100 days, but still Day One
Posted: April 18, 2018 Filed under: AWS, Geek | Tags: AWS Leave a commentI’ve just hit 100 days with AWS.
It’s been a mix of on-boarding, travel, working with my team, learning what needs to be done, and culminated with a few days last week at AWS Summit in SYDNEY
Looking back at my TripIt stats, it kinda says it all…..
2018 TRAVEL STATS | |
Trips | 8 |
Days | 38 |
Distance | 54,682 km |
Cities | 7 |
Countries | 4 |
Since starting the new role, I’ve been on the look out for a new avatar. I had to leave my old ones, and I had been using a temporary one which I kinda liked (can anyone guess where it’s from?)
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So I need a new look.
I had a bright idea — I went to fiverr, and using the same photo, I got a few different avatars. I tried Simpsons style, Archer style, flat style, shadowy, artistic, cartoony, but I must admit I really really love the Bob’s Burger style – So that’s the one in the top left… My family reckons is a good likeness too – it’s a keeper. Expect to see it everywhere
And speaking of seeing it everywhere, I helped designed a burger for Royal Stacks (Yes i know right). It’s called the QWERTY, and available only for the month of April! The burger is pretty awesome if I say so myself 🙂 #AchievementUnlocked 🍔
Now, one of the things that has really struck me is that Amazon, and therefore AWS, is that it is a bit “peculiar”. I like that, maybe because I’m a bit peculiar too. I’ve always felt like the odd one out. Now I feel I’m among “my” people, and the things that really contributes to this is the collection of Amazon Leadership Principles – they are not just a sign on a wall, but something used every day at Amazon. Some of these principles represent things that are inside a person (call it values if you will) and some are learnt behaviours. As a result, there’s a common sense of purpose, a common language, a virtual shorthand that unites everyone.
100 days down. Onwards to the next 100 days, and then the next after that. But, as they say at Amazon, it’s always Day One!
Leaving Telstra
Posted: December 13, 2017 Filed under: Telstra 4 Comments
1337 d4y5 47 73l57r4
Posted: September 11, 2017 Filed under: Geek, Telstra Leave a commentIt’s been 1337 days since i started at Telstra, to be part of the team working on the API Strategy and it feels appropriate on this 1337 d4y5 1337 d4y5 47 73l57r4 to see the next chapter of the API work be written, with Steve Cooper, aka @DeveloperSteve coming onboard to take this to the next level as the API and Platform Evangelist at Telstra. Welcome Steve – looking forward to seeing things move ahead.
Back in September 2016, I moved into a new role as a member of the Innovation team at Telstra, in the Chief Technology Office, located in the Gurrowa Innovation Lab in Melbourne.
Well a lot has happened in those 12 months! We built a new team, re-launched the lab with a new sense of purpose & vigor, and began to inspire the next generation
We also hosted many events, and lucky for me, I was able to capture a “moment” of just some of these
- NABLabs Hackathon @ Gurrowa Innovation Lab
- An Evening with Taavi Kotka
- IOT Melbourne Meetup @ TelstraLabs
- #InnovationNation
- What’s Up Berlin?
- What’s Up San Fran?
- @murudau #mel1 mentor night
I also got more connect with the ecosystem and was invited to contribute via a number of initiatives…
- Became a mentor for the CSIRO ON program
- Joined the Austrade Landing Pad Assessment Panel
- Rejoined the Computing and information systems industry advisory group for the University of Melbourne School of Engineering
It’s been a full 12 months, with a lot more to come
3 years on, break out the leather, crystal or glass
Posted: January 13, 2017 Filed under: Personal, Telstra, Uncategorized Leave a comment


We Want You! Hustler, Hacker, Hipster
Posted: December 5, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentI just passed my 90 days in Telstra’s Chief Technology Office (CTO) based out of the Gurrowa Innovation Lab in Melbourne.
It’s been a full-on period which included revisiting our WHY (thank you Simon Sinek)
So now that we have a better idea of our WHY, we’re looking for a few special folks to come join us.
