The Burden of Knowledge

Your best software developers are not the ones you turn to for everything. Your best are constantly distributing knowledge, removing themselves from being a key-man dependency. Your best have delegated sufficiently that they have freed themselves up to learn new skills. 

It is a natural instinct for software developers to want to learn more, to consume all of the knowledge in their vicinity. Like a sponge growing heavier the more it soaks up, it feels good to become the owner of more knowledge. This applies to good software developers anyway; you can spot the bad developers a mile off as the ones who have closed their minds off and don't want to learn anything new. I know what I'd do with a sponge which refuses to soak up anything new.

"Find the most talented person in the room, and if it's not you, go stand next to him" Harold Ramis

Your Job Title Means Nothing To Me

Every time someone introduces themselves as a senior developer, senior designer, senior whatever, I cringe.

They are trying to impress people on how talented they are, how respected they are.

Badge of Honour

For some people, they wear their senior title as a badge of honour. They may have worked their way up through the ranks after having joined as a junior. Invariably in these environments they would have worked alongside a senior. Well, not really alongside; the junior would work under the senior. After all, that's what those titles are designed to achieve: a clear definition of the hierarchy.

IP Camera Leaks Your Camera Feed to Anyone - And Also Your Home Wireless Network's Password in Plain Text

Tenvis JPT3815W camera shows your video to anyone without a password. It also reveals the password for accessing your wireless network in plain text. 

These exploits are not related to my previous report where devices shipped with default empty passwords. These exploits exist even with a secure password set. The need for a password is completely bypassed.

Review of the Camera - HTC One M8

This review focuses on the camera of the HTC One M8

Preamble

As part of a competition run by Gizmodo UK, I have won 3 new smartphones. In exchange for keeping the phones I have agreed to write some unbiased reviews.

A version of this review can be read in an article on Gizmodo UK. This blog post is the full, unedited version.

"The HTC One M8 is a brilliant phone and has had a lot of work focussed on making the camera experience great"

Review of the Nokia Lumia 1320 - Focus on Apps

This review focuses on my the apps available for the Nokia Lumia 1320 Windows Phone. 

Preamble

As part of a competition run by Gizmodo UK, I have won 3 new smartphones. In exchange for keeping the phones I have agreed to write some unbiased reviews.

A version of this review can be read in an article on Gizmodo UK. This blog post is the full, unedited version.

"Nokia appears to be doing as much as Microsoft, if not more, in making Windows Phone an attractive and viable smartphone option"

Review of the Nokia Lumia 1320 - Adjusting to Windows Phone

This review focuses on my experience adapting to Windows Phone using the Nokia Lumia 1320.

Preamble

As part of a competition run by Gizmodo UK, I have won 3 new smartphones. In exchange for keeping the phones I have agreed to write some unbiased reviews.

A version of this review can be read in an article on Gizmodo UK. This blog post is the full, unedited version.

"If you're coming into the smartphone market for the first time, a Windows Phone makes a lot of sense."

Dress up to play with my new phone

Review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 - Samsung Extra Value Software

This review focuses on the Samsung software that is bundled on top of stock Android on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, a 4G phone with 3GB RAM and a whopping 5.7" full HD screen.

Preamble

As part of a competition run by Gizmodo UK, I have won 3 new smartphones. In exchange for keeping the phones I have agreed to write some unbiased reviews.

A version of this review can be read in an article on Gizmodo UK. This blog post is the full, unedited version.

"You might not realise from the rest of the review but I really love this phone."