How to create your own private LLM using only AWS CLI

In this blog post, I will show you how to use AWS CLI and SageMaker JumpStart to create your own private large language model (LLM) on Amazon SageMaker. You will learn how to deploy a pretrained model from the Hugging Face Transformers library, and how to use it to generate text with custom instructions using AWS CLI.

Disabling the Link Lost alarm on iTag BLE tracker

In this blog post, I will share my experience of using an iTag BLE tracker to find my lost TV remote and how I disabled the annoying link lost alarm feature.

What is an iTag BLE tracker?

An iTag BLE tracker is a small device that can be attached to any object and paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). It can be used as a key finder, anti-lost alarm, remote shutter, or voice recorder. It has a button that can trigger various actions on the smartphone, such as ringing, taking a photo, or recording a voice memo. It also has a built-in speaker that can beep when the Bluetooth connection is lost or when the button is pressed.

I bought an iTag BLE tracker because I often lose my TV remote in the house, most of the time hidden somewhere by my toddler son. I wanted to use it as a simple device that can help me locate my remote by making a sound when I press the button on my smartphone. I thought it would be a cheap and easy solution for my problem.

Conferences are not about sessions

A few weeks ago, I attended KubeCon + CloudNativeCon 2023, one of the largest and most popular conferences for cloud native technologies. It was an amazing experience, with thousands of attendees, hundreds of sessions, and dozens of exhibitors. I learned a lot from the speakers, the exhibitors, and the fellow attendees.

But there was one thing you might find surprising: I listen to very few sessions.

That’s right. I skipped most the sessions and focused on other aspects of the conference. Why? Because I realized that listening to sessions is not the most important thing to do at a conference.

Don’t get me wrong. Sessions can be very informative and useful. But sessions are not the only way to learn at a conference, especially when you are attending it physcially. Why? Because sessions often cover knowledge or topics that can be easily found online, such as on YouTube or blogs. And because sessions take a lot of time and effort to attend, they can take away from other valuable opportunities at the conference.

So what should you do instead of listening to sessions? In this article, I will share with you two things that I think are more important than listening to sessions at a conference: watching out for trends and networking. These two things can help you stay ahead of the curve in your industry and create new opportunities for yourself and your business.

Let’s dive in.

Why Both Knowledge and Experience Are Critical for a Software Developer's Career

There is an age-old debate about whether theoretical knowledge or hands-on experience is more important for a successful software developer career. However, the reality is that both knowledge and experience are equally important and complementary to each other. When I was a student (a long time ago…), I was proud of my education and the knowledge and skills that I have acquired throughout my academic journey. However, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated that despite my academic achievements, I was still struggling to find a job due to a lack of experience. Many companies seem to be looking for candidates who have already worked in the industry, leaving fresh graduates like myself feeling left out in the job market. It’s a catch-22 situation: how can I gain experience if no one is willing to give me a chance? In this blog post, I want to share my thoughts and experiences on how to overcome this challenge and land a job despite not having any prior work experience.

How to learn an AWS service quickly

In my day job, I have to consult customers on AWS services and design architectures on AWS. That means I have to have a basic understanding of almost every AWS service and be ready to dive deep into any of them on short notice. For that, I have a method for learning an AWS service in the most efficient way possible.

1. Read the product page.
2. Read the product FAQ.
3. Read the concept section(s) of the documentation.
4. Ask yourself key questions about this service.
5. Watch YouTube videos.
6. Follow a hands-on workshop.
7. Dive deeper.

Let’s assume that you need to learn AWS Lambda quickly, here is how you would do it: