Alan Bush

2023? Already?

al@albush.com — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Somehow, beyond all reason, it’s 2023. Time to put down a recap of 2022, and set out some thoughts on what 2023 will bring.

Favorite Podcasts - 2022 Edition

al@albush.com — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In March of 2017 some folks did a thing called “Try Pod.” It was an effort to get more people listening to podcasts. I shared my favorites, then and have now published updated lists for 2018, 2019, everything went on hold in 2020, picked it back up in 2021, and now I realize I’m due for my annual blog post. (I should really post more often.) When I listen When I first wrote this list, I was sitting in traffic, commuting to an office multiple times per week.

Favorite Podcasts - 2021 Edition

al@albush.com — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In March of 2017 some folks did a thing called “Try Pod.” It was an effort to get more people listening to podcasts. I shared my favorites, then and have now published updated lists for 2018, 2019, everything went on hold in 2020, and now for 2021. It’s mostly the same, but a few have been added, some removed. Weekly Listens In no particular order, these are the podcasts I’ll listen to every time they come out.

Recommended Android Apps 2019

al@albush.com — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 12:56:38 -0500

Updated for 2019 Among my friends, I’m often the looked on as the “Android Guy.” I’ve been using Android devices longer than almost all of my friends. I’ve used both iOS and Android devices, and have a pretty good understanding of the benefits and difficulties with each. I’m often asked for assistance in making the transition from iOS to Android.. A few years ago, I wrote up some recommended Android apps for a friend (and a few updates along the way).

Favorite Podcasts - 2019 Edition

al@albush.com — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000

In March of 2017 some folks did a thing called “Try Pod.” It was an effort to get more people listening to podcasts. I shared my favorites, then and have now published updated lists for 2018, and now for 2019. It’s mostly the same, but a few have been added, some removed. Two quick things, before the list: 1. What’s a podcast? To avoid the dreaded trip to Webster’s, I’ll just say that a podcast is an audio recording of one or more people talking about a subject they care about.

Favorite Podcasts - 2018 Edition

al@albush.com — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 09:53:12 -0500

In March of 2017 some folks did a thing called “Try Pod.” It was an effort to get more people listening to podcasts. I shared my favorites, then, and have now updated my list for 2018. It’s mostly the same, but a few have been added, some removed. Two quick things, before the list: 1. What’s a podcast? To avoid the dreaded trip to Webster’s, I’ll just say that a podcast is an audio recording of one or more people talking about a subject they care about.

What to do in San Antonio Besides The Final Four

al@albush.com — Fri, 30 Mar 2018 16:18:09 -0500

Exploring San Antonio: Where to eat, drink, and play like a local A few years ago the Royals came to town for an exhibition game played at the Alamodome here in San Antonio. I put together a guide, with the help of my friend Drew, and shared it with some folks looking for the best bets to see in San Antonio besides the games. I updated it this year for the Final Four.

Recommended Android Apps 2018

al@albush.com — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 12:37:09 -0500

Updated for 2018 Among my friends, I’m often the looked on as the “Android Guy.” I’ve been using Android devices longer than almost all of my friends. I’ve used both iOS and Android devices, and have a pretty good understanding of the benefits and difficulties with each. I’m often asked for assistance in making the transition from iOS to Android.. A few years ago, I wrote up some recommended Android apps for a friend (and a few updates along the way).

Sample Portfolio

al@albush.com — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Rackspace Blog I wrote more than 50 posts for the Rackspace blog over my almost 5 years with the company, all on a volunteer basis. The unofficial motto of the Community and Social teams was “#BeHelpful.” I found I could best be helpful by writing down what worked for other customers, sharing it with a larger audience. Tips To Steer Your Startup To SXSW Success - My first piece for Rackspace.

Cold Brew Coffee Recipe

al@albush.com — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 12:35:15 -0600

There's nothing more refreshing than an iced cold brew coffee on a summer afternoon. You know what I love? Coffee. You know where I live? San Antonio. It’s freaking hot here, most of the year. And while the heat rarely deters me from a piping hot Chemex full of coffee every morning, the prospect of spending 10 minutes making hot coffee in the afternoon can be a bit much when it’s already 98 degrees by the time you finish off the first cup.

