James Eastham
@jameseastham.co.uk
Developer | International Speaker | Microsoft MVP | AWS Community Builder | Endurance Athelete
Talking Serveless at Datadog | ex-AWS
All views are my own.
He/Him
Talking Serveless at Datadog | ex-AWS
All views are my own.
He/Him
Pinned
James Eastham
@jameseastham.co.uk
· Oct 9
Deep Dive: Solution Architecture
Master solution architecture and turn business needs into scalable, maintainable systems
dometrain.com
Excited to announce my new course on Dometrain - Solution Architecture Deep Dive.
The #1 feedback I got on the first course was the depth. Don't worry, this ones goes deeper. Deeper into what it actually means to be an architect in 2025.
#dotnet
dometrain.com/course/deep-...
The #1 feedback I got on the first course was the depth. Don't worry, this ones goes deeper. Deeper into what it actually means to be an architect in 2025.
#dotnet
dometrain.com/course/deep-...
I've watched The Grinch (Jim Carrey) and Elf in the last two nights. Two of my favourite Christmas films.
Somehow, the CGI is 'better' than it was however many years ago.
Not an anti AI post, but are we getting too digital?
Somehow, the CGI is 'better' than it was however many years ago.
Not an anti AI post, but are we getting too digital?
December 24, 2025 at 10:23 PM
I've watched The Grinch (Jim Carrey) and Elf in the last two nights. Two of my favourite Christmas films.
Somehow, the CGI is 'better' than it was however many years ago.
Not an anti AI post, but are we getting too digital?
Somehow, the CGI is 'better' than it was however many years ago.
Not an anti AI post, but are we getting too digital?
Reposted by James Eastham
chris evans shouts "no! i won't go back, you can't make me. i said i was out!"
from all around him, a disembodied voice booms ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇᴄɪꜱɪᴏɴ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ
evans screams and clutches at his arm where his mickey mouse tattoo suddenly burns. ʏᴏᴜ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ʙʀᴀɴᴅ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴍᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟɪᴛʏ
from all around him, a disembodied voice booms ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇᴄɪꜱɪᴏɴ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ
evans screams and clutches at his arm where his mickey mouse tattoo suddenly burns. ʏᴏᴜ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ʙʀᴀɴᴅ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴍᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟɪᴛʏ
December 23, 2025 at 4:15 PM
chris evans shouts "no! i won't go back, you can't make me. i said i was out!"
from all around him, a disembodied voice booms ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇᴄɪꜱɪᴏɴ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ
evans screams and clutches at his arm where his mickey mouse tattoo suddenly burns. ʏᴏᴜ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ʙʀᴀɴᴅ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴍᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟɪᴛʏ
from all around him, a disembodied voice booms ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇᴄɪꜱɪᴏɴ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ
evans screams and clutches at his arm where his mickey mouse tattoo suddenly burns. ʏᴏᴜ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ʙʀᴀɴᴅ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴍᴍᴏʀᴛᴀʟɪᴛʏ
Reposted by James Eastham
Study of over twenty five million people over almost four years finds that COVID vaccines reduced COVID deaths by 74% and increased all-cause deaths by zero. I don’t know how much clearer it can get than that.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination and 4-Year All-Cause Mortality Among Adults in France
This cohort study uses the data from all adults aged 18 to 59 years living in France on November 1, 2021, to evaluate whether there is an association of receipt of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine with long-t...
jamanetwork.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Study of over twenty five million people over almost four years finds that COVID vaccines reduced COVID deaths by 74% and increased all-cause deaths by zero. I don’t know how much clearer it can get than that.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Reposted by James Eastham
"Coding is no longer the bottleneck".
So what you're saying is that NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
So what you're saying is that NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
December 23, 2025 at 9:45 AM
"Coding is no longer the bottleneck".
So what you're saying is that NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
So what you're saying is that NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
Reposted by James Eastham
@jameseastham.co.uk and I are back again talking about software engineering! This time, we dive into API-first design - what it's good for, and how you can get started with it.
Let us know what you think!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE-R...
Let us know what you think!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE-R...
The Incredible Power of API First Design
YouTube video by Datadog Community
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 10:15 AM
@jameseastham.co.uk and I are back again talking about software engineering! This time, we dive into API-first design - what it's good for, and how you can get started with it.
Let us know what you think!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE-R...
Let us know what you think!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE-R...
