Brian H. Madsen - .Net Powered by Caffeine : Personal Development

Dropping my coffee intake to 0

Brian Madsen — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:15:56 GMT

Uhmmm – one of the decisions I’ve made recently has been to drop my, according to others, excessive coffee intake and replace it with something a bit more gentle.

Tea….

I’m now on day 7 of no coffee at all, started last Monday and obviously it had a very fast impact.

On last Thursday i had a comment from one of my colleagues – asking me if i was ok since I'd been VERY quiet Monday through to Wednesday?

I honestly didn’t think I'd been any different than my regular, “normal” self in the office, but obviously it must have registered somewhere.

I admit, i had a thunderous headache Tuesday afternoon – most likely from the caffeine withdrawal.

So, i replaced it with tea..my current recipe for a good cup is:

1 tea bag of either Chai tea (Ceylon), Herbal tea (Herbal Infusions, Twinings) or Green tea
1 slice of lemon
1 teaspoon natural honey

As far as missing the coffee – yes, but i think it’s more the habit of having the coffee with me around the office than the actual coffee itself right now.

It’s all a step into making my life a little bit healthier – next step includes finding a way to drop those extra kilos that’s weighing me down.

I’m literally going to take it slowly and just drop things off the list one at a time. Considering taking up Taekwondo though with my knee issues I might have to take that VERY slowly.

3 weeks at Fujitsu Australia

Brian Madsen — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 06:31:43 GMT

I was trawling through my latest posts, in the hope to discover if the "date and time" issue I found the other day had occurred on other entries. And i noticed I'd mentioned I was leaving Change Corporation - but i didn't mention where I'd gone.

Anyways, i joined up with Fujitsu Australia and have been with them for 3 weeks now.

A few differences from other places I've worked in the past:

1) It's a VERY large organisation - 160.000 employees worldwide and you can feel it.

that being said, the office in Perth has a very flat structure and people are more interested in getting the job done than the fancy nameplate.

2) I have my very own career adviser (LM) who I've met with a few times already to discuss my career.

At Fujitsu you "own" your career. If you just want a 9-5 job with a great environment, then that's just fine. If you have more fire up the butt then that's fine too. You decide where you want things to go.

3) The projects are large...and i mean LARGE - which is excellent. The current project I'm on has a very public profile yet there's hardly any stress or pressure. It'll also get me exposed to my ultimate goal (hush hush) and where i want my career to head.

So what is my role - in a fancy way then I'm a senior application specialist..in normal terms..I'm a consultant, which happens to specialise in a range of platforms or products - naturally in my case it's Microsoft products/platforms - and this meaning .Net and MOSS + supporting technologies. I'm attached to the professional services team, which is a supporting team for the web services group (this is where Michael Minutillo works).

Another part of my role - and this was by my own choice, not something in my job description - I'll be heading up the .Net stream of the Microsoft Community of Interest within Fujitsu in Western Australia. This is a "new" part of Fujitsu and it's taken very seriously by the corporates/suits. Basically it's a user group within Fujitsu itself. There's a guy over east with my role as well (not sure who he is yet) and there's three other streams alongside mine.

So why have a "user group" within a company - well, it's not a bad idea in itself as it'll further the interest some of us geeks happens to have. And another aspect is that we're 3300 people in Fujitsu AusNZ with nearly 400 here in Perth alone and a LOT of us are geeks.

Besides the "normal" geeky things - such as organising presentations, articles and furthering the knowledge sharing between our teams I'll also be organising the "social events" for the boys n' girls.

It took me a lot of thinking/contemplating etc before i decided to join Fujitsu and there was a lot of questions i raised within myself before i made the decision. I had a few other options available to me, one which i very nearly took but after some soul searching realised that i wasn't quite at the level I wanted to be at if I should join this company. It was a hard decision to make and the self evaluation I went through was rough - basically I didn't quite feel i was up to par - yet.

At the moment I feel I'll be able to grow at Fujitsu.

Back again – it’s been a while..

Brian Madsen — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:58:49 GMT

Haven’t blogged for quite some time – life, work and misc had caught up with me and i needed to re-group again.

So what have I been up to lately?

Well, i just finished off a project at Woodside, where I worked pretty much alone (part of a team, with an onsite project manager, but worked on the project by myself) which was a great project. Had a lot of fun and the guys there were great.

Another session on ASP.Net was held at Curtin University – probably one of the funniest sessions i’ve done in a long time. Was good to see that turnout and knowing that students do really care about what they learn. As with many universities, Curtin still isn’t teaching .Net (other than a “Compare J2EE and .Net” class, which really didn’t go into any detail), so I went out there to present on ASP.Net. Giving the students a bit of a background in the framework and showed off some code examples. Thanks should go to Daniel, who’s the Microsoft Student Embassador at Curtin, for organising this and to Microsoft for sponsoring the Pizzas (yes, oddly enough the pizzas was a hit too…who’d have figured with Uni students??).

