Hello, I'm Michal!

Inspired by Nietzsche's 'become who you are', this echoes my personal philosophy and the existentialist idea that authenticity is not a fixed state to be found, but rather an ongoing process to be lived. ^

Most of my days are spent being purple as an analytics engineering lead at Slido (acquired by Cisco in 2021). Basically, I make sure my colleagues have access to clean data and feel confident using it to make decisions. It's also closely tied to my interest in the concepts of data literacy and the modern data stack. ^

At the start of my data career, when I lived in London, I got involved with the Tableau Community. Through their physical meetups and online activities, I fell in love with the power of data visualisation. I deeply admire the works of classics (like Playfair and Nightingale), contemporaries (like Tufte and Cairo), and modern authors (like Bremer and Posavec). When time allows and/or creativity strikes, I create my own datavis pieces. ^

Aside from working specifically with data, I also code and open-source things on the side. These are mostly hobby projects that I tinker with for my own use. ^

Ever since I discovered a 'learner' within me, I wanted to turn it into a 'teacher'. After a few years of trying things out, I'm now teaching IT to children aged 13–15 at Tyršovka, a public primary school in Kuřim near Brno. By sheer luck, anyone could also read about my story in a newspaper. And, since you visited this page, you can also check out what else I have to share on the subject. ^

In particular, I teach data for everyday life at Masaryk University. That's together with my good friend Tomáš, who got me involved in university lecturing and co-leads the courses with me. ^

In recent years, I've actually spoken quite a bit! It's mostly meetup or conference talks, but you can also spot an interview for Hospodářské noviny about teaching IT or a podcast episode about building data teams. ^

I'm a proud husband to my amazing wife! We started dating in our teens, and she still manages to surprise me after all these years. ^

I cherish my adult friendships and I think such strong bonds are one of the keys to leading a happy, meaningful life. ^

I try to be a good human to our long-haired, miniature, dapple dachshund Falco. ^

I also like the terms multipotentialite or even uomo universale. My favourite fellows are Leonardo and Descartes. ^

The whole philosophy deeply resonates with me as you can see for yourself. Just visit the Café, and you might get enchanted by its power as well! ^

I strive for simplicity and intentionality in all (well, most) aspects of my life. I'm open about what I use, and I own a capsule wardrobe. ^

I mentor and support a few other data folks – both juniors and seniors. ^

When I create stuff, I publish it as open-source. When I organise or speak at events, I mostly contribute to local data community initiatives and meetups. But I've now also started thinking more and more about how to share more openly about my notes and tools for teaching! ^

I regularly support NGOs working for causes close to my heart, which I don't have enough time to focus on myself. For instance, my wife and I recently decided to start supporting local educational projects. ^

I make notes. A lot. It encourages me to reflect on what I'm consuming and learning. I published my digital garden in early 2022 – after discovering Obsidian, being inspired by Tomáš, and learning much more about coding. I tend to it almost every day and it keeps growing. ^

I very rarely write actual articles, but one I wrote about Slack emoji stats somehow got over 13k views already. ^

Whenever there is a need and/or inspiration, I make 3D prints at home. ^

It's a city where I was born, raised, and educated. I left for a while and lived in London for a few years, but eventually, I came back. It's a beautiful city with its architectural and historical blend of Czech and Austro-German influences. It's also said to be the only joke you can live in. Soon though, I'll move to Kuřim, a town right next to Brno, to slow down and be closer to nature. ^

I'm very proud of our rich heritage and important figures like Masaryk or Havel. Still, people mostly know us for things like ice hockey, beer, and cars. ^

I certainly do feel European. I even spent my student and uni years taking part in European Youth Parliament (EYP) and co-leading its Czech branch. ^

To me, walking in nature is the best way to relax and recharge. But you can also reflect and think deeply when going solo, or really bond and talk hours when going with someone. Nothing beats it! ^

I especially know and love walking around Brno and its northern surroundings. ^

As of today, I've visited nearly 40 countries in the world. I also travelled around the globe quite literally in 2019. ^

I particularly love squash, badminton, and table tennis. ^

I used to spend hours on the bike but don't do enough of it nowadays. Still, cycling is my favourite way and speed of moving – quick enough to explore a lot of places, slow enough to actually enjoy them, and flexible enough to stop or even adjust the route as one feels. ^

Not much. But from time to time, I run to clear my mind and release my energy. ^

With my background, both natural (any but esp. mathematics), and social sciences (history, education, psychology) have always been a passion of mine. They help me stay curious and informed! ^

If there is one thing I intellectually devote most of my time to, it's definitely reading philosophy. It tremendously helps me reflect on my own life and its meaning. ^

It's a unique combination of stories and facts – a sort of balance between fiction and non-fiction. I consider memoirs a bit more personal but biographies offer more nuanced insights. At any rate, I find them very inspiring and motivational, so I read a lot of them. ^

As I studied applied mathematics in finance, I still casually follow economic news and financial markets, mostly through Hospodářské noviny or a great newsletter from Portu. ^

I enjoy people in general and understanding their behaviour, including group dynamics. I dive into long-reads across the internet or just grab a book on an interesting topic, be it a novel or a non-fiction. ^

I find it to be the way to engage with societal issues, so I read about it often in Respekt or books. ^

I'm not too concerned about material possessions but I do collect meaningful experiences and cherish them. And it doesn't have to be anything fancy – the beauty is even in the little things in life, I believe. ^

For some reason, I'm quite dependent on it. Not in a sense that I would bask in it for hours on a beach, but simply having sunny weather lightens up my mood and makes me want to spend hours outside enjoying it. ^

I like how versatile lapel pins are and that they add a small touch of personality to any piece of clothing. Plus, you can easily find them in almost any gift shop, which makes them very easy to actually collect. ^