There's a million things I haven't done... and probably never will. That's okay. I slept in today. My wife's alarm went off at 5:40am, as it always does, and we dozed for another 30 minutes. Murphy hopped onto the bed at 6:10am and then I was awake. I didn't do my regular core routine (which… Continue reading Happy 41st birthday to me
A few things I learned from watching Einstein
A friend suggested that I watch the first season of Genius on Apple TV, which profiles Albert Einstein. I checked to see how many episodes there were and how long each one was, as I always do when somebody recommends a new series to me. Ten episodes! Each one 45 minutes! I hesitated at the… Continue reading A few things I learned from watching Einstein
Why are some communities in Contra Costa County unincorporated?
When we first bought our little piece of heaven out here in Contra Costa County, I'd never heard of "unincorporated" communities. Our city address was Walnut Creek and I just assumed that we were Walnut Creek residents. As it turns out, we are not! Case in point: In 2019, some of my neighbors asked the… Continue reading Why are some communities in Contra Costa County unincorporated?
Data transformation >> data extraction
The ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) data framework has been around for a long time. Its roots formed in the early days of data warehousing in the 1970s and 1980s when solid-state drives (SSDs), which use a technology commonly known as flash memory, first hit the market. You might remember the computer hard drives that buzzed,… Continue reading Data transformation >> data extraction
An exploration of deep exhaustion
This month I plan to push my endurance to the outer limits. I rode my bicycle 142 miles in just under 12 hours a week ago. https://twitter.com/rbucks/status/1642743764291846145 A week from now, I will do it again, but with twice the vertical climb. It will be my second year in a row doing the Belgian Waffle… Continue reading An exploration of deep exhaustion
1994: A year in music
I was twelve years old in 1994. I was in 7th grade and just started learning guitar. I played roller hockey after school, wore braces, held hands with my girlfriend, and competed with the other overachievers. It was a good year. Next year is the thirtieth anniversary of 1994. Thirty years! The Beatles put out… Continue reading 1994: A year in music
Knocking your NOx off
I just started learning about nitrous oxide (NOx). When we electrified our house, we did it to burn less carbon. I signed up for MCE Deep Green so our share of energy usage would come from renewable sources. I felt good about paying extra (the notorious "green premium") for our all-electric home appliances. I feel… Continue reading Knocking your NOx off
Mobile homes are a piece of the housing puzzle
Note: this is my first blog post written with an assist from ChatGPT. It was fun! Oh, the housing crisis. Let me dip my toe in. I am a YIMBY. I want to see new housing built close to BART and freeways. I'd much rather see downtowns built up than open spaces built out. Housing… Continue reading Mobile homes are a piece of the housing puzzle
Why I’m taking a break from parallel entrepreneurship
When I described what I'm doing now to a good friend, he chuckled and said, "Guess you're going to have to write a new forward for your book!" The book he referred to is The Parallel Entrepreneur, of course. It's hosted free on this blog and generates most of my organic traffic. I still believe… Continue reading Why I’m taking a break from parallel entrepreneurship
My trip to NYC with Lily
A long time from now, with any luck, I will be very old. I will look back on my experiences as a young father: in the delivery room, first steps, first words, first days of school, ice skating rinks, hot dogs, board games, bicycle rides, dinners, friends' houses... all of it. I have a feeling,… Continue reading My trip to NYC with Lily