Notable Articles

More RTO Nonsense (no, not Recovery Time Objective….)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/nearly-half-of-dell-s-full-time-workforce-in-the-u-s-has-rejected-returning-to-the-office-they-d-rather-work-from-home-than-get-promoted/ar-BB1oBygb

Avoiding this conversation has been a little easier for me since my current and previous jobs hired me as a full time REMOTE employee. In 2020-2022, I did spend my time at a company that bounced back and forth between full remote to hybrid towards the middle/end of 2022. So, in my years in IT, I have worked in all three scenarios and personally like them all. When I was in the office full time, I enjoyed being able to talk to my coworkers in person, take advantage of co-working spaces to collaborate on an problem or plan a roll out, and having a physical separation from home/work. The drive to work was “long” for some people, but it was extremely boring and allowed me to wind down after a hectic day. When we went to hybrid, I was able to get the benefits of being remote for a few days a week, and the days of being in the office. Hybrid was probably the worst experience of them all, mainly because we couldn’t take advantage of the benefits of physical collab if most of the people you needed to communicate to were at home. I am sure plenty of us have had the silly meeting of sitting in a conference room, by yourself, while you call people working from their house.

Now that I am remote, I joke about maybe wanting to get back in the office, but I wouldn’t even if the offer was too good because I purposely picked this option so my family and I could move to a better place to raise our kids. Seeing companies pull the rug due to pressure that, I am sure, is coming from higher up to find justification on why they continue to pay for these large office buildings with empty cubicles. I mean, if the CTO goes into the office, then everyone should do the same? Right?

What blows my mind is that Dell gave the employees the option to move/relocate/or simply just go back to driving to the office or you can stay remote. But, you will never be promoted. I bet you it was a big shock when people picked to not be promoted and stay working from home. Make sure to look out for announcements for these employees on their Linkedin pages. Something tells me they will be finding jobs elsewhere while they get the benefit of still having their job at Dell.

Science Just Making Recycling Better

https://news.ua.edu/2024/10/ua-chemical-engineer-plastic-recycling/

Recycling, while extremely important in the effort of keeping Mother Nature healthy, is still not where it needs to be. But tickle me pink-this breakthrough is pretty cool. I always appreciated researchers and their efforts to find new ways to break down these harmful plastics and reuse the materials to create the same product. Yet, it is even cooler to make them physically disappear and avoid going to a landfill (or worse, our water sources).

How Do You Like Your Code

https://morrisbrodersen.de/how-do-you-like-what-you-built/

I might start asking myself this before I ship something. Rather “how do you like what you built”, maybe I should say “would you show this to your friends or family?” It is really hard to just “live” with workarounds or pieces of code that just do what you need. There are plenty of times where I try to make a loop look “pretty” or minimalistic, but then it adds a layer of complexity that is hard for someone else looking at the code to understand. So, maybe before you open that PR, you should look at what you wrote, walk away, and come back. Then ask yourself “do I like what I have built here?”

Another one bites the dust

https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/3/24335290/apple-donation-donald-trump-inauguration-tim-cook

I guess everyone is making their ritual offerings. Or, maybe he is just doing this to be consistent with every leader elected president. Either way, money talks.

System76 and Arm, a dynamic duo

https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2025/system76-built-fastest-windows-arm-pc

I am ready for ARM. Jeff was honest as always in his review, and I love seeing System76 putting awesome things out like this. It is no secret that I love System76 (currently typing this on a Lemur Pro from 2022), so I will take any chance I can get to promote them.

Elon Musk being Elon Musk

https://www.citationneeded.news/elon-musk-and-the-rights-war-on-wikipedia/

First things first-If you do not subscribe to Molly’s newsletter, you should. I am no fan of crypto currency, but I love her coverage on the turbulent world of bros. And those bros, like Elon, drive bro cyber trucks.

Things This Week

2025 Chicago Marathon and my partnership with the American Liver Foundation!

Back in August of 2023, my father was diagnosed with Bile Duct Cancer in a very early stage. Thankfully, it was found by a complete accident and the team of doctors tackled it right away. Through a single Y-90 treatment and then months of chemo, my dad was looking great. I know many are not given the same grace we received when diagnosed with Bile Duct Cancer. It is an extremely rare and aggressive cancer of the liver that is unforgiving to the host. I will spare the “survival” rate percentages and just say that most cases are typically lethal.

My father received wonderful care from all of his doctors through Northwestern Medical Hospital and their Liver Transplant Clinic. My family and I knew that, once my father his liver transplant, that we would start to work on giving back to the community that helped us extend my fathers life. In November of 2024, my father was able to receive that liver transplant, and has been recovering successfully since.

One of my hobbies is running, and I love to do it as much as possible. Whether it is on a trail in the foothills of Boise, or on sidewalks/streets, running is part of how I meditate. It gives me an avenue to reflect and think, alone, and in my own world. In October of 2024, my best friend came out to visit my family and I here in Idaho. We hiked and ran, and talked about life. One thing he brought up was that he wanted to start a new chapter of his life and run the Chicago Marathon. This, of course, got me really excited because I have been dying to run it myself. I wanted to be there for my friend and asked if he would be okay if I joined him. He knows my drive is to run ultras and challenge myself to hit those running milestones, so the idea of doing this with him was an easy decision.

If you don’t know how the Chicago Marathon works, you can either throw your name into their raffle to get picked to be able to run (and still pay the fee), or team up with a charity to raise money ( and still pay the fee). Each charity has its own requirements (fundraising goals per runner) plus perks for the runners themselves. It came to no surprise that I did not get the lucky draw in the raffle, so it made my decision a lot easier when I applied to run for the American Liver Foundation. After a quick evaluation/interview with the foundation, I was happy to receive the good news that I was invited to join the team!

Over the next several months, I will be posting biweekly (on other social platforms, not here) on my progress of raising $2500 for the American Liver Foundation before the 2025 Chicago Marathon. Each $300 dollars raised will unlock milestones goals. At these milestones, I hope to provide some sort of “reward/event” for those who donated. This could be hand written thank yous with custom art made by, of course, my children. Additionally, I have some events/challenges I want to hold myself accountable to if we hit these milestones. Living in Idaho gives me access to AMAZING trails and hikes that I could take all of you on (through the lense of a GoPro). I am open to ideas, and heck, donations of prizes to dish out for those who donate. The Frye Family is extremely grateful for all the hard work and dedication from those around us to help my father through his Bile Duct Cancer. It is now our turn to give back, and we need your help!

Here is the donation link:
https://liverlifechallenge.org/chicago/support/#jfrye

If your employer has a matching initiative for any of the charities you donate to, take a few minutes to save that receipt and follow your employers process to do so! Every dollar counts.

Additionally, if you would like to learn more about the ALF, visit their website: https://liverfoundation.org/

Honesty Warning

I was a little “political” this week, but no apologies here. One thing I pride myself in is my honesty; I tell it how I see it. Feel free to use your right to free speech in the comments below!

Tool Shed

Microsoft’s “Sculpt” Keyboard is back, WITH AI!

https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/2/24334283/microsoft-ergonomic-keyboard-incase-pricing

Productivity Apps