The Legit Baines Blog

  From Litter to Legacy: A Year in Page Hall There are moments in life when recognition arrives quietly, almost unexpectedly, and yet it carries the weight of everything that came before it. Being awarded the Community Champion Award by Sheffield City Council was one of those moments. It wasn’t just a certificate in a frame, it was a reflection of a year spent working, often unseen, in one of the most challenged areas of Page Hall. Page Hall is known for its difficulties. It’s often described in terms of deprivation , but that word doesn’t quite capture the full picture. It’s a place full of people, stories, and potential but also a place where neglect can easily take hold. Over time, litter builds up, spaces lose their care, and the environment starts to reflect the hardship faced by those living there. That’s where I found my purpose. The work itself wasn’t glamorous. There were no big announcements or media coverage just consistent effort. Picking up rubbish. Clearing neglecte...

Why Giving Advice Is Easier Than Doing the Work (Especially in IoT and Embedded Systems) ☝☝☝☝ It’s something I’ve become increasingly aware of while working on technical projects: giving advice is often far easier than actually doing the work. On the surface, a suggestion can sound simple, logical, and even obvious. But once you’re the person responsible for implementing it, the reality quickly becomes more complicated. This gap between theory and practice is something every developer eventually encounters, and it’s particularly noticeable in hands-on fields like IoT and embedded systems . When someone isn’t directly involved in a project, they don’t carry the same constraints. They’re not dealing with the specific hardware limitations, firmware quirks, time pressures, or integration challenges that define the day-to-day reality of the work. As a result, their advice can be well-intentioned but disconnected from what is actually achievable. It’s easy to recommend a clean solution whe...

  Honesty Really Is the Best Policy - Especially in Job Descriptions There’s a simple idea that gets repeated so often it risks losing its meaning: honesty is the best policy . But when you look closely at how organisations communicate especially in recruitment you start to see just how often that principle is quietly ignored. In the long run, honesty doesn’t just benefit the person reading a job advert; it benefits the organisation, the hiring team, and the wider community. Without it, time is wasted, expectations are mismanaged, and trust slowly erodes. One of the clearest examples of this is the growing trend of vague and overly broad job specifications . Many of the roles I’ve come across recently sound inclusive on the surface, but when you dig deeper, they lack the clarity needed for candidates to make an informed decision. Phrases like “ strong communication skills ,” “ commitment to customer service ,” and “ experience in innovation and transformation ” sound impressive, ...

Why the ACM Code of Ethics Matters More Than Ever During my time studying Computing at Sheffield Hallam University , one of my tutors introduced me to the ACM Code of Ethics . At first, it felt like one of those documents that sits in the background, important in theory, but easy to overlook when you’re focused on building projects and learning technical skills. But the more I worked on real systems, especially those involving data and IoT , the more I realised how relevant it actually is. The ACM Code of Ethics puts a strong emphasis on doing work that benefits society and contributes to human well-being. That idea has stuck with me. It sounds simple, but in a world where technology can be used in so many different ways, it’s actually a powerful filter for decision-making. Just because something can be built doesn’t always mean it should be built. The question becomes: who does this help, and is it genuinely improving things? All of my projects so far have been guided by that mindset,...

 Why We Need to Rethink Feedback, Criticism, and Being Told We’re Wrong  There is something fundamentally broken in the way many of us think about feedback, criticism, and being told we’re wrong. For a lot of people, these things feel uncomfortable, even personal. We tend to avoid them, soften them, or remove them entirely. But in doing so, we are also removing one of the most important mechanisms for growth. If no one ever tells you that you’re doing something wrong, how are you supposed to get better at it? I’ve experienced this problem firsthand through applying for a wide range of roles with Sheffield City Council . These roles span different departments and skillsets, and on paper, many organisations like this emphasise inclusivity and openness to candidates from alternative backgrounds. That sounds great in theory. But in practice, I’ve consistently received little to no feedback when unsuccessful . Just a rejection and that’s the end of the process. The issue here isn’t...

I'm Trying to Get Better at Everything (and Accidentally Building another IoT Network at the same time) I don’t really know where I’m going in tech yet — and for a while, that bothered me. There are so many different paths: backend engineering, embedded systems , web development, networking… and it feels like everyone else has already picked a lane.  I’m trying to see that as a strength rather than a weakness. Instead of specialising too early, I’ve been focusing on getting better at as many areas as I can. Not in a scattered way, but by building things, testing them and testing myself as I go. One of the best examples of that mindset has been my recent dive into IoT . How I've Ended Up Building another IoT System Someone told me about their business idea and it involves IOT which was a big part of my course at Hallam University so I told him that I'm probably the ideal person to build him a prototype IoT system that he can present to his potential funders.  He knows more ...