Friday Hacks #302: From Hand-Written Code to AI Coding & Data Storytelling and Frontend Architecture @ The Straits Times
Friday Hacks, by NUS Hackers, is a weekly event where invited speakers share their technical experiences and interests! In this week's session, we have:
Talk 1: From Hand-Written Code to AI Coding: What Changes, What Doesn't
Writing code is now nearly free. Knowing it is right is not. In 2015, dozens of volunteers spent years translating You-Dont-Need-jQuery into fifteen languages; this year, an AI agent synced thirteen of them in one day and surfaced sixteen bugs that thousands of people had copied. This talk covers what has really changed in how software gets built, the practices that hold up, and what still depends on you.
Speaker Profile:
Shaoyin Song is an Engineering Manager at TikTok in Singapore, ex-Alibaba. In 2015, he created You-Dont-Need-jQuery, which has grown to over 20,000 GitHub stars with more than 100 contributors across 16 languages.
Talk 2: Behind the Graphics: Data storytelling and frontend architecture at The Straits Times
How does The Straits Times turn complex data into performant interactive stories? In this two-part talk, the Interactive Graphics team breaks down our pipeline across select signature projects—from data collection and iterative UI design to motion accents and web optimisation for mass audiences. We then dive into our frontend architecture, examining how flexible component design, creative workarounds, and scalable workflows empower fast-paced newsroom production.
Speaker Profile:
Wei Xian is a data visualisation developer with the Digital Graphics team at The Straits Times. She specialises in building interactive graphics, including scrollytelling, 3D web experiences and data-driven visuals. Her work involves creating custom components for each story, optimising web performance, and ensuring responsive layouts and cross-browser compatibility.
Shannon is a digital graphics designer with The Straits Times’ digital graphics team. He studied in Japan, where he was trained in a combination of graphic, product and interface design. With a passion for interaction design, he is keen on pushing the envelope of digital storytelling.
📍 COM3 SR12
🍕🧋will be served!