Fitness gadgets that make exercising less boring

Today I gave a talk at work on various fitness gadgets, equipment, and software that I have used to try to mix up my exercise routine and make working out a little more fun.  I covered the Zwift and iFit virtual training platforms, the Zombies Run mobile app, fitness trackers, and Strava - the social network for athletes.  The talk was well received and we had some great discussions afterward about various other gadgets that my coworkers have experimented with.  I encouraged people to try at least one of those to see if it will make exercising a little more enjoyable 🙂
Below are my slides from the talk.


(If the embedded slides don't work in your browser, try accessing them on Slideshare)

Get the most out of attending conferences

Last week I gave a talk at work on getting the most out of attending software development conferences.   I've been attending conferences for quite a while now and figured I had enough tips in the bag to share with others.  Things such as the importance of getting out of your comfort zone, how to learn from other attendees, various note taking tips, and why it is important to review what you learned.  The slides from my talk can be seen below:

Get the most out of attending conferences from Steinn (Stan) Jónsson

 

CodeMash 2018

I spent the past couple of days at the CodeMash developer conference in Sandusky, Ohio.  I learned some new technologies, caught up with old friends, and as usual had a great time.  Some of the technology trends spotted this year: AI, machine learning, blockchain, digital voice assistants, people getting serious about security, and cheap (often cloud-connected) hardware controllers with tons of neat sensors.  Here is some of what I saw at the conference.

BB-8 riding the hallways

An attendee 3D printed this dragon

Unusually warm temperatures at the Kalahari resort. It got into the 60s (F) on Thursday, but then turned into a blizzard Friday afternoon!  That's Ohio weather for you.

Firefly board game

I built this heart rate monitor using Arduino and a pulse sensor

KidzMashers doing laser tag

Sphero robot programmed into a game of Hot Potato

A presentation about giving a presentation
(or recursion as we developers would call it)

Bunch of 3D printed stuff

A mainframe programmer spotted leaving the conference ;)

CodeMash definitely peaked my interest in exploring some technologies I haven't used before.  Let's get to work on that!
I believe this was my 9th time attending this unique event.  I can't wait for CodeMash 2019.