WebBlast Xmas 2014 – Eventbrite – WebBlast is making its triumphant return tomorrow night at the Pumphouse in Darling Harbour. This is a networking event for the local web development industry and everyone’s welcome to attend. There are no speeches or talks; just an open bar to facilitate lots of socialising! My company Mi9 is a sponsor, so I’ll be there throughout the night. Come by and say hello…

What is an expert, anyway? – Medium – Great essay by @pamelafox on something I’ve been thinking about lately. I’m coming to the end of my first year officially leading a team, and I’m pushing myself to take on new challenges (like speaking at conferences and nominating for awards). It still feels weird though. I struggle to think of myself as an expert in any particular field. I especially identified with this bit:

“I decided a long time ago that I am generally happier pursuing a variety of skills and figuring out how to combine them, versus pursuing a very particular skill and focusing on that for years.”

I like being a generalist, but I can’t shake the feeling that the tech industry values Subject Matter Experts more highly. Who’d be a generalist when you can be a “Node ninja” or “UX specialist,” right? There’s no pithy way to sum up being an integrator, someone who likes bringing a team together to solve a problem or deliver something cool.

And of course, there’s always the lurking spectre of imposter syndrome. Pamela doesn’t mention it, but I reckon it’s a big part of why a lot of people are hesitant to apply the “expert” label. My brain just falls so easily into the trap of devaluing the things that I’m good at. I can recognise this in other people and tell them why it’s not true, but it’s so hard to counteract the doubts in your own mind. The only strategy I’ve got is to continually push myself to get out there, to apply for new opportunities and challenges and to seek feedback from people I respect. Today I asked someone if they’d be willing to give me a reference for an award, and he replied, “Honestly I’d be delighted and honoured to.” That made my day. I might not consider myself an expert yet, but I’m doing all right.

La Bottega Di Lisa 1412 – Laguna – My co-worker Linh is trying to convince me to go shoe shopping. I was resisting all her efforts until she sent me these. THEY’RE SO PRETTY.

SWAPI – The Star Wars API – I really need to use this for the next Hackathon. Very cool idea! I signed up.

Why ‘Serial’ Drives Some People Crazy — Science of Us – I’d say I’m definitely more NFC than the Snook. I’m really hoping for a decent resolution.

The YotaPhone 2 has two faces, zero gimmicks | The Verge – This is actually really cool. I’d love to be able to see weather and time at a glance without having to fire up my screen. That said, I also like having a case on my phone, which would obviously render this pretty useless. Neat idea though.

Does Sean Bean Really Die More Than Other Actors? « Nerdist – Hahaha, the MeFi comments are pretty good too…

Sweetpeachprobiotics – This is the one of the weirdest crowdfunding projects I’ve ever seen. She’s setting up a business where you can get your vaginal microbial flora sequenced and then subscribe to receive personalised probiotics. I see the worth in the idea; any woman who’s ever had a urinary tract infection can tell you that this is hugely important. But man, that name. “Sweet Peach”?! That alone would keep me from donating. I just have a viscerally negative reaction.

Nobody Wants to Be the Girl on a Diet — The Cut – This is so, so spot on. And I just realised how weird it is to read an article that makes me like Gwyneth Paltrow more than Jennifer Lawrence (or at least to feel sympathy for her, because, hey, she’s actually just being honest).

So, About That Episode Where 30 Rock Called Out Bill Cosby as a Rapist – I remember this. Wow, yeah.