2023 is nearly done and it has been quite the year for me!
I started the year with my longest ever bikepacking trip (at the time) and longest single day on a bike (192km), before returning to work at Microsoft and being made redundant in March – a first time experience for me. The silver lining was a chance to have a break from work for a couple of months, a 10 day bikepacking “redundancy ride” and then quickly into a new job. This afternoon I’m hopping on a flight to Glasgow, Scotland to spend three weeks in Europe with my daughter who has been studying there for the last four months.
I’ll share the Top 5 Blogs of 2023 below, but first a slightly more detailed recap of the year.
New Experiences – Bikepacking Far From Home
I started 2023 as I finished out 2022 – riding my bike ~100km/day and pitching my tent where I ended up. I’d had a custom bikepacking bike built in October and had tested it out before Christmas over 6 days of riding and camping. I resumed this in early January at the top of the South Island where I completed my longest ever day on a bike – 192km. I was really proud of this achievement and the whole ride is documented here:
Having loved this so much, I followed it up with a weekend ride in early February:
West Coast Wilderness Trail – Bikepacking Adventure – February 2023 – SamuelMcNeill.com
Back To Work …. Then A Redundancy
Energised from an incredible break, I hit the ground running, only to learn in late February my role was being dis-established. It took about a month to play out, but I posted a reflection about the initial experience and feelings here:
Therefore, Send Not To Know For Whom The Bell Tolls, It Tolls For Thee – SamuelMcNeill.com
It was an unusual experience and one that I could not say I enjoyed, although I learnt a lot about myself and also my friends. A lot of men in particular went out of their way to connect with me, check in and make sure I was doing alright. Many shared their own redundancy experiences. It was humbling to see the care and willingness to support me from others who had insight into my experience.
I was very fortunate to receive a generous redundancy package from Microsoft and also receive a number of job offers, before accepting a role to join Cyclone as their Technology Strategist.
Silver Linings
With some time on my hands and the seasons changing into deep Autumn (my favourite) we had a family holiday in the North Island before I embarked on my #RedundancyRide:
Redundancy Ride + Alps 2 Ocean – May 2023 – SamuelMcNeill.com
This was a time of pure joy, cathartic and healing after losing my job and a chance to reflect, process, unwind and reset. I met some interesting characters across ten days of cycling and camping and when I reached the end I desperately wished I could just keep going. I had agreed to a delayed start date with Cyclone but that was fast approaching and I could not put it off.
This was a special time in my life and I’m deeply grateful to my wife who encouraged me to get out and do this.
Back Working
I was straight into it at Cyclone and was loving visiting customers in person for a change after most of my work had been remote due to COVID19. I was fortunate to be able to head over to Melbourne to attend EduTech 2023, the largest EduTech conference in the southern hemisphere. I wrote up my reflections here:
Reflections on EduTechAU 2023 Day 1 – SamuelMcNeill.com
Over the first six months of my time at Cyclone I’ve continued to engage with Microsoft, this time as a partner, worked more closely than ever before with Apple which has been both fun and interesting to learn how they operate, and also partnered with key customers like the Ministry of Education. I’ve delivered webinars on modern management of devices, experimented with Virtual Labs in the Azure cloud as well as running my own Win11 CloudPC in a browser on my Mac, shared tips on securing cloud identities, securing your digital data estate, and some thoughts on digital citizenship and promoting best practice in IT teams.
Of course, with the emergence of generative AI this had to get a discussion as well, and I shared some best practice tips and considerations in relation to Microsoft Copilot in an Education context.
Suffice to say, I’m looking forward to getting to the airport, putting my feet up and winging my way to Europe to see my daughter. It’s been a crazy old year.
So with that, here are the top 5 most popular blog posts I wrote this year:
#1 Microsoft Copilot Considerations in Education
Microsoft Copilot Considerations In Education – SamuelMcNeill.com
This was only written in October 2023 but clearly tapped into the zeitgeist, garnering the top number of views for a blog post I wrote this year. I attempted to provide a quick overview of some of the considerations education customers would need to make before going ‘all in’ on Copilot, as well as explaining the various versions of Copilot.
UPDATE 15/12/23: Microsoft has announced this morning that Copilot for M365 will be available to education customers as of 1/1/24 – the same baseline requirements apply as Enterprise: minimum 300 seat count and $30/u/m pricing.
#2 Therefore, Send Not to Know For Whom The Bell Tolls, It Tolls For Thee
Therefore, Send Not To Know For Whom The Bell Tolls, It Tolls For Thee – SamuelMcNeill.com
Tapping into my love of literature, this quote from the famous John Donne poem was a reflection on my redundancy from Microsoft. I was humbled by the outpouring of support and job offers I received after finding myself unemployed.
#3 Extending Shared PC Mode with OneDrive Sync
Extending Shared PC Mode With OneDrive Sync – SamuelMcNeill.com
This was actually the first blog post I wrote in January 2023, not knowing I would be let go by Microsoft a couple of months later. Like many of my blogs, it was more technical in nature and designed to help busy IT administrators learn how to add value to student lab computers or other shared devices.
#4 Reflections on EduTechAU 2023 Day 1
Reflections on EduTechAU 2023 Day 1 – SamuelMcNeill.com
This was a reflection during my first overseas trip/conference since joining my new company, Cyclone. It was also the first major education conference I’d attended in over six years where I was merely a delegate, free to take in the sessions and not work a booth or be presenting myself. Unsurprisingly, it was AI heavy in themes and this post was a good recap of the first day.
#5 How To: Creating Local Users on Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro During OOBE Startup
Another technical post, I wrote this one after working with the Ministry of Education to solve some issues around their Windows devices for Teacher Laptops. It was a bit topsy turvy re-engaging with the MoE who had been my customer for the first 3-4years of my time at Microsoft, and now I was supporting them again but for a different company. There are some really good tips in this one.
Bonus Post: Redundancy Ride + Alps 2 Ocean – May 2023
Redundancy Ride + Alps 2 Ocean – May 2023 – SamuelMcNeill.com
This actually came in as the 6th most viewed blog post of the year and was a visual and written record of my bike trip that I referred to as my #RedundancyRide at the time. Some cool photos and videos of the beautiful South Island of New Zealand.
That’s A Wrap
Closing out another year of life, work and blogging. Thanks for your support, the reading of the blog, the comments, the Tweets (or should that be “posts” on X now!).
I wish you and your family and friends a restful festive season ahead.
