Alicia Bendz
@bendza.bsky.social
Senior Software Engineer | Cloud | Kotlin
All opinions are my own and do not represent the opinions of my employer
All opinions are my own and do not represent the opinions of my employer
Two posts in a day! Even though it's not a novel, using NaNoWriMo as a motivator to get some of my ideas down. I hope you're interested in nullability in Java and Kotlin plus a preview of nullability in Project Valhalla: albendz.github.io/albendz-code...
#Java #Kotlin #JVM
#Java #Kotlin #JVM
Nulls: Are we still losing millions of dollars with Java and Kotlin?
An overview of nulls, NullPointerExceptions, and nullability in Java and Kotlin.
albendz.github.io
November 11, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Two posts in a day! Even though it's not a novel, using NaNoWriMo as a motivator to get some of my ideas down. I hope you're interested in nullability in Java and Kotlin plus a preview of nullability in Project Valhalla: albendz.github.io/albendz-code...
#Java #Kotlin #JVM
#Java #Kotlin #JVM
Quick post on how to prepare for an impactful behavioral interview by making your personal project cheat sheet: albendz.github.io/albendz-code...
I keep mine posted on my monitor for quick and easy recall of key data to support my work experience.
#starinterview #behavioralinterview #techinterview
I keep mine posted on my monitor for quick and easy recall of key data to support my work experience.
#starinterview #behavioralinterview #techinterview
Personal STAR Interview Cheat Sheet
Guarantee a stand-out, STAR interview by building your personal project cheat sheet.
albendz.github.io
November 11, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Quick post on how to prepare for an impactful behavioral interview by making your personal project cheat sheet: albendz.github.io/albendz-code...
I keep mine posted on my monitor for quick and easy recall of key data to support my work experience.
#starinterview #behavioralinterview #techinterview
I keep mine posted on my monitor for quick and easy recall of key data to support my work experience.
#starinterview #behavioralinterview #techinterview
Check out the trends AI trends I learned about at LWT + WWCode Tech Futures Summit here: albendz.github.io/albendz-code...
I've included the speaker profiles and the talks that inspired this post if you're looking for some awesome women in tech #WomenInTech #AI #LWTSUMMIT #TechFutures
I've included the speaker profiles and the talks that inspired this post if you're looking for some awesome women in tech #WomenInTech #AI #LWTSUMMIT #TechFutures
AI in Software Development 2025
A review of top themes in the evolution of AI in Software Development in 2025.
albendz.github.io
October 27, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Check out the trends AI trends I learned about at LWT + WWCode Tech Futures Summit here: albendz.github.io/albendz-code...
I've included the speaker profiles and the talks that inspired this post if you're looking for some awesome women in tech #WomenInTech #AI #LWTSUMMIT #TechFutures
I've included the speaker profiles and the talks that inspired this post if you're looking for some awesome women in tech #WomenInTech #AI #LWTSUMMIT #TechFutures
Looking forward to heading to Women Who Code Tech Futures this week in NYC! www.linkedin.com/posts/women-...
#womenwhocode #lwt
#womenwhocode #lwt
Women Who Code Summit @ TechFutures | Women Who Code
⚡️Join us at the Women Who Code @ TechFutures Summit October 7-9 in NY!⚡️
Together, Women Who Code, in partnership with LWT and TechFutures, we are a network of 500K strong. Our collective power is a...
www.linkedin.com
October 6, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Looking forward to heading to Women Who Code Tech Futures this week in NYC! www.linkedin.com/posts/women-...
#womenwhocode #lwt
#womenwhocode #lwt
I like learning about the creative ways software vulnerabilities are introduced - like slopsquatting: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slopsqu...
Typosquatting + gen AI hallucinating NPM package names that attackers have conveniently created with malicious code
Typosquatting + gen AI hallucinating NPM package names that attackers have conveniently created with malicious code
Slopsquatting - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
September 15, 2025 at 8:02 PM
I like learning about the creative ways software vulnerabilities are introduced - like slopsquatting: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slopsqu...
