Episode 448 | Nicholas Chase - Expanding What People Think They Can Do

Guest:

Nicholas Chase

@nickchase

Nick Chase talks with Dave Rael about reading, writing, learning, machine learning, tackling huge tasks, and sharing knowledge

Nick Chase is a developer, author, and professional Explainer-of-Things. He is the author of Machine Learning for Mere Mortals, as well as other technical books and a few hundred tutorials. He is also Head of Technical Content for the cloud computing company Mirantis, and has participated in multiple open source projects, including Kubernetes and OpenStack. A former technical and pop culture journalist and publisher, he and his wife, who is also his partner, work out of a chicken, goat, and koi farm in the wilds of Ohio.

Chapters: 1:17 - Dave introduces the show and Nicholas Chase3:51 - Nick's position at Mirantis7:34 - Nick's relationship with writing10:16 - Having interest and ability in both technical matters and communication15:34 - Comparisons of creating stories and creating software18:42 - Nick on machine learning25:46 - How Nick and Manning have delivered Machine Learning for Mere Mortals27:36 - Taking on Herculean tasks30:20 - Nick's story of failure - pushing the team to implement something that shouldn't have been done35:34 - The possibilities and perils of machine learning39:55 - Nick's book recommendations45:48 - Nick's top 3 tips for delivering more value48:30 - Keeping up with Nick

Resources: Machine Learning for Mere Mortals Nick's Live Q&A with the author of Machine Learning for Mere Mortals Tech For Mere Mortals Mirantis The Mirantis Blog Scifi Imaginarium Applevision - (1978) - Apple II - DEMO HD Genesis 1 Second Life Felienne on Developer On Fire Linear Regression Active Server Pages 3.0 From Scratch - Nicholas Chase Python for Mere Mortals (Technology for Mere Mortals) - Nick Chase Jurassic Park: A Novel - Michael Crichton

Nicholas's book recommendation: Continuous Delivery: Reliable Software Releases through Build, Test, and Deployment Automation (Addison-Wesley Signature Series (Fowler)) - Jez Humble How to Write a Movie in 21 Days: The Inner Movie Method - Viki King Neuromancer - William Gibson Earth: A Novel - David Brin

Nicholas's top 3 tips for delivering more value: Do not be afraid to admit you don't understand something Figure out what works for you At least once per year, do something that scares you