Using ChatAI to draft blog posts

Using a tool like OpenAI’s GPT-3 based Assistant can be a useful way to write blog posts and other written content quickly and easily. Assistant is a large language model trained by OpenAI, and is capable of generating human-like text on a wide variety of topics.

To use Assistant to write a blog post, simply provide a prompt or topic, and Assistant will generate a draft of the post for you. You can then edit and refine the draft as needed to make it your own.

One of the key advantages of using Assistant to write your blog posts is that it can save you time and effort. By providing a topic or prompt, you can quickly generate a draft of the post, which you can then edit and refine as needed. This can be especially useful if you have a lot of content to write, or if you are struggling to come up with ideas for your blog.

Another advantage of using Assistant is that it can help to improve the quality of your writing. Assistant is trained on a vast amount of text data, and is capable of generating human-like text on a wide range of topics. This means that you can use Assistant to generate high-quality content that is free of spelling and grammar errors, and that reads naturally and smoothly.

Of course, it is important to remember that Assistant is not a substitute for your own creativity and expertise. While Assistant can generate a draft of a blog post for you, it is up to you to edit and refine the post to make it your own. You should also do your own research and fact-checking to ensure that the information in your post is accurate and up-to-date.

In conclusion, using Assistant to write your blog posts can be a useful way to save time and effort, and to improve the quality of your writing. By providing a prompt or topic, you can quickly generate a draft of a post, which you can then edit and refine to make it your own.

Life Sprint

An old work friend and I have been trying out what we’re calling “Life Sprints” for a few weeks now, and I’m noticing a few positive things that are happening around my life.

Performing sprints, retrospectives, and daily standup meetings are commonly used in the field of agile software development, but they can also be applied to personal goal-setting and achievement. These practices can help individuals to stay focused, motivated, and accountable, and can provide valuable insights and feedback that can help to improve and grow.

Sprints are short, focused periods of time, typically one to four weeks in length, during which individuals or teams work towards a specific goal or set of goals. Sprints provide a framework for breaking down larger goals into smaller, more manageable tasks, and for tracking progress and making adjustments as needed.

Retrospectives are meetings that are held at the end of a sprint to review what was accomplished during the sprint, and to identify areas for improvement and potential changes for the next sprint. Retrospectives provide an opportunity for individuals or teams to reflect on their work and to identify areas for growth and improvement.

Daily standup meetings, also known as daily scrums, are short meetings, typically lasting no more than 15 minutes, that are held each day to review progress and identify any obstacles or challenges that need to be addressed. Daily standup meetings provide a regular check-in point for individuals or teams, and can help to keep everyone on track and focused on achieving their goals.

Together, these practices can provide a powerful framework for achieving personal goals. By breaking down larger goals into smaller, more manageable tasks, and by regularly reviewing progress and making adjustments as needed, individuals can stay focused and motivated, and can make meaningful progress towards achieving their goals. Additionally, by reflecting on their work and identifying areas for improvement, individuals can gain valuable insights and feedback that can help them to grow and develop.

Personal OKR’s

Creating personal OKRs, or Objectives and Key Results, can be a powerful tool for achieving personal growth and career success. By setting clear and measurable goals, and tracking progress towards achieving those goals, individuals can gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, and take concrete steps to improve and grow.

One of the key benefits of creating personal OKRs is that they provide a clear and structured framework for setting and achieving goals. By defining specific and measurable objectives and key results, individuals can create a plan for achieving their goals and track their progress over time. This can help to keep individuals focused and motivated, and can also provide a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction as they make progress towards their goals.

Another benefit of personal OKRs is that they can help to improve accountability and focus. By sharing your OKRs with others, such as friends, family, or colleagues, you can receive support and encouragement, as well as accountability for achieving your goals. This can help to keep you on track and motivated, and can also provide valuable feedback and insights that can help you to improve and grow.

In terms of my own personal OKRs this year, I have set several ambitious and well-defined goals. My goal of getting 10 AWS certificates this year will require a significant amount of time and effort, but will also provide valuable skills and knowledge that can enhance my career. My goal of reading 5 leadership and management books will also provide valuable insights and skills, and can help me to become a more effective leader and manager. My goals of improving my personal finances and communication skills are also important for personal growth and career success, and will require focused effort and attention to achieve.

Overall, the benefits of creating personal OKRs are clear. By setting specific and measurable goals, and tracking progress towards achieving those goals, individuals can improve their focus, accountability, and motivation, and can take concrete steps towards achieving personal growth and career success.

Architecture Decision Records

An Architecture Decision Record (ADR) is a document that captures important decisions made during the design and development of a software system. These decisions can range from high-level architectural choices to more detailed technical decisions. ADRs are a valuable tool for teams because they help to document and communicate decisions, provide a record of the reasoning behind those decisions, and allow for easier tracking and management of changes to the architecture over time.

Writing a useful ADR involves several key steps:

  1. Identify the decision that needs to be documented. This could be a decision about the overall architecture of the system, a specific technology to use, or any other important decision that affects the design or implementation of the system.
  2. Clearly state the problem that the decision is intended to solve. This helps to provide context and understanding for the decision, and can also help to identify potential alternative solutions.
  3. Describe the decision that was made, including any constraints or assumptions that were considered. Be as specific and detailed as possible, so that the decision can be easily understood and implemented by others on the team.
  4. Explain the reasons for the decision, including any trade-offs or advantages that were considered. This is an important part of the ADR, as it helps to justify the decision and provide evidence for why it was the best option.
  5. Include any relevant information about the implementation of the decision, such as code snippets or diagrams. This can help to provide a more complete picture of the decision and make it easier for others to understand and implement.
  6. Finally, make sure to include any relevant references or links to further information about the decision. This can be useful for teams that want to dig deeper into the topic or for future readers who are looking for additional context.

Writing ADRs is a valuable practice for teams because it helps to improve communication and collaboration, and can also provide a valuable reference for future work on the project. By documenting important decisions in a clear and concise way, teams can avoid making the same mistakes or re-visiting the same decisions in the future, and can focus on building the best possible system.

Readme rules

Here are the top 5 rules for all repository readme’s

1. Tell me what the repository is for in plain English. Even better, give me a diagram on what it does and how it does it. I’m talking a paragraph, maybe two, three at the most with an overview of what the repository (…application, package, framework, helper…) does. If a diagram makes sense here (and it almost always does) include one. 

2. Tell me how to install it. Give me a bullet list of instructions on what I’ll need to do to prepare my machine/application/whatever before I install it, and then tell me exactly how to install it. Keep it simple, I’m expecting less than 10 steps. More than 5 and I’ll probably start looking elsewhere.

3. Tell me how to get the repository working, and give me code examples. I’ll want to see how this integrates with whatever it is I am doing/want. Show me the inputs and outputs, show me how to fire up the class / function, show me how to use it how you expect it to be used. 

4. Tell me how you expect me to create a new pull request for this repository. I want to help out, so you should make it as easy as possible for me to be able to write new tests, fix bugs and create enhancements. Again keep it simple.

5. Keep it up to date. This is the big one. Codebases change all the time, make sure the readme reflects the current codebase all the time. Seriously. Ten minutes spend updating the readme with the latest changes will save so many people hours of frustration (including yourself in two months time).