Office Meeting Indicator Version 2

Richard Lewis
Previously, I made a YouTube video demonstrating how to automate the detection of whether a meeting is happening using Home Assistant and a light. In that video, I used an ESP32 board and LED light strips controlled by WLED, integrated with Home Assistant for the automation. Since then, I’ve discovered the ESP32-S3 Matrix a compact and versatile development board featuring an ESP32-S3 processor and an 8x8 RGB LED matrix with 64 integrated LEDs.

My 2024 Network Rack Tour

Richard Lewis
In my latest video, I’m giving you an exclusive tour of my 2024 Home Network Rack, showcasing the meticulously designed infrastructure that keeps our digital world running smoothly. From blazing-fast internet speeds to seamless multimedia streaming, this setup is all about performance, reliability, and cutting-edge tech. What’s Inside the Rack? Ubiquiti Products: Experience unparalleled internet speeds and rock-solid connectivity powered by some of the best networking gear on the market. Home Server Magic: Discover how I manage streaming, file storage, and automation with my home server running [software of choice].

My 2024 Unraid Server Setup

Richard Lewis
I’m thrilled to share my latest YouTube video showcasing my 2024 Unraid server setup! In just 10 minutes, I walk you through how I use the power of Unraid to create the ultimate centralized platform for all my digital needs. Here’s what I cover in the video: 🎵 Music – How I organize and access my entire collection. 📸 Photos – Keeping precious memories safe and easy to browse. 🎥 Movies – Streaming my favorite films seamlessly.

How to Enable GitHub Copilot Within Your Organization

Richard Lewis
This blog post was written for future Richard and anyone else who might be looking for documentation on where to start with enabling GitHub Copilot within an organization. The process is pretty simple but might be diffcult to find where to start. What is GitHub Copilot? GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered autocomplete tool that acts as a peer programmer, assisting in writing code. if you want to dive deeper into Copilot you can find more information about GitHub Copilot on the github resource site.

Azure Stream Analytics Overview

Richard Lewis
Simple design of realtime streaming from Application Insights to PowerBI I recently dived into the exciting world of Azure Stream Analytics If you’re scratching your head and wondering what the heck that is, don’t worry - I’ve got you covered. Simply put, Azure Stream Analytics is a cloud-based service that lets you analyze data in real-time as it’s being streamed in from various sources. Think of it as your personal data magician that can extract insights from your data as soon as it hits the cloud.

Home Automation Observability With Terraform and Grafana

Richard Lewis
Being a DevOps and SRE minded person professionally has a big benefit when it comes to home automation. Im constantly looking for ways to make my home automation more efficient and easier to manage. One of the important things to consider in your home automation is observability this usually comes via a some sort of Dashboard usually this is an application or two you use to interact with your smart devices.

Recommended DevOps Books

Richard Lewis
As a seasoned DevOps professional, I am often asked to recommend resources that can help newcomers to the field understand its core principles and best practices. Over the years, I have read many excellent books on DevOps, but there are five in particular that stand out to me as essential reads for anyone looking to gain a comprehensive understanding of this practice. The first i would recommend is Accelerate by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim it is a must-read for anyone interested in software development and delivery.

Devops Days Nashville 2023 Recap

Richard Lewis
2023 DevOps Conference Speakers I recently attended the 2023 DevOps Days Nashville conference in Tennessee, and it was an incredible experience. As with all DevOps Days conferences, the themes and speakers were decided by the local organizers, which made for a unique and diverse range of sessions. On the first day of the conference, I attended some fantastic sessions that provided some great ideas that I can use with my clients.

Azure Static Web Apps: The Cloud's New Electric Vehicle

Richard Lewis
Live Recording See the following youtube video for a live demo recording of my talk. Overview Welcome to day one of Azure Spring Cleaning 2023!. Azure Static Web Apps have been generally available for about one and a half years now, and I’ve been excited about this service since day one. Professionally, I help customers reduce software delivery complexity, so for me, Static Web Apps are an amazing idea that reduces the time needed to get services up and running.

Azure Synapse Overview

Richard Lewis
Earlier this year I joined the Azure Synapse Influencer Program. But I don’t receive payments as an influencer instead I get a wide range of benefits, such as early access to new features and capabilities, access to exclusive training and resources, and opportunities to engage with the Azure Synapse product team and also the occasional free swag like a coffee cup and sticker. I joined the program to build my knowledge around the platform and be able to show its value of it to my clients.