Recently we went on a trip to Switzerland and like my previous long trip, I decided to use only my smartphone as the camera for the trip. That way I only needed to carry one device with its charger vs phone, DSLR and video camera, along with their own storage cards and chargers and carry bags and so on.

To my eyes, the pictures have come out quite well. Please take a look and let me know what you think. The pictures are full resolution version of the pictures from my iPhone 6s. There have been no edits made except what the iPhone does for HDR (in some cases) or when I have taken a pano. In some pictures you may be able to see some reflection off the train’s window’s glass.

Let me know how you like these pictures (from a camera/quality perspective first, location/beauty next :-))

The album is located here  (couldn’t embed for whatever reason).

Power BI recently introduced a publish to web feature which I was dying to have (because the current setup only allows sharing interactive dashboards within the organization).

It is free while it is in preview, but I am not sure how they can charge for this feature, to be honest.

Some examples of the dashboards I have built just to play around with Power BI:

• My beer checkins on Untappd

• My tweet history analysis

*** Please note: Because Wordpress.com does not recognize the iframe embed for Power BI, the dashboard will not show up as embedded here (as it should). Until Power BI is added to the Wordpress.com whitelist, you will have to click through on the link and it will open the dashboard in its own tab.

After what I can only describe as the worst two months (professionally-speaking) of my life, I am ready to start afresh this Monday, October 20. I can’t wait to get started!

Last July, when I joined this company I just left, I had no idea what to expect and what was in store for me. After I started, I realized the culture was too diametrically opposite to what I was used to, and what I was expecting. And mind you, it was not the “company” that was the issue for me, it was the “people” I worked with: they were stuck in the past and were absolutely not interested in moving to 2014. For an extremely transformational initiative like a new business intelligence platform, that kind of culture would absolutely not cut it.

However, what happened in August and September of this year puts that disappointment way lower on my displeasure list. A new executive comes in, has a major political agenda, finds a few “insiders” to make them her advisors on all matters, and starts making terrible decisions. Some of these decisions were reversals of crucial initiatives which were more than halfway done, and some of them were firing consultants who were the only ones with the skills to get their respective jobs done. As a result, the entire program moved out by at least 2 months. I didn’t like some of these moves, but my thought process was simple: if I can improve my own skills and execute to a goal, I will still be ok.

Alas, she had me on her agenda as well. As in, she wanted me out. She did not want to fire me but she made it extremely difficult for me to survive in that environment. The word that comes to mind: victimization. She removed the people who reported to me so I lost my management role. She passed judgment on my 9 months of work saying it was “nonsense”, without letting me defend it. She made the assumption that I did not want to be a part of “her team” and as a result, started pointing fingers at everything I had done and everything I was doing. Like for example, monitoring when I left the office and having me switch timesheet hours for every hour that she deemed inaccurate. EVERY HOUR. Even though we are not paid by the hour.

Ultimately, I went on a sick leave followed by vacation and then ultimately quit because by then I had a few offers in my hand and felt reasonably confident I won’t have to go back to that godforsaken place. The past two weeks have been great because I have actually had time to flush out all that negativity and get ready for a new beginning. Fortunately or not, the wife is in between projects so she was also around so we were able to spend some quality time together without the distraction of the kids around us.

I have seen extremely political work places and I have seen work places with negativity especially if the company is not doing well, but this lady has been the absolute worst person I have had the chance to work with/for and would highly recommend staying away from her and her employer as far as you can.

Cheers!

Microsoft announced the next version of Windows, Windows 10. It promises to ease the transition from Windows XP and Windows 7, and will work on practically any device.

Windows 10: The Next Version of Windows, Made for Any Device

Windows 10 Technical Preview has now reached 1 million users who have provided 200,000 pieces of feedback.

Windows 10 Technical Preview: 1 Million Users, 200,000 Pieces of Feedback

Outlook Web App and Outlook.com support attach and share of files directly from OneDrive for Business and OneDrive, great convenience.

Attach and Share Files in Outlook Directly From OneDrive (Business and Consumer)

OneDrive App on iOS gets PIN support and TouchID where applicable. It also adds sorting and large screen support.

