new music video is awesome. A low-profile, terminally-shy personality clearly headed for the Rock Hall of Fame, Jeff is one of those “best-kept secrets” in pop/rock music.

A Funny Thing Happened After the Forum -- Pt 3

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 23:02:36 -0600

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on this blog are my personal views, and are not the views of Landmark. Brand and product names are trademarks, or registered trademarks, of their respective owners. Refer to this site's Terms of Use for further details.

This is from a 3-part mini-memoir about the Landmark Forum from my old blog in March 2009. It received tens of thousands of views, and I still hear from people about it. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here…

A Funny Thing Happened After the Forum -- Pt 2

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 23:02:36 -0600

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on this blog are my personal views, and are not the views of Landmark. Brand and product names are trademarks, or registered trademarks, of their respective owners. Refer to this site's Terms of Use for further details.

Hey, this presenter doesn’t appear to have a head or hands.

This is from a 3-part mini-memoir about the Landmark Forum from my old blog in March 2009. It received thousands of views, and I still hear from people about it. You can read Part 1 here…

Goodbye Mydigitalpathos…

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 23:10:16 -0600

Everything is entropy. Change is constant. And stagnation is bad. Since I do all of my current writing at julianwest.me, I’ve kind of left my decade old site Mydigitalpathos.com alone. It's overkill to author two blogs at the same time and expect any quality in the content, so I decided to retire Mydigitalpathos.com and keep going over here. It had a great run, but julianwest.me is fresh-start and I wanna keep it going.

A Funny Thing Happened After the Forum -- Pt 1

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 23:02:29 -0600

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on this blog are my personal views, and are not the views of Landmark. Brand and product names are trademarks, or registered trademarks, of their respective owners. Refer to this site's Terms of Use for further details.

39

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 23:11:47 -0600

As of Tuesday, September 4th, 2012….I am officially….pushing…40.>

Wow.

Whether I was 10 or 20, I could never imagine reaching this age. At all. But it happened, and now here I am. 14235 days, which seems like an eon, and I’m still alive. Some days even thriving. But man: 39. It doesn’t feel real, and the concept seems so…OLD!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have kids to tell about getting off my lawn.

"Time ends all promises, eventually." -- MG Siegler

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 23:07:36 -0600

Good article on Google’s new aggressive stance. After the Samsung verdict last week, expect Google to do stuff like this as “defensive” measures.

Originally published at julianwest.me on August 28, 2012.

Microsoft Logo Changes

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 23:07:36 -0600

…if you wondered just how much mobile has changed the focus of the tech world, you really need look no further than here.

Originally published at julianwest.me on August 23, 2012.

Viral Video: Garden of Your Mind

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 23:07:36 -0600

Mr Rogers Never Sounded so Fresh

Originally published at julianwest.me on June 8, 2012.

Day Jobs, Gilded Cages, and (not broken, but delayed) Dreams.

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 23:07:36 -0600

“Once you’ve done what you have to, they’ll never let you do what you want to.” — Selina Kyle / The Dark Knight Rises

In a way, Catwoman was right.

I grew up fairly poor. Partially a result of my father’s untimely death and my widowed-mother’s financial situation. As a consequence our family struggled hard when I was young. Nothing unique about that, but what may make my story interesting is that I made poverty a boot-strap opportunity. As a geek growing up programming and building networks, it wasn’t long before I had a skill people wanted in the pre “dot-com boom” years of the late 90s. By the early 2000s I became a self-made man with little more than junior college under my belt. By the late 2000s I was a successful DFW InfoTech geek. I did what I had to do and what I was good at, and as a result I made bank. I was no longer obsessed with “not being poor”.

Windows 8 RTMs

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 23:10:16 -0600

Windows 8 is Released To Manufacturing — one week after Appe's OSX Mountain Lion. Windows Server 2012 also released.

Now it’s up to the hardware OEMs and hardware companies to bring their best this fall & Christmas season. Let the games begin!

Originally published at julianwest.me on August 1, 2012.

Aurora Colorado

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 23:10:16 -0600

I am still in shock, and many people are, after the tragic events from Friday. And I hear the usual recriminations from people around me and on TV.

Thing is, you can blame violence in the media (comic books, movies, etc). Sure. You can gripe about parents and upbringing. You could also jaw about how “if someone else in the audience had exercised their right to bear arms” — and in each case above you’d be missing the point, as most folks usually do.

RIP Andy Griffith

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 23:07:36 -0600

Just heard news today that my favorite Sheriff has passed. I was a big fan.

