martinisoft - Network

On a more positive note. I’m blown away by the impact of having our own space. I’ve clearly put a small dent in the universe and made...

On a more positive note. I’m blown away by the impact of having our own space. I’ve clearly put a small dent in the universe and made something important to many. For those who send me thank you comments and give me hugs at the bar. That is keeping me going and realizing this insane investment might just work out in the end. I’m looking forward to living out my days as an owner hanging out at the bar well into my 50s hearing about new connections getting made there.

Side note. I was pretty disappointed in so called “friends” last week who hit me up for free ciders in what should be my time off. I’m...

Side note. I was pretty disappointed in so called “friends” last week who hit me up for free ciders in what should be my time off. I’m trying not to take it personally that you’d rather use me for free shit than be a friend at a time when I’m trying not to remind myself about all the debt I’m in and responsibilities I have running this thing.

Retail business owner life is pulling 12-16 hour shifts for 6 to sometimes 7 days a week because you haven’t hit revenue targets high...

Retail business owner life is pulling 12-16 hour shifts for 6 to sometimes 7 days a week because you haven’t hit revenue targets high enough yet to justify the labor costs of replacing the 5 or 6 jobs you currently do at the same time. Finding others to share that burden without asking for significant financial returns has been unsuccessful.

If you wonder why I’m burnt out and guarded about my mental health and time. That’s a taste of what it takes to build a brand and grow it in my industry as a career change, not a side project. I don’t get to have fun yet. Not for years.

FWA last week was insanity. I feel like a broken fox when I’m overwhelmed by large crowds like that. Glad I got to briefly see and hug so...

FWA last week was insanity. I feel like a broken fox when I’m overwhelmed by large crowds like that. Glad I got to briefly see and hug so many people I haven’t seen in years. Bummed I got to spend so little time catching up, which is one of my favorite things to do at cons. For those who did find time to catch up with me, I very much appreciate it. ❤️

Many say I’m crazy for full fursuiting in Atlanta. Did 8 hours yesterday and didn’t even notice how long it had been by the time I got...

Many say I’m crazy for full fursuiting in Atlanta. Did 8 hours yesterday and didn’t even notice how long it had been by the time I got out of suit. When I look like Martini, that is my mental happy place. I smile more, I feel beautiful, and my anxiety melts away. If I could become him one day I’d be a happy fox.

📸: Corporal

That same trick works for software developers who need a domain that isn’t encumbered by any other networking related attachments. Good...

That same trick works for software developers who need a domain that isn’t encumbered by any other networking related attachments. Good for test cases too!

Pro tip for the folks jumping on wifi where you need to log in or click a button to agree to terms and conditions. Once connected, type in...

Pro tip for the folks jumping on wifi where you need to log in or click a button to agree to terms and conditions.

Once connected, type in “example.com” in your browser and it’ll auto redirect you no matter what.

“example.com” is a reserved domain which is (mostly) respected by networking gear to gently direct you to whatever capture portal needs you to sign in. Apple devices try to detect this redirect automatically via a similar method. Android devices do too.

Join me for a cocktail as I start my vacation? Had to do the traditional Cosmo at the Delta lounge. Even at 8am, because I’m an adult on...

Join me for a cocktail as I start my vacation? Had to do the traditional Cosmo at the Delta lounge. Even at 8am, because I’m an adult on vacation now. Glad I’m getting a big break from running the cidery. Traveling to Atlanta for @FWA which is a massive event these days. Cheers! 🍸

SEA🛫ATL

How to find this fox at @FWA this weekend. First year not staying at the Marriott so we’ll see how this goes. Gonna get all those steps...

How to find this fox at @FWA this weekend. First year not staying at the Marriott so we’ll see how this goes. Gonna get all those steps in!

Things are on a good trend at work in part thanks to a gut feeling about going for one change that was going to be delayed and I didn’t...

Things are on a good trend at work in part thanks to a gut feeling about going for one change that was going to be delayed and I didn’t want to wait.

Still have to build my confidence up from being way too nervous and over-thinking perceptions and judgements. It’s terrifying to basically always be on stage now. Everyone is watching while cheering me on.

Gonna solo drive up to Vancouver today for @vancoufur. First time going to a fur con not in the US. I’m excited to see some friends and...

Gonna solo drive up to Vancouver today for @vancoufur. First time going to a fur con not in the US. I’m excited to see some friends and check out Vancouver a little while I’m up there. Also just a nice quick getaway from work because I have only taken one real day off in a month. 😅

In a Venn diagram there is overlap between the “AI” zealots and Bitcoin folks. Both groups overlap in the “needs extreme amounts of...

