🎚️Levels & Layers: Tech Mishaps, Growing Ubiquity of AI & Data Center Demand
Ain't no stoppin' this hustle...
What’s up, everybody?
It’s a pleasure to be in your inbox again. Y’all good? We’re good.
Crazy to think that we’re back already with another installment of #TheTechHustle Newsletter! 📰
Time is moving, but so are we! Straight up this ladder to greatness.
We have a lot on the board this month, so I hope y’all are ready.
Are you new here? Welcome. Oh, you’re true here? Welcome back.
We appreciate you pulling up. Let’s chat.
⛓️💥👎🏿 Embracing Mistakes 👍🏿
BobbyD 👨🏾💻:
Alright, y’all know I love when y’all ask me questions.
This one is a good one:
Bobby, do you have any stories that I would resonate with in terms of when you’ve failed and what you learned from those failures?
(Context) You know whenever you're in an interview how there are always those behavioral questions that are like, ‘Hey, can you tell me about the time that you had challenges with a coworker?’ or ‘Tell me about a time when you broke something and what happened.’
I’m thinking about how I've never heard you talk about anything that you've broken, Bobby! All you’ve told us about is how you've done this or that and ended up saving the day!
So, the answer is yes. Yes, I have failed; and yes, I did learn from it. As a matter of fact, there are two stories I want to share with y’all.
I want to preface this by saying that every (tech) saint has a past!
1️⃣ - Epic Exam Fail. Depending on how long you’ve been part of the #TTH squad, you may have heard me talk about one of my more noteworthy certifications, the Red Hat Certified Engineer, or RHCE.
Well, the exam for this certification is one of the more difficult ones I’ve taken because you actually have to show your work. They give you a piece of paper and a computer, and you have to set up the computer. You do it right, you pass. If you don’t, well…you don’t.
So, the day of the exam, I was in there confident as all get out, at the table thinking I’m about to do the dang thing. Wrong. Fifteen minutes into the 2-hour exam, I executed the wrong command and wiped the entire system clean.
I can’t make this up.
Everything was gone. I went to the instructor to explain my ‘mistake,’ and his response was along the lines of ‘If you can’t follow instructions, then you’re not worthy of being certified.’
Fortunately, I was able to go back for a retest a few months later, and I passed and got certified.
That was a hard lesson to learn…and a long drive home.
2️⃣ - System Mismanagement. Another fail-hard-and-learn-fast moment happened when I worked at the South Florida Water Management District. I was responsible for managing the backup systems. You can probably imagine how much data was being produced seeing that it was part of the state local government.
Long story short, we had to have something in place called a disaster recovery plan where we were either storing data locally at the site or somewhere else—more specifically, we were writing stuff on tape drives.
Well, in a moment of complete oversight, yours truly wiped the primary backup server clean (there were two at the time). Basically, I thought I was on the secondary server but quickly realized something was awry when all the screens that displayed our alerts started going haywire. It took us a few hours to recover everything, but man, that was another super important lesson learned.
I usually tell one of these stories during interviews because they were both lessons learned about paying attention and following instructions—two things that are of critical importance in every tech role.
SHAMELESS PLUG: It’s a beautiful thing to see that the #TheTechHustle Community 🤝🏽 is steadily growing! Check in with us and let’s level up in this tech game together. It’s our time!
🤖🗨️GPT-4o / Google Gemini 🌐
The truth remains: AI isn’t going anywhere.
In case you don’t know, the latest model of AI is here, and it’s called GPT-4o. Word on the street is that the “o” is indicative of its ‘omni’ nature.
To the latter, GPT-4o is said to be able to “reason across audio, vision, and text in real time.” See, in previous models, each of these inputs had to be done separately.
All I can say is impressive is an understatement with this one.
If you ask me, OpenAI is winning every bet right now. It’s going to be interesting to see what they step out with next.
Another big AI model making waves and pioneering new terrain is Google’s Gemini. The tech giant is certainly serving up some AI-amazingness with this and, in one way or another, keeping competitors like OpenAI on its toes.
