Everyone has a leader within.
Welcome to the 23rd issue ofZero to Hero Highlights. A lot has happened since the last issue. Let’s check them out, shall we?
It’s the Wonderful Time of the Year
It’s the holiday season when time stops, and you start relaxing and going with the flow. I hope you spend time with your family and loved ones, enjoying and cherishing every moment 🎅.
I am sure the new year will be fantastic. I plan to kick some epic ass in the next year 🙂; I bet you’ll do the same too.
Same Content, New Name
You might have realized that I’ve changed this newsletter’s name because calling it “Zero to Hero Weekly” does not make sense when I publish once a month—if I’m lucky, that is 😆.
So Zero to Hero Highlights is the new name.
Given the dynamic nature of my schedule, the intervals between my updates have been more extended than a week, which reflects the multitude of ongoing projects and commitments. However, the newsletter’s content will remain similar, as I’ll follow a similar theme.
Got My Mac Burger
As a Thanksgiving (and a post-acquisition—see below) present,I got a beefy Mac Studio.
This thing is a monster!
I can achieve a lot with 24 CPUs and 128 gigabytes of RAM; I can do a lot with this beast of a machine. For example, it enables me to simulcast to multiple platforms without requiring a separate streaming machine.
Volkan Uses
I created a website containing a list of tools, gadgets, software, and hardware that I currently use, have used, liked, and find worth mentioning.
Deer in the Valley
Update 2024-05-27
We paused TalkSPIFFE for a while. We might resume it in the future. SPIFFE already has its official community snyc-ups, and duplicating the effort didn’t make sense. We might revisit the idea in the future, but for now, it’s on hold.
Along withTalkSPIFFE and VMware Secrets Manager Contributor Hours, I’ve also started hosting a new tech podcast, Deer in the Valley (Vadideki Geyik).
By this writing,Deer in the Valleyis among Turkey’stop 10in the Technologycategory andtop 16in Azerbaijan in the same category again. We are havingso much funwhile recording the sessions, also reflected in these stats.
Withfour folks from the Silly Cone Valley, we started a podcast about our experiences before and after working there and our thoughts, ideas, and tips for those who want to follow a similar career path. It’s very well-received by the community.
One caveat, though: The show is inTurkish. So, if you don’t know Turkish, either use a simultaneous translation AI or maybe it’s time to learn a new language to expand your horizons—and get lost in translation a little.
I see the entire thing as therapy. We talk freely and candidly about the good, bad, and ugly of the Tech Valley, our lives, and everything in between.
We do live talks on theKampus Discord and simulcast it over Twitch and YouTube. We typically livestream the session every other Saturday at 10 am Pacific time.
Radio Geyik 🦌 📻
Update 2024-05-21:
This experiment didn’t work out as expected, and I’ve shut down the radio station. I might revisit the idea in the future.
The YouTube channel still continues to simultcast streams, though.
We simultcast the Deer in the Valley live shows on ZeroToHero Twitch, Kampus Discord, and Deer in the Valley YouTube.
In addition to all of the above, I’m experimenting with something new. Whenever the channel is idle, I stream otherworldly beats there. So, if you want something to listen to while getting stuff done,head down to the Dear in the Valley YouTube channel.
npm install deers
We also have an NPM package calleddeers, which is a helper to provide random deer ASCII art images.
It’s a fun little project; check it out.
Contributions are—as always—welcome.
Hey, What Is This “Kampus” Thing Anyway
Kampus is a Discord community where anyone interested in learning about tech can join. The closest way to visualize it is to imagine an actual College Campus with lectures, student clubs, co-working sessions, libraries, etc.
So, Is Kampus Like a Study Group? Or…
We intentionally keep the definition of “Kampus” vague so that it will evolve and define itself.
I see Kampus as a community of like-minded individuals who want to grow and become a better version of themselves.
Hello Broadcom
Broadcom has acquired VMware after dragging for around one and a half years.
That has been one and a half years of waiting in relative stress and anxiety. So, I’mgladthat the deal has been sealed. This means I will be working at a new company, doing the same thing: doing epic innovations around Radio Access Networks, leveragingO-RAN.
This was a**$69B**acquisition, one of the largest (if not “the” largest) of its kind. So, it will take some time for things to settle down. As things settle down, I’m sure I’ll have more to share in the next highlight. But overall, it’s pretty darn good news, and I’m confident things will be epic!
Wait, How About VSecM?
One immediate question I’ve received from various channels is whether this merger will impactVMware Secrets Manager in any way. As far as I can tell, there are no immediate changes in the project’s status and governance. We’ll continue to secure the cloud-native world one secret at a time. TheVMware Secrets Manager will remain open-source under VMware’s GitHub organization.
