I’m sitting here on a Sunday evening, looking at the options for consolidation of some of my subscriptions. Do I really need them? Do they provide real value? Could I perhaps help a smaller operation rather than paying a big platform?
I think these are valid questions to ask oneself these days. Large platforms are trending towards the enshittification end of the scale, whereas smaller devs and suppliers are more in tune with what the users need and want.
I had another busy week, starting a new class and teaching Microsoft technologies to a new group. I have many years of experience with Microsoft products and services, and I hope to pass on some of that knowledge to get them up to speed over the coming weeks. The first class was good, and I got the students to research the beginnings of Windows Server and highlight the major features added in each subsequent release with a short explanation of what they add/do.
I had another very busy week in the end. It wasn’t planned that way, but it ended up being so. I had two full days at the end of the week, giving training to the top managers of a local company on GenAI. It’s a course I have been teaching since around June, and it always incites a lot of philosophical discussion and even some question that reflects the fear people have about this technology.
If you follow along here, you’ll have noticed that I didn’t write anything last week. I didn’t really have the space to think about it, and the deadline, albeit self-imposed, passed. I’m forgiving myself for the lapse.
Which leads me to the point about how I, and others no doubt, think about writing, documenting, and sharing a few bits about our life online. I’m a private person, and I don’t post much on Social Media.
Well, that was an interesting week!
A while back, I applied for a fellowship program with ARIN, the American Registry of Internet Numbers. I’d hoped to get picked but didn’t bet any money on being so. To my surprise, I was picked as one of the ARIN52 cohort of Fellows. I was invited to participate in the policy discussions and the general meeting in a virtual capacity. I was very happy to be selected as there are only a few places, and many people apply each year.