Gemini encompasses what Google is calling a “family of multimodal large language models.” One this is for sure, Google is not going to take it laying down! I wholeheartedly believe that Gemini will eventually be integrated into every product offering that Google has. We’ll see…
Side Note 📝: A quick shoutout to Google for everything the company is doing to move the needle in tech innovation. The organization recently hosted its annual Google I/O event which is a large-scale developer conference. They also have an initiative called the Tech Equity Collective that is all about accelerating access and advancement in tech for people who look like me. Of course, the TEC group attended Google I/O and fully represented for black tech talent everywhere.
What a time, what a time.
Consider this, though: Whether you choose to accept it or not, AI’s here to stay. What we need to do now is get prepared and stay focused on the best way to level up so that this thing doesn’t take our seat.
If you want to hear me go into more detail about my thoughts on the direction AI is going and what it could possibly mean for techies like you, me, your friends, and everybody else in the field, check out Episode 36 of #TheTechHustle podcast.🎙️
🏢🔧 Data Center Demand is UP! 📈
I’m talking way up—somewhere in the range of 430%.
You see, AI needs a lot of computing resources—specifically around data centers—to do what it does. Not to mention, every device we use must talk to another computer. And where does that ‘other computer’ reside? In data centers.
You catching my drift?
All of this is leading to an exponential increase in data center needs and data center demand. Data centers are the core infrastructure of the internet, and for that reason alone, they aren’t going anywhere. In fact, the number of data centers is increasing by the day.
Microsoft and OpenAI are gearing up to spend somewhere in the range of $100 billion on a data center expansion project that should be ready around 2028. Along with that comes about 2,000 new roles that they will need to fill. This is just one example.
Now, I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but what I will say is that taking time to upskill yourself with some data center skills could very well be a golden ticket to avoiding the grasp of AI. I do recommend that you consider what a move toward this type of role could look like for you.
Tap into #TheTechHustle discord for insights on what this growing demand entails.
You Into Upskilling?!
Calling all tech hustlers! #TheTechHustle has several product courses designed to upskill you in every sense of the word—career coaching, mentorship, mock interview prep, upskilling with Linux, and other premium-level offerings. We’re not leaving any stone unturned. Join us!
💡 Raymond’s Nuggets!
Mic check one-two, one-two! Coming to the stage is Raymond, and he has all his nuggets with him. Make sure you appreciate this hustle that keeps us all sharp!
Oh, and if you haven’t already, go check out Raymond’s Member Spotlight writeup. He was featured as our June 2024 pick, and he had a lot to share about his journey and plans for the future.
Raymond Similien🤷🏾♂️:
ℹ️ Glassdoor (Retracting)⚠️🚨⚠️🚨⚠️🚨
A couple months back, in April, I included Glassdoor as one of my nuggets—touting it as “an invaluable resource for those in the tech space.”
While this was true at one point, things have changed; therefore, I can no longer endorse or vouch for this site. Unfortunately—despite what can be implied by its name—Glassdoor is not completely transparent.
The leadership behind the company thinks it’s okay to tell users that they are able to anonymously submit info to protect their privacy, then turn around and provide users’ names to companies that contact them.
Can you say insane?!
A valuable alternative that doesn’t have ulterior motives is #TheTechHustle.
ℹ️ Home Assistant 🏠
This open-source, free, privacy-first option is giving both Google and Alexa a run for their money. For obvious reasons, it’s safe to say that Home Assistant could very well take the lead in home automation in the coming years.
ℹ️ Arc Browser 🖱️
For years, there has been a little-known browser available on macOS called Arc Browser.
You may or may not have heard of and/or used it, but it’s from The Browser Company (how fitting) and it’s built on the same architecture as the Chrome browser.
So, if you’re an avid Chrome user, you’ll probably really like this. Apparently, it’s the perfect alternative and what a lot of folks have been waiting for. Arc is available in beta on Windows.
ℹ️ Terms of Service; Didn’t Read 🔒
By a show of hands, how many of you read the terms of service in full, word-for-word when signing up for a site or service?
Didn’t think so.
