As Willie Nelson’s crooning voice echoes in my head, final safety checks are being done as the crew works through their checklist before they can close the cabin doors. Sitting here in this 737 feels like going back to the summer cabin after a year away.

It’s weird, but with so many flight miles under my belt, waiting for the engines to fire up carries this exciting anticipation for something that would have been commonplace in 2019. Much of it is the same as it was 2-and-a-bit years ago, but so many things are different now too. Between the mask rules variations and the seemingly daily changes in virus testing regulations, this thing I used to do almost weekly, has taken on a new level of stress and confusion.

But hey, I’M ON A PLANE! At some point, we might actually taxi and leave the tarmac. At least some things haven’t changed 🙂

This new post-Covid business world is going to be interesting indeed. The vast majority of companies I work with are happy with their new remote work reality and so business travel will mostly disappear for me, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. During Covid, we restructured schedules and workload around people’s real lives, which actually increased productivity. That is contrary to what several “back-to-work” proponents have been touting. Getting on a plane today meant cancelling several meetings and disappointing people who have gotten used to me being within reach of a keyboard, as opposed to being stuck at a boarding gate.

But right now, those big CFM56 engines have fired up and we are en route to a runway. Switching to airplane mode, and trusting that nothing breaks while I am offline for the first time in many, many months.

Stay safe, be awesome, and change the world.

A very long time ago – obviously before digital photography- my passion for music led me to the saxophone. After learning the Tenor Sax, I explored the Alto and Bari Sax as well. Same idea, very different results.

As a Solutions Engineer, I lean on the knowledge that everyone has different needs and no one solution is purpose-built to suit everyone. That is why we need to question, discover, and qualify all the time. One product can solve 10 different needs if you breathe life into it in a slightly different way.

I have found the same as a people manager. People all have different motivations, skills, and interests. Managing performance output from a team of people is a lot like playing many different instruments at the same time. Each one needs something different from you in order to produce the best result.

Getting the results you need as an individual or team means not assuming every case is the same. Discovery is essential in every case.

We humans can learn something from the furry companions we share this planet with. Christmas is about sharing peace and goodwill, being content with what you have, and sharing with others. It is about the generosity of heart and shedding light on the darkness. A favourite ball and a warm basket, a random pile of hazelnuts, or some quality time with a shiny silver bell might be all it takes to make a furry friend’s Christmas.

As much as the commercial engine wants us all to believe your loved ones need to be buried in the most expensive gifts this Christmas, the reality is that a few hours of your time may be the most valuable present of all. That is more true this year than ever in the last several decades.

My wish this season for all my friends, family, and coworkers is to be able to spend quality time with family. Share a nog, kick your feet up by the fire, and take in the peace that surrounds you.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

A friend recently posted an image of a customized iPhone Lock Screen that I thought was intriguing, but when I hunted for instructions, I came up empty-handed. Disappointment fed initiative which begat a blog post and here we are. The following will provide detailed instructions anyone can follow to create their own customized Lock Screen.

Okay, but why? Well, it is good practice to lock your phone when it is not in active use, but if your phone is lost and someone finds it, they have no way to know who to return it to. Or what if you are in a car accident or faint at a party, will the people around you know who to contact? These are only a few good reasons to put basic contact information on the face of your Lock Screen.

I started with a new note with my phone in “dark mode” so it has a black background. That was just my preference, you could easily use any background for this. The text of the note should include information about you and who to contact if necessary. Start with something like “My name is …” or “this phone belongs to …” and add emergency information like “If I am hurt, contact …”.

Once you have the wording all to your liking, add several blank lines to the top of the note to allow room for the clock to show when on the Lock Screen. It will also be more aesthetically pleasing to center or at least indent the wording on the page.

Having done all that, save the note then take a screenshot of it. Use the photo editing tools to crop out any of the edge “noise” so that you have a nice clean picture with your message in the lower half of the screen.

Now if you have done everything right, you should be able to lock your phone and see your message with the contact information you created.

If you found this useful, let me know.

Lori Mairs left this world on April 8th, 2021.  She was an amazing person who leaves a legacy of caring insight with many many people.  I won’t bore you with her official obituary, which you can read online any time.  Rather, I want to tell the story of who Lori was to me, her little brother.

Though our parents are Canadian, my sister and I were both born in New Zealand. Maybe it is something in the water, or perhaps it was the peaceful, almost magical environment there, but this fact always remained as a powerful bond between us.  My closest sibling, the one who always had to share the “kids table” with me at family events, the one who always had my back.  No offense meant to my other, older siblings who I love and adore as well, but Lori was the one who was always there with me, for me.

Of course, I was also the one she tricked into doing her math homework for her.  I was the guinea pig for culinary experiments like Pickle and Peanut Butter sandwiches. I was the excuse for not going out to things she wanted to avoid. When we piled into the car to venture out as a family, she and I were the smallest and youngest, so we often got tied together in a seat. Being five years older than me, it was often a social problem for her and me to be lumped together. This was particularly true as a pre-teen; What 12-year-old wants to have her 7-year-old brother hanging around all the time?

