Culture Calendar 2024: Tech Geek

Welcome to the extended version of my Culture Calendar 2024. For the interested, you’ll find links to further information about the geeky goodness showcased on the board at work.

Tier list

If you’re interested in the tier list concept, you can find more details about its origin and use in modern culture. I expect this to be widely adopted in the department now, and for good measure we should probably store all the data for analysis later.

Home automation

Home automation is one of my favourite things, and with the widespread adoption of something called the Matter standard, getting devices to operate together no matter whether you use iPhone or Android or something else has never been easier.

For the very geeky, you might want to read about the Thread network protocol, which is helping to make home automation and the “Internet of Things” ever more reliable.

Computer programming

Programming, or coding for those who want it to sound “cool” is my main area of interest. There are so many resources for helping people get to grips with all forms of coding, and these are some of the best.

Hacking With Swift – widely regarded as the best resource for people who want to learn to code with the Swift language. Swift is my current favourite language. It is considered to be a fast, modern, and safe language – plus it has enums with associated values, so what’s not to like!

SQL Server Central – this is a good online community for those interested in all aspects of SQL Server, but if you want to focus on coding with T-SQL, this will really help raise your game.

Godot – Godot is a free open-source game engine for creating 2D and 3D games, and it features an easy to learn scripting language called GDScript. It has excellent docs and walkthroughs to get you started. One of my current projects involves creating a game in Godot!

There are so many other resources available, both free and paid, that you’ll always be able to find something to help you. If you want any help with getting started with coding, feel free to ask me!

Mechanical keyboards

Earlier this year I started to become interested in mechanical keyboards. I thought I was quite geeky and then I learned about people that love their keyboards! I bought a mechanical keyboard after much research, and I love its feel compared to the spongey keyboards we usually use. Mechanical keyboards are often noisier than other keyboards, but they feel much nicer to type on. My keyboard can connect to both my work and personal laptops, so I use it a lot – plus it has LED backlights that illuminate with every keypress. Unnecessary but fun!