Better late than never, though it wasn’t necessarily because I didn’t have the time. As I edit the things that passed my mind over the last week I am looking out over a beautiful lake, though sheltered from the elements inside. It’s opening weekend of hunting season here in Dairyland, and I was again invited to my friend’s hunting camp. I don’t hunt, but that’s not why I am here. Though altered a bit this year, it has been an overdue respite and good way to burn vacation time I would otherwise lose at the end of the year.

Sing it, San-ta Claus is Driving Through Town – Where I live there’s an annual tradition of a Christmas parade preceded by the Santa Scamper, a running sprint down the route the parade will take. Said Scamper has gone virtual this year, and instead Santa will be taking to the streets. The latter will be reminiscent of my kiddos (and heck, my wife and I) watching Santa riding the El trains in Chicago.

Digging Too Deep – Every so often I hear of an app that, upon the surface, sounds like a great idea, but upon further review is lurking a privacy nightmare. Once such app is Tiller. Not only do I not want an app mining my financial data, I certainly don’t want it handing it over to Google either. Talk about a one, two knockout.

Head My Way – Just when you thought (or likely didn’t) the calculation of latitude and longitude was difficult, you can simplify it with the Maidenhead Locator System. This is by no means nothing new, rather new to me, and has its roots in HAM radio. You can easily determine any short code with this lookup site as I did by determining Fenway Park in Boston is at FN42ki. Hat tip to the PodcastIndex podcast for once again unleashing more of my inner geek.

DRYV She Said – I learned of the acquisition of DRYV, a Chicago-based dry cleaning and laundry delivery service by Rinse. If you search here at The Hot Iron you will see several mentions of the previous service, as I was one of their first customers and a huge fan of the startup. What was once a new thing to me is all I do these days as my current cleaning service went all-delivery earlier this year. Congrats to all involved, and hopefully the unique DRYV brand will continue on somehow.

Ignore What I Said – The HBO Max app is now “legitimately” on Amazon Fire TV devices. So you can ignore what I previously said about sideloading it.

Happy 25th Scrum – This past week marked the quarter-century anniversary of the Scrum framework, a better way for managing all kinds of projects. To celebrate this, its co-creators Dr. Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber released an updated version of the Scrum Guide which states the core principles of the framework. Among the changes are the inclusion of all members into one Scrum Team and an overall product goal. For more you can watch the recorded Webinar presentation of all of the festivities.

Golden Attitude Change – Over the years since I graduated from college I have had an indifference with it. At every turn the school was not talking to me about what I wanted to know about – the major and school I graduated from, nor its radio station – rather it was just hitting me up for money. This week the school previously known as Western New England College and now a university released a video from its new president, Dr. Robert Johnson, with a holiday greeting. This is the first time in decades that the school has actually spoken to me and I was interested. Maybe it’s the start of something more? Who knows, but I will take it.

Do You Apologize? – After having to spend some of my “time-off” centered around work and reflecting on the time spent, I posted this question to Linkedin with a simple query – do you apologize in the workplace when a mistake is made? So far I have a few thoughtful responses, and I welcome yours too.

Stubborn But Tasty – I happened to come across the Stubborn Brothers Brewery in Shawano, Wisconsin by simply driving by it. What was a former theater is now a gleaming, beautiful space producing some great beers (I’m partial to Whiskey Fugitive) and food. As part of the artistry is the respect for the original design elements of the theater and some new ones, including the unique restroom sign pictured above.

To The Hunt!

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Have you ever had a major event happen and when it was over there wasn’t great satisfaction from it? That happened to me this past week. But at least I can look back at some lighter learnings over the last seven days.

Keeping It Real Human – I get a lot of comments on my blog. Unfortunately most of them aren’t real – not from real people, not real comments, and a combination of both. This week I was able to integrate Google reCAPTCHA on the comments form for each post thanks to the Hinder add-on. But don’t take my word for it – leave a comment and say hi!

Sweet and Guilt-Free Season – I have been a fan of the tortilla chips by Siete Foods for a long time. These Paleo grain-free chips taste great. Buñuelos are a traditional Hispanic treat for the holidays, and Siete has adapted a version of them to be grain-free and equally tasty. If you can’t find them at your local store you can order them online. It’s nice to find guilt-free holiday treats, as I did when I adapted my Mom’s pizzelle recipe to be grain-free a few years ago.

