iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 15/09/2026

I just realized I hadn't made the announcement on Bluesky so here it is - I've moved to Germany! It's been four months and so far it has been a great adventure.

Heidelberg Castle, a large, partially ruined castle on a hillside overlooking a quaint town. The castle is largely made of pink sandstone.

The courtyard of St Stephens Church in Mainz. Tall stained glass windows feature prominently in front of a tower. The construction is largely pink sandstone.

190

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 19/08/2026

I made another visit to the @devmio.bsky.social office today to record an episode of the Signals Dev Talk podcast. Be sure to catch the new episodes, and catch up on the backlog, by visiting devm.io/signals-podc...

Michael Dowden wearing his signature gray felt flat cap, looking up and to the left with a pink to teal gradient background and a faint podcast symbol.

000

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 07/05/2026

I've been having a great time in Mainz, Germany this week at JAX, the Java, Architecture, & Software Innovation conference. I have my presentation on Real-Time APIs later today. We've also recorded two episodes for the Signals podcast live on stage. devm.io/signals-podc...

Photo of four vertical flags blowing in the wind. The leftmost flag is pink and white with the text "Mainz Plus" while the remaining flags are blue with white text, "JAX". The skyline has buildings up to the halfway point on the flags

021

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 17/03/2026

Wearing my favorite green shirt while drinking a Guinness and waiting on the cottage pie in the oven. It's a good way to celebrate today. ☘️

Michael in a green shirt drinking a dark beverage in front of a red wall.

1110

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 10/02/2026

Repost with a photo of yours that would make a good album cover. For mine you can choose between metal, Christmas, or folk.

Michael wearing a dust respirator in a stylized, desaturated photo

Michael in a Santa hat with a cheesy grin in front of a fireplace and brightly lit Christmas tree

Michael with a slight, pensive smile standing in the shadows of a brightly lit ancient Scottish ruin

240

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 25/11/2025

Share a 90s movie you think deserves more love

DVD cover of the USA version of the movie, "The City of Lost Children"

031

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 25/11/2025

"You will be visited by three spirits" The three spirits:

Image from the movie The Fifth Element showing Father Vito Cornelius, Korben Dallas, and Leeloo in Korben's apartment.

070

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 22/10/2025

I truly appreciate everyone who attended my keynote today at #APIConference | #SLAcon today. You can find all of my blog articles and links at ags.run/u/mrdowden, and don't forget to reach out to me for a meetup before the conference is over; I'd love to grab a beverage and have a chat!

010

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 21/10/2025

Thanks to everyone who attended my talk on Coding Serverless Functions today at #SLAcon. Don't forget that you can find all of my blog articles and links to my socials at ags.run/u/mrdowden. Be sure to reach out if you want to talk more serverless or grab a cup of coffee!

042

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 21/10/2025

I am once again back in Berlin for #APIConference and #SLAcon. Join me for talks at both events this week - including my keynote address on Real-time Serverless APIs! - and reach out to me via the links below if you want to get together for a chat over liquid refreshments! lnk.bio/mrdowden

032

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 19/10/2025

Current status: living my best life in Berlin

Michael drinking dark beer from a 1 liter stein

181

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 06/10/2025

Wrapped up #PlaythroughGC for @lorelink.com and got some delicious quesabirria for dinner. Now comes a long wait for a short flight home.

Michael in his pink Lore Link t-shirt riding up an escalator with his luggage.

Platter of quesabirria (fried birria tacos) with a couple bites out of the first one.

160

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 05/10/2025

Booth 103 all set up for another day of #PlaythroughGC! Come visit me. @lorelink.com

Michael wearing his Lore Link uniform standing in front of the convention booth.

052

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 04/10/2025

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by the @lorelink.com booth at #PlaythroughGC today! We're here for another 5 hours today and back again tomorrow.

Michael wearing his burgundy colored Lore Link vest and flat cap, with name badge and pins.

195

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 03/10/2025

Made it to the convention center, but first things first - grabbed coffee and breakfast.

An illustration on a glass door showing a cardinal bird wearing a scarf and hat and holding a pumpkin.

031

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 08/08/2025

Hey #DevUp attendees, ever found yourself writing too much code and ending up looping b/c your data doesn’t reflect your algorithms? Join me in room D1 at 3:15pm CT for Data Structures in TypeScript and we'll back to some fundamentals on getting the most out of your data structures. See you there!

