Month: July 2017

A Flicker On My Roof

Carl Setzer

There’s a very distinctive rattle that woodpeckers make. I find it pleasant for the most part. Except when coming from my roof in the early morning. 

Bearing no malice, and actually feeling rather amused, I grabbed a handful of fir cones. Several throws later, I finally communicated my desire for it to find a tree to peck upon. 

Hard to sleep with that racket. Plus, holes in my roofing are undesirable. 

Fight Like A Girl

Carl Setzer

At my taekwondo school, many of us have adopted this slogan: “fight like a girl”. A couple of the women I train with are thinking the next iteration of this is pink t-shirts with this phrase. 

Overhearing this I stated I would proudly wear one myself. And I want to be clear:  truly, deeply, definitely I would. 
I adore the fierce and talented women and girls in my life. The amazing and wonderful things they’re doing to make our world better…I’m privileged to be a part, to witness and, sometimes, even help out. 

So, get the shirts and let me buy one. A humble little thing I can do. 

Another Reorganization At Microsoft

Carl Setzer

As a former Microsoftie with many friends still there in Redmond, I follow these news stories with intent.

We’ve had a few stories hit the wire the past couple of days:

Some thoughts:

  • I can’t imagine that dramatic of a re-org will happen without layoffs.
  • With that, it’s hard to see through the fog in the crystal ball on this one, at least as far as layoffs go. I’ve seen Microsoft layoff plenty of people, who then get hired on in other business groups over time. How many of those folks will actually collect unemployment (if any) is hard to gauge.
  • It’s nice to see what was called “services” when I worked there getting serious attention.

So, I hope that the drama of this announcement creates little-to-no stress for you, dear reader.

Opportunities and All That

Carl Setzer

I’ve had two conversations today that have me thinking about the area’s economic opportunities.

  1. Seeing the potential from storage rental facilities, with RV spaces in particular. I know a builder who had nearly 100% occupancy shortly after pre-sales started. Complete hearsay, but I still trust it. Well, enough to be willing to do further research.
  2. Storefronts in the City of Everett. Now, after some brief research, looks like commercial real estate vacancies are down. Yet, while walking along Colby a week or so ago, there’s quite a bit of storefront space vacant. I think Everett has a lot of potential, and that it will materialize at some point. I’d like to see a more vigorous effort to promote the downtown of the city. Especially as an alternative to Seattle. But, that’s just my notion.

Anyway, there are other potentials out there. What are you seeing?

Area Cons and Updating My Geek Events Page

Carl Setzer

Driving past Everett Mall I noticed Kobe-Con coming this next weekend (July 7th – 9th). When I added them to my geek events page, I noticed all kinds of dated information (events from 2016 and worse), so I spent some time updating the page. Some key observations.

  • Not sure the status of Cour d’Alene’s Con D’alene. There is a post on their Facebook Page from January 2017, but nothing about a 2017 or beyond event. I pulled the event from the list. If anyone knows that they’re happening, drop me a note.
  • I was a little worried that Steamposium had died as their website was dead. However, a brief consultation with Google showed they’re alive and well. For some reason, they let their website expire. Looks like they’re centering their comms to their Facebook Page.
  • There’s a comicon in Yakima…YAKIMA! Central City ComiCon is in it’s third year. Just from my personal experience, I still find it hard to imagine a geek friendly event their. But it delights me to see this.
  • While looking up details on Spokane’s Lilac City Con, I discovered this Facebook Page: Spokane Geek Girls. Check them out!
  • Galacticon died an agonizing and public death…back in 2015…clearly, I need to update this page more often.
  • Geek Portland seems to stale. No updates since last June. Deep sadness.
  • Nerdy Seattle is silent, too.

Anyway, that’s the updated news on this thread.