Typosquatting + gen AI hallucinating NPM package names that attackers have conveniently created with malicious code
Typosquatting + gen AI hallucinating NPM package names that attackers have conveniently created with malicious code
I've started writing down my thoughts about how I've been learning to use AI effectively at work. My first and favorite use so far is code exploration: albendz.github.io/albendz-code...
It's really made a difference learning the codebase after starting my new role.
It's really made a difference learning the codebase after starting my new role.
How I’m Using AI For Code Exploration
How I'm using AI to explore codebases, what can go wrong, and whether it will replace us.
albendz.github.io
September 10, 2025 at 1:44 PM
I've started writing down my thoughts about how I've been learning to use AI effectively at work. My first and favorite use so far is code exploration: albendz.github.io/albendz-code...
It's really made a difference learning the codebase after starting my new role.
It's really made a difference learning the codebase after starting my new role.
Reposted by Alicia Bendz
flipping through browser tabs and open spreadsheets trying to piece together what i was working on before the long weekend like i'm guy pearce in memento
September 2, 2025 at 2:52 PM
flipping through browser tabs and open spreadsheets trying to piece together what i was working on before the long weekend like i'm guy pearce in memento
TIL: Redis is named after Remote Dictionary Server courtesy of this Keys to #AWS Optimization episode: www.youtube.com/live/_zuRJSW...
Optimize your ElastiCache costs by moving to Valkey | The Keys to AWS Optimization | S14 E1
YouTube video by AWS Events
www.youtube.com
August 23, 2025 at 12:22 AM
TIL: Redis is named after Remote Dictionary Server courtesy of this Keys to #AWS Optimization episode: www.youtube.com/live/_zuRJSW...
Reposted by Alicia Bendz
A major problem with using LLMs to learn things:
Me: "A is true, therefore B is false, right?"
LLM: "Right! Here's a ton of detail to confirm your belief."
Me: "Actually, A is false; B is true."
LLM: "Exactly right! Here's more detail to confirm that belief."
Me: "A is true, therefore B is false, right?"
LLM: "Right! Here's a ton of detail to confirm your belief."
Me: "Actually, A is false; B is true."
LLM: "Exactly right! Here's more detail to confirm that belief."
July 26, 2025 at 7:46 PM
A major problem with using LLMs to learn things:
Me: "A is true, therefore B is false, right?"
LLM: "Right! Here's a ton of detail to confirm your belief."
Me: "Actually, A is false; B is true."
LLM: "Exactly right! Here's more detail to confirm that belief."
Me: "A is true, therefore B is false, right?"
LLM: "Right! Here's a ton of detail to confirm your belief."
Me: "Actually, A is false; B is true."
LLM: "Exactly right! Here's more detail to confirm that belief."
Thank you to @virtualcoffee.io for hosting me at their lunch and learn last month where I talked about the surprisingly stressful team matching process in interviews. Extra thanks to @meg-gutshall.bsky.social for being a great host!
You can check out the recording here: youtu.be/VlEdzAAIDK8?...
You can check out the recording here: youtu.be/VlEdzAAIDK8?...
Navigating Team Matching After Passing Technical Interview Rounds with Alicia Bendz
YouTube video by Virtual Coffee
youtu.be
June 26, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Thank you to @virtualcoffee.io for hosting me at their lunch and learn last month where I talked about the surprisingly stressful team matching process in interviews. Extra thanks to @meg-gutshall.bsky.social for being a great host!
You can check out the recording here: youtu.be/VlEdzAAIDK8?...
You can check out the recording here: youtu.be/VlEdzAAIDK8?...
Reposted by Alicia Bendz
We're counting down the days to Moar Serverless! The speakers and schedule are set including talks from Cloudflare, Netlify, Honeycomb, Sentry, LocalStack and more. Plus, it's all 100% virtual and 100% free. Grab your ticket today and join us live on May 22! cfe.dev/events/moar-...
