Computer scientist and educator. Creator of ChessCraft. Senior computer scientist at Environment Canada.
Posted by Stuart Spence in Blog
Every so often someone asks me what I thought about the master's program in education technology (instructional design) at Concordia University in Montreal. If that's you, you've come to the right place.
Overall I'm happy I enrolled. However the master's was just an outlet for my own self-drive and did …
Posted by Stuart Spence in ChessCraft
I've often liked year-end reviews like from quanta magazine. So here's another short one for ChessCraft like last year.
It has now been 6 years and 2 days since my first git version of ChessCraft. Remarkably, the rate of installs per month is still increasing. We're now …
Posted by Stuart Spence in Blog
Today I'm excited to say I'm moving to a new team! They build AI prototypes in the cloud for Environment Canada (ECCC). On paper this is like a dream job! On this page I'll go over key details, the job description, and highlights.
Posted by Stuart Spence in Blog
When I help with government hiring I often give the same suggestions to hiring teams. So I wrote this page as a starting point. I focus on IT hiring but this also applies generally. If these points resonate with you, I'd love to help you with your hiring.
Important note …
Posted by Stuart Spence in ChessCraft
After years of strange problems and bad performance with MongoDB, this week I successfully migrated chesscraft.ca to PostgreSQL. This took lots of preparations, went smoothly, and is performing great, so I thought I'd write about it. Writing here is cathartic. Also, others might find it useful.
Look what …
Posted by Stuart Spence in ChessCraft
I've just released version 1.15 on Google Play and Steam. It should be available very soon on Steam, and a few days from now on Google Play.
What's new in 1.15:
Posted by Stuart Spence in ChessCraft
I've just released version 1.14.0 on Google Play and Steam. It should be available very soon on Steam, and a few days from now on Google Play.
What's new in 1.14:
Posted by Stuart Spence in ChessCraft
I've often liked year-end reviews like from quanta magazine or Wendover. So why not do a short one for ChessCraft?
It has now been 5 years and 1 day since my first git version of ChessCraft. Remarkably, installs per month are still steadily going up, even though …
Posted by Stuart Spence in Blog
The free ChatGPT AI gave excellent or perfect answers to all my real ECCC interview questions: code writing and soft skills.
This post is written for public servants that need to know about the latest AI tool called ChatGPT. We should all understand what kind of text and interview answers …
Posted by Stuart Spence in Blog
The views expressed here are my own, and do not express the views of my employer or my union.
Here's my experience attending my union's annual general meeting. I felt some empowerment but mostly outrage and boredom.
Clearly my union is sclerotic and archaic. We gathered to vote and share …
I'm open to IT leadership job opportunities. I'm also available as a consultant or to provide training.