Recommended Android Apps 2017

al@albush.com — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 03:29:03 +0000

Updated for 2017 Among my friends, I’m often the looked on as the “Android Guy.” I’ve been using Android devices longer than almost all of my friends. I’ve used both iOS and Android devices, and have a pretty good understanding of the benefits and difficulties with each. I’m often asked for assistance in making the transition from iOS to Android. A few years ago, I wrote up some recommended Android apps for a friend (and a few updates along the way).

Hey, you should listen to podcasts

al@albush.com — Sun, 26 Mar 2017 11:00:15 -0600

I know I’m super late to the party, but March is #trypod month. See, it’s a pun, based on the idea that people who are already fans of podcasts - me - and who already might appreciate their value would be able to introduce their friends and family to the podcasts they love. So I’m going to do just that. So, two quick things, before the list: 1. What’s a podcast?

A Blast from the Past: IE6 Compatibility

al@albush.com — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 08:35:15 -0500

Note: My “On this day” over on Facebook just reconnected me with a blog post I wrote 7 years ago, today. Let’s hop into the Wayback Machine to understand why the heck I was writing about this 7 years ago. While working for a health care startup, I researched, evaluated, and eventually implemented a software as a service (SaaS) collaboration platform called Central Desktop (now iMeet Central) for the company. We used it to collaborate internally and externally on many different projects.

Continual Improvement

al@albush.com — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 10:00:15 -0500

A recipe for continual improvement When I was up in Kansas City last summer for my grandfather’s 90th birthday, I knew I needed some good coffee. I asked around on Twitter, and got a recommendation from a trusted friend - Second Best Coffee. Heading to @2bckc on the recommendation of @Jeremy_Danner. I trust his beer recommendations, and I expect his coffee recs are good, too. — al (@alanbush) August 19, 2016 They absolutely did not disappoint.

All Good Things Must End

al@albush.com — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 10:35:15 -0500

The next step Last week my tenure at Rackspace ended. I knew - we all knew - that a “workforce reduction” was coming. I didn’t think I’d be one of the nearly 200 local Rackers impacted1. But I was. It was certainly shocking. But I understand and agree with the need to shift resources to the areas of the business that need them the most. I still support Rackspace, and think they’ve got a bright future ahead.

How to make Outlook act like Google Inbox

al@albush.com — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 12:02:44 -0600

Last year I shared a colleague’s method to deal with email overload. I’ve been using it for a year, and these three simple rules have been a great help for email sanity at work. In my personal life, Google’s Inbox has provided a great way for me to “snooze” email that isn’t relevant until a certain date. This keeps my inbox clean, and prompts me to action at the appropriate time.

Improv Your Blog

al@albush.com — Sat, 22 Oct 2016 10:35:15 -0500

Thanks for checking out my talk at WordCamp 2016. The slides are embedded below, along with links to the books, shows and classes mentioned in the talk. I’m collecting email addresses to gauge interest in additional content around ImprovYourBlog. If you enjoyed the talk today, and want to receive additional periodic updates from me, please subscribe below. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:100%;} Improv Classes ComedySportz - Use Promo Code improvyourblog to receive $25 off your tuition.

Slack is the amplifier, not the problem

al@albush.com — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 08:55:24 -0500

Some thoughts in response to a great bit of discussion popping up around Slack, some of the annoyances of the platform, and whether or not Slack is delivering on its promise to “be less busy.” In his post on Facebook, Rob has a valid point. Slack can help you be more productive, but people can make it less so. More specifically, a lack of purpose and direction allows user behavior to wreck the user experience, leading to lower adoption rates, and an inadequate collaboration experience.

The (Ongoing) Saga of USPS' Utter Failure

al@albush.com — Mon, 16 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

TL;DR: I purchased two copies of a book to send one each to my sisters and their families. I mailed them both via USPS “Priority Mail 3-Day” shipping. My sister in Alaska received hers in 3 days. My sister in Kansas City, MO still hasn’t received hers. as of publication, we’re at 15 and a half days.

