David Giard

Julie Lerman on Pottery

David Giard — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 08:15:00 GMT

Episode 925

After decades in IT consulting, Julie Lerman retired and rediscovered her love for pottery. She talks about the process of creating objects out of clay and the tools involved in this process.

Links:
https://www.instagram.com/lerman.julie/
https://youtu.be/df1xcav9WYU?si=IttrdVvmzW4gZH44

October 2026 Gratitudes

Sun, 01 Nov 2026 15:11:06 GMT

11/01/2026
Today I am grateful for a visit from Debbie and Amanda this weekend!

10/31/2026
Today I am grateful to the organizers of #MiTechCon for an excellent conference this week!

10/30/2026
Today I am grateful to deliver a presentation on Cybersecurity yesterday at #MITechCon

10/29/2026
Today I am grateful to attend the #MiTechCon speaker dinner last night!

10/27/2026
Today I am grateful to be invited to speak at #CodeMash again.

10/26/2026
Today I am grateful:
- to attend an exciting Thunder - Clippers game in Oklahoma City last night
- to visit the Oklahoma state capitol building yesterday

10/25/2026
Today I am grateful for a visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial yesterday!

10/24/2026
Today I am grateful to arrive safely in Oklahoma City - my first visit here!

10/23/2026
Today I am grateful to host a successful community call for the past year.

10/22/2026
Today I am grateful to speak to graduate students at the Indiana University Kelley School of Management yesterday.

10/21/2026
Today I am grateful to the Oxford, MS radio station that interviewed me yesterday.

10/19/2026
Today I am grateful to see Chris Botti in concert last night!

10/18/2026
Today I am grateful to see the Anne Frank exhibit this morning at the Museum of Science and Industry.

10/17/2026
Today I am grateful to host the University of Wisconsin UX student group yesterday and to those who helped with the event.

10/16/2026
Today I am grateful:
- to see the musical "Waitress" last night
- to Blue Yonder for inviting me to participate in a panel discussing AI and Supply Chain at their Connection event
- for a tour of the MxD Innovate labs yesterday

10/15/2026
Today I am grateful to see Robin Trower in concert last night!

10/14/2026
Today I am grateful for 13 years at Microsoft!

10/13/2026
Today I am grateful to recover from the illness that left me incapacitated yesterday morning.

10/12/2026
Today I am grateful to see the Dale Chihuly glass exhibit yesterday on my first visit to Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Repids yesterday!

10/11/2026
Today I am grateful to spend yesterday in Grand Rapids with college friends I met 46 years ago!

10/10/2026
Today I am grateful to see and meet comedian Patrick Warburton last night!

10/09/2026
Today I am grateful to see "Operation Mincemeat" at the CIBC Theatre last night!

10/08/2026
Today I am grateful to volunteer at a Walk MS event yesterday.

10/07/2026
Today I am grateful to Sam for an excellent presentation at my user group last night and to Uno Platform for their financial support!

10/06/2026
Today I am grateful for a new rug.

10/05/2026
Today I am grateful to see and hear 2 great conversations in Evanston yesterday: Eric Idle and Jeff Garlin, and to meet Jeff Garlin after his talk.

"The Executioner's Song" by Norman Mailer

David Giard — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 15:10:00 GMT

On July 19, 1976, Gary Gilmore robbed a Utah gas station and murdered employee Max Jensen. The following evening, he robbed a motel, murdering employee Bennie Bushnell. Neither man posed any threat to Gilmore, as he forced them to lie down, then shot them in the back of the head. He was arrested the following day, tried, and found guilty of murder. He was executed 10 months later.

Gilmore was distraught over a temporary breakup with his girlfriend, Nicole. At first, he denied killing the men but eventually admitted to the crimes. Later, when asked why he killed the men, he responded: "I killed Jenkins and Bushnell because I did not want to kill Nicole."

Norman Mailer's 1979 book, "The Executioner's Song", examines the events around these murders. It begins with Gary's release from prison and chronicles his life trying to assimilate into normal society before committing the two grisly murders. Mailer then takes us through the trial and the numerous delays of the execution.

Mailer explores Gilmore's personality. He was intelligent, confident, handsome, and charming, but quick to anger. When he died at the age of thirty-six, he had spent more than half his life behind bars. He had only been out of prison a few months after serving 13 years for armed robbery before committing the two murders.

