This week I started weeknotes.
Thanks to Cariad (https://www.cariad.fyi/) for helping me out. She was incredibly skilled and patient, both with me and with the software.
This weeknotes server is running on a Hugo static site generator, hosted on Netlify (https://app.netlify.com/). Please bear with me as I gradually sort the place out.
So what happened this week?
Monday
I checked in at The Generator Hub (https://generatorhub.co.uk/) first thing and processed a bunch of emails and admin. Then I met with another resident of the Hub and helped them out with their email client configuration. Cariad joined me at lunchtime and we worked on this blog configuration for a bit.
Tuesday
One of our clients is being very patient with me, as they have a problem that I don’t know how to fix and I am buried deep in Azure documentation trying to understand it: I start to figure that since I’m here I might test myself, so I register for my first certification exam since roughly 1996, when I completed the Netware CNE exam set. The exam is set for Thursday, goodness me I know how to put undue pressure on myself.
Also today: kick off meetings and actions on a new project, which I’m nervous and excited about. Note that my policy in these weeknotes will be to not name any clients or projects unless they are common knowledge, like the one on Wednesday…
Wednesday
I spent the day at the All Ways Apples festival in Plymouth. We have had a collaboration with Food Plymouth (https://foodplymouth.org/) and POP (https://www.plymouthoctopus.org/) for some time, working on a basic map of their network of growing and green spacesa and organisations in the city. The current version is here: https://growingwithnature.info .
It’s still very rough as maps go, our focus is on discovery of the groups themselves and we’ll iterate the map itself as we discover more groups and work out better classifications. I love this project because it’s about connecting the data to real people on the ground. I hope it remains a “small data” effort too.
Thursday
Today started bright and early with my AZ-900 exam, and despite some nerves and challenges setting up a proctored environment at home, I’m pleased to say I passed! This is the entriest of entry level exams for Microsoft Azure, and now I have the bug I’m doing DP-900 (Database fundamentals) next. I’ll give myself a bit longer this time.
Friday
I spent today at the annual Tech Exeter conference, which was as expertly put together and delivered as usual. I was dog tired though, nearly dropped off in one of the sessions and crashed as soon as I got home.
Where am I next week?
- On Wednesday and Thursday I’ll be heading to Bath to help my fellow director Lucy deliver a data workshop at BSU.
Miscellaneous
watched the Clint Eastwood film Mule, which was alright but I’m always suspicious of people who direct themselves in films. Is that unfair? Probably. But he definately got a sympathetic slant on his role, plus screen time with young women who weren’t wearing very much, and tbh that’s showing some nerve.
also saw the recent Radio 2 concert of The Cure, which was quite nice.
next week I’ll try harder to get these out. It’s been painful.