Current Events of January 8, 2026

As I enter the year and start to revisit certain things in my own career, along with having discussions with other professionals, I try to slow down and think about different perspectives. There are challenges in every role, but what feels simple in one organization can be genuinely difficult in another.

I have also been spending time thinking about setting clearer examples for how I operate and intentionally creating structure that others can interface with, rather than just being reactive

Here are a few articles I have found interesting lately.

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health to connect user medical records, wellness apps - OpenAI launched a health focused chat. I know that it is going to be a success. I know I've used AI to help me interpret health metrics, but I didn't just give it all of my medical records. What happens when they decide to start selling data? What happens when there's a security breach? I'm good, I won't participate.
Reading is Your Executive Secret Weapon - Ed talks about how reading is becoming less commonplace in the work place in favor of things like AI summaries. I mostly agree with Ed, but I am coming from more of a depth perspective when I do so.
Transferable Skills Software Development Taught Me! - An older article at this point, but Vincent Garcia talks about some of the less technical skills developers need to be successful, and how they're transferable across other experiences.
The Ultimate Guide to Azure Durable Functions: A Deep Dive into Long-Running Processes, Best Practices, and Comparisons with Azure Batch - I've been spending more time on server less architecture in my AZ-204 training, and found this to be a great introduction to durable functions.
How to Get the Most Out of a One-on-One with Your Boss - One one ones tend to be a grind when you have direct reports. But when you are the direct report, there's a lot of preparation that can help you get the most out of it. Make sure it isn't just another stand up.