Here’s my workspace as I compile my list of learnings from the week: I am sitting outside at Little Switzerland ski area in Slinger, Wisconsin wearing a flannel shirt and cap but no jacket while looking out to the ski slopes. There also may be a hopped beverage close by. Not trying to brag, but with temperatures in the mid 40’s F this week after subzero the past few weeks, I am in literal amazement of this scene!

Less Scrolling LinkedIn – I deleted the LinkedIn app from my mobile device this week. Why? I have found myself endlessly scrolling through the highly-algorythmed timeline of the business networking app far too often. I came to this realization after listening to a recent episode of the PhoneBoy Speaks podcast, where he talked about doing the same. I still use LinkedIn but only on my computer. Where I don’t have specific measurements, I feel my general interactivity with the meatspace world has increased a smidge.

(One) More Email from LinkedIn – Earlier this week I published a post on allowing LinkedIn connections to download your email address and though a few days later I was curious if, of my 1,600+ connections, I had any more than 25 with email addresses in my download file. After just checking, the number increased to one more. One. It’s nice to see someone read it.

Rockin’ Releases – Software developers often give code names to new releases of their hard work. Sometimes those names are fun, other times they are boring. I was thrilled to see the latest release of YOURLS, the short URL link server I use, named its latest version after Mike Muir, the lead singer of Suicidal Tendencies. As YOURLS rocks, it’s only fitting its releases should rock too.

Rockin’ Across Politics – A story that did not get much attention as I thought it would following the death of radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh regarding his show’s theme song, My City Was Gone, by The Pretenders. Why? Because Limbaugh and Chrissie Hynde, the lead singer of the band, are polar opposites in their political views. So why would Hynde allow her song to be used? Her Dad was a fan of Limbaugh. But there’s more to the story, and read the link for more on how these 2 celebrities came to common ground.

Unlocking Words – There is a workaround to edit a locked Microsoft Word document.

From Iceland With Broadband – When I heard Wisconsin was asking residents to use an Internet speed test Web site to collect broadband speeds in the state, I visited the Web site to do my civic duty. However, I use a VPN on my computer, and when I did it registered me in Iceland. Weighing Internet privacy over a low-impact display of my citizenship, I opted for the former.

RIP Bobby – This past week my friend Jimmy’s brother Bobby lost his battle with a fast-moving form of cancer. When he was diagnosed a GoFundMe page was setup where Bobby would post updates, when he could, of this unfortunate journey. I felt was very brave. The GoFundMe is still open to help support his family.

Power to the Product Owner – When I became a Certified ScrumMaster last year, what really intrigued me most from my training was the role of the Product Owner on the Scrum team. Since then I have read and listened to much on this vital team role, including this recorded Webinar this week on better understanding the Product Owner. It is due to this “mystery” that I am planning to become a Certified Scrum Product Owner as well this year.

Meme More Better – For all the memes out there, I always find the need to make more. I have used a variety of sites to do this, as past ones keep changing, usually for the worse. I have decided to use this site to Meme Better.

Stacked Potential – New to me is the Amazon Dash Smart Shelf that was launched last fall which is basically a scale for detecting when products on it weight less (or are in short supply) and will order more. Where the idea is nice, I would consider getting one if it could double as a postal scale or even a human scale. Otherwise that’s a lot of overhead for determining if I need more printer paper.

Credit Where Due – My CPA Ron Axe is awesome. I met him years ago at the first business networking event I went to in Chicago and I have been a client of his ever since, and so have other family members. This week I heard that when a family member submitted for their taxes the letter that came with their 2020 US federal government stimulus check, it was the first one Ron had gotten from a client. Apparently, everyone thought it wasn’t a tax document and threw it out. In honor of this, Ron made a donation to Rescuing Leftover Cuisine in their name.

Don't Buy The Dips – Hedge fund manager, financial educator and all-around great guy Jonathan Hoenig is offering another free webinar next week, Don’t Buy The Dips. I will be watching and learning, and you should too.

Hope Comes and Goes – Last week my fair city had a program called Avenue of ice where ice sculptures were dotted along the main drag, College Avenue. I got the picture above of one of them, HOPE, which was not far from the HOPE sign I learned about late last year. It’s a good thing I got this picture the day it started as a few days later the above-mentioned heat wave did a number on it. This is a case where hope lost is not necessarily a bad thing.

"I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:
1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things."
― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt

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

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