Build and Learn

In this episode, Colin and CJ discuss their audio and video setups, ideal microphones, cameras, and software for content creation. They dive into the specifics of the equipment they use and recommend budget-friendly options for those just getting started. Additionally, they touch upon some useful applications and tools that streamline their workflows, and discuss their experience with various developer-related projects.Our Daily Drivers1. Shure SM7B2. Shure SM583. Cloudlifter4. Triton Fethead5. Scarlett Solo6. Eleven Labs7. YouTube Studio8. Google Experimental Music Effects 9. Descript 10. Apple Studio Display 11. Sony A6100 12. Elgato Camlink 13. Elgato Key Lights 14. Elgato Streamdeck 15. OBS 16. Audio-Technica ATR2500 17. Shure MV7 18. Handmirror app19. Cleanshot 20. Skitch 21. Warp22. Neovim23. iTerm224. OhMyZsh25. Alacritty26. VS Code 27. ngrok 28. zoxide29. eza 30. fzf 31. Raycast 32. Fantastical 33. Textmate 34. CJ's /uses page Find more audio gear at Podcast Method

In this episode, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ruby on Rails, reflecting on its impact and vibrant community. We share Rails origin stories from the late 2000s and early 2010s. You'll hear about different companies' reading and writing cultures, including practices like decision documents, meeting notes, and internal newsletters.You'll hear updates on current projects, with Colin discussing a major documentation initiative and the challenges of balancing meta-work with actual work. CJ provides an update on a large-scale refactoring project, detailing the process of converting enums to models across various parts of the codebase. You'll also get book recommendations, including "The PARA Method" about note-taking and personal knowledge management, and "Unreasonable Hospitality" which explores creating exceptional customer experiences.Finally, we discuss the concept of "unreasonable hospitality" and how to delight customers through thoughtful, personalized interactions.ResourcesUnreasonable Hospitality - https://www.amazon.com/Unreasonable-Hospitality-Remarkable-Giving-People/dp/0593418573PARA method - https://fortelabs.com/blog/para/ Amazon's working backwards - https://www.productplan.com/glossary/working-backward-amazon-method/ 

We discuss visiting NYC, DevRelCon, red-eye flights, and why enums are terrible.Some of the bits and bobs mentioned in this episode:- DevRelCon - Chef's Table (S2E1 Grant Achatz) / Alinea- Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon- CJ enumerating lessons about enums

We're celebrating our 50th episode and two years of podcasting. In this milestone episode, we reflect on what has kept us consistent, our laid-back approach to podcasting, and give a shoutout to you! We also explore how social media affects consumer behavior and share tips for managing digital consumption and mental health.You'll also hear about our latest projects, including optimizing Redis for better performance in our Rails app and our current work at Discord and Craftwork. Plus, we dive into the world of AI tools for content creation, using them to create engaging short-form videos. Thanks for joining us on this journey!Resources* Money with Katie - https://moneywithkatie.com/ * Mostly Technical - https://mostlytechnical.com/* Bootstrapped Web - https://bootstrappedweb.com/ * Syntax - https://syntax.fm/* APIs You Wont Hate - https://apisyouwonthate.com/* The Bike Shed - https://bikeshed.thoughtbot.com/ 

Producer's note: This episode should have gone out as episode 48 ahead of Webhooks! This is our missing episode. Join us next episode for episode 50!Colin has a fitness update: working on the lungs, breathing and stress in general. CJ is digging into enums and converting them to models at Craftwork. More to come on that topic soon. Colin continues to avoid building Coworking Software (to everyone's applause) and CJ is digging back into James Clear's Atomic Habits.Colin: Fitness update / massage / breathing CJ: Big refactor from an enum to a model - evolving pricing modelsCJ's sleek lidar mop vacuum Colin: Coworking Software Update: not building anything, trying out JoanColin: Internal discussion on WebhooksCJ: rereading Atomic HabitsColin mentions some Obsidian (more on that to come in future episodes)