Worth noting is Andy Griffith’s most amazing performance in A Face In The Crowd. It’s just a shockingly well-acted role I would put up against DeNiro or Brando any day. Every movie critic and movie fan are sure to re-discover it this summer.

Originally published at julianwest.me on July 3, 2012.

Dallas, TX: Birthplace of the _Recorded_ Blues

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 23:10:16 -0600

It has been 75 years since Robert Johnson stepped into 508 Park Avenue and recorded Crossroads, Love in Vain, and a host of other fire-starting songs that begat the birth of modern Blues and, later, Rock and Roll.

Tonight, according to The Dallas Observer, there’s a celebration at that famous address marking the occasion.

Originally published at julianwest.me on June 19, 2012.

When Dallas Rocked

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 23:10:16 -0600

Expanding on my post the other day about our proud heritage as the birthplace of the recorded blues — here’s a slideshow making the rounds relating to an an upcoming film project. The project will cover Dallas’ 70–80s heyday as a music town in its own right…

Originally published at julianwest.me on June 24, 2012.

The Case for A Treadmill Desk

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 23:05:44 -0600

Everybody is nuts about Standing desks the last few years.

I thought I would be too. As it turns out, not so much. Not until I added a little something, and then it was frickin’ awesome..

After my employer let me have one at my workstation, I found standing over time didn’t quite give me all the benefits everyone was raving about. Even with having the freedom to switch between my geeky Aeron chair and my feet, I would end up having new little pains here and there. And it wasn’t all due to my near middle-aged frame. Something was missing..

"Ok Apple, maybe your approach is right" -Microsoft to launch own Tablet

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 23:12:42 -0600

Wow. Not counting XBox, mice, and keyboards I believe this would be their first-ever computer product. Flies in the face of their bedrock age-old belief that customers benefit from separating the OS from the hardware manufacturer. Monday’s press event will be watched by everyone, OEMs included.

Originally published at julianwest.me on June 18, 2012.

A Brave Microsoft, Unable To Let Go of the Past

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 23:12:42 -0600

If Apple were to observe and opine on today’s announcement (which they never do) they would tell you how they cut the cord of desktop OS concepts in mobile: they took the kernel of OSX and made iOS for mobile, threw out any x86 OSX app-compatibility, and strictly kept it that way for iPad as well. Only one of Microsoft’s announced tablets can say that today.

Apple’s tablet concept has a completely different use-approach that served them very, very well. Any similar success in Microsoft’s approach will remain to be seen. It seems to me that Microsoft risks slowing Metro app-adoption (by consumers & developers) by offering a tablet that lets users bring their bag of x86 apps with them in an Intel tablet. But what choice do they have? With such a huge install-base and little track-record for heavy-handed slashing of legacy platforms (a-la Apple), MS clearly feels their offerings have to cover x86 apps for now.

"Definitely a Multimillion-dollar hail storm"

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 23:07:36 -0600

I believe it. I got trapped in this at rush-hour yesterday on Central Expressway.

My car’s roof is a cratered moonscape, but I’m lucky. Several cars near me were worse-off with blasted windshields and even a bloody driver near Northpark and Central. Never witnessed hail like that in my life. Off to file the insurance claim. I guess my Chevy Volt plans will have to wait.

Originally published at julianwest.me on June 14, 2012.

The Meeting Reply…

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:10:16 -0600

…saw this linked today on the Simplicity Is Bliss blog and it’s making the rounds, for obvious reasons, with various Knowledge Worker sites:

Dear [Insert name]

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend this meeting.

As someone who is paid to create value for this organization, I feel it is my ethical obligation to decline participating in meetings that have neither (a) a stated purpose, nor (b) a clear agenda, as it is well documented and agreed upon by most leadership teams that the absence of this intentional thinking costs companies upwards of billions of dollars every year [insert link to most recent source]. If you wish for me to attend, please send a second invitation with this information clearly stated so I can accurately estimate the value of my attendance. Sincerely,

West Family & East Texas!

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 23:07:36 -0600

I’m at that age where family reunions are something you really look forward to. It’s good to be in Tyler TX on a beautiful spring weekend. Half of my heritage, history, and genetic material come from here.

Originally published at julianwest.me on June 10, 2012.

Chevy Volt

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 23:11:47 -0600

Drove my aging 3-Series to Texas Motor Speedway for a public test-drive event. Not a bad car. Tons of technology built-in and with my own work-commute, I would be one of those who only visits the gas station every month or two.