030

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 07/08/2025

In about an hour, I'll be presenting my talk Algorithm Design for Web Developers in room D2 here at #DevUp. Join me and we'll go back to basics on algorithms: classifying them, assessing them, and why that matters. See you there!

043

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 31/07/2025

I found my way to Meeting Room 12 in the stadium at Gen Con and am all ready for our upcoming workshop: "What to do before your First Session as a GM". Join me and Lore Link project lead Mark Della-Croce at 4 pm ET. #GenCon #TTRPG

Michael wearing burgundy color Lore Link gear, flat cap, and name tag, standing in front of Meeting Room 12.

081

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 31/07/2025

If you're at Gen Con, please say hi if you spot me. I should be dressed something like this to make me easier to find.

Michael wearing a pink Lore Link T-shirt, flat cap, maroon red vest, a large name tag with he/him pronouns, and a couple large pins on the vest.

063

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 23/05/2025

So happy I got to hike to this spot.

A short waterfall pours into a clear pool as green hills lead to green and brown mountain peaks in the background while clouds look down from above.

110

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 23/05/2025

This is an amazing and famous castle.

A large stone castle (built to 13th century plans) overlooks a bay at low tide with an arched stone bridge connecting it to the mainland.

120

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 23/05/2025

This photo will give it away to anyone who's been there.

Large hillside divided by an ancient stone wall, sheep on the hillside and patches of shrubs with yellow flowers. The blue sky and ocean meet in the background with clouds floating gently overhead.

100

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 23/05/2025

Slightly out of order but a beautiful view.

Oceanside view from the top of a cliff, showing water breaking on the rocks below, bare rocks on the cliff side and green grass on the crest.

100

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 23/05/2025

If this helps track me down I'll be impressed.

Narrow crawling tunnel with thinly layered stones. View is out the tunnel from inside an ancient chamber toward the sunny outdoors.

100

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 23/05/2025

I've had a great vacation the last few days! Anyone care to guess where I am? I'll post an extra photo with every like.

Michael wearing a black t-shirt, black sunglasses, dark grey hoodie, and silver celtic medallion on a black leather cord. Behind him is a large, ancient stone worn by many years of weather. From the angle of the photo the deep blue sky is the only other item visible.

170

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 14/05/2025

I had another great visit to London, but sadly, it’s time to head out. Thanks for joining me at @javascriptcon.bsky.social , @apiconference.bsky.social , and @mlcon.bsky.social this week. I would appreciate it if you would connect with me on LinkedIn. linkedin.com/in/mrdowden

A red Telephone booth, inside the conference with a Welcome banner in the background.

161

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 14/05/2025

Current status: working in a train station pub in London.

Michael sitting behind a laptop and glass of golden ale at a wooden table with a window in the background.

151

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 14/05/2025

Beginning an hour from now, I'll be giving "Algorithm Design for Web Developers" for @javascriptcon.bsky.social, a talk that will explain how to review your code for complexity and user-impacting performance. Join me in Victoria 1 at 10:30 BST.

A card stating "Michael Dowden (he/him) presents Algorithm Design for Web Developers"

030

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 13/05/2025

In an hour, I will be presenting “Data Structures in TypeScript” for @javascriptcon.bsky.social , @apiconference.bsky.social , and @mlcon.bsky.social, where I discuss ways to represent your data in code. See you in Victoria 1 beginning at 11:30 BST.

A card telling people about "Michael Dowden (he/him) Presents Data Structures in TypeScript"

010

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 11/05/2025

Wrapping up my first day in London with a trip to the pub for dinner and a pint

Michael sitting in a pub with British flags hanging over the bar

091

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 11/05/2025

Stopping for a quick train station breakfast in London before heading to the hotel.

a to-go cup from FCB Coffee and a cinnamon bun

150

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 11/05/2025

Good morning, London! I'll be presenting twice during @javascriptcon.bsky.social , @apiconference.bsky.social , and @mlcon.bsky.social this week; stay tuned here for info. If you’re not already, it would be great if you also connected with me on LinkedIn. linkedin.com/in/mrdowden

051

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 10/04/2025

I managed to collect 11 badges at Google Cloud Next today. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Michael showing off his Next 25 conference badge with 6 skills pins and 5 collectors pins

050

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 28/02/2025

Last week I was enjoying the beautiful Alpine scenery while skiing in France and Switzerland. Truly an amazing landscape and a wonderful time.

