IT Insights Blog

Oops. Where in the world is today's blog entry? Maybe Waldo would know, or Carmen Sandiego. The IT Insights blog was supposed to return to action today, following the long holiday weekend for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It appears that our regular Wednesday blogger, however, is still enjoying a well-earned respite from his labors. It is his birthday today, so we'll let this one slide.

The IT Insights blog is taking the day off, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We will be back on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Here at TestOut Continuing Education, we often encourage IT professionals and other learners to do something for themselves. It's good to occasionally be reminded, however, of how much other people matter. As Dr. King once said: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?' "

Earlier today two of my colleagues were engaged in a skirmish in the long-running battle of defense versus offense. In the end, they both agreed that defense is important to winning a championship. Indeed, most people accept as a truism that “defense wins championships.” Just bringing up the topic causes pundits of all stripes to regularly roll out stats and charts proving the primacy of defense.

“Just do it. Take all the courses in your curriculum. Do the research. Ask questions. Find someone doing what you are interested in! Be curious!” — Katherine Johnson, Former NASA Mathematician and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient

You may have heard the expression, "It's good to be the king," which notably appeared in, but probably did not originate from, the 1981 Mel Brooks comedy History of the World, Part I. For the most part, across many centuries, the lot of kings and other rulers has generally been quite enviable, certainly when compared to the lifestyle of the average slave, peasant, subject, citizen, or what have you. As a rule, royal prerogatives tend to be a pretty sweet deal.