In the first installment of "A computer from scratch", I've built a NAND gate. I've also introduced the my "scaling" rule: if I build something, I can buy it pre-made, because I only have one lifetime…

As part of Stack Overflow's pro-diversity initiatives, I have been helping Andela by mentoring one of their fellows, Bosun, in data structures and algorithms. In the Stack Overflow "default open" styl…

Openly inspired by a nice talk by Joel Spolsky London, 1850. Let's say you are the owner of a factory that produces nails and bolts. Workers use huge, expensive machinery in a large factory. Machin…

A technical side note to my first "A computer from scratch" post and In preparation for the next step, I've examined whether it's possible to build any gate from NANDs. Is it possible? YES! Let's prov…

I am attempting to build a computer from prime principles. Am I crazy? Probably. But I have a plan. Let's start from the beginning Why, oh why? Because not knowing how stuff works bugs me to no e…

There are three conferences I'll be speaking at this year. I'm seriously trying to do as few conferences as possible, but I really wanted to speak at these. If you'd like to chat about code and develo…

The Scrum methodology is often introduced because developers want it. On paper, it empowers them—if applied correctly—and developers need decision-making empowerment because development is a creative …

I spent the past few weeks taking an in-depth look at how our users find questions to answer, with a keen eye on Stack Overflow. I measured user behavior and click streams and discussed with the other…

Stack Overflow Careers is how the company I work for makes money, pays salaries and sustains great communities like Stack Overflow. You see, Stack Overflow is, by far, the best community of develope…

One of the "big city" problems of Stack Overflow is ensuring our users find adequate questions to answer. On smaller sites, users can simply look at the home page: the questions come in slowly enough …