Joël, a seasoned software developer, and Stephanie, an expert in Rails conventions, delve into when it's necessary to diverge from Rails defaults. They discuss the complexities of customizing Rails and the benefits of using dry-rb objects in projects. Stephanie shares her insights on leveraging callbacks effectively, while Joël reflects on a large-scale refactoring initiative and lessons learned from legacy code issues. The duo also examines the tradeoffs of different testing frameworks and the importance of the ActiveModel ecosystem for better code development.

Stephanie discusses naming conventions using 'Classnames' for design. Joël talks about AI for D&D names and his interest in Roman history. They stress the importance of asking questions in development for workflow understanding, trust building, and collaboration with juniors. They delve into questioning assumptions, maintaining a curious mindset, and using questions during PR reviews for continuous improvement.

Join Elise, co-host of the 'Ruby on Rails' podcast, Jason from 'Code with Jason,' Joël of 'The Bike Shed,' and Drew from 'Code and the Coding Coders Who Code It' as they share lively reflections from RailsConf 2024 in Detroit. They discuss workshops on TDD and BDD, the emotional significance of the conference, and the future of RailsConf. The conversation weaves in humorous debates about Detroit-style pizza, hot dog eating habits, and the vibrant local community, showcasing both technical insights and light-hearted banter.