When I arrived we found out that the department had double booked the room we were meant to be in – with none other than IBM. So i figured, dang, that’d draw my attendees away as I was told this was a information/recruiting session. But, as luck would have it, the IBM team didn’t have anybody attending..none..zero…zip..I was told that some had elected NOT to attend the IBM session because mine was being held at the same time. Oh dear, sorry about that IBM, guess students wanted to learn something rather than be recruited :)

So the score now stands…. Microsoft MVP 1 – IBM 0…Great turnout and the students attending were keen. I’m now planning a more in depth session with Daniel and hopefully we can get to out again and have a full day (or a couple of half days) at Curtin.

Other than that, i’ve been spending a lot of quality time with the family – catching up on time i’ve neglected over the last couple of months and i’ve seriously enjoyed it.

Another chapter is being closed again..i’ve resigned from Change Corporation. The time i’ve had there has been good and I’ve met a lot of seriously talented people. Some of the best SharePoint guys in Perth works there (SE and AB) and a couple of majorly talented infrastructure gurus (PR and JP). So thanks guys – it’s been a blast and great fun working with you – it’s time for me to move on.

I wont go into any detail as to why i’m leaving, but i’ll be announcing where i’m going soon. And i’ll most likely see a lot of you guys around anyways.

I’m not leaving SharePoint – honestly don’t think i can – it’s a great platform and i’m now going to invest even more time into it and get really dirty.

Technorati Tags: Change Corporation,SharePoint,Brian H. Madsen

I can has loose weight!

Brian Madsen — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:45:56 GMT

I've decided that i'm going to loose weight. Everybody seems to be getting into shape these days and i'm the only one that hasn't jumped on the health-wagon yet.

So, decision is made - i want to loose 20kgs...i don't quite know how much i weigh right now, but it's about the 105-110kg mark..which is too much!

I mean, how hard can it be? we actually have a treadmill at home so I should start using it again on a frequent basis! No excuses!

Fabian rocks....Sharepoint DVDs going on order!

Brian Madsen — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:05:06 GMT

today i got the green light to purchase two copies of the Sharepoint Training DVD which Sahil Malik created together with Carl Franklin.

All thanks to Fabian who vouched for it and put the PO through for me.

Now i just have to wait for Carl to get back to me on how we actually buy them.

Awesome work Fabian - thanks heaps for putting your weight behind the request!

Garden Project: Code name "Rosario", 99% complete

Brian Madsen — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 04:47:41 GMT

Phew, in full tradition of software releases, i've decide to dub my veggie patch/garden project "Rosario".

Note: any coincidental conflicts are solely accidental and you can ignore this or rename your own project.

I've blogged a bit about the changes done and my plans - but finally, my work is 99% complete as more will most likely come in future versions (the wife is the project manager so of course there'll be more work in the future..this is just the beginning and the possibilities are endless).

This weekend was probably the worst - it was hot..well for a Danish migrant living in Western Australia it was. Yesterday, when i put in the last bed and the paving between the shed and the fence, we hit 30-32 degrees Celsius and today when i finished the last touches on the bed we reached 35 degrees Celsius. So hot, hot, hot...

That's how it looks from the front now.

The wife has already started planting/placing the seedlings she's grown in the bed and they're thriving.

Now to find another project to start on - will consult with my better half as i'm sure there's more around here i can do..

Garden project - getting physical with the picket fence

Brian Madsen — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 09:19:55 GMT

As summer is almost around the corner, my wife decided she wanted a small veggie patch, surrounded by a picket fence.

So over the last week or so i've been digging, painting, sawing..well, you get the picture - but now things are finally starting to take shape.

should just say, that this is the first woodworking project i've taken on since failing 5th grade woodwork at school.

The picket fence will be a total of 5m by 7.5m and takes up roughly 1/4 of our back garden. This means of course there's going to be a lot less lawn to mow (excellent!..not that i do it anyways..the gardener lady does that), but still...

I dug in the posts to about 60-70cm and concreted them in..nothing is going to rock those - ever!!

Here's the frame for the picket fence - s'cuse the bad photo quality - my mobile doesn't take that great photos in the sun and i had to shade it a bit with my hand.

After i'd gotten the frame all put together, i needed to pull it all down again..yeah, great, but with the sun down under being a bit vicious, i'd rather be doing that now than have to re-do the entire fence in 2-3 years time. So painting time it is.

Almost done with the first coat and as you can see, i've pretty much ruined the lawn down in that end of the garden already.

Last thing to do is the put the last two horizontal planks in, finish off painting the pickets and attach them all to the frame.

it's all level and i'm really proud of myself..i'm actually doing something which doesn't have a keyboard attached to it, and it's turning out quite alright *pat pat pat*.

