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 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 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 …
Posted by Stuart Spence in Blog
If you love your stable diffusion art made with a vague prompt, consider checking out the artist instead.
I've made many thousands of SD images and I'm having a blast. I also love seeing what others have created. But I've only recently been able to put into words something that …
Posted by Stuart Spence in Blog
What's more important to you: climate science or social justice?
Canadian politics is better when all parties are strong. How can the Green Party of Canada (GPC) recover its legitimacy and relevancy? Here I describe a simple and likely controversial membership test. I can't think of any other way forward …
Posted by Stuart Spence in Blog
I often see these questions online:
"What are the differences between private and public sector IT?"
"What makes you stay in government IT?"
"Aren't government IT workers underpaid?"
This page is my list of the best things about public sector IT.
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are my own, and …
Posted by Stuart Spence in Blog
Most training videos are really bad. This is troublesome to me because I must constantly re-explain my philosophies and processes to colleagues or volunteers. This page aims to help.
Over the years I've made over a hundred training videos for public servants, high school and university students, workshops, and the …
Posted by Stuart Spence in Blog
Richard Stallman may be a legend in the world of software, but he also has decades of history promoting a toxic environment in software communities. Due to this, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) has been pressured to kick out Stallman from the board of directors, which they did, though he …
I'm open to IT leadership job opportunities. I'm also available as a consultant or to provide training.
