Life on the Edge with Project Keswick: Reflecting on Two Weeks inside the Innovation Engine
Deep inside VMware’s Office of the CTO (or OCTO as we lovingly call it) lies an innovation engine, a secret weapon you might not realize exists. It’s called xLabs, a team of brilliant minds working on new innovations for customers, partners, and employees that are 1-3 years ahead of roadmap (now part of VMware AI…
The Relentless Pursuit of 200 – A Nerd Journey Introspective
It’s been 5 years since John White suggested we start a podcast together. In July of 2022, Nerd Journey quietly hit the 4 year mark since initial launch. And now we’ve reached 200 episodes, possibly more than either of us thought we would create when it all started. I missed the chance to reflect on what…
The Pages Don’t Lie
This post marks day 67 of an experiment I decided to do for myself. Consider what follows to be my write up of observations throughout the experimentation process. Instead of trying to convince you to do the same, I’ll tell you my story, the outcome and progress, and let you decide for yourself. Pages…
Speak up at VMware Explore 2022
You have likely heard the news that VMworld 2022 is now VMware Explore 2022. That’s 6 different events across the word that kick off with VMware Explore US in late August 2022 followed by events in Brazil (October), Europe, Singapore, Japan, and China (all in November). Regardless of your feeling about the change, consider this…
My 2021 Reading List
After publishing my reading list from 2019 and again in 2020, it seemed only fitting to continue the trend for 2021. This past year there were some book goals I socialized on Nerd Journey, so we’ll see what goals vs. reality were and discuss potential reasons for discrepancies. Unless otherwise specified, the books below were…
Burned Out for the Holidays
There’s no place like burnout for the holidays. You can run, but you can’t hide. Perhaps the possibility of being burned out never crossed your mind. Stop for a second, and let’s explore. The answer might be different than you thought. Think back on your personal state of the union during 2021 (mental health, physical…
Learning from The Maestro
Roger Federer has long been my favorite tennis player. Sports commentators have often mentioned his fluid movements and graceful game on the tennis court. He makes playing tennis look like an art and is sometimes referred to as the Swiss Maestro. After winning one of his first few major tennis championships, the tournament director told…
The Note Taker and the Editor – Nerd Journey Turns 3!
It’s been 3 years since Nerd Journey‘s official launch, and the time has flown by. I wrote reflection posts at launch, at the one year mark, when we hit 100 episodes…but this one, written at the 3 year mark, somehow seems different. Despite learning from many more people we interviewed and having our first repeat…
No Cheat Days
When co-hosting a podcast, you try to find the theme of the episode and create a catchy title. Recently we had a virtual farewell for a beloved co-worker and friend, and one of the folks in the meeting spoke up near the end to nail the theme…there are no cheat days. Losing a co-worker, boss,…