Hal Stern's thoughts on the economy, software, services, technology, and snowmen. Hal Stern: The Morning Snowman

Saturday Oct 02, 2004

Why suddenly start blogging, on a Friday afternoon encapsulated in a perfect fall day in New Jersey? Despite the obvious reason (attention drift during late afternoon staff concall), I've been threatening to start assembling the bits for several weeks.

Ran into Sun's very own MaryMary in New York during our launch event on September 21, and found her enthusiasm infectious.

Have fielded half a dozen calls from our PR folks, wanting to know what I'm thinking about these days, and I didn't have a single URL to email back. Until now.

The single biggest reason, though, is because the " Jeff Halpern Story" isn't written yet. Google away, and you'll find he's a Jewish guy who went to Princeton and plays for the NHL's Washington Capitals. Three years ago, I lamented the lack of any ice hockey books in the (rather thin) sports sections of the annual Jewish book fairs -- you'll find Moe Berg, Hank Greenberg and even Shawn Green representing the nation's pastime -- but nothing that might even involve cold weather. My wife, Toby, challenged me three years ago (jokingly, of course) to write the first book in the genre -- perhaps allocating my own Dewey Decimal System number -- as soon as I finished the 2nd edition of "Blueprints for High Availability".

The HA book has been off the presses for over a year.

I've been keeping notes, scribbling ideas, and outlining the "hockey book" for over two years. Jeff Halpern figures into it, briefly, and it will be 90% based on real experiences I've had on the rinks and that my son has had playing travel ice hockey. It will be funny. It will have locker room humor. I want my own cameo in the movie adaptation, probably as a Zamboni driver -- kill two fantasy birds with one stone.

But it has to get written, and writing is a skill that requires practice. So I'm blogging to remember what it's like to turn out ideas for public consumption on a regular schedule. Adding to the morning routine of vitamins, asthma medicine and my first eBay fix of the day, I'm going to write.