The killer acknowledged that he deserved to die for his crime and requested death by firing squad. He preferred death to a life of continued incarceration. Despite his desires, others filed legal arguments seeking to stop or postpone the execution. Family members hoped to save Gilmore's life. Others opposed the death sentence on ideological grounds. Some lawyers opposed the execution because it made it more likely the state would execute their clients, who were guilty of even worse crimes.

Mailer's book also examines the lives and motivations of all those involved in the killer's life - from his family to his girlfriend to his cellmates to his lawyers. Each has a backstory, and we hear many of those stories in great detail, leading to a book that exceeds one thousand pages. Not every backstory feels necessary, but it adds depth to the narrative and offers insight into everyone's motivations.

"The Executioner's Song" is a true-crime novel. It is written in the style of a novel, but the events are non-fiction. This ambiguous classification allowed it to win the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

In some ways, the book humanizes a killer but not enough for the reader to feel sympathy for him. He grew up in a poor family with a single mother. His father was involved in illegal activities and mostly absent during Gary's childhood. He was in trouble with the law at a young age. None of these justify his actions. He had a gift for manipulating people and convinced Nicole to enter a suicide pact with him. They both survived. Numerous stays of execution played with his emotions as he prepared himself for death multiple times; but this was far less torture than that suffered by the families of his victims.

Gary Gilmore contributed almost nothing to society and hurt many people. His family tried to help him, but his actions caused a great deal of pain. Nicole is the most sympathetic character - She was abused as a child and manipulated by Gary and others.

This book tells a story of human drama, legal proceedings, life in prison, the ethics of capital punishment, and a battle for rights. It even contains a love story. Nicole returned to Gary after his capture, but the two were forbidden to see one another after their suicide attempts. Many of their love letters appear in this volume.

Mailer presents a straightforward narrative, interjecting minimal judgment. He lets the reader draw their own conclusions about Gilmore. The killer deserved severe punishment for his crimes. Whether death is appropriate remains a national debate.

Michael Collier on Durable Agents

David Giard — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 20:13:00 GMT

Episode 924

Michael Collier on Durable Agents

Michael Collier describes how to create durable agents, which can preserve state while your agent is running. This is useful in long-running agents and multi-agent workflows.

"Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones

David Giard — Sun, 25 Oct 2026 14:13:00 GMT

Wait! "Howl's Moving Castle" began as a book? Like many people, I first discovered this story from Hayao Miyazaki's classic animated film.

Unknown to me, British novelist Diana Wynne Jones published her book 18 years before Miyazaki released his movie. His Studio Ghibli film closely follows the story.

Howl is a wizard living in a magical version of Great Britain. The castle in which he lives is enchanted: some doors lead directly to destinations hundreds of miles away, and the castle itself can pick up and move about the countryside.

The book follows Sophie, a young woman who works in her family's hat shop in the village of Market Chipping in the magical kingdom of Ingary. Sophie has no idea why the Witch of the Waste holds a grudge against her when the Witch casts a spell that transforms her into an old woman. Soon, the youth-turned-crone finds a job working and living in Howl's castle - a magical edifice that can move on its own across Ingary. Howl is a vain, cowardly, reclusive wizard who spends much of his time courting local maidens and trying to convince the world he is malevolent. But he is also charming and intelligent, and he has other agendas that remain hidden for much of the book.

Jones populates her story with magical artifacts and creatures. We meet an anthropomorphized scarecrow that hops on one leg; a demon transformed into a talking flame that resides in the castle's fireplace; boots that let the wearer travel seven leagues with each step; and a man transformed into a dog.

"Howl's Moving Castle" is a fantasy story, but it turns a few fantasy tropes upside down. For example, in Ingary, Sophie was expected to fail because she was born first. The opening sentence states: "it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes."

"Howl's" is a coming-of-age story, as Sophie gains confidence and discovers magic of her own. It is also a charming, whimsical tale, filled with magic and fun.

Chris Botti Brings a Variety of Great Music and Great Musicians to Chicago

David Giard — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 12:20:08 GMT

You never know what to expect at a Chris Botti concert.

