Category Archives: Office Life

Office Life, Programming, The Intern Diaries

The Intern Diaries: Ingrid

This is the third installment of our Intern Diaries series, wherein each week our lovely interns try to give you the inside scoop on what being a programming intern at a high-tech startup is really like. [For Part 1 and Part 2] This week Ingrid tackles what makes for great code. See what she’s discovered below.

I’ve been considering what defines well-designed code this summer both via literature and my own experiences. It’s a big question so I’ve been taking my time, and slowly amassing a list of the characteristics of awesome code. However, this past week, the list has become longer and clearer in my mind because of the introduction of three-person code reviews. At this point, I’ve decided that the seven characteristics of stellar code are:

  1. Simplicity: the code takes the least convoluted and shortest way to resolve the issue.
  2. Readability: the code is formatted so it isn’t a pain to read. For example, I can assert with confidence that the C# ? operator can be easily replaced with an if/else statement just for the readability factor.
  3. Flexibility: if a piece of code is repeated frequently, can it be made into a method? Continue reading The Intern Diaries: Ingrid →

Events, Office Life

Networking on PAR: 3 Easy Steps

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Here’s my take on the mystery behind the magic of successful networking.  Golf anyone?  Yes, there is a connection, I promise.  For serious golfers or enthusiasts, you want to be on par with the hole.  Let’s focus on Par-3, the distance is shorter and for some, ok for me, easier.  A Par-3 hole, is a hole that an expert golfer is expected to need only three strokes to complete.  Planning, action, and reward are my top three steps and Par-3 for networking.

Networking is a short amount of time to make a connection and should be fun!  Leave all the prepared speeches at home!  Networking is about building relationships.  Keep in mind these 3 easy steps and you’ll be on PAR to have a great event:  Continue reading Networking on PAR: 3 Easy Steps →

Events, Meet the Team, Office Life

Game Night at SoftArtisans

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Board Games and Beer

Once a month we get together for board games, beer, and pizza. On Wednesday, Aug 8th, we’re opening our doors to the community (yes, you!) to partake in the festivities!

Come meet the team, strategize on building the next laser-bagel-toaster-cutter, and enjoy FREE food and drinks. That’s right — free food, beer and great company. (We can arrange transportation if needed.)

The Details:
When:
Wednesday, Aug. 8th, 6 p.m.

Where:
SoftArtisans
3 Brook Street
Watertown, MA 02472

RSVP: http://boardgamesandbeer.eventbrite.com/

What’s in it for us? Continue reading Game Night at SoftArtisans →

Meet the Team, Office Life

Meet the Team: Sam

Hello and welcome to our Meet the Team series, in which we aim to give you deeper insight into the minds and personalities of those who make up this eclectic, close-knit group. We are developers, marketers, and technical support engineers, and at work we craft everything from Microsoft reporting APIs to mobile email applications. And outside of work? Let’s just say racing against the machine during hackathons, building architecturally sound beer towers during retros, and paddling down the Charles during the warmer months are simply the beginning.
Meet Sam — forever in pursuit of the unique, beginning an Icelandic adventure, undercover ninja (like Tamar).

1. What do you do? 

At work I wear many hats, but my primary role is as a software developer on our product OfficeWriter.

2. What are you listening to right now?

I have quite an eclectic taste, and I generally rely on Pandora to pick my music for me. However right now I am listening to- Suzy – Caravan Palace

3. If you were a beer what would you be and why?

Continue reading Meet the Team: Sam →

Office Life, The Intern Diaries, Uncategorized

The Intern Diaries: Shane

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This is the third installment of our Intern Diaries series, wherein each week our lovely interns try to give you the inside scoop on what being a programming intern at a high-tech startup is really like. [To read part 1 and part 2.] This week Shane walks you through what to look for when hunting down that perfect internship.

As I enter my final stretch (three weeks left), I’ve been trying to really internalize all of the different things I’ve learned. I learned about everything from teamwork to fooseball to the stair climbing habits of cows. I even learned a drop of computer science (shocking, I know!).  So, as I prepare to go back to school and restart the whole internship search, here are the top 4 things I learned for all those other intern-hopefuls.

1. Small Companies Rock! Continue reading The Intern Diaries: Shane →

The Intern Diaries

The Intern Diaries: Ingrid

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This is the second installment of our Intern Diaries series, wherein each week our lovely interns try to give you the inside scoop on what being a programming intern at a high-tech startup is really like. Click here to read Part 1. 

Hello everyone! I’ve been interning at SoftArtisans for seven weeks now both in technical services and now in development. Here is what I have to say (in brief) thus far:

If you’ve read anything in this blog, you’ll correctly ascertain that SoftArtisans is a tight-knit community of very smart and friendly people. They have many interests and are all really good at what they do. The company still retains a startup atmosphere with weekly company lunches, soccer games (which I haven’t really participated in… I’m pretty terrible at soccer), and an overall casual atmosphere.

