Thoughts on the Lenovo L380 Yoga

Because I have transitioned to starting my own company (HexaBuild) I needed to pick up a new daily driver laptop rig. Looking around there were some tempting things to pick up like the new Surface Pro, the MacBook Pro, Dell XPS 13, and a few others. But to be honest, I have always been partial to Lenovo ThinkPad products. I have used them for years and they arguably have the best keyboards on a laptop in the industry. So, even though I was spending my own money (ThinkPad's aren't known for being cheap in quality or price) I decide to start looking through the Lenovo website to pick out a new laptop.

I started in the X series that I have always gotten before. X1 yoga and X1 carbon were high on my list. But looking at the pricing and options I soon realized my price to performance ratio was getting a bit out of reach. I started looking around the site for other options. The Yoga and IdeaPad stuff was fun to look through. I wanted a 2 in 1 (I actually use a pen on the screen occasionally when presenting remotely to do brainstorming and quick drawings) and I wanted a 13" design or smaller for travel reasons. I wanted something with USB-C but that also had more "ports" then what the MacBook line does.

Then I stumbled on the L380 Yoga. It isn't perfect, no cool keyboard retraction when using it as a 2 in 1, but honestly, I am not in tablet mode enough to notice that. But everything else is about perfect. One thing I miss is backlight for the keyboard but I've only had that be an issue twice in the two months I have been using it. Given the price point (I got it for under $1,000) and the performance I am very happy with it. It seems with the focus on premium devices that some of the more moderate professional grade options are being overlooked. I would recommend others check out the L380. It doesn't have the high density screen display of the X line but given my old eyes and the fact this is a bigger display than traditionally what I have gotten it has worked out just fine. So a thumbs up for now.

- Ed

I'll be at Tech Field Day Extra at VMworld US 2018 and Future:net

I am pleased I get to spend a few more cycles with my friends and colleagues by participating at the Tech Field Day Extra at VMworld 2018 on Weds August 29th. So far, Blue Medora and NetScout are confirmed and it looks like we might have another presentation, it is listed as secret company right now. Should be good fun. Not sure if this will be live streamed or not, I think it will depend on the wifi dependability but check out the website for more details. They will also be covering other companies on Monday and Tuesday so there should be a lot of content on those days too.

In addition to the Tech Field Day event, I will also be at the Future:net event on Thursday, August 30th. This has been an excellent event in the past and I look forward to hearing more interesting info on what is cool or fun in networking today. It is worth skimming the website to see what will be presented. Unfortunately this is an invite only event and if you haven't gotten an invite by now you might not get in at all. They do have the content from past years posted if the speakers gave permission.

If you will be at either event I would love to connect. You can reach me via twitter.
- Ed

New job, new podcast, new focus...

It has been an interesting year for me and I'm excited to say I have decided to strike out on my own with some good friends and colleagues to start HexaBuild. We are focusing on advancing cloud, IoT and security with IPv6. The transition for IPv6 is well on it's way for service providers, residential providers, content and media distribution networks, and mobile operators. So, today in the US you can be using services that are all IPv6 enabled everywhere except at your office. Because enterprises have lagged so far behind in addressing the IPv6 adoption story they are now handicapped in participating in the whole Internet. HexaBuild is all about addressing those needs. We do that through training, consulting, education and enablement. Because we are consulting company, we are happy to work with resellers, distributors, manufactures and Fortune 1000 companies to help them get their IPv6 adoption strategy going.

Second bit of news is I am now co-hosting a regular podcast called The IPv6 Buzz on the PacketPushers. If you are interested in being a guest please reach out. It is just something fun to do and we have some fantastic IPv6 guests lined up. Use your favorite podcasting app and grab it, we are currently in the Community Channel w/ PacketPushers but they will be moving us out on our own shortly!

Finally, focus. After spending two years running an engineering team and worrying about the company, sales, team and careers of everyone else I get to focus on what I love again. I really enjoy talking tech with colleagues and friends, I have fun working and building stuff with IPv6 and finally I get to do a bit of travel. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome working with the engineering team at Groupware but it was time for a change and I get to see how my change in focus will work out. Oh, yes, I get to read more too! I will update that book list here shortly.
- Ed

2018 Book Reading

One of the habits I have been trying to work on is reading daily. I have managed to make it through a lot more books and I thought I would share a bit of my book list. I am not going to bother with reviews or a lot of comments. Mostly just a post of what is in my pile (virtual or physical).

I am currently reading:

The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People's Lives Better, Too)by Rubin, Gretchen

I just finished reading the following:

Managing Oneself (Harvard Business Review Classics)

Drucker, Peter F.

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

Gawande, Atul

The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change

Fournier, Camille

Still on my list:

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

Fisher, Roger

HBR's 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence (with featured article "What Makes a Leader?" by Daniel Goleman)(HBR's 10 Must Reads)

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

Ferriss, Timothy

The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds

Lewis, Michael

If there is something I should add to my list please let me know. I'm sure you all noticed I have no technical books on the list. I hope to grab a few to add in so open to suggestions.

- Ed