The Bike Shed

Joël and Sally grab a flashlight to share some scary dev stories with each other to celebrate spooky season. Sally tales the tale of the missing production database, Joël flees from some corrupted data, and each recall instances of haunted code and heart stopping moments from projects gone wrong. — Thanks to our sponsors for this episode Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way (check the link for your free gift!), and Scout Monitoring. If you’re ever in Amsterdam consider checking out Joël’s museum recommendation. Your hosts for this episode have been thoughtbot’s own Joël Quenneville and Sally Hall. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky © 2025 thoughtbot, inc.Support The Bike Shed

Aji gets their priorities straight as they talks with fellow thoughtboter Jared Turner about his recent article titled The President’s Doctor. Jared breaks down the thought process behind the president’s doctor and the wasted time we accrue when working on a project, where we can minimise pauses and delays in our workflows, and why watching cat videos while you wait may actually be the most productive thing you can do! — Thanks to our sponsors for this episode Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way (check the link for your free gift!), and Scout Monitoring. Read Jared’s article to get a full breakdown of The President’s Doctor theory. Your host for this episode has been Aji Slater and was joined by fellow thoughtboter Jared Turner. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky © 2025 thoughtbot, inc.Support The Bike Shed

Aji and Sally set out to crack the problems surrounding remote working as they share their thoughts on the various aspect of working from home. Together they discuss their time at the recent thoughtbot summit in Amsterdam, how they felt about working in-person again, what they took away from the experience, the best remote solutions they’ve found to recreate that in-person feeling, and what friction points about remote working still linger for them both. — Thanks to our sponsors for this episode Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way (check the link for your free gift!), and Scout Monitoring. Sign up for thoughtbot’s open summit at the end of the month. Your hosts for this episode have been thoughtbot’s own Sally Hall and Aji Slater If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky © 2025 thoughtbot, inc.Support The Bike Shed

Aji and Sally dive into their personal experiences with ADHD, revealing effective systems they use for work. They discuss how coping methods evolve over time and share innovative tools like Obsidian and tactile note systems. Sally highlights the importance of avoiding multitasking and managing attention, while Aji emphasizes clear team communication. They also touch on the benefits of consulting for maintaining focus. The duo hilariously navigates the intricacies of Slack reminders, blending humor with practical advice for a productive workday.

Joël and Aji dive into the complexities of change management and data migrations. They explore the risks involved with data changes versus code changes, highlighting the permanent nature of corrupted data. Incremental migrations and the Strangler Fig pattern offer strategies for smooth transitions. The importance of planning zero-downtime changeovers is emphasized, along with handling in-flight requests during migrations. Joël shares insights from past migration experiences, while discussing innovative solutions like ID exchange endpoints and canary deploys.

Joël and Sally dive into the art of PR reviews, discussing the importance of concise descriptions and manageable sizes for code diffs. They explore the balance between human judgment and AI support in code review, emphasizing clear rationale for changes. The duo also highlights the value of readable methods and managing levels of abstraction. They caution against overly complex tests and debate the nuances of splitting work into meaningful tickets. Tune in for insights that blend technical expertise with practical advice!

Sally and Aji delve into the concept of invisible mentorship, particularly within code reviews. They discuss the nuances of providing feedback, including when to initiate conversations and how to tailor insights based on developers' experiences. The duo highlights the importance of empathy and communication styles, and the value of draft pull requests as tools for collaboration. They also touch on neurodiversity and the crucial role of context in feedback. Join them as they explore the dynamics of mentoring in tech!

It’s board game night at the Bike Shed as Joël and Aji crack out the game pieces to assess how their work as programmers influences strategy when playing some of their favourite games. As they make their way round the board they discuss the cycle of setbacks and iteration, finding the optimal solution to a puzzle, as well as the key skills that best links their programming work to board games. — Thanks to our sponsors for this episode Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way (check the link for your free gift!), and Scout Monitoring. Check out the upcoming conferences mentioned in this episode - XO Ruby and Rocky Mountain Your hosts for this episode have been thoughtbot’s own Joël Quenneville and Aji Slater. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky © 2025 thoughtbot, inc.Support The Bike Shed

Joël prepares to write his new book by asking Sally some fundamental questions about Web browsers. Together they look to answer the deceptively simple question of what is a browser, examining what they are at their core, what they’re capable of beyond basic functions, the nuances of programming for the web across different systems and devices on the front and back end, as well as unpacking the surprising benefits of different forms of browsers like the terminal text based platform Lynx. — Thanks to our sponsors for this episode Judoscale - Autoscale the Right Way (check the link for your free gift!), and Scout Monitoring. Your hosts for this episode have been thoughtbot’s own Joël Quenneville and Sally Hall. If you would like to support the show, head over to our GitHub page, or check out our website. Got a question or comment about the show? Why not write to our hosts: hosts@bikeshed.fm This has been a thoughtbot podcast. Stay up to date by following us on social media - YouTube - LinkedIn - Mastodon - BlueSky © 2025 thoughtbot, inc.Support The Bike Shed

Sally and Joël explore the essence of developer skills beyond just writing code. They discuss the importance of context in problem-solving and the critical role of effectively reading error messages. The duo emphasizes the art of asking the right questions, whether to Google or AI. They dive into expert Googling, detailing the difference between reference lookups and exploratory searches. Mentorship and learning from PRs are highlighted as vital for juniors transitioning to senior roles, showcasing the dynamic journey of a developer.