In this episode, you'll learn about webhooks and how they enable event-driven integrations. We cover webhooks, how they work, and best practices for providers and consumers.Topics:- The evolution of webhooks and how they compare to traditional API polling methods- Implementing webhooks securely, including verification techniques- Strategies for handling and processing webhook data- Challenges you might face with versioning and payload changes- Useful tools and resources for working with webhooksWe share our experiences implementing webhooks across various platforms, mentioning Stripe, Twilio, and Slack as examples of good webhook implementations. We also discuss how tools like Zapier can help with webhook integrations and automation.You'll hear about CJ's recent experiences with React Native and Expo Go, as well as updates on our side project "Buckets", a Mint-like finance app.Resources:https://webhooks.fyi/ Webhooks google groupRailsconf webhooks workshop

CJ and Colin with the summer updates and fitness check-in. We dive into cron jobs, scheduling those jobs with various tools and services and best practices for when/how to cron.- Summer updates- CJ's live peloton class in the studio- Peloton hotel finder- Colin gives a RTO recap- Craftwork update, one year of the Rails codebase- Realtime project view tracking with action cable (who’s looking at the same doc as me)- Command Palette using Ninja Keys - CJ on Enums in Rails and other best practices - CJ using sidekiq-cron, alternative to whenever. - team already asking for event-based things- BullMQ mentioned! - Colin working on some sample Discord bots and apps

Colin and CJ explore the ongoing debate between monolithic architectures versus API-driven frontends, touching on the pros and cons of GraphQL and REST. The conversation also covers the intricacies of integrating Next.js with Rails applications. On the personal front, CJ shares his solar pool heater project and Colin prepares for his upcoming relay race, Reno Tahoe Open (RTO). Both hosts reflect on their work anniversaries and discuss the challenges and strategies for effective Developer Relations (DevRel).Monoliths vs. API-driven Frontends: The pros and cons of each approach, including the challenges of maintaining large JSON payloads and ensuring API stability.GraphQL: A critical look at the limitations and complexities of GraphQL, including rate limiting and authorization issues.Next.js and Rails Integration: Strategies for connecting a modern frontend framework with a traditional Rails backend.Personal Projects: CJ's DIY solar pool heater project and the considerations involved in making it efficient and safe.Relay Race Preparation: Colin's training for the Reno Tahoe Odyssey and strategies for managing challenging race conditions.DevRel Strategies: The multifaceted role of Developer Relations and how to balance content creation, community engagement, and internal advocacy.ResourcesWhy I’m Over GraphQLStack Recommendations for Connecting a Next.js AppTaylor Otwell’s Tweet on Next.js and LaravelRails Developer Survey 2024Unity Learn PathwaysChris Trag’s LinkedIn PostRemotion: Create Videos ProgrammaticallyThanks for listening!

This week, CJ and Colin talk about content clickbait, Gameboy nostalgia, and the in-vogue topic of AI/LLMs. CJ dives into some cautionary tales around more API integrations and his steps to avoid platform risk while trying to build software at a growing company. Finally, we bid farewell to RailsConf and discuss the market for Ruby/Rails conferences in 2024 and beyond.Colin's Gameboy nostalgia a dose of retro gaming wifi gameboy cartridge right to repair Retro Future YouTube Acquired FM: The Complete History & Strategy of Nintendo Analogue Pocket Gen Alpha == Generation AIWizards of the Coast/D&D and AIPlatform Risk when building on APIs More integrations API stability Degrated integrations and deliveryThe RailsConf 2024 FOMO 2024 will be the penultimate conference2025 will be the last RailsConf Focus on rubyconf and rubygems Focus on regional conferences Announcement: A New Era for Ruby Central Events

