My son is starting his off-season soccer sessions for school this week, a crucial precursor to the official tryouts for the JV and varsity teams. The final team decisions are slated for November. I had plans to buy him new cleats, but life interfered, as it often does. So, he's going back onto the field in the same boots he wore during his injury last year.

Not long ago, I had an idea that I couldn't shake. It was one of those lightbulb moments that I just had to share. So, I sat down with Bryon Jacob, a data.world co-founder and our CTO, to hash it out. By the end of our conversation I felt I did a good job communicating my idea and was happy that he was engaged. I didn’t expect what was next.

Today I felt like the old cliche of being thrown into the deep end without a life jacket. Trust me, it was the epitome of chaos—kids playing without their uniforms, an almost-empty bench, and a scoreboard that felt like it was laughing at us. I felt like I was navigating a sinking ship with only a plastic spoon to bail us out. But, here's the kicker: it turned out to be an experience that taught us all more than any "by-the-books" game ever could.

Look, I've got a knack for spotting trends way before they become mainstream. Call it a sixth sense, but I'm usually about five years ahead of the game. Today, I'm letting you in on an idea that's primed to revolutionize the way we think about websites: conversational interfaces on your homepage, like chat-GPT, will be the future.

Remember those weird, crazy days of adolescence? Of course you do. It's that unforgettable time between childhood and adulthood, where your body is doing all sorts of weird things, hormones are raging, and you're trying to figure out who you are.Well, guess what? I'm 45, and it feels like I'm back there again.

Coaching a soccer game is more than just guiding a team to victory; it's about shaping young minds and instilling values that will last a lifetime. Recently, I had the opportunity to coach a new team of 14 and 15-year-old boys in a tournament. It was a learning experience for all of us, filled with challenges, triumphs, and valuable life lessons.

Remember the days of Ask Jeeves, Yahoo, and the early stages of Google? Those were the times when searching for information online was a simple, linear process. But as technology has evolved, so has our approach to information retrieval. Enter ChatGPT, a generative AI that has brought an entirely new way of interacting with information to our fingertips.

If you've been following my blog or tweets, you might have seen that back in April, May, and June, I launched a website called Fitpholio. It was an experiment in using AI to help me create my own data-driven application. It was an amazing experience, and I was able to complete the project entirely on my own with the assistance of Chat-GPT.

I asked Chat-GPT to evaluate the content of my personal website and write me a value statement. This took like 4 seconds:

Taking my kids to summer camp is always bittersweet. I love spending time with them so much. As for my son, it's an extra challenge because he prefers being by himself. He's definitely an introvert. However, he made the decision to go again this year, pushing himself out of his comfort zone. He always claims to have a great time when he returns home. But that doesn't make the drop-off any easier

I've found myself in this quirky habit of snapping away during workouts. At times, it's to cross-check my form, others it's to document the sweet victory after an intense session, or just to have a good laugh at the memory. Instagram typically comes to mind for sharing these fragments of life, but not all of them make the cut to my carefully curated feed. In the midst of this, an idea sparked for fitpholio: why not blend these fitness flashes with my workout data?

Most people want advice or help in some area of their life; they could use someone to guide them, speak truth, or simply listen. However, most of us think that it''s a job for someone else. Part of this might be apathy, but I think the bigger part is feeling inadequate.

You know those thoughts you have immediately before or after doing a workout, taking a cold shower, or deciding whether or not to make time for a sauna or some sun? Or those thoughts that cross your mind mid-workout, regarding your strategy or the order of movements? Well, now you can capture those moments on Fitpholio.

Have you ever heard of the 20-rep max? If you have, then you know the incredible challenge it presents. And if you haven't, let me introduce you to this game-changing exercise. Imagine performing a quick set of 20 air squats, and then envision adding a whopping 275lbs on your back.

Sometimes, I question why I pour so much effort into, but I persist nonetheless. I think part of my motivation stems from the fact that its success or failure is completely up to me. I savor both the failures and small victories. On average, I acquire a new user each day. Unfortunately, most of them sign up, never post anything, and don't return. It's somewhat disheartening, but that's not what it's really about.

I vividly recall the sensation of lying in bed on those hot summer nights as a child. The day had been spent bathed in sunlight, surrounded by friends, and now I was here. My skin still radiated warmth, carrying the distinct scents of bug spray or chlorine. The contrast of the cold pillow against my skin was sharp, and I found myself tossing and turning, trying to dissipate the residual energy from the day. There was a part of me that rebelled against the idea of sleep, but I knew I had to rest up for the camp or trip scheduled for the next morning.

An update to let you know that version 2.0 of Fitpholio statistics is now live! After adding metrics to the home page, I found myself wanting more insights. So, I''ve implemented a quick and dirty solution.

I didn't have much time today. My wife went out of town again, so I had work, kid pickup, and an impromptu trip to the orthodontist for my son's broken braces. Despite this, I was able to make some meaningful progress on Fitpholio.

Slides are the Instagram of business. They tell the story just how you want it to be told. The problem is that they are not responsive to questioning, nor are they dynamic. For every question that comes from a slide presentation, there is an hour of work required to get to the answer. Instead of building slides, build systems.

I've been working remotely for more than half of my career, and while it used to be rare pre-COVID, now I''d guess that about half of the workforce experiences some version of it. One of the best things about working remotely is being there for your kids when they get home from school.