A demonstration of one of the most basic CloudFormation tasks: Creating an EC2 instance.

The start of a multi-step tutorial for setting up a handful of AWS-based microservices. This is an ambitious tutorial and this post explains the project and its goals.

I was working recently with an engineer to solve some problems left by past programmers and had the opportunity to make some specific recommendations on making the code better. These are common tasks that we see in several classes of software and the recommendations are valid in nearly every use case.

Leading teams requires thinking at different scales of time. Here are a few of the common periods and tasks involved at each stage.

I took a little PTO in order to build something for myself. I’m so much more pleased with the result because I did it myself.

I recently learned a new way for calculating the binary value of integers and wrote a small app to help me visualize it.

When it comes to setting and achieving goals, concrete goals lead to better engagement and more actionable steps. Abstract goals can lead to a shared vision, but concrete goals lead to actual improvements.

The metaphors for gardening and carpentry are powerful ways to imagine acts such as parenting and teaching. I’ve been reflecting on it this week and have come to the conclusion that they’re apt metaphors for the difference between individual contributors and managers.

A brief explanation of the importance of the “view model” pattern.

I often have engineers complain to me that they can’t write automated tests for a variety of reasons. They’re wrong. Let’s talk about the most common excuses and how to solve them.