I’m doing some work in EC2 and wanted to get a sense for what other folks were doing and what issues they’ve run into. I know that personally, I don’t really research the state of anything until I’m dealing with it day to day. I also know that stepping into something new can be really daunting to understand all the best practices quickly.

I didn’t bother with Google.

I shot my friend Ben an email, who I knew ran their whole infrastructure in EC2, and asked if he would meet me for lunch to talk about his experiences.

I learned a ton, got to catch up & have some good conversation, trade some war stories, etc.

Google is great, but if you want to learn more about something quick – go ask someone who’s doing it. Even if you don’t know that person, just about anybody is willing to meetup for lunch (especially if you are paying). You also get the additional benefit that Google can’t possibly provide – human contact.