I’m a big advocate for code reviews. I’ve written about my experiences reviewing code, including lists of dos and don’ts, how to survive your first code review, and why we should review code at all. My views have been mainly shaped by my experience with a particular kind of code…

Design patterns are great to use. However, they can lead to roadblocks when used in excess — Learning patterns has become a core aspect for many people on their journey to becoming software engineers. Countless articles have been written about patterns and how to apply them. Courses, YouTube videos, and GitHub repos all exist to help engineers master the power of patterns. …

Code reviewing has been going on long before the pull request model. Here are four methods worth knowing to help your team review code — Many engineers who have read my blog will know I talk a lot about code reviews. I firmly believe that a healthy code review practice is a critical tool for building a great team. It’s easier to build great software if people feel safe enough to ask questions, are generous…

You might have heard the expression, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s an expression to keep people from making knee-jerk judgments about someone based on an initial impression or short interaction. …

January 03, 2023 While wandering the streets during New Year’s Eve several years ago (pre-COVID), I came upon a tree. Our fellow NYE participants had covered the tree with small strips of paper using bits of twine or string to affix them to the branches. On each was a short…

The day is August 18th, 1969. A dwindling crowd remains after an endless night of music at a farm outside Bethel, New York. After a long and full lineup of music all weekend long, only one artist is left to play at Woodstock. Jimi Hendrix and his band began playing…

I heard something not too long ago that stopped me in my tracks. I was listening to a podcast while doing some yard work. The guest on the show was an author who had recently unpublished a book of theirs, citing it has caused more damage than good. …

October 17, 2022 Last week my team had a huge win: we recovered quickly from a bug in production. 🎉 At first, that doesn’t sound like a win. “You let a bug get through to production? How is that a win?!” I agree that bugs in production aren’t great. But…

We live in a culture obsessed with productivity. We want to read the morning routines of successful people. We analyze our calendars to avoid wasting a single minute. We track our output over time and learn every trick to increase it daily. While I caution against such an obsession, I…