2017-11-23

The Cloud Walkabout #AWS

Some people say that once you write a book - you never stop at only one. I think I tend to agree. There is something about creating something from nothing, and even more so for me - I enjoy sharing the knowledge I have accumulated with the rest of the world. I think I have always been this way. This blog would not exist if that was not the case.

I would like to introduce you all to my latest project.

The Cloud Walkabout

My focus has changed - a number of times over the years, first from Microsoft, then to VMware, on to OpenStack and now my day to day job has me focused exclusively on AWS.

The book is currently in production - and I expect to have a new chapter available on a monthly schedule.

Please take a few minutes to read my previous post - Self Publishing my New Book #AWS and understand how Leanpub works.

Even more so - I am asking you to choose how much you pay for it. There is a minimum price - but you can choose how much you think this book is worth to you. Yes - It might sound a bit crazy - but I have faith in you my readers, that this book will be of a huge benefit to all that read it and you should decide how much would like to pay.

Currently I am only publishing a digital version - when the book is complete - there will probably be a print version as well - we will see what the future holds..

The book is available for pre-purchase today - and this includes the first 3 chapters that are available today (if you would like a sample for free - it is available as well).

Please visit http://cloudwalkabout.com today for your copy.

The most important thing for me is feedback. I would like to hear from you what think about the book, are there parts that you think need improvement, are there things that are missing, or whatever you feel like sharing.

Feel free to reach out me either on Twitter, through this blog or on the book page.

2017-11-22

Keeping Kosher at re:Invent 2017

I hardly mix my professional and personal life here on this blog. I will every now and again throw in some thoughts and feelings from my personal beliefs into my blog posts, when appropriate.

The last time I did a Jewish perspective on a technical conference was VMworld 2014 in San Francisco - VMworld - from a Religious Jewish Orthodox Perspective. It was really interesting to see the comments in the blog post and also the feedback I received on Twitter - which lead me to realization that people are completely unaware of the challenges others face because of the their religious beliefs and faith, and explaining these in a public forum - goes a really long way to help them understand

re-invent

I was quite surprised that when I reached out the re:Invent team to ask about Kosher food at the event - the answer was that there was none. When I was at VMworld in Vegas (a good number of years ago) there was kosher food as one of the options (I don’t really understand why this was not a possibility at this event). It was actually quite amazing to see some of the looks from the people when I walked past all the lines straight to the “special meals” section without having to wait in line, and more than once.

Sometimes eating Kosher does have its perks.

Back to re:Invent (from the FAQ)

faq_kosher

Basically - that means no kosher food throughout the day, which kind of sucks. The good thing about food in the US is that a good portion of the larger product manufacturers already are certified kosher - the most common being the OU. So I assume that some snacks and most of the drinks will not a problem.

So that means for me - bringing my own lunch. Dinner will be in one of the Kosher restaurants in the surrounding neighborhoods. I have never eaten at any of these so I cannot vouch for the quality of their food or their service.

There is also a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at the Venetian / Palazzo that might have a few kosher items during the day, personally I would not bet on it being a good option for lunch.

Here is a list of Kosher restaurants in Las Vegas (and information I took from Google Maps)

  • Ace of Steaks (5825 W Sahara Ave Unit M. - +1 702-899-4223). Open till 23.00 Sun.-Thurs.
    It is about a 17 minute drive from the Venetian
  • Anise Tapas and Grill (3100 S Durango Dr. - +1 702-586-4088). Open till 22.00 Sun-.Thurs.
    It is about a 20 minute drive from the Venetian
  • King Solomon’s Table (4561 W Flamingo Rd. - +1 725-244-4034). Open till 22.00 Sun.-Thurs.
    It is about a 10 minute drive from the Venetian
  • Haifa Restaurant (900 E Karen Ave # H102 - +1 702-940-8000). Open till 21.00 Sun.-Thurs.
    It is about a 11 minute drive from the Venetian
  • Jerusalem Grill & Bar (4825 W Flamingo Rd. Suite 10 - +1 702-341-5555).
    Open till 22.30 Sun.-Thurs. It is about a 11 minute drive from the Venetian.
  • Sababa Grille & Restaurant (3220 South Durango Dr. - +1 702-547-5556). Op
    It is about a 20 minute drive from the Venetian
  • Shawarma Vegas (2521 S Fort Apache Rd. - +1 702-703-7700). Open till 21.00 Sun.-Thurs.
    It is about a 25 minute drive from the Venetian
  • Simon & Joe’s (3720 W Tropicana Ave. - +1 702-759-0333). Open till 21.30 Sun.-Thurs.
    It is about a 10 minute drive from the Venetian.

Kosher Supermarkets (these are much further out - but have a good Kosher selection)

  • Albertson's Market (2550 S. Fort Apache). 25 Minute drive from the Venetian.
  • Smith's Food and Drug Store (2211 N. Rampart Blvd.) 25 Minute drive from the Venetian

Last but not least.

Eating alone sucks - it really does. I know for a fact that there will be a good number of people who eat only Kosher at re:Invent - but no real way to contact one another while at the event.

I have opened up a WhatsApp group - where you can feel free to ask if someone would like to go out for a kosher dinner on one of the evenings.

Please feel free to join in and share this information with whomever you feel it might useful.

Click on the link below to join the group and join someone for dinner.

whatsapp_PNG21

See you all in Vegas next week!!

2017-11-20

Self Publishing my New Book #AWS

If you have been following the hints that I have been dropping on Twitter - you may have noticed that I am about to go public with a new book.

Before I actually go live with the announcement - I would like to prepare you all for how this is going to work - because it could be slightly different from the conventional book launch you might be used to.
I have decided to use Leanpub.

Why did I choose to go with self publishing and not with a traditional publisher?

The main reason behind this is not money, of course royalties are a nice little surprise every now and again - but having co-authored more than one book - I can say with no doubt - we do not do it for the money - definitely not the money,
The main reason - is because of flexibility. I have the option to decide the content - and I am the sole owner of what I want to have in the book. I do not have an ‘overlord’ looking out over my shoulder saying that this is not good, not long enough - or the words are not clear. I decide what goes in, how it goes in and when.
This has it’s up-sides and of course its drawbacks - but that is a topic for a future post.

Why Leanpub?

After reading Jeff Geerlin’s book (Ansible for DevOps) and his posts on using Leanpub - I decided to try it out for myself, and I found…
  1. I love the workflow, git commits, working with Markdown - simple smooth and it just works.
  2. I did not want to wait for the whole book to be complete - because I think that what I have now will be highly useful - and there is no reason to wait until the end for the information to get out there.

So how does this work?

  • I am currently actively writing the book and if you so choose - you can purchase the book before it is finished.
  • You choose the price that you are willing to pay (there is a minimum charge).
  • All updates to the book are free.
  • Currently (until the book is complete) - there will only be a digital version (perhaps a paperback in the future).

What is the book about?

Quite obviously - AWS.

When already??

A few more days.. I promise I will let you all know when it ready for initial launch.