Blog

9 months ago

Greg Thomas

The Problem with Windows Updates

I’ve always thought that how you update your system is the most important part of any software you will ever build for one reason: that everyone will see it over and over again. It has to be good to go, resilient, and infallible. The “Restart” updates for Windows have to be the oddest option that could truly benefit from some AI applications. For instance; If an update doesn’t need to be restarted immediately, do you need to install it now?  Download it and hold off on the install. If you haven’t detected any activity on my computer, but applications are

9 months ago

Greg Thomas

When to Critique

There are times when critique is needed and times when it serves no value. First Day on the job?  Give them a chance, everyone screws up. Second Day on the job?  Where were you on your second day? Third week on the job?  Are they learning and still trying? Would you critique a fireperson’s use of a hose as they are in the middle of putting out the fire? Definitely not, they got the fire out. Save the critique for after the fire, when everyone’s heads are clear and no one’s life is on the line. The same goes for

9 months ago

Greg Thomas

Walking to the Video Store

Not sure what to do on a Friday night? How about spending 30 – 40 minutes browsing through a store to find the game or movie (or multiples) that would be your weekend? Video Stores were the cornerstone of every strip mall when I was growing up – they were your default (else) condition if you had nothing to do. “Wanna get a movie?” Sometimes they were your planned event. But the best was walking to them-yes, that was the best. Arguing about what you were going to get. Joking about who did better on a game. Laughing about how

9 months ago

Greg Thomas

The Old Ways

There is no alternative to building a rock garden but to do the hard work and gather rocks. It’s simply how it works: you go, you get rocks, and you build a garden. There is no way to hack it, hustle it, AI it or amplify it. You collect rocks, you tweak them over and over again, trying to find the perfect fit until you have something resembling a garden. If I’m building a log cabin, the requirements are the same – I need logs, straight logs, shaved down logs, and if I want insulation, I need something between them

9 months ago

Greg Thomas

What’s Your Mission?

I’m still trying to figure out my mission. I have dabbled in many areas, all that I love, and I have yet to find the string that pulls them together. I know it’s there, hiding in the shadows, just waiting to be tugged at, where everything all falls into line like a perfectly tuned orchestra. But I’m not there yet (not sure if I will ever be). So every now and again, to see if I’m still on the right path, I ask myself what my mission is. What am I trying to solve for? Where am I trying to