Between the end of 2019 and when I left the Co-op on Sep 18th 2021 I used Office 365 and never found a single redeeming feature.

Well, maybe one, a small set of Co-op employees had access to slack and g-suite in Co-op Digital. But in the rest of Co-op they were using installed (i.e. local only) old versions of Office (without video-conferencing and chat). For them, maybe Office 365 was an improvement - and certainly it made remote work during the pandemic possible.

But for me, it was a constant source of frustration.

I'm sure that there are great people working on Office with care and attention but I didn't experience that. It was like being haunted and losing your mind all in one go. I had a habit of tooting my frustrations. I'm aware of them having been submitted as evidence in one procurement process. I don't think they swung the decision.

If the tooter-web dissappeared they'd be the one thing I missed and so I've copied them here.

Year Goals for 2023

• continue becoming a better engineer and team-mate
• practice Italian every day
• train at the gym at least twice a week every week
• 8 leisurely cycle rides
• visit Italy at least twice

How did February go?

Year Goals for 2023

• continue becoming a better engineer and team-mate
• practice Italian every day
• train at the gym at least twice a week every week
• 8 leisurely cycle rides
• visit Italy at least twice

How did January go?

Forgive me, for I have sinned, it's been 2 years since my last year notes 👼

I wrote year notes for 2019, and 2020. I've been super un-inspired to write for the last few years. Which is a shame - because it's a a great way to learn.

So much happened last year that it feels way longer than a year. So, discipline over motiviation - here are my 2022 year notes. Or at least as much as I can write while the house is empty of other people.

Pasta e Fasule, as made by my Neapolitan Nonna Luisa

Pasta e Fasule is Neapolitan for Pasta e Fagiole which is Italian for Pasta and Beans

Pasta and bean soup reminds me of being looked after when recovering from an illness as a kid. I like it so thick the spoon will stand up.

You can use odds and ends of pasta or break spaghetti in. When my dad was little he'd be sent to the pasta shop to get their broken odds and ends. They were cheaper.

It turns out that Neapolitan pizza dough is a strictly described thing. The UK version of the EU rules are here. Those instructions use 1.8 kilograms of flour and 1 litre of water. But (if you're not going to a wholesaler) flour comes in 1 kilogram bags. Ingredients have been adjusted to 1kg for this recipe.

I sometimes use a biga starter. Instructions for that are here. But it takes more work, time, and nuance.

This recipe can be completed in a single day and makes a very consistently tasty dough

(Yes! That much salt)

Be careful to have lots of good bread available to soak up the tasty oil when you're finished! 👩‍🍳👌

We've had photovoltaic (PV) solar panels generating electricity on our roof for exactly 5 years. I've explained the impact a few times privately or on the tooter website. I'm writing it down here so that I don't have to re-remember all the details each time. And since electricity prices are in the news at the moment and it might be useful to some folks.

We had 14 panels installed on 25th August 2017. It cost £4,793.25 which included 5% VAT. Our house is south facing at the rear. They've generated 17.06MWh of electricity in the last five years.

That's 17,060Kwh or a little over 17,000 "units".

And that represents around 4 tonnes of CO₂ "saved".

Tony Benn once said: "I have divided politicians into two categories: the Signposts and the Weathercocks. The Signpost says: 'This is the way we should go.' And you don't have to follow them but if you come back in ten years time the Signpost is still there. The Weathercock hasn’t got an opinion until they've looked at the polls, talked to the focus groups, discussed it with the spin doctors."

I heard this quote recently and it has really struck me…

Having changed problem domain, work environment, stack, and programming language this last year I'm wondering what signpost I want to be.

I've finished at the Co-op after four years. I was feeling emotional and wrote some "wise words". I thought I'd record them here. In the future, when I'm reminiscing, they can transport me back to this feeling.