December 17, 2025 at 9:03 PM
My yearly retrospective and planning time is I think one of the most impactful things I've started doing over the last few years.
What went well, what didn't, and thinking about thematic ideas for the year 🔥
What went well, what didn't, and thinking about thematic ideas for the year 🔥
December 15, 2025 at 5:50 PM
My yearly retrospective and planning time is I think one of the most impactful things I've started doing over the last few years.
What went well, what didn't, and thinking about thematic ideas for the year 🔥
What went well, what didn't, and thinking about thematic ideas for the year 🔥
Building event-driven systems?
Let's chat metrics! In this video, I break down the essential ones you need to care about if you're building event-driven systems.
Bonus tip, I'll also show you the simplest way to generate them from your exisiting telemetry.
youtu.be/CvgvXzLLZ2Y
Let's chat metrics! In this video, I break down the essential ones you need to care about if you're building event-driven systems.
Bonus tip, I'll also show you the simplest way to generate them from your exisiting telemetry.
youtu.be/CvgvXzLLZ2Y
The Metrics You Need To Care About Building Event-Driven Systems
In this video, we explore the vital metrics you need to monitor when building distributed, event-driven systems. Distributed tracing and structured logging provide valuable insights, but understanding macro-level performance requires generating specific metrics. We'll discuss the importance of metrics like operation duration, message size, queue depth, and errors. Utilizing Open Telemetry's semantic conventions, you'll learn how to aggregate trace data to derive these metrics, enabling you to evaluate system performance comprehensively. Watch until the end to master the metrics crucial for your asynchronous services and improve your system's reliability and efficiency. 00:00 Introduction to Distributed Tracing 00:30 Importance of Metrics in Asynchronous Systems 00:50 Key Metrics for Event-Driven Systems 02:58 Generating Metrics from Trace Data 06:54 Infrastructure Metrics and Observability 08:37 Building Comprehensive Dashboards 09:42 Conclusion and Next Steps
youtu.be
December 15, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Building event-driven systems?
Let's chat metrics! In this video, I break down the essential ones you need to care about if you're building event-driven systems.
Bonus tip, I'll also show you the simplest way to generate them from your exisiting telemetry.
youtu.be/CvgvXzLLZ2Y
Let's chat metrics! In this video, I break down the essential ones you need to care about if you're building event-driven systems.
Bonus tip, I'll also show you the simplest way to generate them from your exisiting telemetry.
youtu.be/CvgvXzLLZ2Y
I'm giving some IT training to the staff at my local foodbank tomorrow and want to demonstrate to them the pitfalls of AI.
Does anyone have any good examples of prompts or things to ask that almost force a hallucination, or that demonstrate the downsides?
Does anyone have any good examples of prompts or things to ask that almost force a hallucination, or that demonstrate the downsides?
December 15, 2025 at 9:36 AM
I'm giving some IT training to the staff at my local foodbank tomorrow and want to demonstrate to them the pitfalls of AI.
Does anyone have any good examples of prompts or things to ask that almost force a hallucination, or that demonstrate the downsides?
Does anyone have any good examples of prompts or things to ask that almost force a hallucination, or that demonstrate the downsides?
Something I've been thinking about over the last 24 hours, is a potential outcome of AI generated coding a split in the 'types' of software built.
One being the hyperscale, big, gnarly systems that are complex and take teams of people to operate and understand. Much like software today.
Two...
One being the hyperscale, big, gnarly systems that are complex and take teams of people to operate and understand. Much like software today.
Two...
December 13, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Something I've been thinking about over the last 24 hours, is a potential outcome of AI generated coding a split in the 'types' of software built.
One being the hyperscale, big, gnarly systems that are complex and take teams of people to operate and understand. Much like software today.
Two...
One being the hyperscale, big, gnarly systems that are complex and take teams of people to operate and understand. Much like software today.
Two...
Reposted by James Eastham
Reposted by James Eastham
Sam Altman: hey I made a machine that stole literally all your stuff in order to make CSAM of your child actors, sometimes it encourages people to kill themselves
Disney: Holy shit here's a billion dollars
Altman: the machine loses more than that each week but thank you. Soon it will become god.
Disney: Holy shit here's a billion dollars
Altman: the machine loses more than that each week but thank you. Soon it will become god.
December 12, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Sam Altman: hey I made a machine that stole literally all your stuff in order to make CSAM of your child actors, sometimes it encourages people to kill themselves
Disney: Holy shit here's a billion dollars
Altman: the machine loses more than that each week but thank you. Soon it will become god.
