Tech talks to watch
Last week I worked with a group of engineers who asked me to recommend some tech talks that I thought were particularly good. Surprisingly, no one has asked me that before! Here’s what I came up with:
For an example of a good conference talk from someone I’ve worked with personally, I selected A. Jesse Jiryu Davis’ “API Evolution the Right Way” at PyCon 2019. Things I like about this:
He uses an interesting metaphor to give this technical talk structure.
The graphics support the talk but are not distracting. The code is displayed economically which makes it digestible for the viewer.
His pace is excellent: he’s understandable but keeps the talk moving forward. Jesse has a low-key style that sounds very knowledgeable; a good example of how you don't have bombastic to make a convincing case for something.
There's a great recap at the end with info about how to dig deeper into the topic.
He also uses one of my favorite exit strategies: taking no questions from the stage! “Come find me later” is an invitation to engage with people who are sincerely interested and don't just want to make comments in front of an audience.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/dqDnB6jKzcE?t=75
For an example of how to do an engaging live demo, I recommend Liz Rice's "Building a container from scratch in Go." Things I like about this:
She starts with audience engagement which both energizes the room and level-sets the group she’s speaking to.
She has a high-energy delivery style with lots of personality.
Bonus points that you can find several iterations of this talk on YouTube which she did at multiple conferences. Among other things, you can see how she adjusted her audience engagement at the start.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/Utf-A4rODH8
For something that's produced in a more slick way, I chose Kevin Slavin's "How Algorithms Shape our World."
TED talks generally focus on explaining the effects of (or potential for) technology to non-tech audiences. This one is pre-pandemic, but most TED talks for the past two years are from people’s homes so you can see how speakers are adapting to the present-from-home paradigm shift.
Watch here: https://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_slavin_how_algorithms_shape_our_world
There’s a lot out there. What are some of your favorites?