Honorable Nonetheless – I caught the “acceptance speeches” by Depeche Mode and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Where there was no musical performances, it was cool to see these music legends I have been listening to since college.

Web Site Unseen – I was referred to a local restaurant this week and went to check out their Web site. The SSL certificate (for the non-technical, the thing that puts the S in HTTPS and displays the lock symbol in your browser) had expired, thus I got a warning message that the site was unsafe and the world was coming to an end… ok, I am exaggerating, but it display the warning. So I tried calling the restaurant and left them a message. Several days later the site is still throwing the error and no call back. This unfortunately was another case of trying to contact a business about their Web site problems with no resolution.

Breaking Thru As An Author – I met Mark Boeder several years ago. He is an executive search pro and leads WarHorse Executive Search, and over the years has been a great career resource to me. He offers more of that great advice in the new book out this week he has co-authored Brilliant Breakthroughs For The Small Business Owner Vol. 4: Fresh Perspectives on Profitability, People, Productivity, and Finding Peace in Your Business. I ordered my copy and am looking forward to reading his and the other author’s wisdom for small businesses.

End of a Great Era – Ken Smith, the long-time Executive Director of YouthBuild Boston, has announced his retirement, and will be succeeded by Brian McPherson. YBB offers young adults in Boston training in the building trades, as well as the support they need. I met Ken almost 2 decades ago when I was back in Boston, and have been honored to help with their Web needs over the years. He is a leader in the truest sense, and his impact on the community is immense. Best of luck to Ken and his family on whatever is next, and to Brian as well – he has big shoes to fill, but I am sure he will make an equal mark on Boston.

Moneywise Advice – When I was in Chicago I had the good fortune to have connected with Jonathan Hoenig. He is a successful hedge fund manager and a TV business commentator. I got word this week he is giving a presentation next week Tuesday, November 17 on How to Buy A Stock. The presentation is free, and I am sure will be valuable way above and beyond.

Belated Trick – Just before Halloween I decided to unsubscribe from the Omni Hotels rewards program newsletter. I have only stayed at an Omni once, and though it was awesome, getting messages about hotels these days when I likely won’t be staying in one isn’t desirable. Interestingly, when I did I got an error, and of course in these days of marketing Big Data they knew it. The next day they sent me an email with the graphic above saying that I would be getting a “treat” if I stayed on the list. But I never did, so I decided to unsubscribe after all. Not sure why they would make such an offer and not fulfill it. But as I indicated above, contacting a business about their technology is futile.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Believe it or not, other things went on in the world this week besides the US presidential elections. As it looks right now, I will likely be able to make this same statement next week as well. In looking back at my notes for the week there were other things that went on that had nothing to do with voting.

Ok I Lied – My cousin’s father-in-law voted this week in New York City. Why is that such a big deal? He is 99, and turns 100 soon. He also fended off that nasty virus that is shutting down the world. There’s also more awesome stories about him I swore not to repeat! And likely there will be more for years to come.

Ok I Lied Again – In passing my oldest kiddo said to me, “Dad, did I tell you I am on Student Council?” I was caught off-guard and was equally thrilled and inquisitive, asking her about the election, especially as she has done “virtual learning” all school year. Apparently there was no election, and if anyone was interested they simply clicked a button to join it. Not quite my middle-school Student Council election experience. Now to ask her about her platform.

Projects Come and Go – In his latest email newsletter on one-page Web sites, Rob Hope mentioned about his Project Graveyard where he lists projects he has worked on in the past and are no longer with him, or us for that matter. This triggered me to come up with my own list, which at first pass is at 8 with an additional one on life-support. As it’s good to celebrate our successes and failures, I will keep this list going and will eventually publish it.

An Oasis of Ideas – Speaking of newsletters, veteran tech journalist and co-host of the No Agenda Show John C. Dvorak has launched one called The Oasis. He describes the newsletter as covering politics, technology and world affairs. I subscribed.

Good Coffee, Troubling App – At some point recently Starbucks changed the functionality of their mobile app when it comes to adding additional gift card balances. And changed for the worse. As I haven’t added a card in a while, my guess it was timed around recent functionality to use other payment methods. I was literally lost in adding another gift card’s balance to my main card. I don’t know how I was able to add it, but I did, and I don’t look forward to the next time I try to add a card.

