Steven Atkinson

Meetups

Roku Takeover in Manchester

Ah! Another Manchester meetup. This time with Roku in the spotlight. Stepping into the bustling venue, I saw the familiar Richard McIntyre, the charismatic host who flawlessly set the tone for the night. I remember seeing Richard a good number of years ago when he was working at Sky and

Meetups

Technically Speaking Meetup 6: 1st Birthday!

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending the Technically Speaking meetup organized by a group of passionate tech enthusiasts. The Technically Speaking group is a vibrant community dedicated to fostering knowledge sharing and collaboration among professionals in the field. Their goal is to create a platform where individuals can

Transcend Tech

Transcend Tech - Generative AI: Hype to Reality

As a software engineer with over a decade of experience, I am passionate about staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in the tech industry; I recently had the opportunity to attend the highly anticipated Transcend Tech meetup. This event focused on one of the most intriguing areas of AI: Generative

AWS

AWS Data Deep Dive Day

Data has become the lifeblood of modern businesses, fueling growth, driving innovation, and shaping decision-making processes. Organizations are constantly seeking ways to leverage advanced analytics and cloud computing solutions to tap into the full potential of data-driven strategies. AWS plays an important role in this domain, providing powerful tools and

Meetups Featured

🎉🌟 MCR DevCon 2023 🌟🎉

Are you ready!? Manchester's very own developer conference, MCR DevCon, is just around the corner! As a passionate member of the tech community, I am incredibly excited for this event that promises to bring together brilliant minds from different areas of the world. 😍 The lineup of speakers at

Discussion

When should I replace my toilet seat?

Ah, the throne of contemplation and refuge, where we seek solace from the outside world. But as time goes by, our trusty toilet seat may start to feel... different. 🤔 Is it just our imagination, or has its comfort waned over the years? The question lingers, and the quest for a

Software Engineering

Judge Dredd(ed Imposter Syndrome)

Imposter syndrome may feel like a never-ending sentence in Mega-City One, haunting even the most accomplished individuals. It's like Judge Dredd's arch-nemesis, constantly whispering doubts, eroding confidence, and casting a shadow of inadequacy over one's achievements. Even after a decade in the industry, I

The Immortality Game

In the vast expanse of the cosmos, the idea of immortality beckons to humanity like a distant star, casting its ethereal glow upon our collective consciousness. It is a concept that has captivated our imagination since time immemorial, whispering promises of eternal life and boundless exploration. As we embark on

Career

For The Love Of Tech

The joy of programming lies not only in its technical complexities but in the thrill of solving problems and finding innovative solutions.

Prediction Featured

Utopian Visions and Genetic Behaviours

Picturing a World of Shared Resources and Social Change Welcome to my vision of the future, where I invite you to fast forward 1,000 years and imagine a world transformed. Inspired by the profound insights found within books like "Utopia for Realists," "The Selfish Gene,"

Prediction Featured

Michio Kaku's Astonishing Prediction 😲

The realm of science fiction has long captivated our imagination with the idea of communicating with those who have long departed from this world. However, recent advancements in technology and artificial intelligence (AI) have brought us closer to turning this once-fantastical notion into reality. Surprisingly, renowned theoretical physicist Dr. Michio

Technology

Challenges of Starting an Online Shop in a Competitive Landscape

Embarking on my journey to establish an e-commerce site in today's digital landscape has been an exhilarating yet challenging endeavour. With the marketplace becoming increasingly saturated, it has become more difficult to gain visibility and stand out among the competition. In this blog post, I will share the

Prediction Featured

Utopia for Technologists

In a world marked by rapid technological advancements, the vision of a people's utopia may seem like an elusive dream. However, by understanding the challenges we face today and harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), we can aspire to create an ideal way of living that benefits

Our Evolution: Where Are We Now?

The story of human evolution is a fascinating journey spanning millions of years. From our humble beginnings as early hominids to the dominant species on Earth today, Homo sapiens have undergone remarkable changes. As we stand at this pivotal point in history, it's intriguing to ponder our position

React

Attempting to change configurable attribute of an unconfigurable property - very useful, thanks 😅

As a React developer with over five years of experience under my belt, I can confidently say that even the most experienced developers can overlook important concepts, especially as React continues to evolve and gain popularity. In this blog post, I want to share a recent experience my colleague and

Amazon Web Services

Choosing the Right Hosting Option for NextJS - Vercel vs. Self-Hosting

NextJS, known for its powerful features and developer-friendly environment, has gained significant popularity among web developers. As your Next application becomes more complex, you may find yourself in need of hosting options beyond the default choices like Vercel. In this informative blog post, we will explore different hosting options for

Artificial Intelligence Featured

The Blurring Line: AI, Truth, and the Evolution of Deception

In recent years, the exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning has transformed the way we interact with technology. From virtual assistants to autonomous vehicles, AI has become deeply integrated into our daily lives. However, this rapid advancement brings with it a growing challenge: the increasingly difficult task

News

My Blog Is Back!

And ready to make a lasting impression! 🙏

Architecting Manchester

Architecting Manchester - Remote Work Retro

What an apt title to get started writing again 😄

C#

Reflecting on Reflection in an open source library

Engaging in knowledge-sharing activities is an excellent way to enhance our development skills and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and techniques. One particular talk that I had the privilege of delivering twice focused on the intriguing concept of reflection in an open source library. In this blog post, we

Javascript

Manchester Web Meetup #11

Empowering JS apps with WebAssembly & Building Healthy On-call Cover

C#

Mocking with FakeItEasy

On September 18, 2019, I gave an internal talk to the Dootrix team about the C# mocking library, FakeItEasy. The talk was aimed at helping the team to understand how to use FakeItEasy to create mock objects for testing .NET applications. During the talk, I provided an overview of the

Meetups

Exploring Azure

On August 14, 2019, the Tech on the Tyne meetup group held their first session in Newcastle, and it was a massive success. As the first meetup, there was added pressure to ensure that it was good enough to encourage attendees to keep coming to future meetups. Fortunately, the meetup

Meetups

Developers React to the Monzo API

On August 1, 2019, the Behind The Buzz Word meetup group hosted an interactive session where attendees experimented with the Monzo API to handle expenses using Javascript and React. The event sought to provide a hands-on experience for developers who were interested in learning more about the functionalities of the

Meetups

Streamlining Development with CI/CD

In the ever-evolving world of software development, staying ahead of the curve is essential. Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) have emerged as crucial practices for streamlining development processes and delivering high-quality software. In this blog post, we will dive into a talk that I had the privilege of