Trumpeter Botti has embraced many musical genres in his career - from jazz to classical to pop to opera. Sunday evening at Chicago's City Winery, he showcased all of them. He also showed off an impressive ensemble of musicians who accompanied him. At the beginning of the show, he explained that his band rotates frequently based on artist availability, but that we were in for a treat this evening. He was correct. He brought out different performers throughout the evening: an excellent young violinist, an operatic tenor, and a guitarist who did yoga poses between songs. An upright bass player, drummer, and pianist remained on stage throughout the evening. Each musician was excellent.

The funky guitar intro to "When I Fall in Love" made the song unrecognizable for the first two minutes. The drum solo on "Irresistible Bliss" energized the crowd.

Chris spent time talking with the audience, at one point promoting his cruise, which sets sail from New England next year and includes many other musicians.

Botti's work has earned him a Grammy Award and five nominations.

I did not know what to expect tonight.

I did not know what kind of music Chris would play. He mixed genres expertly.

I did not know who would accompany him. He brought a swarm of great artists.

I did not know how much I would enjoy it. I loved it!

GCast 223: Creating an M365 Calendar Bookings Page

David Giard — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 20:22:00 GMT

GCast 223:

Creating an M365 Calendar Bookings Page

Microsoft 365 account users have the ability to create an online booking page, allowing others to schedule appointments with them. They have the ability to restrict appointments to given days and hours and to exclude times marked busy in their Outlook calendar. This video walks you through the process of creating a Bookings page.

Brian Hitney on Fabric Apps

David Giard — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:29:00 GMT

Episode 923

Brian Hitney on Fabric Apps

Fabric Apps (currently in preview) allow you to build applications that access and interact with Fabric data. These apps are deployed and hosted directly in Microsoft Fabric, making it straightforward to integrate with the security and scalability of Fabric.

Brian Hitney describes how to build and deploy these applications.

"Waitress": A Fun Musical with Some Serious Themes

David Giard — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 14:08:00 GMT

Before seeing the musical "Waitress" Thursday evening, I was only vaguely aware of the movie on which it was based. I was also unfamiliar with Sara Bareilles, who wrote the music and lyrics for this show, until my nieces came to Chicago this month to see her concert.

But I listened to Bareilles's music, which inspired me to buy tickets to her musical on its tenth anniversary tour. And I watched the movie last night, which helped me to understand the characters better.

Even without that context, I have to say I enjoyed the musical, "Waitress."

Waitress Jenna is trapped in an unhappy marriage, afraid to leave her abusive husband even before she discovers she is pregnant. She seeks comfort in the arms of her married gynecologist, who seems like a decent fellow despite this serious lapse in ethics.

Samantha Lane Scruggs was outstanding as Jenna. Her sincerity shone through, and her vocals were amazing.

The musical leans more on laughs than the movie, and often those laughs come from physical slapstick.

"Waitress" has some serious topics - adultery, medical ethics, a mother's responsibility to her unborn child - but it mostly appeals to our sense of fun.

Robin Trower's Electric Blues Guitar Rocks St. Charles

David Giard — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 14:04:00 GMT

Two years ago, I purchased tickets to see Robin Trower in concert. He canceled due to undisclosed health reasons. Last year, I purchased tickets again, but work travel forced me to give them to a friend. This year, I crossed my fingers after purchasing tickets to see him at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL. I breathed a sigh of relief when I sat down in the fourth row to see a show I had anticipated for years.

He did not disappoint.

At 81, Trower can still wield his guitar like the master he's always been.

The musician rose to fame in the early 1970s after parting ways with Procol Harum. His 1974 album "Bridge of Sighs" remains a classic today, and he drew heavily from that record on this night. In addition to the title track, we were treated to the high-energy "Little Bit of Sympathy," "Day of the Eagle," and "Too Rolling Stoned." The band opened the show with the latter.

Mr. Trower has assembled a trio, Chris Taggart on drums and Richard Watts on bass and lead vocals, to complement his electric guitar. The other two provide the rhythm, but most songs exist as an excuse for a Robin Trower guitar solo, and his solos were outstanding. Trower can play at lightning speed if he wishes, but he is at his best when he slows down, drawing out the emotion of each solo.

My only complaint is that the guitarist didn't stray far from his position at far stage right, where he mostly focused on the audience in his immediate vicinity. My seats were close to the stage but well to the left, so I didn't get to see him as close as I would have liked.

Robin Trower is no longer young and no longer looks young. But he still plays like a young man with energy and enthusiasm. And he proved that a trio can kick out a sound as full as a much larger band. Especially if that trio includes Robin Trower.

more photos