We are on the hunt for a community manager, who will be “our face” to the community. From running tours, to hosting events and making the connections between all the diverse communities that Telstra is part of; and they need a bit of hustle.
We also need an innovation hacker, a cross between a “hacker” and a “hipster”, who can use digital marketing tools and techniques to drive rapid experimentation, which will help test & validate ideas.
These folks will be joining a growing team of entrepreneurial minded people, including Facilitation and Design specialists who believe that by working together, we can discover the insights and technologies that will pay dividends back to Australian businesses, and reaffirm our nation’s position on the world stage as a bold and vital innovator.
So if you think you’re part of this dream team, based in Melbourne, reach out and tell us why.
1,000 Days
Posted: October 9, 2016 Filed under: Personal, Telstra 2 Comments
I’ve just clocked over 1000 days at Telstra. It’s gonna get hard to play the “I’m new here” card now I guess.
It’s been a journey so far – kinda like the hero journey
A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.
And to be honest, it pretty much sums up what happened in relation to the API Strategy work — A call to adventure, guardians, mentors, temptations, threats, challenges, revelations, transformations, atonement, a gift of the goddess and eventual return! Yup, pretty much a text book experience.
The journey was featured in a recent article at the end of July, entitled Telstra’s API revolution. It gives a great wrap up of the work to date, and acts as a solid record of what has been done.
There have been losses along the way, and I won’t dwell on them all but I do want to mention one of my fellow travellers – Bruce Carney. We both started on the same day – brothers in arms, facing the challenges together. Bruce is no longer with us – he’s part of a new journey with Aussie software darling, Atlassian, and I do wish him well on his next journey.
So I now find myself at a transition point, a time for a new story, with some familiar folks, and some new ones as well.
I am now a member of the Innovation team at Telstra, in the Chief Technology Office, located in the world-class Gurrowa Innovation Lab in Melbourne.
The lab opened in August 2015, with lots of great coverage:
- Telstra opens Gurrowa innovation lab in Melbourne
- Telstra opens Gurrowa Innovation Lab
- Telstra partners with Pivotal, launches innovation lab in Melbourne
- Telstra launches Gurrowa Innovation Lab
The lab is the centerpiece of Telstra’s innovation and technology research capabilities. Gurrowa, which means Interchange in the Wurung language, signifies the interchanging of ideas that will take place in this unique co-creation space that will drive the new wave of innovation at Telstra.
It has been the location for projects, events, hackathons over the past year, and with the experience gained over that time, we now have an opportunity to fine tune the way it works and make it AWESOME!
So that’s the new call to adventure. What lies ahead? I don’t fully know, but I do know WHY we’re doing this, and that makes for a fun journey.
Huzzah!
730 Days & 23 trips to Sydney!
Posted: January 13, 2016 Filed under: Personal, Telstra, Uncategorized 1 CommentToday marks 2 years into my time at Telstra , and it’s really zipped along.
I even got inspired to get a “simpsons-style” cartoon of me – the orange hat is a nice touch I think.
The last couple of these types of posts I’ve done have included a bit of a recap – 12 Months In & 546 Days so I will spare the look back, suffice to say a fair bit of stuff got done – some visible such as T.DEV , speaker at I ♥ APIS in San Jose, sponsor at Web Directions 2015, judge at Hackfood, author on Telstra Exchange; and some not so, but just as important!!
I also made a a video to be used for internal training – here’s sneak peak
Oh, and I’ve had 23 trips to Sydney over these past 2 years. Yes, I did the maths.
OK then, so there are a few things coming up that I am looking forward to…
- Above All Human – I missed it last year, so I am keen to attend this year.
- Muru-D Sydney Class 3 – I was at the recent boot camp helping some of these startups get ready and I cant wait to see what they produce!!
- API Days Australia in Melbourne, March 1 & 2, with a host of great speakers
What else? There’s a few other things, but I’ll keep’em under my hat for the time being. It revolves around how developers took over the world and how we can respond to that.
And did i mentioned I’ve had 23 trips to Sydney !!