Well, we’re in a little bit of luck. A site called Terms of Service; Didn’t Read (TOSDR) is now making it 100x easier to see what’s going on with the TOS that these companies shove down our throats and force us to sign before we can proceed with using their service.
TOSDR rates companies’ terms on a scale of A to E, the former being the best and the latter being the worst. You wouldn’t guess how many of our favorite companies received ‘E’ grades. To name a few: Facebook, Amazon, Reddit, YouTube, and the list goes on..and on…and on.
Visit the site the next time you need to know if the TOS staring you down is good-to-go or full of sh*t.
ℹ️ Update Faker & Hacker Typer 🎭
If you’re the type to pull pranks on your friends and family, you’ll love these sites:
Update Faker: Next time someone leaves their computer unlocked in front of you, you can use the Update Hacker site to set up an endless ‘system update’ that will never end! You can put the fake update in full screen mode to get the full immersion experience. Fake updates are available for Windows 10 and 11, Mac OS X, Windows XP, and Windows 98.
Hacker Typer: Want your friends and family to think that you have incredible hacking skills? This site offers fake coding and a hacker simulator that will have your people thinking you should be part of Anonymous.
Nothing wrong with a little harmless fun!
📰 DHustle’s News & Current Events (June)
DHustle💆🏽♂️:
News, news, and more news!
Apple Discounts: If you’re in the market for an Apple Watch Series 9 or AirPods Pro (2nd Generation), you’ll be happy to hear that BestBuy has reduced the price of the former by $300 and Apple is offering $69 off the price of second-gen AirPods.
Making Apple Vision Pro More Affordable: Rumor has it that the head honchos over at Apple are gathered at the whiteboard trying to figure out how to bring the price down to something more affordable, in the range of $1,500-$2,500. As it stands, the $3,400+ price tag is not doable for a lot of the folks who would normally go after these types of items.
If you’ve been eyeing the Vision Pro, but haven’t been able to save up for it, check out eBay. There are reports that brand new Vision Pros are being sold for several hundred dollars less than market rate.
Elon Musk Wants 25%: Apparently, Mr. Elon Reeve Musk is trying to up his share of Tesla from 13% to 25%. Musk is telling the company that if they agree to increase his stake, he’ll stop building AI and robotics products. If you haven’t noticed, in recent years, the company’s branding has leaned toward the AI/robotics space. Not to mention, it he does get the 25%, it will give Musk voting power over Tesla, he’ll be able to reincorporate Tesla in Texas, and his 2018 compensation package will be reinstated.
Oh, Elon. Your antics never cease to shock us.
Apple’s 17.5.1 Update: If you’ve ever had a situation where you deleted photos from your phone and they somehow, someway reappeared, I’m happy to tell you that the fix has arrived. The latest version of iOS—17.5.1—dropped on the scene just a couple days ago, and it is the fix that is needed to make sure deleted photos are gone for good.
Not Goodbye, Just See You Later… 👋🏾
Well, look at that. We’re at the end of our time for today, peeps.
But it’s cool. You already know that we have new gems coming your way every month.
Hopefully there’s some info you found valuable in this newsletter. Take what resonates and use it to get you started on the next phase of your tech journey.
And, listen: I think it’s pretty dope that you’re still on the ladder.
Until next time! Peace…✌🏾
Special shoutout and thank you to our sponsor, Mar-velous Creations. Check her out for creative and custom handmade sweets and treats. Her service area spans from Palm Beach down to Miami-Dade.
🚀 Join the Hustle!
🎧 Tune-in to Our Podcast – Your weekly dose of tech, culture, and community insights.
👥 Join Our Community – Dive into our Discord, where the tech talk never stops.
💻 Contribute on GitHub – Got code? Join our projects and make a difference.
🎤 Book a Speaker – Bring #TheTechHustle's fire to your event.
📚 Explore Our Courses – Level up with our expert-led tech courses.
💼 Advertise with Us – Become a Sponsor or Partner with #TheTechHustle!
💖 Make a Donation – Support the movement that's reshaping tech.
🔥I love the topics!