Review of David Gilmour's new album : Luck and Strange

September 23, 2024 | Reading Time: 2 min

🎵 David Gilmour’s much-anticipated album Luck and Strange dropped on September 6, marking his first release in nine years since Rattle That Lock. Fans were eagerly waiting, especially after preview tracks like “The Piper’s Call,” “Between Two Points,” and “Dark and Velvet Nights” hinted at a mix of the familiar Pink Floyd essence and something new.

Gilmour doesn’t disappoint. Luck and Strange is a beautifully crafted work with his signature sound—soaring guitar solos, bluesy undertones, and moments of poignant calm. The album features contributions from his family: daughter Romany shines on “Between Two Points” and duets on the bonus track “Yes, I Have Ghosts.” His late Pink Floyd bandmate Rick Wright’s electric piano, recorded years before, also makes an appearance, further deepening the connection to his past.

Some updates of me

September 18, 2024 | Reading Time: 2 min

Hey everyone! I know it’s been a while since my last update – things have been incredibly busy with both work and my YouTube channel!

Work Update:

On the professional side, we’re making solid progress on our massive ERP project: the Oracle Financial Cloud deployment. This project is a beast, with over a hundred swim lanes of technical and functional scopes. It’s definitely a challenge to keep up with everything that needs to be done between now and our launch date in July 2025. But hey, nothing worth doing ever comes easy, right?

My YouTube Channel iGluon

January 11, 2024 | Reading Time: 1 min

Those who know or follow me know I had my own Sole proprietorship in the early 1990s. I am very proud of what I did with my business back then; unfortunately, I had to close that business eventually due to demand from my daytime job. Recently, I started a new YouTube channel based on my old business name, “iGluon.” I have a lot of ideas to create content that users may find helpful. But for now, I posted a few videos; the acceptance was incredible. In less than a month, my channel got over 8,000 views. My subscriber grew from 3 to 28 also. This is good progress, and I would love to keep up the momentum.

Embracing 2024: A Year of Reflection and Renewal

December 31, 2023 | Reading Time: 2 min

Hey everyone!

As we step into the fresh canvas of 2024, I find myself in a reflective mood, contemplating the journey we’ve all been through and the exciting path that lies ahead. This isn’t just another year; it’s an opportunity for growth, resilience, and embracing new possibilities.

In the realm of software development, the pace of innovation continues to astonish us. As the Chief Software Architect at the University of California, Santa Barbara, I’ve witnessed firsthand the remarkable strides we’ve made in technology. The challenges we face are met with ingenious solutions, and our commitment to pushing boundaries remains unwavering.

Exciting Milestone in my Software Engineering Journey!

December 30, 2023 | Reading Time: 2 min

Today, I’m thrilled to share a monumental shift in my 30-plus years of software engineering career – the decision to make the Mac my primary work station! 🍎

Looking back, my journey began with Windows, possibly starting with the era of Windows 3.0. It’s where I acquired my foundational computing skills and built the pillars of my engineering career, primarily on various Microsoft platforms.

As technology advanced, so did my tools. Today, nearly everything essential for my work seamlessly runs on a Mac. From Visual Studio Code/Visual Studio, Microsoft Office, Edge/Chrome Browser, to Azure Data Studio (a shift from SSMS), and .Net Core – each performs as well, if not better, than on my trusted Windows platform.

Depeche Mode Suffer Well Vinyl

December 2, 2023 | Reading Time: 1 min

Diving into the final chapter of our Depeche Mode series with “Suffer Well.” 🎶 Immerse yourself in the magnetic sounds of Dave Gahan that truly captivate in this track. 🌟 Enjoy the ride! 🚀 Also, spiced it up with clips from the unforgettable Memento Mori concert in Las Vegas, December 2023. 🎤🔥

Phil Collins & Philip Bailey Vinyl

December 2, 2023 | Reading Time: 1 min

🎵 Immerse yourself in the timeless melodies of Phil Collins! 📀 Our latest video features his iconic music, creating a nostalgic vinyl experience. 🚫 No copyright infringement is intended; we’re sharing the magic of music purely for the love of it. 💙 Support the artist by grabbing the record and let the tunes become a cherished part of your collection! 🎶 #PhilCollins #VinylExperience #MusicLovers

Depeche Mode Concert Memento Mori

December 1, 2023 | Reading Time: 1 min

Attended Depeche Mode Concert Memento Mori at Las Vegas on 12/1/2023. My Youtube Post shows some of it, hope you enjoy -

Classic Hits in Vinyl Record

May 7, 2023 | Reading Time: 0 min

iGluon Youtube Channel Playlists

March 1, 2023 | Reading Time: 1 min

Following playlists are now available in my Youtube Channel iGluon. Enjoy!

