Straylight Run

Here are my slides from my two talks at PHP 2011 tek conference in Chicago, IL.  Slide PDFs and any demo code are on GitHub.  Recap to follow!

Of (PHP) Sessions, Cookies, and Authentication

Do you know the difference between the PHP config directives session.gc_maxlifetime and session.cookie_lifetime? Have you wrestled with implementing a “Remember Me” button on your login page? Learn how popular sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, keep you logged in (apparently) forever and the security risks of such methods.

Who’s Using Your Software?

Software is only successful if someone can use it. Good developers need to do more than just follow specifications, they need to visualize the people who will use it and understand what they need. Get to know your users and the questions you need to ask to make your implementation a success on all fronts.

From Time’s Person of the Year article on Mark Zuckerberg:

You don’t get a lot of shy, retiring types at Facebook. These are the kinds of power nerds to whom the movies don’t do justice: fast-talking, user-friendly, laser-focused and radiating the kind of confidence that gives you a sunburn. Sorkin did a much better job of representing Facebook when he wrote The West Wing.

So this talk given at JRubyConf 2010 has been setting user groups and Twitter afire.  If you are a developer, I highly recommend you watch it.

Real Software Engineering talk presented at Lone Star Ruby Conference 2010.

The Center of Innovation program at the College of Applied Science at UC aims to show seniors that their choices for employment upon graduation is not limited to Fifth Third, Kroger’s, and Great American Insurance (not that there’s anything wrong with those fine companies).  The program also aims to show them that, in a region full of marketing, design, and business talent, there is serious need for young technology talent with an entrepreneurial bent.  For those who might want to take the plunge, the program also outlines business skills and resources they’ll need to complement their technology skills.

This is a great thing, and kudos and support goes to Andy Erickson and Dr. Hazem Said for their work so far.

This past Tuesday I gave a short talk to students in the Innovation Seminar series in CAS at UC about what’ it’s like to work in a startup from a coder’s point of view.  I talked about transitioning from a cubicle farm job to a startup environment, the nature and pace of working in a startup, and the tons and tons of learning that is inevitable.

You won’t get a lot from these slides without the narrative, but I post all my talks here so I thought I’d post this one.

Cross-posted on my Cincinnati blog.

A coworking trend is sweeping the nation and I am involved in bringing it to Cincinnati.  I don’t know if I’ve ever undertaken something that requires so much time and effort outside of my day job before (except for Zipscene, which subsequently became my day job).  But we’ll take it slowly and see where it goes.

One of the most successful and respected coworking space (from what I have gathered on the interweb anyway) is Independents Hall in Philadelphia. Fortunately, in true coworking spirit, they have done a great job of blogging about their progress and I have been leaning heavily on it as a resource. 

But enough of that for now.  I want to save some of this for the Cincinnati Coworks blog itself, whenever I get around to setting it up.

Some other coworking resources.

• Coworking on Wikipedia
• The coworking wiki
• The coworking buzz