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Generative AI: pitfalls, myths and potential
This post is about Generative AI – also known as GAI, LLMs, GPT, AI chatbots or simply ‘ChatGPT’. Its output is impressive and fun to play around with. It seems like everyone and their guinea pigs have used ChatGPT at least once. But how much do we, even those who work in digital and tech,…
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Cypress tips and tricks, part 1 : working with single-purpose iframes
Cypress is a fantastic test automation tool for frontend testing newbies. It has a low barrier to entry, with detailed and helpful documentation. It comes bundled with many of the key components of a full-fledged testing framework, minimising initial configuration. Most importantly, it’s enjoyable to work with, and has a strong community of enthusiastic and…
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TestBash Brighton and the Evolution of Testing
In March 2017 I attended TestBash Brighton. Despite being a long-time fan of the Ministry of Testing (as well as their busy Testers’ Slack), I’d never been to any of their events before. I expected an enjoyable and engaging day, and I was not disappointed! Both speakers and attendees were friendly and approachable, and each talk was…
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We need to talk about test data
Last month, I was hurriedly booking a vets’ appointment using my surgery’s online form. In the process, I accidentally used test data instead of my own! #testerproblems Absent-mindedly filling in the vets’ contact form with fake contact details rather than my real details. — James Sheasby Thomas (@RightSaidJames) April 20, 2017 Not sure Mr Fakename (email: test@example.com)…
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Accessibility testing crash course
This post is a companion to my ‘Accessibility testing crash course’ talk that I gave at Leeds Testing Atelier 2016. I gave a revised version of this talk at Inviqa DevDay in December 2016. Accessibility is arguably the ‘last mile‘ of web development. No matter how good your site’s design, tech stack, code and testing is, its accessibility is probably passable at…
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Testing: 3 lessons learned
In Summer 2013 I made the difficult decision to move away from my beloved Cardiff to live in Yorkshire with my (now-) wife. During my 6 month job hunting period I blogged about my frustrations with Jobcentre Plus and shared my advice for dealing with recruiters. Dozens of applications and 3 job interviews later, I found a…