OneDrive iOS App Update: PIN, TouchID, Sorting, iPhone 6 Support

Adobe and Microsoft show improved productivity delivered through the latest applications which work on touch devices like Surface Pro 3 and Perceptive Pixel.

Microsoft and Adobe: Productivity and Platforms Companies Partner Closely

Sway is a new Office App from Microsoft which enables one to tell a story beautifully through any device.

Microsoft Adds Another App to Office: Sway

Bing’s iPhone app is updated with sharing for Bing Translator and widget for Lock Screen.

Bing App on iPhone: iOS 8 Extensibility and Widgets in Action

Microsoft confirms rumors as it announces the purchase of Mojang, the makers of Minecraft.

Minecraft Maker Mojang Joins Microsoft

Updates to OneDrive service, web app and desktop clients will make it possible to upload 10GB files, share from PC and upload folders.

OneDrive Updates: 10GB Files, Dropbox-like Sharing, More

Apple had huge announcements with new products and new categories: phablets iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Pay and Apple Watch

Apple Moves Into a New Era With iPhone 6, Apple Pay, Apple Watch

There is a new cleaner and fresher version of msn portal, and Bing content apps will be coming to iOS and Android.

The New MSN is Here. Bing Content Apps Re-branded

Microsoft announces Lumia Denim, the next version of Windows Phone OS and firmware updates to go along with the OS update.

Lumia Denim: Windows Phone 8.1.1 + Firmware Updates

After predicting almost 100% of the World Cup football results correctly, Cortana adds NFL predictions, just in time for NFL season.

Cortana Adds NFL Predictions

We moved our long-time league to NFL.com and it was a much better experience compared to Yahoo Fantasy Football. I had pick #8, which is a weird place to be because in the first round you miss out on the top 5 and then you end up waiting a long time between picks, making it harder to plan your roster properly. Anyway, I think it turned out reasonably well, considering the unusual path the draft took.

What do I mean by that? The first pick was Peyton Manning! Also, in the first round, THREE quarterbacks were picked. So clearly, not a traditional RB/RB/WR/QB style of a draft. Having said that, here's my team:

1. Eddie Lacy
2. AJ Green
3. Randall Cobb
4. Julius Thomas (I was running out of true difference makers, and running backs around here were mostly meh)
5. Joique Bell (This was a reach in some ways, but I am hoping the Lions do at least a 50-50 split)
6. Nick Foles (Not a bad choice for a 6th round QB pick)
7. Eric Decker (Hope Geno is a good QB this year)
8. Fred Jackson (Carried me many a week last year, giving some love back :-))
9. Carson Palmer (Cards are going to throw a lot, not a bad choice for QB2, even though this was probably my highest reach)
10. Danny Woodhead
11. Justin Hunter
12. Pats D/ST
13. James Starks (Glad to secure the handcuff this late in the draft)
14. Jordan Matthews

So overall, just a little worried about RB2, but otherwise, reasonably satisfied with the roster. The key, as always, is the waiver wire pickups. There will be injuries and breakouts and busts, and it is how vigilant one is during the season that will determine the results.

Can't wait for the season to start!

OneDrive apps updated on Android, iOS and Windows Phone. On Android, it combines OneDrive and OneDrive for Business accounts in a single app.

OneDrive Apps Updated: Android App Merges Work and Play

Finally bought a Surface Pro 3, and bought it from the Microsoft Store because it has a generous 30-day return policy. I got the 256GB/Core i7 model mostly to see if there are any downsides to going with the top-of-the-line model.

Our current laptop is getting a bit old and given that our use of the “home laptop” is mostly casual with AutoCAD being the key program that needs to run properly, I thought I’d give the new form factor a whirl before thinking about a proper Ultrabook-style laptop, or maybe even a MacBook Air. The latter is not a religious issue for me, it is just that AutoCAD does have not a subscription for their Mac version, and worse, the Mac version of the AutoCAD LT product is behind the Windows version in terms of raw features supported.

I will write up my thoughts on the device in detail soon!

Several highly requested features added to OneNote for Windows Store (Metro) app.

OneNote for Windows Store (Metro) Updated

OneNote for Android Tablets is released, along with several other updates including handwriting/inking support.

OneNote for Android Tablets Is Here