Getting Started with Android

al@albush.com — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 15:29:03 +0000

Among my friends, I’m often the looked on as the “Android Guy.” I’ve been using Android devices longer than almost all of my friends. I’ve used both iOS and Android devices, and have a pretty good understanding of the benefits and difficulties with each. I’m often asked for assistance in making the transition from iOS to Android. A few years ago, I wrote up some recommended Android apps for a friend.

What to do in San Antonio

al@albush.com — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I’m looking forward to the upcoming Big League Weekend, San Antonio’s only chance to see Major League Baseball played in our town. It’ll be interesting to see how they convert the Alamodome to a baseball stadium, and the Fan Fest looks like it’ll be a lot of fun. I know there are some Royals fans headed down this way to see the Royals play. This will be a good chance to show off some of the best that San Antonio has to offer.

Making a Whackbook

al@albush.com — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve had my old, white, cracked placstic MacBook 4,1 (Mid 2008) since mid 2008. It’s been a great little machine for me, but it’s way past its prime. It’s no longer able to run the latest version of OS X, and the latest applciations aren’t remotely capable of running on Snow Leopard, or whatever version of OS X that the hardware is capable of handling. Speaking of hardware, I maxed out the RAM, upgraded the HDD, and replaced the battery; this little laptop has some life in it, yet.

Episode 0 - SA Tech Dad Show

al@albush.com — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Hey it’s our premier podcast about being a nerdy dad in San Antonio. Join Corey, Drew, and Alan as we discuss age-appropriate books and games, kid-friendly restaurants in San Antonio, and try to figure out what to do with Periscope. Of course we also chat about what we’re drinking - hint, it’s Octoberfest time.

Hangout Setup

al@albush.com — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been hosting and participating in additional hangouts lately. It’s something I really enjoy, and I love that my job not just lets me, but encourages me to participate in them. I was recently asked to share the tools I use to produce the hangouts, so I thought I’d enumerate them here. <img class="responsive-img" src="http://drops.albush.com/hangout_setup.jpg" alt="Getting ready for a recent #CMGRHangout, most of my equipment on display." /> <figcaption> <p> Getting ready for a recent #CMGRHangout, most of my equipment on display.

Batting Practice with Marshall

al@albush.com — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Over the weekend my almost 5 year old son and I had a guys day. We had flapjacks for breakfast, went to the coffee shop, and ate at our favorite restaurant, and read some books together. But our favorite part of the day was hitting up the batting cages for to hit some balls. Marshall has always loved baseball. He gets home from school, and asks to go right outside and start playing.

Unbreaking Email - 6 weeks later

al@albush.com — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The last thing I did at work last year was to delete all of the mail from my inbox. Don’t worry, I took a backup, first, but I wanted to try something new with email. The day before, I read a wonderful blog post by my colleague Cody Bunch on how he planned to “unbreak email in 2015.” by using a simple set of rules. I liked the simplicity, and decided to give his system a try.

The problem with reply all

al@albush.com — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Here’s the problem with email: You can’t opt in and you can’t opt out. Once someone decides that you need to be included in an email conversation, you’re in until someone else (lots of someones, usually) decide to remove you from the thread. Until then, you’re stuck getting every single reply, even those that provide absolutely no benefit to anyone - “+Bob from accounting;” “Let me get back to you on that;” “Congrats!

WordPress Hangout

al@albush.com — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

I really enjoyed hosting yesterday’s WordPress themed Office Hours Hangout. We had some great guests and a great discussion. I’m looking forward to hearing everyone speak this weekend at WordCamp San Antonio. If you’re there, look me up! Hosts Alan Bush - @AlanBush Drew Cox - @DrewCoxSA Guests Steven Villarreal - CloudU Learning Strategist Garrett Heath - @pinojo - Rackspace Social Media Marketer Anthony Burchell - @TheWPressGuy Table of Contents Learn WordPress with CloudU (5:28) WordPressGuy videos (10:02) WordCamp – WordPressGuy – Caching (13:49) WordCamp – Garrett Heath – WordPress content/blogging (15:51) WordCamp – Drew Cox – Firedrills/Testing (20:13) Contributing to WordPress (23:44)  Digital Marketing with WordPress (32:44) WordPress Flexibility (37:59) WordPress Plug-ins recommendations (40:18) Q&A – Wordpress with Windows servers (42:49)  Wrap Up (46:44) Links WordPress Guy Website WordPress Guy Videos CloudU WordPress Learning Series  WordCamp San Antonio 2015  Contributing to WordPress Rackspace Digital Destinations: “Online Shopping Carts in Real Life: 7 Mishaps to Avoid” AppPresser Reactor – Mobile Apps with WordPress Microsoft Windows and WordPress SAFlavor.