View of the mountain range Dents du Midi as seen from the ski slopes in the Alps. Pine trees are seen in the foreground and the sky above is gray and cloudy.

View of the Alps with white-capped peaks in the distance, dark blue sky above with high, wispy clouds, a ski slope in the foreground looking down with the sides of the slop covered by evergreen trees. Down to the left is a remove ski lodge.

View of the Alps with the French town of Chatel nestled in the valley and pine trees covering the lower reaches of the mountains with snow covering the peaks.

050

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 06/02/2025

And so it begins....a new era of Civilization.

Screenshot of Steam showing the installation progress of Sid Meier's Civilization VII, downloading 3.39 of 14.01 GB with 0 of 37 achievements.

130

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 18/12/2024

I'm not disappointed by the results.

000

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 06/12/2024

Another fun release from this year: Stonetop. This is an iron age “hearth fantasy” RPG with the heroes living in an isolated village at the end of the world working to build up, improve, and defend their community. I love the constructive (rather than destructive) vibe and the community focus.

Pencil sketch illustration depicting a large stone menhir decorated with swirl patterns stands in a grassy plain surrounded by medieval-style, thatch-roof huts. The illustration is intended to evoke a rustic village.

160

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 06/12/2024

I would be very interested in playing Triangle Agency, which calls itself "a tabletop role-playing game of paranormal investigation and corporate horror", inspired by the likes of X-Files, my favorite TV show. www.hauntedtable.games/triangle-age... #ttrpg #paranormal #triangleagency

Cover of the book for Triangle Agency by Caleb Zane Huett & Sean Ireland. The tagline is: "Click in. Save the World." The cover is mostly white with a feminine character in a deep blue pantsuit with red tie and red high heels carrying a reddish hard briefcase.

110

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 05/12/2024

I radically underestimated the longevity of this thread 😂 Feels like a good time to pull in Aftermath. I'm not sure I would call it "fun" and I would never play it without a GM who knows it well, but it's a challenging survival RPG that leaves you excited when you survive. #ttrpg

Orange book cover with green text reading Aftermath! A role playing game set in a post-holocaust world. By Paul Hume and Robert Charrette. Fantasy Games Unlimited Inc. Cover art shows two characters with hodgepodge gear carrying weapons and walking on a pile of rubble and bodies, all against a dark green sky.

130

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 05/12/2024

It's been a long time but I wouldn't mind playing Traveller again, even if my character dies during creation. 🙃 #ttrpg #traveller

Traveller core rulebook update 2022. Shows two human-looking characters, an android, a rat-like humanoid and a demon-looking character weilding weapons with a spaceship flying overhead.

230

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 05/12/2024

Another sci-fi I would like to try is Starfinder 2e. I wasn't a big fan of the first edition because the mechanics and the theme didn't match up in a way that worked for me, but it seems like they've fixed a lot of this and I would like to give it another try. #ttrpg #starfinder

The cover to the Starfinder Second Edition Playtest Rulebook, by Jessica Catalan, Thurston Hillman, Jenny Jarzabski, Mike Kimmel, and Dustin Knight. The space background is in blues and purples, and there is a group of adventurers fighting a group of giant centipedes.

250

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 04/12/2024

Sci-fi horror can also be fun. Alien: The Roleplaying Game is solid fun and keeps you a bit on edge. I joined an actual play session for this one (lorelink.com/systems/alie...) #ttrpg #alien

Alien The Roleplaying Game rulebook cover. It is mostly black, with a person in a bulky space suit walking towards the camera in the middle of the cover. Behind them is an Alien Xenomorph, with the segmented tail making a circular frame around the person in the space suit.

110

Michael Dowden @mrdowden.com · 04/12/2024

My first-ever RPG that I played in was FFRPG - Final Fantasy RPG which is a fan-created system intended to model Final Fantasy video game rules. Hilariously, I've never played Final Fantasy. 😅 If you're curious: ffrpg.net/ffrpg/ #ttrpg #ffrpg #finalfantasy

White page with black text that reads: The Final Fantasy Role Playing Game Third Edition

130