Sources I Follow
This is a living list of the sources I return to for ideas, technical depth, practical techniques, and a better understanding of where software and technology are going. It is intentionally broader than a list of newsletters. Some of these sources publish frequently; others are valuable because of the quality of their occasional essays, talks, or technical explanations. Cloud, Azure, and platform engineering Azure Weekly — A weekly collection of Azure news, guidance, and community writing. Microsoft Azure release communications — Official Azure release and product-update information. Microsoft DevOps Blog — Engineering practices, DevOps tooling, and delivery guidance from Microsoft. Microsoft Fabric Community — Community updates and technical discussions around Microsoft Fabric. John Savill’s Technical Training — My top YouTube recommendation on this list: exceptionally clear, thorough training on Azure, AI, DevOps, PowerShell, and Microsoft technologies. Microsoft Developer — Official Microsoft developer events, tutorials, product news, and open-source coverage. Pragmatic Works — Microsoft-focused training and practical content covering Power BI, Power Apps, Copilot Studio, AI, Azure, Fabric, and SQL Server. .NET — The official Microsoft .NET channel, covering the cross-platform, open-source developer platform and its ecosystem. Software engineering and architecture Martin Fowler — Software architecture, design, refactoring, and engineering practices. Simon Willison — Practical, thoughtful writing about software development, data, and applied AI. Scott Hanselman — Software, web development, technology, and the human side of engineering. Jeffrey Snover — Perspectives on technology, leadership, and engineering. Thomas Thornton — Azure, infrastructure, DevOps, and cloud engineering. GitHub Blog — Updates from GitHub across software development, collaboration, and open source. GitHub Engineering — Technical work and engineering lessons from GitHub. GOTO Conferences — Talks from software practitioners and thought leaders across architecture, engineering, and development. Modern Software Engineering — Talks and discussions on software development practices, hosted by engineers including Dave Farley, Trisha Gee, Steve Smith, Emily Bache, Kevlin Henney, Kent Beck, and Sam Newman. Dylan Beattie — Software, programming languages, technology, comedy, music, and conference talks. NDC Conferences — Conference talks from software development leaders and practitioners. CNCF — Educational content about cloud-native computing and projects such as Kubernetes and Prometheus. freeCodeCamp.org — Free programming, mathematics, and computer science education. Boot.dev — Practical programming, technology, and computer science education. A Life Engineered — Engineering-focused videos and stories about the systems, people, and work behind technology. Dave’s Garage — Windows history, Windows and Linux comparisons, Arduino and ESP32 projects, and practical technical tutorials. Kevin Powell — Practical web development and CSS education. AI, research, and the future of technology Two Minute Papers — Accessible explanations of current research in computer graphics, AI, and related fields. Kai Lentit — Programmers Are Also Human — Conversations and stories that explore the human side of software development and programming. Careers, leadership, and the human side of engineering Ryan Peterman — Transparent career stories from technical people, hosted by a former software engineer at Instagram. Scott Hanselman — Teaching, speaking, coding, writing, and the broader human context of technology. Dylan Beattie — Technical talks that combine software, communication, creativity, and humor. Security, operations, and technology news Security Now — A long-running source for security news, vulnerabilities, privacy, and practical defensive guidance. Hacker News — A high-signal stream of technology and startup stories, research, and discussion. Troy Hunt — Security education, breach analysis, and practical guidance for developers and organizations. Brendan Gregg — Systems performance, observability, and operating-system internals. Kelsey Hightower — Infrastructure, cloud-native systems, and clear thinking about technology and engineering. A note on the list This list changes over time. I do not necessarily agree with every position expressed by every source here, and inclusion is not an endorsement of every product, company, or opinion. The common thread is that these sources have helped me learn, think more clearly, or do better work. ...