The right frame of mind is important for your overall health

I've been holding off on writing about this, but what happened to me is an important story to tell, and a cautionary tale for others who might be going through the same thing. The photo you see above is me lying in a hospital bed about a month ago. And I want to tell you …

#SQL101: Raising awareness of SQL injection

(Image credit: XKCD.com) I don't think there's an experienced web developer or DBA who isn't familiar with the classic "Bobby Tables" XKCD cartoon above. Just about any time you mention "Bobby Tables" to most experienced IT people, (s)he will immediately know to whom you are referring. Most experienced web developers and DBAs are aware of …

Communication lessons from air disasters

I've always had a morbid fascination for air disasters.  (Don't ask me why; I have no idea.)  I'm fascinated by shows such as Air Disasters, Why Planes Crash,  and Mayday: Air Disasters.  Whenever I hear about a plane going down, I'll start thinking about what happened, clues, what might have caused it, and so on.  …

Leaping before you look

(Image courtesy of The Telegraph) Not long ago (I don't remember how long -- I'll say a couple of weeks), I stumbled across a 'blog post that someone had written. Apparently, this person was a new SQL Saturday speaker. I don't remember his name, and from what you're about to read, it's probably just as …

It’s okay to say “I don’t know”

If you ever have a chance, I recommend sitting in on Thomas Grohser's presentation called "Why candidates fail the job interview in the first minute."  (Tom is a great speaker, and I suggest you go hear him talk, anyway!)  In his presentation, he discusses a number of reasons why job candidates often blow the job …

Want to get ahead? Don’t get comfortable

"Moving me down the highway, rolling me down the highway, moving ahead so life won't pass me by..." -- Jim Croce, "I Got A Name" "It's important to be able to make mistakes.  If you don't make mistakes, it means you're not trying." -- Wynton Marsalis "Don't look back.  Something might be gaining on you." …

Instant decisions

(Source: New York Times) A NY Times recap of a ballgame got me thinking about instant decisions. I watched this game on a TV at a restaurant where I was having dinner with my wife.  I remember watching Brett Gardner getting thrown out as he was caught in a rundown between third and home.  I …

Always ask someone to test your product

This morning, one of my colleagues posted this message to our Slack channel: please ask someone else to test your code before pushing it It brought to mind an important thought (and more 'blog article fodder): any time you produce something, regardless of what it is -- a software application, documentation, a presentation, a music …

Blind spots

"All I want from tomorrow is to get it better than today..." -- Bruce Hornsby (or Huey Lewis -- whomever you prefer) "You're only human; you're allowed to make your share of mistakes..." -- Billy Joel One of my favorite books is The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks.  For the benefit of those of …

Don’t be afraid to screw up

"If you’re not making mistakes, you're not trying." -- Wynton Marsalis "I get knocked down, but I get up again; you're never gonna keep me down..." -- Chumbawamba "You're only human; you're allowed to make your share of mistakes..." -- Billy Joel "It's not how we fall.  It's how we get back up again." -- …