Mike Maney

Communications executive.
Ex-Calvin Klein underwear model. Photographer.

Hey, two out of three ain’t bad.

Inspiring others by asking why, not what

I love this line in Chuck Freedman’s post about inspiration in developer relations on LinkedIn: “What are your hopes and dreams for what developers can do with your platform?” It’s subtle, yet profound. Asking what can people do generates a bulleted list of features. Asking what you wish people could see beyond those features creates […]

February 1, 2023

Rock Star Teachers

I’m married to a teacher. I get a front row seat witnessing how hard teachers work and how dedicated they are to their students — their kids. I have, on more than one occasion, used the phrase “rock star” to describe my wife and her colleagues. Once a year, I get to use that phrase […]

January 31, 2023

Protesting Policy 321

Yesterday, Central Bucks School District teachers and students protested Policy 321, a controversial rule enacted by the school board that bans teachers from talking about or displaying decor that advocates for “any partisan, political, or social policy issue.” The ban includes the display of Pride flags. I was able to step out to record the […]

January 18, 2023

The signs don’t lie

Stumbled across this article in Digital Camera World highlighting some of the iconic destinations around the world that don’t allow — or heavily frown upon — travelers taking photos. I’m pretty good about doing my research into local customs before we travel and try to play by the rules. But sometimes an image appears in […]

January 15, 2023

Keeping a New Year’s Day tradition alive

When we moved into our house twenty years ago, we moved into a tight-knit neighborhood. Friday nights meant poker games. Halloween meant Liqu-‘or-Treat with bespoke cocktails at the end of each driveway for the adults. Over the years, what began as impromptu gatherings became traditions. One of those traditions originated in St. Louis long before […]

January 8, 2023