Sam Rose, a backend services engineer at Budibase and former SRE at Google, shares his journey in tech and education. He reveals what sets Google SRE apart, the importance of effective documentation, and challenges with Java. Sam discusses how he creates educational animations for his blog, blending art with technology. He reflects on being a parent of neurodiverse children and the innovative ways to teach complex concepts. With a touch of humor, he explores balancing personal life and creativity while emphasizing community engagement in tech.
Sam Rose highlights the distinctive culture of site reliability engineering at Google, emphasizing its supportive environment and focus on work-life balance.
The podcast illustrates how Kubernetes is a powerful tool for organizations of all sizes, debunking myths about its exclusivity to larger enterprises.
Sam's creative efforts to animate technical concepts showcase the importance of engaging educational content, particularly for neurodivergent learners seeking better understanding.
Deep dives
Benefits of Kubernetes for Companies of All Sizes
Kubernetes is seen as a valuable tool for organizations of various sizes, extending beyond just tech giants like Google. The podcast discusses a common misconception that smaller companies don't need solutions tailored for larger enterprises. In reality, Kubernetes offers scalability and efficiencies that can be advantageous for businesses of any scale. This shared platform allows for effective software deployment, automating operations that help startups thrive.
Transitioning Careers and Experiences at Google
The guest shares insights from his time at Google, emphasizing the contrast between site reliability engineering and software engineering roles. He originally joined Google as a site reliability engineer for the Android team, but later shifted to software engineering to engage more closely with coding. The insights into on-call responsibilities and the promotion of a healthy work-life balance showcase Google's supportive environment. Through personal anecdotes, he illustrates how understanding reliability can shift in perspective based on the technology and company culture.
Innovative Educational Approaches in Tech
The discussion highlights the creative endeavor of bringing complex technical topics to life through animations and visualizations. The host admires the way programming concepts are made accessible, fostering understanding among various audiences. There’s a significant focus on how effective educational material can engage learners, particularly neurodivergent individuals who may struggle to connect with traditional teaching methods. This approach not only assists in knowledge retention but also breaks down the barriers of learning technical subjects.
The Future of Content Creation and Collaborations
The guest aspires to expand his creative endeavors by collaborating with various artists, intending to feature unique styles in his educational content. There's potential for developing a series of posts where each one showcases artwork informed by its subject matter, blending creativity with technical accuracy. This initiative underscores a growing recognition of multidisciplinary collaboration, bridging the gap between art and technology. The blending of these fields seeks to enhance how information is received by audiences, presenting opportunities for enriched learning experiences.
Exploring Physical Manifestations of Algorithms
A fascinating idea emerges regarding the creation of physical representations for algorithms, such as a tangible Turing machine. The discussion reflects on the challenges and opportunities in producing educational tools that allow a hands-on learning experience. The vision to create high-quality, aesthetically appealing educational items emphasizes a commitment to craftsmanship in the tech space. This ambitious project resonates with the desire to make abstract concepts more concrete, offering an engaging way for learners to interact with foundational technology.
This episode is stacked with information. You could even say “full stacked.” Sam has built and run some large scale systems as a SRE at Google, now building backend services at Budibase, and he spends his free time teaching others how systems work at understandable scale. We dive into what makes Google SRE different from other companies, what it’s like to be a parent, and how Sam got started with building animations for his blog. Don’t forget to visit and check out the easter eggs he’s hidden throughout.
Show Highlights
0:00 - Intro 2:00 - Sam’s background 6:00 - How Google did SRE 15:00 - Importance of docs 19:00 - The problems with Java 26:00 - Budibase 32:00 - Borg vs Kubernetes 39:00 - Building animations 46:00 - Being a better teacher 56:00 - Art in the age of AI 1:00:00 - What’s next
