Blog

Our thoughts on technology and design

Artificial Intelligence · Video
I talk about GPT3, one of the massive and very impressive AI models to come out of OpenAI. I quickly cover off the basics of how it works and where its creativity comes from, before accidentally delving into existentialism.
Tech
Have you ever wanted to learn Rust or just simply know why everyone is so hyped about it? Well, I’ve put together a pile of links to interesting resources to get you started!
UX Design
In this post, I share the top things that resonated with me from the Women of Silicon Roundabout 2021 conference: the importance of finding purpose, nurturing talent, and building a sustainable future.
Data Engineering
The UK Government has an ambitious data strategy that aims to encourage and facilitate data sharing between departments and businesses. Elements of the strategy appear relatively straightforward, but how will the government fully realise the potential, and align citizens with this bold new approach?
Open Source
We recently worked on a research project, exploring open source issues and challenges within financial services organisations. We found that consumption is “acceptable” rather than “encouraged”, with security concerns representing the biggest obstacle. On the flip-side, open source maintainers don’t wish to invest further in security. Financial services organisations, whose contribution policies lag behind, need to bridge this gap in order to fully capitalise on the value open source presents.
Delivery
The first in a series of articles, in which we will explore the qualities and behaviours necessary to be an effective Scrum Master and why those qualities and behaviours are important in specific situations.
Open Source
Earlier this month, I was a speaker at the Linux Foundation Open Source Strategy Forum (OSSF) in London. I moderated a panel on women’s career progression within Fintech. In this post I detail my thoughts on the key takeaways from the panel
Tech
In a previous blog post, Colin focused on rendering massive numbers of points using D3. In this post I'll consider how you can efficiently load that data using Apache Arrow.
Open Source · Video
Modern software is increasingly complex, made up of hundreds or thousands of open source components, hidden away in deeply nested dependency trees. Just how much do we know about these components that are an integral part of our products? What are the risks associated with their usage, and our exposure?
Cloud
Have you ever wondered how your AWS resources are distinguished from those that belong to other users? Here is a look at VPC components that offer control and security over your AWS networks
Tech
When coming to TypeScript from OOP languages it can be very easy to fall into the trap of using types the same way you are used to. But this is missing a lot of power of TypeScript. This article looks at how you can extend your TypeScript use to not only represent types, but also express the intent and document your code better.
Open Source
Admittedly not three concepts you would usually hear together. However, there are some interesting parallels in models of ownership that might challenge the way we manage projects.
UX Design · Video
This talk offers a taster of the vast world of Inclusive Design by exploring how understanding human diversity leads to the creation of better, more human products.
UX Design · Video
This session summarises the results of a survey showing that much of the population is unable to complete medium-complexity tasks, and that only a small percentage has high-level computer-related skills. This is something that we all need to consider when building software solutions.
Cloud · Video
In this talk, I explore some of the foundations and common approaches for designing resilient systems in cloud environments. I also look into how experimenting with our systems, by deliberately introducing failures, can help us better understand their behaviour.
People · Video
In this talk, I present empathy as a skill that can be cultivated and explores ways of doing that. Anyone interested in building their empathy skills or cultivating empathy within their team or workplace can learn here about different types of empathy, the ways it can empower us and its practical application in our day-to-day jobs.
Artificial Intelligence
The OpenAI Codex JavaScript Sandbox and the API which backs it, have (rightly!) generated a lot of interest and comment in the development community. When faced with something so different to what we expect, it's easy to assume it's all magic. In this post I'll peel back some of the layers and try to describe what's going on.
People
Covid-19 has changed our lives in every possible way, but now that lockdowns are beginning to lift, it's important to take a moment to consider some changes that might have flown under the radar.
Tech
Timezones, and daylight saving - the practice of moving clocks forward by one hour once a year - are a pain. They make it hard to schedule international meetings, plan travel, or may simply cause you to be an hour late for work once a year. For a developer, they are even worse! This blog post takes a visual journey through the last 120 years of timezones, daylight saving and the ever changing world time.
Tech
Always wanted to write a custom linting rule for your JavaScript project, but never been sure where to start? This guide will introduce the key concepts you need to give it a go!

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