Unboxed Roundup: our links for w/c 23rd March 2015

A Slack bot for keeping your team fit through open pull requests - Tom R

https://github.com/robinpowered/swolebot

Besieged by open pull requests? Beleaguered under the weight of too much work and too little time at the gym? Solve both problems in one with this slack bot that'll have your team frantically merging all pull requests as quickly as possible to avoid bulking up crossfit-style.

Useful links and tips for building APIs with Rails - Tadas T

https://blog.jalada.co.uk/tips-when-writing-an-api-in-ruby-on-rails

The post is a concise compilation of subjective learnings from building APIs with Rails and has a great selection of links to API-realted tools/libraries. The latter was the reason why I liked it actually. I didn't know about hawk, heroku-deflater, etc. before reading this article.

Wants live streaming video? Simples! - Dom M

http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/20/live-now-meerkat-raises-12m-from-greylock-at-a-40m-valuation/

Meerkat adds to mobile networks' bandwidth headaches with data hungry live video streaming app with full Twitter integration. And there's more OTT video applications headaches to come as Twitter-purchased Periscope is set for a big push.

10+ Years of Rails with DHH (podcast) - Tom S

http://thechangelog.com/145

DHH talks about the past, present and future of Ruby on Rails

Uber opens APIs to third parties - Dom M

https://developer.uber.com/

Interesting to see how this pans out for digitally connected, renting, car less people...

How drawing squiggly birds helps us understand how to convey ideas rapidly - Carrie B

http://app.looplogic.com/davegray/squiggle-birds

Our minds are pattern-making machines, and very little drawing is actually required to convey an idea. The mind will fill in the rest. We need less than we think to get an idea across.

News for entrepreneurs... - Dom M

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-small-business/wp/2015/03/16/no-entrepreneurs-most-of-you-dont-need-angel-investors-or-venture-capitalists/?postshare=2631426585844742

...most of you don't need angels or VCs!

How do you want to spend your time? - Tom S

http://blog.workshape.io/the-problem-with-job-titles/

A neat way to visually represent what you want to spend your time on. A handful of software engineers created their own shapes and there is quite a variety ranging from solely back end work to an evenly distributed chart.

'Press #1 to Tweet' - Dom M

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/03/19/larry-king-has-a-special-way-of-tweeting-the-broadcast-legend-who-just-cant-retire-talks-about-his-new-media-way-of-life/

Larry King uses voicemail to 'Twitter', because he can.

Towards a Higher-Level Language - Tom S

https://rubyconf.eventer.com/rubyconf-australia-2015-1223/towards-a-higher-level-language-by-erik-michaels-ober-1746

Erik Michaels-Ober shares his views on numerous popular languages over the past few decades based on their level of abstraction. He concludes the talk with some suggestions based on Ruby for an even higher level of abstraction.

IoT central heating goes mainstream - Dom M

https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/homeowner/boilers/wave-and-boiler-controls/wave-control-system

Track of the Week - Oskar P

"Saltwater" by Chicane feat. Moya Brennan

I had this song on repeat for many many (many!) hours while in ‘deep hack mode’. Even now, when I’m having trouble getting in the zone it gives me a mental shortcut to getting back there.