Disney: Holy shit here's a billion dollars
Altman: the machine loses more than that each week but thank you. Soon it will become god.
Disney selling out to OpenAI makes me very very sad
December 12, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Disney selling out to OpenAI makes me very very sad
Reposted by James Eastham
My grandkids will get to experience the 2nd coming of on-paper, hand drawn animation
For the next 20 years we’ll be dealing with companies maximizing existing IP in the lowest budget ways possible
deadline.com/2025/12/disn...
For the next 20 years we’ll be dealing with companies maximizing existing IP in the lowest budget ways possible
deadline.com/2025/12/disn...
Disney Inks Blockbuster $1B Deal With OpenAI, Handing Characters Over To Sora
Disney will make characters from 'Frozen' and 'Star Wars' available to Sora under $1B deal with OpenAI.
deadline.com
December 12, 2025 at 2:12 AM
My grandkids will get to experience the 2nd coming of on-paper, hand drawn animation
For the next 20 years we’ll be dealing with companies maximizing existing IP in the lowest budget ways possible
deadline.com/2025/12/disn...
For the next 20 years we’ll be dealing with companies maximizing existing IP in the lowest budget ways possible
deadline.com/2025/12/disn...
New course alert 🎉
It's taken me over 2 years of creating courses to finally go back to my roots.
Want to learn how to build .NET apps on #AWS? This is the course for you. In it, you'll learn about the core services you need to care about to build on AWS.
#dotnet
dometrain.com/course/getti...
It's taken me over 2 years of creating courses to finally go back to my roots.
Want to learn how to build .NET apps on #AWS? This is the course for you. In it, you'll learn about the core services you need to care about to build on AWS.
#dotnet
dometrain.com/course/getti...
December 11, 2025 at 6:38 PM
New course alert 🎉
It's taken me over 2 years of creating courses to finally go back to my roots.
Want to learn how to build .NET apps on #AWS? This is the course for you. In it, you'll learn about the core services you need to care about to build on AWS.
#dotnet
dometrain.com/course/getti...
It's taken me over 2 years of creating courses to finally go back to my roots.
Want to learn how to build .NET apps on #AWS? This is the course for you. In it, you'll learn about the core services you need to care about to build on AWS.
#dotnet
dometrain.com/course/getti...
Reposted by James Eastham
This is a great post about AI by @mastroianni.bsky.social
I especially love the idea that humans are "usefully stupid" which I identify as
www.experimental-history.com/p/bag-of-wor...
I especially love the idea that humans are "usefully stupid" which I identify as
www.experimental-history.com/p/bag-of-wor...
Bag of words, have mercy on us
OR: Claude will you go to prom with me?
www.experimental-history.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:09 AM
This is a great post about AI by @mastroianni.bsky.social
I especially love the idea that humans are "usefully stupid" which I identify as
www.experimental-history.com/p/bag-of-wor...
I especially love the idea that humans are "usefully stupid" which I identify as
www.experimental-history.com/p/bag-of-wor...
That’s also why I see no point in using AI to, say, write an essay, just like I see no point in bringing a forklift to the gym. Sure, it can lift the weights, but I’m not trying to suspend a barbell above the floor for the hell of it......
www.experimental-history.com/p/bag-of-wor...
www.experimental-history.com/p/bag-of-wor...
Bag of words, have mercy on us
OR: Claude will you go to prom with me?
www.experimental-history.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:15 PM
That’s also why I see no point in using AI to, say, write an essay, just like I see no point in bringing a forklift to the gym. Sure, it can lift the weights, but I’m not trying to suspend a barbell above the floor for the hell of it......
www.experimental-history.com/p/bag-of-wor...
www.experimental-history.com/p/bag-of-wor...
Imagine changing your car’s engine while driving it down the motorway. Tricky, right?
That's what it can feel like evolving event systems.
In this video I'll show you the easiest way to evolve your event-driven systems.
youtu.be/jZyMtk8OWQ0
That's what it can feel like evolving event systems.
