Paul Grenyer

.Net Core in Action by Dustin Metzgar ISBN-13: 978-1617294273 I still get a fair amount of flack for buying and reading technical books in the 21st Century - almost as much as I get for still buying and listening to CDs. If I was a vinyl loving hipster, it would be different of course…. However, books like .Net Core in Action are a perfect example of why I do it.  I needed to learn what .Net Core was and get a feel for it very quickly and that is what this book allowed me to do. I’ve been very sceptical of .Net development for a number of years, mostly due to how large I perceived the total cost of ownership and the startup cost to be and the fact that you have to use Windows.  While this was previously true, .Net Core is different and .Net Core in Action made me understand that within the first few pages of the first chapter. It also got me over my prejudice towards Docker by the end of the second chapter. The first two chapters are as you would expect, an introduct...

I was honoured and delighted to be asked to judge and present the overall DevelopHER award once again this year. Everyone says choosing a winner is difficult. It may be a cliche, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is. When the 13 category winners came across my desk I read through them all and reluctantly got it down to seven. Usually on a first pass I like to have it down to three or four and then all I need to agonise over is the order. Luckily on the second pass I was able to be ruthless and get it down to four. To make it even more difficult, three of my four fell into three categories I am passionate about: Technical excellence and diversity Automated Testing Practical, visual Agile And the fourth achieved results for her organisation which just couldn’t be ignored. So I read and reread and ordered and re-ordered. Made more tea, changed the CD and re-read and re-ordered some more. Eventually it became clear. Technical excellent and the ability for a softwa...

I was very surprised and excited and then immediately disappointed to see Shakespere Sister on the Graham Norton show. They performed Stay , which is their big hit (longest single at number in the UK be a female artist, 8 weeks), but Marcella wasn’t even trying to hit the high notes and it was awful. We decided to go and see them on tour anyway as it was potentially a once in a lifetime experience before they fell out again. The Ipswich Regent was half empty in the stalls and the circle was closed and oddly there were quite a few security guards - apparently at the request of the band. Encouragingly Shakespear Sister came on on time and they sounded good! As they ploughed through many of their well known songs, new songs and a few older more obscure songs, the vocals were strong from both Marcella and Siobhan. The rhythm section was incredible.  The drumming was tight, varied and interesting, but what really stood out was the bass. I think part of this was that the player ha...

I was pretty sure I had seen Borknagar support Cradle of Filth at the Astoria 2 in the ‘90s. It turns out that was Opeth and Extreme Noise Terror, so I don’t really remember how I got into them now. Whatever the reason was, I really got into their 2000 album Quintessence. At the time I didn’t really enjoy their previous album, The Archaic Course, much so with the exception of the occasional relisten to Quintessence, Borknagar went by the wayside for me.  That was until ICS Vortex got himself kicked out of Dimmu Borgir for allegedly poor performances, produced a really rather bland and unlistenable solo album called Storm Seeker, and then got back properly with Borknagar.  That’s when things got interesting. ICS Vortex has an incredible voice. When he joined Dimmu Borgir as bassist and second vocalist in time for Spiritual Black Dimensions, he brought a new dimension (pun intended) to an already amazing band. I’ve played Spiritual Black Dimensions to death since it came o...

At school I had this friend, Jamie, and he once said to me that he always preferred having a band’s live album to their studio album of the same songs. His example was Queen’s Live Magic. To me, then, this was madness. It didn’t have all the same songs as It’s a Kind of Magic and the production isn’t as good. Let’s face it, unless it’s Pink Floyd, the production of a live album is never as good as in the studio. I avoided live albums for years. Pink Floyd’s Pulse was the first live album I really got into and then there was nothing until the teenies when live albums from Emperor, Immortal, Arch Enemy, Dimmu Borgir and Blind Guardian got me completely hooked. The latest live album I’ve bought is ‘The Siege Of Mercia: Live At Bloodstock 2017’ by Winterfylleth . It’s amazing for a number of reasons. I was at Bloodstock, watching the band, when it was recorded. It’s a fantastic performance of of some brilliant songs. It’s got a, atmospheric, synth version of an old track at the end. ...

