Blue Blazes
Trailhead Technology Partners
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Just like obstacles blocking a hiking trail, barriers in the path to a successful software project can be frustrating. When you encounter one, it helps to take a trail marked with blue blazes to go around the problem, get back on course, and keep moving forward.
Available episodes
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Nov 13, 2023
011: Component Libraries – featuring Sam Basu
It can be tricky to know when to use third-party component libraries and which ones to use. While these libraries can be crucial in making modern software projects more successful, it’s important to know:
· When to use third-party components versus building custom ones
· How third-party components help you be performant, consistent, and cross-platform
· What advantages paid libraries offer over free component libraries
Your host, J. Tower, and today’s guest, Sam Basu, answer these questions and guide you through a range of topics related to third-party component libraries. Join them on this journey and learn how to get the most out of these valuable libraries.
About Today’s Blue Blazes Guest Sam Basu is a Microsoft MVP and Developer Advocate for all Telerik products at Progress Software. Along with his day job, Sam is an author, speaker, technologist, and gadget lover. Using his deep background in development, he spends much of his time advocating for modern web, mobile, and cloud developers working in JavaScript and the Microsoft stack. In his spare time, Sam loves travel, fast cars, cricket, and culinary adventures with his family.
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Oct 16, 2023
010: Failing Successfully – featuring Cassandra Faris
Cassandra Faris—community manager for Kasten by Veeam, president of the Stir Scholarship, and international speaker—joins J. in the newest episode of Blue Blazes. Together, the two discuss successful failing and cover topics that include:
· What it means to fail successfully
· Why perfectionism can prevent improvement
· How failure and vulnerability relate to agile methodology
Our guides on today’s journey also share resources, explore the pitfalls of a “fail fast” mentality, and offer thoughts on how software teams should think about the concept of blame when failure happens. Check it out to gain some great insights and helpful tips!
About Today’s Blue Blazes Guest Cassandra Faris is the Community Manager for Kasten by Veeam (a Kubernetes data platform), president of the Stir Scholarship for women pursuing technology degrees, and an international speaker. Her passion for the human side of technology has fueled her career in supporting tech professionals through training, community outreach, open source, marketing, hiring, mentoring, and employee engagement.
Cassandra specializes in teaching people how to communicate, take care of their mental health, be more inclusive team members, and advance their careers. She holds an MBA in organizational leadership and, when not busy with the tech community, is an avid tabletop gamer, corgi mom, and soccer fan who travels as much as possible.
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Sep 11, 2023
009: Community – featuring Clark Sell
Clark Sell, co-founder of THAT Conference and Unspecified Software, stops by our podcast to talk with J. about community and industry conferences. During the journey through this popular topic in the software world, they share their thoughts on:
· Why conferences are worth attending
· Pros and cons of in-person vs. online events
· Networking and meeting people at conferences
· How to build a case for your boss that you should go to one
In addition to insights like these, Clark and J. have advice for conference goers and how to get started if you’re interested in speaking at events like these. Pick up some great tips and see how conferences can bolster your career and professional network in today’s episode. Check it out!
About Today’s Blue Blazes Guest
Clark Sell is a historically trained software developer, architect, and product manager who loves helping people and has found passion in building products that build communities. He is guided by a mission to create software that connects people in profound and meaningful ways. His professional experience includes working at Microsoft and Telerik. Along with his wife, Clark co-founded both Unspecified Software and THAT Conference.
THAT Conference is one of the largest family-friendly technology conferences in the world. During the pandemic, they created a SaaS platform to “connect geeks across the globe.” Also known as SUMMER CAMP FOR GEEKS®, THAT Conferences are held in-person twice a year (once in Texas, once in Wisconsin) and digitally throughout the year. To learn more about this program of peer-to-peer learning opportunities, check out the website here.
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Aug 14, 2023
008: Unit Testing – featuring Jesse Liberty
Trailhead’s long-time friend Jesse Liberty joins J. to discuss an array of topics related to unit testing. In this episode, the ground they cover includes:
· Key advantages of unit testing
· Common mistakes developers make with it
· Tips for incorporating unit testing into a team process
Along with these insights, you will learn how to get started if you haven’t done much unit testing, convince others of its importance, and balance the trade-offs between test coverage and development time. Check it out now!
