Now that the dust has settled … NFT’s & Me

Understanding emerging technologies even if it is legitimately part of a consumer hype is something I have always enjoyed getting involved in. Like financial investments, buying the rumor and selling the news, is a mantra I have lived by when it comes to new opportunities. NFT’s as part of the larger Web3 stack were one of these hyped booms no different than the Metaverse and Quantum Computing, all hype, thanks to the media. Now that the dust has settled a little, the trough of disillusionment is set in, here are a few of my experiences and insights from my journey with the technology.

Most expensive NFT ever sold? EVERYDAYS: The first 5000 Days @ $69.3M

No different to the other emerging technologies, I like to familiarize myself with applications, solutions or use-cases that these technologies can offer through learning and experimenting – and based on my experience, needs or scenarios, how I could build something to help me gain an understanding – just enough so I can pitch it to my friends or kids 🙂 During the NFT hype I spent some time minting my own original artwork of yes, you guess it, the simplest of art I am capable of … stick figures. The process is quite straight forward, and if it was not for the cost (at the time around $200 per contract) I probably would have created a few more. My primary concern with NFT’s was, and still is, the value of “binary code” is $0. Thanks to binary, and the underlying foundation of computing, anything rendered on a display can also be copied, cached, downloaded, cloned and subsequently modified, in essence, digital art, graphics and photos are reproducible and it’s no different with NFT’s. There is no stopping you, right clicking, downloading and minting the exact same NFT from my artwork, sure it might not be original, but you could claim it is, and you may have a higher marketing budget to reach a larger audience, and I am out … Physical artwork is much harder, while clones, reproductions and replicas do exist, authenticity is relatively easier to guarantee to your buyers. How do art based NFT’s overcome this? Is there a solution in the near future? Is this only my concern, or a common one? Would you pay for NFT art?
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Golf Shaft Labels

This was a short lived, fun start up idea I had around creating personalized and custom stickers for golf clubs. The idea was spurred as a culmination of three problems:

First, leaving a club out on the course somewhere is very common and easy to do, but getting the club back … is not as easy. Often you only find out that you lost it days, or weeks later, and then having to call the golf course, describe the club, day, and location that it was lost, is a tedious and stressful job. when a set of clubs can cost well over $1,000 and a replacement often costing around $120. By having at least your name, and optionally your phone number on the club, it dramatically increases the chances of you getting your lost item back. read more

Apple Shortcuts Gallery

Siri Shortcuts deliver a quick way to get things done with your apps with just a tap or by asking Siri. The Shortcuts app on your phone enables you to create personal shortcuts with multiple steps from your favorite apps. Shortcuts are powerful tools and easily shared.

The Apple Shortcut Gallery is a simple web application with a user created collection of Apple Shortcuts, or Siri Shortcuts. Start from hundreds of examples in the Gallery or drag and drop to create your own. This gallery is a way to share those you find valuable for others.

[This idea was generated by my previous manager, and I think it was a solid idea or concept to build, but I think internally to an organization, these types of applications generally don’t get or receive the attention they deserve.] read more

Travel: Daufuskie Island, GA

Daufuskie Island, located just off the coast of South Carolina is a picturesque barrier island renowned for its natural beauty, rich history, and unique culture. With a population of under 500 residents, the island offers a serene escape from the mainland, boasting pristine beaches, lush maritime forests, and abundant wildlife. Notable for its Gullah Geechee heritage, Daufuskie Island has preserved the traditions and language of the African descendants who settled there during the 18th and 19th centuries.