What: nor(DEV):biz Big Dinner with Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure When: 7th October, 2019 Where: Norwich City Football Club How much: £40.99 Book: https://nordevbiz-oct-2019.eventbrite.co.uk Join the best Norfolk and Norwich tech companies for dinner, while enjoying good food and great company. Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure A desire to innovate, with continual reinvestment creating bigger and bolder attractions – this is what our guest speakers have in mammoth (or should I say dinosaur!) proportions. Owners of award-winning, Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure in Lenwade, Martin and Adam Goymour will be sharing their aspirations to develop this thriving business both in Norfolk and further afield. Not ones to rest on their laurels, they’ve already rebranded and invested millions so they can appeal to a broader market. In 2018, they won the Best Large Visitor Attraction award in the Norfolk and Suffolk Tourism Awards. With more projects ‘in the pipeline’, their hard work and ent...

Breakfast: One for the bikers with Matt Leach of Geotekk When: Tuesday: September 3, 2019 - 7:30am to 8:30pm Where: The Maids Head Hotel, Tombland, Norwich, NR3 1LB How much: £13.95 RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/Norfolk-Developers-NorDev/events/qqwhznyzmbfb/ Matt will talk about Geotekk ’s product design and fund raising journey and how the company has developed through a belief that anything which serves to reduce stress and worry in everyday lives enables a happier life empowering us to “Live More”. Matt is co-founder of Geotekk, a company specialising in smart alarms for bikes. Founded in 2015 in response to ever-rising levels of bike theft, Matt and his co-founder James strive to provide customers with freedom and peace of mind by creating an affordable, versatile and best-in-class smart alarm. This alarm would combine and improve the most effective features of other security products into one multi-functional package.

When: 04/06/2019 07:30 - 08:30 Where: The Maids Head Hotel, Tombland, Norwich, Norwich Price: 13.95 GBP RSVP:   https://www.meetup.com/Norfolk-Developers-NorDev/events/qqwhznyzjbgb/ Technological Future – Utopia or Dystopia? A Norfolk Developers breakfast discussion with Callum Coombes and Fiona Lettice . Technological innovation allows organisations to do more with less. As well as improving innovation and productivity, new technologies will help us with some of the key challenges ahead – making better use of limited resources like energy and water, mitigating the effects of climate change on food and poverty, disease prevention, and improving healthcare for an ageing population. Technological innovation has generally been a powerful force for good, creating new jobs and improving salaries. But new technology also threatens jobs and whole industries, with devastating consequences in some communities and with the benefits unevenly distributed. So is the future u...

Breakfast with Norman Wilson: Size matters! Why size determines everything... When: Tuesday, 12th March @ 7.30am to 8.30am Where: The Maids Head Hotel, Tombland, Norwich, NR3 1LB How much: £13.95 RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/Norfolk-Developers-NorDev/events/qqwhznyzfbhb/ Size matters! Why size determines everything in your organisation. Norman Wilson An anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist, Dunbar's fame largely focuses around a single number, 150. The theory of Dunbar's Number posits that 150 is the number of individuals with whom any one person can maintain stable relationships.

Join us for the process sessions at nor(DEV):con 2019 on Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd of February in Norwich! Get your Early Bird tickets here before they finish on Friday! # Evolution from #NoProjects to Continuous Digital Allan Kelley Once upon a time there was IT, and IT departments had projects. Projects were always a bad fit for software development but somehow we made them work. As IT became Agile the damage caused by the project model became obvious and #NoProjects emerged to help teams go beyond projects. Today growth businesses are digital. Technology is the business and the business is technology. Projects end but do you want your business to end? Or do you want it to grow? Growing a digital business means growing software technology. In this presentation Allan Kelly will look at how #NoProjects came about, how it evolved into Continuous Digital and why it is the future of management. Miscellaneous Process Tips Jon Jagger This session will explore th...

Join us for the nor(DEV):con 2019 Business Sessions on Friday 22nd February! Get your Early Bird tickets here  before the price goes up after Friday! Running a business is hard John Gostling Running a business is hard….harder when you don’t have much experience of running a business! 6 years ago I joined Breakwater IT as a Systems Engineer, I quickly realised there was so much potential that had yet to be tapped into, and every day since then my focus has been on releasing this, creating a better company to work with, and to work for. It’s been a constantly evolving journey, 2 steps forward, one step back (sometimes two!), but things are finally starting to fall into place. This is a very open self-appraisal of the how we have transformed a loss making company into one that turns a profit and is currently growing at 20% year on year. Crack the motivation code! Cassandra Andrews Imagine if you knew precisely what motivated each member of your team, how motivated...