My speaker was crackling but I couldn't tell until the music stopped because I was listening to The Cure.

Happy X-Files Lego Release Day for those who celebrate! www.lego.com/en-us/produc...

The X-Files 21369 | Ideas | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop US

2 iconic scenes in 1 special X-Files set

lego.com

And now our Philly summer comes to an end, waiting to board our flight back to California ✈️

A few weeks ago I gave a presentation at the Philly Linux Users Group that included a demo of using DNF5 (and RPMs) on IBM z/OS Unix System Services. I cobbled it together based on information floating around the community about how it works, but now there's a guide! github.com/orgs/zopenco...

RPM Packages Consumption Guideline for zopen community · zopencommunity · Discussion #1223

RPM Packages Consumption Guideline for zopen community This guide explains how to configure your z/OS Unix System Services (USS) client to consume, verify, and install RPM packages delivered by the...

github.com

The Linux for IBM Z open source software porting team has been working on an MCP server and associated knowledgebase to assist with software porting. I got to play around with a preview of it from Lei Zhang last month, but now it's out there for everyone! community.ibm.com/community/us...

Made the mistake of completing our TV re-wiring project yesterday afternoon (No more visible wires! All cables are in-wall rated!), so the boys (5 & 7 yo) were screen-free while we were focused on that project, and had to entertain themselves. They destroyed the house 🤪

I cleaned out my sister's storage unit last year and am slowly sending her boxes of stuff. This week? Her Nintendo Game Boy and games. It still works! Also, the size of the game cartridges is killing me 😂

I am putting together a presentation that touches upon work I've done over the years with various architectures, and found a photo from 2007 when my desk was set up with my regular desktop and my Sun Ultra10 (not shown), which was attached to a Sun keyboard and mouse.

"brings together two major enterprise computing platforms, IBM Power and IBM Z, reflecting a shared interest in ensuring that MariaDB Server remains available, well tested and relevant across a broad range of architectures and demanding production environments." 🥳 🦭 mariadb.org/ibm-continue...

IBM continues as a Platinum Sponsor of MariaDB Foundation - MariaDB.org

We are delighted to announce that IBM is continuing its support of MariaDB Foundation as a Platinum Sponsor. IBM’s sponsorship brings together two major enterprise computing platforms, IBM® … Continue...

mariadb.org

My last international trip was in January of 2020. It was to Australia for Linux Conf AU. In two weeks I'll be back on a plane abroad for work, and it's back to Australia! 🦘 Plus a few days in New Zealand! 🇳🇿

Welcome to the Open Source Software report for IBM Z and LinuxONE for June 2026 🐧 Validation was maintained for over 2 dozen projects, including the Apache HTTP Server, pgvector, & RabbitMQ + 6 projects and ecosystems added s390x binaries, CI, and/or containers! 📦 community.ibm.com/community/us...

Linux on IBM Z and LinuxONE Open Source Software Report: June 2026

community.ibm.com

Spending this evening in the ancient, mythological Mediterranean #odyssey (No, not 70mm IMAX, I was looking for a less people-y experience)

I used to escape to Philly when the wildfire smoke in San Francisco got bad. Those were the days.

"Mom, why don't seahorses have stomachs?" Seahorses don't have stomachs? Huh.

My talk at PLUG went well last night 🐧 🎉 Answered lots of interesting mainframe questions, got to show off zopen's port of DNF5, and folks were interested in both the IBM LinuxONE Community Cloud and learning more via IBM Z Xplore. Slides here: princessleia.com/presentation... (1.3M pdf)

This evening at 7PM I'm speaking at the Philadelphia Linux Users Group about the latest in the open source mainframe world, from the Mainframe Software Hub for Linux to the development around rpm and dnf5 for IBM z/OS Unix System Services (yes, really!) Info: lists.netisland.net/archives/plu...

Some day dropping my kid off at a new school/camp/activity will get easier, right? I have found about four million things to worry about 😭

These perplexing "Freedom Fuel" rebranded gas stations have been popping up around Philadelphia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom...

Me: I'm pretty low maintenance, no fancy clothes or beauty products. Also me: LEGO

Beach vacations with little kids are EXHAUSTING so I spent this morning on the couch snuggled up with my cat and youngest (5yo) kiddo watching Project Hail Mary 👾

A slice on the Atlantic City boardwalk is still better than most pizza I've found in California 🍕

Fun fact: I hate water parks. (Written from a water park)

Sugar Factory is an absolute sensory nightmare. But at least they have this thing that's full of vodka.

Vacation mode engaged ⛱️ Taking the boys to the shore for a few days, so relaxing isn't the right word for it, but it's nice to have a change of scenery and a few days off from work 😜

It wasn't just IBM opening the NYSE this morning, it was ✨ IBM Z ✨ Why is it such a big day? We just announced our new Single frame and rack mount z17 and LinuxONE 5! newsroom.ibm.com/z17-linuxone...

Sad night in Casa Joseph as Brazil's World Cup journey came to an end ⚽ Our seven year old let his grief be known by taking off his socks and throwing them across the room.

You know when you're having a rough day, in a rough week of a rough month, and the universe keeps throwing things at you? Hello. This sucks.

The saga of the slavery exhibit on Independence Mall in Philadelphia continues. I've written before about how powerful and important I found this to be when it went up. Citizens are responding. "They can't erase our history." Rock on, Philadelphia #resist whyy.org/articles/phi...

Big Boy! 😍 🚂 #4thofjuly #philadelphia

Want a free agentic memory system for Claude/Chatgpt/Openclaw running an an enterprise database? You’re welcome. community.ibm.com/community/us...