That said, things are new. I will inform everyone in various channels, including VSecM Slack workspace, Twitter, and other communities if I receive any specific guidance related toVMware Secrets Manager. However, I don’t expect any significant changes. From the vantage point of VSecM, things will continue to be “business as usual.”
VMware Secrets Manager Is Growing
On that topic, VSecM has a team of core maintainers right now. And we are getting external contributions, too. To contribute to the project, contact me orany of the core contributors, and we’ll do our best to help you hit the ground running.
To learn more about VSecM,check out its website.
Federating Secrets Across Clusters
For theVMware Secrets Managerenthusiasts who have been following the project’s development for a while, I’ve experimented with cross-cluster federated secrets sharing usingVSecM, which went well.
I also created a quick demo and talked about it in SIG SPIRE.
In addition, I am working on a tutorial to show step-by-step how to establish cross-cluster secrets federation; I’ll share it in various channels when it’s done.
Moved VMware Secrets Manager’s Build Server to Linode
AnotherVSecMnews is since I don’t need anything specific to AWS for VSecM’s build needs, I moved it toLinode: fanatical support and excellent price/performance ratio. I am delighted with them so far.
Besides, you can get almost twice the performance from Linode with the same amount of money you shell out to AWS. And their tech support is top-notch; they have never let me down.
VMware Secrets Manager Onboarding Session
Within the context ofKampus, I’ve also delivered a 3-hour onboarding session forVMware Secrets Manager to a group of interested developers who want to contribute but don’t know where to start.
The training was very well received.
- I gave a presentation about whatVSecMis, what aSecrets Manageris, and why we need such a thing,
- Followed by a code walk and architectural overview,
- Finally, doing a live demo to show howVSecMworks in practice,
- Then, there was aQ&Asession to wrap things up.
It was great, and the project received many contributions after the onboarding session. Which motivates me to do more of the same.
Next, I plan to do a follow-up session about setting up aVSecMdevelopment environment.
I record these training sessions and share themexclusively with the Kampus members. So, to watch the videos, you’ll need tojoin Kampus.
Zero to Hero Live Streams are Back
Another piece of news is that I’ve started streaming on theZero to Hero Twitch channel more frequently.
Whenever I work on something unrelated to my work at VMware that I can share with you folks,I stream it.
As mentioned, I also simultcast the stream onDeer in the Valley (Vadideki Geyik) YouTube Channel and theAda Lovelace Stage on the Kampus Discord Server.
OpsBeacon Has Shown Much Progress
Another project that has shown much progress is OpsBeacon.
Although I don’t directly contribute to the code, I’m one of its advisors, so I constantly communicate with the team, exchanging ideas and discussing architecture. And they have done a tremendous job in the last couple of months.
I have usedOpsBeaconin my workflows and automation, and I can honestly say that it’s incredible. It’s a tool that you don’t know how much you need OpsBeacon badly until you use it. And after you begin using it, you are hooked.
Random Thought of the Week
Nurturing your curiosity can impact your leadership skills, learning abilities, and value as a team member. Here are four supported methods to cultivate your curiosity.
Take Ownership
Don’t wait for factors like being too busy or relying on your mentors or superiors to drive your growth. Recognize that fostering curiosity is solely your responsibility. Commit to regularly allocate time to explore topics that intrigue you.
Identify Your Interests
Reflect on the subjects you’re genuinely eager to learn more about or the areas you aspire to master. Dedicate 20-30 minutes each day pursuing these interests through reading, writing, or engaging in discussions with like-minded individuals.
Break Your Routines
Never underestimate the power of shaking up your routines. By changing how and when you perform tasks, exploring routes to work, trying out lunch spots, or engaging in diverse weekend activities, you can significantly expand your mindset and invite fresh ideas into your life.
Embrace Novelty
Be open-minded and willing to try things even if they don’t initially align with your interests or experiences. Embrace the thrill of discovering hobbies, indulging in “pleasures,” and embracing diversity in all aspects of life.
These strategies will help foster curiosity within you. Enhance your growth as a leader, learner, and valued team member.
Feel free to change direction and give something a shot if it doesn’t connect with you or pan out.
By following these guidelines, you can actively nurture your curiosity, ultimately contributing to professional development.
Look What I’ve Found
inspektor-gadget
is an eBPF tool and systems inspection framework for Kubernetes, containers, and Linux hosts.kubeshark
is an API traffic analyzer for Kubernetes providing real-time K8s protocol-level visibility.esm.sh
is a modern CDN that allows you to import es6 modules from a URL.
Thanks a Lot ❤️
That’s all for this week.
Until next time… May the source be with you 🦄.
Issues
Issue 2: The Only Thing That doesn’t Change is Change Itself
▶ Issue 23: Unleash Your Curiosity: Unlock Your Potential as a Leader
Issue 25: Unlock Your True Potential: Make Your Hard Work Visible
Issue 26: Winning at Work: Thriving With Difficult Colleagues