About a year ago someone ahead of me at the Dairy Queen drive-thru paying for my order would have been the sole highlight of my week. Fortunately times have changed.

MAzing – An afterschool field trip with my kiddo took me to MToxins, one of the few venom labs in the world in nearby Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Here they extract the venom from poisonous snakes, by hand no less, which is used to create antivenom medication. I was able to see up close (with plate glass between us) an extraction as well as other reptiles and rescued owls. It is an experience I certainly was not expecting to see, and recommend you do the same.

Thoughts on Thinking – The Scrum Master Toolbox podcast I have mentioned previously will run bonus episodes on the weekend that go well beyond the realm of Scrum. A week ago I heard an interview with Shawn Livermore talking about the creative process. It’s worth checking out this thoughtful half-hour talking about the myths of business genius.

Taking Up Valuable MySpace – When Googling myself I ran across an extremely downsized but similarly looking version of my MySpace page from the mid-2000’s. Why it is still there I have no idea, but it certainly wasn’t worth linking to.

Small Plate Double-Take – The French word for small food plates is “assiettes” as I learned when looking at the label on a package of paper plates which was translated in several languages.

Live Free or Die With Gold – New Hampshire joins Nevada and Utah in offering Goldbacks, local currency that is recognized by state law. They are somewhat similar in appearance to those in the other states, but with the Granite State’s famous motto, Live Free or Die. Wyoming is apparently next to offer these shiny notes.

Trash on Trash – I heard a story that off-beat posters were appearing in New York City about keeping the city trash free, and appearing like they were from the city’s sanitation department. First I heard about ones saying supporters of former President Trump were trash. When I heard there was also a poster calling New England sports fans trash, I knew they were bogus. Why? The hate that fans of the Red Sox have for the Yankees is far, far from reciprocated, as Yankees fans couldn’t care less about the team northeast of them.

Chaos Ending – I saw the movie Chaos Walking this past weekend. It is a story of a world where there are no women, and the men can hear the thoughts of other men. Where the premise was initially odd to me, the movie has an interesting story, though the ending was rather abrupt.

Mask Up Tax Down – Last week the IRS issued a statement that expenses on masks and other personal protective equipment is tax deductible. By now my taxes information has already been sent to my accountant, and many people in the US have already filed their taxes. Now I know why the tax filing deadline was extended by a month.

You Light Up My Zoom Life – My desk at home is not in a well-lit area for video calls, and I finally decided to do something about it. After much searching and comparing models I decided to get the above-pictures “clamp lamp” – an LED circle that can clamp to a desk and can be positioned with its gooseneck. It comes with 3 lighting modes and the brightness can be adjusted. So far so great and now my entire face can have the same lighting, for better or for worse.

Happy Birthday Thing 2! Your infectious smile and energy both bring me joy and challenge me daily!

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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