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Flutter Plugin Development: A Comprehensive Guide: Part 1
August 6, 2024
By Derrik Fleming | Senior Software Engineer | Introduction Welcome to the world of Flutter plugin development! If you’re a technical leader or a software developer looking to expand your skill set, mastering the development of Flutter plugins is a fantastic way to enhance your apps’ capabilities. In this multi-part guide, we’ll walk you through the essentials of creating and integrating custom Flutter plugins, from the basics to advanced technical details and best practices. Part […]
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Identity in IoT: Put a Stamp On It
August 20, 2024
By Derek Hornacek| Software Engineer | As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to expand, the goal of secure, reliable identity management for devices needs to be top priority. Devices must have a unique identity to interact securely with back-end systems and possibly other devices or mobile applications. Imagine a world where your smart home devices couldn’t distinguish between your commands and your neighbor’s. All of a sudden your neighbor is opening […]
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From Foosball to Foundational: Crafting Lasting Company Culture
August 6, 2024
By Kim Burmeister | CEO | When I first began my career in software, there was a movement to bring fun into the workplace. Our developers spent a lot of time sitting in front of the computer, pounding out thousands of lines of code and they needed a break from their screen. When crafting the perfect space for this, we brought in a ping pong table, foosball table, slushie and popcorn machines, and even a […]
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The SpinLife Guild: Fostering Inclusion and Excellence at Every Step
August 13, 2024
By Dean Martin | Sr Software Engineer | In any company, the significance of a nurturing company culture cannot be overstated. At the heart of such a culture at SpinDance is the SpinLife Guild, a promoter of camaraderie, generosity, and inclusivity. This guild is one of the ways SpinDance creates a workplace where every member feels valued, supported, and connected. Inclusive Membership The foundation of the SpinLife Guild is its diverse and inclusive […]
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Business Chatbot Using Dialogflow and OpenAI Assistant API
July 22, 2024
By Young Kim | Senior Software Engineer II | This blog post will explore the journey of building an experimental chatbot named Toothbot(™) for the fictional Dr. Toothfairy’s dental clinic website, highlighting the evolution from using Dialogflow CX to integrating OpenAI’s generative AI capabilities. Initial Approach: Dialogflow CX The project began with Google’s Dialogflow CX, enticed by its advanced features for building conversational AI interfaces. Dialogflow CX is particularly well-suited for complex conversations due to […]
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Cost Modeling for Cloud Applications: A Quick Guide using Jupyter Notebooks
June 9, 2024
By Michael Olson | Principal Software Engineer Introduction When building a cloud application, it’s important to understand the costs associated with the cloud services you’re using. This can help you make informed decisions about how to optimize your application for cost efficiency as well as prevent unexpected costs from cropping up over time. Traditional tools offered by cloud providers often fall short in giving the depth of insight needed across the […]
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Why I Love CallBox: A Developer’s Perspective
October 17, 2024
By Claire Lundy | Software Engineer | Have you ever found yourself stuck troubleshooting device setup when you could be working on something more exciting?\In my role as a mobile and cloud developer at a consultancy specializing in IoT, I work on a wide variety of projects. However, many IoT solutions share common features, such as device provisioning, Over-the-Air (OTA) firmware updates, command and control, and data analytics. While essential, implementing these features can be […]
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How to Set Up a Smart Home: A Beginner’s Guide From IoT Experts
July 10, 2024
By Claire Lundy | Software Engineer | If you’ve ever been intrigued by the idea of transforming your living space into a smart haven but felt daunted by the prospect, you’re in the right place. This guide, crafted with insights from IoT experts, will walk you through setting up your smart home, demystifying the process, and illustrating how it can lead to savings and an enriched lifestyle. Understanding IoT: The Backbone of Smart Homes Before […]
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A HIL to Die On
July 22, 2024
By Garrett Sutton | Software Engineer – Embedded | HIL, or Hardware in the Loop, is a technique for testing an embedded system during the Continuous Integration process. By adding HIL to your CI/CD pipeline, you can automate tests using the exact same hardware you are running in the field! Here at SpinDance, we run a comprehensive set of unit tests and manual system tests on our embedded repositories. These manual system tests can be […]
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Choosing the Right Espressif Part for Your IoT Product
July 11, 2024
By Rocky Sherriff | Principal Software Engineer So you’re starting a new IoT project and you have some freedom to choose your hardware. That’s both thrilling and terrifying – there are a lot of options out there! One good place to start for many IoT products might be the Espressif product line. They offer a wide range of radios and processors along with a mature software framework that is largely portable across their line. That […]