Ah, the buzz and excitement of BoiseCodeCamp 2024, a long-awaited revival after the tumble and churn of the pandemic years. Picture this: a congregation of eager minds, a hundred strong, converging upon the BoiseCodeWorks campus. Hosted by the Boise Software Developers Group, this year’s CodeCamp was a testament to the spirit of resurgence, a phoenix rising from the ashes of uncertainty. It was a modest affair, with just a smattering of attendees, a handful of speakers, and a sprinkle of organizations.

Get it on Bookshop I started out this year reading Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes as part of a book club, and it has stuck with me since reading it. I loved this book. Like many of the books that I take the time to do a write up about, it came to me at exactly the right time. So much of what she says “yes” to isn’t just about copying the movie “Yes Man” and following the ensuing hijinks.

Get it here Once in a while, the universe aligns, and you stumble upon that perfect book at the perfect moment. For me, that cosmic timing happened in December 2023 when I dove into the pages of “Lean In.” Let me tell you, 2023 has been a rollercoaster ride. I welcomed twins into the world, which explains the recent radio silence on this website. Having babies in the latter half of the year conveniently turns it into the defining chapter of your life.

Get it on Bookshop The Chaos Machine by Max Fisher is easily one of the most important books that any software engineer could read. It contains lessons that are imperative to understand for designing ethical software applications. Here I’ve outlined a summary of some of the most important lessons that I gathered from the read, and then add some of my own thoughts at the end. I highly recommend it to anyone that is responsible for building applications used by humans or for anyone that has been looking around recently wondering “when did everything get so polarized?

Get it here Don’t Make Me Think was a quick read on the important points around testing a website or app for usability. This is a critical item that needs to be tested early and often, but typically is pushed off to the very end of a project if it is even tested at all. What is Usability? Usability testing encompasses a few important items that every website should be able to accomplish.

The end of 2022 is rapidly approaching, and with it I’m starting to evaulate how the fourth quarter of the year went, and what I want to set my sights on for the first quarter of 2023. I love the first quarter of the year. It comes with so much fresh motivation that I often meet the goals that I set out to meet, which sets a great tone for the rest of the year!