
Fork Around And Find Out
Fork Around and Find Out is your downtime from uptime. Your break from the pager, and a chance to learn from expert’s successes and failures. We cover state-of-the-art, legacy practices for building, running, and maintaining software and systems.
Latest episodes

Apr 25, 2025 • 58min
MCPing in the Open with Angie Jones
Angie Jones, VP of DevRel at Block, Java Champion, and an international speaker, dives into the exciting realm of Model Context Protocol (MCP) and its application through the innovative tool, Goose. She shares insights on her open-source projects and discusses the importance of community contributions in tech. Angie reflects on the significance of digital identity in business and the representation of women of color in the industry. Their conversation also touches on the evolving role of AI and the balance between tech advancements and human experience.

Apr 18, 2025 • 1h 14min
Motivated to Learn with Adriana Villela
Adriana Villela, Principal Developer Advocate at Dynatrace, brings 25 years of tech experience to the table. She discusses the unique challenges of upskilling engineers from the foundational to advanced levels. The conversation delves into the importance of fun in tech and the use of creative props in presentations. Adriana emphasizes the need for junior engineers to mentor seniors while exploring how AI can impact workflows. The podcast highlights balancing professional growth with personal challenges, particularly for single parents in the industry.

23 snips
Apr 11, 2025 • 1h 2min
Recovering from Disaster with Seth Eliot
In this engaging conversation, disaster recovery expert Seth Eliot shares his wealth of experience from RPO and his 15 years at Amazon. He highlights the essential role of manual processes in disaster recovery, beyond just automation. Seth discusses the complexities of transitioning to cloud services, including high availability versus disaster recovery, and the importance of documentation. He also delves into strategies for navigating cyber threats and the need for resilient systems, emphasizing the value of community support and educational resources in tech.

Apr 4, 2025 • 1h 4min
Building a Datacenter with Jake Cooper
Jake Cooper, Founder of Railway.com, shares insights from building a cloud infrastructure company. He discusses the fascinating challenges of constructing data centers and why they developed their own orchestrator to enhance efficiency. The conversation dives into balancing tech hype with practical applications, the emotional ties entrepreneurs have to their ventures, and the complexities of managing storage in container environments. Additionally, Jake reveals the importance of hiring exceptional talent and strategically navigating cloud and on-prem decisions.

13 snips
Mar 28, 2025 • 42min
Staying Curious with Scott Hanselman
In this lively discussion, Scott Hanselman, a software engineer and podcaster known for his work at Microsoft, explores the importance of curiosity in tech and beyond. He dives into why junior engineers bring fresh perspectives to teams. The conversation touches on the quirks of 'vibe coding' and the intentionality of ‘doom scrolling.’ Scott also addresses the balance between making and buying tech solutions and highlights the significance of creativity alongside life's responsibilities. Don't miss his insights on fostering empathy in the industry!

Mar 21, 2025 • 1h 14min
Vectorizing Your Databases with Steve Pousty
In this engaging discussion, Steve Pousty, a Principal Developer Advocate at Voxel51, dives into the world of machine learning and databases. He demystifies terms like embeddings, vectors, and LLMs, explaining that they often draw from familiar concepts. The conversation is a colorful ride through vector databases, the complexities of data representation, and the unique challenges of modern dating with a tech twist. Expect insightful analogies, playful banter, and a few laughs as they tackle both technological advancements and personal anecdotes.

5 snips
Mar 14, 2025 • 1h 13min
Testing Your Performance with Ada Lundhe
Ada Lundhe, a lead engineer at Datavant with expertise in web development, testing, and audio engineering, shares her insights on performance testing frameworks. She discusses the evolution of Hyperscale, emphasizing its connection to business value and the significance of code efficiency. The conversation dives into the benefits of Rust in development, modern Python package managers, and what led to MySpace's decline. Ada connects her tech journey to creativity, balancing technical challenges with broader societal impacts.

6 snips
Mar 7, 2025 • 57min
Getting to Know Kafka with Elad Eldor
Elad Eldor, author of 'Kafka Troubleshooting in Production' and a Data Ops Engineer at Unity, shares his wealth of knowledge about Kafka. He discusses the differences between running Kafka on-prem and in the cloud, unveiling the complexities of cluster management and performance tuning. Elad emphasizes the importance of understanding system bottlenecks and resource optimization to avoid excessive costs. He also touches on the challenges of manual monitoring and the interplay between human expertise and technology in today’s operational landscape.

9 snips
Feb 28, 2025 • 52min
FAFO Live with Sam Rose
Sam Rose, a creative programming and procedural art expert, dives into quirky topics ranging from the merits of coffee to the challenges of online writing. The conversation humorously explores unique culinary habits and the fun of turning handwriting into a font. They also tackle the importance of consistency in content creation versus quality. A playful game about tech giants keeps the energy high, while discussions about hacking fast-food apps add an intriguing twist!

8 snips
Feb 21, 2025 • 1h 14min
Animating the Stack with Sam Rose
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.