I talk with a lot of people who are new in the industry. They're usually either just out of school or recently graduated from a boot camp and transitioning into a new career. Throughout these conversations, I ask what excites them about software, what they want to learn next or their career goals. I'm always… Continue reading Architecture is the Hard Parts. Don’t rush into it.
Category: Opinions
Lean into the Edge Effect for Engineering Velocity
Recently, someone at work asked me to weigh in on my experience with Developer Productivity and Velocity. I love this topic so much. There are a ton of different areas to explore. It's a delightful topic to dig into with a team that is currently "underperforming," according to them or someone else in their org.… Continue reading Lean into the Edge Effect for Engineering Velocity
Compute Midwest 2016
I had the pleasure of attending Compute Midwest 2016 today. There was a fantastic speaker line up with a few Kansas City natives. Bibop Gresta - COO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies Bibop talked about their work on the Hyperloop. The most striking thing about HTT to me is not the technology but the way they're creating and innovating… Continue reading Compute Midwest 2016
Dealing with CSS Color Variables
What methods are you and your teams using to define Sass and LESS or CSS color variables? Colors are one of those things that can be interpreted differently pretty easily, and are used throughout your entire project. One method that has worked well for some of my teams thus far is to use a single defined source… Continue reading Dealing with CSS Color Variables
No is an Acceptable Answer
When used appropriately, “No” can be our most powerful tool. Truly powerful “no” users employ it in the following ways: No, but... ... we could always try 'x.' We don't need to be a yes-people or flip-flop on our opinions but we do need to give reasonable alternatives to the desired course of action. Simply saying 'no'… Continue reading No is an Acceptable Answer
The Best You Can
In development, client focused development in particular, it's easy to get discouraged by requirements. You must use a certain CMS. You must fit everything within an outdated framework. You must use an outdated version of jQuery. You must support unreasonable legacy browsers (IE6 I'm looking at you) You must run every change through x levels… Continue reading The Best You Can
3 Simple Tips to Increase your eCommerce Conversion Rate
There isn't anything overtly 'simple' about increasing conversion rates, so let's forget about that right off of the bat. Most sites we visit have a list of 3-7 'simple' ways to increase your conversion rates 'overnight.' If you're looking for a list like that, this isn't the place to be. That said, if you're looking… Continue reading 3 Simple Tips to Increase your eCommerce Conversion Rate
Getting Started with Sass
Disclaimer - I'm working on a Windows machine, so any instructions on set up listed below are strictly for Windows. Not OSX or Linux. There are plenty of instruction guides elsewhere for OSX and Linux such as The Sass Way. Admittedly I'm a bit late to this parade myself, but I had a hard time… Continue reading Getting Started with Sass
Welcoming WordPress 3.7 – “Basie”
WordPress 3.7 is out and while it may not look all that different, we're all better off for it. There's an excellent article on Post Status about the update, so I won't go into too much detail but there are some exciting changes in this newest update. Automatic (and seamless) Background Updating WordPress now comes with… Continue reading Welcoming WordPress 3.7 – “Basie”
The follies of SEO
SEO is a broken industry If we called it by its proper name, it would likely be something closer to 'Trying to Screw Over Search Engines Without Getting Caught.' 'Search Engine Optimization' is a little catchier though, don't you think? 'Screwing' isn't nearly the buzzword that 'Optimization' is. It stands to reason that some form… Continue reading The follies of SEO