Speaking: XP Days Ukraine, 2015

I'm giving an opening presentation at XP Days Ukraine in October.

The talk is called Becoming a Better Programmer.

Find out more about this conference here. Looks like it will be really interesting.

Writing: More magazine columns

I've been remiss at posting news of my recent magazine columns.

C Vu issue 27.2 carried a column entitled Wallowing in Filth, about how to deal with messy code. C Vu 27.3's column was called Coding Dinosaurs, and discussed how to avoid become an extinct coder.

Speaking: CodeConf 2015

I'll be giving the closing keynote at GitHub's CodeConf 2015 in Nashville this month.

Find out more from the conference's website here: http://codeconf.com.

The talk is called Becoming a Better Programmer.

Interview: Fog Creek (Going Beyond Code to Become A Better Programmer)

I recently did a short interview with the guys at Fog Creek on the subject Becoming a Better Programmer. You can view it here.

It's a heroic editing effort! Between unreliable network connections and probably a 40 minute conversion they've heroically cut it down to ten minutes, and made me look rather like Max Headroom.

There's been lots of great feedback about this, so I'm glad it's inspiring people.

Speaking: ACCU 2015

I'm pleased to announce that I'll be delivering the opening keynote at the awesome ACCU 2015 developer conference in Bristol this April. The talk is called "Becoming a Better Programmer" (it's no coincidence that this is the same title as my new book and my magazine column).

I'm really looking forward to it. I think it'll be great fun and, hopefully, really useful.

The session synopsis is:

You've come this conference to improve your skills. You're here to learn: to learn new technologies, to learn new techniques, and to fuel your passion by meeting like-minded people. 

Becoming a better programmer means more than just learning new technologies. It means more than practising techniques and idioms. It's about more than passion and attitude. It's the combination of all these things. That's what this session will look at. 

Pete Goodliffe, author of the new book Becoming a Better Programmer, unpacks important mindsets and techniques that will help you improve as a programmer.
You'll discover specific tools that will help you review your current skillset, and you'll learn techniques to help you “become a better programmer”.

More info about my session is available here.

Videos: MPC Sneak Peeks

In my day job I am the software lead for Akai's MPC product line. This is a product I'm immensely proud of, and I'm very proud of the the work the software team puts into this iconic music controller.

Over the last few months we've been producing in-house videos for the new releases we've been baking here at Akai towers.

We recently released the latest in this series for the 1.8.2 update. Check it out on YouTube here:

MPCv1.8.2 sneak peek

If you fancy seeing the whole set, we have also produced videos for:

• The MPC v1.8 release
• The MPC v1.7.2 release
• The MPC v1.7 release (Expansion packs and Hybrid 3 built-in)
• The MPC v1.7 release (Main Mode, Direct Record and Key Group Mixer)
• The MPC v1.7 release (Automation)
• The MPC v1.7 release (Mixer)

The more recent of these have been shot completely in-house; I purchased a Canon 70D and some lights, and rigged up a Heath Robinson autocue. It's all shot in our development offices. Usually unnecessarily late into the night.

We love creating these videos, and connecting directly with the passionate MPC users.

Writing: Coders Causing Conflict

My latest Becoming a Better Programmer column is published in the March issue of C Vu magazine (27.1). It's called Coders Causing Conflict and investigates how "conflict" can be a driving force for good in software development. It's quite an interesting topic, and one worth thinking about.

I realise that I failed to announce my previous few C Vu columns here. So, as a recap:

• In January (C Vu 26.6) I published Advice for the Young at Heart, considering how to give career advice to new programmers.
• In November 2014 (C Vu 26.5) I published Playing by the Rules which looks at developing "tribal rules" for your development team to help it work most effectively.

C Vu is a magazine produced by the ACCU - an excellent organisation for programmers. It has a great community, great publications, and an awesome conference. Check it out.