Prairie Portrait: Neil Roberts of BitMethod

Silicon Prairie News: A couple weeks since BitMethod announced its shift in focus to developing Change, what’s your take on devoting most of your time to the product rather than to consulting or client work? | Neil Roberts: Our work always begins with creating beautiful wireframes, mockups and interaction documents we’re very proud of, that…

Name: Neil Roberts

Bio: A software craftsman specializing in making web services and apps talk to each other. Driven by the love of being able to create great experiences with just a keyboard and mouse.

Title: Senior Software Engineer at BitMethod

Age: 29

Residence: Des Moines, Iowa

Website: bitmethod.com

Twitter: @pottedmeat

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/neilcolynroberts

Intro music: Genesis” by Justice

Silicon Prairie News: A couple weeks since BitMethod announced its shift in focus to developing Change, what’s your take on devoting most of your time to the product rather than to consulting or client work?

Neil Roberts: Our work always begins with creating beautiful wireframes, mockups and interaction documents we’re very proud of, that we intend to keep producing for ourselves and our clients. However, client development has often been a source of stress as we find ourselves straying from the initial vision due to factors out of our control. With Change, we can carry our vision all the way through to a wonderful piece of software.

SPN: Can you describe a couple of the latest and greatest projects you’ve had a hand in through your work with the Dojo Foundation?

NR: I would take a look at some of the projects being worked on by SitePen, where I worked before I started BitMethod. SitePen is a heavy contributor to the Dojo Toolkit and uses it in almost all the work they do. One of the projects they have listed, Adobe: Queued, makes heavy use of the templating engine I contributed to the Dojo Toolkit.

SPN: You’ve said of coding languages that you “obsessively learn more.” Why do you place such importance on continuing education for programmers?

NR: Because it’s easy to spot programmers who have only been exposed to a single language. By learning just one additional language, you can see the building blocks that give you insight into how programming in general works. With each new language, you can use new frameworks and toolkits that present even higher-level ideas. The more you learn, the easier it is to learn more.

SPN: As a native of the Bahamas, what’s one completely unexpected similarity you’ve found between The Carribean and central Iowa since moving to Des Moines?

NR:  The amount of imported goods. Before moving to Iowa, most of my visits here had been during the summer in rural cities where my mom’s side of the family had gardens or a nearby farmers market. I was disappointed when I first moved here how little of a focus there was on buying local in a state known for its meats and produce. It’s gotten better with places like Gateway and the farmers market, though the farmers market still contains quite a bit of imported produce.

SPN: Time to blend your startup experience with your love of comedy. Pretend comedians are startups and you’re an investor. What three up-and-coming comics would you invest in currently with expectations of big dividends down the road, and why?

NR: I’m most excited about the comedians that are embracing new technology, doing things their way, and bypassing producers. Scott Aukerman hosts and produces a great podcast, Comedy Bang Bang, that’s going to start airing on IFC as a TV show. Louis C.K., though already pretty popular, just experimented with producing his own standup special and selling it DRM-free for $5 through his site. Also pretty much everyone involved in The League is doing amazing work. Paul Scheer and Jason Mantzoukas, for example, do another great podcast about movies so bad they’re good called How Did This Get Made?

 

Credits: Photo by The Wedding Format


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This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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