Damien Guard
@damieng.com
• Software engineer @MongoDB (EF/C#)
• Was @Auth0 (SDKs), @GitHub (Atom), @Microsoft (EF), @Xbox (Web/Sec), @Netflix (Players)
• Font designer, dad to twins, 8/16-bit fanatic, C# fan
❤️☮️
• Was @Auth0 (SDKs), @GitHub (Atom), @Microsoft (EF), @Xbox (Web/Sec), @Netflix (Players)
• Font designer, dad to twins, 8/16-bit fanatic, C# fan
❤️☮️
"Rest assured..."
The universal sign of "You're going to be disappointed with my inability to resolve your issue in about 5-10 minutes."
The universal sign of "You're going to be disappointed with my inability to resolve your issue in about 5-10 minutes."
October 28, 2025 at 11:06 AM
"Rest assured..."
The universal sign of "You're going to be disappointed with my inability to resolve your issue in about 5-10 minutes."
The universal sign of "You're going to be disappointed with my inability to resolve your issue in about 5-10 minutes."
Reposted by Damien Guard
My first blog post for MongoDB: Vector search with embeddings using EF Core against MongoDB. Super easy to get started, everything running free and locally for no hassle trying stuff out! #EFCore #MongoDB #dotnet
dev.to/mongodb/mong...
dev.to/mongodb/mong...
MongoDB Vector Search With EF Core
This post was written by Arthur Vickers, Staff Engineer at MongoDB The 8.3.3 and 9.0.3 releases of...
dev.to
October 27, 2025 at 1:14 PM
My first blog post for MongoDB: Vector search with embeddings using EF Core against MongoDB. Super easy to get started, everything running free and locally for no hassle trying stuff out! #EFCore #MongoDB #dotnet
dev.to/mongodb/mong...
dev.to/mongodb/mong...
I just shipped explicit transaction support in our MongoDB EF Core Provider.
Check out how to use it and how it differs implicit transactions (supported since 2024) and ambient transactions.
damieng.com/blog/2025/10...
Check out how to use it and how it differs implicit transactions (supported since 2024) and ambient transactions.
damieng.com/blog/2025/10...
Transactions in the MongoDB EF Core Provider - DamienG
Database transactions ensure that multi-record (or in our case multi-document) operations either all succeed or all fail together.
damieng.com
October 25, 2025 at 3:38 PM
I just shipped explicit transaction support in our MongoDB EF Core Provider.
Check out how to use it and how it differs implicit transactions (supported since 2024) and ambient transactions.
damieng.com/blog/2025/10...
Check out how to use it and how it differs implicit transactions (supported since 2024) and ambient transactions.
damieng.com/blog/2025/10...
So when Alexa sends skill requests it has a userId (obviously) but also optionally it can have a personId if you have voice id enabled.
Which means requests can be individually tailored.
Why exactly do neither Spotify or Apple allow you to associate a person id with a family plan member?
Which means requests can be individually tailored.
Why exactly do neither Spotify or Apple allow you to associate a person id with a family plan member?
September 30, 2025 at 4:13 PM
So when Alexa sends skill requests it has a userId (obviously) but also optionally it can have a personId if you have voice id enabled.
Which means requests can be individually tailored.
Why exactly do neither Spotify or Apple allow you to associate a person id with a family plan member?
Which means requests can be individually tailored.
Why exactly do neither Spotify or Apple allow you to associate a person id with a family plan member?
I get it - you built something in a week using AI.
But do you really have a good product or SaaS startup now?
What's to stop anyone else doing what you just did?
Somebody less knowledgeable might be able to do it even better in 4 days with next months tools...
But do you really have a good product or SaaS startup now?
What's to stop anyone else doing what you just did?
Somebody less knowledgeable might be able to do it even better in 4 days with next months tools...
September 29, 2025 at 4:00 PM
I get it - you built something in a week using AI.
But do you really have a good product or SaaS startup now?
What's to stop anyone else doing what you just did?
Somebody less knowledgeable might be able to do it even better in 4 days with next months tools...
But do you really have a good product or SaaS startup now?
What's to stop anyone else doing what you just did?