In this video I'll show you the easiest way to evolve your event-driven systems.
youtu.be/jZyMtk8OWQ0
The Simplest Way To Evolve An Event-Driven System
Struggling with changes in your event-driven or asynchronous system? In this video, we'll explore best practices for managing event versioning and changes without disrupting downstream systems. Learn how to design your events using the CloudEvents specification and implement dual-version event publishing. We'll show you real-world examples using TypeScript and Amazon EventBridge, and how to handle multiple event versions on the consumer side. Plus, discover how to use telemetry and observability to manage deprecated events effectively. Don't forget to like and subscribe for more tech insights! 00:00 Introduction to Change in Event-Driven Systems 00:41 Designing Events with Cloud Event Specification 02:27 Implementing Versioning in Event Publishing 06:04 Handling Multiple Event Versions as a Consumer 08:29 Best Practices and Conclusion
youtu.be
December 8, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Imagine changing your car’s engine while driving it down the motorway. Tricky, right?
That's what it can feel like evolving event systems.
In this video I'll show you the easiest way to evolve your event-driven systems.
youtu.be/jZyMtk8OWQ0
That's what it can feel like evolving event systems.
In this video I'll show you the easiest way to evolve your event-driven systems.
youtu.be/jZyMtk8OWQ0
Reposted by James Eastham
That's fair - there's plenty in this set of principles that can apply to software that has nothing to do with LLMs/AI
December 5, 2025 at 4:50 PM
That's fair - there's plenty in this set of principles that can apply to software that has nothing to do with LLMs/AI
Reposted by James Eastham
Cool! This wording with _friction_ is exactly how my internal monologue goes. Especially with e.g. learning things - without actual friction - without struggle (cuz you're outsourcing your brain) - you're not growing.
December 4, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Cool! This wording with _friction_ is exactly how my internal monologue goes. Especially with e.g. learning things - without actual friction - without struggle (cuz you're outsourcing your brain) - you're not growing.
Fantastic article on the Guardian about Spotify Wrapped and 'removing critical thought about things'.
Particularly this little section here.
I'm not bashing Spotify Wrapped by the way, it can be surprising. But it does show 'thinking' is being automated a way.
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/d...
Particularly this little section here.
I'm not bashing Spotify Wrapped by the way, it can be surprising. But it does show 'thinking' is being automated a way.
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/d...
December 3, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Fantastic article on the Guardian about Spotify Wrapped and 'removing critical thought about things'.
Particularly this little section here.
I'm not bashing Spotify Wrapped by the way, it can be surprising. But it does show 'thinking' is being automated a way.
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/d...
Particularly this little section here.
I'm not bashing Spotify Wrapped by the way, it can be surprising. But it does show 'thinking' is being automated a way.
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/d...
Ever had to change the structure of an event? Wondered how to do that in a safe way that doesn't break all the consumers?
Luckily, I have the video for you. I cover how you should think about versioning, and how to depreceate events in your event-driven system safely.
youtu.be/pXMvi0-RB1I
Luckily, I have the video for you. I cover how you should think about versioning, and how to depreceate events in your event-driven system safely.
youtu.be/pXMvi0-RB1I
December 3, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Ever had to change the structure of an event? Wondered how to do that in a safe way that doesn't break all the consumers?
Luckily, I have the video for you. I cover how you should think about versioning, and how to depreceate events in your event-driven system safely.
youtu.be/pXMvi0-RB1I
Luckily, I have the video for you. I cover how you should think about versioning, and how to depreceate events in your event-driven system safely.
youtu.be/pXMvi0-RB1I
Reposted by James Eastham
Now we're getting to the exciting stuff. AWS Lambda now support durable executions. This is one of my favourite features in Cloudflare, and having this available natively in Lambda is nice.
Some caveats around using versions. But a brilliant release.
#serverless
aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/bu...
Some caveats around using versions. But a brilliant release.
#serverless
aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/bu...
December 2, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Now we're getting to the exciting stuff. AWS Lambda now support durable executions. This is one of my favourite features in Cloudflare, and having this available natively in Lambda is nice.
Some caveats around using versions. But a brilliant release.
#serverless
aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/bu...
Some caveats around using versions. But a brilliant release.
#serverless
aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/bu...
Setting up an RSS feed aggregator on my home server and doing all my 'internetting' through an RSS reader app has improved my general enjoyment of the internet tenfold.
Hyper specific feeds, no ads or bullshit.
It's great.
Hyper specific feeds, no ads or bullshit.
It's great.
December 2, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Setting up an RSS feed aggregator on my home server and doing all my 'internetting' through an RSS reader app has improved my general enjoyment of the internet tenfold.
Hyper specific feeds, no ads or bullshit.
It's great.
Hyper specific feeds, no ads or bullshit.
It's great.