Michael Carducci
Software Architect & Magician
Michael Carducci spent years learning to see things as they actually are; first as a magician, then as a software architect, now as both simultaneously. And somehow that’s not even the whole story.
He’s the author of Mastering Software Architecture (Apress, 2025) and is currently writing The Semantic Layer. He has spent over 25 years following interesting problems; through roles from individual contributor to CTO and back again, across industries and continents.
As a speaker, he applies the same toolkit he uses in close-up magic: attention, misdirection, timing, storytelling, and the instinct to take the long way around when that’s where the truth lives. Audiences at hundreds of conferences across four continents have described his talks as the kind that change how you think about a problem rather than just what you know about it.
He also makes YouTube videos about technology and curiosity with his wife Kate, because some ideas are too important (or too interesting!) to leave only in conference rooms.
Presentations
The Linked Data Revolution is here, are you ready?
Tuesday, 8:30 AM CDT
The web is arguably the single most impactful revolution in human history (to date). By agreeing on a simple set of standards, we have collectively unlocked all the world's information. Documents can be discovered, retrieved, published, and shared so easily we don't even think about it.
Data, on the other hand, is a different story. Our data remains stuck in the 1980s. Locked in silos, each with a different format, interface, and conventions that must be interpreted by a human, parsed, mapped, and converted. Data is at the heart of many problems we solve today, and we produce data exponentially faster than we can consume it.
Today I can request any document from any server on the web. I need to know nothing about the underlying technology the server uses, nothing about how the information is stored or retrieved, and consume it instantly. We've been evolving those same capabilities with data over the past 20 years and the standards, tools, and technologies are reaching critical mass. The linked data revolution is now one that you can no longer ignore. Join us to see what you've been missing.
Completely Rewritten for 2023
Understanding Resource-Oriented Architecture
Tuesday, 10:30 AM CDT
Although the Resource-Oriented Architecture is one of the oldest and most successful distributed architectures, it remains poorly understood and often completely overlooked today.
Much of the microservices architecture pattern is focused on taking applications apart although seemingly everyone has different ideas on how to put things back together again.
In this session, we will start with a summary of the resource-oriented architecture along with it's strengths and weaknesses. Michael will share hard-earned, real-world experience applying ROA concepts to complex microservice environments to successfully build an infinitely scalable, extensible, and understandable system.
Mob Mentality Collaborative coding and problem solving
Tuesday, 1:00 PM CDT
Mob Programming is a style of programming in which the entire team sits together and
works on a single task at a time. Teams that have worked this way have found that
many of the problems that plague normal development just melted away, possibly because communication and learning increases. Teams also find that the quality of their code increases. They find their capacity to create increases. However, the best part of all this is that teams end up being happier and more cohesive.
In this session we introduce the core concepts of mob programming and then get handson mobbing on a coding kata.
An Architect's Approach to API Strategies
Tuesday, 3:00 PM CDT
Integration, once a luxury, is now a necessity. Doing this well, however, continues to be elusive. Early attempts to build better distributed systems such as DCOM, CORBA, and SOAP were widely regarded as failures. Today the focus is on REST, RPC, and graphql style APIs.
Which is best? The goto answer for architects is, of course, “it depends.”
In this session, we look at the various API approaches, how they attempt to deal with the challenge of decoupling client from server, evolvability, extensibility, adaptability, composability.
The biggest challenge is that needs change over time, and APIs must necessarily evolve. Versioning is challenging, and breaking changes are inevitable. You'll leave this session with a highlevel understanding of these approach, their respective tradeoffs and ultimately how to align your API approach with your architectural and organizational goals.
Six Essential Soft Skills for the Software Architect
Tuesday, 5:00 PM CDT
The difference between a junior and a senior dev isn't coding skills. A developer's coding skills are just their ante; necessary to get into the game but, like an ante, they only get you into the game.
Everything that happens from that point on depends on what else you bring to the table.
In this session, we explore the key skills necessary to make an impact, be effective, and will ultimately pave the way to grow into senior/principal level developers and architects.
Finding Signal in the Noise: The art of Execution
Wednesday, 9:00 AM CDT
In tech teams it's a constant firefight. We react. Then we react to the reaction… the cycle continues. In all this noise, in all this chaos, how do we move forward. How do we remain proactive?
A great leader must be an enabler for the team. At times this means insulating the team from the noise. At other times it means improving the environment for the team. At all times, however, it requires setting clear priorities and conditions for success.
This session is focused on the art of moving forward in even the noisiest environments.