One to listen to: “CodeNewbie Podcast Episode 116 – Diversity in Tech – Part I (Ashe Dryden)”

Today’s recommended podcast listening is from the CodeNewbie podcast, and this episode is about trying to level the playing field for any minority group looking to get into technology. It also discusses how focusing on the “next generation” of [Required Group Of People] is the wrong way to do it, and just pushes back the problem by 10+ years (until *they* get out of school and find there are no jobs for them either!)

The subject of the interview is Ashe Dryden, a woman who, among other things is a diversity consultant and organiser of AlterConf, a conference about Diversity.

As a conference organiser in tech, I’m keen to keep a close eye on how to do things better, and this interview really opened my eyes into how you *can* do better at organising conferences, and I’ll be taking as much of what I can from this interview to do my next conference better.

One to listen to: “Software Engineering Radio Episode 275: Josh Doody on Salary Negotiation for Software Engineers”

Today we have a podcast about negotiating salary from the IEEE Software Engineering Magazine. The episode is “Software Engineering Radio Episode 275: Josh Doody on Salary Negotiation for Software Engineers” and mentions that you don’t need to offer your current salary to prospective employers, nor do you need to tell them what salary you want – let them offer you a figure, which gives you the power to negotiate.

Clearly, these are some things I should have learned from when I was applying for my earlier jobs! If you’re looking for a new job, or just looking to maximise your next pay rise, take a listen to this show!

One to listen to: “Magic: The Gathering – Drive to Work Podcast #375 – 20 Lessons: Details Matter”

In something of a new concept for me, if I come across a link to a podcast episode that I think has useful content, I’ll link to it here.

In this case, this is the “Magic: The Gathering – Drive to Work podcast“, episode 375 (audio link).

Mark Rosewater, one of the designers of the popular game, explains a little something about the game, whether it’s the design of a card, or a set, or a mechanic, or …. well, any feature of the game really, and he does it twice a week, in the car, on his way to (or from) work.

In this episode, he details about why “Details Matter”, and basically it comes down to a sense of ownership that each little detail on a tiny piece of card, and how that can connect with a player and encourage them to keep playing.

Even if you don’t play Magic, this podcast (like many that I listen to) covers a facet of life that is generally under considered, and in this case, it has turned up something new to include in each design I bring forward from here on out.