But I think it would be more interesting to talk about the things you wouldn’t know unless you worked here. Firstly, there is a very strong emphasis on learning especially as an intern. You are encouraged to ask questions and to truly understand the product and technology that you are working with, which is absolutely fantastic. Secondly, interning at SoftArtisans means that you are a contributing member of a team. Your practical knowledge is developed and valued in the group. Thirdly, working is very self-directed. This means that if there is a point where you don’t have something to do, you are encouraged to choose a task and tackle it! Finally, you get to listen to music as you work and can have lunch on the Charles River. Yay!

This whole internship has been a learning experience so it is very hard to think of the single coolest thing I have learned in the last seven weeks. So I guess I will tell you the top three coolest things:

Continue reading The Intern Diaries: Ingrid →

The Intern Diaries

The Intern Diaries: Shane

This is the second installment of our Intern Diaries series, wherein each week our lovely interns try to give you the inside scoop on what being a programming intern at a high-tech startup is really like. Click here to read Part 1. 

Here I am, a few weeks into the coolest summer of my life. Usually I take classes, “work” by the pool, and travel. At SoftArtisans, I’ve been a bit more productive.  I’ve seen the usefulness of git and scrum, spent hours figuring out the few characters that determine a spreadsheet’s fate on an ipad, learned more than I’d ever thought I’d know about Excel spreadsheets, and even had a bit of fun. Without a doubt, the best part here has been seeing my work go straight into OfficeWriter. At Olin, nine out of ten times, my finished projects end up on a shelf or in some folder as a keepsake. Maybe I’ll break it out to show someone, but I rarely use them after they’re done. Here, I did work that was released a few weeks later. What I did as an intern could be used by people right now. It is quite the feeling.

So far, the most interesting thing I have learned has not been in the software, or even on the computer. I had never heard of scrum outside of the rugby field. Once I did hear about it, it still didn’t make sense to me. Why would you plan everything only two weeks in advance? How could a team function without a project manager? Why would you spend precious time every day telling people what you had done the day before?

So before I continue, the quick scrum explanation: work is divided into segments called sprints, which last a few weeks. Before each sprint, all the work that needs to be done over the next few sprints is broken up into smaller tasks and assigned a point value based on how long it will probably take and prioritized based on how important it is to the product. On the first day of the sprint, the team chooses what tasks they could definitely get done that sprint. Each day, there is a quick meeting where everyone simply and quickly explains what they worked on the day before and the challenges they faced. Finally, at the end of the sprint you have a meeting where you look back over the sprint and discuss what worked well, what didn’t, and what needs to change. Continue reading The Intern Diaries: Shane →

Office Life, The Intern Diaries

The Intern Diaries

Our favorite time of year is upon us. It’s summertime, and that means kayaking down the Charles, BBQ’s in the parking lot, and best of all summer interns. We’re handing over the blogging reins to this talented crew. Each week follow along as they give you an inside look at SoftArtisans and Riparian Data, life as an intern at a start up, and any other random musings that pop into their heads.

(from left to right: Josh, Grace, Ingrid, Julian, Shane)

The questions:
1. Where do you go to school?
2. What do you study?
3. Give us a unique/random fact of your choosing.

The answers:
Josh: 
  1. Stanford University
  2. I’m still deciding on a major, but I know for sure I’m really excited about Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, and also possibly Bioengineering.
  3. I like performing in circus shows. My favorite trick is juggling torches, while balancing on a rolling globe and reciting 100 digits of pi.
Continue reading The Intern Diaries →

Meet the Team, Office Life

Meet the Team: Dan

Hello and welcome to our Meet the Team series, in which we aim to give you deeper insight into the minds and personalities of those who make up this eclectic, close-knit group. We are developers, marketers, and technical support engineers, and at work we craft everything from Microsoft reporting APIs to mobile email applications. And outside of work? Let’s just say racing against the machine during hackathons, building architecturally sound beer towers during retros, and paddling down the Charles during the warmer months are simply the beginning.

Say hello to Dan – grill master of SoftArtisans’ summertime BBQs, poker player extraordinaire (true story – Google it), soccer all star, not Sheldon Cooper.

1. What do you do?
As VP of Operations, I am in charge of all the financial, operational, legal and HR aspects of every business located at 3 Brook Street, Watertown, MA. I’m also the BBQ cook.

2. What are you listening to right now?
The voice in my head.


3. When you were 5 what did you want to be and why?
A lawyer because I liked Perry Mason.


4. Fill in the blank. Contrary to popular belief _____.
I am not Sheldon Cooper and I do understand context.

Continue reading Meet the Team: Dan →