I’m contacted a few times a month by people who want to build (usually mobile) apps. Or more properly, want someone to build apps for them. While I don’t begrudge or criticize their hopes or goals, we need to look at things critically and honestly. Also, I’m tired of telling people the same thing over and […]
We’ve heard that adage in reference to using Facebook, Twitter, and a variety of others for quite a few years. While it absolutely does apply for general web users, in the API space, it takes on a more sinister tone. When you’re working with an API, it’s usually because it makes a piece of your […]
Note: To be clear, I am not accusing AirBnb or Facebook – or anyone else – of allowing this. According to my understanding of their Acceptable Use Policies and the law, this is way out of bounds and likely to result in trouble for all involved. Do not do it. Updated March 2018: I have […]
Last week, the Office of Personnel Management announced that the security clearance background information (the dreaded SF-86 form) was compromised. I wrote about it in “Why this security breach is worse than all the others combined” and considered the implications of it. But this snippet from Arstechnica made me think of something else: A consultant who […]
During the week of June 8th, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced that the records of all current and past US federal employees had been compromised. That includes standard employment information – address, social security numbers, etc – of over 4 million people ranging from a random forest ranger to US Cabinet members. (According to OPM, the […]
This past weekend was our third annual ATX Hack for Change. It was still hosted at St Edwards University, but this time it was organized by the City of Austin’s Innovation Office. While Kerry O’Connor is the Chief Innovation Officer, her staff ran much of the show over the weekend. I was lucky enough to be invited […]
Over this past weekend, I came across a Wired called “Write the Perfect Email to Anyone with this Creepy Site” on using machine learning and natural language processing to analyze a person’s social media profiles and offer tips on how to communicate with them effectively. Most people immediately thought about sales, but one thread of the conversation […]
Let’s get this out of the way upfront: Building API helper libraries is hard. When you think about it, that makes sense. The helper libraries rarely get the same time or attention as the API itself. They’re usually an afterthought. Even worse, most teams are usually only strong in one or two programming languages and dabble […]
If you read the tech press, everyone knows they need an API but most aren’t really sure what it is. They treat it as another checkbox like “Web 2.0” was a few years ago or a mobile app was most recently. In fact, there’s an entire “API-first” movement in development circles that most people don’t […]
For the first time ever, DrupalCon is joining us in the great State of Texas, specifically right here in Austin over the week of June 2nd-6th. As a part of that, I’ve been tapped to serve as the Chair of the Coding & Development Track. It basically means that I’m in charge of reviewing every […]