Hearing The Progress Too – I met Randy Streu when I joined my co-working space, World HeadQuarters, as he works from here as well. A voiceover artist and writer, he decided to chronicle his weight-loss journey with the Obese podcast he started earlier this year. Where I have seen his progress, I just started listening to the podcast this week – I know, I suck. It’s a good listen with a mix of comedy and stark reality, which reflects what you go thru when you try to lose weight.

Plan B Video – With another round of Congressional testimony from the digital giants in recent weeks, I have been thinking more of my own digital footprint, especially video. With YouTube’s desire for a brand-safe platform, I have looked into others, like LBRY.TV, where I started setting up a channel. Granted I don’t have many recent videos out there, but it’s good to have options in the ever-growing landscape of changes to how platforms we all know and love, well, not being so loving.

It’s OK to Judge This Album By Its Cover – My friend Steve Lawson is a solo bassist based in the UK and his latest album, Still My Soul, caught my eye because of the “historical marker” depicted on it (click the link to see it). I have been listening to this album and others from his Bandcamp site as I have written what I have learned this week, and for a low annual subscription price you can too. Where I am no music reviewer, it’s good music to end this week.

Jump If You Still Can – One certainly new to me and likely old to everyone else is Paul Anka’s 2005 album Rock Swings, where he did covers of rock songs in his own unique style. One of them is Van Halen’s Jump. This is one I certainly wish I knew about even 10 years ago.

I Think I Canva – Another new to me is Canva, an online service for creating images and designs. There are other services out there, and this one was fairly intuitive to use. Plus they offer a free version for personal use, which I used to create a header for my LinkedIn profile and the image at the top of this post. Before my designer friends start after me, Canva (yes, it’s an affiliate link) is good for people with little to no budget, or who want to experiment/play with design. When you have budget and want to knock it out of the park, talk to a great designer like my friend Emily at Visible Logic.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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One of my long-time readers Matt (and I believe he goes back to the early daze of The Hot Iron) recently asked me how I write this weekly column of what I learned. It’s pretty straightforward; as I get an “aha” on something I paste it into my notes system which I can access by mobile or notebook computer. At the end of the week (or beginning of the next) I copy them into Word and provide some (hopefully) unique context around them. And here goes this past week’s batch.

Text This Ten Times Fast – I heard the term smishing for the first time this week. This is when you receive a spam SMS (or text) message on your phone with a link the sender hopes you’ll click on and enter personal information so eventually some account of yours can be hacked. Hat tip to Paul Ferron of LibertyID who was on Josh Dukelow’s Fresh Take for the term.

Bad Bad Browsers – Two stories past my eyes this week that reinforced trends in the wrong direction with regards to Web browsers. First was where the recently new Microsoft Edge, the replacement for Internet Explorer, is making changes which may break ad blockers. Also, a “bug” was found in Google Chrome where when you clear your browsing history it doesn’t clear it for Google search or YouTube, also owned by Google. I long for the days when a Web browser was just a Web browser, but sadly I would need to go into the wayback machine to the 1990’s.

Please Test – When testing mobile apps or mobile Web sites, make sure you take into consideration accessibility features being enabled like text size and zooming in on the screen.

Helping You Helping Others – My good colleague Thej offers these great tips of tools to use for effective documentation. Granted some of these are for the more technically inclined, but even if your Web site or app works well functionally, often people need help on how to use it.

Good Grief? – People were in a tizzy this week as it was announced the Peanuts holiday specials, starting with “It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” will no longer be appearing on broadcast television but exclusive on Apple TV+. For me this was no big deal, as 1) I don’t watch over-the-air or cable TV and 2) I bought them on DVD at a Walgreens drug store for about $10 for all of them years ago. Guessing the discs are a little more expensive now.

But You Can Watch This For Free – This commercial for the Kyro Distillery in Finland was shared to me by colleagues in the Scandinavian country. But only watch it if you appreciate quirky Nordic humor.

But Will It Make A Difference? – The United Kingdom has a Minister of Loneliness.

HugTrain Reimagined – My friend Arie Moyal is changing his long-standing annual tradition of HugTrain, where he traversed the US and Canada offering hugs in the name of better mental health, into The Small Change Institute. More to come on this endeavour.

