DEV Community: Mx Kassian Wren

Valhalla Content Hub Revealed!

Mx Kassian Wren — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 18:10:55 +0000

Gatsby is dealing out update after update this week and I'd like to point to Valhalla Content Hub. We're hosting a webinar tomorrow, and if you're at all interested in modernizing the data layer for your (Astro, Next, Gatsby, etc.) site, you should check it out.

My First Month at Gatsby

Mx Kassian Wren — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 13:53:20 +0000

I’ve been at Gatsby for a little over a month now, and I want to talk about what I’ve seen and participated in, culturally and from an inter-personal view.

But let me give a little context: I left my last job as a leap of faith in myself, in my career, and in Gatsby. I’m forever grateful to be fortunate enough that if it didn’t work out, I could probably get back on my feet pretty easily. I’m chronically ill, autistic, and agender, all of which may and probably have worked against me in my career. But overall I’ve carved out a very decent existence for myself from a career and financial safety perspective. I’m saying this to say that I know my situation isn’t universal, nor should it be perceived without discussing the privileges I enjoy.

I did my research before applying to Gatsby– I understood and acknowledged past public events and some public perceptions before going in. If you’re any kind of different in tech, you learn early that you’re (some would say unfairly) considered just as responsible for learning about and interviewing the company you’d be joining as they are about you.

I applied to Gatsby thinking I wouldn’t get past the resume phase. It was a lead position and I had never held a lead title before– I’d been the “in-practice” leader for many projects and teams, but I hadn’t been able to make the leap to being the “on-paper” leader, too.

When I got in touch with the recruiter, she was very helpful in outlining the basic scope of the position. She also got in touch with me many times throughout the process; notified me of any delays, sent me the benefits. I thought it was a long shot, but we both decided to move forward.

I met many members of the team during the interview process; all very excited to talk to me. What ensued was a series of short interviews followed by long discussions about everything from my views on Javascript language features to how I think about working with product teams. It was enjoyable, and everyone I met had a very strong “we’re a team here” vibe without somehow straying into the uncomfortable “we’re a family here”.

I did a paid presentation about an idea I’d implement. I was put into a Slack channel with my interviewers so far and a few more folks, and highly encouraged to ask questions and collaborate with them as much as I needed to. It made the project much less intimidating– I could get context and information right from the sources. I found myself working right up until the time limit I set for myself, excited to add an idea here, tweak the wording there. It was then I knew that I wanted this job.

Luckily for me, I received an offer shortly after, and joined the team in July.

I took this job because it was going to challenge me– but my first few days made it clear that my teammates, my manager, or any team member was there to help with things I couldn’t handle myself. I was in meetings with what felt like everyone, but was probably closer to half of Gatsby, in my first two weeks. However, my meeting schedule never felt cramped or overwhelming, and I had plenty of focus time, even in my first week.

It was then I learned about the value “collaborate by default.” No one had said it out loud, but they had lived up to it already. Everyone I’ve worked with at Gatsby makes an effort to seek help and feedback, and create a culture in which that is not only accepted, but actively encouraged.

Gatsby is remote-first; I unfortunately haven’t been able to meet any of my colleagues in person, for obvious reasons. But so far I’ve noticed a lot of work goes into that aspect; in my on-boarding, I was taught how to delay the sending of messages for folks in farther time zones, how to see what time it was for who I was talking to, and how to set up muted notifications outside of my work times– and many other techniques Gatsby uses to collaborate across time zones. Everyone who’s messaged me has been actively cognizant of my local time and I haven’t had any messages outside work hours, aside from the occasional bot.

I’ve worked remotely for many years, and it is refreshing to see this kind of work put into the hard parts of remote work: the tools and methods we use to collaborate are tuned to allow anyone from Gatsby in any time zone to contribute feedback and information. It’s been a breeze working with Paul in the UK, and I can’t say that about previous places I’ve worked at that are globally remote.

There is also an embedded culture of respect for your teammates. When you’re sick, you take time off– there’s no implied asterisk saying “well you know not mental health”, or any other exceptions. Others respect your need for time off, and no one has asked me any probing questions about the time I’ve taken off for appointments, etc.