• Classic Hits in Vinyl Record

In the air tonight - Phil Collins

January 18, 2023 | Reading Time: 1 min

This post is a duplicate of the previous one due to a software glitch that caused sound issues.

🎶 Take a trip down memory lane with the timeless classic “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, played on a vintage vinyl record. Let the warm crackle and rich tones transport you back in time. 🕰️ Sit back, relax, and experience the magic of this iconic track as it spins on the turntable.

Happy Holidays and New year 2023

December 24, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

The year 2023 is approaching us quickly. At the end of 2022, I would like to share 12 hand-picked ayaat (verses) from the Quran. May 2023 brings you happiness, peace and prosper.

1. So remember me I will remember you: Baqarah 152
2. Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good. Alaraf 56
3. Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned. Anbiya 35
4. It is not the eyes that are blind but the hearts Al-Haj 46
5. Repel evil with that which is better. Al Muminun 96
6. Perhaps it is close behind you - some of that for which you are impatient. Namlayat 72
7. Be, and it is. His command is only when he inteds a thing that he says to it “Be, and it is” Yasin 82
8. Is the reward for good [anything] but good? Ar-Rahman 60
9. And whoever puts all his trust in Allah (SWT) he will be enough for him At-Talaq 3
10. Verily with every hardship comes ease Ash-Sharh 5
11. And when I am ill, it is He who cures me Ash-Shuara 80
12. Recite in the name of your Lord who created man from a clinging substance. Al-Alaq 1

Various Trading Tools/Techniques

December 1, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

This post is to introduce to you various Trading Tools and Techniques that may be helpful to you. So let’s get on with the list.

1. VIX

YouTube Handle

November 3, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

This post will be a short post for those have a YouTube channel. Google recently introduced, Youtube Handles. YouTube handles helps make it easier for members of the community to find and connect with each other. Your handle will be unique to your channel and will be how people mention you in comments, community posts, and more. My YouTube channel handle is iGluonVinyls. Once you have your unique handle name, then you can get a unique URL for your channel as well. For example mine is https://www.youtube.com/igluonvinyls This URL is much easier to remember than the previous GUID based URL.

Pink Floyd Concert in Los Angeles - Roger with brothers!

October 15, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

I am a classic Rock fan. I bought a ticket to go with my brothers and daughter to see Roger Waters - This is not a drill in Cryptoarena Los Angeles.

The quality of the concert, sound, the environment was absolutely unreal to say the least. However, I must admit Roger’s politics is truly crazy. A picture collage of the event with family is below.

I post a video of the opening in YouTube which got an expected number of views in a short time. Feel free to watch it here

Closing Bell 08-22-2022

August 22, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

Market Summary

A disastrous day and has been for almost a week now for all indices. S&P dropped a solid 2.14 percent. Vis spiked up 15.53 percent.

Strategy

• Cash out for next moderate/severe inflation (2023 most likely)

News

• Dow slumps more than 600 points as summer rally fades
• China holdings of U.S. debt fall below $1 trillion for the first time since 2010
• Netflix investors brace for subscriber losses as company works on long-term fixes
• New Buy Rating for Tesla (TSLA), the Consumer Goods Giant
• Analysts Confident in Tesla’s Strong Growth Outlook Despite Q2 Slowdown

Closing Bell 08-17-2022

August 17, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

After almost a month break, I am back writing my closing bells post. Work and personal commitments kept me writing these posts regularly.

A lot has changed in the market in the last four weeks. It is with great pleasure we see some upside to the market, although today seem to be a wide spread down day on all three major indices. VIX is larking around 20-21 range. Remember, just a month or so back, it was around 30!

My reflections on Suratul Taha

August 2, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

This post is different than what I have usually post.

