SeaGL speaker Q&A: John (Genehack) Anderson

John (Genehack) is giving two talks; “Logs Are Magic: Why Git Workflows and Commit Structure Should Matter To You “ on Friday afternoon and “A static site generator should be your next language learning project” on Saturday afternoon.

Q: Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background?

A: Hi, I’m John aka Genehack most places online. Currently, I work for a custom software development and technology consulting shop, but I used to be a molecular biologist and bioinformatician (which is how I acquired the handle).

Q: Without tipping your hand on the actual talk, can you give us an idea of what we might expect?

A: I’m doing two talks: one of them is about creating better revision control history while developing software, and ways to better use that history once it exists. It’s kinda Git-centric but most of the stuff applies to any revision control system. It’s part theory, part tips and tricks, and a big chunk of semi-opinionated ranting. It’s a fun talk.

The second one is about this idea I’ve had for a while, that a static site generation system is an ideal learning project. I’m still pulling this one together (read: I haven’t actually written it yet…) but it’s going to be a quick romp through what a static site generation system is, and what you need to do to put one together. I expect it will also be a rockin’ good time.

Q: Is this your first visit to SeaGL? If so, what are your expectations? If not, can you give us your impressions of the event?

A: This will be my second SeaGL. Last year I was taken with, well pretty much everything: the great content in the tracks, the good sized crowds, and the wonderful venue. 8^)

Q: What is the one superpower you wish you had?

A: I wish I had the superpower of coming up with a good question for myself when somebody tells me to make up my own question and answer it at the end of an interview. ;^)