Deep learning promises to deliver a true revolution in how we tackle complex problems. But to most people, deep learning seems like some arcane dark science. However, it is one of the key planks that enabled voice assistants, such as Alexa, to get so … Read more
Toby Moncaster
I am an experienced freelance writer. I specialise in making complex topics accessible to wider audiences. My interests include TCP/IP, data protection and AI. I currently work with B2B startups across the world. I hold 5 patents, edited 3 RFCs and received a PhD in computer science from the University of Cambridge.
Using Machine Learning to diagnose COVID-19
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the associated COVID-19 disease have totally dominated our lives this year. The virus has brought death and hardship on a truly biblical scale. The fight against the virus has sparked a huge research effort. In the run … Read more
Multi-armed bandits – a better way to A/B test?
A/B testing is a well-known approach for determining which of several options will work best for your users. However, it also has some well-known issues. In this talk at Codemotion Amsterdam 2019, Claudia Vicol (head of Platform Infrastructure Data … Read more
Machine learning as a service – serving reusable ML models
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are huge topics at the moment. So, when I saw the title of this talk at Codemotion Amsterdam 2019 I was intrigued. The talk was given by three developers from ING, who build components for the rest of the … Read more
How to scale your DevOps from 100 servers to 1,000+
Codemotion Amsterdam 2019 had a huge variety of talks across more than a dozen tracks. One of the ones that stood out for me was this talk on DevOps, given by Pat Hermens of Coolblue. Coolblue is one of the biggest online retailers in the … Read more
Config management and cost optimisation for serverless computing
Serverless computing is growing in popularity. In a serverless setup, you no longer run your own virtual servers. Instead, you compose your application using services such as databases and compute. The result is a more streamlined and reactive … Read more
Scaling is Caring: scalable pipelines for machine learning in healthcare
Artificial intelligence is a true game-changer in many fields. But in healthcare, it promises to actually save and transform lives. Pacmed is a Dutch startup specialising in applying AI to healthcare, focusing on intensive care units. In his talk at … Read more
Concerning Modules – how the lost wisdom of the ‘70s helps us today
Douglas Crockford describes himself as the Godfather of JavaScript. When I saw he was giving the main keynote at Codemotion Amsterdam, I knew we were in for an interesting talk, and I wasn’t disappointed. Rather than talk about JavaScript, Douglas … Read more
Ready, Steady, Crash! One engineer’s journey into the world of load testing
“We are sorry. Our servers are under heavy load at present. Please try again in a few minutes.” We have all seen messages like this when a service is struggling to cope with the load. But how can you test how well your website will cope under load? … Read more
How to comply with GDPR in a serverless world
Two of the biggest buzzwords of 2018 are Serverless and GDPR. So, when I saw a talk titled “How to go serverless and not violate the GDPR”, I was hooked! There are good reasons why everyone is talking about Serverless and GDPR. Serverless technology … Read more
How to stay human in the era of artificial intelligence
Codemotion Amsterdam had some impressive keynotes. One of the more intriguing was titled “Artificial intelligence and human identity”. The talk was given by Jarno Duursma, an author and TEDx speaker specialising in the human impact of modern … Read more
The what, why and how of Javascript functional programming
As programming geeks know, “classical” programming languages, like C/C++ and Java, are Imperative. This means you tell the computer how to do something and it does it. By contrast, functional languages are Declarative – you tell the computer the … Read more
Se7en deadly sins of web security
Web security is a topic that just won’t go away. Every day we hear the latest revelations – look at the latest scandal with Marriott admitting over 500 million customer records have been stolen using a breach that had been active since 2014! Dave … Read more