Did this work?

al@albush.com — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Ok, so I just blog to Hugo, and I’ve deployed it with drone.io. If you’re reading this, it worked.

Instant Instagram Gratification

al@albush.com — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

I want instant gratification. Especially on Twitter. It’s 140 characters short. Give me the info, and let me look at the next tweet. So when I see a tweet linking to Instagram, sometimes I don’t follow the link. I don’t want to wait an extra few seconds to open a new tab, wait for Instagram to load, look at the picture, then head back to Twitter. Especially on a mobile device.

Performing with San Antonio ComedySportz

al@albush.com — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The good news is I’m performing improv comedy on Saturday. The bad news is I don’t get to make stuff up with my friends as much as I would like. I think that’s just a fact of this stage of my life. I don’t have to like it, but there it is. I started performing improv in High School. That’s over half a lifetime ago. We practiced or performed at least once a week then.

Recommended Android Apps

al@albush.com — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

A friend just got her first Android phone, so I put together a quick list of apps I think are well worth an install. This is by no means a complete list, just a start. All of the Google Apps. Most of them aren’t the default on a Samsung device, and it’s well worth it to either install them or set them up as your default. Google Now Launcher - provides the default Google Android Experience - No Samsung/HTC crap interface.

World Series

al@albush.com — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

I was five years old when the Royals were last in the World Series. This year, they’re back again. Unlike other teams shutout from the World Series, the Royals haven’t even been to the postseason in 29 years. The won the title in 1985, and then went into a three decade slide. Some of us remained fans, others jumped to other teams and other sports - KC’s MLS franchise, Sporting KC, has won the only championship since the Royals won the World Series in ‘85.

SungWoo Lee Is Not A Lucky Charm, He's a Fan

al@albush.com — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

If you’re looking at SungWoo Lee and only seeing a “Good Luck Charm,” you’re doing it wrong. If you don’t know who SungWoo Lee is, take a minute to read his story. (Rany Jazayerli has a perfect recap.) SungWoo Lee isn’t a magical creature capable of making the Royals win. He’s not a good luck charm that can propel the Royals to victory in the World Series. He is a great guy that helped a franchise, their city, and their fans remember why they love the game, and this team.

Billy Butler Stole a Base

al@albush.com — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

So this happened. Crazy world we live in. Crazy world. yaketyfied via YaketyLapse, a silly idea from H. Wade Minter.

CircleCI Test

al@albush.com — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

If you can read this, CircleCI is working.

Minimizing the Impact of a Cloud Server Reboot

al@albush.com — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Last week at work, we had to reboot almost all of our Cloud servers. In anticipation of the reboots, my colleague Alison Oster and I wrote the following article for our customers. I think the advice is valid, regardless of where you host, so I’m reposting it here, and including the video hangout where we covered these tips. Minimizing the Impact of a Cloud Server Reboot We all try to prevent it, but from time to time you might find that your server needs to be rebooted.

Yes And Development

al@albush.com — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000

You never know when a passing comment might turn into an actual product. I’ve been performing improv for over half of my life now. By this point, many of the concepts of improv are incorporated into my everyday life. Here’s an example of a principle of improv applied to software development. Two days ago I saw a great tweet: So I did what any good improvisor would do: I “yes anded.

Becoming a Community Manager

al@albush.com — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Next week I transition to my second job at Rackspace, a Technical Community Manager. I’m very excited, since this role will allow me to spend more of my time extending one-to-many support. I think that my strengths lie in expanding individual support interactions for broader consumption. I’ll be working in our Community Forums and answering as many questions as I can and then looping in other teams for help as needed.