My Grocery Shopping List

FOODSTUFFSHOUSEHOLD
Fresh vegetablesBaked goodsSnacksDairyPersonal careMonday
· Carrots· Bagels / Croissants· Cookies· Butter / Margarine· Antiperspirant / Deodorant
· Cauliflower· Buns / Rolls· Crackers· Milk· Bath soap / Hand soap
· Corn· Fresh bread· Dried fruit· Sour cream· Cotton swabs / Balls
· Cucumbers· Pita bread· Granola bars / Mix· Yogurt· Facial cleanser
· Lettuce / Greens· Muffins· Nuts / Seeds· Drinking Yoghurt· Facial tissue
· Mushrooms· Wraps· Oatmeal· Eggs· Feminine productsTuesday
· Onions· Popcorn· Orange Juice· Floss
· Peppers· · Apple Juice· Lip balm
· Potatoes· · English muffins· Moisturizing lotion
· SpinachSeafood· Heavy Cream· Mouthwash
· Squash· SalmonBakingkombucha · Razors / Shaving creamWednesday
· Zucchini· Shrimp· Baking powder / Soda· Shampoo / Conditioner
· Tomatoes· Tuna· Bread crumbs· Toilet paper
· Butternut· · Cake / Brownie mix· Toothpaste
· · · Flour· Vitamins / Supplements
· Sugar· 
· Yeast· Thursday
Fresh fruitsCondiments / Sauces· Cheese
· Apples· BBQ sauce· · Cheddar
· Avocados· Honey· Cottage cheeseKitchen
· Bananas· Jam / Jelly / PreservesMeat· Cream cheese· Aluminum foil
· Berries· Ketchup / Mustard· Bacon / Sausage· Feta· Napkins
· Cherries· Mayonnaise· Beef· Mozzarella· Non-stick sprayFriday
· Grapefruit· Pasta sauce· Chicken· Parmesan· Paper towels
· Grapes· Salad dressing· Ground beef / Turkey· Provolone· Plastic wrap
· Kiwis· Syrup· · Swiss· Sandwich / Freezer bags
· Lemons / Limes· · · · Wax paper
· Melon· · 
· Nectarines· Saturday
· OrangesDry FoodPets
· Peaches· CerealBeverages· Cat food / TreatsCleaning products
· Pears· Mac & cheese· Beer· Cat litter· Air freshener
· Strawberries· Pancake / Waffle mix· Bathroom cleaner
· Blackberries· Pasta· Bleach / Detergent
· Mango· Peanut butter· Dish / Dishwasher soapSunday
· Rice· Garbage bags
DeliVarious groceries· Glass cleaner
· Ham· Tea· Mop head / Vacuum bags
· HotdogsCanned foodsFrozen· Vegetable oil· Sponges / Scrubbers
· Lunchmeat· Baked beans· Fries / Tater tots· Vinegar· 
· Turkey· Tuna / Chicken· Ice cream / Sorbet·  Taco Kit· 
· Rotisserie Chicken· Soup / Chili· Vegetables· 
· Tomatoes· Garlic BreadWhen you go…
· Veggies· Pancakes· Take reusable bags!
· · Pies· Plastic bags to recycle?
· Waffles· Coupons
· Use customer reward card?
· Need to return anything?

Open Source Project: Application Support Center

This is another blog post of a series around the enterprise mobility IT team at SAP. We are an internal team focused on managing mobile devices, mobile applications, and developing custom apps for SAP’s 100,000 employees. I believe we have some unique stories, software, tools, and insights to help others in the community considering, or currently undertaking, some of the challenges which surround mobility and its adoption in the enterprise.


Introduction

As the enterprise mobility team, we manage over 100 different mobile apps at any given time. This includes volume purchase apps, consumer versions of apps listed in our MDM, and custom-developed apps. In my last post about Relay, our custom real-time chat application, we have seven different components that need to be managed and maintained for this single app (iOS, Android, Web, macOS, Linux, Windows, and Server). A good majority of our custom apps are similar, and have multiple components, all of which have independent release cycles and potentially different teams that manage them. We initially used an excel spreadsheet to track and manage these applications and their corresponding components. This became a logistical challenge as our portfolio and responsibilities grew. Our commitment to our end users also grew during this time, and we wanted to provide a consistent support experience across operating systems and apps. We took this opportunity to step back and look at the process holistically, and decided to redesign how we managed and supported apps that we were responsible for. We also defined some essential services and features each of the apps should have, independent of their platform. I touched on this in a previous blog, but from a support perspective each app should include: read more