About Today’s Blue Blazes Guest
Called “one of the best in the world at explaining technology,” Jesse Liberty is a full-time hands-on programmer who specializes in C#, git, .NET MAUI, and building world-class APIs. Jesse is an Xamarin and Microsoft MVP and prolific author of programming books, including his recent title .NET MAUI for C# Developers. His next book, on creating APIs with C# and .NET, is expected to come out in ’24. He also has numerous courses on platforms like Pluralsight, LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, and Packt and is host of the popular Yet Another Podcast. To learn more about Jesse Liberty, stop by his website here!
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Jul 10, 2023
007: Building Trust – featuring Richard Campbell
In this episode, J. explores the potency of trust in successful teams with guest Richard Campbell. Check it out, and you will learn what makes for good team building, how to establish trust, and what you can do about challenging individuals in a team. In doing so, you’ll see that it’s possible to have disagreements without it being destructive to the team and the value of getting everyone on the same side (literally).
About Today’s Blue Blazes Guest
Richard Campbell is a co-host of the popular, long-running “.NET Rocks!” podcast, host of his own weekly “RunAs Radio” podcast (since 2007), and renowned tech entrepreneur. Richard started playing with microcomputers in 1977 and really hasn’t looked back since. He’s a Microsoft MVP, well-seasoned consultant who has been involved in every level of the PC industry, and co-owner of the DevIntersection (www.devintersection.com) group of conferences and founder of the charity Humanitarian Toolbox.
You can check out the .NET Rocks! podcast here and the RunAs Radio show here.
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Jun 13, 2023
006: Accessibility – featuring Martine Dowden
Martine Dowden stops by Blue Blazes and chats with J. about accessibility and its role in successful software projects. In this episode, you will see why this is such an important subject and learn smart approaches for establishing accessibility in legacy projects (from the co-author of Approachable Accessibility!). Along the way, Martine generously shares tools for web apps and resources that can help you and your team improve your software’s accessibility.
About Today’s Blue Blazes Guest
Martine Dowden is a designer, developer, author, and international speaker. In her roles as founder, president, and CTO of Andromeda Galactic Solutions, Martine uses her expertise and passion for front-end development to help clients create more captivating web experiences. With a background in psychology and a keen eye for accessibility, she is a highly engaging speaker and podcast guest.
To learn more about Martine, check out her website.
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May 11, 2023
005: AI – featuring Mike Benkovich
In this episode of Blue Blazes, J. talks with developer, business owner, consultant, and cloud architect Mike Benkovich about AI and how software teams can use it. During the conversation, we see why AI should be viewed as a tool (not something to be feared), how it can help humans learn, and what individuals in the software field should be looking to use it for. Mike and J. also discuss the limitations and potential for inaccuracies associated with this technology.
About Today’s Blue Blazes Guest
Mike Benkovich is a Microsoft alumni and Azure MVP. While at Microsoft, Mike helped create the Azure Boot Camp events that were run across the nation. Today, he is a consultant, online instructor, and business owner. His website equips developers with tips and resources for a variety of technologies, and his online courses cover subjects like serverless computing and Azure enterprise development. Every Friday, Mike has “Azure office hours,” where people can sign up for a fifteen-minute chat to work through technological questions.
Learn more about Mike at Benkotips.com.
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Apr 13, 2023
004: Jobs to be Done (JTBD) - featuring Christina Aldan
Christina Aldan—an award-winning speaker and brand strategy consultant—joins Blue Blazes to talk with J. about Jobs To Be Done (JTBD). In doing so, we learn how this approach can drive better results through more effective communication and conducting upfront research before you “build the thing.” Check out today’s episode to see how you can use the JTBD process to make a huge impact for your next project.
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Mar 15, 2023
003: Custom Tools - featuring Cory House
Cory House joins J. to talk about using custom dev tools to improve web applications. Cory discusses the importance of slowing down to go faster in a build, how dev tools work in different environments, project pitfalls you can avoid, and why the right mindset during a build matters. Cory covers these web app development topics (and more) with great examples and gives the kinds of valuable tips and insight that have made him a highly sought-after trainer.
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Feb 16, 2023
002: Feedback Cycles - featuring Steve Smith
In the episode of the Blue Blazes podcast, J. speakers with Steve Smith (also known as "Ardalis" online). He is the co-owner and chief architect of NimblePros, and the conversation covers how shortening the feedback cycles throughout your software process can help lead to more successful projects.
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Dec 20, 2022
001: Everything EOS – featuring Brian McKeiver
Welcome to the inaugural episode of our new Blue Blazes podcast. Today, J. talks with Brian McKeiver, co-owner of BizStream, about EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) and how technology companies can utilize this valuable tool to keep projects focused and on track.
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