When I was in high school she went back to New Zealand for a short visit that became a 5-year epic adventure.  Along the way, she helped to set wheels in motion that would eventually revolutionize advocacy rights in that country.  She then came back and did the same in Canada. She championed the rights of those who were not able to defend themselves, then taught others how to do the same.

But protecting life did not have human boundaries for my sister. As long as I knew her, she was concerned for the wildlife and ecosystem around us. I remember as a child, her favourite stories were always about animals and the forest.  As an adult, she was a protector of the wildlife and forests we encroach upon daily.  Her work with the Wildcraft Forest Foundation is only the most recent in a long line of protective stances that included a special need to protect Haida Gwaii.

It is interesting that I am finally publishing this on el dia de los muertos (the day of the dead), a day I have come to appreciate in the last decade. I know there are many people who loved and learned from Lori and we should all be grateful to have had her in our lives.  This was a person who affected the lives of so many who had never met her or even knew her name.  I am blessed to not only have known her but to have shared many years of my life close to her.  On this day in particular, I will remember her and welcome her spirit.

Sometimes shit happens and you need to deal with it. You assemble a puzzle upside down, or you assign the wrong person to a task, or you integrate the wrong type of message engine to your new application. It happens, and when it does I try to stop for a minute and take stock of the situation, pausing to ask myself a few important questions.
– Does it matter? I mean really – maybe it will look better upside down.
– Will it be easier to finish first and THEN turn it around, or should I correct it now before it is too late?
– Is there any lesson I can learn from this to prevent the situation in the future?

You may have guessed already that those questions are just as relevant to a business project, or engineering task as they are to the cardboard puzzle. Hence this post. I run into this a great deal when pulling together projects at work where the software and the hardware and the people don’t necessarily fit together the way it sounded in the design plan.

To me, one of the most interesting historical real world puzzles is the twisted tale of the thunder lizard. This is the story of our oldest dinosaur friend, the Brontosaurus. It is a great example of what happens when you try to pull together all the bits of data you have into cohesive knowledge; when you try to assemble some useful “thing” out of the chaos of parts and pieces. The poor Brontosaurus has a place in history along side Pluto where scientists continue to discuss its validity. All the parts of the puzzle are real and most of them fit together, but this is a case where the combination of parts took a sideways turn. For a very long time, this diplodocid was the victim of ill-filling puzzle pieces.

I think the important take away here is that. like a cardboard puzzle, you don’t have to get every project right the first time and it is OK if all the parts don’t fit they way you thought they should at the start of the project. Sometimes your plans go sideways, or upside down, and that is okay. Take stock of the situation, adjust your view, and rearrange the puzzle pieces as necessary to find a good outcome.

The cats in this puzzle will eventually be whole and upright and hung on a wall, but that may be a story for another day.

As we kick 2020 to the curb and all look forward to 2021, I think it is important to reflect on all sides of this pandemic situation. There are many people who still dwell on the negatives, but I see a great many positives in this situation as well. Before all you villagers reach for your pitchforks, hear me out.

First to the Covid-19 virus itself. Much to the chagrin of the naysayers, this thing is very real and I am personally aware of several people in my circle who have contracted it and have ether passed or are now living with the long-term side effects. Please do not let your guard down – this thing is very real. However, based on the data from 1point3acres, things are getting better. Their reporting shows a decrease in fatalities and an increase in recoveries. We are figuring out how to fight the virus and mitigate the damage. The future is promising.

But this year was not all about a virus that has made this day more reference-able as March 293rd. If you cock your head to the side and squint a little, you can see some really awesome side benefits that have not been spoken of loudly enough in my opinion. Although there have been a large number of sad events like the closing of local businesses and much tightening of belts, there have been some really great outcomes to name as well.

We came together as a community on so many levels. At least in my small view of the world, I saw so many people helping others who would normally not even be connected. There were awesome stories of overwhelming community support in and the explosion of on-line concerts, church services, and other group events that once were exclusive to in-person arena or theater venues.

We quickly re-tooled our factories to produce needed equipment virtually overnight, proving the amazing creativity of our entrepreneurs. There was a massive shift to on-line learning, meetings, services, therapy, and entertainment. And there was a global resurgence of corporate social responsibility and awareness.

As some of our tech leaders have recently commented, this is the technology future many of us have looked forward to, but no one expected to happen so quickly. It’s amazing what we can accomplish together when we are forced into action.

So au revoir 2020. Addio, tchau, adiós, auf wiedersehen, la revedere, sayonara, bye! It’s been a slice – don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

To all my friends, colleagues, customers, and family world wide. Cheers to 2021.