In this episode, you'll hear about the Write the Docs conference in Portland, a must-attend for anyone in the tech writing community. CJ and Colin chatted about the unique, community-focused vibe of the event, which was akin to RailsConf or RubyConf, and shared some standout talks. One highlight is Calvin Fung's "Beyond Words: Strategies for Leveling Up Your Tech Writing Career," where he details practical tips for documenting your work and aligning it with your job description to advance your career. They also discuss creative ways to enhance documentation using interactive elements, and offers tips on how to get involved and meet people at conferences.You'll also hear about "Slow Productivity," Cal Newport's book that has us rethinking how they manage their workloads. We'll discuss the book’s core principles: (1) doing fewer things, (2) working at a natural pace, and (3) obsessing over quality. This leads to a deep dive into managing distractions, the anxiety around being constantly responsive, and the value of deep, focused work. Plus, they share updates on fun projects at Craftwork, like organizing painting crews with a drag-and-drop interface and rebuilding a pricing engine. Finally, they touch on their DIY approach to calendar management and Colin’s adventures in learning Unity for game development. This episode is packed with insights and practical advice for balancing productivity and creativity in the tech world.ResourcesAfford Anything podcasthttps://affordanything.com/495-cal-newport-the-shocking-secret-of-productivity/Write The Docs https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2024/speakers/ Slow Productivityhttps://amzn.to/3UNP0qT 

This week, we discuss building companies on top of API integrations and recent acquisitions that we've been following closely and dig into some tech we're both using in our daily work. If you feel like you have a lot going on in your world right now, we also tease our upcoming episode on Cal Newport's newest book, Slow Productivity.- Postman acquires Orbit! Congrats to the team!- Discussing building companies that are heavy on integrations- Autocode shut down- Cloudflare acquires Partykit- Using Turbo at Craft- Calendaring and staffing in Craft- Neverending conference room app- Slow Productivity by Cal Newport- Podcast Interview with Cal Newport- Cal Newport's website- Events and Event Emitting- Building and learning on Game Engines

In this episode, Colin shares insights from the Game Developers Conference (GDC) on cutting-edge technologies like motion capture and AI-powered game creation. We'll chat candidly about the challenges of achieving work-life balance, recognizing burnout signs, and staying productive amid demanding software projects. Additionally, we'll explore personal finance topics, such as budgeting, emergency funds, and leveraging AI and APIs to optimize spending and financial planning.Resourcesfrvr.ai https://www.frvr.ai/ Robin desk booking software https://robinpowered.com/Tailwind UI Calendars https://tailwindui.com/components/application-ui/data-display/calendars Tailwind Catalyst https://tailwindcss.com/blog/introducing-catalyst Fullcalendar https://fullcalendar.io/ GDScream https://twitter.com/search?q=%23GDC2024&src=typeahead_click

In this episode, we talk about that subscription fatigue that is coming for us all. CJ has been working on some homesteading projects, including maple syrup harvesting and an AI birdspotting camera. Colin finally reveals what he's been working on at work: a new SDK! What we're building- CJ is homesteading: maple syrup - Raspberry PI + camera + AI to detect birds in the yard- Colin finally shares what he's been working on at work: documenting a new Discord SDK!What we're learning- Our lessons learned when buying (or not buying) a house

In this episode, we'll dive into the codebase of Campfire, a product released by the 37signals (now Basecamp) team. Sharing our initial impressions of the codebase hitting some of these topics:- The use of helpers and views in this Rails app- The gems and dependencies- The decision to use SQLite- The integration of Hotwire, Stimulus, and front-end tech- The inclusion of Go code for the Thruster proxy accelerator- The CSS files and design choicesResourceshttps://twitter.com/dhh/status/1748378865725329495https://world.hey.com/dhh/finished-software-8ee43637

This week, Colin and CJ discuss how differently we can feel when we get caught in the mindless doomscrolling traps of consuming content rather than creating things, interacting with other IRL humans, and more! - Accountability/fitness update- Quick update on Buckets!- Consumption vs Creation- Learning styles- Badass Course Creators podcast: Raising the bar for online learning with Greg RogNext episode, we're digging into the Campfire codebase from 37Signals/Once.glhf!