iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 29/08/2026

PERSERVERANCE Because today is the day that my hooman will let me lick the plate.

Maple, our golden poochon in focus to the right of the photo. She is laying down on the floor, looking up at me. Out of focus to the left of the photo and on my lap is my plate.

Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 29/08/2026

The @microsoftlearn.bsky.social cert registration page must have THE most baffling list I have ever seen. Hmmm where is Cardiff? Not in the Cs...it's next to North Licolnshire (5 hours NE of me) and Somerset (40 mins S of me). Sometimes alpha sort, sometimes entirely random.

The county drop down which lists (in order):

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
NORTHUMBERLAND
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Orkney Islands
OXFORDSHIRE
POWYS
RENFREWSHIRE
Scottish Borders, The
SHROPSHIRE
SOMERSET
Cardiff
North Lincolnshire
Sheffield
STAFFORDSHIRE
Stirling
SUFFOLK
SURREY
Newcastle upon Tyne
WARWICKSHIRE
Swansea

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 24/08/2026

My daughter bought an iPad some time ago for art stuff. This is after a rebuild to attempt to fix bloat (and having not re-added a load of stuff yet). The usable storage reduction is wild!

A photo of the iPad storage bar. It is a 32GB iPad. The bar has applications, messages, photos making up about a fifth of the bar. The remainder of the 26GB storage is iPadOS and System Data.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 31/07/2026

The one bottom right is three chambers high.

A side on view of the one segment which is three levels high.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 31/07/2026

So fortunately that’s not your Justin lol and so two nights ago went out at night dressed like a ninja, all sleeves taped up and dusted the thing down. Removed it all this evening. An incredible amount of nest buried underground.

The remains of a wasp nest on a box. There are six segments one of which is three levels high. Many of the holes are filled / blocked. Presumably unhatched?? No idea….

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 30/07/2026

It's on my desktop web, but not on mobile web. It is such a surreal thing to appear! Almost like the work of a disgruntled soon-to-be-ex employee!

A post from Daniel showing the options button with a new "Seems like AI slop option"

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 23/07/2026

My first 90 days? We will hunt down all the pensioners...

A screenshot from LinkedIn, the role is Financial Director at the mentioned golf club, the person has been in the role since April.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 22/07/2026

I was today years old when I realised that the SQL Server logo is in fact, an S 🤯🫣 anyone else...?

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 14/07/2026

I am going on a Zipwire at an old colliery in South Wales on the weekend!

4 people on 4 lines running from a tower at the top of a mountain

The photo is a POV a the top of the zip wire, above are the four lines, below are a bunch of trees. Far off in the distance is an expansive reservoir that the zip wire travels across.

A close of up three people over the trees with the reservoir in front of t them.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 13/07/2026

My name's Maple, my silly hoomans taught me to get the mail from the letter box, but they didn't explain HOW I should get the mail from the letter box. Am I doing it right?

Maple, a golden poochon is sat on the runner in our hallway. At her feet is three separate pieces of mail that are at various stages of destruction - there is a booklet that has been ripped up and two leaflets that have been attacked. Closer to the camera is a torn piece from one of the leaflets. All of the mail is junk mail, I'm hopeful that she is acting as our spam filter.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 18/06/2026

Today at Microsoft Fabric & Power BI Wales: Peter van den Bos on performance through data modelling, and Juliana Smith on practical accessibility using WCAG and POUR. Join us this evening: www.meetup.com/fabricpowerb... #PowerBI #MicrosoftFabric #DataCommunity

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 15/06/2026

What if your reports were faster and more accessible by design? On 18 June, Peter van den Bos and Juliana Smith share practical methods for model design, simpler DAX, and accessible dashboard patterns. Grab your place: www.meetup.com/fabricpowerb... #PowerBI #Accessibility

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 11/06/2026

Next week in Fabric & Power BI Wales: Peter van den Bos on stronger data modelling for better performance, and Juliana Smith on turning WCAG into practical Power BI actions. Join us: www.meetup.com/fabricpowerb... #PowerBI #MicrosoftFabric

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 08/06/2026

Learn about better performance and accessibility. Peter van den Bos shares model design tips for faster reports and simpler DAX. Juliana Smith shares practical POUR choices for inclusive dashboards. Register: www.meetup.com/fabricpowerb... #PowerBI #InclusiveDesign

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 05/06/2026

The Norwegian World Cup team photo is GLORIOUS 🇳🇴⚽

The norwegian football team dressed as vikings, adorned with shields, bows, spears, behind them is viking ship

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 18/05/2026

I’m almost compelled to reply to ask what was it about my profile…

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 27/04/2026

OMG Microsoft did a Welsh sticker for SQLBits must have! OMG Microsoft even used “Cymru” really must have! (side note, because Wales != Cymru) OMG WTF have they done to our beloved Dragon!?!?