2013 model comes out in Aug/Sept — this may offend my anti Detroit bailout friends, but I may just have found my next car.

Lee Harvey Oswald and Dallas Demolition

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 23:20:51 -0600

My mom grew up on Elsbeth street just 2 blocks down from 600 Elsbeth, where Lee Harvey Oswald resided in ’62 and part of ’63. She was 32 and living in Irving by then, and it was only later when she realized her parents lived near where LHO did. More irony: just prior to the assassination Oswald’s wife (and sometimes him, too) lived just 1 block over from my mom & dad’s house in Irving on W. 5th street. This was a a full 10 years before I was born. Very sad another piece of Dallas history is going away. Again.

And the Zune is (finally) done…

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 23:07:36 -0600

It’s all about “Xbox Music” now. I have to say, Microsoft and branding may be starting to wake up: consumers know and trust “Xbox”.

Originally published at julianwest.me on June 6, 2012.

RIP Ray Bradbury

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 23:07:36 -0600

I read the Martian Chronicles & Fahrenheit 451 when I was a much younger man. He’s right up there with Asimov & Clarke, and now all three authors are somewhere else in the cosmos.

Originally published at julianwest.me on June 6, 2012.

Is this on?

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:11:47 -0600

Hello. My name is Julian West. I just started a blog.

I don’t really have a plan. Just following my interests and making observations, seeing where it takes me. For now, I’ll leave you with a deep comment on the state of the Personal Blog:

“Blogging is not writing. It’s just graffiti with punctuation.”

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Content Natigation Tips & Shortcuts

julianwest.me

Must-Have Mac Apps for Windows Switchers

Must-Have Mac Apps for a Windows-to-macOS Switcher

Using Obsidian Notes and Claude to Publish to My Blog

Happy 2026

Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast

Data over Dogma

Advice

The Tesla Lightning Rod

Between Blind Spots and Microscopes

The Invisible IT Ops Teams

Ambushes and Retreats

Warehouse Staff-Tracking Tech Hits Office Workers

RAG and "Agentic AI"

Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)

You Can't Learn What You Think You Already Know

You Aren't Outnumbered: You're Out–Organized

Quotables for February...

— Winslow E. Dixon

— George Orwell

Buddhism's Cartography

Remember, When *Everything* Is a Priority...

Mental Cartography

**Those Who *Know*, Don't *Say***...

Book Review: Is This A Cult?

Looking back at "Now And Then"

Jackson In The Sun

Sam Altman suddenly remembers what the name OpenAI stood for

DeepSeek Lit a Fire in OpenAI

We Soon Will Be Closer to 2050 than 2000...

Philosophy In Criticial Thinking

What Does “I Think, Therefore I Am” Mean, Anyway?

Carry on while the world burns...

My Social Media Drawdown

What's getting the boot?

How AT Protocol and Bluesky Work...

Stargate

Protocols > Platforms

Microsoft Product Name‐Change Tracking Tool

My Personal Favorite AI Prompts

MDT Hard-Stop In Upcoming CM Update

AGI in 2025?

Back-To-Work Reminders for 2025

Losing...

Happy 2025

Jimmy Carter: 1924-2024

My Winter "Uniform"

A New Windows ADK is out

Penny...

Github Copilot now Free for VS Code

PowerShell Where-Object: Filtering Data in the Pipeline

Navigating Blog Posts: Shortcuts

Shortcuts to popular content:

PowerShell Select-Object: Filtering and Formatting Output

Me on BlueSky...

Those Jersey "Drones"

Blog: Nav Shortcuts Page

Thoughts On AI In A DevOps World

Annual 3rd Party M365 Admin Portals Links - Update

Links

3rd Party Portals

Non-Microsoft Owned 3rd Party Portals

3rd Party M365-Integrated Service Portals

Non-Microsoft Owned 3rd Party Scripts

Annual MS Admin Portals Links - Update

Links

Microsoft Admin Portals

Annual PowerShell Links - Update

Links

Microsoft 365 PowerShell Modules

Other PowerShell Cloud Modules

...on Employee Surveillance Technology

A Health Insurance Company CEO Was Shot

Microsoft Forcing Migration to New Outlook in January

RTO Is Backfiring

Site Disclosure & Terms

Contact

Colophon

About...

Julian West is a North Texas systems architect, musician, and writer.

Remember, When Everything Is a Priority...

**Those Who Know, Don't *Say***...