The sura is Taha in Quran, and the sura summarizes the entire adventure when Allah appeared to Prophet Musa in the holy mountains of Tuwa.

In a few consecutive Ayaat, the sura describes the conversation between Allah and Musa. One of these conversations that touches me the most is when Allah asked Musa to go to Feraun to spread his word. Musa asks Allah, among other wishes, to remove his stutter and give him strength so that his voice and appearance are convincible to Feraun. Allah accepts his desire and says, “All that you requested has been granted, O Moses! " instantaneously.

Closing Bell 07-18-2022

July 18, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

Market Summary

What a turn of events. Dow up 350 plus in the early trading, only to close -216 at the closing. All major indices gave up their gains and went into solid red. VIX edged up almost 5 percent. At the time of writing this post, all indices futures are flat.

Closing Bell 07-15-2022

July 15, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

Market Summary

I have taken few days break from writing my closing bell summary. Many things have happened in the last few days, unfortunately market taking a turn for the worst. All indices were mostly negative.

Today, there is much needed market rally with all indices in solid green territory and also VIX dropping below 25.

Closing Bell 07-12-2022

July 12, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

Yet another red day - VERY red day I should add. All eyes are on tomorrow’s CPI report. I think market is pricing in a very bad news. I can’t believe Powell fooled us stating “Inflation is transitory”. What happened to the “transition”? It feels like the inflation is here to stay.

Closing Bell 07-11-2022

July 11, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

Massive red day - S&P given up almost all the gains from the week prior. It appears, the market takes one step forward two step backward; I don’t see how it may change any time soon. Vix went up more than 6 percent.

Chinese stocks took a beating as Covid concern raises yet again. Shanghai will be conducting mass testing in several districts after Covid cases were detected earlier this week, a statement on the city’s WeChat account said.

Closing Bell 07-08-2022

July 8, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

Volatile day with essentially flat market. All indices had an awesome week. Better than expected job data eased investors mind of recession. I still think we are either already in one or moderate recession is unavoidable.

The big news in the market of Elon’s backing off from buying Twitter. Tesla stock has seen massive gains in the last few days. I am personally very happy with this news. Purchasing Tweeter at 44 Billion would have been a bad decision in many way. Other highlights of this news are -

Closing Bell 07-07-2022

July 7, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

A massive green day today - finally! All indices are up and VIX dropping. China considers massive 250 billion dollar stimulus with historic bond sales. This news helped various chinese and us stocks that have business in China such as Tesla.

Shares of Tesla Inc. TSLA, +5.53% advanced 5.53% to $733.63 today, on what proved to be an all-around positive trading session for the stock market. Tesla Inc. closed $509.86 short of its 52-week high ($1,243.49), which the company achieved on November 4th.

Closing Bell 07-06-2022

July 6, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

So this is the trend, deep red in the morning, ends green at the end. I am not complaining, but just stating that volatility is at its worst or so it seems. All major indexes end up in green territory. Russell 2000 was down which measures growth sectors. VIX dropped another 3 percent and that is great.

Closing Bell 07-05-2022

July 5, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

The roller coaster ride of the market is worst than the rides in Magic Mountain! Dow Jones had almost 700 point drop but recovered most of it and closed down 0.42%. S&P had a similar effect, it closed positive. Nasdaq had a solid day with almost 2 percent gain. VIX stayed stable.

Trading Posts : Glossary

July 2, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

This post will serve as the references for terms that I use in my trading posts.

Closing Bell 07-01-2022

July 1, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

There is a saying - all well those ends well. We see that in the market today. In a highly volatile market, with swings of almost 600 points in Dow. At the end all indices end up higher almost one percent. VIX dropped below 28 with 7 percent decline, which indicates general FUD in market is stabilizing.

Closing Bell 6-30-2022

June 30, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

Stock market closes with yet another red day. The market’s worst first half in 50 years. This is definitely something to be worried about and not just general FUD. Feds are determined to get inflation numbers down, however, the persistent inflation is here to stay at least for the short term. War in Ukraine is never ending or so it seems. Oil prices inched up again today.

Closing Bell 6-29-2022

June 29, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

A volatile day. Market is giving up slowly all the gains from last week.

Tesla stock is under fire, and heading towards hitting 650 a share. Recent news include, lay off of employees. Goldman expects weak Tesla results. Various analysts are revising their second quarter delivery numbers sighting issues with Covid shutdown in China etc.