Somebody less knowledgeable might be able to do it even better in 4 days with next months tools...
"Your email address was found in a data breach."
At this point without more information these notifications and services are worse than useless.
At this point without more information these notifications and services are worse than useless.
September 15, 2025 at 4:48 PM
"Your email address was found in a data breach."
At this point without more information these notifications and services are worse than useless.
At this point without more information these notifications and services are worse than useless.
Ferris hacks his grades in the opening scenes of Ferris Bueller's Day Of... 1986.
Sooo... almost 40 years ago.
Everything old is new.
Sooo... almost 40 years ago.
Everything old is new.
This isn't news, kids have been doing this ever since computers were first installed in class rooms/school libraries. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Children hacking their own schools for 'fun', watchdog warns
The Information Commissioner's Office says schools face an "insider threat" from children as young as seven.
www.bbc.com
September 15, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Ferris hacks his grades in the opening scenes of Ferris Bueller's Day Of... 1986.
Sooo... almost 40 years ago.
Everything old is new.
Sooo... almost 40 years ago.
Everything old is new.
I get why people want phones with better cameras.
Better battery life, definitely.
Lighter? Sure.
But this Apple obsession with making it everything thin..
I don't need to save 3mm in my pocket, if I did I wouldn't buy a big-screen phone.
Give me a bigger battery any day.
Better battery life, definitely.
Lighter? Sure.
But this Apple obsession with making it everything thin..
I don't need to save 3mm in my pocket, if I did I wouldn't buy a big-screen phone.
Give me a bigger battery any day.
September 10, 2025 at 2:26 PM
I get why people want phones with better cameras.
Better battery life, definitely.
Lighter? Sure.
But this Apple obsession with making it everything thin..
I don't need to save 3mm in my pocket, if I did I wouldn't buy a big-screen phone.
Give me a bigger battery any day.
Better battery life, definitely.
Lighter? Sure.
But this Apple obsession with making it everything thin..
I don't need to save 3mm in my pocket, if I did I wouldn't buy a big-screen phone.
Give me a bigger battery any day.
I don't necessarily believe I'm looking at the past with rose-tinted glasses.
I just think it had better colour grading.
I just think it had better colour grading.
September 10, 2025 at 10:43 AM
I don't necessarily believe I'm looking at the past with rose-tinted glasses.
I just think it had better colour grading.
I just think it had better colour grading.
"Large diffs are not rendered by default."
Those 7 little words that make you take a deep breath before clicking.
Those 7 little words that make you take a deep breath before clicking.
August 20, 2025 at 5:25 PM
"Large diffs are not rendered by default."
Those 7 little words that make you take a deep breath before clicking.
Those 7 little words that make you take a deep breath before clicking.
Do not ever ever mandate a user be signed in to be able to send you any kind of support/contact request.
Unless of course you don't want to know your new user sign up flow is broken for some new users.
I'm looking at you Docusign.
Unless of course you don't want to know your new user sign up flow is broken for some new users.
I'm looking at you Docusign.
June 18, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Do not ever ever mandate a user be signed in to be able to send you any kind of support/contact request.
Unless of course you don't want to know your new user sign up flow is broken for some new users.
I'm looking at you Docusign.
Unless of course you don't want to know your new user sign up flow is broken for some new users.
I'm looking at you Docusign.
At some point I'll stop being hypnotised by the Apple vintage screen saver.
That time is not today.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oezf...
We need somebody to do something similar that just works with screenshots of other old operating systems.
OS/2, Windows 386, Solaris, QNX, BeOS... please!
That time is not today.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oezf...
We need somebody to do something similar that just works with screenshots of other old operating systems.
OS/2, Windows 386, Solaris, QNX, BeOS... please!
macOS 15 Sequoia Retro Macintosh Screen Saver 4K [30 min]
YouTube video by Yasin's Extra
www.youtube.com
June 17, 2025 at 3:27 PM
At some point I'll stop being hypnotised by the Apple vintage screen saver.
That time is not today.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oezf...
We need somebody to do something similar that just works with screenshots of other old operating systems.
