January 2020 Summaries

Darrien Rushing describes his efforts to develop a distributed, near-real-time "OSINT data reconnaissance" system using CockroachDB, NPoco, and .NET Core, highlighting the challenges and solutions in integrating these technologies. He explains his choice of CockroachDB for its distributed nature and NPoco as a micro-ORM to facilitate data transfer between the .NET Core API and the database. The tutorial covers setting up a .NET Core web API project, preparing the database with CockroachDB, and using NPoco for CRUD operations. Rushing offers insights into data type matching and the benefits of using NPoco, such as improved code readability and ease of data mapping. He shares his experiences with integrating these technologies and expresses an interest in exploring further applications, such as adapting the architecture for IoT hardware like Raspberry Pi.

Django's ORM is a key feature that simplifies database interactions, but managing scale and resilience can be challenging with traditional databases like Postgres, SQLite, and MySQL. To address these challenges, CockroachDB has introduced a backend for Django's ORM, combining the simplicity of Python with the advantages of a distributed SQL database. CockroachDB's features, such as automatic sharding, resilience, and high availability, enhance Django applications' scalability and reliability. Users can start using this integration by installing the appropriate version of django-cockroachdb and configuring their Django project settings to connect to CockroachDB, offering a robust solution for developers looking to maintain high-performance applications.

Cloud computing, while beneficial for productivity and cost efficiency, carries significant ethical implications that often go unnoticed due to the abstraction of its services. Rob Reid from LUSH Digital highlights the environmental, privacy, and human costs associated with cloud services, urging companies to scrutinize their cloud usage. Data centers contribute significantly to global carbon emissions, akin to the aviation industry, and the choice of cloud provider can impact environmental sustainability. Additionally, data privacy laws are complex, and companies must minimize stored customer data and understand their providers' transparency. The human cost involves the use of conflict minerals in data center infrastructure, which funds wars and leads to severe pollution, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in production pipelines. Reid advocates for informed action, stressing that while these issues may not be apparent in daily operations, they require attention and responsibility from those utilizing cloud services.

The blog post by Devonaire Ortiz discusses the challenges faced by tech startups in hiring due to limited resources, lack of brand recognition, and the need to innovate rapidly. At Cockroach Labs, Ortiz, alongside Chief People Officer Lindsay Grenawalt, embarked on developing a national university recruiting program to address these challenges, particularly focusing on diversity and inclusion. The program emphasizes long-term investments, data-driven strategies, and establishing connections with computer science faculties and students. It aims to increase employer awareness, develop diverse talent pools, and engage underrepresented groups by leveraging educational outreach in classrooms and workshops. The program also highlights the importance of internships, noting that former interns are more likely to accept full-time positions. By targeting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Cockroach Labs seeks to bridge gaps in diversity within the tech industry, using an education-first approach to inspire more students from varied backgrounds to pursue and complete computer science degrees. The initiative involves partnerships with universities, interactive sessions, and the creation of resources to maintain engagement beyond recruitment events. Performance metrics and feedback from students and instructors are used to evaluate the success of the program, aiming to improve and expand its reach each year while addressing systemic issues within the tech hiring landscape.