Who are you and what do you do at Behance?
I’m Manny, a DevOps Engineer with Behance. My team is responsible for the infrastructure that keeps Behance up and running. We use a lot of different technologies to guarantee the best experience for the Behance community. My recent focus has been on building software tools to automate the processes that tie all these technologies together. Since we are a small team we don’t want to burden ourselves with redundant tasks; automating these tasks is key.
What are three desktop tools you can’t live without?
Macvim: I deal mostly with text and code. Having a good editor is really important. Vim has been around a long time and has many plugins to handle every task imaginable. This version, for OSX, does everything I need.
Evernote: This is my “to do list” and my “brain dump”. Everything that comes my way ends up here in some form or another. This helps me keep things in order.
Ag - The Silver Searcher: Again, having to deal with so much text, Ag lets me search through all of it quickly and easily. In my opinion, it’s by far the fastest plain text search tool around.
What have you worked on recently that you’re extra proud of?
We regularly have to roll out changes to our systems to fix issues or improve performance. Whenever a change has to be made, there is always a risk that those changes may have an unexpected impact. Recently, I’ve worked towards being able to simulate those changes before we make them on the live site. This lets us test our new ideas in a safe place without worrying about affecting the site.
What are some startups that you’re a fan of?
Several of the startups that I’ve loved in the past, who have done great engineering work (like Netflix and Etsy) have grown too big to be called startups anymore. I think they came from great roots and still deserve mention. On the horizon, I see “The Internet of Things” growing everyday. Google is even showing an interest now after their purchase of Nest. A startup I’m watching in this field is Smartthings. They are trying to make every device in your house smarter, providing feedback about what’s going on in your home. Since their system can be dropped into any home I think it has the potential to go really far. Another startup that I have to mention is HirePurpose. They are out of NYC and I have had the privilege of working with them before. They have a noble cause and are working with different military branches and government departments to make the lives of veterans better. I am really rooting for their success.
What do you listen to while working?
Recently, I’ve been a big fan of Spotify’s discover page. It’s one of the places where I discover new music. When I want something more familiar, I’ll go back to my playlists. It’s become an eclectic mix, ranging from Celia Cruz to Porcupine Tree. Though most recently, I think I’ve been listening to Rocket & The Ghost and the Bastille songs that get less radio time. Bastille’s cover of “Rhythm of the Night” is haunting and brilliant.
