Speaking

NDC London 2016

Designing an Orbital Laser Battery

REST, Hypermedia, HATEOAS, are terms that we come across often, but there is often confusion about how to apply them in real life. Taking a somewhat larger-than-life example, we'll work through designing an API, to demonstrate what sets REST apart from other architectural styles and really understand what it means beyond just stateless services or well-designed URI schemes.

SDD Conf 2015

Node.js for .NET developers

This session covers the programming model of Node.js, highlighting commonalities and differences with traditional .NET development, and the relative benefits of each. We work through creating a working Node.js application, while covering the tools and techniques that real-world projects need (such as test frameworks and task runners). We also briefly cover some of the ways that Node.js influences the next version of .NET, and how you can integrate Node.js with your .NET applications.

Resources

Taming the database

Almost all applications require some kind of persistence state, and databases are a powerful and versatile tool. However, they bring with them a host of challenges when it comes to structuring, testing and deploying an application effectively. In this session we will tackle these challenges, consider the pros and cons of different approaches, and discuss how to make the most of our database while still producing a nimble and maintainable application.

Resources

NDC London 2014

Tales of the unexpected (a litany of test failures)

Automated testing is vital to making our projects successful and maintainable. However, testing is an art in itself and it's all to easy to make mistakes in our testing approach that can lead to a maintentance nightmare. This talk draws on lessons from hard-won experience to discover how to write tests that deliver real value. It covers some of the pitfalls along the way, and addresses the grim realities of real-life projects that we have to tackle when applying testing best practices.

Communicating through tests

Programming is all about communication, and unit tests are first and foremost a communication tool. This talk covers the myriad styles for writing tests made possible by a multitude of available test frameworks. It also highlights the importance of communicating as clearly as possible, briefly explaining how I wrote a test framework in a weekend and why you should too.