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I've been a premium LinkedIn member since 2017. A lot has changed on the platform since that time. They say you should start with a complement before you start talking about your gripes.... 🫤 I like that for the most part LI has stayed professional. I've stopped using other similar platforms because they've just become too sloppy & often negative. Tho, it could be that I've chosen to follow only well-behaved feeds on LI. What I'm not a fan of on LI, tho, is how the algorithm has been changing. I think a lot of good genuine content is not getting the eyeballs it should, and that it normally used to get. ( Jesus Serrano  helped open my eyes to this - his analysis is amazing) Maybe the influx of AI-generated content is to blame? What's your thoughts on the state of LinkedIn these days?  MoreCowbell.me/cubetalk

I enjoyed sharing my Kwanzaa 2025 thoughts with you this year! As a final gift ( #zawadi ), I've listed all 7 LinkedIn posts here for your convenience. Enjoy, and please use the comments to share your thoughts: Umoja:  https://lnkd.in/eK-e5Ytb Kujichagulia:  https://lnkd.in/eM5fXG7w Ujima:  https://lnkd.in/e8VcVZ5J Ujamaa:  https://lnkd.in/ergJ4qEW Nia:  https://lnkd.in/eczkAPc6 Kuumba:  https://lnkd.in/ewkFSpsw Imani:  https://lnkd.in/eaYZjzDU MoreCowbell.me/cubetalk

I'm a beast in OneNote. I'm not exaggerating when I say that probably 20 years of my professional and personal notes are stored there, with a large amount of those pages being handwritten. Yes, I've been using digital pens & tablets since before they were kool - back when they were heavy and nowhere near being mobile friendly. These days, thankfully the Surface Pro and Surface Pen make my journaling and diagramming in OneNote a much more satisfying experience. They allow me to enjoy writing on glass rather than on paper. Here's the question: it's a new year, and many folks like to start with a fresh new Notebook at the beginning of the CY or FY. I, however, keep the party going as long as the "topic" of the Notebook remains relevant (my job role; a project; etc etc) What's your approach? Start fresh yearly? Or allow your notebooks to span multiple years? MoreCowbell.me/cubetalk

I don't know how to use my wife's air fryer. But I wanted some fish fillets. So, I put the bag of frozen fillets in front of the air fryer and took a picture. I gave the picture to Copilot. All I said was, "tell me how to cook this fish with this machine. Assume no prior cooking experience".  It proceeded to give me step-by-step instructions. It knew the model of the air fryer, so it let me know exactly which buttons to press. It knew at what temperature that particular brand of fish fillet should be cooked. In 15 minutes, I was eating fish fillets. This is the kind of practical real-world AI scenarios I like sharing on my blog and my YouTube streams. Not all of us are involved in the massive enterprise use cases for AI that will change the world. Sometimes, we just want a snack... 🤓 MoreCowbell.me/cubetalk

I become a spreadsheet nerd around this time of the year. This is when I take my full previous-year statements from my different accounts and do analysis on the family spending.  I. Geek. Out. Pivot tables. Categories. Charts. A nice cup of coffee. [insert Homer Simpson drool image] 🤣 This year, tho, I'm gonna see just how well AI allows me to ask questions of the raw data versus doing my own manipulations. Instead of a multi-level pivot table to figure out how much Dining Out we did last year compared to previous, I'll just ask for the answer. And then ask follow-ups to help me determine which restaurant was the most evil seducer of our appetites. :) (Yes, I'm looking at you, Cheesecake Factory) 😋  Any tips & tricks from fellow data dudes/divas that have this same ritual? MoreCowbell.me/cubetalk

While I'm transitioning my Surface Pro content to this blog , you can see all my previous content at https://surfaceprobro.blogspot.com or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/SurfaceProBro

Kwanzaa Day 7 of 7 |  #Imani  (Faith): Today 2025 is officially behind us. For many, including those in my industry, 2025 was tough. I'm not sure how one deals with the complexities of life (aka 'adulting'), or finds the will to look forward into 2026 confidently, without having Faith as a foundation. To keep my faith strong, I've been part of a men's bible study group for many years. In 2025, when searching for passages for us to study, I've been using AI to help. There are many that are passionately against using AI as part of reading/studying the Bible, but I've found it to be very helpful.  I don't use AI to give me "answers" in order to improve my "understanding" of the Bible - I use it to give me thought-provoking "questions" in order to improve my "engagement" with the Bible. I've even built my own Bible Study AI Agent so my conversations are tailored to the guardrails and boundaries and Bible websites that I'm comfortable with.  There are folks starting 2026 today with some heavy burdens. Let's pray for their Imani as they go thru this season, knowing that their faith will be stronger on the other side of it. See my blog for more  #Kwanzaa  posts >  https://lnkd.in/eAqb8x-W   #HabariGani   #KwanzaaPrompts

Kwanzaa Day 6 of 7 | #Kuumba  (Creativity): Believe it or not, before I became a super nerd, I used to write poetry. 🤓 I can't explain what caused my season of poetry-writing back then, nor can I explain why I haven't written any more poetry in the many many years since. But, today's principle made me go back and look thru some of my stuff - I found one I'd written called "When Women Sing" that talks about the beautiful melody of the female voice. It's too long to post on this platform, but I'm particularly fond of its ending: "...And I just bet God sits and rests And begins to dream When Women Sing..." Kuumba is about the power of creativity, and how it can inspire and uplift. It can take so many forms, and even now that my work is almost entirely technical, I still find ways to bring creativity to my tasks. (Have you seen some of my old PowerPoints?) :) In 2026 I'm thinking of [re-] trying to learn the guitar. Seems like that might be a good balance after a day of building AI solutions in Azure. LOL How about you - any plans to be more creative in 2026? See my blog for more #Kwanzaa  posts > https://lnkd.in/eAqb8x-W #HabariGani   #KwanzaaPrompts

Kwanzaa Day 5 of 7 |  #Nia  (Purpose): In 2012, I wrote an article called “ The 3 T’s of Giving Back to the IT Community ”. It was a piece about the intentionality behind giving back to the community - in this case, the IT community.  I was reminded of the article when I thought about Purpose. In the article, one of the things I highlighted was the concept of "Teaching", and I mentioned the year I was a volunteer instructor for a high school STEM/computer competition team (we won a national award that year, BTW). Sharing my knowledge with kids from my Community, and watching them succeed, was definitely a purpose-driven initiative for me, and would have been a rewarding experience for me even if we didn't win. (...but we did win. Did I mention that earlier?) 😉 Nia reminds me that our collective vocation is to build and develop our community. For me, that means using my skills and experiences to empower others—whether through speaking engagements, mentoring, or writing. Each “T” in that article (Talk, Teach, Text) represents a way to share knowledge and create opportunities for others to thrive. I'm hoping 2026 is a year we all can gain more clarity and focus regarding our Purpose, so that everything we do contributes to strengthening the Community and inspiring others [especially our Youth] to live out their purpose. See my blog for more  #Kwanzaa  posts >  https://lnkd.in/eAqb8x-W   #HabariGani   #KwanzaaPrompts