You’ll have to excuse me, I’m not at my best
I’ve been gone for a month, I’ve been drunk since I left.
These so called vacations will soon be my death,
I’m so sick from the drink, I need home for a rest …
– Spirit of the West, “Home for a Rest”

Recently I was very fortunate to be able to take a 5-week long break from work. This was supposed to include some extensive travel across Canada and into California, but due to the COVID world we live in today, it became a quiet sabbatical from an extremely busy work environment. Since my world is usually non-stop technology, I did my best to force myself away from keyboards and phones and once I got past the fear of disconnection and the database separation anxiety, it was really quite refreshing.

So what does a high-tech individual like myself do on sabbatical? Well, “lay on the beach” was my first choice, but that was a non-starter for a number of reasons, so I focused on a number of low-tech projects I have been meaning to get to for some time. In fact, I did so much of it that I considered creating a whole new blog for my “low tech” projects, but in the end decided to spare the universe from yet another blog and just catch you all up here in a few installments.

I refinished some furniture and created some from scratch. There was the kitchen dining set that was sorely in need of refinishing. It came back to it’s original form very nicely in only a couple of days. I will expand on that one in a later post along with the custom entertainment shelf that was invented from a lack of other viable options.

I also refinished a set of living room tables that were in need of some TLC.

Most importantly, I got to spend a ton of time with my family. Having the time to invest in bike rides, and campfires, BBQ’s and pool parties was by far the most enjoyable and will be the most missed.

I’ll expand on some of that in future posts. Until then…

Be Awesome, Change the world

 

This time of year has always been a time of reflection for me.  A time for family, warm fires, and closure.  A time to slow down and unwind with close friends and also to look forward to the following year.  This year as I look back, I realize that while this is is my last post of the year, it is also my first of 2019.  I cannot believe I have been so busy that I have not written a single personal blog post this entire year. 

I made a mental note at the beginning of the year to write more, and I did, just not here. In 2019 I wrote or contributed to more than a dozen business blog posts for SparkPost, contributed to copious amounts of internal documentation, and found the time to squeeze in a short story or two.  However, that is not really the same as writing down personal thoughts in a blog or journal and I commit to doing better next year.

More than anything, I like to take time in December to summarize and mentally untangle the chaos that happened in the previous months. Winter walks, time with family and the smell of fir and cedar make that work for me.

There is something very calming about literally roasting chestnuts over an open fire with the snow falling around you.  It is something that just has to be experienced.

Whether you spend this time of year with presents under a Christmas Tree or lighting a Menorah, or airing grievances during Festivus, or keeping a Yule log lit, I wish you a joyous season and look forward to a prosperous new year.

 

 

All I want for Christmas is your generosity. Seriously.  I don’t want stuff and things, I can get my own.  I don’t want books and videos, or trinkets and toys. I don’t want fudge and cookies… wait, actually go ahead and send cookies.

Recently, I was asked what I want for Christmas and I said “peace, love and joy” and for the first time in my life I really mean it.  I am at a stage in my life where I really don’t want any more “stuff”.  If there is something I want or need I can get it myself. Any thing that is not useful or edible will likely find its way to a garage sale or recycle bin within six months anyway so please save your money and do something more useful with it.

There was a great article I read from 2012 about the waste created over the Christmas holiday season and it is even more relevant today than it was then. In “The gift of Death” the author describes all the novelty trinkets and gag gifts and other items that we gift at this time of year that are really only enjoyable for a few moments or days during the holiday, then quickly end up filling a section of landfill.  It seems such a sad waste when there are so many more valuable places we can put our money, time, and resources.

This year, if you want to do something for me (or anyone else you care about) think about donating to your favorite cause in my name.  I have listed below all of my favorite charities whom I give to on a regular basis, but feel free to pick your own.  I can do without another pair of fuzzy slippers – please donate the $20 to Alberta Children’s Hospital.  I really do not need more beer steins, that $30 is better shared with the great folks at Inn From The Cold. The $25 you were going to drop on that awesome sparkly reindeer sweater I will only wear once, could really help a struggling family at Ronald McDonald House.  Please consider donating to one of these institutions:

• Ronald McDonald House
• Your local Children’s Hospital
• Inn From The Cold
• Stars Air Ambulance
• Your local Boys and Girls Club 
• Your local women’s shelter or family violence resource center

Of course, I am not crazy – I won’t say no to an Apple Watch that will be used daily, or some tasty fruitcake or peppermint bark I can share with my friends.  Bring over a decent wine and stay for a while – the friendship and conversation by a warm fire is more valuable to me than almost anything else.  Oh and there is always Scotty’s own Scotch that could find a happy place in my bar.  I’m just asking you not to buy something for the sake of saying you bought a present – for me or for anyone else.  The waste generated at this time of year on fad trinkets that will never have a useful function is staggering.

Having said all that, I want to give you the gift of my attention, my thoughts and my wishes for your peace and prosperity. May you receive as much as you give this holiday season in whatever form that takes.

Merry Christmas

~Tom