What's going on? 2026-03-09
I haven't posted anything in a month, and I'm finally coming back to it. It feels as if February flew by. There have been a few projects at work that required additional attention, and I think they took some mental capacity away from personal development. As part of my regular routines, I noticed I was slipping a bit, so I need to make that a bigger priority.
That doesn't mean I have been stagnant.
I spent a lot of time with Mermaid and understanding the syntax better. I've used it on the blog before, but now I have a better understanding of what is possible and when to use different approaches. Obsidian is also something I've been exploring more lately.
I have come to the conclusion that I need a blog series on Microservices, SOLID, and UML. I wrote about SOLID more than ten years ago for work, but it is not here anymore, and that just feels wrong.
I've also looked into leaving the Hashnode platform. With recent shifts in my goals and my working style, it feels somewhat inevitable. But where would I go? What is important to me? What is really missing that is causing this desire to shift?
Here are a couple of things I saw recently that I found interesting.
Discord and Age Verification - I have a lot of mixed emotions about this. I don't like the idea of handing out my ID to any corporation. I even get annoyed when the doctor's office scans it. At the same time, I believe there is some responsibility to protect kids. But is that Discord's responsibility?
Memory Prices - They are still insane. I wonder if the resistance toward AI might help bring prices down in the next couple of years. Everything I read suggests the next 18 months could be difficult since most of the chips that are going to be produced are already allocated.
MacBook Neo - This feels like a smart move by Apple. You can walk into classrooms today and see rows of Chromebooks. That is what kids are learning on. The Neo makes Apple devices more accessible to the average user. It reminds me of the phrase, "The best ability is availability." Now more people have access to the platform.
On a personal note, I spent some time really enjoying the Winter Olympics. I find the Winter Olympics more creative and impressive than the summer games. I am also a big ice hockey fan, which helps. I started reading a bit of fiction as well, mostly to give my brain a break from constantly analyzing technical things and following the endless news cycle.
There was also a seemingly endless cold spell across the United States that drained a lot of my energy. I also need to finish my office renovation that I started back in November. Once that is done, it should help me stay more focused here.
It is important to step back and reflect. Sometimes you need to course correct, and that may mean something else has to change as well. That applies not only to your personal life, but also to the projects you lead.