A round SQLBits sticker with a Welsh dragon stood in front of a castle and the Severn bridge. Below it is a banner saying Cymru with two Welsh flags either side. There are daffodils scattered around the banner and rolling Welsh hills. I really like it at first glance.

But wait!

In true modern style, the whole thing is ruined by the fact that the dragon has five fucking legs. Five! The leg that is typically held up is there, so how will stay steady, we must give it a fifth leg to stand on! Even the flags are not safe from the extra leg. How can you mess up a flag?!?

A really lovely simple gesture ruined by AI.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 16/04/2026

Today's the day! Join us as Paul Andrew explores #MicrosoftFabric platform governance—from capacities and domains to data mesh concepts and access controls. swfta.uk/ug-2026-04 #DataGovernance #DataPlatform

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 12/04/2026

Capacities? Domains? Environments? Workspaces? If #MicrosoftFabric administration feels overwhelming, join us on 2026-04-16 when Paul Andrew shows us how to bring structure and governance to the platform. swfta.uk/ug-2026-04 #DataMesh #DataFabric

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 09/04/2026

Where do you even start with #MicrosoftFabric governance? On 2026-04-16, Paul Andrew breaks down capacities, domains, workspaces, and how to organise data products for effective delivery to your business users. swfta.uk/ug-2026-04 #DataGovernance #Analytics

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 05/04/2026

Making the shift from Azure PaaS to Fabric SaaS? On 2026-04-16, Paul Andrew helps us navigate #MicrosoftFabric governance. From data mesh concepts to aligning industry standards with Fabric's features and access controls. swfta.uk/ug-2026-04 #DataPlatform #Governance

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 02/04/2026

Microsoft #MicrosoftFabric is more than just workspaces inherited from Power BI. On 2026-04-16, Paul Andrew joins us to tackle platform governance capacities, domains, data products, and how to organise it all effectively. swfta.uk/ug-2026-04 #DataMesh #DataGovernance

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 27/03/2026

25 years using Excel...still pick the wrong one...

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 19/03/2026

Today! Shubhangi Goyal joins us for Customer-First Analytics: #PowerBI Dashboard for Impact. Learn how to design dashboards that truly serve your users, from defining the right problem to driving adoption. swfta.uk/ug-2026-03 #DataViz #Analytics

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 17/03/2026

Yup turns out the button I never use has colour profiles, one of which is called EasyRead 😆

A picture taken from my phone of this thread displayed on my monitor in high contrast grayscale. It's like having a giant kindle paperwhite.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 15/03/2026

Stop building dashboards in isolation. On 2026-03-19, Shubhangi Goyal shares techniques to put the customer at the centre of your #PowerBI design process. Walk away with tools and frameworks to turn dashboards into decision-driving assets. swfta.uk/ug-2026-03 #DataViz #Analytics

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 12/03/2026

Want practical frameworks for building better #PowerBI dashboards? On 2026-03-19, Shubhangi Goyal covers the full journey: understanding your audience, translating business questions into KPIs, structuring data models, and designing for usability. swfta.uk/ug-2026-03 #Analytics #DataViz

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 08/03/2026

What separates a dashboard people glance at from one that drives decisions? On 2026-03-19, Shubhangi Goyal walks us through building #PowerBI dashboards with empathy, covering KPIs, data modelling, intuitive design, and user adoption. swfta.uk/ug-2026-03 #DataViz #Analytics

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 06/03/2026

Building #PowerBI dashboards that nobody uses? The problem usually isn't the data, it's the design thinking. On 2026-03-19 Shubhangi Goyal shows us how to build dashboards with a customer-first mindset, from defining the right problem to driving adoption. swfta.uk/ug-2026-03 #DataViz #Analytics

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 01/03/2026

Maple gets a denta-stick each morning and for reasons unknown to me she walks around for a few minutes holding the stick like this. I can only assume she loves it when a plan comes together.