OS/2, Windows 386, Solaris, QNX, BeOS... please!
That time is not today.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oezf...
We need somebody to do something similar that just works with screenshots of other old operating systems.
OS/2, Windows 386, Solaris, QNX, BeOS... please!
They say to try and find the good in any situation. So here I am with quite the cold and sore throat... narrating my life to the voice of Optimus Prime.
April 23, 2025 at 9:41 PM
They say to try and find the good in any situation. So here I am with quite the cold and sore throat... narrating my life to the voice of Optimus Prime.
So the TypeScript team rewrote the TypeScript compiler in Go.
Sure, that's their choice but let's be honest here.
Anyone wanting to write cross-platform command-line tools in C# is now going to face an uphill battle with "even Microsoft didn't use C# for theirs" used as a smack down.
Sure, that's their choice but let's be honest here.
Anyone wanting to write cross-platform command-line tools in C# is now going to face an uphill battle with "even Microsoft didn't use C# for theirs" used as a smack down.
March 12, 2025 at 5:03 PM
So the TypeScript team rewrote the TypeScript compiler in Go.
Sure, that's their choice but let's be honest here.
Anyone wanting to write cross-platform command-line tools in C# is now going to face an uphill battle with "even Microsoft didn't use C# for theirs" used as a smack down.
Sure, that's their choice but let's be honest here.
Anyone wanting to write cross-platform command-line tools in C# is now going to face an uphill battle with "even Microsoft didn't use C# for theirs" used as a smack down.
Been playing around a bit with Claude 3.7 Sonnet and it's been great for doing Tailwind and web page starters.
Gave it a chance at some personal C# stuff and it created a fair PoC with some prompting and existing know-how.
Gave it a chance at some personal C# stuff and it created a fair PoC with some prompting and existing know-how.
February 28, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Been playing around a bit with Claude 3.7 Sonnet and it's been great for doing Tailwind and web page starters.
Gave it a chance at some personal C# stuff and it created a fair PoC with some prompting and existing know-how.
Gave it a chance at some personal C# stuff and it created a fair PoC with some prompting and existing know-how.
It was the 30th birthday of Delphi yesterday & I would write about how it changed my idea of software development but... I already did that for the 25th.
So here it is again!
damieng.com/blog/2020/02...
My Disk Image Manager for ZX/Spectrum/Memotech/CPC disk images was originally written in it!
So here it is again!
damieng.com/blog/2020/02...
My Disk Image Manager for ZX/Spectrum/Memotech/CPC disk images was originally written in it!
My own Delphi story - celebrating 25 years - DamienG
damieng.com
February 15, 2025 at 10:18 AM
It was the 30th birthday of Delphi yesterday & I would write about how it changed my idea of software development but... I already did that for the 25th.
So here it is again!
damieng.com/blog/2020/02...
My Disk Image Manager for ZX/Spectrum/Memotech/CPC disk images was originally written in it!
So here it is again!
damieng.com/blog/2020/02...
My Disk Image Manager for ZX/Spectrum/Memotech/CPC disk images was originally written in it!
If you are going to get a top-end graphics card do yourself a favor and get a 16-pin 12VHPWR that is:
a. From the manufacturer of your PC
b. Ideally in white
It's not worth risking $2000 on saving $15 on a cable.
Yeah yeah mine is a 4090 and needs dusting.
a. From the manufacturer of your PC
b. Ideally in white
It's not worth risking $2000 on saving $15 on a cable.
Yeah yeah mine is a 4090 and needs dusting.
February 14, 2025 at 10:13 AM
If you are going to get a top-end graphics card do yourself a favor and get a 16-pin 12VHPWR that is:
a. From the manufacturer of your PC
b. Ideally in white
It's not worth risking $2000 on saving $15 on a cable.
Yeah yeah mine is a 4090 and needs dusting.
a. From the manufacturer of your PC
b. Ideally in white
It's not worth risking $2000 on saving $15 on a cable.
Yeah yeah mine is a 4090 and needs dusting.
keep seeing screenshots of modern retro-style games with gorgeous art paired with fonts that aren't up to the same standard.
Often they need just a few small tweaks.
