iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 15/10/2025

Having spent time in England with my twin brother recently, it is even more obvious that I am English and he is Australian.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 16/09/2025

Saw “The Roses” tonight. Enjoyed it a lot. Americans should probably consider the language warning though.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 16/09/2025

“Oh, I thought he died at the end of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid…”

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 15/09/2025

So good to see my Adelaide friend Shab Azeez on stage at the Emmys as the show she’s in wins Best Drama. In the red dress near the right.

The cast and crew of The Pitt. Picture from ABC News Australia

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 07/09/2025

Happy BatmanSocks Day if you’re in Australia.

I’m wearing Batman socks to acknowledge all those people who didn’t grow up with a father, this Father’s Day

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 13/08/2025

I’m re-reading Project Hail Mary, and I’m 25% of the way through. I’m curious to see how they do the movie, and whether things will happen at the same kind of pace.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 12/08/2025

Thanks @virginaustralia.bsky.social for the email just now suggesting I get to the airport extra early because of the airport upgrades. I mean, my flight was four days ago, but I appreciate the email anyway.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 12/08/2025

Another month, another #tsql2sday post. lobsterpot.com.au/blog/2025/08...

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 27/07/2025

Felt good to submit a couple of conference sessions today. September already has two sessions booked, and now maybe a third. Plus my first conference submission for 2026.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 08/04/2025

Quick video about SSMS 21's scroll bar (and how you can get it in older versions too). lobsterpot.com.au/blog/2025/04... #sql #tsql2sday

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 11/02/2025

Wait, Marvel has a character called Taskmaster, and it’s not Greg Davies?

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 25/01/2025

Aren’t there only 455 players eliminated? So why is it ₩‎45.6B?

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 13/01/2025

Just a reminder that this month’s T-SQL Tuesday is tomorrow. I’m looking forward to reading whatever you have to say about integrity.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 06/01/2025

This month's T-SQL Tuesday #tsql2sday sees me hosting, not just writing. Got thoughts about integrity? Could be in the data world, the professional world, or whatever world you want to write about. If so, this invite is for you! lobsterpot.com.au/blog/2025/01...

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 31/12/2024

Seeya 2024. Don’t let the door hit you, etc.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 24/12/2024

Spotify: Here’s some music you like, based on what been listening to this year. Duolingo: Bonjour! Dzień dobry! You’ll be able to understand this, based on how many foreign words you’ve learned this year. LinkedIn: I’ve got this…

The notification screen on my phone, at 7:47am on Christmas Day. There is a notification from LinkedIn, suggesting I follow the Chief Executive of Suicide Prevention Australia.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 12/12/2024

This should make for a fun “live blog” experience. Hooray for being 50. Also, their address seems appropriate, considering they want me to send them something from my backside.

The Australian government wants me to send them some of my poo. This is a letter sent to me from the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, whose address is in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 07/12/2024

I liked the new Senna mini-series, in some ways even more than the 2010 doco. I always admired that he was more than just a driver, with such deep faith and passion. Like my father he died in his mid-30s (Senna ten years later), both making me wonder what kind of future they could have had.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 04/12/2024

The Difinity conference Sydney keynote has drawn a good roomful, including a bunch of people from Adelaide! Thanks @rezarad.bsky.social !

Zoe Douglas presenting the keynote to a room full of people

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 03/12/2024

I thought with all my Santa gigs cancelled (because of my crutches) that I’d do well with #Whamageddon. Not so. I’m out already. Business meeting in a hotel got me. See you all in Whamhalla.

Whamageddon rules.

THE IST RULE
The objective is to go as long as possible without hearing WHAM's Christmas classic; "Last Christmas".
THE 2ND RULE
The game starts on December 1st, and ends at midnight on December 24th. (Yes, were European heathens)
THE 3RD RULE
Only the original version applies.
Enjoy the fuck out of remixes and
covers.
THE 4TH RULE
You're out as soon as you recognise the song.
BONUS RULE
Post on social media with the #whamageddon hashtag when you get hit.
PUP?
While we can't stop you from deliberately sending your friends to Whamhalla, the intention is that this is a survival game. Not a Battle Royale. So don't be a dick, mkay?

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 20/11/2024

Today I get to tell the @adaug.bsky.social community about the SQL Server 2025 announcement at Ignite. @joeydantoni.com has provided a useful resource as usual, over at the Redmond Mag site. redmondmag.com/Articles/202...

redmondmag.com

SQL Server 2025 Announced at Microsoft Ignite 2024 -- Redmondmag.com

Expect the next generation of Microsoft's database platform to show up in preview sometime next year.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 20/11/2024

It’s a nice day to be hosting the Adelaide Data Platform User Group. Here’s the view from the Microsoft office.