Anyways, that's what i'm spending my "free" spare time with right now. it's slow going as i have to measure 3,4,11 times before i cut anything. Should look good when i'm finished!

4 Weeks to go - a new beginning...

Brian Madsen — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:13:01 GMT

Today the decision was made for me to move to another company. In an earlier post I wondered what I was looking for and what type of work I felt I could best fit into.

I've had a string of interviews over the last two weeks and this afternoon I accepted a verbal offer from Change Corporation.

I'll have to pass on another offer I received earlier this week as I believe CC will offer me a wider variety of work plus I get to work with some of the newest Microsoft products - like Sharepoint, CRM, BizTalk etc.

So, 4 weeks from now i'll call Change Corporation my new home.

Change Corporation is a Microsoft Gold Partner - an aspect I'm widely interested in - and have received awards from the Microsoft Partner program two years running.

Anyways, onto newer fields.

Personal Development...how to go about getting it done..

Brian Madsen — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 02:56:27 GMT

I read a very interesting post on Mitch Denny's blog about how he's tackled personal development in the past and i wonder if i should attempt to work it in the same way as he did/does.

Basically he decided way back to learn .Net and set himself a goal. He then systematically went through the framework, one namespace at a time, in order to cover all of it.

I think what it also takes is self-discipline - something which i sometimes lack (my weight is an issue and i keep getting on the health-wagon and off again).

So i'm going to take a page out of Mitch's book and set some goals for myself for the next 3 months.

The list of things i want to improve on (not just technical development) is:

loose 15kgs - my current weight is 104kgs
spend more time with my kids
support my wife more with the daily chores and her decisions
get competent creating Vista Sidebar Gadgets
get competent creating Silverlight applications
get competent with the new features of VS2008 "Orcas" .Net 3.5
Present at least every 2 months at the SQL Server User Group
Present at least once for the Perth .Net CoP UG.

So how am i going to accomplish this?

First of all, i'm going to start eating healthier and take up the treadmill again for at least 45 minutes each evening.
dont run off and do my own thing when the kids are up and about.
I'm going to be more tolerant with my wife and kids and not take everything personally, especially when i fail at something and my wife points it out to me.
show more initiative with the chores around the house
take up golf again to get active physically.
start on the sidebar gadget i've been planning to do for a while (not going to say what it is just yet)
include Silverlight into the Sidebar gadget.
go through the list of new features in the next generation of VS and .Net and work through them one at a time.
Set aside time at night to put a presentation together for the SQL Server UG and Perth .Net CoP

Why am i bothering to publish this list here? well, i hope this will be a constant reminder to what i've set out to do..no skirting around.

TPN - The Microsoft Developer Show..

Brian Madsen — Sun, 27 May 2007 12:16:57 GMT

Thursday morning I went by Nick Randolph's place to take part in a podcast about the development community in Perth...oh and me ;)

Nick runs The Microsoft Developer Show over at The Podcast Network and have had quite a few good shows on in the time he's been at the wheel. Amongst those "interviewed" has been David Lemphers, Mitch Denny and Rob Farley so I feel pretty good about joining these guys on the list of guests.

Nick is one of the forerunners in the Perth development community and as such is a prime role-model for developers wanting to shed some skin and get involved with the community.

Even with the ipod acting up and skipping a few minutes out of the whole conversation, it came across pretty good.

So what did we talk about? well, obviously me ;) but more importantly the Perth development community as a whole and what's going on around us.

We talked about the SQL Server User Group, the development community I'm getting up and running, which i might add has some fantastic support from both Orcsweb, Telligent, Stu and Lee from Feedghost and of course not to forget Darren Neimke..A few things about Perth's booming financial influx which obviously also means more companies are investing in their IT needs, the job situation over here as well as what actually goes around the .Net scene in Perth.

One thing i should quickly mention for those of you who runs over and listens to the cast..in the podcast i mention CSharpZealot's moderators and said that they're all from Perth. Not quite true...The moderator for the SQL Server section is Rob Farley, who lives in Adelaide..Sorry Rob..my bad.

Anyways, drop on by theshow and have a listen..it's not quite as boring as you would have expected.

James Green shows talent...

Brian Madsen — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 22:48:22 GMT

James Green decided to congratulate me on my MVP award in his very own style:

Brian. The babe they called 'Brian',
He grew,... grew, grew, and grew--
Grew up to be-- grew up to be
A boy called 'Brian'--
A boy called 'Brian'.
He had arms... and legs... and hands... and feet,
This boy... whose name was 'Brian',
And he grew,... grew, grew, and grew--
Grew up to be--

An MVP they called 'Brian'

Monty Python themed MVP song!! now that's not something you see often.

Thanks James!!!

