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Choosing a suitable device for reading articles, docs, and ebooks

I love gadgets, and I love reading, too. It’s a nice combination, as there’s always a new shiny gadget that one just has to buy – for reading, of course. I currently own an Amazon Kindle Oasis (2018) device, a rather old iPad (that the kids are using for YouTube), and a Surface Go. I do have a few work laptops, and a beefy workstation that I do most of my work on. This got me thinking – how should I read, and how to make reading as low friction as possible for myself? My favorite device is the Kindle Oasis, as it’s always ready to be used. I haven’t had a chance to read anything in about two weeks,… Read More »Choosing a suitable device for reading articles, docs, and ebooks
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Insights: How I write and what I’ve learned on writing this year

It’s not a secret by now, that I love writing. Yesterday I wrote 15 pages for my upcoming book on Microsoft Azure – it will be a sequel volume to the one that was published in May by ShareGate: (You can get a free digital copy here) I’ve written more actively this year – about 50 blog posts for my own blog, and plenty of other pieces online. The more I write, the easier it gets. Perhaps there’s an insinuation to working IT here, too. I’ve also learned a lot during this year on how I write, and how I get rid of the usual obstacles, such as writers’ block, deadlines and finding a suitable topic. Let’s go through some… Read More »Insights: How I write and what I’ve learned on writing this year
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Announcing my departure from the company I helped found and build

It’s exactly 3877 days since I founded my company. That’s about 25% of my life. I had just resigned from Microsoft, after moving back to Helsinki from Dublin. This wasn’t a solo journey, as I had my brother to start and bootstrap the company with me. We named the company Onsight Helsinki, as I’ve been a keen rock climber for almost two decades so it only made sense at the time. We focused on delivering training and consulting services on the Microsoft stack – Office 365, Azure, later Microsoft 365 and what have you. We ran the company together from early 2009 up until 2017, when we merged with another company (called Sulava). Even after the merger, we remained as… Read More »Announcing my departure from the company I helped found and build
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Turning on video during Microsoft Teams meetings – why, or why not?

I’ve used Microsoft Teams – mostly daily – since November 2016. That’s almost 3 years, and probably about 3 billion meetings, calls, chats and other messages over that time. I bought a Logitech BRIO 4K webcam last year, mainly to use it with Windows Hello-based authentication. That means I can just casually stroll to my study room, sit down and the computer unlocks automatically upon recognizing my face. It’s beyond great! The webcam comes equipped with a privacy flap – a piece of plastic I can flip down to block the camera. It still allows the infrared lens to work for Windows Hello, so I mostly have the flap flipped down. I’ve had the opportunity to partake in numerous meetings… Read More »Turning on video during Microsoft Teams meetings – why, or why not?
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Building an automated pipeline to keep my Amazon Kindle full of interesting content

I have several Amazon Kindle reading devices. The one that I use – almost daily – is the Kindle Oasis, from last year. Battery life is insane, as in “it’s never empty”, and rarely needs a recharge. Perhaps I’m not using it enough. I traded in my old and beaten Kindle from 2015 for this, and only paid about $100 for the upgrade while visiting in New York last summer. The problem is, however, that I haven’t gotten around to reading too many books in recent months. School is keeping me relatively busy with some assignments – two weeks ago we read Continuous Renewal – The only way to survive by Pentti Sydänmaanlakka. Add to that the dozens of articles,… Read More »Building an automated pipeline to keep my Amazon Kindle full of interesting content
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Thoughts on entrepreneurship and building a company

Tomorrow on September 5th is the Finnish national Entrepreneur’s Day. The fun and somewhat comical part is that it does not coincide with World’s Entrepreneurs’ Day, which was in August this year. In addition, in Finnish – which is my native language – the word entrepreneur is ‘yrittäjä.’ Don’t try to pronounce it, but what it literally means is ‘someone who tries.’ I’ve been a trier for 10 years and some months now. For me, entrepreneurship often means being a business owner. Running and building a company, and trying to grow it successfully without making anyone angry in the process. Back in 2009, when I started with my brother – as all the best companies are founded with your siblings,… Read More »Thoughts on entrepreneurship and building a company
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I’ve got a newsletter now – in a modern email!

  • Thoughts
I like writing. I really, really, like authoring content. Currently, I have one book in progress, another one that I’m overseeing and a few more ideas brewing for future books. It’s great. There was a time, not too long ago, that I was afraid to open Microsoft Word. The white, blank page was scary and ruthlessly demanding. Not so anymore. I spent serious effort to understand how to put myself into a writing mode, without fear of failure. Sometimes a glass of wine helps, too. I’ve blogged more frequently in the past year, for which I’m happy and feel I’m reaching a wider audience. Sometimes, though, I think I have more to say about something. Or an idea that I’m… Read More »I’ve got a newsletter now – in a modern email!
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Challenging myself with Microsoft’s Quantum Computing development tools and Q#

Every evening I read a book to my youngest son. He’s turning 2 later this year and loves books. Or perhaps it’s just his way of buying more time before going to sleep. We started with Astrophysics for Babies, back in 2018. Since then, we’ve read Newtonian Physics for Babies, Rocket Science for Babies, General Relativity for Babies and plenty more. One of his favorites is Quantum Computing for Babies: It’s pretty great! Taking a complex topic, simplifying it as much as possible and still keeping it funny and approachable is a huge accomplishment from the authors. Don’t worry, we read normal children’s books, too. Last night, after putting my son to bed, I started thinking. Where, exactly, are we… Read More »Challenging myself with Microsoft’s Quantum Computing development tools and Q#
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Building a custom Twitter Analytics tool using .NET Core, Azure Storage, and Power BI

This week has been very productive for me. I’ve been running and thinking, and in the mornings I’ve written about my thoughts. Today is no different! I’ve been a Twitter user for 10 years now – I joined in May 2009. At first, I was a passive user, but in recent years I’ve given it more effort and I’ve found Twitter quite useful and valuable for myself. One thing that’s kept me awake all these years is statistics on Twitter. A simple analytics page is provided at https://analytics.twitter.com, but that’s about it. I get core metrics through this page, such as how actively I’m tweeting and how many times I’m mentioned. Unfortunately, this is a rolling 28-day summary, and it’s… Read More »Building a custom Twitter Analytics tool using .NET Core, Azure Storage, and Power BI
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I’m speaking at Microsoft Ignite 2019 in Orlando this November!

I’m overly happy and proud that I was selected as a speaker for the upcoming Microsoft Ignite 2019 event this November! The event takes place November 4-8 in Orlando, FL at the Orange County Convention Center. It’s going to be a massive event with over 1,000 sessions. This is my third time speaking at Ignite, and each time I’ve enjoyed the experience very much. It’s hectic, massive and memorable each year. I will be presenting two times, on new topics I haven’t presented before. The first one is titled Building a connected summer cabin using Azure IoT Hub and AI. The idea is to go through the planning, challenges, and solutions I’ve built for my summer cabin. The second one… Read More »I’m speaking at Microsoft Ignite 2019 in Orlando this November!