What is an “expert?”

Years ago, Chris Bell, one of my friends on the SQL Saturday circuit, gave me a piece of advice that has stuck with me for years. He told me (and I'm paraphrasing here), "the definition of an expert is someone who knows something that you don't." When someone says someone is an "expert," most people conjure …

Worldstock #WorldPeace #UniteTheWorld #StopHate

For whatever reason, during my commute into the office this morning, my mind started wandering (as it usually does), and I started thinking about the conflicts throughout the world at the current moment: Israel vs. Hamas, Ukraine vs. Russia, and so on. And this is to say nothing about conflicts that have been ongoing for …

My first robotics competition

Last Saturday, I had an opportunity to attend my first robotics competition! The opportunity came up when my friend Andy Levy came to town with his team for a competition! Andy wrote a couple of 'blog articles about his robotics experience; you can read them here and here! It was a fun time, and I …

We all get rejected. Don’t take it personally

You've been let go from your job. Or maybe you were passed over for the promotion. Or you applied to a position you very much wanted, and didn't get so much as an acknowledgement of your application. Or you were turned down by the school or program that you had your heart set on attending. …

Make goals, not resolutions

This is an article I wrote three years ago, and it’s just as applicable now as it was when I first wrote it. Now that we’re two days into the new year, I figured it was worth reposting again.

Welcome to Ray Kim's 'blog

My previous post got me thinking about setting goals. I mentioned in my previous article that I hate setting New Year’s “resolutions.” I didn’t want to get into why in that article.

Well, in this article, I want to get into exactly why.

How many of you have made New Year’s resolutions? How many of you made them in years past? How many resolutions did you keep?

If I had to guess, probably not many, if any.

This is why I hate resolutions. They’re almost guaranteed to fail. Case in point: for those of you who go to a gym and work out, how packed is the gym in January? In all likelihood, it’s packed with people who resolved to go to the gym and work out this year.

Now, how many of these people are still at the gym by the end of the year? Or by July? Or…

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Happy holidays, winding down 2022, and what’s in store next

As I write this, it's the day after Christmas, 2022. Hopefully, those of you who are reading this had a wonderful holiday season. I hope you had a great Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or whatever your holiday celebration of choice is! For me, personally, Santa didn't leave me much, but honestly, the older I get, …

#PASSDataCommunitySummit — day 1 debrief, and what I look forward to for day 2

Greetings from Summit day 2! This morning, I'm writing from the speaker's lounge in the Seattle Convention Center, where a number of speakers (myself included) are busy looking at their laptops. I'm not sure what the others are doing -- working on their presentations, maybe? -- but I know that I'm here writing in my …

Getting social with travel apps

Although I do not live in or near New York City, I've been there often enough that I feel comfortable about getting around, knowing where to go, and can often pass myself off as a native. (To my NYC friends: you can stop laughing now!) Friends often ask me for advice about where to go, …

Less than two weeks until #PASSDataCommunitySummit! #PASSSummit #SQLFamily #Networking

November arrived yesterday (where did this year go???), and it only recently occurred to me that I will be in Seattle in less than two weeks, speaking for the fourth time at PASS Data Community Summit (or it's equivalent)! On Wednesday morning, among the first sessions of Summit, I will be giving one of my …

Make time for your art

This pic above showed up in a Facebook meme, and it spoke volumes to me. To sum up my thoughts in only a few words, I'm an artist. Okay, I suppose some context is in order; after all, I am writing this as a 'blog article. For the benefit of those of you who don't …