I recently had the incredible opportunity to sit down with my colleague Peter Maynard, the dynamic force behind the YouTube channel Paying it Forward. Here’s a snapshot of our conversation:
CAREER 03:47 - Did you know tech was the career you wanted to follow? 04:57 - What was it about software engineering that got you hooked? 06:02 - Have you faced any career setbacks? 07:10 - What is your perspective on mentorship? 09:30 - How do you prepare for tech job interviews? CODE 15:18 - What is your favourite programming language? 17:14 - What is the Free Software Festival and why is Open Source important to you? 19:50 - Can you share a project you’re particularly proud of? 21:44 - How do you approach problem solving in your coding projects? 22:57 - What are some of the “Coding Practices” you swear by? 25:39 - What emerging tech are you excited about in coding? CHANGE 26:47 - Do you think AI will live up to the hype?
The following post is a stream of consciousness about prototypes; it does not offer any practical advice (except that you should not get attached to a prototype or proof of concepts). If you are a pragmatic individual and do not have a beer at hand, I suggest you stop reading now.
A prototype embodies the visionary essence of a product or idea, a future concept, but, ironically, it does not have a future, or at least it is created without the intention of having one. Despite all of that, it is my favorite aspect of software engineering.
Six years ago, I embarked on a journey to the United States, five years ago, I made a conscious decision to stop worrying about my English accent. In this time, I’ve come to realize the profound privilege of working in an industry, within a specific region, and alongside a team where I’ve never felt discriminated against.
However, I’m not naive, neither oblivious to the challenges that still lie ahead as I continue to advance in my career. The world is not always as open-minded as I’ve been fortunate to experience. We humans often possess unconscious biases that can be challenging to eliminate. Yet, there’s an intriguing beauty in the diversity of accents that we should wholeheartedly embrace.
I’m currently aboard an airplane with my heart soaring.
It’s been a challenging Sunday as I embark on a 15+ hour work-related journey that will keep me away for a week. My child is back at home, perhaps getting ready for school right now. I’m just one of the countless individuals who find themselves in a similar situation, obliged to leave personal matters behind as they head to work.
I have always found Chernobyl fascinating, it is a captivating tale of caution yes, but also a profound tale of wisdom.
Chernobyl by Midjourney
Chernobyl stands as a catalyst of chaos and a tragic human disaster, yet it also embodies the essence of ambition and reveals a perplexing paradox in its furnace of ambition.
A few years ago, I was enthralled by the HBO miniseries that portrayed the catastrophic nuclear incident in Pripyat, Ukraine, a part of the Soviet Union at the time. The series delved into the events leading up to the explosion, the immediate aftermath, and the subsequent efforts to contain the radioactive fallout. Although most of us aren’t involved in mission-critical software projects, it’s difficult not to draw parallels with risk management. Initially, we might question why they allowed certain signals to pass or why they didn’t follow mitigation actions outlined in their risk management plan. I witness similar scenarios in my daily work on software projects.
This was me over 15 years ago, enjoying lunch with a Caguama-sized beer in front of my parents’ house in Puerto Vallarta, eagerly awaiting the start of the Free Software Festival. It was an incredible symposium, featuring prominent figures like maddog and Richard Stallman giving keynote speeches. The Mexican open-source community was tightly-knit; everyone knew each other. At that time, I had already given some local talks and organized events through local Linux User Groups. It was a time of rebellion and idealism, and in my world, Microsoft was often playfully referred to as “Micro$oft,” emphasizing greed and capitalism. In my first job search, I specifically sought out companies that embraced open-source software. To me, back then, developing on Windows was nothing short of repulsive.
Most of the posts in my LinkedIn timeline cause me a lot of cringe, more than what I can bear and what I was expecting. I feel that half of them want to sell me something (including CEOs sharing how amazing their teams are), and the other half are self-promoting. It is effectively a job market, and I am suspicious of every booth.
The other day, I tried to be brave and post my unfiltered comments. It was my first post after a couple of years. It was immediately banned by the author. It’s so ridiculous that I cannot access the post (it throws a 500 error) when I’m logged in on LinkedIn, but if you search for it on Google, you can still read it. LinkedIn still tells me it reached X number of users, but if I click on the notification, it redirects me to a blank 500 page.
Rediscovering Passion, Collaboration, and the Power of Music Last week marked the kickoff of the 2023 global hackathon at Microsoft, and let me tell you, it wasn’t my first rodeo. Back in 2021, we clinched the top spot in a category, and my name found a cozy spot on a glass panel somewhere in the hallowed halls of Microsoft HQ. But this time around, there was something undeniably different in the air.
I miss the algorithm in my fediverse. I miss the algorithm.
The algorithm—a term that has become a buzzword in the realm of social media, and one that stirs a mixture of nostalgia and frustration within me. Like many, I recall the days when Twitter’s chronological timeline was the norm, a straightforward feed that allowed me to seamlessly follow my friends and acquaintances in real-time. Yet, as social platforms evolved, so did the mechanics governing our digital interactions. Enter the algorithm to Twitter, (now “X”, what an awful rebranding), that mechanism that generates a timeline who drives engagement. In this age of algorithmic timelines, I find myself oscillating between yearning and disdain.
I am pleased to share with you a recent contribution I made to the official Microsoft blog. The post explores the intricacies of API design-first, offering valuable insights and lessons garnered from our recent project.
Introduction As software engineers, we all know that APIs, or application programming interfaces, are essential building blocks for modern applications. From simple CRUD operations to complex integrations, APIs allow us to connect our applications with external systems and services seamlessly. However, designing a robust and scalable API is not always easy, even for experienced developers.