Hugo Stock Summary ShortCode Module

June 29, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

If you are a regular visitor of my site, you may have noticed, I have started posting daily closing bell stock market summary. These pages proceeds with a Market index summary from that day. Let’s discuss how I put it together.

What is a Hugo ShortCode?

Shortcodes are simple snippets inside your content files calling built-in or custom templates.

Parts of the Stock Summary ShortCode

1. A JSON Payload for each day to summarize the data.
2. ShortCode HTML
3. Insertion of the ShortCode into any Mark Down file.

Below is a sample JSON Payload that the Short Code uses -

Closing Bell 6-28-2022

June 28, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

Market Summary

Massive red days are back! All indices are in deep red territory with VIX surging back up above 28 again. Cathie Wood believes US is already in a recession. I think as the month June ends and the market wraps up one of the worst six months of the year in stock market history, we can start to see some uptrend.

Closing Bell 6-27-2022

June 27, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

Not a green day but not that red either - which is surprising. A big run on Friday and last week, one would assume a massive pull back today - did not happen. Definitely a good sign. Russel 2K ended up green, which is usually indicator for the growth stocks. Read the following this weekend, wanted to share -

Closing Bell 6-24-2022

June 24, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

Well I am happy to report my prediction for the day of the market was absolutely wrong. All major indices were massively green for the day. Solid gains in S&P, Dow and Nasdaq - what a relief.

Weekly Summary

• Dow - Up 4.73%
• Nasdaq Up 7.36%
• S&P Up 5.76%
• [Russel 2K](../glossary) Up 4.92%
• VIX Down 16.75%

The above weekly summary is not something to pass by. We definitely see a market rebound. So does this mean the market had bottom, and we can expect a steady gains from here? I am not certain. There are still many market uncertainty out there. Not to mention wide spread FUD. Although VIX shows promise with less than 27.

Closing Bell 6-23-2022

June 23, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

What a volatile market! I am glad all indices ended up solid green at the closing bell. VIX continues to go down and that is the actual progress. Bond yields slip that is generally good for the market.

Tesla stocks are giving up steam, focusing on ongoing supply chain matters, China Covid resurgence. Supply chain issues are not new, however, Musk mentioning it in a crude way just gets the good old FUD go out of control - hence drop in stock price. Fundamentally, not much has changed. The extreme volatility of Tesla stocks and their stock holders, will get rewarded for sticking through this roller coaster ride - I am sure of it. After closing, TSLA ended up marginally higher.

Bing Image Gallery and Power Automate

June 22, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

I downloaded the Bing wallpaper app. It is actually awesome, everyday I turn on my computer to see what kind of wall paper I get for that day. Most of these are amazing! I use them in my desktop and also as my zoom background! Finally, I created a small Power Automate routine, that downloads each day Bing wall paper and saves it on to my drive.

I wanted to share some of these Bing images with you! Feel free to download them and use them as you see fit.

Closing Bell 6-22-2022

June 22, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

Market Summary

NO SURPRISE! Red day, although mid trading day all indexes were green but gave up all the gains by the closing bell. I am glad at least, the down turn is small essentially flat. VIX decreased, which is good. Ideally, we want to see it below 20. We have a long way to go up there!

Closing Bell 6-21-2022

June 21, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

A Very green day and what a relief! All indexes are showing solid gains. The million dollar question is - the gain is here to stay?

VIX which measures public sentiment; remains high. In my opinion, VIX >= 28 indicates high [FUD](../(../glossary) (Fear Uncertainty Doubt). Recession fear looms. No doubt, small/large recession is forth coming. Today definitely not a good day to buy anything, as we should watch and monitor the market tomorrow. I certainly hope the gain retains.

Movies/Shows I recommend - Netflix

June 21, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

This post is for those who love movies and shows like me. I will try to post rare finds that are not always 100% scoring in rotten tomatoes nevertheless in my opinion well worth it to watch. Today’s posts can all be viewed in Netflix.