That respect extends to pronouns; I noticed at the end of my third week that I had not had the experience of someone not using “they/them”, and as I mentioned before, my first few weeks were a whirlwind of introductions and 1-on-1s. I tweeted about it shortly after my realization:

I noticed a thing today that seems small but is just bogusly big to me: every single person at work has respected and used my pronouns correctly. It's been three weeks and I've talked to so many people and EVERY TIME they had it right.
— Kassian Wren (@nodebotanist) August 4, 2022

I’m also very excited about the work I have been and will be doing; creating content via blog posts, live streams, and videos, getting to plan out campaigns for upcoming features and launches (I am so excited to show you what’s coming). I’m also knee-deep in Gatsby pull requests as I make changes to the docs and code that will hopefully add to developer success with Gatsby. I’m really glad to be working with this team to face the challenges Gatsby faces, and celebrate the wins.

But we should all remember that great work comes from people who are in a good environment, as told by the great CJ Silverio:

Code is never the challenge. Well-rested comfortable people who feel emotionally safe have solved every problem I’ve put in front of them.
— Ceej "oh no not again" Silverio (@ceejbot) August 5, 2016

Overall, the culture at Gatsby has been good to me. They respect my working hours and pronouns, they work hard at remote work, and their spirit of passion and collaboration means that I can focus on the challenges ahead without needing to worry about how I’m going to interact with my team. I recognize that it’s only been a month. But I also recognize that this team, right now, is a good place for me to be.

Jumpstart by Zoom

Mx Kassian Wren — Tue, 31 May 2022 19:34:24 +0000

Do you need to implement video into a web application but don’t know where to start? Want to start with Zoom Video SDK but you’re short on time and budget? Jumpstart is here for you!

Jumpstart is a new tool from the Zoom Developer Tools team that allows you to customize and download a Zoom Video SDK application that will give you a starting point and a foothold into creating your own Zoom Video SDK applications. To learn more check out our introduction video.

For this tutorial, we will be using a defined use case: a developer needs to add meeting functionality to a website for customer assistance purposes.

How to Use Jumpstart

First, you’ll go to the Jumpstart tool and click ‘Build App’. This will take you to the app customization and download screen:

Configuration

The first form is the configuration form, which you’ll use to establish your app name and description. As you edit these, you can see a live preview of what the downloaded app will look like. For our use case, the user would enter their company name and a short description of the customer support uses.

Features

The arrow buttons on the top right of the configuration column will take you to the next and previous steps, but you can also click the names in the left column to navigate directly.

Next, select available features – you can customize the look of your new app and the functionality. For our use case, we’ll leave the settings on default.

Branding

Next up is branding. Here is where you can change the images, the button and upper menu color, and add links to the upper menu. We’ll change the color to match the company in question and images from their design team for our use case.

Platforms

The next item is platforms. You can only select ‘Web’ for the beta, but as we grow this tool, the other selections will become available.

Downloading the Code

The final step for the web interface is to download the Jumpstart code base. Once you click, it can take several seconds for the download to initiate.

Running the Code

Once you have downloaded the code archive, unzip it and navigate to the created folder in your terminal. Open up the README.md for specific launch instructions. You’ll need your Video SDK credentials in this step.

Deploying Your Code

We have written tutorials for deploying your jumpstart app on Vercel and Netlify in the Jumpstart Documentation.

If you’re looking to make Zoom Video SDK applications, Jumpstart might be the best place to start! If you’re interested in learning even more in a hands-on setting, we have a webinar on June 7 at 10 am PT / 1 pm ET that you can register for here.

Thanks for reading!

Burnout, Covid, and the Need for a New Organizational System

Mx Kassian Wren — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 16:55:39 +0000

Post 1: The Crash

So it's March 2020

I'm just back from a trip to Tokyo as this Covid-19 thing is starting to get serious. I'm told to quarantine at home for two weeks. I wouldn't step foot into the office again except in November to pick up the stuff that had been on my desk.

I'm worried for the future, and the pandemic has put me in survival mode. My goals and ambitions start to fall away as my main goal becomes "get through this day I'm in right now" as opposed to "make a move each day that will better the future."

2020-2022: Complete Burnout

I experienced complete and total burnout in the months to come. I stopped making anything, both tech and crafting. I spent my time slogging through work or trying to sleep. It wasn't a good time for anyone, and I fell especially far into this pit.

