Background
I currently work for Oracle in Cambridge.
I previously worked in research at ORL and the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory; in product development at Virata, Marconi, BAE Systems and Netronome; as a senior lecturer at the Royal School of Signals.
I have a BA and a PhD in computer science, both from the University of Cambridge.
Writing
You can find my most recent writing in a blog called On Food and Coding. (This has been on ice for a while, as I've been too busy with other things, but I intend to return to it in the future. You can also find some related code in repositories on GitHub.)
Bugs with Long Tails (2013)
Software is fractal. What are the
consequences? What should we do?
(This is a DRAFT. Comments very welcome.)
Not a Tool, but a Philosophy of Knowledge (2012)
What should everyone know about computing? And why?
(See also these comments on
reddit.)
What can we learn from Bluffdale and Oak Ridge? (2012)
Analysis of an article by James Bamford on NSA surveillance in the USA.
Tyrants and Hackers (Draft Beta 3) (2011)
“I am just going outside and may be some time.”
A book about politics, history and hackers.
How pair programming really works (2010)
IEEE Software, January/February 2010, pp50-55.
Four mechanisms that explain the power of pair programming.
(See also these comments on the
IEEE
web site.)
SQ minus EQ can predict programming aptitude (2007)
Proc 19th Annual workshop on Psychology of Programming, July 2007.
A measure of autism correlates surprisingly well with programming ability.
On the nature of pair programming (2007)
An older, longer version of the above pair-programming article.
Uolevi Nikula, Jorma Sajaniemi, Matti Tedre, Stuart Wray
Python and Roles of Variables in Introductory Programming (2007)
Journal of Information
Technology Education, Vol 6, pp192-214, 2007.
A teaching experience report.
Is This Really “How to Make Wealth”? (2006)
Analysis of an essay by Paul Graham on start-ups and taxation.
COMP128: A birthday surprise (2003)
Cryptographic analysis of the GSM authentication algorithm.
For other material, see papers, patents, etc.