Remember, I have hundreds of free 8x8 fonts available and if you need help fine-tuning any pixel font I'm here for you.
Often they need just a few small tweaks.
Remember, I have hundreds of free 8x8 fonts available and if you need help fine-tuning any pixel font I'm here for you.
February 10, 2025 at 1:00 PM
keep seeing screenshots of modern retro-style games with gorgeous art paired with fonts that aren't up to the same standard.
Often they need just a few small tweaks.
Remember, I have hundreds of free 8x8 fonts available and if you need help fine-tuning any pixel font I'm here for you.
Often they need just a few small tweaks.
Remember, I have hundreds of free 8x8 fonts available and if you need help fine-tuning any pixel font I'm here for you.
Honestly between my favourite shows jumping between services or disappearing, rising costs, more services and now the forced ads I'm glad I still have DVD & BluRay discs around.
Tempted to get myself a nice 4K BluRay player. Picture and sound quality also superior to steaming compression.
Tempted to get myself a nice 4K BluRay player. Picture and sound quality also superior to steaming compression.
February 10, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Honestly between my favourite shows jumping between services or disappearing, rising costs, more services and now the forced ads I'm glad I still have DVD & BluRay discs around.
Tempted to get myself a nice 4K BluRay player. Picture and sound quality also superior to steaming compression.
Tempted to get myself a nice 4K BluRay player. Picture and sound quality also superior to steaming compression.
How is it legal that Disney+ can introduce ads on ad-free plans to people who already paid for a specific plan up-front for a year?
I get month-to-month they can change it for the following month but this seems a complete bait-and-switch.
#enshittification ensues. Now how do I get a refund?
I get month-to-month they can change it for the following month but this seems a complete bait-and-switch.
#enshittification ensues. Now how do I get a refund?
February 10, 2025 at 9:45 AM
How is it legal that Disney+ can introduce ads on ad-free plans to people who already paid for a specific plan up-front for a year?
I get month-to-month they can change it for the following month but this seems a complete bait-and-switch.
#enshittification ensues. Now how do I get a refund?
I get month-to-month they can change it for the following month but this seems a complete bait-and-switch.
#enshittification ensues. Now how do I get a refund?
£18/month Netflix supplies many expensive, high-bandwidth content with new movies & show every month. Creatives clamour to get on board.
£20/month Spotify supplies cheaper-to-make, low-bandwidth content and I rarely find new stuff I like. Musicians hate it.
Is compensation radically different?
£20/month Spotify supplies cheaper-to-make, low-bandwidth content and I rarely find new stuff I like. Musicians hate it.
Is compensation radically different?
February 3, 2025 at 2:29 PM
£18/month Netflix supplies many expensive, high-bandwidth content with new movies & show every month. Creatives clamour to get on board.
£20/month Spotify supplies cheaper-to-make, low-bandwidth content and I rarely find new stuff I like. Musicians hate it.
Is compensation radically different?
£20/month Spotify supplies cheaper-to-make, low-bandwidth content and I rarely find new stuff I like. Musicians hate it.
Is compensation radically different?
OpenAI was trained without permission on countless copyrighted texts.
Karma has entered the building.
www.techradar.com/computing/ar...
Karma has entered the building.
www.techradar.com/computing/ar...
OpenAI says DeepSeek used its models illegally, and it has evidence to prove it, new report claims
Has there been a breach of intellectual property?
www.techradar.com
January 29, 2025 at 4:34 PM
OpenAI was trained without permission on countless copyrighted texts.
Karma has entered the building.
www.techradar.com/computing/ar...
Karma has entered the building.
www.techradar.com/computing/ar...
Maybe Microsoft should slow down the development of C# and Razor etc. for a minute to work on the awful state of syntax highlighting for these languages.
Exhibit A from Microsoft's own docs - Yikes!
Exhibit A from Microsoft's own docs - Yikes!
January 24, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Maybe Microsoft should slow down the development of C# and Razor etc. for a minute to work on the awful state of syntax highlighting for these languages.
Exhibit A from Microsoft's own docs - Yikes!
Exhibit A from Microsoft's own docs - Yikes!
