In today's episode, we welcome Eric Vigesaa of Microsoft to the show. This special guest has a decades-long relationship with our host. According to Rob, Eric can always be counted on as a partner in cynical observations. Rob describes Eric as one of the rare breeds that enjoy the excitement of building an emergency solution. Someone who prefers a shorter distance between the software and the problem. The closer he is to impact, the more satisfying the solution becomes to him. Sardonically, Eric is also like the groundhog of Microsoft, emerging from IT, looking around, seeing the shadow, and returning back to IT: empowered, passionate, and skilled. Eric describes his non-IT time as an evolutionary course that allowed him to explore and grow his aptitude.

Also in today's episode, Rob and Eric describe the beginning phase of Microsoft's shift to computing in the cloud and the project carnage in its wake. Promising projects suddenly found themselves on the road to nowhere and are now, nowhere to be found . . . with one popular exception: streamlined conditional formatting. That simplistic innovation not only made it out of the darkness to see the light of day but also became Rob's gateway drug to audience participation. Other innovations weren't so lucky. Eric and Rob describe what happened to a multitude of promising projects that were sliced, diced, julienned, and unable to survive cloud modernization at Microsoft. The history might pull you in, but it's the dry wit that will keep you through the end.

As a bonus, today you also get at least one bad Star Wars joke . . . and don't forget, if you enjoyed this episode or the joke, please leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform and be sure to subscribe to get new episodes delivered to your inbox.

Also in this Episode:

The Software Hall of Fame, w/ Microsoft's Conor Cunningham

Queen's Gambit

Mike Tomlin Interview - Your teaching is failing

Kill Bill Relief or Regret

Power Pivot and Power BI: The Excel User's Guide to DAX, Power Query, Power BI & Power Pivot in Excel 2010-2016 - by Rob Collie

The Cloud is Powered by People w/Jeff DeVerter

The Evolution of SharePoint w/ Denise Trabona and Adam Harmetz

Winchester Mystery House

A Most Generous Mentor w/ Microsoft's Dany Hoter

Skynet becomes Self-Aware

Blade Runner - Tears in Rain