planets

Sky Guide on the iPhone Is Awesome

It’s the beginning of August when the angle of the sun, color of the clouds, and my garden signal the end of Summer. These summer nights are the last in which I’ll be able to enjoy the night sky in comfortable weather conditions.

One application on my iPhone that’s helped me enjoy the night sky even more this summer is Sky Guide. Using this app on my iPhone, I’m able to look at the night sky in a new way. It shows constellations and the orientation of the night sky in real-time.

I’m able to see constellations of stars I didn’t know existed. It’s a fantastic app I recommend to anyone who owns an iPhone and enjoys looking at the night sky.

The WordPress Planets Aligned For One Day

Yesterday, May 27th 2015, was WordPress’ 12th birthday. On this special day, I had the chance to celebrate with the co-creator of WordPress himself, Matt Mullenweg who was interviewed on WordPress Weekly.

I’ve interviewed a lot of talented, smart people in the WordPress ecosystem over the years but my favorite guest is Matt Mullenweg. He has a sense of humor, is intelligent, and knows more than I might ever know about the internals of Automattic and WordPress.

I enjoy interviewing him because it gives me the opportunity to ask questions no one else may know the answer too. For instance, status updates on projects that didn’t see the light of day. Or, acquisition announcements that didn’t produce the intended results.

I take a lot of pride in every opportunity I get to interview Matt. While he appears on several different podcasts and shows throughout the course of a year, I think my show is one of the few, if not the only that gets deep into WordPress specific conversations.

I have no problem holding Matt accountable for things that were said that didn’t materialize. There are reasons for why it didn’t and I see my questions as opportunities for him to explain why. He knows what he’s getting into when he comes on my show and I can’t remember the last time or if he ever explicitly didn’t want to answer a question.

I appreciate learning new things when he’s on my show and he doesn’t disappoint. Depending on the show, interviewer, etc. his interviews about WordPress can vary widely. I take pride in the fact that I ask him questions that the community is asking and also call him out on certain things when I feel it’s necessary.

All of this to say that I hope you listen to my latest interview with Matt to learn about WooCommerce, WordPress, the REST API, and a variety of other topics. If you know someone else who routinely interviews Matt about WordPress and gets more information out of him than I do, please share it with me in the comments.

Please Don’t Let Us Be Alone in The Galaxy

When man or woman looks up into the sky on a clear, crisp, night, what do they think when they see a horizon filled with stars?

Stars in the night sky

Stars in the night sky

Surely it’s not the fact that we’re all alone on this blue/white planet called Earth? So far, no concrete evidence has been discovered that shows we’re not only alone on this planet, but in our entire galaxy. I don’t know about you, but if we’re really all alone on this planet, I don’t have much hope. There is too much evidence in this day and age that suggests humans are more apt at destroying themselves than progressing to the next stage of civilization.

It’s a disappointing realization but one none the less. What I wouldn’t give to have a UFO land on the front lawn of the White House and showcase power and might that forces humans to realize we are nothing as a species compared to an alien life form. Yeah, perhaps it’s not the best of things to hope for, but if humans as a species don’t realize we are nothing compared to something else beyond the grips of Earth’s atmosphere, we’ll destroy ourselves. It seems like it’s a series of events bound to happen.

Until then, if it’s a clear sky at night, don’t look up and think about how alone we are amongst the stars, but wonder what lies beyond Earth’s atmosphere. There’s no way we can be the only somewhat intelligent species in the galaxy. There’s too many stars and potential life bearing planets in the goldilocks region to support such a theory.

At the very least, I sure as hell don’t want to think we’re all alone in the galaxy. What a scary notion!

Looking Up

One of the greatest feelings I experience in life is looking up to the heavens on a cool, crisp, clear night when the stars are easy to see. I take deep breaths in the cool air and somehow, it seems to rejuvenate me. Looking up at the heavens, wondering many things. Reflecting on life, questioning if we’re alone within our universe and what the future has in store for me. Looking up at planets, stars, and galaxies reminds me how small and insignificant I am in the grand scheme of themes.

Just when it seems I’ve arrived at a Eureka moment, I notice the dog is ready to come back inside. I let her in and continue on with my meaningless life.