In a Venn diagram there is overlap between the “AI” zealots and Bitcoin folks. Both groups overlap in the “needs extreme amounts of computing power we don’t have available, but happy to accelerate our heat death via data centers to make a buck” part in the middle. They’ll scream “QUANTUM COMPUTING” which is still barely in a proof of concept stage so take that as you will about where their heads are at.

If you have ever used the Photoshop “heal” tool which was introduced way back in 2002. You have been using “AI” to fix up images....

If you have ever used the Photoshop “heal” tool which was introduced way back in 2002. You have been using “AI” to fix up images. Really, it’s a machine learning algorithm that attempts to guess the pixels missing in a given area based upon a small sample. The newer versions of which have smarter math on how to guess those pixels. Still the same exact principle.

Point I’m making is that there is nuance to the debate over “AI” in art. This tech isn’t that new, just improving their ML models. Still believe AI can be a good augmentation for humans, a way to enhance existing work. Replace us entirely? Not in our current lifetimes and certainly a separate ethics debate.

Current fox mode: Chill ☺️First day off in about 2 weeks. Work has been crazy to say the least and I hope to slowly claw more days off...

Current fox mode: Chill ☺️

First day off in about 2 weeks. Work has been crazy to say the least and I hope to slowly claw more days off back as the year goes on. Until then, soaking up some kigu and comfy feetpaws with a TV show on the couch. Feels nice. 👍

Every time I use Blue Sky or X for work I remind myself how much better this platform is compared to them. X just continues this horrific...

Every time I use Blue Sky or X for work I remind myself how much better this platform is compared to them. X just continues this horrific descent into what I can only describe as the horror of opening your parents Internet browser to see 30 search bars beneath the real one. Meanwhile BlueSky is that test project from your Django or Ruby on Rails book of how to make a twitter clone in 24 hours from 10 years ago. And I won’t even talk about how incredibly toxic X has become while BlueSky is more an echo chamber pretending to be a more open community. There is clearly a reason Twitter never rolled it out. They loved their walled garden.

Tossing this out into the world for my tech friends. If you are thinking of jumping to another job then WAIT! Until at least March. Most...

Tossing this out into the world for my tech friends. If you are thinking of jumping to another job then WAIT! Until at least March. Most companies will freeze their books by November so if you haven’t gotten an offer before Thanksgiving, you should wait. I’m speaking from 24+ years of personal experience in tech and learning a thing or two in the last decade about how the wonderful world of tech financing works. So unless a company is DESPERATE, they will slow roll you until the next quarter, which typically starts by March. If you are stuck, get a local temp gig or drive for a rideshare if you can.

Good luck out there and stay well folks. ❤️🦊

Holiday FeelsFirst time in a while that I’m very much on my own to make Christmas plans. I’m torn between the idea of personal time to...

Holiday Feels

First time in a while that I’m very much on my own to make Christmas plans. I’m torn between the idea of personal time to relax and spending time with friends.

I just don’t allocate a lot of time to myself these days and sometimes it bothers me. All my skills, ideas, and enthusiasm used to come from that personal time. Now I just appreciate that time I allocate because it’s (usually) not work time. Just can’t shake that feeling like personal time is somehow time wasted where I’m not working on or making money for the business.

Ugh 😓

It’s still surreal that this is the first time in 10 years I’m missing @FurFest so seeing the posts and having folks ask me where I’ll...

It’s still surreal that this is the first time in 10 years I’m missing @FurFest so seeing the posts and having folks ask me where I’ll be this weekend makes me miss it a little more.

MFF was a very big chapter of my life and I’m struggling a little bit with this new one. Many friends I’m missing being around and some panels that I’d never miss every year. Gonna have to learn how I can resolve this FOMO I’m feeling more and more. ❤️

Can confirm at least from my perspective that the "Seattle Freeze" is very real. Been out here about 2 years now. I've spent...

Can confirm at least from my perspective that the "Seattle Freeze" is very real. Been out here about 2 years now. I've spent more time hanging out with entirely new friends I met out here than the ones I've built up friendships with over the course of a decade. Really don't understand it. I just need to learn how to manage my mental health around it. Everyone warned me and I was absolutely not prepared. Luckily I can bury myself in work, but I know that will have diminishing returns and it's already put me into a little bit of a personal crisis point at times. At least for next year, I've built out several vacation stints at every quarter to pull myself away and recover.

Managed to get a king room for FC. It’s been on my bucket list to go for so many years so I’m excited to finally be going. Gonna be...

Managed to get a king room for FC. It’s been on my bucket list to go for so many years so I’m excited to finally be going. Gonna be crazy to balance that with CiderCon directly after.