Maple, a golden poochon, standing, with a denta-stick in her mouth. A denta-stick is a hard, brick red dental stick, it is about 10cm long but cross section is an x shape so it is bulky rather than flat. And instead of holding it horizontally in her mouth, she always holds it out of the side of her mouth and thus it almost looks like a cigar and being an 80s kid reminds me of Hannibal from the A-Team

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 17/02/2026

A reboot of this excellent diagram, and absolutely not AI slop.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 12/02/2026

How do you actually implement CI/CD for #MicrosoftFabric? On 2026-02-19, Data Platform MVP Kev Chant shows us the current state of #AzureDevOps integration including Git workflows, branching strategies, and deployment best practices. Sign up at: www.meetup.com/fabricpowerb...

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 09/02/2026

Want to implement CI/CD for #MicrosoftFabric? On 2026-02-19, Kev Chant walks us through #AzureDevOps integration with Fabric, covering Git workflows, branching strategies, and deployment approaches for Data Warehouses and SQL databases. www.meetup.com/fabricpowerb... #DataPlatform

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 29/01/2026

For a while now, I have been bugged by why I need CLAUDE.md when ultimately it seems to serve the same purpose as README.md for me. It should provide context to the project, explain layout, identify workflow, common commands. They are the same things I would put in a README to help a contributor.

The most effective CLAUDE.md files solve real problems: they document the commands you type repeatedly, capture the architectural context that takes ten minutes to explain, and establish workflows that prevent rework. Your file should reflect how your team actually develops software—not theoretical best practices that sound good but don't match reality.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 26/01/2026

Bing Webmaster Tools support is a Copilot that vets my issue, then asks if I want it to raise a call for me (tbh I'd rather do it myself but sure let's waste more water). It then fails twice ("do you want me to retry?") before recommending I raise the ticket myself...through the url I'm already on.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 15/01/2026

My grandfather got me this beautiful little Bialetti Moka for my birthday. I love these little gadgets. I melted my last one leaving it unattended 🫣 had to get an induction plate for it though.

A bright red 3 cup Bialetti Moka sat on a Bialetti induction plate. The plate is wide enough I will be able to use it with the ceramic toaster.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 15/01/2026

And so it begins. Will no way meet the demand but a lovely little set to have a play with…

A mini roasting set, a beautiful small ceramic roasting pot with three green coffee bean selections. The roasting pot has an arm with a leather strap on it. There is a small hole at the top of the pot to pour the beans in.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 14/01/2026

24 hour warning! This time tomorrow James Dales will be entertaining us with a demo heavy session on mapping capabilities in #PowerBI and #IconMap, using #OpenData from #Wales. Come join us! www.meetup.com/fabricpowerb...

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 10/01/2026

Bold blue light...ok well I'm not using navigation so what does THAT mean? I put a note in my todoist a while ago to go understand what they all mean. Read the manual and, this is it! Not a hint at what, why and when. So damn frustrating that such a useful tool has been so poorly implemented.

From the manual

## ID. Light

_ID. Light is an intelligent lighting concept that shows you further information about your vehicle status. When the vehicle's drive system is activated and while driving, information about the current driving situation is displayed via
the ID. Light._

The ID. Light shows information and warnings of the following systems and functions:
—Locking and unlocking.
—Entry and exit lighting.
—Charging processes.
—Voice operation.
—Telephone calls.
—Navigation
—Reduced driving power.
—Control pause.
—Steering wheel contact detection.
—Eco assist.
—Park Assist Plus.
—Traffic hazard alert (V2X).
—Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
—Autonomous Emergency Braking (Front Assist).

! Some of the selection options displayed may not
work.
! You can change and expand which information is displayed by running an over-the-air update.

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 09/01/2026

had a play around with the theme and now I have running stats

my ohmyposh statusline now has the model name, a guage and percentage of session usage, a session cost and my battery %

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Justin Bird 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @justinjbird.com · 08/01/2026

OH MY POSH (see what I did there) LOOK AT MY CLAUDE

My claude cli adorned with a lovely oh my posh format. The best part of it is a gauge "The gauge provides instant visual feedback on how much of your context window you've consumed, which is crucial for managing long coding sessions."

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