Blog

Our thoughts on technology and design

Tech
The Disruptor was developed by LMAX to improve Java inter-thread communication for extreme low latency applications. In this post I will outline what is the Disruptor and see what we can learn from the framework for building future applications.
Delivery
The second in a series of articles, in which we will explore the qualities and behaviours necessary to be an effective Scrum Master and why those qualities and behaviours are important in specific situations.
Tech · Video
Sometimes it’s important to show progress to people who don’t care about APIs and there is no time to put together an elaborate UI.
People · Video
Drawn from my experiences leading delivery teams throughout the pandemic, I share new tips for taking the isolation out of remote working.
Tech · Video
While we are all working remotely, code reviews should be an opportunity to grow as a team, but too often they can become something we fear, hate and avoid. This talks suggests an approach to remove conflict while strengthening the team.
Tech · Video
In this talk, I summarise the first steps in creating a Seasonal Cocktail Playlist by outlining how to apply Data Science skills when cleaning and labelling a cocktail data set.
Artificial Intelligence · Video
I talk about GPT3, one of the massive and very impressive AI models to come out of OpenAI. I quickly cover off the basics of how it works and where its creativity comes from, before accidentally delving into existentialism.
Tech
Have you ever wanted to learn Rust or just simply know why everyone is so hyped about it? Well, I’ve put together a pile of links to interesting resources to get you started!
UX Design
In this post, I share the top things that resonated with me from the Women of Silicon Roundabout 2021 conference: the importance of finding purpose, nurturing talent, and building a sustainable future.
Data Engineering
The UK Government has an ambitious data strategy that aims to encourage and facilitate data sharing between departments and businesses. Elements of the strategy appear relatively straightforward, but how will the government fully realise the potential, and align citizens with this bold new approach?
Open Source
We recently worked on a research project, exploring open source issues and challenges within financial services organisations. We found that consumption is “acceptable” rather than “encouraged”, with security concerns representing the biggest obstacle. On the flip-side, open source maintainers don’t wish to invest further in security. Financial services organisations, whose contribution policies lag behind, need to bridge this gap in order to fully capitalise on the value open source presents.
Delivery
The first in a series of articles, in which we will explore the qualities and behaviours necessary to be an effective Scrum Master and why those qualities and behaviours are important in specific situations.
Open Source
Earlier this month, I was a speaker at the Linux Foundation Open Source Strategy Forum (OSSF) in London. I moderated a panel on women’s career progression within Fintech. In this post I detail my thoughts on the key takeaways from the panel
Tech
In a previous blog post, Colin focused on rendering massive numbers of points using D3. In this post I'll consider how you can efficiently load that data using Apache Arrow.
Open Source · Video
Modern software is increasingly complex, made up of hundreds or thousands of open source components, hidden away in deeply nested dependency trees. Just how much do we know about these components that are an integral part of our products? What are the risks associated with their usage, and our exposure?
Cloud
Have you ever wondered how your AWS resources are distinguished from those that belong to other users? Here is a look at VPC components that offer control and security over your AWS networks
Tech
When coming to TypeScript from OOP languages it can be very easy to fall into the trap of using types the same way you are used to. But this is missing a lot of power of TypeScript. This article looks at how you can extend your TypeScript use to not only represent types, but also express the intent and document your code better.
Open Source
Admittedly not three concepts you would usually hear together. However, there are some interesting parallels in models of ownership that might challenge the way we manage projects.
UX Design · Video
This talk offers a taster of the vast world of Inclusive Design by exploring how understanding human diversity leads to the creation of better, more human products.
UX Design · Video
This session summarises the results of a survey showing that much of the population is unable to complete medium-complexity tasks, and that only a small percentage has high-level computer-related skills. This is something that we all need to consider when building software solutions.

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