• The Lincoln Lawyer
• Starring: Neve Campbell, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
• Summary: Idealistic lawyer Mickey Haller runs his practise out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car, taking on cases big and small across Los Angeles.
• Yaheya's Stars 6/10

• Unbelievable (Netflix)
• Starring: Kaitlyn Dever · Marie Adler ; Toni Collette · Detective Grace Rasmussen ; Merritt Wever · Detective Karen Duvall ; Blake Ellis · Chris McCarthy ;
• Summary: When a teen reports being raped, then recants her story, two female detectives follow evidence that could reveal the truth; based on a true story.
• Yaheya's Stars 7/10

• Anatomy of a scandal
• Starring: Sienna Miller · Sophie Whitehouse ; Rupert Friend · James Whitehouse ; Michelle Dockery · Kate Woodcroft ; Sebastian Selwood; Finn Whitehouse ;
• Summary: Parliamentary minister James Whitehouse is a happily married man with a loving family home, then a scandalous secret comes to light.
• Yaheya's Stars 8/10

• The Mauritanian
• Starring: Jodie Foster; Tahar Rahim; Shailene Woodley; Benedict Cumberbatch
• Summary:A defense attorney, her associate, and a military prosecutor uncover a far-reaching conspiracy while investigating the case of a suspected 9/11 terrorist imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for six years.
• Yaheya's Stars 8/10

Movies/Shows I recommend - Hulu

June 19, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

This post is for those who love movies and shows like me. I will try to post rare finds that are not always 100% scoring in rotten tomatoes nevertheless in my opinion well worth it to watch. Today’s post can all be viewed at Hulu.

• The Old Man (Hulu)
• Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, Amy Brenneman, Alia Shawkat, E.J. Bonilla
  
• Summary: Dan Chase absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past.
• Yaheya's Stars 8/10

• Under the Banner of Heaven (Hulu)
• Starring: Andrew Garfield
  
• Summary: Starring Andrew Garfield, FX’s Under the Banner of Heaven, the limited series inspired by the bestseller by Jon Krakauer, follows the murder of Brenda Wright Lafferty and her baby daughter in a suburb in the Salt Lake Valley. As Detective Jeb Pyre investigates events that transpired, he uncovers buried truths about the origins of the LDS religion and the violent consequences of unyielding faith.
• Yaheya's Stars 7/10

• Deep Water (Hulu)
• Starring: Ben Affleck, Ana De Armas, Tracy Letts
• Summary: A psychological thriller that takes us inside the marriage of picture-perfect Vic (Ben Affleck) and Melinda (Ana de Armas) Van Allen to discover the dangerous mind games they play and what happens to the people that get caught up in them.
• Yaheya's Stars 6/10

• The Dropout (Hulu)
• Starring: Elizabeth Meriwether; Katherine Pope; Michael Showalter; Jordana Mollick; Rebecca Jarvis; Taylor Dunn; Victoria Thompson; Liz Heldens; Liz Hannah.
• Summary: In a tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong, Elizabeth Holmes develops healthcare technology that puts millions of patients at risk and loses everything in the blink of an eye.
• Yaheya's Stars 6/10

Closing Bell 6-17-2022

June 17, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

Market Summary

As predicted market ended up closing green - somewhat!. Nasdaq which had taken the worst beating yesterday went up the highest. However, after a brutal day yesterday, one should expect a very green day - that was not the case. DJI essentially closed flat while S&P marginally up. I follow VLO which had a nice run and dropped a bit in the past few weeks.

Closing Bell 6-16-2022

June 16, 2022 | Reading Time: 2 min

Market Summary

An overall extremely down market today. Yesterday’s gain was completely wiped and then added to some more losses. DJIA, Nasdaq hit fresh new lows. All investors want to know, is this the bottom or there are still room to go down! VIX is up almost 11.25 %. This indicates there is FUD (Fear Uncertainty Doubt) exists. In my personal opinion, VIX >= 28 indicates extremely high buying opportunity.

Yaheya.Com new site!

June 6, 2022 | Reading Time: 1 min

After many years, moved my personal site to Hugo, previously DotNet Core Azure Web App. Details of current site can be found here

Hugo which is the main platform this site runs under is a brilliant idea. Not all sites, needs to be generated off from a Database or need backend server technology.

The site features -

1. Google Analytics
2. Disqus comments
3. Contact form using Formspree

Overtime I plan to add many features and post about them as I am doing so. One such post is here.