Archives: Podcasts

Setting Up For Success w/David McKinnis

Today we welcome David McKinnis of Tech DNA to the show. David is Microsoft alumni from the days before the development of Darwin, the software that revolutionized install, uninstall, and repair for Windows-supported programs. Prior to Rob and Dave’s work on Darwin, software installation was a long and cumbersome project that often-included multiple floppy disks, and the patience of a saint and Windows uninstall was rarely considered. Post Darwin, those tasks are often taken for granted.

Written by on August 30, 2022

The Software Hall of Fame, w/ Microsoft’s Conor Cunningham

In this episode, we focus not on people, but on the software itself. Today, we create the Software Hall of Fame, set the rules, and get down to building the inaugural class with special guest Coner Cunningham. Coner’s multi-decade software skill set combined with his fun personality makes him a perfect fit to be the final member of the initial tribunal of software critics. This tribunal will step up to fill a long-standing void in an episode that will run the gamut of emotions: Joy, anger, exasperation, and maybe even a little zen.

Written by on August 16, 2022

A Most Generous Mentor, w/ Microsoft’s Dany Hoter

Today, we welcome to the show the most transparent international man of mystery, Dany Hoter. Working on his 5th stint with Microsoft and living his best life in his 8th decade, Dany brings both wisdom and fun to those around him. He brings a passion and joy for teaching to his training sessions and always manages to create a connection between people and technology.

Written by on August 9, 2022

Technophobes Make Amazing Technologists, w/ Kerry Kolosko

Straight from the Outback, recorded past midnight, and punny as hell, Kerry Kolosko, freshly minted, accidental Microsoft Data Platform MVP. An avid fan of JIT learning (Just In Time) and a follower of the teachings of Google, Kerry is a self-professed technophobe whose desire to remove redundancies just won’t let her disconnect. She has a storied past of chasing answers and creating solutions. She truly is living the dream by dabbling in every interesting technology that comes her way. From Array formulas to Deneb, learning on the fly to save time and frustration is Kerry’s superpower.

Written by on August 2, 2022

Tinkering is a Way of Life w/Darinee Louvau

Darinee Louvau is twice retired from Microsoft and is one of the few people who admit to an admiration of testing in production. From hosting LAN parties in her Tween and Teen years to designing and building gaming crates for those parties, she is not afraid of getting her hands dirty. A self-proclaimed fan of lowering the cost of iterations, she moved up quickly through the ranks to become program manager for Microsoft on projects such as Answers, Bing, and even the streaming service, Mixer.

Written by on July 26, 2022

“MVPness” Doesn’t Sound Quite Right w/ MS MVP Ed Hansberry

With a background in finance and a history of great communication and a passion for problem-solving, Ed Hansberry, an Assistant Director with P3 Adaptive, embodies the spirit of P3 Adaptive. Ed was recently awarded his 13th Microsoft MVP Award so of course, we wanted to know more about his achievement, his passions, his adaptability, and most of all, his insights on change so we invited him to join us today for a chat.

Written by on July 19, 2022

Actuaries Put the “X” in DAX, w/Philip Trick

Have you ever wondered what an actuary is? If so, you are not alone. Over the past several years, the actuary programs at universities nationwide have seen exponential growth, thanks in part to an outreach program called Be An Actuary supported by P3 Adaptive’s Principal Consultant and today’s special guest, Philip Trick. Philip is a rarity in the data world. He found his data gene all the way back in high school and has continued to add additional skills as software has evolved to reduce or remove monotonous tasks such as data cleansing and repetitive calculations. While he came to Power BI and Power Query late in the game, he has become an ardent supporter of the Power Platform’s ability to handle complex data and calculations.

Written by on July 5, 2022

A Mechanical Clutch Isn’t a Steampunk Purse, w/ Bill Sundwall

P3 Adaptive’s Director of Client Services, Bill Sundwall stops by the metaphorical watercooler to talk shop, software, and pets. We get an inside peek at the P3 Adaptive hiring process as well as some interesting insight on the potential super-secret code word for imaginary bonus points in the interview/testing process.  Most importantly, this episode goes where no other episode has gone before by bringing in detail on the elusive skills of communication between the different types of stakeholders in your company: the knowledge workers and the people in tech.  Bill hypothesizes that you don’t have to know a lot about a person to think through how they process application software, you just need to cognitively empathize with what they are going through in the process.

Written by on June 28, 2022

The Evolution of SharePoint w/Denise Trabona and Adam Harmetz

Today we welcome a dynamic duo to the show, Denise Trabona and Adam Harmetz of Microsoft’s SharePoint team, and they take us through the extraordinary 10 + year evolution of SharePoint from the frustratingly chaotic farms of the past to the streamlined, user-friendly UX of the future.  Both Denise and Adam were part of the historical transformation from a lumbering, haphazard platform to a sexy platform showpiece.

Written by on June 21, 2022

What is Data May Never Die, w/ Scree

On today’s episode, we bring back the greatest of the great, the all-time champ of Raw Data Downloads, the DAX Demon himself, The Scree! I am sure you will recall His Un-Deadness, evil genius of the Undead Lords Guild from his record-setting, chart-topping, last appearance on our show where he shared the secrets of the inner workings of gaming guilds and data.

Written by on June 14, 2022

Crypto-Fantasy Leftists are an Exclusive Tribe, w/ Davis Mattek

On today’s episode, our host, Rob sits down with one of his podcast idols, Davis Mattek of TaekCast. He is here today to shed some light on his Fantasy sports roster choices but also on the mysterious Crypto and Blockchain currencies. And you never know, maybe a little glimmer of light will highlight some conspiracy theories and backstories as well. In this episode, Rob and Tom delve deeper into digital currencies than before and who knows, maybe, just maybe, a fortune can be made.

Written by on June 7, 2022