Resources

Dell UltraSharp U3415W 34-Inch Curved LED-Lit Monitor

Dell is known for making great products. This monitor is no exception. It doesn't give me eye-strain. I can have a split screen on two HDMIs, so I view a MAC and a PC on the screen at the same time. Plugging the HDMI cables could be easier, aides from that its worth buying.

Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Noise Cancalling Headphones

I can't recommend these enough. When you put them on they block everything out. Sounds amazing. The charge lasts for ages. It recharges really quickly. I was skeptical about buying battery powered headphones, but these are much better than wired.

FSDUALWIN Aluminum Laptop Monitor Stand Space Bar, Monitor Riser MacBook Monitor Dock Desk Organizer with 4 USB Ports, Keyboard Storage

I spent ages looking for a good looking monitor stand and this one fits the bill. Looks good with brushed aluminium. HAs 4 USB ports so I can plug the Echo dot in. Makes my desk look cleaner as I can hide my mouse and keyboard under it when not in use.

WD 4TB My Cloud Personal Network Attached Storage

If you need an external hard drive this is a great choice. Connect it to your broadband and you can access your files anywhere in the world. I can view my media on my Xbox. I can access it from any device in my house. Looks good.

Rode Podcaster USB Dynamic Microphone

with the DuaFire Professional Microphone Stand, Swivel Mount Studio Boom Arm for Radio, Broadcast, Studio and Home Use

This USB MIC plugs into my PC/Mac. Great sound quality. I recommend this MIC for anyone wanting to do voice and screen-sharing.

Xbox One X 1TB Console

I'm an Xbox guy. Xbox One is the best games and media player. FACT!

Cambridge Audio Minx Air 100 Speaker

Good sounding speaker, works with Bluetooth and airplay so connects to my phone easily. Best speaker voted by T3 magazine a few years back.

Echo Dot

Its fun :)

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

My first smart phone was an iPhone. After trying a Samsung I switched an d never looked back. Camera on this phone is great. Battery life is good.

Fitbit Charge 2 Activity Tracker with Wrist Based Heart Rate Monitor

I never thought I'd buy a smart-watch but I love this. If you want to become more active, a great challenge is to try and walk 10,000 steps a day. This watch helps you to do that. Since I've brought it I'm on a 50 day streak.

Fitbit Aria 2 Wifi + Bluetooth Smart Scales  

These Wifi scales, track your weight and then uploads them to Fitbit. If you want to loose weight this is a great way to track your progress.

TomTom Go 510 5 Inch Sat Nav With World Maps

Need a Satnav? This is worth considering. Comes with speed camera detection, which 'may' have saved me on a few occasions!

Dyson AM04 Hot + Cool Heater/Table Fan

This is expensive, but it is the coolest looking fan/heater on the market. In the summer acts as a fan. In the winter a heater.

Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction, Second Edition  

This is my bible of software development. It's a monster to read but it contains pretty much everything you need to know about crafting good code. After reading this book people commented about how much better my coding became,

Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship

Everyone of Uncle Bobs books are essential reading this one in my opinion is the best. Theres a big difference between writing code and writing good code. This book will help you to think about what good code is and how you can write it.

Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code

I'm a strong believer in iterative design. Build something basic that works and fits the bill and then improve it constantly. This constant improvement is called refactoring. This book will teach you all the patterns and techniques you will need to accomplish that.

Dependency Injection in .NET

To check that the code you write works, you will need to test it. To write testable code, you need to understand dependency injection. This book will teach you how you should use dependency injectionS

Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide

Every software developer needs to know about design patterns. This book makes it super simple to learn the main patterns. If design patterns scare you, then this should be your next read.

Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

This book will help you understand how your computer works. It's easy to read, and it will help you understand concepts like binary addition, gates and circuit boards.

The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master

This book is one of the first software development books I read. This book will provide you with a plan on how to improve your coding skills.

The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, and Security in Technology Organizations

Writing code isn't the only part of software development. You will also have to release it. This book will teach you everything you will need in order to be able to release your code correctly.

The Clean Coder: A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers

This book will teach you how to be a professional. This book isn't about coding. It's how to behave like a great coder.

Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software

Every software developer should read this book. This isn't the easiest book to read, which is why I recommend reading head first patterns first. You should read this book for bragging rights!

Outliers: The Story of Success

This book will teach you about practice. To be a good coder you will need to spend at least 10,000 hours coding. Being great isn't about talent, it's about practice. People who practice will become better. You will also learn about the right type of practice.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

This book changed my life. Just because your busy doesn't mean you're succeeding. Deep work will give you a system to prioritise your life so you can achieve more .

Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success

When I started programming it seemed like some people were naturally just gifted programmers. I was not one of them. I thought being good was down to your genes. This book proves differently. This book will teach you about practice and more importantly deliberate practice. Understanding this is essential in becoming a great programmer.

The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America's Top Copywriters

We all need to write emails, blog posts, memo's. Learning how to improve how you write is an important skill that you will use throughout your life. This book will help you do that.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

This book helped me quit smoking. The book explains how we form habits and how you can break the, If you want to become a better coder, you will need to adopt the same habits as great programmers use.

The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing.

Henry Ford - My Life and Work

This book was written over 100 years ago. How Ford managed his planet.. was the original agile manifesto. The principles For applied to creating motorcars can be applied to modern software design.

Steve Jobs

To be a good software craftsman you need to understand the beauty of design. Steve jobs was known for his eye for detail and his never ending pursuit for making things better. Reading this book will help you appreciate design more.

Eric Schmidt - How Google Works

Every developer has heard what a great place Google is to work. This book gives you an insight into how Google was started and the ethos that made them so great.