Microsoft Moves DBMS into the VS Developer Mainstream

Brian Madsen — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 00:16:51 GMT

Finally, some sense is brought back into the world!

As most know by now, i'm VERY keen on ensuring that DB skills are constantly improved for developers and here is MSFT giving it a kick (somebody must have been reading my blog, right?) and going in the right direction.

i'm not saying that the DBAs should be shipped to australia as a convict (hmm...that's soo last century, isn't it?) but i feel personally that there's a lot more to development than just crunching code and as such, knowing your DB and that it is a vital part of your application is a major considering that i believe quite a few developers fall to the side on.

Now that "Orcas" is going to implement far more DBMS related tools we will hopefully see developers being able to write decent/semi-decent queries as well.

Link to .NET Development Channel – Microsoft Moves DBMS into the VS Developer Mainstream

Is this normal, or am i being anal?

Brian Madsen — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 05:12:39 GMT

One of the tools i use is ReSharper - i love this tool and cannot...live...without...it..

A feature i really like is the code analysis bar on the right hand side of the code window.

I especially love seeing the little square go green - and stay that way.

Of course, this has its drawbacks, especially when working in a team environment since whenever i see this:

I rush over and fiddle with the code till it turns green.

It does really matter what it is since the warnings can be quite varied..i just cant help myself..

sometimes when i'm waiting for a file to be checked in, or a build to complete on the server...or just passing a few moments "thinking" of some problem or possible solution...i flick over to a file that i know has a warning in it and start going through a few warnings.

I mean, there's really nothing wrong with using .ToString()...but sometimes it's redundant to do so...and i remove it...

so, am i being anal or is this normal?

David L's thoughts on IT&T and having a career in it - and me looking at life

Brian Madsen — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 10:02:40 GMT

I normally read David Lempher's blog when nobody else is around to hear me laugh (eg. never at work because people there find me strange enough as it is already, without adding any more fuel to the inferno).

Today i took an exception and chanced that he may have returned to the continent again - but no, he isn't back but running around in the US - having the fun i want to have ;)

In one of this posts he mentiones what comes to mind when he considers his career and the industry he works in - i'll term it IT&T because that's a safe bet - and something he wrote made me think long and hard on what my own thoughts on the industry is.

"When I think about my chosen career and the industry I work in, all that comes to mind is speed! The speed at which ideas are conceived, the speed at which they are transformed into concepts, the speed at which they are delivered as bits and bytes, and the speed at which they transform many, many, many peoples lives!"

David Lemphers - Microsoft Evangelist
http://blogs.msdn.com/davidlem

Now, David isn't the bore and drap that this very deep thinking makes him look like - but it hit a core as to why i do what i do. I'm also sure that David didn't particularly write the post with that paragraph solely in mind.

So what is my thoughts on the industry? Two things...

Impact - what comes to mind for me is Impact. The Impact the techology has on peoples lives. The Impact that the rate of technology's "evolution" has on how we work, socialise (look at how many people use SMS to keep in touch rather than talking) and our own evolution.

Passion - Passion for technology has a way of shaping you, as a person. What Passion makes you do, to achieve more, to affect other people and what you neglect (neglect, as in the social aspects of our lives).

What drives me the most these days is discovery of the technology - areas I haven't ventured into and have mostly remained ignorant of its existence.

One of the reasons i chose the job at the place i'm at now, was that I would get a chance to move into another area of technology than what I had previously, and comfortably, worked in. The chance to see what I personally could achieve and also the challenge of the idea of changing.

I know many people have heard the saying that change is like a holiday - but honestly, most people are creatures of habit and rarely, if ever, venture into the unknown (relatively speaking of course) without a lot of prior planning (hence its no longer unknown) - but I, for some reason love change.

So - i changed industry - from an ISP to an ISV, with the hope that I would not only learn more but also that it might envigorate me and give me back my passion - I was close to burning out before, mostly due to a lack of motivation (which is generally a cause and affect scenario), but now each day I feel that i've gained something - learned something new and exciting.

But I didn't just change industry - I changed the face of my chosen framework, from ASP.Net to Windows Forms. The behavior model of the Windows Form was quite different than what i had become used to with ASP.Net - that is of course to say in terms of the UI (obviously) - the framework stayed the same (.Net..obviously), the projects changed scope and the team worked in a different manner.

Granted, i had other offers for more $$$ which would have placed me firmly into my comfort zone of ASP.Net again - but the challenge appealed to me.

Today, after reading David's blog i actually realised how happy i was again with my career and the industry i work in.

Quality of code...is it a myth to expect a bug-free application?

Brian Madsen — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 12:49:00 GMT

I recently began communicating with an australian developer, Boyne Cutting , about a small side-line project we both had an interest in after I published some messages on the Port80 forums , an australian Web, Design and Development association, where...(read more)