May 12, 2025 at 5:04 PM
We're counting down the days to Moar Serverless! The speakers and schedule are set including talks from Cloudflare, Netlify, Honeycomb, Sentry, LocalStack and more. Plus, it's all 100% virtual and 100% free. Grab your ticket today and join us live on May 22! cfe.dev/events/moar-...
Videos up from @virtualcoffee.io conf! www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
My work hobbies talk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfei...
Other speakers: @nickyt.online @meg-gutshall.bsky.social @eyram.me @mikestreety.co.uk @trillium.is @notmichaella.bsky.social @danott.dev @justinnoel.dev @neha.bsky.social
My work hobbies talk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfei...
Other speakers: @nickyt.online @meg-gutshall.bsky.social @eyram.me @mikestreety.co.uk @trillium.is @notmichaella.bsky.social @danott.dev @justinnoel.dev @neha.bsky.social
Virtual Coffee Conf - YouTube
www.youtube.com
May 20, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Videos up from @virtualcoffee.io conf! www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
My work hobbies talk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfei...
Other speakers: @nickyt.online @meg-gutshall.bsky.social @eyram.me @mikestreety.co.uk @trillium.is @notmichaella.bsky.social @danott.dev @justinnoel.dev @neha.bsky.social
My work hobbies talk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfei...
Other speakers: @nickyt.online @meg-gutshall.bsky.social @eyram.me @mikestreety.co.uk @trillium.is @notmichaella.bsky.social @danott.dev @justinnoel.dev @neha.bsky.social
Nice talk on idiomatic #Kotlin: youtu.be/qNAWWuY22Mg?...
I didn't know Kotlin UInts are used for colors 🌈
kotlinlang.org/docs/unsigne...
I didn't know Kotlin UInts are used for colors 🌈
kotlinlang.org/docs/unsigne...
Dissecting Kotlin: Unsealing the Sealed, the SAM, and Other Syntax by Huyen Tue Dao
YouTube video by Kotlin by JetBrains
youtu.be
May 5, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Nice talk on idiomatic #Kotlin: youtu.be/qNAWWuY22Mg?...
I didn't know Kotlin UInts are used for colors 🌈
kotlinlang.org/docs/unsigne...
I didn't know Kotlin UInts are used for colors 🌈
kotlinlang.org/docs/unsigne...
Pulled from my optimistic "Watch Later" list: an approachable introduction to hacking from Dane Sherrets talking at Chariot ETE youtu.be/12TDD5JBWTw?...
Poking around in the web dev tools and manipulating URLs is a great way to get started finding vulnerabilities in websites
Poking around in the web dev tools and manipulating URLs is a great way to get started finding vulnerabilities in websites
How Developers Can Ethically Hack for Fun and Profit - Dane Sherrets
YouTube video by ChariotSolutions
youtu.be
May 3, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Pulled from my optimistic "Watch Later" list: an approachable introduction to hacking from Dane Sherrets talking at Chariot ETE youtu.be/12TDD5JBWTw?...
Poking around in the web dev tools and manipulating URLs is a great way to get started finding vulnerabilities in websites
Poking around in the web dev tools and manipulating URLs is a great way to get started finding vulnerabilities in websites
Reposted by Alicia Bendz
April 25, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by Alicia Bendz
The @virtualcoffee.io conference is happening now! Check it out: cfe.dev/events/virtu...
Code & Coffee: A Virtual Coffee Conference
The Virtual Coffee community has been supporting developers at all stages of their career for 5 years. Join their first ever conference for sessions about code, careers and community.
cfe.dev
April 25, 2025 at 3:39 PM
The @virtualcoffee.io conference is happening now! Check it out: cfe.dev/events/virtu...
I got #Github pages working with #11ty despite making things more complicated than they needed to be. The result needs work but it exists now! albendz.github.io/albendz-code...
Here are the resources I used to make it happen:
- github.com/11ty/elevent...
- www.11ty.dev/docs/deploym...
Here are the resources I used to make it happen:
- github.com/11ty/elevent...
- www.11ty.dev/docs/deploym...