A few from a window, showing the Adelaide cityscape (Hindmarsh Square in particular). On the left of the image, a wall inside the Microsoft office shows part of an Acknowledgment of Country.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 18/11/2024

It’s no fun when a doctor says “at least you’re in good spirits” when I’m seeing him about an injury that is taking way too long to heal and I need to cancel my Santa gigs this year. He didn’t seem to get my “No, this is just because I’m around people - I’m really not doing well” reply. :(

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 18/11/2024

I’m speaking at this tomorrow night. I’ll be online, but the other two speakers are in person.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 16/11/2024

Changed my handle to a custom one. Quick question: should I use @rob.lobsterpot.com.au (as now) or @robfarley.com - both are available to me, but I don’t have a website at robfarley.com (yet).

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 14/11/2024

My office for the day. Also known as “Dressing Room 2”. After lunch I’ll be performing to the guests in the main hall.

I’m taking a photo of myself in a theatre dressing room. There are mirrors in front of me, and posters on the wall behind.

The hall in which I’ll be performing. There are about eight large round tables with tablecloths.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 07/11/2024

I guess I haven’t told my phone that I’ve been on crutches for the last two months. It just gave me this warning. Not the right day for it.

A warning on my phone from the health app: “Very Low Walking Steadiness”
“Your Walking Steadiness is very low and you may be at high risk of falling in the next 12 months.”

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 06/11/2024

I’m about to have another MRI. This time on my neck to see why I have arm/hand pain. It’s a bad day to write the date on forms. I keep putting a “7” instead of the “2”.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 06/11/2024

In just over an hour it becomes the 40th anniversary of my father’s death - a victim of the Cold War. It gets to me every year. :(

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 06/11/2024

So from January he has the presidency, the house, the senate, and the court. 2016 he didn’t have the court, and 2018 he didn’t have the house. Am I understanding this right?

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 05/11/2024

I'm seeing a lot of posts about #passdatasummit this week. I'm not there this time, but am enjoying seeing pictures of everyone, despite wishing I was in those pictures. Have fun everyone - and be nice to each other. ;)

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 27/09/2024

Following on from having a stress fracture in the second largest bone in my right leg, I now have a disability parking permit. It’s not a “disabled parking permit” - that just means a regular parking permit that isn’t enabled. An “expired” one doesn’t mean you can park in spots for the dead either.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 18/09/2024

I can’t walk well. Could be a couple of months…

$X-ray of my right knee showing a stress fracture.$ $MRI of my right knee showing a stress fracture.$ $MRI of my right knee showing a stress fracture, and that it goes all the way from front to back.$

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 13/09/2024

A quick trip away for the weekend isn’t so quick when I’m having trouble walking. Instead of arriving and going straight through security, I had to wait for a wheelchair and then they pushed me through security and did what they call a “full frisk”. I feel like I need a cigarette now.

It’s a picture of me, sat in an airport wheelchair, next to a sign that says “Reserved for the elderly or passengers requiring assistance”.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 06/09/2024

#mvpbuzz (Deliberately posted without comment)

My hand, holding a small white unmarked box.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 13/08/2024

The other day I instinctively selected some text in an email and hit Ctrl-V to paste a URL. It turned the text into a link. When did that start being a thing, and why did I do it instinctively? Or has my flu-ridden brain just forgotten it’s always been like that? Or made me forget to hit Ctrl-K?

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 30/07/2024

After a week away for data community events in Brisbane and Christchurch (pictured), it's nice to be back home but I'm also looking forward to the next thing.

A staircase featuring about 18 people, the speakers from Data Saturday Christchurch.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 19/06/2024

I gave a user group presentation today, and used slides for the first time in many years. It feels wrong. It’s not what I do. I still took the approach of “what do I want people to see while I’m talking?”, and then made a conscious decision. I still maintain slides should not be the default style.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 16/06/2024

Lebanese food for lunch today. If it looks like dukkah, and tastes like dukkah, it’s probably dukkah.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 15/06/2024

If Australia (already qualified) don’t beat Scotland, then England get knocked out of the Men’s T20 World Cup. So I need to cheer for Australia to beat Scotland? This is very very wrong. :( (I blame the rain in Barbados for this situation, of course. Not our loss to Australia last week.)

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 26/05/2024

Amazing that a team achieved the elusive “double Double” this weekend, by winning the league and cup double in consecutive years, against a team from the same city. Well done, Celtic.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 26/05/2024

I have this bad tendency to read self-help books all the way through even if I’m not interested. I picked up Atomic Habits recently… …didn’t finish it.

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Rob Farley @robfarley.com · 18/12/2023

Oh… blue screens are not my friend. That’s about five just now during a Windows Update.

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