Postcards From Myself

I am currently down in Orlando, Florida, for the Microsoft Tech-Ed training conference. This is Microsoft’s big once a year convention and educational event. This year they decided to separate the developers from the “I.T. Pros” and it kind of takes the wind out of things a bit. Since it is now in two parts on different weeks everything is a bit smaller and there is less cross-pollination. Also makes me wonder if since we are called I.T. “pros”, does that mean that developers aren’t professional? Wait, don’t answer that. I used to be one and can already tell you the answer!

Anyway, Orlando is warm and the same as always. It is sprawling and ever growing. Also the sheer diversity of cultures, but residents and tourists, is always amazing. You can sit somewhere like the Disney Village Marketplace and hear tons of accents, languages, and speech patterns. And the clothes! Some people just really don’t know how to dress for the weather in the Southern US – much less Florida.

Speaking of Disney Village Marketplace, I always love going to the LEGO Imagination Center with my son. We have been going there together since he was too small to even know what it was. Back then it was my daughter and I who would revel in all the bricks. I will admit it to anyone who cares to listen that I love LEGO. My only regret is that as the time has gone on the store has gone more mainstream and carries less oddball stuff like the trains I love and closeouts from the factory.

Guess I am just a big kid – Disney, LEGO, and toys of all types. It is good to be a dad!

I work with computers. I am currently and I.S. Manager and System Administrator. I used to be a programmer and web-developer. I have done this type of thing since the very, very old DOS days and have used machines running DOS, Windows, OS2, Mac OS, Linux, Unix, and more. I even taught this stuff at the college level at one point. In other words, I am comfortable around computers. The problem is that often times I am too comfortable and have forgotten how other people feel.

I am now remembering how it feels. I recently bought a nice new camera. I finally treated myself to a digital SLR and got a Nikon D40x. Then for Christmas my wife bought me a telephoto lens and some filters. All very cool, except I haven’t got the faintest clue what I am doing. I don’t even think I know enough to be able to figure out what it is I don’t know. I used to play with photography when I was young. Had my own little darkroom and a few neat cameras, but that was a long time ago. For the past 25 years I have been using point-and-shoot cameras moving from film to digital. So having a nice camera with all the controls is a real education. You cannot treat a good digital SLR like a point-and-shoot any more than you can treat a computer like a typewriter.

But, I have some good books, and I have a good friend who knows his stuff. (You can check out Pat’s photography here.) And next week while I take a short vacation I am going to take the camera, the books, and some time to shoot lots of pictures and experiment. Hopefully I will make some progress in learning this new device. But happily, I have already learned one thing, or more appropriately remembered it, and that is there is no shame in not knowing. And that we all have our areas of ignorance and expertise. You know, little humility can go a long way.

And speaking of feeling ignorant and having things explained to you, I was recently pointed to a great site that has video lessons explaining a lot of the technology that some of us take for granted. Common Craft has short three to five minute videos explaining things such as RSS feeds, blogs, and social networking. You may find it far easier to point some of your co-workers, friends, or family to this site for introduction instead of trying to explain these things yourself.