Deployment
A docs page for Eleventy, a simpler static site generator.
www.11ty.dev
April 23, 2025 at 7:39 PM
I got #Github pages working with #11ty despite making things more complicated than they needed to be. The result needs work but it exists now! albendz.github.io/albendz-code...
Here are the resources I used to make it happen:
- github.com/11ty/elevent...
- www.11ty.dev/docs/deploym...
Here are the resources I used to make it happen:
- github.com/11ty/elevent...
- www.11ty.dev/docs/deploym...
Reposted by Alicia Bendz
Vibe coding is fun...until you expose API keys on the client side.
Before you vibe code with Goose, do your future self a favor:
✅ .gooseignore your sensitive files
✅ Turn on Smart Approval
✅ Commit early, commit often
✅ Stay curious
block.github.io/goose/blog/2...
Before you vibe code with Goose, do your future self a favor:
✅ .gooseignore your sensitive files
✅ Turn on Smart Approval
✅ Commit early, commit often
✅ Stay curious
block.github.io/goose/blog/2...
How to Vibe Code Responsibly (with Goose)
Vibe coding feels magical until it isn't. Learn how to flow with Goose while protecting your code, your team, and your future self.
block.github.io
April 8, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Vibe coding is fun...until you expose API keys on the client side.
Before you vibe code with Goose, do your future self a favor:
✅ .gooseignore your sensitive files
✅ Turn on Smart Approval
✅ Commit early, commit often
✅ Stay curious
block.github.io/goose/blog/2...
Before you vibe code with Goose, do your future self a favor:
✅ .gooseignore your sensitive files
✅ Turn on Smart Approval
✅ Commit early, commit often
✅ Stay curious
block.github.io/goose/blog/2...
Reposted by Alicia Bendz
At Block, we're all in on MCP! Learn how our InfoSec team is addressing security considerations like agent communication, tool connectivity, and supply chain risk.
block.github.io/goose/blog/2...
block.github.io/goose/blog/2...
Securing the Model Context Protocol
Building secure and capable AI integrations with Model Context Protocol (MCP) at Block.
block.github.io
April 1, 2025 at 10:40 AM
At Block, we're all in on MCP! Learn how our InfoSec team is addressing security considerations like agent communication, tool connectivity, and supply chain risk.
block.github.io/goose/blog/2...
block.github.io/goose/blog/2...
Reposted by Alicia Bendz
Excellent writeup on how MCP future-proofs API integrations ~ @stevemanuel.bsky.social
docs.mcp.run/blog/2025/03...
docs.mcp.run/blog/2025/03...
MCP: The Differential for Modern APIs and Systems | 🤖
<div style={{
docs.mcp.run
March 30, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Excellent writeup on how MCP future-proofs API integrations ~ @stevemanuel.bsky.social
docs.mcp.run/blog/2025/03...
docs.mcp.run/blog/2025/03...
Awkward interview story: My Block interview process was cut short by the layoffs this week, which included my recruiter. While that's not a great candidate experience, I think it's a worse experience to be a new hire on a team that just lost people.
techcrunch.com/2025/03/25/r...
techcrunch.com/2025/03/25/r...
Read the email Jack Dorsey sent when he cut 931 of Block's staff | TechCrunch
Fintech Block laid off 931 people Tuesday, according to a leaked message from the company seen by TechCrunch.
techcrunch.com
March 28, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Awkward interview story: My Block interview process was cut short by the layoffs this week, which included my recruiter. While that's not a great candidate experience, I think it's a worse experience to be a new hire on a team that just lost people.
techcrunch.com/2025/03/25/r...
techcrunch.com/2025/03/25/r...
Check out this conference next month from @virtualcoffee.io where I'll be giving a lightning talk on work hobbies: cfe.dev/events/virtu...
Code & Coffee: A Virtual Coffee Conference
The Virtual Coffee community has been supporting developers at all stages of their career for 5 years. Join their first ever conference for sessions about code, careers and community.
cfe.dev
March 27, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Check out this conference next month from @virtualcoffee.io where I'll be giving a lightning talk on work hobbies: cfe.dev/events/virtu...