Closer To An Accessibility Law? – Web and mobile accessibility has always been a gray area when it comes to the law. The Americans with Disability Act in the US does not specify digital technology, namely as it wasn’t around when the law was passed. But that hasn’t stopped lawsuits claiming ADA violations. A new bill has been introduced in the US House on Accessibility. I am torn as on this as it really doesn’t address all scenarios, such old dormant Web sites that are still live, let alone relevant content on any Web site. I will be following it closely, and so will your lawyers.

Final Call For Paper Box Tops – The fundraiser Box Tops for Education started moving to a digital format a few years back, and the last of the paper “clip tops” are being collected now. As most schools are virtual, you are now able to send Box Tops in yourself on behalf of your school. Where this video shows you how, you still need an online account to get the submission forms. Personally, I think this is the end of the Box Tops program. Originally Box Tops were easy and fun to clip and collect. Now that it has gone digital, you scan shopping receipts with an app to “collect” now, and as a result you are sharing everything you buy and part of your credit card number. And not surprisingly, money collected by this is way down from past years.

Whoops – Depending on when you read last week’s What I Learned, the link to the presentation on Scrum and high performing teams may have been broken. Here’s the link again, which is not.

My absentee ballot has been received, according to the tracking Web site managed by the state of Wisconsin. Other than Seth Reid for Winnebago County Register of Deeds, I am not saying who I voted for.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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It was a week that started so beautifully that leaf raking was a fun activity, and ended with the leaves wet and nearly frozen… ah, fall in the upper Midwest of the United States.

Thanks for not noticing – I didn’t want to mention it last week as I hadn’t actually published anything to the blog yet, but last week I upgraded the software that makes The Hot Iron tick. Note this was just the back-end so nothing looks different to you the reader. Taking the sage wisdom from a thoughtful engineer from afar, I first did a test upgrade then after defining the steps, executed it on the live site. So 16 hours of measuring twice before 5 hours of cutting once. Now to learn the new features, or as I have discovered so far, less features that need to be compensated for.

I was not alone – Where I only focused on the back-end here, my good friend Emily Brackett dropped a new design for the Web site of her marketing and branding firm, Visible Logic. While you’re there subscribe to her blog and check out Branding Compass, a unique service to create branding for your business or organization.

Gimme what you need – I saw a unique user experience with a Web form this past week I had never seen before or even thought of. When I went to submit it and if I had a required field blank, it would remove all of the other filled-out fiends from view and just show me what I needed to fill in. Where I don’t think it would work with every form, it did in this case. And this case was a customer service survey for Kroger supermarkets.

Painfully lonely – Hubie Halloween was the best Halloween movie I watched last Saturday night. Did I mention it was the only Halloween movie I watched last Saturday night?

Not just another day – This past Monday was Columbus Day in the US. It is a federal holiday and is in honor of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. In recent years there has been a lot of scrutiny of Columbus and what he really did when he sailed the ocean blue in 1492. This scrutiny has been a challenge to Italian-Americans who consider Columbus a hero and the holiday one for celebrating all Italian American heritage as well. But as Italians are not known for being shy, the Italian American Podcast has been talking about this over several episodes. I haven’t listened to all of them, but I recommend it as issues like this need to be discussed.

It’s here, get used to it – Just about every day I hear some sensationalized story about the logistics of the 2020 elections. I use the word “sensationalized” as there is a lot of extreme opinions on voting, from in-person to by mail. But what about online? Yes, voting for the President of the United States online. And the kicker is, this is not even extreme. If you don’t believe me listen to this interview of Larry Moore by Josh Dukelow on his Fresh Take show. Larry has been a founder and leader at 2 digital voting firms, and is now an advocate for it, including with The National Coalition for Accessible Voting. Listen and learn, just as I did… from my old boss, as I worked with Larry at a previous job.

Be successful again and again – I finally got to watch this presentation offered by the Scrum Alliance back in July, and I am glad I did. Richard Kasperowski is a Boston-based teacher and coach and presented on High-Performance Teams: Core Protocols for Psychological Safety and Emotional Intelligence. This is a great presentation, and if you have any interest in team and inter-personal dynamics, it’s worth the hour watch.

This past weekend I finally got down to the new trestle trail bridge and walking trail along and over part of the Fox River here in the childhood home of Harry Houdini. Appropriately, there’s an artwork piece dedicated to late illusionist. But it was far from the only sight along this trail, as the leaves changing colors along the waterway was certainly something to see, especially with the previously-mentioned warmer weather earlier in the week.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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