One could assume I am merely getting into a groove of writing my learnings every 2 weeks, but people who know me would know better. Trying to compress 8 months of planning and prep for an outdoor swim meet into 4 weeks played into this a little bit. Ok, a lot. But it was worth it, and worth sitting down to compile this list is as well.

See The Fruits of My Labors – A lot of hard work went into putting that swim meet together by a lot of people, including new elements required as a result of city mandates which I presume are to prevent the meet from turning into a super-spreader event? One of those elements was livestreaming the meet. Where it has become commonplace for swim meets around the country, we haven’t done it ourselves, and at an outdoor pool to boot. We pulled it off, and if you’re inclined you can see it on the Fox Cities Bird Bath swim meet’s YouTube channel. Believe it or not the view and angles of the pool are very helpful to swim families.

My Morning Brew Means More – Go ahead and accuse me of picking and choosing scientific studies, but I am all over this one on how coffee consumption helps prevent chronic liver disease.

More Reasons Not to Put It On a Hot Dog – After reading this list of rather handy uses for ketchup other than eating it you likely won’t want eat it either. My guess is my new favorite ketchup by TrueMadeFoods I mentioned a few weeks back doesn’t have the same side uses.

So Long Sweet Baby Ray – Larry Raymond, the founder and namesake of the Sweet Baby Ray’s barbeque sauce, died at the end of May. Raymond was from Chicago where he was a chef and started the sauce brand over an illustrious career. He later lived in my wife’s hometown here in Wisconsin. His sauce lives on as it is now owned by the same Massachusetts company that makes Ken’s Steak House salad dressings.

Although I have known it for years, I am repeatedly reminded that being a leader comes from action, not from a title.

Accessibility Wins In Bill Loss – Where news coverage portrayed the only people against U.S. Senate Bill 1, or S1, were Republicans, those who are seeking greater accessibility in voting were as well. Why? The For The People Act had a paper ballot mandate, which goes against already existing technology to aid those with impairments to vote beyond a paper ballot. This statement from the National Coalition for Accessible Voting details some of the opposition that goes beyond party lines.

Tallying Recounts with Existing Technology – Where I have seen a lot of coverage on the recounting of 2020 election ballots in Arizona, what I haven’t seen much coverage on is an easier way to audit the vote. This way was proposed by a trio including Larry Moore, who I had the privilege to work for in the past and has helmed 2 digital voting firms. Perhaps it’s the lack of sensationalism that explains why the coverage is so sparse?

Looking Google In The Eye With Your Web Site – People often lament to me the challenges they have with their Web site’s ranking in Google. Perhaps these straightforward missives from digital marketing guru Chris Abraham will help with tips on what work you should be doing on your Web site for Google to notice and this 3-part series on how to deal with the Big Tech firm’s latest algorithm changes.

Then There’s What You Have to do in Ontario – Larger firms in the Canadian province of Ontario also have to ensure their Web site meets accessibility standards. They have to do so not because it’s a great idea, but because it’s the law. And they can get fined for not meeting those accessibility standards.

Bene There, Done Them – A staple of early Web sites in the 90’s were small, rectangular animated icons promoting other Web sites or technology. I recall making some myself and adding others to various Web sites. If you don’t know what I am talking about see for yourself – this site has literally thousands of these 88 by 31 pixel icons.

Maybe I Should Start Everything Like This – I came across this video of a classical singer warming up for a performance with a true classic, the theme to Star Trek: The Original Series. I need to take a timeout and think about how I can break the monotony of the daily grind and infuse a little “wow” into it.

Bridging the Virtual Gap – When I took the training from Mike Cohn of Mountain Goat Software to become a Certified Scrum Product Owner the takeaways from the course were the materials and experience that made it well worth it. The cherry on the sundae was the gift box they sent me afterwards, which I just opened the other week. I commented on the branding of their materials and Web site, but this gift blew me away! Pictured above, there’s a custom designed box complete with goat pictures inside and out. Inside was a hand-written note from Mike, a notebook and a deck of Planning Poker cards, used for planning in Scrum. For fun there was a pen with a USB Flash drive built-in, stickers and temporary tattoos. This was a treat and excellent way for the virtual course to come 360 with something tangible.

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

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