Daily Coping 6 Sep 2021

Posted on September 6, 2021 by way0utwest

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to find time for self-care. It’s not selfish, it’s essential.

I tend to put myself out for others, especially my family. I’ve been trying during the last year to take care of myself, which isn’t to be selfish, but to remember that there are times that I need a break, I need a change, I need peace, I need to listen to my body and mind.

I’ve done this a few times, not by doing something, but by not doing something. I was working on chores over the weekend, and didn’t get everything I wanted done, but I stopped at some point to give my body a break. I also had to tell myself in my mind that it was OK that I didn’t get everything done. I hadn’t cut the rear grass, so I let it go.

I did take a break from work on Tuesday morning for the 30 minutes it took to cut it.

I also cancelled a couple yoga classes in the last few weeks. I’ve been a bit busy, sore, and stressed, and while I enjoy yoga, I can do some at home. I’m a little easier on my body at home, I move slower, I don’t drive, and it’s relaxing.

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A Shrinking Window and a Build Change

Posted on September 3, 2021 by way0utwest

This is part of a series that covers my experience with a Tesla Model Y.

Last week I wrote about the date slippage in the delivery timeframe for my Tesla. The original date window that had actual dates was Aug 14-Sep 3. That’s slipped, but not as much as I noted last week. As I returned from vacation, I got a notice that the window was set for Sep 7-9. What’s more, I had a VIN assigned, so I’m guessing the car is in, or near production. My guess it got built sometime this week (Aug 30-Sep3) and then dropped on a truck to arrive in Denver.

That means from the earliest date, I’m slipped about three weeks and from the last date of that window, I’ve slipped a week. Not bad, and I’m definitely excited. The only downside is that I may be out of town on the 8th/9th, so I may have to schedule the pickup for Sep 13/14.

A couple days later, I saw the date move again: Sep 2-Sep 8, so the car was definitely built and scheduled in some way to make it’s way from CA to CO.

Then on Sept 1, I got an email saying that I could schedule the pickup. This was an automated tool, which only allowed me to schedule the 10th or 11th. Not the 9th, and not even the 13th.

Strange.

I reached out to the local Tesla store and told them I had a trip scheduled for those days. They ended up saying they do think the car will be there the 7th, and we scheduled a late afternoon pickup for that day.

Less than a week now.

The other item that changed was a notice when I signed in to check the date at the end of August. I got the statement that radar was being removed from this evolution of the car, which I’d see in the news. All of the Model 3/Ys built in late Q2 or Q3 (or most of them) would not have radar. A little disconcerting, but what do I know about the science of a self-driving, or assisted driving car.

I had to agree this was OK, which I’m assuming means that my car got dropped into the official build queue when I clicked that.

So far, I don’t know that I think about this, but I’ll see how the car drives and reacts in my care. To me, I’m mostly worried about tracking cars around me and deer/wildlife out in the country. I’m not expecting or looking for full self driving, nor do I plan on adding that for the time being. If I take road trips, I might try out the monthly subscription and see, but for now, I’m really looking to just enjoy the acceleration when I need it and the cool features of driving a big computer around.

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Enhancing Client Experiences with Data and Analysis

Posted on September 3, 2021 by way0utwest

I love sports. The idea of competing and testing yourself against others (and against yourself) is something I’ve enjoyed for most of my life. Often it hasn’t even been important who wins; it’s the experience of competing. I don’t compete much anymore, but I enjoy watching and coaching sports. Teaching a group of younger people to work, train, win, lose, and enjoy sports is very fulfilling.

I take statistics when I coach, and I provide those to my athletes regularly. The data is helpful for them to understand their performance and how they compare to others. The numbers don’t drive my decisions, or theirs, but they do provide feedback for them about overall performance. Sometimes stats help me keep perspective; sometimes they remind me of something I’ve forgotten. Sometimes they help me realize a mistake is an outlier and not where I ought to focus.

I ran across an article on how data is being used in more professional sports. This post isn’t about the numbers of the game, but rather the ways in which data enhance the experience for fans. From resource needs to marketing to predictions, data is important to success in large events. The data can also make the fan experience better.

Most of us are data professionals, and we know the power of data. Many business people know that data can be helpful, after all, they usually give us a never-ending queue reports to build. I think many of these business professionals can struggle with thinking more widely about how to proactively use data in planning, preparation, and prediction. These are things that data professionals have been doing for years, before the current AI/ML fad. We often used past data to help us prepare for the future. I’m not against AI/ML, but I don’t think they are necessary for all predictions.

Data professionals know that we can use data in many areas of life outside of sports to enhance software for the client experience. I know I enjoy seeing some of the technology advancements that add to the experience from software, and I appreciate those that provide excitement to an experience, as well as those that just ensure things run smoothly. I look forward to seeing what the future might bring as some of the incredibly creative people out there begin to use data and technology to try out new ideas.

Steve Jones

Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher, Spotify, or iTunes.

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Daily Coping 3 Sep 2021

Posted on September 3, 2021 by way0utwest

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to have a friendly chat with someone you don’t know well.

I was on vacation recently, camping in Custer State Park in South Dakota. It’s a wonderful place, and I can’t recommend enough this as a place to visit at some point.

In any case, one of the people working at the site was walking around, trying to help someone get their very large camper parked. While we watched them struggle to get into a spot, we chatted a bit. About life, the area, and more. It was a nice 15-20 minute talk with Josh, before he headed out for a week on his own break from work.

I enjoyed the chance to talk to someone new, with a completely different view on life. He was moving from Chicago to South Dakota, and it I enjoyed our time. Hope I get to see him next year.

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