IT/Dev Connections 2016 Speaker Highlight: Barry Stahl

Part of an ongoing series, we're highlighting the excellent speakers we have handpicked to present phenomenal and extremely valuable content at the IT/Dev Connections conference. Want more? Get the Insider’s Scoop About IT/Dev Connections 2016 on September 8!

This speaker highlight is Barry Stahl.

Barry's IT/Dev Connection session:

Recently, we asked Barry to give us a little information about himself. Here's what he shared:

ITDC: Give us a brief introduction to you.

Barry: My name is Barry Stahl, I am a husband and father, a sports fan and conference junkie, a coder-for-fun, a coder-for profit and a coder-for-charity. I have been doing software development since the late 70s, starting as a hobbyist in middle school, making it my vocation after high school.  I truly enjoy the problem-solving aspects of software engineering, so much so that I built a presentation for kids called “I solve puzzles by making models” which I delivered to my son’s 6th grade class last year.

ITDC: Describe the sessions you are presenting and why you feel the topic is important.

Barry: This year I am introducing a methodology for solving certain problems that have more than one possible solution. This technique called Dynamic Programming (DP) is a mathematical process that builds up to the best answer to a problem using simple, repeatable sub processes and can guarantee the optimum solution in domains such as best-path and utilization.  Every developer, at some point or another during his or her career, will be faced with a problem with more than one possible solution. That developer will need to figure out, how can I get to a solution that is the best under the circumstances, or good enough for what is needed. Dynamic Programming is one tool for reaching these goals.

ITDC: What should attendees expect to be able to take away from your sessions?

Barry: After this session, attendees will be able to identify problems that are likely candidates for Dynamic Programming and will have gone through several examples of solving problems using this method so that each has the tools they need to implement a solution him or herself.  Attendees will also have access to the sample code used in the demos so they can review it or build on it at any time.

ITDC: What is your primary reason to be excited about IT/Dev Connections?

Barry: The opportunity to explore new and different technologies and techniques and discuss them with so many super-smart people is my idea of a great time. I have been to IT/Dev Connections several times before, both as a speaker and an attendee, and have loved it every time.  I am really looking forward to the event again this year. Please don’t hesitate to stop me in the hall and say “hello”. I’d love to talk tech with you.

ITDC: What is the one key technology you believe is changing the technology industry right now?

Barry: The biggest changes I see in application development over the next several years involve incorporating speech into the user experience.  Between the improvements made in natural language processing thanks to machine learning, the leaps made in voice recognition technologies, and the insights we can gain from having a responsive “personal assistant” on our smartphones, the user interfaces of our applications are going to change a lot, for the better, very soon. I look forward to the day that voice interaction is the primary interface to most of our key devices.  Except for writing code of course.  Everyone knows that code should be written with a keyboard and a holographic projection.

ITDC: Assuming attendees want to know, what’s your favorite, non-technical hobby or pastime? What’s one thing that totally irks you.

Barry: During baseball season, I can generally be found either at a baseball game (Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona State Sun Devils), or watching one on TV.  One of my favorite memories is being in the stands for game 7 of the 2001 World Series and watching as my team pulled-out an amazing come-from-behind victory in the 9th inning to become the World Champions. The off-season is primarily for hockey, but nearly any spectator sport will do. Family vacations are spent in one of our amazing national or state parks.  I love taking photos of the animals that freely roam these relatively undisturbed spaces and I do what I can to protect them and their habitat for future generations.  Many of my nature photos can be found at http://flickr.com/bsstahl, licensed Creative Commons so anyone can use them.

IT/Dev Connections runs from October 10 – October 13, at the ARIA Resort in Las Vegas. IT/Dev Connections has been designed specifically for IT, DevOps, and Developers. You can read all about what IT/Dev Connections offers you HERE.

And, there's still time to register!  Here's some important resources to check out:

Registration

Topic Tracks

Full Sessions Catalog

Pre-conference Workshops

Travel and Lodging Information

FAQ