How I burned out

I actually think a number of factors attributed to my burnout-- obviously the pandemic and the subsequent upheaval of my and everyone's daily life was a factor. Going from constantly on the road to always being home, and my partner transitioning to work-from-home, was a jump that took some getting used to. Luckily we moved into a bigger home in November 2020 which gave us both some personal space, a much needed change.

I also think I was burning the candle at both ends a little bit-- I was away more than home in 2019; despite my wedding being that same year, and the wedding took a lot out of me as I had to do most of the planning away from home. Being on the road constantly (I took a trip for the entire month of June 2019, for example) was taking more of a toll on me than I cared to admit.

I actually had a mild breakdown in September 2019 that may have marked the real start of my burnout. I ended up in a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) for two weeks. The day after I left the program, I was on a plane to Europe. That should've been a sign.

Please note that my work at the time was very helpful and nice and it was only me pushing myself-- I take full responsibility for the actions that led to my burnout. I'm learning how to say no more and not have so many projects rotating at once now.

My organization system

To call it a system is a bit of a reach here-- it was a very simple setup.

In the evening, I'd look at the day's tasks; anything I hadn't completed was moved to the next day, and I would scan the day's notes for new tasks to add. I'd put my schedule in for the entire week on Sunday (I do Monday week start). I don't have goals written down anymore to pull tasks from, and all my tasks come from the notes of the day.

The ups

This is a very good organization system for someone entirely in survival mode
I got enough done using this system that my loving husbeast and my work didn't get mad at me.
The system kept me feeling safe in knowing that I was at least adulting enough that everything wouldn't fall apart.

The downs

I didn't have a mechanism for due dates, projects, or anything really.
This system left me in the dark when it came to context (why am I doing this again?)
I had no goals or reviews set up to see my progress over time

So now it's February 2022

I'm leaving the burnout in stages, I'm willing to create things again. I feel like I have a lot left to do on my skills attainment and learning. And I find my current organization system woefully under-equipped for the task.

I need a new organization system

I need something that will:

Let me track projects and goals, and progress towards them
Help me manage repeating tasks
Track my habits
Let me use existing tools (Obsidian)
Not take up my whole day with upkeep

Let's go on a journey

I intend to make this a blog post series as I explore new systems and start to implement them in my daily life.

If you have systems you think I should try, encouragement, or you found a typo, feel free to let me know on Twitter @Nodebotanist

Implementing Edge Experiments at OpenDoor

Mx Kassian Wren — Fri, 22 May 2020 20:41:41 +0000

https://medium.com/@josiahbgrace/serverless-landing-page-optimization-implementing-edge-experiments-at-opendoor-aee9bcd48079

MQTT at Scale

Mx Kassian Wren — Thu, 21 May 2020 21:00:06 +0000

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cloudflare-spectrum-qubitro-mqtt-proxy-scale-beray-bentesen/

Hacktoberfest Plans

Mx Kassian Wren — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 08:24:34 +0000

Happy Hacktoberfest!

I am happy to be participating this year, and I thought it'd be fun to share my plans:

Moddable — I am working to create a way to send an I2C timeout option for the I2C initialization function, the PR is open and in progress: https://github.com/Moddable-OpenSource/moddable/pull/271
RaverLights — I am working on documenting @nebrius' side project, RaverLights: https://github.com/nebrius/raver-lights
Keyboard featherwing — @Arturo128 was nice enough to send me a board so that I can add documentation: https://github.com/nodebotanist/keyboard_featherwing_sw

This is my scope for now and I can definitely commit to at least 4 PRs.

A Really Cool GraphQL and Cloudflare Workers Tutorial

Mx Kassian Wren — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 19:42:34 +0000

https://blog.cloudflare.com/building-a-graphql-server-on-the-edge-with-cloudflare-workers/

My co-worker Kristian wrote it, and it uses Pokémon to teach you, so I mean that's pretty cool.

The Serverlist-- A Serverless Newsletter

Mx Kassian Wren — Fri, 24 May 2019 18:18:27 +0000

The Serverlist

This newsletter has been around for a few months already, and covers news from all over the Serverless Ecosystem. The June issue just came out; it includes info on WebAssembly, an Azure functions tutorial, and info about upcoming Serverless events.

Read more and subscribe here: https://blog.cloudflare.com/the-serverlist-newsletter-5/