Steven Atkinson Tech Blog

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Are You Accidentally Killing Your Database?

Performance Featured

Are You Accidentally Killing Your Database?

Imagine you're building a simple admin portal feature—nothing too complex...just a page where internal staff can view notifications that have been sent out. The goal is to let them review what was sent, when it went out, and who received it. There's a Notification

How I Stay Productive as a Software Engineer

How I Stay Productive as a Software Engineer

People hear Head of Engineering and assume I've figured it all out. That I run efficient meetings, write clean code, and end each day with an empty inbox. The truth is, I'm still very much a software engineer. I still write features, debug weird bugs, and

Are We Being Domesticated By AI?

Are We Being Domesticated By AI?

It started with a YouTube video. One of those quiet, thoughtful conversations that unexpectedly sticks with you. I was watching Dave Farley and Kevlin Henney on the Modern Software Engineering channel, discussing the future of programming languages. The kind of discussion that, on the surface, seems rooted in syntax and

Time To Convince

Self Reflection Featured

Time To Convince

There was a time—not too long ago—when I’d hear about a bug or a new feature and immediately crack my knuckles, spin up the IDE, and race toward a solution. That reactive energy felt productive. Urgent. Like I was doing what engineers are meant to do: solve

An Engineer's Code Tells You A Lot About The Engineer

Random Thoughts Featured

An Engineer's Code Tells You A Lot About The Engineer

I was sitting at the back of a the MancJS meetup in Manchester last month, listening to Liam Walsh share a personal challenge: to prove—mostly to himself—that he was worthy of the title "senior developer". A great idea in theory. But also, let’s be honest,

What if AI tools disappeared?

What if AI tools disappeared?

There's an old quote from artist, Paul Cézanne: "It's so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas." The same could be said for developers staring at an empty file. It's that moment of hesitation—where do

Estimate or Die

Agile Methodology

Estimate or Die

There’s one thing I can always count on from my old project manager friend: zero context. No "Hey, how's it going?" No "This reminded me of that one project we worked on." Just a random Instagram link, dropped into my DMs like a

Rust - And The Joy Of Learning New Languages

Rust - And The Joy Of Learning New Languages

Learning a new programming language is like stepping into an entirely new world—a world where I know nothing, where everything is unfamiliar, and every discovery brings a sense of accomplishment. It’s a thrilling place to be, full of opportunities to explore new paradigms and revisit old concepts from

Books I Enjoyed in 2024

Books I Enjoyed in 2024

At the start of each year, I love reflecting on the books that have shaped my thoughts and experiences over the past twelve months. Last year, I shared my favorite reads in Books I Enjoyed in 2023, where I delved into topics like personal growth, business strategies, and storytelling. This

The Funny Truth About Why You’re Always Behind Schedule

The Funny Truth About Why You’re Always Behind Schedule

Yak Shaving. The phrase alone is odd enough to make you pause, but once you’ve experienced it—and trust me, you have—you’ll never forget it. I first encountered the term while watching a talk by Aaron Patterson (a.k.a. tenderlove), who had the audience in stitches

Adversity to Innovation - The Three-Body Problem

Adversity to Innovation - The Three-Body Problem

Diving into The Three-Body Problem series by Cixin Liu opened my eyes to a riveting narrative oscillating between speculative fiction and stark realism. At its heart, the series isn't just a tale of extraterrestrial contact; it's a profound commentary on human resilience and innovation in the

Make It Dark - Hooking up the Engine to the UI

Make It Dark - Hooking up the Engine to the UI

After meticulously crafting the foundational classes like GridManager, LightToggleStrategy, WinConditionChecker, and assembling them into our "finely tuned engine," the GameEngine, the stage is set for the final act: bringing Make It Dark to life with a user interface. The groundwork in previous posts ensures the game's

Make It Dark - Putting the Engine Together

Make It Dark - Putting the Engine Together

After constructing the core classes for Make It Dark—GridManager, LightToggleStrategy, and WinConditionChecker—the next step is to develop the GameEngine. This phase involves integrating these components to work together seamlessly. The process so far has adhered to a Test-Driven Development (TDD) approach, ensuring that each component functions correctly before

Make It Dark - Turning Requirements into Code

Make It Dark - Turning Requirements into Code

Ah, finally, the moment has arrived where we transition from meticulous planning to the exciting phase of writing code. Up to this point, the focus has been on laying a robust foundation: establishing the project's architecture, embracing the principles of Test-Driven Development (TDD), and refining my coding style

Make It Dark - Linting and Testing Libraries

Make It Dark - Linting and Testing Libraries

In the development journey of Make It Dark, I emphasise maintaining high standards of code quality. This commitment extends beyond pursuing functional, bug-free code, embracing a holistic approach that incorporates meticulous linting practices, comprehensive testing frameworks, and the strategic implementation of Git hooks. This blend of tools and methodologies forms

Make It Dark - Game Engine, Software Architecture and TDD Prep

Make It Dark - Game Engine, Software Architecture and TDD Prep

As I move forward with the development of Make It Dark, I have reached a crucial point that needs to be addressed before diving into the core coding. This stage is called architectural planning, and it is of utmost importance as it creates a solid blueprint for the game'

Make It Dark - My First Look into Svelte

Svelte Featured

Make It Dark - My First Look into Svelte

As I continue to navigate the dynamic world of web development with React, which remains a staple in my day-to-day work, my journey has been one of continuous learning and adaptation. Over the past 7+ years, React has not just been a tool—it's been a crucial part

Advent of Code 2023 - Trebuchet?! (Day 1, Part 2)

Advent of Code 2023 - Trebuchet?! (Day 1, Part 2)

Having successfully solved Part 1 of Day 1 in the Advent of Code, I was greeted with an intriguing, albeit not overly complex, twist in Part 2. This new element in the puzzle presented a unique challenge: the calibration document's digits were now occasionally spelt out in words

What If Dinosaurs Survived Extinction?

Random Thoughts

What If Dinosaurs Survived Extinction?

Embarking on a journey through Brian Cox's insights on the Fermi Paradox and extraterrestrial life, an intriguing question arises: What if the dinosaurs hadn't faced their cataclysmic end? About 66 million years ago, the dinosaurs, who had roamed our planet for over 150 million years, were

Advent of Code 2023 - Trebuchet?! (Day 1, Part 1)

Advent of Code 2023 - Trebuchet?! (Day 1, Part 1)

The first of this year's Advent of Code challenge presents an opportunity to test my skills with Ruby. Settling in with my laptop and a comforting cup of tea, I'm ready to tackle the problem. These challenges are more than just coding tasks; they often require

Technology Used to Monitor the Devil's Anus

Technology Used to Monitor the Devil's Anus

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is home to a fascinating and mysterious cosmic phenomenon known as the Devil's Anus. This wormhole is located in the planetary system of Sakaar and is considered to be the largest and most dangerous of all similar anomalies in the cosmos. Many believe that