Learning Azure: A Brain Dump to My 2nd Brain

I am still learning how to type and write from my head to my 2nd brain. Maybe—just maybe—one day I’ll want that chip in my brain so my ideas can pass seamlessly into the computer or wherever we’ll store memories and data in the future.

Will the singularity ever be reached? Maybe not. But maybe we’ll all become cyborgs with chips and robotic bodies. Will we even be human then? Who knows. What I do know is this: it’s officially 2025. I’ll be 31 this year, and that mid-life, third-life reflection is hitting me hard.

Welcome to my TED Talk.

I’ve always believed that books are some of the best tools for self-improvement—not just in the professional sense, but for growth as a whole person. This post is my collection of books I’ve read recently, spanning genres that I’m passionate about:

• Leadership
• Engineering/Technology
• Personal Growth
• Business

Here’s what I’ve read in 2024 so far and my honest thoughts on each.

Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters

Takeaways:

Intro

Hello, my name is Miguel Chavez. I am not a professional writer by any stretch of the imagination. However, I need a place to gather my ideas and thoughts—and this is it.

One morning at 5 AM during one of my YouTube learning sessions (and yes, I wake up before 5 most days—more on that later), I stumbled across this video. It inspired me to say, “I need to start a blog now.” So here it is. A blog. Or something like it.

This is a list of ideas so I can write when the muse does not come.

List of Ideas

• ~~AZ-900 certification / Azure 2025
• Compute

  • Vms

  • Azure Functions

  • Web Apps

  • AKS

  • Describe infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

  • Describe platform as a service (PaaS)

  • Describe software as a service (SaaS)

  • Describe serverless

• Storage
  • Compare Azure Storage services
  • Describe storage tiers
  • Describe redundancy options
• Networking
  • Describe virtual networking, including the purpose of Azure virtual networks, Azure virtual subnets, peering, Azure DNS, Azure VPN Gateway, and ExpressRoute
  • Define public and private endpoints
• Identity and Security

  • Describe directory services in Azure, including Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft Entra Domain Services