EMC World 2014 - The Day Begins

“No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride...and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well...maybe chalk it off to forced conscious expansion: Tune in, freak out, get beaten.” - Hunter S. Thompson

Here it is, Monday, May 5th in Las Vegas, Nevada; entertainment capital of the world. And it is the start to EMC World 2014, a much anticipated event each year by those in the IT industry. As data growth explodes, EMC creates the infrastructure that enables you to manage your business and your career. EMC World is where you get to mingle with the top engineers and thought leaders in the IT world.

You also get to meet, greet and spend time with your peers in the industry. A time to see how others are doing their job and life. Reconnecting with old friends and making new friends. In a crowd that can be nearly 15,000 in size, you are bound to run into something old and something new.

There are a lot of folks at EMC and within our sponsors who want to welcome you and make this a productive and fun time. As Hunter Thompson said, you "buy the ticket, take the ride..." which is our industry. It can get bumpy at times but we are here to help make that ride a little smoother.

Enjoy the ride and let me know how the experience was. You can comment on my blog post or tweet something out to @jprimm on Twitter. Enjoy the week everyone.

And stay inspired my friends!

Happy New Year - 2014

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

On this the new day of a new year, I must ask if you took part in the five most bizzare New Year's Eve traditions.

1. Welcoming the new year in a graveyard - Talca, Chile.
    Being in the company of deceased friends and relatives in a candle-lit graveyard.
2. Attempting to understand animal speech. - Romania.
    If you can hear the animals talk, it's a bad omen.
    If you can't, the new year will be a good one.
3. Banging old bread on the walls - Ireland.
    Meant to drive away evil spirits and bring good luck.
4. Throwing items from the window - Johannesburg, South Africa.
    Mostly old microwaves and other unwanted furniture.
5. Cutting a hole in the surface of a frozen lake - Siberia, Russia.
    And then diving to the bottom while carrying a dead tree.

We surely have different customs and traditions to mark the beginning of the new year. But in all, I would like to give you this short Irish blessing. "Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo arís,” or in English, "May we be alive this time next year!"

Happy 2014 everyone and stay inspired!