Voice of the DBA

Tag: syndicated

  • Six Trips

    Six trips left to close out this year. Most are very short, so that’s good, but still, it’s a bunch of packing and prepping to do.

    Here’s my list:

    Sept 25 – SQL Saturday #52, Denver Tech Center, OK, so not a real trip, but still I’ll essentially be gone for a day and a half from home with a late Fri night, all day Sat, getting home late Sat night. On the plus side, I get to hang with Jack Corbett from Orlando while his wife talks horses with my wife.

    Oct 1-3 – SQL Saturday #53, Kansas City, speaking here, and getting to a Royals game for the first time ever. *cool*

    Oct 19 – Boulder SQL Server User’s Group – It’s a day trip, but over an hour from my house to the group, so I’ll count it.

    Nov – Nov 2 – 5 am – SQL Connections and Dev Connections and the Las Vegas SQL Server User’s Group. SQLServerCentral is sponsoring a track and Jason Brimhall convinced me to make good on my promise of speaking to his group Thur night.

    Nov 7 – 8 – Heading to Seattle to take care of some admin stuff and hang out with Brent Ozar for a day.

    Nov 19 – Nov 21 – NYC. SQL Saturday #59. A last minute decision, but I want to support these groups and this will cement my Premier status for United for next year 😉

    I’ve got a couple ski trips with the family planned as well (Thanksgiving and Christmas), so it looks like a busy fall for me.

  • Another E-Reader

    023BW No, it’s not a new device. This time it’s my son, Delaney, who has been reading on my old iPhone regularly.

    He started when he got through a series of science fiction that I had purchased in paperback and wanted to read the last book. Unfortunately I only had it in e-reader form, and told him he could buy it, or read it on the  Kindle app. I had upgrade my iPhone this year, and kept the other one as a spare. He grumbled a few days and then decided that saving some money was worth it, and he read the book electronically.

    Then he accessed my library, and read 6 more science fiction books I had in there over the next few weeks. Recently I asked him what he thought of e-reading. He had been down on it at first, and wasn’t thrilled with it. A month in, he answered in the same way as my wife (and me).

    “It’s really convenient.”

    He told me that worrying about battery was a little hassle, but not a big one since we have iPod chargers all around the house. He said that the screen was a little small, and he’d like to be able to flip less, but ultimately he said that being able to just go to the next book, and having 5 or 6 or 100 books in your pocket was cool.

    He’d started carrying the iPhone around, especially on errands. He’ll read in bed, in the car, before karate, just about any place, and being able to immediately get the next book, or switch books, is huge for him.

    I think that’s the best part of e-reading. I do miss the covers, and would like color for a few things. I’d like better imaging for photos of illustrations, but for the most part, convenience far outweighs all of that. I can hold my iPhone and read for a much longer time than I could with a Kindle device. But ultimately, being able to buy books from Amazon, BN, or anywhere else is the key win for me.

  • I Hate Planes

    A few short bloopers, just for a few friends that fly planes.

    YouTube Link (in case the embed fails)

  • SQL Saturday Advice – PhotoJournalism

    I try to carry a camera, and a video camera, most of the time when I’m traveling. I have a camera on my iPhone as well, and for all that, I tend to just forget to take enough images when I travel. Especially at events where I’m often talking to someone, and trying to engage.

    At various events I’ve seen the images and video handled different ways, but I think that SQL Saturday #28 set another bar by having a guy walk around all day, taking pictures, hitting every speaker in every session, and perhaps most importantly, getting a shot of every prize winner.

    Part of running a successful event is being able to market it. The enthusiasm, and the excitement so many people feel is infectious. I think it’s why we’re seeing this resurge in local events as the webinars and remote training, while good, lack some of the buzz and excitement of a live event.

    This is a great video from the SQL Saturday #40 team, and it’s something I’d like to see more of.

    http://www.gohardtv.com/mm_player.swf?http_base_url=http://www.gohardtv.com/&videoid=2584439

    Get some audio, video, images of your event. Post them on the site, make a slideshow, do a voice over, and publish it. You’ll inspire people in other areas, but you’ll also inspire others to support your events in the future.