Matt Layman

I’m Matt, a software creator. Here are things I do:

• Run Full Health Developer.
• Organize Python Frederick.
• Have a few open source projects.
• Work at Storybird.
• Love my family and go to church.

I like to write on technology topics with a focus on Python.

Full Health Developer

I run Full Health Developer. Full Health Developer is a website with a mission to help developers improve their physical and mental health.

I research topics that are relevant to software developers and deliver that information in long form articles. The site covers topics like focus, repetitive stress injury, and nutrition.

Frederick Technology

Frederick is a lovely small city to the Northwest of Washington, D.C. I’m involved in the technology scene to find community and foster a love of tech among my fellow citizens.

• I started Python Frederick in 2015 and continue to organize it (with some fantastic co-organizers).
• I helped coordinate the city’s first Hackathon.
• Through my efforts on a team of tech volunteers, we earned Frederick a finalist spot in Amazon’s 2017 City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge.

I care deeply about my home, and I push hard to make sure that its citizens have the opportunity to learn about technology.

Open Source

I enjoy spending time on many open source projects. Some are my own. Some are the work of many. All are fun.

Django REST Framework JSON API

In 2017, I picked up the torch as the maintainer of the Django REST Framework JSON API package. This package translates Django REST Framework API output into the JSON API format.

tappy

Automated software testing is generally useful, and the Test Anything Protocol (TAP) is a way to track those automated results. I wrote a set of TAP generators for Python that hook in with Python’s testing ecosystem. The core project is called tappy.

Work

I work at Storybird. Storybird makes it possible for people to share creative stories through book and poetry writing. I am the lead software engineer with the opportunity to make Storybird an even better place to share stories. I get to write Python and JavaScript every day and help make the internet more awesome.

Lockheed Martin was my employer. While there, I worked on a wide range of products. You might have heard of some of them, like GPS or satellite phones. I also gained experience with Modeling and Simulation software, web applications, and complex configuration management implementations.

Family

I am a family man. I consider myself blessed to have a loving wife, Elease, and two great kids, Mark and Faye. My children are young so my life is a little hectic, but that’s perfectly fine with me.

Church

I am a Christian, and I attend New Hope OPC. My hope is that my faith reflects on all of my behavior, and that I show kindness, humility, and love.