Making Assumptions about my Fellow Passengers

al@albush.com — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Editorial Note: I wrote this in June of 2012, while waiting on a delayed flight in the Phoenix airport. I wish I had written more of these. Since I have once again been delayed on my flight, I thought I would pass the time by imagining the back story for some of the more outstanding passengers in the terminal with me. First up: The middle aged man in the XFL tshirt.

Vices CD Release Party

al@albush.com — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Last night my wife and I attended the CD release party for our friend Danny Gibbons who performs as Our Sleeping Giant. We had a fun time with great people, listened to some good music, and got to celebrate Danny’s achievement. The show was at The 1011 in San Antonio. It’s a great little dive bar that specializes in live music and beer - and they do both well. They’re also Spurs fans, so things like this aren’t much of a surprise:

Easy Filesharing with Dropzone3 and Rackspace Cloud Files

al@albush.com — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

From time to time I need to quickly share an image or file with a colleague, a friend or client, and that’s usually something I would do on a one-off basis by emailing, or uploading to Dropbox or something. This is a pretty easy workflow, but it could probably be easier, right? That’s where Alex Chiri and his Dropzone action come in. If you’re not familiar, Dropzone is a great little Mac utility that allows you to perform quick actions by dragging a file up to the icon on the menu bar.

Keep Peddling

al@albush.com — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

My four year old son has his first bike. I’ve been spending my evenings teaching him how to ride - he’s catching on fast. One area he’s struggling in is the turns. He’s not confident, or not focused, and he tips over in the turns. I was jogging after him, shouting advice, when I realized my advice has implications far beyond beginners cycling - keep peddling and look where you want to be.

The Customer Isn't Always Right

al@albush.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I participated in a round of interviews for an open position on our Customer Success Team. I conducted my portion of the interview with my teammate Bill. I always like listening to Bill - he has wonderful insights, and asks great questions. I truly appreciated one question he asked in the interview: “Is the customer always right?” Fortunately, not one of the candidates answered “Yes.” Wait - What?

Songza Adds Context to Google Play Music

al@albush.com — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Hey, did you hear that Google is buying music curated music app Songza? I’m very excited about this acquisition. Songza is a bit different than other streaming music apps, in that their playlists are carefully curated around context - What time of day are you listening? What’s your mood? What activity are you participating in? - and then plays music based on that context. And I hope that Google will integrate this context directly into their own streaming music app.

Cold Brewed Benchmarks

al@albush.com — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Last week I read an article on Lifehacker about a less messy way to cold brew coffee. As a fan of cold brewed coffee, wanted to try this. Cold brewing is very easy, but it does leave a bit of a mess. I needed to be able to brew my coffee quickly, easily and with as little mess as possible. The Lifehacker article describes what appears to be a very simple, no cleanup version of the cold brewing process with little to no filtering needed.

Hello World

al@albush.com — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The part where I welcome you to version X.Y of my blog. Where “X” and “Y” are numbers larger than I would like to admit. Let’s just call it iteration number ten. I’ve built this blog on the Pelican Framework, with a large dose of help from Justin Phelp’s two guides to blog automation with Pelican. Why Pelican? I wanted to build a simple, static site that I can post directly as HTML - either through my own server, or on a Rackspace Cloud Files Container.

404 Page Not Stached

al@albush.com — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Whoops! The page you’re looking for isn’t ‘stached here. (see what I did there?) Did it work? How about now? Now? I think I fixed it. Apparently not. Duh.

About Alan Bush

al@albush.com — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Hi! I’m Al. Some people still do the business card thing, but I never had any printed. Here’s a vaguely card-shaped piece of information about me. Print it out and hang on to it, if you’re into that. Alan Bush www.albush.com al@albush.com mastodon: @al@twit.social twitter: @alanbush github: albush linkedin: adbush Nerd. Proponent of: Work from anywhere, coffee, beer, my face on coffee mugs, improv comedy. Not a fan of dongles.