Lessons from Building GitHub Code Search
Strange Loop, St. Louis, September 2023
Learn how we turned GitHub Code Search from a frustrating experience to a powerful feature for GitHub's users.
Integrating Rust and Go: Lessons from GitHub Code Search
RustConf, Albuquerque, September 2023
Implementing the new GitHub code search required integrating the Rust search engine with the rest of GitHub's infrastructure. To avoid rewriting the world, we used Go to bridge the gap. Learn how we combined Rust and Go to deliver a successful product.
The Programmer’s Notebook
Minnebar, Minneapolis, April 2019
For as long as I've been coding, I've been writing notes and sketching system diagrams in paper notebooks. But it wasn't until the last few years that I started systematically capturing day-to-day notes electronically. This simple technique can help you become a more effective programmer (and maybe even make the case for your next raise). Join me to learn about the tools to build your own programmer's notebook and how I use Emacs and org-mode for mine.
A Brief History of Timekeeping
Velocity Ignite, Santa Clara, June 2016
Humans have been keeping track of time since before recorded history began. Learn how timekeeping changed society from Stonehenge to atomic clocks.
Helping Developers Monitor their own Applications
DevOps Days, Minneapolis, July 2015
How the Operations team at Swiftype made it easy for developers to write their own monitoring checks, and the benefits we gained from that. It turns out monitoring is addictive.
Looking Backward: Ten Years on Rails
RailsConf, Chicago, April 2014
A retrospective on the influence and legacy of Ruby on Rails, ten years after its introduction. This talk was an experiment in speaking without slides or notes.
Front-end Testing for Skeptics
RailsConf, Portland, April 2013
This is a talk for front-end testing skeptics (like me): It is possible to create tests that drive your web UI (JavaScript and all) that are automated, fast, reliable, headless -- no browser required -- and written in pure Ruby instead of some obtuse syntax. We'll explore the challenges and gotchas of testing the front-end and walk through an example that meets the above goals.
Facebook Graph API and JavaScript SDK
Ruby Users of Minnesota, Minneapolis, January 2012
Introduction to Google App Engine
Minnesota Developers Conference, Minneapolis, September 2011
Fixing Regressions with bisect
BBYOpen, February 2011
A quick introduction to using bisect to find regressions.
Google App Engine from a Ruby Developer's Perspective
Ruby Users of Minnesota, August 2010
Clojure for Newbs
MinneBar, Minneapolis, November 2009
Lessons learned from building a Bayesian classifier in Clojure.
10 Cool Things in Rails 2.3
Ruby Users of Minnesota, March 2009
Maximizing Developer Value
Code Freeze, Minneapolis, January 2009
Testing is Overrated
RubyFringe, Toronto, July 2008
Developer-driven testing is probably the most influential software development technique of the last 10-15 years. There's no question that it has improved the practice of building software. And in a dynamic language like Ruby, it's hard to get by without it. But is it really the best way to find defects? Or is the emphasis on testing and test coverage barking up the wrong tree?
Working with Others: Best Practices for Rails Teams
acts_as_conference, Orlando, February 2008
SCM Hooks with Ruby
Ruby Users of Minnesota, September 2007
Mobile on Rails
Ostrava on Rails, Ostrava, Czech Republic, June 2007
Ruby on Rails: An Overview
MinneBar, St. Paul, Minnesota, April 2007
REST and its Discontents
Twin Cities CodeCamp, Minneapolis, April 2006
Representational State Transfer or REST has gained a lot of mind share as an alternative to SOAP-based web services. REST describes a resource-based architecture that mirrors the web. "It's just XML over HTTP" is a common refrain. But as you did deeper, REST becomes more complicated. Debates about the "right" and "wrong" ways to do REST get hot and heavy fast. What are the advantages and disadvantages of REST? Who's doing REST right and who's doing it wrong? We'll cut through the chaff, and show you how you can use REST in your web services.
Sparklines
Ruby Users of Minnesota, March 2006
