This is Part Two of Two. Care to go back to the beginning?
I noticed there was something different on Day Two of the Agile Testing Days USA conference immediately. Where was the giant inflatable unicorn??
In order for the unicorn to be returned, it was announced by the emcees, the ransom, donating money to the charity SavingLinnea.com. A few years back, the U.K. based software testing community MinistryOfTesting.com and other software testing groups started rallying around one of their own who has been trying to raise money to help treat his daughter, Linnea, who has an aggressive brain tumor.
With their talk, Get off the hamster wheel and start adding value, Alex Schladebeck & Huib Schoots explain how to recognize when you are in this state, and how to get out of it.
April 2017: The Build That Cried Broken: Building Trust in Your Continuous Integration Tests - Angie Jones
https://youtu.be/VotJqV4n8ig
When I saw this video last year, I reached out to Angie to see if, like a director coming out to answer questions after a movie has been screened, if she could do a quick Q & A session for our Meetup group. What was amazing is that she had agreed!
I loved the fact that, a year later, I had the opportunity to see the talk live!
Happy Testing!
-T.J. Maher
Sr. QA Engineer, Software Engineer in Test
Meetup Organizer, Ministry of Testing - Boston
Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn | Articles
Lean Coffee
More lean coffee today with @tjmaher1 @lisacrispin @mheusser #AgileTDUSA pic.twitter.com/4054BmE7wY— Alex Kell (@Wiggly) June 27, 2018
Unicorn Held For Ransom
I noticed there was something different on Day Two of the Agile Testing Days USA conference immediately. Where was the giant inflatable unicorn??
Oh no! The unicorn for #AgileTDUsa is being held for ransom for $100! #SavingLinnea pic.twitter.com/EkDK4V6bxi— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
In order for the unicorn to be returned, it was announced by the emcees, the ransom, donating money to the charity SavingLinnea.com. A few years back, the U.K. based software testing community MinistryOfTesting.com and other software testing groups started rallying around one of their own who has been trying to raise money to help treat his daughter, Linnea, who has an aggressive brain tumor.
Alex Schladebeck & Huib Schoots: Get off the hamster wheel and start adding value!
The Software Industry can be a toxic environment. Do more with less. Be dedicated to the company. Work nights and weekends to finish your work. You become like a hamster on a wheel, going faster and faster until you approach burnout.With their talk, Get off the hamster wheel and start adding value, Alex Schladebeck & Huib Schoots explain how to recognize when you are in this state, and how to get out of it.
#AgileTDUSA Day 2 kickoff: “Get off that Hamster Wheel and start adding value!” @huibschoots @alex_schl pic.twitter.com/WT7L3bpTFY— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
Talking about mental health: How do you know you are on a hamster wheel? What are the signs? @huibschoots @alex_schl #AgileTDUsa pic.twitter.com/oesMDNNO0w— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
What causes burnout? We overcommit. We pressure ourselves to say yes. We must learn all the things. We feel we need to respond to all the feedback. So we start burning out. @huibschoots @alex_schl #AgileTDUSA pic.twitter.com/m7BIOLIpcd— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
How can we get off the hamster wheel? Try not to overcommit. Take breaks. Reduce works in progress. Manage your attention and productivity. Have balance and downtime. Work out. Get sleep. Try to eat healthier. Get help. Value yourself. @huibschoots @alex_schl #AgileTDUsa pic.twitter.com/8bVR8t6aai— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
Visiting The Expo
#AgileTDUSA Expo: Stop by the @mablhq booth, one of the sponsors for @Mot_Boston, and see @itschou! pic.twitter.com/1nmMGYgjSp— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
#AgileTDUSA Expo: Have a #software development or #testing #qa talk you want to turn into a webinar? Come talk to Addie at @ApplitoolsEyes! Thinking of expanding my soft-skills “How Software Testers Can Collaborate With Developers”. Maybe for August 2018. pic.twitter.com/pKPFp50KOw— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
#AgileTDUSA Expo: Pick up an awesome #TestAllTheThings T-Shirt at the @SauceLabs booth, one of the sponsors of @Mot_Boston. https://t.co/Dl14p7lg0d pic.twitter.com/Z1Faok1Bky— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
#AgileTDUSA Expo: Come down to the @SmartBear booth, and talk about their contributions to the open source community, such as #Swagger for API testing. Thank you for always hosting the @Mot_Boston so many times these past twelve months! pic.twitter.com/Q9TDaZl37X— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
#AgileTDDUSA Expo: Chatting with @tapQA and @RecruitingGuy about possible joint webinars for @Mot_Boston dealing with #API testing. Definitely need to check out Kirk’s new TapTalk’s podcast. https://t.co/T6MiWcjCNT pic.twitter.com/cBeCVglHbC— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
Angie Jones: The Build That Cried Broken
Angie delivered at Agile Testing Days USA her amazing talk she gave the year before, at the Selenium Conference 2017 in Austin, Texas:April 2017: The Build That Cried Broken: Building Trust in Your Continuous Integration Tests - Angie Jones
https://youtu.be/VotJqV4n8ig
When I saw this video last year, I reached out to Angie to see if, like a director coming out to answer questions after a movie has been screened, if she could do a quick Q & A session for our Meetup group. What was amazing is that she had agreed!
I loved the fact that, a year later, I had the opportunity to see the talk live!
#AgileTDUSA Day 2: @techgirl1908 giving her talk, “The Build That Cried Broken”. Are developers treating your failing #automation #test suite like the boy who cried wolf? What happens if a #bug actually happens? Will it be ignored? #qa #software #testing pic.twitter.com/GDTMEeI2kI— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
#AgileTDUSA Day 2: Are you trying to automate too much at once? Trying to plan for the future but ignoring the tests that are always failing today? Don’t be like Aesop’s Astrologer, so focused on the stars that he does not see the hole right in front of him. @techgirl1908 pic.twitter.com/A17I95qI0g— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
Whew! I did 3 different talks in the last 24 hours 😳 Definitely ready for a nap— Angie Jones (@techgirl1908) June 27, 2018
Until Next Year!
Goodbye, #AgileTDUSA! This conference was such a wonderful experience, meeting people face-to-face who I only knew from Twitter and various webinars. I’m leaving early. Need to beat the Boston rush hour traffic home. Wife is due July 4th, and there is still so much to do!— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
TJ I don’t think we ever spoke personally but I did see you in the audience! So sorry I missed you. Thank you for everything you did for Agile Testing Days USA. It was a pleasure to have you here!— Alison Wade (@awadesqe) June 27, 2018
Is it sad that I did not recall your name, @Wiggly, or your face, but once I was back at my desk at home, and saw your Twitter avatar, I was like, "Oh!!!! I know him!!!"— T.J. Maher (@tjmaher1) June 27, 2018
I made so many new friends at #AgileTDUSA, & saw so many old friends. There is never enough time to talk to everyone & learn! Awesome sessions, games & open space! Thanks to all organizers & speakers! 💜🦄— lisacrispin (@lisacrispin) June 28, 2018
Happy Testing!
-T.J. Maher
Sr. QA Engineer, Software Engineer in Test
Meetup Organizer, Ministry of Testing - Boston
Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn | Articles
