“Why would anyone want to come to my talk?” - A public speaking story in 3 acts

This is a talk that aims to motivate people to share their knowledge, but also to recognize the significance of mental health and personal growth in their lives.

In this session I share my journey from being a young student afraid of speaking in public, to speaking at international events for the better part of 10 years, to being an experienced presenter who is once again feeling uneasy about speaking in public and is fighting against social anxiety and the impostor syndrome in a post-COVID world.

In this talk, I go over some of the thoughts people have when presented with the idea of speaking at a conference, such as “Who even am I?” “I don’t know anything worth sharing”, “Yeah, but surely everyone knows that” or “People would leave the room”. I will provide details of the fears I have identified myself, the ones people have shared with me, and some tips to help overcome them. By the end of my session attendees will be able to answer the question “Why would anyone want to come to my talk?” by themselves.

This session had an overwhelmingly good reception at DevOpsDays Caceres 2023 hihgligting the importance of these kind of topics being brought up, and in particular, how one can embrace their failures and grow from those experiences.

Home Labbing for fun!... and profit (?)

In this talk, we will explore the concept of home labs as a powerful tool for learning and skill development. Home labs provide an environment where developers can experiment, test, and gain hands-on experience with various Cloud technologies and concepts. We will delve into the benefits of _home labbing_, including the ability to create realistic production-like setups, simulate complex scenarios, and explore emerging technologies (such as AI), all at your own pace and without the need for a credit card.

Furthermore, this talk will share the personal journey of transitioning from a developer role to working for a Cloud Services Provider. We will discuss the challenges, opportunities, and valuable lessons learned along the way. The speaker will provide insights into how _home labbing_ played a pivotal role in acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge for a successful transition to the Cloud services industry.

Attendees will gain practical tips and advice on setting up their own home labs, selecting the right technologies and tools, empower their setups by using Cloud services and leveraging their environment to enhance their learning journey.

Whether you are a developer looking to expand your skill set or aspiring to make a _jump to the Cloud_, this talk will provide valuable insights and inspiration for leveraging the hardware you might have lying around as a tool for personal growth and career advancement.

The journey of a GPS coordinate: From a hardware device to a marker on your screen

Join me on an expedition into the realm of the Global Positioning Systems (GPS); we will explore the intricate process that translates data received from GPS satellites into a coordinate marked on a map: from the hardware device, to a satellite and back.

This session aims to demystify and simplify the key concepts of the “GPS chips“, the hundreds of “GPS satellites” floating around us, their history, how they communicate, and the process of getting a coordinate to show up on a map.

Whether you're keen on app development, hardware devices, cloud computing, or maps, this talk will provide a holistic understanding of how these pieces interconnect and function cohesively in our everyday lives.

Everything is an input device!... If you try hard enough

Human Interface Devices (HIDs) are the bridge between humans and technology, they are what allow us to give instructions to a machine and create something from nothing. Keyboards, mice, touchscreens, and joysticks are just the tip of the iceberg, how about a magic carpet or a pedal? Or how about a potato? Heck, even the iceberg can be an HID device!

In this talk, we'll demystify the world of Human Interface Devices, their laws, and their creation process from a software and hardware perspective, offering a comprehensive understanding of how these crucial devices are designed and built, and how they can be used to improve the lives of important segments of the world population..

We will explore the intricate craftsmanship behind HIDs, from the ergonomic considerations that enhance user experience to the technical complexities that make them function seamlessly. During this talk, you will find out that everything (within reason) can be an input device, and the only thing between you and your very own way of interacting with machines is a few affordable components, a couple of lines of code, and a creative mind.

However, this talk goes beyond the mechanics of HID design. It's an invitation for software developers to embrace the concept of accessibility. As we navigate the landscape of HID devices, we'll highlight the role these devices play in ensuring technology is inclusive for all users.

By the end of this talk, you'll have learned a bit more about HID devices, and how accessible microcontrollers are nowadays, and ideally, you’ll have gained a new perspective when thinking about accessibility within your software projects.

AI is doable

Are you tired of feeling intimidated by AI? Do you feel like you need to be an expert in Machine Learning to leverage its power? Fear not! In this talk I’ll demystify AI for the rest of us, the “regular” developers, proving that you don't need to be a specialist to make AI work for you. We will take the practical approach and leave most of the theory aside for a while, and focus on making things happen without needing a Ph.D.

We will learn about and try out some of the many open source tools and models that experts and enthusiasts who believe in collaboration and sharing have put at our disposal.

By the end of this session, you have a clearer understanding of the basic tools you’ll need to harness the potential of AI by smashing them together with your development skills, taking your software to the next level. You'll be able to confidently say, "AI is doable!"